"Oh no, Senior Brother is in danger."

Ma Rufei, Chen Chaoyue, and Zhang Haijun naturally heard the experts' discussion, and their hearts sank. Their faces filled with tension and concern.

May the heavens bless him; good people deserve to live in peace. Zhang Bin, you must pull through. Wu Qianqian prayed fervently in her heart.

"Idiot." On the stage, Zhang Bin looked at Lv Jianben with the indifference one reserves for the dead. "You dream of taking my Flying Sword? You couldn't do it even if you cultivated for another lifetime."

"Hahaha..." Lv Jianben continued to laugh madly, as if he couldn't contain the joy in his heart. He didn't take Zhang Bin's words seriously at all.

After all, he was a Golden Core Middle Stage Cultivator who had been through countless battles and tribulations. While he might not have been truly invincible, his track record was simple: he lived, and his enemies died. Thus, his combat experience was immense, and he had fostered an aura of invincibility born from a hundred victories.

How could such unshakeable confidence be affected by a few words from Zhang Bin?

"Forget it. I'll happily send you on your way to Hell," Zhang Bin said, disgusted by his opponent's arrogance. He sneered and shouted, "Kill!"

The Flying Sword floating before him shot out once again.

SWISH...

The Flying Sword pierced through space, transforming into a bolt of red lightning. With overwhelming killing intent, it shot toward his opponent's chest.

"Break!" Lv Jianben's laughter stopped abruptly as he shouted in triumph.

His terrifying Telekinetic Ability burst forth, acting on Zhang Bin's Flying Sword and instantly altering its trajectory just enough. At the same moment, he rolled fiercely to one side.

SWISH...

The Flying Sword skimmed past his arm, slicing a wound into his skin. Blood began to flow.

"Kill!" he roared, not caring in the slightest. A torrent of flames spewed from his mouth, shooting toward Zhang Bin like a tidal wave that could cover the sky.

The power was horrifying. It seemed capable of destroying everything.

A triumphant look spread across his face, the look of a successful scheme. He had laughed loudly on purpose to bait Zhang Bin into attacking with his Flying Sword. All the while, he had secretly prepared to dodge, his Telekinetic Ability primed and ready. As long as he dodged this one Flying Sword attack, Zhang Bin would be as good as dead.

His own attack was something Zhang Bin could not possibly defend against. If he had launched his flames first, Zhang Bin might have desperately countered with the Flying Sword, and Lv Jianben wasn't certain he could have dodged it. After all, it was difficult to use two types of Daoist Magic at once. This was wisdom forged through countless bloody battles, far beyond anything a mere 21-year-old Cultivator like Zhang Bin could hope to match.

"Sigh... Zhang Bin is done for. He's about to be turned to ash."

"What a pity. A genius has fallen just like that."

"I'm so jealous. That Middle-Grade Flying Sword belongs to Lv Jianben now."

"..."

The Golden Core Realm Cultivators were all sighing, a mixture of regret and envy in their voices.

"Be careful, Senior Brother!"

"Ah!"

Ma Rufei, the other two, and Wu Qianqian all let out horrified shouts and screams, their faces etched with despair.

Zhang Bin was truly in a desperate situation. He wanted to retreat, but it was too late. With speed that far surpassed his own, his opponent appeared behind him like a ghostly spirit and continued to spew flames that blotted out the sky. The new flames merged with the old, forming a gigantic fireball that completely enveloped Zhang Bin.

Even with his miraculous Wall-Piercing Ability, Zhang Bin could not escape underground. This was the Arena of Life and Death, a place where experts frequently fought to the death. It wasn't built with mere bricks, but from poured molten iron. Zhang Bin had not mastered the Metal Escape ability, so he had no way to flee into the ground.

"GAHAHAHA... Since you gifted me a Middle-Grade Flying Sword, I'll do you the favor of cremating you myself. It'll save the crematorium the trouble," Lv Jianben cackled with smug, sinister glee.

He was one hundred percent certain that Zhang Bin would be reduced to ash. This was his Pill Fire, a unique flame possessed only by Cultivators who had reached the Golden Core Realm. It was terrifyingly powerful, capable of destroying anything. It could even melt Low-grade Magical Treasures, though that would take some time. Now, enveloped in the furiously burning flames, Zhang Bin had no escape. Even if he had a Low-grade Magical Treasure for defense, it would be incinerated along with him.

The reason he used Pill Fire instead of a close-quarters attack was that he suspected Zhang Bin had a trump card. After all, Zhang Bin had been far too arrogant and his behavior was too abnormal. If Zhang Bin possessed a Talisman made by a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, getting close would be suicide. But Pill Fire was different. He didn't need to get close. Even if Zhang Bin had a Talisman, the Pill Fire would instantly reduce it to ash, rendering it completely useless. An old monster like him had naturally considered every possibility.

"Senior Brother!"

"Brother Bin!"

His four companions let out heart-wrenching cries, their faces masks of grief and sorrow. They had never dreamed that a trip to the Immortal Palace would lead to Zhang Bin behaving as if possessed, challenging a Golden Core Middle Stage Cultivator like Lv Jianben to a life-and-death battle, only to be killed by his opponent's Pill Fire. It was all so senseless.

"What a pity..."

Many other Cultivators also sighed in regret. A talent like Zhang Bin was rare. He was able to use Sword Control even at the Liquid Transformation Late Stage, something only a peerless genius could achieve. His death was indeed regrettable. However, a genius this foolish would have perished sooner or later. Genius is no match for foolishness. On the path of cultivation, clever cultivators always go further, while foolish ones fall quickly.

"Huh? What's going on?" someone suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

The situation had taken a bizarre turn. Not only had Zhang Bin not been burned to ash, but he was walking out from the midst of the raging flames, completely unharmed. A suit of gray-black armor now covered his body, making him look like a Demon God from the Demon Realm. A mocking sneer was etched on his face, and a dense, chilling killing intent radiated from him.

"Heavens, that armor is a Middle-Grade Magical Treasure! Its defensive power is terrifying; the Pill Fire can't harm him," someone in the crowd cried out in amazement.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could you have Middle-Grade Defensive Armor?" Fear painted Lv Jianben's face as he stumbled backward, shouting in disbelief.

Middle-Grade Magical Treasures were already extremely rare, mostly due to the scarcity of precious materials. Furthermore, when such materials were found, they were almost always used to forge offensive Middle-Grade Magical Treasures. This was because offensive treasures were far more useful than defensive ones. If a sect possessed an offensive Middle-Grade Magical Treasure, others wouldn't dare to provoke them. But a defensive Middle-Grade Magical Treasure lacked the same deterrent effect, as it had no offensive power.

For this reason, defensive Middle-Grade Magical Treasures were even rarer. It was doubtful that even powerful sects like Kunlun Shushan possessed one.

This was completely beyond Lv Jianben's expectations

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