<h4>Chapter 597 - Life and Death</h4>


    Ye Dao’s gaze was piercing, a bone-chilling de intent radiating from him. He was a formidable opponent—his strength went beyond appearances. Though his cultivation was only at the second level of the Astral River Realm, hisbat prowess rivaled those at the fourth level.


    Liu Wuxie hadn’t expected the Lesser de Association to have someone this powerful, especially one willing to step forward on their behalf. His curiosity about Qin Dao deepened; what kind of extraordinary charisma did he have tomand such fierce loyalty?


    As Ye Dao’s words echoed, the crowd quickly began to disperse, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. Those nearby struggled to withstand the force of Ye Dao’s de intent, which shredded their robes, leaving them looking like beggars as they stepped aside, helpless against the fierce aura.


    “You want to fight here?” Liu Wuxie asked with a casual smile, ncing around. This ce was far too crowded; a fight would only endanger innocent bystanders.


    Liu Wuxie knew there was no avoiding a confrontation with the Lesser de Association. A direct sh was inevitable, beyond the reach of subtle schemes or negotiations.


    “There’s bound to be a battle between us, but not today,” said Ye Dao, shaking his head. He had no intentions of fighting Liu Wuxie today.


    “Get lost if you’re too scared to fight. Don’t hinder us from selling spiritual talismans,” Liu Wuxie said in an overbearing tone.


    Liu Wuxie’s words left the members of the Lesser de Association gritting their teeth in anger. If they failed to eliminate him today, after such public humiliation, their reputation in Treasure City would be in ruins.


    “I heard that the Heavenly Dao Society is selling spiritual talismans,” Ye Dao said, a cold gleam in his eyes. “That means you must be a spiritualist. There’s a showcaseing up, and I expect you won’t disappoint me.”


    The spiritual talismans on disy were crafted by various spiritualists present. The spiritualists would take turns showcasing their products and techniques on the stage to boost their sales.


    The higher the poprity, the better the sales, bringing them more resources.


    “You want to challenge me to a duel in talismans?” Liu Wuxie smiled. He finally knew why these people hesitated to act. It was thoughtful of them to want to use a talisman duel to kill him.


    “We’re all spiritualists here. It’s not exactly a duel but just a friendly exchange between us. Junior Brother Liu, don’t tell me that you’re afraid?” Ye Dao sneered, his wordsced with sarcasm.


    The Lesser de Association had issued their challenge publicly, and the Heavenly Dao Society would lose its reputation if he refused. If he epted, it would be the same as falling into the Lesser de Association’s trap, and they would try and target him under the pretext of a friendly spar. The situation was disadvantageous for Liu Wuxie regardless of his choice.


    Everyone knew that Liu Wuxie was strong inbat and was a powerful alchemist. But rumors had it that others, not him, made the talismans under the Heavenly Dao Society.


    “Amb came to be ughtered. I don’t see why I should refuse,” Liu Wuxie responded, epting any challenge that came at him, whether it was a talisman duel or a martialbat.


    A dragon’s roar echoed from within Liu Wuxie upon sensing the powerful de intent, shattering the de aura released by Ye Dao.


    Ye Dao narrowed his eyes, sensing the threat emanating from the short de in Liu Wuxie’s hand. He could tell this wasn’t an ordinary weapon, and the dragon-like roar it emitted only faded once Liu Wuxie sheathed the Heretic de.


    “Let’s go!” Ye Dao left with everyone else from the Lesser de Association. The duel hadn’t started, and he knew Liu Wuxie wouldn’t flee since he had given his word.


    As the group departed, the crowd gradually dispersed as well. Many had taken the Lesser de Association’s disparaging remarks about the Heavenly Dao Society’s talismans seriously. Reputation was everything for spiritualists, and poor publicity could harm the poprity of their products.


    “Senior Brother Ye, why didn’t we just kill him?” Bing Kaifu asked after they returned to the Lesser de Association’s territory. The others were also baffled as they looked at Ye Dao, waiting for an exnation.


    That seemed like the perfect opportunity to eliminate Liu Wuxie. Without Liu Wuxie, the Lesser de Association could slowly regain its former strength. Due to the recent setbacks, the Lesser de Association’s ie was greatly affected, leading many disciples to quit.


    “He’s not as simple as you think. He might be in the Heavenly Phase Realm, but hisbat power isparable to the Astral River Realm. I suspect that he killed Xu Zhi and Du Weihe,” Ye Dao said with furrowed brows. Ye Dao had initially considered killing Liu Wuxie, but after meeting him in person, he reconsidered.


    He had sensed immense pressure from Liu Wuxie, so he had suggested a talisman duel instead.


    “How is that possible? Senior Brother Xu Zhi and Du Weihe were both at the second level of the Astral River Realm! Together, they should have easily overpowered Liu Wuxie,” Bing Kaifu and the others eximed in disbelief, convinced there had to be someone else behind their deaths.


    “Better safe than sorry. Ye Dao replied. “He’s cunning. Let’s start with a talisman duel, and if that fails... we can consider more direct measures.” But even he saw that as ast resort.


