Chapter 1189: The Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell

Silence.

An eerie silence enveloped the entire venue.

After that single punch.

The hundreds of thousands of guests were utterly silent, as if all sounds in the world had been erased along with the defeated guest elder.

Staring at the terrifying hundred-zhang-long chasm in the venue, the entire crowd was stunned.

Lu Shuyao was also shocked, her beautiful face pale, her smile replaced by a dazed murmur.

"How... how is this possible..."

The Star Cloud Venue was imbued with the power of the Great Dao. Tens of thousands of years ago, several supreme experts were invited, and countless rare treasures were used to construct it over thousands of years!

Every moment the venue was open required a massive amount of immortal crystals to maintain.

This luxurious venue was the result of generations of effort by the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, unparalleled in the entire East Sea. Even a full-force strike from an eighth-grade expert couldn't possibly cause such destruction!

At this moment.

Not only were the formations destroyed as easily as rotten wood, but the cloud walls of the venue were also pierced through like decayed timber!

The seventh-grade Elder Song was instantly obliterated without a trace, as if he had truly vanished like an ant into the void...

One punch.

Just one punch!

How could it be so terrifying?

Why would such a powerful existence willingly serve Lu Xinlan?!

Lu Shuyao's pupils trembled, unable to believe what she was seeing.

The turn of events had completely exceeded her expectations, even shattering her understanding. All her schemes and strategies vanished from her mind.

Only a buzzing remained!

As if the aftershocks of the punch were still reverberating!

Staring at the horrifying hundred-zhang-long chasm in the venue, she suddenly felt a panic she had never experienced before.

She turned her head nervously, her tone no longer confident and steady.

"Elders... what should we do?!"

As her trembling voice rang out.

The guest elders beside her were struck as if by lightning!

Every time Lu Shuyao looked at one of them, the startled elder would jump in fear, as if her gaze wasn't a plea for advice but a deadly cold light!

The elders exchanged glances, stammering out various excuses to escape!

"This... this..."

"Ah! I just remembered! My mother is due to give birth today. As her son, I must be by her side at such a critical moment. Farewell, everyone!"

With that, the man vanished in an instant.

Following his lead, the other elders also began to make their excuses!

"Now that Brother Liu mentions it, I also recall something! My father appeared in my dream yesterday, saying he still has his vigor and wants some maids and concubines. I must hurry back to our ancestral tomb to offer more paper effigies!"

"Yes, yes! Filial piety is the foundation of humanity! I've been wandering for tens of thousands of years and haven't visited my family in a long time. It's time to go back and wash my mother's feet—she's been in seclusion for so long!"

"Ahem, I also just remembered. Ten thousand years ago, I refined a cauldron of pills, and they should be ready today. I can't bear to part with ten thousand years of effort. Let's meet again if fate allows!"

"You all?! I... I! I have a stomachache!"

...

In the blink of an eye, the seven guest elders hastily clasped their fists and scattered like frightened birds.

Before Lu Shuyao could even speak, the once-mighty experts had all vanished into the void, each fleeing faster than the last!

The last one didn't even bother to come up with an excuse!

"Whoosh..."

A few cold breezes blew past, and the space beside her was now empty.

Lu Shuyao was dumbfounded.

In front of everyone, she was suddenly left alone in the venue, looking like a fool. The stark contrast to her earlier entourage and grandeur was like night and day.

Lu Shuyao could no longer contain her anger!

Her face alternated between green and red, her clenched fists turning white at the knuckles.

"Traitors!"

"All of you are ungrateful traitors!"

Her furious scolding sounded like that of a common market woman.

Lu Shuyao could no longer maintain her composure, anxiously looking around.

Seeing that Elder Zhang's figure was still standing quietly.

She felt slightly relieved.

She quickly stepped forward and bowed, flattering him to the extreme.

"Elder Zhang, you remain as steady as ever, truly unlike those traitors!"

"Now that we face a powerful enemy, I hope you can turn the tide. I will be eternally grateful and reward you a hundredfold!"

Lu Shuyao, who had always been so proud.

Now, she was forced to lower herself, a sign of how desperate the situation had become. The guests had never seen her like this, and many looked on with pity, while the younger generation stared in shock.

The image of the divine lady seemed to be crumbling.

Strangely.

Even as Lu Shuyao flattered and bowed, Zhang Tonghai remained standing still, not uttering a single word, as if he was waiting to drive a hard bargain.

Lu Shuyao's face burned with humiliation, but she could only force a smile.

"Elder Zhang..."

"As long as you can turn the tide, any condition is acceptable!"

Zhang Tonghai still stood like a pine tree.

Lu Shuyao was starting to feel embarrassed, her eyes growing more anxious. She couldn't help but reach out with her jade-like fingers to touch him.

"Elder Zhang?"

But the moment she touched him.

The steady elder toppled straight to the ground, his clothes collapsing into a flat, empty shell as soon as they hit the floor.

It was...

It was a fake shell?!

Lu Shuyao gasped and fell to the ground, grabbing the clothes.

As she clutched the lightweight fabric, her heart felt equally hollow. Shock filled her eyes, and her face turned pale.

"This!"

"This is the Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell technique?!"

Legend had it.

Zhang Tonghai, with his eighth-grade cultivation, had once escaped unscathed from a ninth-grade supreme expert, all thanks to his miraculous Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell technique. Before the enemy could even notice, he had already fled hundreds of thousands of miles away!

Who would have thought that the legend was true?

And who would have thought!

That this old fox would use such a life-saving technique at this moment!

The Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell technique was indeed a divine feat, said to have an enormous cost and take a long time to activate. It was only used in the most dire of situations...

This meant.

The old traitor must have sensed the danger early and secretly activated the technique, fleeing the venue before anyone else!

Damn it!

The last trump card turned out to be the most unreliable old traitor!

Everything had turned to nothing. Only now did Lu Shuyao realize the truth, but it was too late to curse. The despair of total defeat washed over her.

If even Zhang Tonghai had fled without hesitation, who could possibly help her now?

It's over.

Everything is over.

Why does that bastard Lu Xinlan have such a powerful expert on her side?

How could her connections be stronger than mine?!

Lu Shuyao, who had never faced failure before, suddenly felt her life crumbling, as if she had fallen from the clouds into the mud. Her face was a picture of disbelief and panic.

She didn't dare to look up, unable to face the varied gazes of the guests.

Under the immense pressure.

The once-arrogant scheming divine lady seemed to have all her strength drained away. She couldn't even hold onto the clothes in her hand, collapsing to the ground in a daze. Her once-glorious dress was now a mess, stained with the dust kicked up by the punch, resembling a pile of weeds.

At this moment, it looked so glaringly ridiculous.

Witnessing the dramatic turn of events.

And seeing Lu Shuyao in such a disheveled state, it was clear that the outcome was decided.

Whispers began to rise among the guests, filled with pity.

"Sss..."

"They all ran away, without a shred of dignity?"

"Nonsense! Facing such a powerful expert, who would be foolish enough to step forward and fight? Even a seventh-grade heavenly expert couldn't withstand a single punch. Dignity is worthless."

"This gentleman is truly terrifying!"

"So, Miss Xinlan had been prepared all along!"

"I always said that Miss Xinlan was destined for greatness!"

"Haha, it seems great minds think alike. I've already prepared a gift for Miss Xinlan!"

As the heated discussions filled the air, the crowd's gazes were filled with awe.

In just a few moments, many of the old-timers had already regained their composure and began to offer their congratulations. The venue erupted with laughter, and Lu Xinlan's reputation soared. The guests all began to fawn over her.

The utterly confused Yi Feng became the center of attention.