Myriad Daos of the Heaven

In Zhongtong Ancient Town, on a long, straight street before the Domain Sect, Saintly Might blotted out the sky.

Five Little Saints descended, their expressions impassive.

They moved as if they bore the Holy Dao itself, their boundless Saintly Might crushing the very heavens above.

To the onlookers, they felt as insignificant as dust, completely unable to face the five Saints directly.

In the center of it all, only Jiang Jichen stood firm. His expression turned grim as his gaze locked onto the five Saints before him.

He had already moved Hua Xiaoling and Yee Youmeng behind him, shielding them from the direct pressure of the Saintly Might.

’I can’t believe it,’ Jiang Jichen thought. ’To kill me, they’ve actually sent Patriarchs—beings of the Saint Realm.’

"Brat, if Elder Yao hadn’t protected you that day, you would’ve already been reduced to dust!"

"But it makes no difference. You got to live for another year or so, but the outcome will be exactly the same."

"Today, I will grind you into the vilest dust, fit only to be trampled underfoot for all eternity."

Tian Chuan harbored a boundless, bone-deep hatred for Jiang Jichen.

A mighty existence of the Little Saint Realm had been utterly humiliated by Jiang Jichen back when he was a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

He had come in person today to settle that very score.

Lei Zhen, the Lei Family Patriarch, spoke, his eyes bloodshot and filled with malice. "Jiang Jichen, you crippled one of my sons and killed another. Today, not only will I take your life in repayment, but I’ll also toss those two little wenches beside you to my son, Lei Yang, to be his slaves!"

The Song Family Patriarch, Song Yao, said, "A moment of carelessness let you escape back then. I never thought you’d make it this far. But this is the end of the line. It all stops today."

Feng Yan, the Feng Family Patriarch, stated with a cold expression, "My son, Feng Xingtian—both his clone and his true self—died at your hands. That was my son’s failure. But as his father, I am honor-bound to avenge his death. That is why I am here today. I will not leave until you are dead."

Finally, there was Nangong Bo. His face was a mask of grim resolve.

His favorite grandson had been crippled, his path to the Saint Realm severed. His beloved daughter had been humiliated. And it was all because of Jiang Jichen.

Today, no one could save Jiang Jichen. The boy had to die.

Nangong Bo was the Patriarch of the Nangong Family, one of the Seven Great Families of the Southern Continent. His status and position were immense.

His Cultivation was also the highest among the five Saints present.

He looked down at Jiang Jichen with cold indifference, like a Divine Spirit observing a mere mortal.

"I don’t know where you get such audacity. An ant should understand its fate. Only by submitting can you hope to live. Otherwise, no matter what talent you possess, you won’t live for long!"

Nangong Bo spoke coldly, his tone that of a judge passing sentence.

Jiang Jichen laughed.

His gaze fell first upon Young Master Shan, then swept over Nangong Wanyu, before finally settling on Nangong Bo.

A mocking smile played on his lips. "First I beat the son, then the mother comes running, and finally the grandfather jumps out. Heh... three whole generations!"

The sarcasm in Jiang Jichen’s words was so thick that the crowd drew a collective sharp breath.

They couldn’t believe it. Jiang Jichen dared to mock a Saint without the slightest hesitation.

However, a few people remembered that Jiang Jichen had dared to face a Little Saint like Tian Chuan even back in the Foundation Establishment Realm, unafraid of Saintly Might.

In truth, now that Jiang Jichen had entered the Spirit Infant Realm and reached the Golden Body Third Realm, he no longer feared the might of a Little Saint, even without the Cyan Nether Wood Token.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of Young Master Shan, Nangong Wanyu, and Nangong Bo all turned terribly grim.

"You suicidal piece of trash!"

Young Master Shan growled, his earlier triumphant mood vanishing completely.

Nangong Wanyu’s beautiful face was now contorted with killing intent. She looked as though she wanted to tear Jiang Jichen limb from limb.

