Return of the Celestial King

Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Good-for-nothing

When Chen Man Ni suddenly stepped forward, Zhang Huan finally noticed her and gave her a careful look.

Zhang Huan was instantly captivated by her beauty and stared for a long time.

Now, a desire to show off in front of the beautiful woman burned even stronger within him!

"Little beauty, this really is a treasure. How could I possibly lie to you?"

He said, punctuating it with a lewd chuckle.

Chen Man Ni snapped, "Shameless."

Zhang Huan paid her no mind and announced to everyone,

"Since none of you believe me, I’ll show you a thing or two today. You’ll see what I’m capable of!"

With that, he raised the Purple Gold Gourd and began to chant an incantation.

Hearing his incantation, the two Daoists’ faces turned grim.

Clearly, this incantation was from some heretical, evil sect, not a Spell from their righteous path!

Yet as Zhang Huan continued his chant, the Purple Gold Gourd in his hand actually began to rise slowly into the air.

Everyone stared in astonishment. All doubt was erased—the Purple Gold Gourd was truly an incredible treasure.

Seeing the Purple Gold Gourd in action, Qin Tuo’s resolve deepened. ’I have to get my hands on that gourd later,’ he thought.

Floating in mid-air, the Purple Gold Gourd unleashed an immense power and began to frantically absorb the extreme cold energy from Xiaoyuan’s body.

Xiaoyuan remained on the bed with her eyes closed, but layers of white mist began to rise from her body, making the room look like a celestial paradise.

The temperature in the entire room instantly dropped by several degrees.

"Heavens, why did it get so cold all of a sudden?"

Chen Man Ni exclaimed in surprise, hugging herself tightly.

Meanwhile, Daoist Chongxu stared intently at his daughter, Xiaoyuan, his heart pounding with anxiety.

Zhang Huan continued his incantation. The Purple Gold Gourd was working wonders, having already absorbed a significant amount of the extreme cold energy.

Sure enough, after a few moments, the color returned to Xiaoyuan’s face, and she even let out a soft, unconscious groan.

"Look, Xiaoyuan is responding!"

Ouyang Tianqi couldn’t help but cry out in astonishment.

Daoist Chongxu, overwhelmed with excitement, rushed to the bedside, his eyes wide as he watched his daughter.

Just then, Xiaoyuan slowly opened her eyes, her gaze weary and world-worn.

Seeing this, Zhang Huan let out an arrogant smile, stopped his incantation, and recalled the Purple Gold Gourd.

Daoist Chongxu rushed to embrace Xiaoyuan, rambling incoherently in his excitement.

"Xiaoyuan, it’s so good to see you awake! Do you have any idea you’ve been unconscious for days?"

Xiaoyuan asked subconsciously,

"Father, was I really unconscious for that long?"

Daoist Chongxu nodded frantically as cloudy tears streamed from his old eyes.

The onlookers were dumbfounded. They hadn’t expected that for all his arrogance, Zhang Huan actually possessed such skill.

Daoist Chi Xu, in particular, looked mortified.

He had used a treasure like the Red Flame Meteorite Iron and still failed to save his own niece; the Meteorite Iron had even shattered in the process.

Yet now Zhang Huan had succeeded, leaving him utterly humiliated.

Seeing their astonished expressions, Zhang Huan asked smugly,

"So, Second Martial Uncle? Have you decided to marry Xiaoyuan to me?"

A look of tormented conflict washed over Daoist Chongxu’s face, leaving him speechless.

Seeing his reaction, Zhang Huan sneered and his voice grew heavier.

"Second Martial Uncle, I’ll be honest with you. I only drew out less than half of the cold energy from Xiaoyuan. The rest still requires my help. If you don’t agree, she’ll fall unconscious again in a couple of days. At that point, I’m afraid not even a Daluo Golden Immortal could save her!"

With that, he shook his head as if it were a great pity.

Daoist Chongxu’s expression turned exceedingly grim.

He was wrestling with an impossible choice.

Beside him, Daoist Chi Xu opened his mouth, wanting to rebuke him.

But he was afraid that angering Zhang Huan would seal Xiaoyuan’s fate.

Xiaoyuan grew frightened and hid behind Daoist Chongxu.

"Father, I’m so scared... I don’t want to marry him!"

Daoist Chongxu quickly patted his daughter’s shoulder.

"It’s alright, Xiaoyuan. Don’t worry. Father won’t let anyone hurt you!"

It was clear no one was fond of Zhang Huan.

But Zhang Huan was utterly fearless, issuing his threat for all to hear.

"I’ll give you one last chance. Marry Xiaoyuan to me to save her life. If you come to regret this later, don’t blame me for not warning you!"

His arrogant words echoed through the empty side hall.

A heavy silence fell over the crowd, no one knowing how to respond.

Suddenly, Qin Tuo, who had been silent all this time, spoke up with a smile, his eyes narrowed.

"You’re only relying on that gourd. Why are you trying to force her to marry you?"

Zhang Huan shot Qin Tuo a vicious glare.

"Kid, what did you say?"

Qin Tuo explained with a smile,

"It’s the Purple Gold Gourd in your hand that’s absorbing the cold energy, not you. The gourd is certainly amazing, but what does that have to do with a good-for-nothing like you?"

Hearing this, everyone felt a rush of satisfaction.

Zhang Huan’s expression changed instantly. He demanded coldly,

"Kid, are you looking for death?"

Qin Tuo retorted,

"Am I wrong? Are you telling me you weren’t relying on the Purple Gold Gourd?"

Zhang Huan patted the Purple Gold Gourd and sneered,

"If I’m a good-for-nothing, what does that make you? I can cure Xiaoyuan’s illness. Can you?"

But Qin Tuo replied fearlessly,

"You’re not qualified to judge who I am. But I’ll say this much: I can remove the cold energy from Xiaoyuan’s body with my own power. You, on the other hand, are just a useless bum who relies on a treasure!"

’The Celestial King Order has practically fused with my body anyway, so it’s not a stretch to say I’m relying on my own power,’ Qin Tuo thought to himself.

Hearing this, Zhang Huan became utterly enraged, itching to strike Qin Tuo down!

But as the meaning of Qin Tuo’s words sank in, he burst into arrogant laughter.

Nearby, Daoist Chongxu and the others all frowned.

They too clearly felt that Qin Tuo’s words were far too arrogant.

Setting aside Zhang Huan’s vile personality, the Purple Gold Gourd in his hand was undeniably powerful.

But for Qin Tuo to claim he could achieve the same effect as the Purple Gold Gourd using only his own power—few were willing to believe that.

Zhang Huan suddenly sneered and said,

"Kid, you’re all talk. You don’t have a treasure on the level of the Purple Gold Gourd. What makes you think you can draw out her cold energy with your own power?"

Qin Tuo retorted mockingly,

"Whether or not I have that ability isn’t for a loudmouth like you to decide!"