    A heavy silence fell over the group as they all recognized this approach as the safer option. They’d already seen Liu Wuxie’s power firsthand, having lost two of their own to him.


    If Ye Dao himself was hesitant to engage, none of them dared to push him into a direct fight.


    The talisman event was already halfway through, and arge stage was ahead with many spiritualists gathered around.


    “Master, the showcase has started. We must build our reputation to sell our spiritual talismans,” Lan Yu said. He had already familiarized himself with Treasure City’s market during his time with Old Century Trading.


    Currently, the best-selling spiritual talismanse from shops run by Grandmaster Hai’s disciples, and the Lesser de Association’s spiritual talismans could only be considered mid-tier.


    Grandmaster Hai was a revered nine-star spiritualist renowned for his deep aplishments in spiritual talismans. Over the years, he had taken in many skilled disciples. Their spiritual talismans weren’t cheap either, often priced nearly double the average market price. Even so, their supply couldn’t meet the demand.


    “Let’s go take a look there!” Liu Wuxie said. Fan Zhen apanied him while Lan Yu stayed behind.


    The crowd surged forward in waves. Many people weren’t drawn there to buy spiritual talismans but to watch the showcase. There would be duels each month for spiritualists to test their skills.


    Spiritual talismans were different from the martial path. While the martial path relied on fists and kicks, spiritual talismans heavily depended on one’sprehension of spiritual runes. Two simr spiritual talismans could vary in power when crafted by different spiritualists.


    The stage wasrge, and Liu Wuxie saw about fifteen spiritualists. They were all familiar faces to the crowd.


    “Wuxie, are you going up?” asked Fan Zhen, standing beside Liu Wuxie.


    “No rush!” Liu Wuxie wasn’t hurrying to go up on the stage and wanted to observe the standard of these spiritualists.


    “Those three on the left are disciples of Grandmaster Hai. The one on the left is the eldest disciple, Tian Lie. The one in the middle is his second disciple, Lu Jie, and the one on the right is the youngest, Wei Pengtian. Though Wei Pengtian is the youngest, he has the highest talent,” Fan Zhen said as he introduced the three disciples of Grandmaster Hai.


    Most people on the stage were seven-star spiritualists, and the only eight-star spiritualists were disciples of Grandmaster Hai.


    Liu Wuxie took note of their names, waiting for the arrival of the Lesser de Association’s members. He waited roughly five minutes before Ye Dao and Bing Kaifu entered the stage.


    They were both spiritualists. In addition to the spiritualists imprisoned by the Lesser de Association, most talismans came from them.


    “Liu Wuxie,e up!” Ye Dao said, looking at Liu Wuxie. The impending duel between them was well-known, so no one was surprised.


    With a sh, Liu Wuxie appeared on the stage in response to Ye Dao’s words.


    Upon hearing Liu Wuxie’s name, Grandmaster Hai’s disciples turned their attention over. They were all disciples of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and had also heard of Liu Wuxie’s name.


    However, no one stepped forward to greet Liu Wuxie due to his notorious fame.


    “Liu Wuxie, I challenge you to a duel. The power of the spiritual talismans will determine the winner,” Bing Kaifu said, not allowing Liu Wuxie to speak.


    The other spiritualists turned over in surprise. It was mainly because they were here to contemte the ws in their spiritual talismans by learning from others and promoting their products.


    It had been a long time since there was a duel between spiritualists. After all, no one would duel unless they had a life-and-death feud. Most feuds could be resolved peacefully; this was the first time anyone would publicly conduct their duel.


    “Life and death on the line!” Liu Wuxie replied. This meant whoever lost the duel would have to die.


    “Agreed!” Bing Kaifu agreed without any hesitation.


    Murderous intent filled the stage; it was toote for the other spiritualists to intervene. Bing Kaifu had issued his challenge the moment he went onto the stage to prevent anyone from stopping him.


    “Grandmaster Hai has arrived!” An uproar came from the crowd as a grey-robed elder descended onto the stage, filled with a sage-like demeanor.


    When he arrived, his three disciples rushed forward. They greeted in unison, “Greetings, master!”


    Only Grandmaster Hai had the luxury of visiting the talisman event each time. He waved his hand and said, “Rise.”


    When he noticed the murderous intent on the stage, he frowned and turned his attention over. He saw many unfamiliar faces, including Liu Wuxie and Ye Dao. As Bing Kaifu had participated in the talisman event in the past, he naturally recognized thetter.


    “What’s going on here?” he inquired. Though new faces asionally appeared at the event, today''s murderous intent was unusual.


    Tian Lie quickly exined the due that was about the start between Liu Wuxie and Bing Kaifu to Grandmaster Hai.


    Upon hearing Liu Wuxie’s name, a hint of murderous intent shed in Grandmaster Hai’s eyes with his brows knitted. Though subtle, Liu Wuxie caught the shift, leaving him puzzled as to why Elder Hai harbored such enmity toward him on their very first meeting.