Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Thousand Star Immortal City, Seven Ridge.

In the "Wang" Artifact Shop, Su Ziling sat behind the counter with a furrowed brow.

The shelves behind her were empty, bereft of items for sale, and there were no customers in the shop.

However, the lack of business was not what troubled the young girl.

"My lord…"

Her eyes filled with desolation as she whispered softly, "when will you return?"

A year ago, Wang Chen had suddenly left Thousand Star Immortal City, claiming he needed to accomplish a very important task.

He then vanished without a trace and had not been heard from since.

Su Ziling was left alone to guard the Artifact Shop, waiting desperately for Wang Chen's return.

By now, she was almost hopeless.

Ding-a-ling!

Suddenly, the sound of the door chime rang out as two burly men barged in.

Seeing the newcomers, Su Ziling's expression changed drastically and she stood up sharply, shouting, "What are you doing here again? You're not welcome!"

These two ill-favored hulks were guards from the Golden Hook Gambling House, essentially thugs.

Half a month earlier, they had abruptly arrived at the Artifact Shop to demand repayment of a gambling debt they claimed her father owed.

Su Ziling didn't know how they had found her, but she emphatically refused their unreasonable demands!

The two thugs hadn't lingered then, but to her surprise, they had returned today!

"Heh heh!"

One of the thugs ogled Su Ziling with a lecherous gaze and slammed a contract onto the counter with a slap.

"This is a Taoist Contract your dad personally signed; he owes us one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. Now that your dad has fled, the debt naturally falls on you, so hurry up and pay up!"

One hundred thousand Spirit Stones?

Su Ziling gasped in shock.

She had never imagined her gambler father had accrued such a massive debt!

But Su Ziling steadfastly refused to acknowledge the debt: "I've already told you, I've severed all ties with Su Wenhui; he has already sold me to my lord. Go settle your accounts with him!"

"Hmph!"

The thug snorted arrogantly and demanded, "You think you can just sever ties like that? Show us the Life Debt Contract!"

Su Ziling's heart sank.

Wang Chen was supposed to have given her that contract, but she had refused it, letting him keep it.

Now, with Wang Chen missing, Su Ziling had no way to produce it!

It was clear to her that they had investigated, knowing that Wang Chen had not returned for a year, which was why they were pressuring her again.

"You think I can just hand it over?"

Despite her internal panic, Su Ziling still retorted boldly, "Let's wait for my lord to return!"

She was playing for time, hoping to delay as long as possible.

"So, you can't produce it then!"

But the man was not fooled by her bluff, "Everyone knows your lord has disappeared, and it's uncertain if he's even alive. If you don't hand over one hundred thousand Spirit Stones today, you'll have to come with us!"

The thug stroked his chin, smirking sinisterly, "With your looks, you could fetch a few thousand Spirit Stones."

He and his companion burst into raucous laughter!

Su Ziling was shocked and furious, yet could think of no way out.

Although she was exceptionally talented, her cultivation had been hindered by others, and she only had the cultivation level of Qi Cultivation's ninth tier.

The two men, both Purple Mansion Cultivators, overwhelmingly suppressed her with their presence.

Thus, any physical confrontation was destined to be hopeless.

Seeing Su Ziling's panic, the thug became even more triumphant and reached out to grab her: "Come here, now!"

As he reached out, he suddenly unleashed his mana.

Su Ziling, caught completely off guard, was immobilized by the strong man's spell, only able to watch helplessly as his filthy hand reached towards her, wishing she could die.

From within, the girl's heart let out a cry of despair, "Lord, where are you?"

At that moment, a sudden change occurred!

A streak of light flashed before Su Ziling's eyes, and the gambling house strong man's right hand fell from his wrist, the cut clean and bloodless.

Not a single drop of blood seeped out!

The strong man was initially stunned, then quickly came to his senses, and let out an earth-shattering scream, "Ah!"

Su Ziling suddenly opened her eyes wide, crying tears of joy, "Lord!"

During her most helpless, desperate moment, she saw Wang Chen appear at the shop's entrance!

She was instantly overwhelmed by immense surprise.

Meanwhile, another gambling house enforcer, terrified, quickly drew his sword and turned to face the enemy.

Smack!

He took a heavy blow to the face, his teeth flying out mixed with blood.

Wang Chen's expression was stone-cold, and he shouted fiercely, "How dare you cause trouble in my shop and attempt to harm others, you're simply asking for death!"

Golden Core True Person!

The two gambling house guards had good eyesight and Wang Chen made no effort to conceal his aura, so they instantly realized they had crossed a line they shouldn't have.

The information they had received only mentioned that Wang Chen was a high-tier Purple Mansion, and his whereabouts were unknown.

Thus, they had targeted Su Ziling so recklessly.

They certainly never expected Wang Chen to show up at this moment, let alone that he had advanced to Golden Core!

Although there were many True Persons in Thousand Star Immortal City, this did not mean that Golden Core cultivators were any less valuable; on the contrary, Golden Core True Persons were the mainstay of this immortal city.

With Wang Chen's current status and power, providing he had a proper reason, killing the two of them wouldn't be an issue!

Even the Golden Hook Gambling House wouldn't provoke a newly ascended True Person over two Purple Mansion enforcers.

Both men simultaneously knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing, "We, the low-level cultivators, admit our faults, please spare our lives, True Person!"

By now, many curious neighbors had gathered outside the door, all pointing and gasping at the scene.

Some recognized Wang Chen, adding to their surprise.

Wang Chen nodded at Su Ziling, then reached over the counter and took the contract.

He glanced at the document, laughed coldly, "Years ago, Su Wenhui had already sold Su Ziling to me, completely severing their familial ties. You people came here today with this thing, clearly looking for trouble, right?"

Wang Chen pulled out the Life Debt Contract from his Sumeru Ring and waved it in his hand, "Empty claims prove nothing, the contract is the evidence!"

These words were meant for the crowd at the door.

One should justify one's actions, and only then could he dominate his opponent while standing on solid ground!

"True Person, please spare our lives!"

The two strong men dared not refute and kept knocking their heads in plea.

"Enough!"

Wang Chen shouted firmly, "Tell me, where has Su Wenhui gone?"

One of the strong men trembled all over and stutteringly said, "Dead, he's already dead."

"Debts dissolve with death."

Wang Chen sneered, "And yet you still bring this rotten debt to target my people, do you really think I am a soft target?"

Wang Chen was immensely relieved that he had returned in time; otherwise, it was hard to imagine what kind of predicament Su Ziling would've faced under the coercion of these two scoundrels!

If it weren't for being in this Immortal City, these two despicable characters would have already been reduced to ashes!

He flicked his finger, and the gambling contract shot out, instantly bursting into fierce flames.

In the blink of an eye, it burned completely.

"Get out!"

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第二更送上.