168: Chapter 168 is not on the periodic table

Xiang Tian secretly took stock of his hidden cards,

he still had four lottery chances, plus 230,000 face-slapping points.

Though he couldn't be called filthy rich,

it was enough to handle many unexpected situations—a solid well-off level.

"Anyone can brag," Ouyang Yuexi curled her lips.

But the worry in the depths of her eyes hadn't diminished in the slightest.

Just then, a warm sensation came from her fingertips.

She only realized it belatedly, and her cheeks immediately flushed red.

She chided coquettishly, "Wait, why are you holding my hand? You... you're actually taking advantage of me!"

Hearing this, Xiang Tian feigned a look of innocence.

He said righteously, "Cousin, we're relatives. I'm your Elder cousin; isn't your line of thinking a bit strange? I was just afraid you'd be nervous and wanted to comfort you."

Ouyang Yuexi was stunned for a moment. Thinking about it carefully, it seemed she really was overthinking things.

She immediately lowered her head in embarrassment and simply stopped being bashful.

She leaned her entire body gently into Xiang Tian's embrace, seeking a sense of security.

Xiang Tian was momentarily dazed, his body stiffening, while his heart was filled with wild joy.

This happiness had come far too suddenly!

He froze for a good while before slowly raising his hand to gently shield Ouyang Yuexi's shoulder.

To the side, Xiang Liu watched this scene with wide eyes, taking it all in.

Yet she still didn't speak, merely staring ahead in silence.

Meanwhile.

The battle in the distance had already reached a fever pitch.

The Elders of the Ouyang Family gradually fell into a disadvantage, being subdued one by one by the Imperial Guards.

Specially made Profound Iron shackles locked their spiritual power, rendering them unable to move.

"Why are you even arresting me? I am the Eighth Elder of the Ouyang Family!"

Looking at his tightly shackled hands, the Eighth Elder shouted angrily at the Imperial Guard in front of him.

"Stop your shouting and behave yourself!" the Imperial Guard barked coldly.

*Slap!*

The Imperial Guard mercilessly slapped the Eighth Elder across the face.

The slap knocked his head to the side, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"Even your big boss has been arrested; what do you think you are? How dare you put on airs before me!" the Imperial Guard sneered.

He then pointed to the dejected Ouyang Changqing, who was bound in chains nearby.

At this moment.

Almost all the high-level members of the Ouyang Family present had been captured by the Imperial Guards.

Each of them looked dejected and resentful, yet they were helpless.

"Ouyang Changqing, is this the result you wanted?" Ouyang Changlin looked at Ouyang Changqing.

He scolded loudly, "You didn't even know their true identity before rashly bringing them into the Ouyang Family and ruining us. You truly are an idiot!"

Such a crushing defeat was truly pathetic and humiliating!

"Second Brother, don't waste your breath on him!" Ouyang Changgong's hands were also shackled.

"He was just blinded by power and seduced by desire, losing all sense of a moral baseline. He doesn't deserve to be a member of our Ouyang Family at all!"

"Alright, shut up!" The Imperial Guard who had slapped the Eighth Elder stepped forward.

He said coldly, "You are all experts of the Ouyang Family. The Commander said you're still useful alive, so stop your bickering, or don't blame me for being ruthless!"

With that, he grabbed the Eighth Elder by the collar.

He violently dragged him over to Ouyang Changqing and the others.

"The high-level members of your Ouyang Family should all be here now." The Imperial Guard glanced over the captives.

"Next, it's the turn of the Ouyang Family Disciples. Not a single one will escape!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Imperial Guards immediately turned their focus.

They marched toward the Ouyang Family's rear courtyard where the Disciples resided, brimming with Killing Intent.

"You are the Imperial Guards, meant to protect the royal family in the palace, yet you have trespassed into the Ouyang Family and slaughtered its clan. Are you not afraid of His Majesty's punishment?"

At this point, Xiang Tian could no longer continue hiding in the corner and watching.

