The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Seeing the faint connection between the four Guardians' auras, Chen Dong decided to strike first, unleashing a bolt of lightning directly at the Great Guardian.

The Great Guardian's expression changed in alarm. He never imagined that a mere Grandmaster could actually wield lightning. He immediately broke away from the four-man connection, channeling all the True Qi in his body. His Protective Celestial Spirits condensed further, preparing to weather the lightning strike alone. He did this so the other three Guardians' attacks would not be impeded, allowing them to finish off Chen Dong more quickly.

The other three Guardians understood the unspoken command. They immediately unleashed the Star-Picking Sect's signature technique, the Heart-Picking Hand, attacking Chen Dong simultaneously from all sides—left, right, behind, high, middle, and low.

With the attacks converging on him, Chen Dong stood perfectly still, his eyes shut tight as if he had resigned himself to his fate.

The three Guardians rejoiced internally. 'This insignificant Grandmaster, how could he possibly stand against the four of us? This will be an easy capture.'

Three incomparably powerful Heart-Picking Hands were about to tear into Chen Dong's mortal flesh. But just as they were a hair's breadth away, Chen Dong's eyes snapped open. An aura far surpassing that of the Protective Celestial Spirits erupted from him. The surrounding True Qi coalesced into strange, unfamiliar runes that began to circle him, blocking their attacks.

The three Guardians were stunned. They poured their True Qi even more ferociously into their techniques, but no matter how hard they tried, their Heart-Picking Hands couldn't move a single inch closer to Chen Dong.

They could only watch in horror as the runes began to interlock, combining to form a type of Protective Celestial Spirits unlike anything they had ever seen.

The Second Guardian's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Chen Dong's Protective Celestial Spirits weren't even fully formed, yet they already looked as solid as a physical object. An unparalleled, oppressive force radiated from Chen Dong.

Chen Dong's Protective Celestial Spirits then formed a giant hand, which snatched up the Fourth Guardian as easily as picking something from a pocket. 'Chen Dong had long since identified the Fourth Guardian as the weakest of the four. His own situation was dire; he had to eliminate one of them immediately and prevent them from forming their array.'

The Fourth Guardian struggled with all his might, but his efforts to escape the giant hand were futile; it only squeezed ever tighter. In agony, the Fourth Guardian could only desperately pour True Qi into his own Protective Celestial Spirits.

Because their auras were linked, the Second and Third Guardians immediately felt the disruption in their True Qi flow.

His mind thrown into chaos, the Third Guardian roared, "You motherfucker, Second Guardian! You said he was a Grandmaster! This is fucking Outer Appearance!"

As the Third Guardian's words echoed, the Protective Celestial Spirits around Chen Dong had already formed into a massive giant, enveloping him completely.

The Great Guardian, who had struggled to block the lightning, stared with wide eyes. 'What kind of monster is this?!' he exclaimed in his mind. The sight of an Outer Appearance Realm expert this young shattered the Dao Heart he had cultivated for years. 'Then again,' he mused, 'if Chen Dong has a flowering Mingxi Grass, it's not so surprising he could break through the Protective Celestial Spirits Realm to reach the Outer Appearance Realm.'

Seeing that the Fourth Guardian was on his last legs, his Protective Celestial Spirits on the verge of shattering in the grasp of Chen Dong's Outer Appearance, the Great Guardian immediately roared, "Save him, now!"

The Second Guardian snapped out of his shock and roared, "His Outer Appearance Realm is unstable! He either used a Secret Technique to force a breakthrough or he's severely injured! We just need to hold on, and he will undoubtedly fall!"

The three remaining Guardians linked their auras once more. As they poured their True Qi into the connection, the faint phantom of a giant ape formed and roared at Chen Dong!

But Chen Dong was not faring well either. Already severely injured, forcing his Outer Appearance was taking its toll; blood was already trickling from the corner of his mouth. 'I have to end this quickly.' With a flick of his right hand, Silver Needles flew out and embedded themselves into the major acupoints across his body.

With a furious roar from Chen Dong, the Outer Appearance giant was instantly wreathed in lightning. It unleashed a bolt dozens of times more powerful than the last, striking the three Guardians. At the same moment, the Fourth Guardian's Protective Celestial Spirits shattered in the giant's hand. Blood poured from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth as his head lolled to the side, his life completely crushed out of him.

With one of the four Guardians dead, the threat to Chen Dong was greatly diminished. If the four of them had formed their array from the very beginning, it would have been nearly impossible for Chen Dong to kill even one of them, even with his Outer Appearance.

As the lightning faded, the three remaining Guardians stood with pale faces. They had managed to block the attack.

Lightning gathered once more in the hands of Chen Dong's Outer Appearance. It brought its hands together, crackling with electricity, then drew its right hand back, forming a massive Thunder Spear over fifty feet long.

A cold light solidified in Chen Dong's eyes as the Thunderbolt Spear shot directly toward the weakest of the trio, the Third Guardian.

The Third Guardian's eyes filled with shock. His aura was locked in place, leaving him no chance to dodge. Gritting his teeth, he channeled all his power into his Protective Celestial Spirits.

But before the Thunderbolt Spear, his Protective Celestial Spirits were like wet paper. The spear pierced straight through his chest.

The Great Guardian and Second Guardian were both grief-stricken and horrified. An Outer Appearance was bad enough, but one that could also wield lightning... A sense of utter powerlessness washed over them.

Two of their four were now gone. The backlash from the broken spiritual link was already disrupting their True Qi. If the fight continued, they would undoubtedly be the next to die.

The two exchanged a look and immediately fled in opposite directions. 'Chen Dong can't maintain this state for long,' they thought. 'If we can just survive this, we'll win!'

Chen Dong had anticipated their escape. With a flash, he appeared before the Great Guardian. The Outer Appearance unleashed its prepared attack: the Shocking Extreme Finger.

The Great Guardian glanced at the retreating Second Guardian, his face a mask of grim resolve. He channeled the last of his strength into a final Star-Plucking Hand to meet the gigantic finger.

The Great Guardian, at the peak of his Protective Celestial Spirits Realm, managed to block the Shocking Extreme Finger. But its penetrating power had already pierced through his entire body.

The Great Guardian's eyes began to lose focus, and the Protective Celestial Spirits enveloping him started to fade.

At that very moment, Chen Dong seemed to reach his limit. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood as his Outer Appearance collapsed and dissipated into the air. The force of the collapse blasted the Silver Needles from his acupoints.

Chen Dong's gaze hardened. Wiping the blood from his lips, he snarled, "None of you are getting away!"