Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chapter 625 He actually didn't back down! You are...

More and more monks gathered to watch.

Zhuque Avenue is one of the most bustling streets in the imperial city, and now that the night market has just opened, there is a constant stream of independent cultivators, vendors, and sect disciples coming and going.

The standoff at the entrance of Jubaolou quickly attracted the attention of many onlookers, who gathered at a distance, whispering and discussing among themselves.

"Isn't that the Fourth Prince? Who's so bold as to challenge him?"

"I heard that someone just now at the auction house was fighting the Fourth Prince for a prized item, and managed to drive the price up from 380,000 to 650,000, which really humiliated the Fourth Prince."

"Six hundred and fifty thousand mid-grade spirit stones? My god, which major sect's patriarch has made a move?"

"Doesn't seem like it. Look at that person, isn't he just a rogue cultivator in the early Nascent Soul stage?"

"Six hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones for an early Nascent Soul stage cultivator? Are you kidding me? Either he's hiding his cultivation level, or he's a front man for some powerful force."

"No matter who it is, this matter has blown up today. The Fourth Prince is clearly determined to get that fragment. If this person really leaves, he'll be in big trouble."

"They dare to confront the Fourth Prince so directly, they must have something to rely on, why are you worrying about it?"

……

All eyes turned to Chen Fan, some gloating, some worried for him, and others simply there to watch the spectacle.

In their view, there are only two possible outcomes for a rogue cultivator in the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm who is blocked in the street by the Fourth Prince!

You either obediently hand over the treasure and kneel down to beg for mercy, or you'll be beaten to a pulp and left dead in the street.

In the capital of Zhao, it was easier for the Fourth Prince to crush a rogue cultivator than to crush an ant.

However, Chen Fan's reaction surprised everyone.

He neither retreated to Jubao Tower for protection nor begged Zhao Yu for mercy. Instead, he straightened his sleeves and strode toward the ten-zhang boundary.

His steps were neither hurried nor slow, his rhythm so steady it was almost rigid, each step as if measured by a ruler.

The streets of Zhuque were brightly lit at night, and the pale golden light shone on his dusty gray cloth clothes, casting a long shadow of him.

That clean, beardless face remained expressionless, devoid of anger or fear, only a profound, unfathomable calm.

It was as if the people standing in front of him were not the fourth prince of Zhao, nor the four Xuanjia guards at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, nor a trusted guest minister at the great perfection of the Nascent Soul realm, but a group of strangers who had nothing to do with him.

The onlookers exchanged bewildered glances, and their murmurs grew louder.

"What is he doing? Is he going to walk out on his own?"

"No way, isn't this courting death? The Fourth Prince's men, who are ten feet away, won't be polite to him."

"I think he's so scared he's paralyzed; he can't even run anymore."

"That's quite remarkable; to remain so composed even when facing death."

……

Chen Fan ignored these discussions.

He lived in the palace for nearly a hundred years and was already used to being blocked at the gate.

Because you can't run away or hide, begging for mercy will only make people want to trample on you more.

The only way is to walk over, face them head-on, and let those blocking your way know that you are not afraid of them.

Moreover, Chen Fan is no longer the Core Formation cultivator who was hunted down in the sealed land with nowhere to run.

Now he cultivates both immortal and demonic arts, and his spiritual power and demonic arts have both reached the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage. In addition, with the Black Soul Banner, which is half a step into the Divine Transformation stage, and the Phoenix Flame Sword, which is at the early stage of the Divine Transformation stage, even those at the early stage of the Divine Transformation stage might not be able to gain an advantage over him in a real fight.

In Chen Fan's eyes, Duan Wuliang, a mere Nascent Soul cultivator at the Great Perfection stage, and his four Nascent Soul early-stage guards were nothing more than a few loudly-squeaking ants.

As for Zhao Yu, he cannot be touched for the time being.

It's not that we dare not, but that the time is not yet right.

Zhao Yu was, after all, the fourth prince of Zhao, the king's most beloved son. To kill a prince in public within the capital was a capital offense, even for a high-ranking official. He could disregard Zhao Yu's dignity, but he could not disregard the king's.

But that doesn’t mean he will back down.

Step by step, Chen Fan walked out of the ten-zhang boundary and stood three feet in front of Zhao Yu.

The two were only an arm's length apart, so close that they could feel each other's breath.

Zhao Yu was half a head taller than him, looking down at him with a burning anger and contempt that had been suppressed for a long time.

"I thought you had some nerve, but it turns out you're nothing special." Zhao Yu sneered, tapping his folding fan lightly in his palm. "Six hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones for a fragment? I admire your wealth. But wealth is wealth, and life is life. You made me lose face so badly in the building just now. Now I'll give you two choices. First, hand over the fragment with both hands, kneel down and kowtow three times to me, and I'll pretend today's events never happened. Second, you can go ahead, and my men will escort you, but they'll only escort your soul."

As soon as he finished speaking, Duan Wuliang and the four Xuanjia guards took a step forward at the same time.

The combined pressure of the Nascent Soul Grand Perfection cultivator and the four Nascent Soul early stage cultivators caused the surrounding air to become somewhat heavy and stagnant. The onlookers involuntarily took another step back, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire.

However, Chen Fan still did not back down.

He merely tilted his head slightly to glance at Duan Wuliang, his gaze lingering on that sinister face for a moment before shifting to Zhao Yu's face.

"Fourth Prince," Chen Fan spoke, his voice still as calm as water, "The rules of the Jubao Auction House are that the highest bidder wins. Since we bid higher than you, the item is ours, it's only right. As for the two paths Your Highness mentioned..."

He paused, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, so faint it was almost invisible, yet it made Zhao Yu's heart skip a beat for no reason.

"We'll choose option three."

Zhao Yu's cold smile froze slightly: "Our family? The third one?"

"The third one." Chen Fan slowly lifted his foot and took a step forward.

With that step, his entire demeanor changed dramatically.

The disguise of the early Nascent Soul stage receded like the tide, and the spiritual pressure of the Nascent Soul Great Perfection stage erupted.

The spiritual pressure contained two completely different auras, one of immortality and the other of demonic energy. The purity of spiritual power and the domineering nature of demonic energy intertwined to form a terrifying pressure that was suffocating, and it crushed in all directions as if it were a tangible force.

Duan Wuliang was the first to be hit, and was forced back three steps by the pressure. The sneer on his face instantly froze into horror.

The four Xuanjia guards, all at the early Nascent Soul stage, were as if an invisible hand had gripped their throats, their faces turning deathly pale, and their standard-issue longswords clattered to the ground.

Although Zhao Yu was only at the Core Formation stage and could not sense the full extent of this oppressive aura, he could still detect something was wrong from the reactions of Duan Wuliang and the guards.

He looked at the unassuming rogue cultivator before him, his pupils contracting slightly, a barely perceptible hint of wariness creeping into his voice: "You... are...?"