He slowly stood up, his posture still upright.

His voice wasn't loud, yet it echoed clearly throughout the courtyard.

It drew the attention of all the Imperial Guards.

"Oh? Where did this brat come from, daring to meddle in our business?" A leading Imperial Guard turned and sized Xiang Tian up.

"Just a Martial Emperor level four trash, and you dare to act tough before me?"

"Why do you not salute upon seeing this Prince?" Xiang Tian's expression remained unchanged as he gradually exuded the majesty of a Prince.

"Hmm? You're that newly appointed Prince?" The Imperial Guard was momentarily stunned.

He then scrutinized Xiang Tian, his eyes showing a hint of surprise, but still no trace of reverence.

"But even if you are a Prince, so what?"

"Are you blind? Kneel and salute the Prince!" Xiang Liu stepped out from behind Xiang Tian.

She showed no fear of the Imperial Guards before her.

"Oho, little girl, you've got quite the nerve. But... I like it." The leading Imperial Guard looked at Xiang Liu, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.

"You're quite pretty. If you're obedient, I might just spare your life."

Ouyang Yuexi also stepped out from behind Xiang Liu.

She tightly gripped the corner of Xiang Tian's robe, yet she feigned calmness, looking at the Imperial Guards with a determined gaze.

"Hmm? Another little girl, and just as beautiful. What a stroke of luck!" The Imperial Guard's eyes lit up, his tone becoming increasingly flippant, showing no respect for Xiang Tian's status as a "Prince."

"How audacious! To be so disrespectful before this Prince and dare to insult my people—you're courting death!" Xiang Tian roared.

His level four Martial Emperor spiritual power was released without reservation, intimidating everyone present.

"Oho! Still trying to act tough before me?" The Imperial Guard sneered.

"The entire Ouyang Family is under our control now. You're nothing but a stray dog; how dare you put on the airs of a Prince before me?"

"Is that so?" Xiang Tian's expression remained unchanged, without a hint of panic on his face.

Instead, he quietly communicated with the System in his mind.

"System, upgrade the qingling sword immediately!"

[Ding! The host has consumed 100,000 face-slapping points to successfully upgrade the qingling sword to the Martial Emperor rank!]

Xiang Tian's heart remained calm; the 100,000 points were already within his expectations.

"Little Fairy, add the 'special ingredients' to the qingling sword!" Xiang Tian commanded once more.

Once Frog Fairy finished adding the ingredients,

Xiang Tian moved, his speed as fast as a ghost.

He arrived before the leading Imperial Guard almost instantly, the qingling sword in his hand flashing with a cold light.

*Slash—*

That Imperial Guard was also a battle-hardened veteran who had been through a thousand trials.

His reactions were incredibly fast; sensing danger, he immediately dodged to the side.

He narrowly avoided the fatal blow.

"Brat, you dare to sneak attack me?" the Imperial Guard roared, Killing Intent surging in his eyes.

He clutched his arm, which had been grazed by the Sword Qi.

"But it's just a scratch on my arm. With only this much skill, you dare to be so insolent before me?"

"Take this..." the Imperial Guard roared, gathering boundless spiritual power in his palm.

He thrust a palm toward Xiang Tian.

But just as his palm force was about to strike Xiang Tian,

*Thump!*

The Imperial Guard suddenly stiffened, and then his legs gave way.

He collapsed to the ground, his entire body convulsing uncontrollably.

White foam continuously seeped from his mouth, and his eyes became glazed.

"Sigh, done for already?" Xiang Tian looked down at the convulsing Imperial Guard.

He gently stroked the qingling sword in his hand and sighed with feigned regret.

"You... what did you do to him?" The other Imperial Guards immediately felt alarm bells ringing in their hearts.

They all took a step back, staring at Xiang Tian warily.

The scene just now was truly too eerie.

"How should I know?" Xiang Tian shrugged, still toying with the qingling sword in his hand.

