WHAT! I Have To Kill Heaven's Son To Live!-Chapter 126: I Won’t Be Shackled!

The Present Time...

The clash between Yi Ran and Xue Taiyang raged in the Dueling Arena.

Meanwhile in a separate arena, another battle flared—this one between the recently recovered Yang Lie and the ever-defiant Zi Chen.

"Damn it... Damn it all..."

Yang Lie cursed internally, gritting his teeth as Zi Chen's blade grazed his shoulder, drawing blood.

"I wasted 2500 System Points just to reach the peak of the Qi Solidification Realm... and I still couldn't defeat Yi Ran!"

"I thought—with the remaining points and the 5000 more I was supposed to earn—I'd finally unlock my Core Meridians... finally step into the Foundation Establishment Realm."

"But now? Everything's shattered."

"And to make it worse... another 3000 points vanished into nothing, all because I failed that damn Special Mission. I've got nothing left—completely drained, utterly empty."

"Yang Lie, prepare yourself!" Zi Chen roared, lunging forward. "I'll prove that my swordsmanship surpasses yours!"

"Shut up, you bastard! Who the hell do you think you are?" Yang Lie snarled, parrying the incoming strike with a clash of steel.

"You think just because I lost to Yi Ran, I can't defeat you? Don't mock me!"

SWOOSH!

With a wild yell, Yang Lie unleashed a powerful counter, so fierce it forced Zi Chen back, sending him skidding across the arena before crashing to the ground.

"Xue Taiyang... You humiliated me in front of all the Outer Disciples... and cost me thousands of System Points. Don't think for a second you'll get away with it..."

...

Elsewhere, far removed from the chaos—

Elenora had left her bed and was now enjoying the luxurious feast laid out before her.

Her eyes no longer lingered on the arena battles playing out across the Spiritual Screen.

Instead, her attention had drifted... to a modest jar she'd just drawn from the shadows beneath the table.

A mischievous glint danced in her eyes.

"Hehehe... Time to sample this one," she whispered with excitement, lifting the lid with reverence.

"The Immortal Bamboo Jade Wine—another treasure I 'borrowed' from the Sect Master's Collection." She chuckled to herself, already pouring a crystal-clear stream into a fine glass.

She sipped, closed her eyes, and sighed in delight.

"Mmm... Divine. It's like walking through a Celestial Forest, wrapped in golden sunlight... every breeze a whisper through endless bamboo..."

Suddenly, her serenity shattered in an instant.

"What...?"

Her eyes snapped to the screen, widening with a flicker of disbelief.

"I can't detect his cultivation level at all... Not even a trace of spiritual energy in his body, yet he's clearly channeling it into his sword?!"

Her voice trembled with shock.

"His Lesser Meridians are all open, but he has... no cultivation base? And still he's matching Yi Ran, who defeated Yang Lie?!"

She remarked thoughtfully, her gaze fixed on Xue Taiyang within the shrouding mist.

"Interesting... truly fascinating. Is he using an artifact to conceal it from those around him?"

She took a slow sip of wine, her eyes narrowing with intrigue.

"Even I can't see through it... That can only mean one thing—it's a Saint-grade concealing artifact."

Her tone turned serious.

"But those are incredibly rare—rarer than phoenix tears or dragon scale. Even I... only possess four of such grade treasures."

Her gaze deepened.

"How could an Outer Disciple come across such a thing? Unless... unless it's something even more extraordinary."

She stood abruptly.

"I need to investigate this Xue Taiyang. If I'm right... he may know something. Something that could lead me to the one I've been searching for..."

...

Elsewhere again, from the observation stands—

"Hmph. Do you really think a little Mist can keep your fight hidden from me?" Yang Mi whispered coldly, her eyes narrowing.

"I'll use my Constitution's heightened perception to see through everything."

She focused, her gaze piercing the arena's spiritual fog. She watched the duel unfold—Xue Taiyang, fluid and unyielding, meeting Yi Ran blow for blow.

"You were just a Qi Refining Realm cultivator a month ago... yet you dared intimidate me, a High Stage Qi Solidification expert in outside?" she murmured.

"I thought you were hiding your cultivation... but now I can't even sense it. Have you... already surpassed me?"

She stared, caught between awe and unease.

"And that attitude of yours. So calm... so nonchalant... Why do you—" she paused, clutching a crude wire ring on her left hand, beside her Spatial Ring. Her fingers trembled.

"...Why do you remind me of him?"

Her face softened for a fleeting second, her thoughts whispering, "Why did you leave this world... leaving me behind? I've missed you so much, Brother Ming..."

But then her mask of cold resolve returned.

"No. I can't afford to falter. I made a promise... and I swore it to the heavens. I will keep it—no matter the cost."

...

Atop the audience stands—

"There he is, Young Miss," a soft-spoken maid in formal dress whispered, pointing discreetly toward the arena.

"You don't need to tell me. I remember him from his time in the Inner Sect," the veiled girl replied coldly, her voice soft and calm but laced with disdain.

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"He even came to me a month ago... begged me to refine a pill for him."

She sneered. "I'm only here to record how pitifully he loses to my best friend—the one I instructed to crush him."

Her jade veil shimmered under the sunlight as she added icily, "Then I'll present the recording to my dear, insufferable elder brother."

"Let him see for himself how utterly worthless this man is. Let's see if he still dares to claim this bastard deserves me."

"Young Miss, you can't!" the maid whispered fearfully. "His Highness won't take kindly to this. You know how he is—he always follows through on his word."

"I know..." The girl growled, clenching her fists. "That's why I must break his decision this time. I will do whatever it takes to change his mind."

"I won't be shackled to someone like him—not even for my brother."

...

Inside the mist-shrouded Dueling Arena—

The air was thick with tension, the swirling mist dancing like ghosts around the clashing blades.

From a careful distance, Reon's voice cut through the silence.

"Yi Ran... tell me. Who was it that told you about me?"

Yi Ran tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable within the haze.

"Well..." she said with a teasing calm, her sword gleaming with latent energy, "I suppose there's no harm in telling you. After all... you know him very well."

Reon's eyes narrowed.

"He's a True Disciple," Yi Ran continued, voice smooth like silk but laced with subtle weight.

"You've met him before. He holds you in high regard... and his expectations of you are exceptionally high."

A True Disciple? Someone who regards me that highly...?

Reon's thoughts churned as he instinctively stepped back, his grip on the hilt tightening.

No... I don't remember anyone like that.

"Just tell me who he is!" he demanded, his voice sharp with frustration.

In a sudden burst, he lunged forward, slashing with his Sword Aura.

Yi Ran met the strike effortlessly, her blade intercepting his with fluid grace. The clang echoed, swallowed quickly by the surrounding mist.

And then, she smiled.

"His name is..."