However, Nangong Bo’s self-control was exceptional, and he quickly regained his composure.

"Are you lamenting your lack of backing?"

"That is merely the cry of the weak. To be so arrogant and overconfident with no one to back you up... you’re simply courting death!"

"In your next life, try to be born into a better family. Wait until you have powerful backing before you dare to be so arrogant!"

"But in this life, your chances are over. You may have peerless talent, but you were born into the wrong family. If you refuse to submit and live, and insist on doing as you please, then an early grave is your only destiny!"

Nangong Bo’s voice resounded between heaven and earth for all to hear.

Hearing his words, some of the Cultivators who had to rely on their own efforts, with no powerful background to support them, looked crestfallen.

There were also those with heaven-defying talent who, due to their humble origins, could only work for the Great Families and Sects.

They followed orders and submitted to survive, never able to live according to their own will.

But even more people looked smug and self-satisfied, for they all had extraordinary backgrounds and powerful backers.

Such was the way of the world. Without a powerful backer, every step was a struggle.

And so, Jiang Jichen now found himself in just such a desperate situation.

In terms of talent, who in the entire Southern Continent could compare to him?

Unfortunately, his origins were humble, and he had no one to back him up.

Now, all he could do... was wait for death.

But was that really the case?

Jiang Jichen’s expression was perfectly calm. His gaze swept over the crowd once more before landing on Nangong Bo and the other four Saints.

"Is that so? Are we really going to compete based on who has the stronger backing?"

"I thought that even in a brutal, life-and-death struggle, there ought to be some semblance of rules."

"It’s one thing for the younger generation to fight dirty, or even for experts below the Saint Realm to make a move."

"But now, for Saints to interfere in a conflict among the youth... you’re forcing my hand!"

Jiang Jichen’s voice was soft and low, as if he still had a trump card he had yet to play.

"Hmph, he’s just putting on an act. Does he really think he can fool us? Ignorant and laughable!"

"Look at him. How could he possibly have any backing? Only a complete idiot would believe that!"

"Tch, that bastard Jiang Jichen is still posturing, even with death at his doorstep. He’s been nearly crippled or killed several times already. If he had any kind of backing, it would’ve shown up long ago. Why wait until now?"

"Yeah, if a piece of trash like him has backing, I’ll livestream myself eating shit!"

...

Hearing Jiang Jichen’s words, the crowd erupted in laughter.

Absolutely no one believed him.

Thus, before the five Saints had even spoken, members of the crowd were already shouting out and cursing Jiang Jichen.

A faint, mocking smile also touched Nangong Bo’s lips. "You see? Not a single person here believes you have any backing. Don’t struggle. Just accept your death!"

However, Jiang Jichen actually reached a hand into his Storage Bag and said with an anxious tone, "You really shouldn’t force me. Once I let my backer out, even I’ll be scared!"

"Hahaha... I’m dying of laughter! Can you even keep a living thing in a Storage Bag? And he calls it his backer! If you’re going to try and scare people, at least spend a little more on your props!"

"For fuck’s sake... he says even he’ll be scared when he lets it out. Jiang Jichen is a certified dumbass. Final verdict!"

Seeing Jiang Jichen’s antics, many in the crowd mocked and jeered, utterly disbelieving.

However, upon seeing Jiang Jichen’s act, Nangong Bo paused and said, "Fine. I’ll play along. Let’s see what you can possibly pull out."

Jiang Jichen grew genuinely angry this time. ’No one believes me?’ He stared coldly at Nangong Bo. "Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I hope you won’t regret this!"

With that, he casually reached into the bag and pulled. A small, white turtle appeared before everyone.

At the sight of this, everyone froze, completely dumbfounded.

A turtle. Jiang Jichen had actually pulled out a turtle.

And he claimed *that* was his backer!

It was... utterly hilarious!

And so, in the next moment, the crowd’s dumbfounded silence shattered into uproarious laughter.