"Perhaps his cultivation went haywire, or maybe the heavens couldn't stand his evil deeds and took him away."

"Brothers, this kid is weird; he must have used some insidious method!" one Imperial Guard realized.

He shouted loudly, "Let's attack together and kill this brat first to avoid further trouble!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Imperial Guards swarmed forward, gripping their long sabers.

They charged toward Xiang Tian's group of three with murderous intent.

They surrounded the three of them in the center.

Xiang Tian glanced at Xiang Liu and Ouyang Yuexi beside him, a hint of helplessness appearing on his face.

If he were alone, he could have barely managed these Imperial Guards, or even won easily.

But now, with two women by his side,

he would inevitably be restricted and unable to fight freely.

[Host, when you encounter difficulties, why not try a lottery draw? You might just pull a Heaven-Defying Divine Artifact and easily deal with these small fries!]

The System's voice rang out in his mind at the perfect time, carrying a hint of temptation.

"Hmm... that makes sense!" Xiang Tian's eyes lit up, and he immediately had an idea.

"It's been a long time since I've done a lottery—it must have been dozens of chapters. System, are you waiting to see me make a fool of myself?" Xiang Tian grumbled slightly in his mind, but his hands didn't stop for a second.

He quickly pulled up the System's lottery panel.

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the Imperial Guards rapidly approaching.

He couldn't help but feel a bit nervous; taking a deep breath, he suppressed the agitation in his heart.

He said in a low voice, "Spin it for me!"

As he spoke, he slammed his hand onto the button of the lottery panel.

The pointer on the panel immediately began to spin rapidly.

"I have to hit the jackpot! A Divine Artifact, Cultivation Technique, or Medicinal Pill—anything is fine as long as it solves these troubles!" Xiang Tian stared intently at the spinning pointer.

He kept shouting in his heart, his palms breaking out in a cold sweat.

With the Imperial Guards about to reach him and their sabers nearly slashing his face, how could he not be nervous?

This lottery draw concerned the lives of all three of them!

"I have to win! System, I beg you, give me something impressive!" Xiang Tian shouted in his heart once more.

His eyes were fixed on the pointer, not even daring to blink.

Finally.

The pointer on the lottery panel gradually slowed down and came to a halt.

It eventually settled firmly on the purple area of the disc.

"Only purple?" Xiang Tian's brow furrowed slightly, unable to hide his disappointment.

He had thought he'd get at least a gold-tier reward.

But purple wasn't bad; it was better than drawing trash.

"Open!" A glint of anticipation flashed in Xiang Tian's eyes as he shouted.

However, the moment the light flashed,

an unexpected item appeared before his eyes.

It was a set of armor, entirely silver-white with a sci-fi design, emitting a cold metallic luster.

It was none other than the Iron Man suit he had seen in movies in his past life!

"Holy moly! This is the cultivation world, not the tech world!" Xiang Tian was dumbfounded, his lips twitching uncontrollably.

He ranted wildly in his heart, "What's the use of drawing this piece of scrap metal? Am I supposed to wear it and trade punches with the Imperial Guards? What the hell is this!"

[Host, don't underestimate this Iron Man armor!]

The System hurriedly explained.

[In this other world, this isn't called scrap metal; it's called a mecha. Moreover, it's a mecha forged from special metals, worlds apart from the Iron Man you saw in your previous life!]

[The metal used for this mecha is not in the periodic table; it is incredibly hard and impervious to weapons. Furthermore, it is inscribed with defensive Formations, capable of withstanding all attacks below the Saint Realm. Its power is boundless!]

"Alright, alright, stop with the nonsense I can't understand," Xiang Tian quickly interrupted the rambling System.

"There's no time left. Quickly tell me how to operate this mecha!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a ball of information containing the mecha's operation methods instantly drilled into his Sea of Consciousness.

The information was simple and easy to understand, and he digested it extremely quickly.

In just a few breaths' time, Xiang Tian had completely mastered the operation of the mecha.

It was similar to the operations in the Iron Man movies he had seen in his past life.

