At the First Trial—
Before Bai Zihan had left for the Second Trial, he had already begun thinking ahead—about what might happen if he obtained or lost the Inheritance.
If he failed to get it, he planned to take it by force after leaving the place.
Depending on the situation, it would either be immediately or in the following days.
But looking at the current circumstances and the advantage he held, he was confident that he would be the one to obtain the Inheritance.
However, there was still one major issue.
Once he acquired the Inheritance, his life would be in serious danger. It was almost certain that powerhouses from many sects and clans would come after him.
After all, it was the Immortal Emperor’s Inheritance—something that no one would let go so easily.
So how could he avoid being hunted down?
His gaze fell upon the other participants nearby—and a wicked grin slowly spread across his face.
All the hostages were here!
He just needed to capitalize on that.
But how?
He thought for a moment and scrolled through the System Store for possible options.
There were techniques like poison arts or puppet-controlling spells, but those would require comprehension time and a constant Qi supply to maintain.
Not only that, but they were too messy and unreliable outside this realm.
It wasn’t ideal.
He kept searching through the artifact section—until his eyes landed on something perfect.
[Ghostbane Incense: Silent Bloom Variant]
Grade: Earth
Function:
A cursed incense that, once activated, releases an invisible, undetectable mist into the surrounding area.
The mist carries soul-binding toxins that infiltrate the bodies of everyone within range.
Once inhaled, the targets are unknowingly branded with a latent death mark tied to the user’s will.
The user may, at any time, detonate the mark—causing instant internal collapse, bloodline damage, or full-body explosion depending on the victim’s strength.
Activation Range: 300 meters
Resistance: Can be resisted only by those with extremely strong physiques or unique soul constitutions.
Limit: Only affects targets with weaker total soul strength than the user.
Price: 10,000 System Points
Bai Zihan let out a cold chuckle.
“Perfect!”
The only downside was that he couldn’t target everyone—people like Mo Tianji were likely too strong to be affected.
Of course, he also needed to make sure that there isn’t a barrier of any kind for when he uses it.
Luckily, everyone at that time was cultivating, making it almost too easy for him to make sure that he had everyone affected.
There was also the price which is a bit too high for a one-time use Item but he thought that it was money well-spent for when he obtains the Inheritance.
***
Back to the present—
People didn’t quite understand what had happened.
But after Bai Zihan’s earlier warning and the sudden death of Crimson Thunder Palace’s genius, everyone hesitated—including the elder from the Crimson Thunder Palace.
They watched closely, unsure if Bai Zihan was bluffing… or if he really could kill someone with just a snap of his fingers.
Normally, people wouldn’t risk their geniuses’ lives.
But this was the Immortal Emperor’s Inheritance they were talking about.
The Crimson Thunder Palace elder, too enraged to think clearly, stepped forward again.
“You insolent brat! How dare you kill one of our geniuses?!”
This time, he aimed his fury at Bai Zihan instead of Bai Xinyue.
Bai Zihan didn’t say a word.
Snap!
BOOM!
Another genius from the Crimson Thunder Palace exploded, blood spraying from his mouth as he crashed into the ground, lifeless.
The elder froze!
He had been trying to see through the “trick” Bai Zihan had used—but once again, nothing. No formation. No fluctuation of Qi. No sign of an attack.
Yet another top genius of their sect was dead.
Bai Zihan sighed, shaking his head.
“What did I say? Are you deaf?”
He clicked his tongue, voice mockingly regretful.
“Tsk! Tsk! Look what you made me do. Another innocent life lost.”
The crowd collectively rolled their eyes.
He was clearly the one killing them, and yet he acted like the elder forced his hand.
Gaslighting at its finest!
A tense silence followed—until voices began to whisper again.
“Could it be that the Crimson Thunder Palace is in cahoots with the Bai Clan?”
“Yeah! That must be it—they’re probably staging this to scare the rest of us off.”
“Otherwise, how come only their geniuses are dying?”
“Forget Bai Xinyue! Let’s take Bai Zihan hostage instead! That way, we don’t need to be afraid and also can make the Bai Clan back off!”
“Yeah, if we get him, maybe we can also learn how he’s doing it!”
…
More voices joined in as suspicion turned into a shared plan.
If this was a trick, then exposing it was the only way forward.
And if it wasn’t?
They’d just take Bai Zihan out before it was too late.
The Bai Clan elders grew visibly tense. They could see the growing hostility now shifting toward Bai Zihan.
He was their future. Their heir.
They would fight to the death to protect him.
But even they didn’t know if he was bluffing or he could really do what he arrogantly declared.
Against so many powerhouses, his tricks—no matter how effective—might not be enough.
Or so they thought.
“Now!”
A coordinated wave of pressure rose as several experts moved at once, aiming to seize Bai Zihan.
But—
BOOM!
Before they could even make contact, multiple participants from various clans and sects dropped to the ground.
Dead!
Just like that.
No warning. No buildup. No resistance.
They fell like puppets whose strings had been cut.
Silence followed.
Then screams.
“It wasn’t a trick?!”
“How the hell is he doing this?!”
“How is this possible?!”
Panic erupted.
Everyone could now see the pattern—every single one of the victims had been a participant.
One from every Clan or Sect whose elders has been trying to make a move had died.
And now, fear began to spread to the remaining geniuses.
“No! Elders, STOP!”
“Don’t you dare move! I’ll tell my father!”
“You move, and I swear you’ll regret it!”
“Whoever makes another move is going to have their head rolling!”
…
Most of the participants were heirs or held extremely high positions in their clans.
Now that it was confirmed that Bai Zihan could kill them instantly—they weren’t willing to take chances anymore.
They issued direct threats to their own elders.
If they moved, their geniuses would die.
Of course, not everyone had that kind of authority.
Some genius could only watch, terrified, hoping their sect elders would stop before it was too late.
Even Mo Tianji had gone pale. He threatened his elders not to act, fear plain in his eyes.
Deep down, he was convinced that he would be the first to die if Bai Zihan were provoked again.
He didn’t know that Bai Zihan couldn’t target him.
And Dugu Lianxian felt the same.
Despite being outside Bai Zihan’s control, she didn’t know that—and the idea that her previous conflict with Bai Xueqing might get her killed made her heart pound with dread.
Now, one thing was clear to everyone present:
Bai Zihan wasn’t bluffing.
And no one was safe.
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