The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 406. Future is Inevitable

Tyler felt like he’d been pierced by a thousand thorns all over his body. Agony flared through every nerve, and he groaned, writhing on the ground like a worm struck by lightning.

"F*cking... hurts... dyammm..." he cursed, unable to endure the pain anymore. He rolled onto his side, his face contorted in agony.

A shrill, maniacal laugh echoed through the smoke-filled battlefield.

"HAHAHAHA! FUN! THIS IS FUN!" The Clown cackled wildly, eyes glowing with a crazed joy. He twirled in place like a demented ballerina, then suddenly stopped, pulling out something from his coat that looked... suspicious.

"Now let’s play something different!" the Clown grinned, producing a rod. It was shaped disturbingly like a mushroom and glowed with ominous energy.

Tyler’s mouth twitched. "Is that...?"

He didn’t finish the sentence. His instincts kicked in. His buttocks tightened reflexively.

The Clown said nothing. With childlike glee, he pressed a button on the rod. It began to vibrate at a dangerously high frequency. Sharp, gleaming nails sprang from the top, and then—like a drill—began to spin rapidly.

Tyler’s eyes widened.

"You’ve got to be kidding me..."

With a celebratory whistle, the Clown threw a small ball to the ground. It burst into an explosion of colorful smoke, party streamers, and shiny ribbons.

The Clown disappeared.

"Oh no—" Tyler’s voice caught in his throat.

He instinctively activated his Ice Clone ability. In a flash, his entire body turned to shimmering ice.

CRACK!

The ice statue shattered violently—from the rear. Behind it stood the Clown, wielding the spinning rod with unholy intent.

"Tsk. That annoying ability again," the Clown muttered, disappointed.

A few meters away, the real Tyler reappeared, bent over slightly, hand instinctively checking his backside.

"Thank goodness... I escaped," he whispered with a shiver, eyes still wide with horror. "That was way too close. I think my dignity almost exploded."

The Clown raised the rod again and marched toward him with theatrical flair.

"Come on, come on! Come and enjoy my Peach Maker!" he sang, swinging the vibrating rod like a baton.

"Peach Destroyer, more like," Tyler muttered. "Looks like I have no choice... Time for Plan B."

From the Clown’s sleeves, another rod emerged—this one longer, unnaturally flexible, and clearly not designed for construction work.

Tyler raised both hands and stepped forward with a nervous smile. "Alright, alright! Time out!"

The Clown stopped, puzzled.

Tyler turned into ice once more, and with a soft tink, his body shattered again—revealing the Clown already standing there, rod pointed toward where Tyler had stood.

"I said stop! Let’s talk! Stop stabbing me in the back! You Necrophilia." Tyler’s voice echoed from the shadows as he reappeared once again, crouched atop a crumbling rooftop.

"You don’t have to do this, man. Not for some stupid dreams," he added with a sigh.

Plan B: Talk his way out. The lamest plan imaginable. But when butt-based doom loomed, even pride could wait.

"What do you mean, ’stupid dreams’? It already happened, You already burned my fortress into Ground." the Clown said with a bored voice.

"It happened because you made it happen," Tyler said, lowering his voice, trying to sound more... emotionally resonant. "You and I... we’re not so different."

The Clown blinked, then burst out laughing.

"HAHAHAHA! No way—wait, wait, I’ve heard this before! That ’Talk no Jutsu’ thing!" The Clown held his sides, nearly doubled over with laughter. "You’re gonna stand there and tell me your sad little story and hope it changes my heart?"

He spun the rod threateningly. "That crap only works in fantasy books! You trying to protagonist your way out of this?"

Apparently, even in the Boundless World, readers were familiar with tropes. "Talk no Jutsu" had become a known strategy—often mocked but occasionally effective. It’s a famous trope in novels in that world. Even the clown knows it.

"Well, let’s see it! Make me cry! Did your parents die in front of you?" the Clown asked mockingly.

Tyler vanished into Ice again, avoiding the sudden stab that followed.

"Probably? My memories have been wiped, So I don’t remember." Tyler said, appearing above on a ledge, casually dodging another rod strike.

"You see, my life’s been hard. Sure, I’m rich. And yes, I have powerful and beautiful women around me. But still... sometimes I go out and sleep with other girls for excitement."

He paused dramatically. "Money? Not a problem. Resources? Endless. I could retire today and spend the rest of my life soaking in rose-scented hot springs."

The Clown raised an eyebrow.

"And yet, I’m still out here... sailing north... chasing a legend called ’Eternity.’" Tyler’s voice was suddenly filled with an odd sadness.

The Clown stopped moving.

"And...?" he asked slowly.

"And what? You want a punchline?" Tyler tilted his head.

"I don’t see any tragedy in your past!" the Clown shouted. "Where’s the heartbreak? The loss? The tears?!"

"Ohhh, I get it," Tyler said as hit his closed right hand on his left palm. "I need to say something tragic, right? Something that’ll move your heart?"

