Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time

No. Those explosive pills were not options.

But before Han Yu could think further, one of the Mist Eye Sect's younger disciples,a Qi Refining cultivator emboldened or perhaps foolish, stepped forward. The boy sneered, raising his weapon as if to test the defenses of the other side.

A sharp crack split the air.

A bolt of condensed energy, like lightning without thunder, shot from one of the black altars. It slammed into the youth's arm with brutal force.

"AAAHHH!"

The disciple screamed as his arm blackened, the flesh sizzling under the searing light. His weapon clattered to the floor as he stumbled back, clutching the burned limb. Though not dead, his body shook violently from the pain, his face pale as wax.

The chamber froze. For a heartbeat, the only sound was his ragged breathing.

Then the altars erupted.

Dozens of runes lit up all at once, flashing in sequence. A wave of energy surged outward and before anyone could move, more bolts of searing light shot across the chamber. They didn't discriminate. They didn't care for sect or allegiance.

"MOVE!" one of the Twin Leaf seniors shouted, dragging a junior to the side.

A bolt struck near Han Yu, shattering stone where he had just stood. Another streaked across the chamber and hit Fatty Kui square on the shoulder.

"GUH!"

He staggered back, teeth gritted, but unlike the Mist Eye Sect disciple, he did not fall. His body, toughened by his body cultivation and sheer bulk absorbed the impact better than most. Smoke rose from his robes, but his legs held firm.

Han Yu darted toward him, eyes quickly scanning the injury. "Kui, can you move?"

The hefty disciple gave a strained grin despite the pain. "Shoulder's cooked… but I can still swing."

"Good." Han Yu let out a breath through his nose.

One more down would have been crippling.

Across the chamber, more screams erupted as bolts found targets on both sides. Disciples leapt, rolled, and summoned barriers in desperation. Some managed to block with talismans, but most were caught unprepared.

The altars kept firing, each one choosing targets seemingly at random. There was no rhythm, no pattern. Just merciless bursts of raw destruction.

The realization hit everyone at once: the chamber had turned into a death ground, and the altars themselves were the executioners.

Han Yu clenched his fists, his mind racing. They couldn't just stand still. Staying in one place was suicide. But fighting the Mist Eye Sect right now was equally dangerous. Worse, if both groups clashed recklessly, the altars would tear them apart mid-battle.

They were trapped in a three-way slaughter: Twin Leaf, Mist Eye, and the ancient mechanism of the repository itself.

Han Yu's jaw tightened. This trial wasn't about fighting their enemies. It was about enduring, about outlasting both foe and trap alike.

But endurance alone wouldn't save them. They had to find a way to disable the altars or at least survive them long enough to escape.

BOOM BOOM BOOM

The chamber had descended into madness.

The sound of cracking air filled every heartbeat as the altars flared with light, their runes spewing forth bolt after bolt of destructive energy. Disciples from both sects screamed, dodged, and stumbled, their attacks against one another forgotten in the frantic effort to survive.

A bolt ripped across the stone floor, scorching a line of molten rock where a Mist Eye Sect disciple had just leapt. Another struck a Twin Leaf Peak disciple's barrier, shattering it instantly and forcing the poor youth to roll away with the hem of his robe smoking. The smell of burned flesh, scorched stone, and acrid Qi was thick in the air.

Han Yu kept his eyes moving, his spirit sense stretched to its limits. His heart hammered, but his breathing was steady. He had seen deadly traps before, and while the ferocity of these altars was greater than most, the principle remained the same. There was always a pattern.

"Keep moving!" Senior Brother Duan shouted, voice ragged as he dragged a younger Inner Court disciple to the side just as a bolt of energy struck the ground where the boy had been standing.

Within their hastily raised barrier, the disciples of Twin Leaf Peak found themselves with a fragile advantage.

Out of the ten altars scattered throughout the chamber, only two were inside the protective formation. The rest were scattered beyond, their attacks dulled or redirected by the barrier. The space was cramped, the air hot and thick, but it was survivable. Outside, the Mist Eye Sect disciples were forced to endure the full brunt of the onslaught.

Han Yu crouched low as another bolt shot past him, the hairs on his arm prickling from the heat.

His spirit sense pulsed outward, brushing across the runes that glowed along the altars. Something caught his attention. Before each bolt struck, there was a subtle ripple, a thread of Qi that marked its target.

His eyes narrowed. 'There.'

The next moment, a faint pressure brushed against his chest. Without hesitation, he threw himself to the side. The bolt shot past him and slammed into the stone wall, leaving a black crater.

'So there is a pattern to them.'

Han Yu's lips curved faintly. He understood now. The altars marked their victims before striking. The trick was to dodge the instant the mark settled, to never let the bolt finish its lock.

"Watch the marks!" he shouted to his group. "You can feel it a breath before the strike!"

Most of the disciples were too busy panicking to focus, but Xuan Qing's eyes sharpened. She ducked just as a mark flared against her collar and the bolt flew past her head, scorching the air. Senior Brother Duan caught on soon after, his movements steadying as he began weaving between attacks.

The others were slower. Fatty Kui was grazed again, another bolt clipping his side, though his thick body bore it better than most. Wu Shuan fumbled a dodge and nearly fell outside the barrier, saved only by She Ming dragging him back into the safe zone.

Han Yu could not waste time correcting them. The Mist Eye Sect disciples were already faltering. Without barriers and with twice the number of altars targeting them, their lines were in disarray.

Han Yu's eyes glimmered coldly.

'Opportunity.'