He needed to enter the mecha and control it manually.

When Xiang Tian took the silver-white mecha out of the System space,

Xiang Liu and Ouyang Yuexi beside him were both stunned, looking at the strangely shaped object before them with confusion.

"Cousin, what... what is this thing? It looks so strange. It's neither a weapon nor armor," Ouyang Yuexi couldn't help but ask.

Her small hand tightly gripped the corner of Xiang Tian's robe.

"I'll explain later; there's no time now!" Xiang Tian spoke rapidly, without much explanation.

He moved and slipped into the interior of the mecha.

"So the space inside is much larger than it looks from the outside!"

Entering the mecha, Xiang Tian couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

The interior space of the mecha was very spacious, with various control buttons and display screens—it was very advanced.

It was completely different from what he had imagined.

Following the methods in his mind, he skillfully operated the mecha.

His fingers moved rapidly over the control panel, and after a few breaths of familiarizing himself,

he was already able to skillfully control the mecha's movements.

"Fire!"

Xiang Tian shouted in a low voice, pressing the fire button on the control panel.

Two cannon barrels instantly popped out from the mecha's shoulders, firing shells filled with boundless spiritual power.

They shot toward the surrounding Imperial Guards in an instant.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

Immediately, a series of violent explosions rang out.

The spiritual power shells hit the ground and exploded instantly.

Creating a massive shockwave, sending stones flying and smoke filling the air.

Many Imperial Guards who couldn't dodge in time were instantly blown away by the shells.

They screamed and died on the spot.

"W-what is this thing? How can it be so powerful?" The remaining Imperial Guards were completely dumbfounded.

Their faces were full of terror as they all stopped in their tracks.

They instinctively retreated, their eyes filled with wariness and fear.

They looked at the mecha as if they were seeing a monster.

Despite their fear, they didn't dare to retreat easily.

They could only brace themselves and struggle to resist the mecha's attacks.

They brandished their long sabers and slashed at the mecha.

But their attacks hit the mecha only to produce a series of clanging sounds.

Not even a scratch was left behind; instead, their arms were numbed by the mecha's recoil.

"Take my punch!"

Xiang Tian sneered, controlling the mecha.

He swung a giant fist, carrying boundless strength.

It smashed toward several Imperial Guards nearby with irresistible force.

*Thump!*

Several Imperial Guards were instantly struck by the mecha's fist, flying backward and losing their breath.

"The power is actually this strong!" Xiang Tian exclaimed in his heart.

One must know that even the weakest of these Imperial Guards were at the Late Stage of the Martial Emperor realm.

Even if they weren't at the Peak of the Martial Emperor realm, their strength was not to be underestimated.

Yet the mecha had knocked down several with just one punch.

"Not bad! This Prince likes this mecha very much!" Xiang Tian was overjoyed. He controlled the mecha, and with a flash of movement,

he dove toward the remaining Imperial Guards, the mecha's fists swinging continuously.

Each punch knocked down several Imperial Guards; its power was boundless.

Afterward.

He controlled the mecha to slowly stop high in the air.

He looked down at the panicked Imperial Guards fleeing in all directions.

A cold smile played on his lips as his fingers pressed the control buttons once more.

Spiritual power shells were fired one after another, shooting into the midst of the Imperial Guards.

"Ah! Help me!"

"Run! This thing is too terrifying!"

The Imperial Guards screamed repeatedly, fleeing in all directions.

Their previous arrogance was long gone, replaced by endless fear.

But their speed was no match for the speed of the spiritual power shells.

They were hit by shells one by one, dying on the spot. The scene was utterly tragic.

"Kamehameha!"

Xiang Tian's playful side took over. Controlling the mecha, he condensed a massive orb of spiritual power between its hands.

The orb emitted a terrifying pressure.

Then, he violently pushed both hands forward.

The massive orb of spiritual power blasted toward the center of the Imperial Guards, unstoppable.

*Boom—*