He cleared his throat and adopted a somber expression.

"Alright then, here goes... Boo hoo... My father was poor, so I killed an entire village instead of getting a job... boo hoo... My sister-in-law was too cute, so I forced myself on her... boo hoo... Such a tragic life, right?"

The Clown’s grin vanished.

The air shifted.

An overwhelming pressure exploded outward, crushing the surrounding space. Prana burst in waves, distorting the air around him. The earth cracked beneath his feet.

Tyler raised a peace sign, lips curled into a smug grin.

He turned into Ice statue again.

"I WILL DEFINITELY KILL YOU NOW, TYLER WHITE!!"

The Clown’s voice echoed like a thunderclap, rippling across the entire island.

"Huh?! The Clown is fighting Mr. Tyler?" Gang Leader Darla jumped up in panic, her eyes widening in alarm. Beside her, her daughter Alna froze, face paling.

Meanwhile, sitting across from them, Lily calmly took a sip of her tea before setting the cup down.

"Oh no... how unfortunate," she said flatly. "Well, anyway... hands in the air."

Darla didn’t hesitate. She raised her arms instantly, surrendering without resistance.

"And you... hands on the table. Turn around and show your panties," Mathilda said playfully to Alna.

Bonk! A swift chop from Lily landed on Mathilda’s head.

"Not the time."

Back in the collapsing domain of Clown, chains suddenly wrapped around Tyler White, coiling like hungry serpents. Until now, the Clown had been playing with him, never taking the battle seriously. But now? Now it was personal.

The Clown wasn’t laughing anymore.

He pulled out a joker card and held it up. The card shimmered, then morphed into a sleek, obsidian dagger with a crimson edge that pulsed with deadly energy.

"You know what this is?" he said coldly as he walked toward the restrained Tyler. "This knife is the strongest weapon I have. Every time I use it, it becomes more fragile. This is its final use... its last act. It can kill anyone below the Immortal Realm instantly. Even a Divine Seeker with Nascent Divinity would crumble under it."

Tyler struggled but couldn’t move an inch. The chains were too tight. Too strong.

"Wait..." he shouted desperately.

"What? Trying Talk no Jutsu again?" the Clown sneered. "Not gonna work this time."

He raised the blade. The air itself seemed to tremble as he prepared to strike.

Then—

A voice cut through the tension like a melody.

"Don’t kill him."

The Clown froze.

A figure had appeared between them.

It was a woman with soft eyes and flowing hair, her presence glowing with an otherworldly aura.

Amber.

This wasn’t another illusion or delusion. Tyler saw her too.

The Clown blinked. "Amber...? Amber, is that really you...?"

She nodded gently, stepping forward. "I escaped. I’m free now."

The Clown’s eyes widened. His entire expression shifted—from hatred to confusion, then to a desperate joy.

"Amber... Is that the real you...?" His voice cracked as he dropped the knife. His trembling hands reached for her cheeks. "What... You can’t recognize me?" Amber asked softly, pouting.

And just like that, the madness drained from him.

His wild grin faded. His eyes became clearer, like clouds parting after a storm. He pulled her into an embrace, burying his face into her shoulder.

And then he laughed—

A genuine, broken laugh, filled with tears.

"Heh... HAHAHA... Hahahaha..."

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he wept and laughed in the same breath.

One of his past visions—a future that had haunted him for so long—was playing out before his eyes.

Amber was holding the knife he had dropped. she plunged it straight into his chest.

"So... I never changed the future... This was always going to happen..." he whispered as the dagger cracked.

The chaotic domain around them shattered, fading into the wind like a dream breaking at dawn.

The chains around Tyler dissolved.

Tyler stood beside Amber, staring at the Clown who now knelt with the dagger still embedded in his chest.

The Clown coughed, blood dripping from his lips as he turned toward Tyler.

"Heh... Well played, Tyler... cough... cough" he rasped, chuckling bitterly.

Tyler said nothing. There was no joy in victory. Just silence.

The Clown looked up at Amber one last time.

"I’m sor—"

Before he could finish, his breath left him. His eyes dimmed. His body slumped to the ground.

The Clown was gone.

The bloodstained knife crumbled into glowing embers and vanished.

Mana emerged from within Amber’s body, chasing after the glowing embers, hoping to catch them for research.

As she left, Amber’s body collapsed to the ground.

Tyler dropped to his knees, exhausted.

A few seconds passed.

Suddenly, Amber sat up and gently touched Tyler’s cheek.

"Mana, stop playing," Tyler muttered, too drained to move.

"Thank you," Amber said with a peaceful smile.

Tyler frowned. "I said stop playing, Mana. I’m already exhausted."

"Mana isn’t playing," came Mana’s voice from behind him. "Mana really tried to catch those lights of powerful dagger. but Mana couldn’t."

Tyler froze.

His eyes widened as he slowly turned his head.

Amber’s body was still lying motionless on the ground —

A soft, serene smile resting on her face.