Chapter 337 Greed is woven into the very fabric of their bloodline
As the Sky Palace slowly unfurled, Marcus, clad in white robes, hovered in mid-air, his arm gracefully holding a duster.
The Sky Palace shrunk at a speed visible to the naked eye, finally landing and spinning in the palm of his left hand.
His expression remained serene as he gazed at Neil, who was seated in a meditative posture dozens of feet away.
Behind Neil stood two elders from the Parker family, members of the elite force known as Competent Force.
Neil seemed momentarily taken aback by Marcus's sudden appearance.
The sky was interwoven with a grand formation, meticulously crafted by three Competent Force members over the past few days.
Its purpose was clear: to trap Marcus.
They feared that once the Sky Palace was breached, Marcus would use the opportunity to escape with his disciples.
"You have kept me confined for days, Neil," Marcus's voice was calm, yet his eyes, as sharp and piercing as Lucas's, held a hint of disdain and arrogance.
"Do you truly believe that we, the Blackwoods, are easily bullied?"
"You... you dare to show your face?" Neil retorted, her voice laced with a hint of panic.
If Marcus had broken free from the Sky Palace by force, Neil would have struck him down without hesitation.
However, Marcus's voluntary surrender and his unwavering composure had thrown her off balance.
One of the Parker elders burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! How dare you come out? Very well, very well. No one thinks the Blackwoods are easy targets, but you seem to be oblivious to the current situation. Here, within the confines of this Sky Palace, no one will know if we end you! "
"Now... hand over the Heavenly Path Tear and that peculiar mystical artifact of yours, and I might just spare your life!"
Marcus merely raised an eyebrow at the elder's words, choosing to remain silent.
To everyone's surprise, it was Neil whose expression darkened.
She glared at the Parker elder, her voice sharp with anger.
"What do you mean by that?"
"What do I mean?" The elder scoffed.
"Neil, outside the Heavenly Path Psychic Sanctuary, I only tolerated your commands out of respect for the Patriarch. But now, with the Sanctuary sealed, no one knows when we'll be able to leave. Do you really think you can still order us around? Do you intend to keep the treasures Marcus possesses all to yourself?"
The other Parker elder chimed in with a cold snort.
"The Patriarch has always favored you, Neil. All the treasures you've acquired within the Heavenly Path Psychic Sanctuary are stored within your Storage Ring. Hand them over, and we shall share whatever Marcus has obtained. We are, after all, family."
"You..." Neil's face flushed red.
She had never anticipated that the moment Marcus emerged, it wouldn't be his capture they'd be focused on, but rather, a squabble among her own family elders for the spoils!
For centuries, she had been the revered prodigy of the Parker family within Sunshine Mansion, accustomed to unquestioning obedience from her kin.
The thought of her authority being challenged, especially by family elders, had never crossed her mind.
"Enough talk, Neil. Hand over the Storage Ring!"
In an instant, the atmosphere crackled with tension as the three Competent Force members from the Parker family stood at odds with each other, their hands hovering near their weapons.
This unexpected turn of events caught both Ethan and Marcus off guard.
Ethan had been prepared to unleash the full might of his Forebearer Psychic Position, ready for the Forebearer to make a grand entrance.
Who could have predicted that the Parker family would implode from within?
Natural energies surged and clashed as the three Parkers engaged in a silent battle of wills, the threat of violence hanging heavy in the air.
Marcus remained suspended in mid-air, an amused spectator to this unfolding drama.
The Parkers had intended to kill him, but now, they had become the main act in a spectacle he could hardly have imagined.
"The Fortune Sanctum Parker family, the most quintessential merchants in all of Sunshine Mansion," Ethan sighed, shaking his head.
"Greed is woven into the very fabric of their bloodline. Once the reins of order are loosened, these merchants will stop at nothing."
Despite the amusement, a flicker of unease ran through Ethan.
If the three Parkers, bound by blood, could turn on each other with such ferocity, then the closure of the Sunshine Psychic Sanctuary would undoubtedly plunge this place into chaos.
After all, there were thousands of Psychics trapped within, ranging from those just beginning their journey with Foundational Energy to seasoned Competent Force experts.
These Psychics had clawed their way to their current positions, their hands stained with the blood of their rivals.
None of them were saints.
It was like trapping a pack of wolves within an enclosure, their primal instincts unleashed without any fear of consequence.
What kind of pandemonium would ensue?
As Ethan pondered the implications, Neil launched a full-blown assault on the two Parker elders.
True to their lineage, the trio fought with extraordinary skill and power.
Neil, despite her elegant name, wielded a rather mundane-looking ability weapon: a giant gold coin.
But what truly set Neil apart was her arsenal of top-tier ability weapons.
As she engaged her opponents, she produced two more, each radiating immense power.
The first was a golden silk robe that materialized around her body, its brilliance illuminating the sky with a shower of golden rain that served as a shimmering barrier against her attackers.
The second weapon was a treasure basin, likely a complementary piece to her other artifacts, much like Drunken Fool's arsenal.
As the golden rain cascaded from the sky, it poured into the basin, causing Neil's aura to surge with power.
Natural energies swirled around her, coalescing into a massive grinding wheel that manifested behind her.
With each golden drop that fell into the basin, the wheel spun faster, its power growing exponentially until it began to suppress the natural energies of the two Parker elders, hindering their movements.
"That cunning woman... she's been hiding her true strength all along. Her power rivals even Mike's," Ethan murmured, his eyes narrowed in appraisal.
Mike, who had fought Chuck to a standstill on multiple occasions, was undoubtedly Pinnacle Apprentice material.
Marcus, too, watched the battle unfold with a furrowed brow.
He had come to Sunshine Mansion to witness the rise and fall of its heroes, but Neil's display of power had shaken him to his core.
"To think, even with the Heavenly Path Tear integrated into my being, I wonder how long I could last against her," he muttered under his breath.
"Unfortunately, this Heavenly Path Psychic Sanctuary is a world unto itself. I can't sense my thunder tribulation here. However..."
Marcus's gaze fell upon the Sky Palace in his hand, and a slow smile spread across his face as he recalled the Forebearer's words.
"It will have to be enough. This time, I will stand as a shield for my people!"
...
Two incense sticks' worth of time later, the golden rain that had filled the sky during Neil's battle had dissipated.
Clad in her golden robe, the treasure basin shrunk in her left hand, and the giant gold coin spinning around her right, she stood triumphant over the two Parker elders.
One lay dead, while the other clung to life, his eyes wide with terror.
"A hundred years ago, you were only at the mid-stage of Competent Force," the surviving elder choked out, his voice hoarse with fear.
"All these years, you've only ever displayed the strength of a mid-stage cultivator... How... how is this possible...?"
Puchi!
The elder coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face contorted in a mask of horror.
Year after year, he had witnessed Neil's progress, but her true strength, the power she had unleashed today, was beyond anything he could have imagined.
It was as if she had been holding back a tidal wave all this time.
"Hmph." Neil spared the dying elder no more than a dismissive glance.
If she hadn't needed his help, she would have ended his life along with his comrade.
Turning her back on the fallen elder, she fixed her gaze on Marcus, who still maintained his air of composure.
Her initial wariness returned.
"You're not running?"
"If I ran, I would miss this grand spectacle, wouldn't I?" Marcus replied, a hint of mockery in his tone.
And with those words, he did something unexpected.
Clutching the Sky Palace in his hand, he shot towards Neil like a hawk descending upon its prey!
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