Chapter 143: Some Still Have Backbone; A Palace’s Call

Wang Teng, Li Yuan, Jiang Shanyu, Zhou Zong, and the two other Foundation Establishment cultivators all revealed the same emotion—greedy excitement!

It was not a wasted trip.

Definitely not a wasted trip!

Regardless of everything else, just the powerful corpses scattered across the ground would be enough to fetch an enormous profit if they were brought out!

But none of them were foolish.

Yu Xian had arrived first, yet hadn’t touched any of the corpses.

That could only mean—

There was a problem with these corpses.

Li Yuan’s eyes gleamed as he watched Yu Xian calmly stride toward the royal palace.

If even someone like that wasn’t taking them… then he wouldn’t dare either.

Wang Teng’s initial joy faded into contemplation.

Despite being dead for who knows how many years, these corpses still emanated a terrifying aura.

If they got too close without caution… it was possible they’d be directly crushed to death!

Seeing that even powerhouses like Wang Teng and Li Yuan were hesitating, the others followed suit.

None of them dared to be the first to act.

Thus, six people stood there, staring at what looked like a mountain of wealth—yet unable to claim a single piece. The frustration was almost unbearable.

Meanwhile, Yu Xian had already walked hundreds of meters ahead, calmly following the main road that led directly to the palace.

The number of corpses increased.

Human and “divine” alike lay dead in pieces, bones rotting away in identical fashion.

This made one truth painfully clear:

These so-called gods were nothing more than humans.

The invaders claimed to be gods—arrogant, proud, and delusional.

Those who defended this land simply called themselves humans—resisting until the bitter end.

But they had lost.

The capital was breached.

The palace overrun.

The dynasty destroyed.

The battles that took place within the inner city had clearly been the fiercest.

The ground was shattered and torn, ravaged by the power of countless mighty beings.

If not for the protection of defensive arrays and the extraordinary strength of the construction materials, this entire place would’ve been razed long ago.

But it was also because of this catastrophic battle that so many relics had been left behind—scattered pills, techniques, materials, broken weapons—what people now called “opportunities.”

Yu Xian frowned even deeper.

Why did this ancient city open every one or two years, drawing people in again and again?

Was it just so they could watch these illusions over and over?

What was the point?

BOOM—

At that moment, a deep rumble surged out from the direction of the royal palace, shaking the world like a massive earthquake.

Yu Xian’s expression changed.

He immediately summoned a magical shield—the Divine Spirit Barrier—just as a wave of shock hit. The shield absorbed it and dispersed it harmlessly to both sides.

But that was just the prelude.

A single breath later, the true pressure descended like a tsunami.

“I may die, but I shall not be king…”

A monumental wave of pressure and will erupted from the palace—

Like a massive stone dropped into a calm lake, its ripples spread outward, engulfing the entire ancient city.

To Yu Xian and the others, it felt like the heavens themselves had opened.

They were less than dust motes in a vast sea.

Death was all but certain.

“Aahh! Sacred King’s Might! It’s the Sacred King’s Might!!”

Wang Teng screamed first, then shouted desperately:

“Kneel! Kneel and live! Kneel and survive!!”

Li Yuan’s face twisted with fear. He dropped to his knees.

“Your Majesty, forgive us!!”

The others followed suit, terror-stricken.

Everyone had heard the legends.

Even those who had never made it to the inner city had encountered this “Sacred King’s Might” before.

The countermeasure was known and universally practiced—

Kneel. Live.

But…

Yu Xian did not kneel.

He stood there, unmoved, and looked into the oncoming tide of pressure.

“Sacred King’s Might…”

He muttered, frowning.

He had heard of it.

He knew kneeling would spare him.

But then he whispered to himself:

“It makes no sense.”

“If it’s not a living thing… how can it control who lives or dies? Why does kneeling make me safe? How does it know if I kneel or not?”

“You’re not real. You’re… an illusion.”

BOOM!!

The terrifying pressure washed over Yu Xian—

Then through him—

Then over Wang Teng, Li Yuan, and the rest—

Before finally dissipating into the void.

Yu Xian didn’t even blink.

Illusion.

As he had suspected.

Perhaps decades ago, the first cultivators who encountered this illusion had panicked and knelt.

Surviving it, they spread the word that kneeling was the key.

And every generation after that…

Chose to kneel.

Why take the risk?

“Live first, dignity later.”

So many cultivators, even powerful ones, believed this.

But not Yu Xian.

He didn’t believe in gambling on illusions.

And even if it were real… he would rather die than kneel.

There are people in the world who—

Despite knowing they are ants,

Despite knowing the risk of destruction,

Still choose to speak up.

Still choose to resist.

This kind of backbone—

Is not arrogance.

It is strength.

In this world full of cowards, flatterers, and survivors without bottom lines—

True courage lies in those who can stand tall, even in death.

Yu Xian looked at the royal palace in silence, exhaled lightly.

He had won the gamble.

If he had been wrong—he would’ve died.

But he hadn’t.

As for the others—

They slowly looked up, their bodies trembling.

They assumed their kneeling had worked.

The world fell quiet again.

The killing intent and misty resentment dissipated…

Only to begin condensing once more moments later.

Yu Xian stood still.

The palace ahead was too dangerous.

And he doubted there was any true opportunity inside.

He remembered the deadly temple atop Ascension Island.

If risk and reward were too far apart—

Yu Xian would rather not enter.

He had already gained something from this ruin—

Martial insight. That was enough.

He thought instead about collecting a few of the high-level corpses—

They alone would be worth a fortune.

Just as he was about to turn around—

“Come…”

A whisper echoed beside his ear.

Yu Xian’s brows furrowed, his eyes locking onto the palace.

“Who said that?”

“You heard it too? It sounded like someone calling to us!”

“From the palace… it came from the palace!”

All six cultivators behind him also reacted.

They had all heard the voice.

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes.

“Could it be… there’s a living being inside?”

Wang Teng stood up abruptly, his voice trembling with excitement.

“A legacy? An ancient legacy!? Could the Sacred King from that era… still be alive?!”

“Come…”

The voice came again—louder and clearer.

There was no denying it.

Someone—something—was calling them from within the palace.

Yu Xian touched the jade pendant at his chest.

No reaction.

Everything around him felt real.

He wasn’t in an illusion.

So was there truly… someone still alive in that palace?

Could it be that every time this ruin opened,

It was they who initiated it?

Bringing “fated ones” inside?

But for what purpose?

“Come…”

The third call came.

“Life and death are fate! Wealth is up to heaven!”

Wang Teng shouted, suddenly charging toward the palace!

He was gambling everything.

Without a breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm, he’d die of old age eventually.

If there was even the smallest chance for a legacy in there—he would bet on it!

Either death by trap,

Or soaring to the heavens in one leap.

Seeing Wang Teng move, the others also hesitated for only a moment.

Li Yuan clenched his teeth and followed.

The remaining four didn’t bother with further hesitation.

They rushed forward too.

Wang Teng was right:

“Riches come from risk!”

No one gets lucky by standing still.

If they obtained an ancient inheritance—

They’d transcend everything.

In that moment, even the priceless corpses strewn across the ground were forgotten.

The six of them surged past Yu Xian—

Charging into the palace.