Su City, this town had nothing particularly special about it, and due to its proximity to the border, the population was sparse.
Although it was only autumn, Su City had already entered winter, all because the vast Snow Mountain lay adjacent to it.
The usually sporadic streets were even quieter today. Previously, traders braving the heavy snow would still set up their stalls bundled in thick sweaters, but today the streets were eerily silent.
Not a soul was in sight, and even stray dogs had vanished without trace. Occasionally a bold individual would open their door to poke their head out, glancing towards a certain place outside the city with a flash of fear in their eyes, before hurriedly retreating.
Outside Su City stood a towering Snow Mountain, whose peak pierced the clouds, as if it were a pillar connecting heaven and Earth.
This place, known as the Snow Mountain Peak, was Su City’s most famed site.
Its fame did not arise from its beauty, nor its mystery, but from the fact that every time there was a duel between masters on the continent, it would be held atop Snow Mountain Peak. As time passed, this remote place gradually became known to more and more people.
And it was for this very reason that the small town of Su City was established.
Today was no exception; the streets were empty and the people of Su City remained behind closed doors precisely because there was another duel happening on the Snow Mountain Peak.
The duelists this time were Chu Ge, a rapidly emerging Cultivation genius on the continent, and Elder Gui, the infamous founder of the Ghost Poison Sect.
If Chu Ge wasn’t enough to instill fear in people, then Elder Gui was certainly capable of making even three-year-old children cry.
Most people knew that Elder Gui’s cultivation secrets originated from his various Secret Techniques and his use of poisons.
One of Elder Gui’s unique skills was the cultivation of Insect Poisonous Insect, using the living bodies of humans as vessels for holding these insects.
Such news was enough for anyone to harbor fear towards Elder Gui; after all, nobody wanted to catch his eye and become his new vessel for cultivating poisonous insects.
Atop Snow Mountain Peak, amidst the swirling snowflakes and white expanse, stood two figures. One appeared to be about twenty years old, the other seemed to be in his thirties, and the pair were currently in a standoff.
"Chu Ge, at such a young age you are already so ruthless, I truly cannot imagine the incalculable consequences if a person like you were to grow older," exclaimed Elder Gui.
Elder Gui wore a silver mask, which reflected a chilling silver light amidst the vast white snow, sending a shiver through the hearts of onlookers.
He pointed at Chu Ge, his words full of apparent heartache and indignation, as if he had forgotten the atrocious acts he himself had once committed. After all, using living human bodies as vessels for cultivating poisonous insects wasn’t something just anyone could do.
Chu Ge smiled faintly, with not a hint of fear on his handsome face. Even though the person threatening him was the notorious Elder Gui, even though Elder Gui made most people on the continent tremble with fear, Chu Ge still did not show the slightest hint of fear.
"Hmph, you bratty kid, still wet behind the ears, and you dare to make a move against my Ghost Poison Sect. Do you really not put me, Elder Gui, in your eyes?"
Seeing the calmness on Chu Ge’s face and the lack of any nervousness, Elder Gui snorted coldly, flinging his sleeve fiercely, and a black gas drilled out from his sleeve, hitting the snow-covered ground and blasting a deep hole into it.
The onlookers all gasped in surprise. Judging from the force of Elder Gui’s attack, it was clear that he had reached the level of Innate Grandmaster. It seemed that despite his malicious character, using living people as vessels for his poisonous insect cultivation, Elder Gui indeed possessed some real strength.
However, although there were many among the audience who yearned for power, few could practice such ruthless and inhumane methods as Elder Gui. Compared to such a lack of humanity, they preferred to forgo high-level strength.
That was exactly what Chu Ge thought. Watching Elder Gui’s deliberate provocation, he snorted coldly, with a trace of disdainful smile on his face.
"It seems that the punishment I gave you by wiping out half of your Ghost Poison Sect was still too light. Looking at your current strength, it seems you probably don’t know how many lives you’ve grabbed to use as your vessels, do you?"
Chu Ge mocked, looking down on Elder Gui with contempt in his eyes. People like Elder Gui, who did not rely on their own efforts but instead practiced through crooked paths, were never taken seriously by him.
"Hmph, boy, you have the nerve to bring up the destruction of half my Ghost Poison Sect. Those were living people, and you just wiped them out without a second thought. You call me cruel, but are you any nobler?" Elder Gui coldly snorted, not taking Chu Ge’s mockery to heart.
If he ever cared about others’ mockery, he wouldn’t have lived to his current ripe old age. Having heard all sorts of remarks from all sorts of people over the years, if he had taken each one to heart, he probably would have died of grief long ago.
Faced with Elder Gui’s thick-skinned attitude, Chu Ge snorted coldly, channeled his Spiritual Power into one hand and swung it fiercely towards the snowy ground. Suddenly, the ground seemed to experience an earthquake, shaking violently before rapidly cracking open. To the unsuspecting, it might have seemed like a real earthquake had struck.
What astonished the crowd even more was that Chu Ge’s palm strike affected only a small area. Although the bystanders could see what was happening, they couldn’t feel anything themselves.
Everyone looked at Chu Ge in amazement, unable to believe that someone of his young age had reached the Late Innate stage.
On this continent, many people spend their entire lives without reaching the Innate level, yet he was still so young. If he continued to cultivate, his potential was truly boundless.
In the crowd, some envied Chu Ge’s talent, and naturally, there were also those who were jealous. Those who envied Chu Ge, although they didn’t dare to show it for the sake of their moral standing, were secretly hoping for Elder Gui to defeat him.
"Don’t worry, Chu Ge is only at the Late Innate level, while Elder Gui has reached the level of Innate Grandmaster. Do you think Elder Gui would lose to a mere brat?"
In a corner, two young men with delicate features but dodgy eyes stood whispering. They looked at Chu Ge with anger and jealousy in their eyes. If they had the strength, they would have liked to challenge Chu Ge to a duel themselves.
"Yeah, I also believe in Elder Gui’s abilities after all; he’s lived for so many years. Chu Ge is just relying on his little bit of innate talent, and without it, he is nothing."
Another man agreed, gazing at Chu Ge with the same anger and jealousy, with profound hatred in his eyes.
PS: Another update of five Chapters today, I hope everyone will continue to vote, reward, and subscribe!