Zhou Yueshan interrupted, "The number must be higher than that. Otherwise, you wouldn't be so fearless. How many do you have? Let them come out… or else, killing you with my strength today won't be difficult at all."
"Zhou, I see I've been overestimating you for nothing," Su Zhan replied coldly. "In that case, let's be open with each other. Everyone, come out."
Su Zhan waved his hand.
Twenty small black figures materialized out of thin air—each one holding a long sword of low-grade spiritual weapon quality, clad in spiritual armor, and surrounding Su Zhan's group in three tight layers. They had no facial features,and their stance held a sharpened awareness aimed at Zhou Yueshan. Each clone exuded a pressure strong enough to frighten opponents of the same level, and even those at the Fourth Level would feel ashamed.
Faced with this oppressive aura, Zhou Yueshan did not panic—instead, his expression grew even sharper.
"Twenty-six! And each one is at the Third Stage!"
"If I'm not mistaken," he continued, his eyes shining, "you must have obtained a rare high-grade clone technique… or perhaps a treasure capable of creating multiple copies of yourself, each nearly equal to your true strength!"
His excitement was barely contained. "Su Zhan, I'll give you a chance. Hand over the technique or the treasure, and I'll let you live! Remember—this is your only chance to survive, so choose carefully!"
Whether it was a cultivation method or a treasure, Zhou Yueshan understood how invaluable it was. A treasure that could create twenty-six clones, each matching the original's strength, would make killing a Fifth Level cultivator as easy as slaughtering a chicken—and even give him a chance against the Sixth Level. With it, he could rise in power, even challenge the Seventh Level someday, and claim positions of influence that had once been beyond his reach.
"Stay alive? Are you serious?" Su Zhan chuckled. "You think I'll fall for such a childish trick?"
The clones within Su Zhan's body continued providing him with cultivation, although less efficiently than forty would. Still, as long as there was a chance, he would never waste it.
"You know I don't like wasting words," Su Zhan said coldly. "I'll give you ten seconds to think."
But Zhou Yueshan didn't intend to give him that time. "Too late!"
He surged forward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, rushing straight for Su Zhan.
"Why do the villains I meet always talk so little?" Su Zhan muttered. "They could at least give me a few more minutes to prepare."
He shook his head. "In that case… do it. Kill him!"
The twenty-six clones charged, colliding head-on with Zhou Yueshan.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The sound of rapid metal clashes filled the air.
Su Zhan's eyes narrowed. "You really are a Fourth-Level Mortal Realm cultivator… and one of the strongest. You cut down two of my clones in a single move!"
A solemn expression crossed his face. Each clone wielded a long sword of low-grade spiritual weapon quality, some clad in armor, and unless their heads were completely severed, they would not die. Their prowess far exceeded ordinary Third-Level opponents—yet in front of Zhou Yueshan, they couldn't last even one exchange.
In the midst of overwhelming attacks, Zhou Yueshan's dark green dagger danced in his hand. His agile footwork allowed him to dodge nearly ninety percent of the clones' strikes, and the few that did land were absorbed by his low-grade spiritual armor, leaving him unharmed.
Now, Su Zhan finally understood why miners feared the Punishment Team so much. Against such overwhelming strength, resistance was pointless.
"The Fourth-Level Mortal Realm really is on another level," he thought grimly. "Even with twenty-six clones, I won't last long. I need to find a chance to escape."
Zhou Yueshan was not worth the risk of staying—but who could say if he had reinforcements nearby? While the man likely wanted to keep the treasure a secret to avoid competition, Su Zhan didn't dare gamble. If more members of the Punishment Team arrived, even with all forty-six of his clones, he might not escape alive.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yueshan was shocked by the clones' durability. He struck without mercy, aiming for vital points—slashing throats, stabbing the back of skulls, piercing hearts—each blow lethal to a typical Third-Level Mortal Realm cultivator.
Yet the clones fought on, unaffected by injuries, unless their heads were fully severed from their bodies. Even a half-severed neck left them fighting until the end.
"I must have this treasure!" Zhou Yueshan thought, his eyes burning with greed.
These clones were like an Undead Legion—relentless, fearless, and nearly impossible to kill. Even severely wounded, they continued their assault until their heads were completely separated.
After realizing this, Zhou Yueshan's attacks became even more frenzied.
However, madness comes at a price.
He struck with relentless force, and several clones suffered one blow after another. But no matter how fast or skilled he was, Zhou Yueshan couldn't perfectly dodge the attacks from the other clones.Unavoidably, he had to endure and block some of their strikes head-on.
In the blink of an eye, two more clones were beheaded and destroyed.
With four clones already gone, the combat power of the remaining twenty-two was now equivalent to fewer than sixteen at full strength. The gap between the Third-Level Mortal Realm and the Fourth-Level Mortal Realm was truly overwhelming.
"Huh?"
At that moment, Zhou Yueshan sensed a strange, powerful momentum emerging.
His gaze snapped toward the source.
The crazed look on his face instantly gave way to shock and horror, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpoints.
"He's… breaking through?!"
That's right—the momentum was coming from Su Zhan!
Thanks to the tireless efforts of the clones within his body, Su Zhan had finally accumulated enough cultivation to begin his assault on the barrier to the Fourth-Level Mortal Realm—right in the middle of the fight.
Zhou Yueshan had seen this kind of thing before. In the life-or-death terror of battle, it was often easiest to tap into a cultivator's hidden potential, break through bottlenecks, and ascend to the next Realm.
But Su Zhan's situation was completely different.
He wasn't personally fighting.
He wasn't standing on the edge of death.
In fact, he had been watching from the sidelines, even appearing ready to flee—yet he was still breaking through?!
"No… he's not breaking through outright. He's charging toward a breakthrough!" Zhou Yueshan realized, his brows furrowing.
But a charging breakthrough was only possible in a cultivation state—how could Su Zhan achieve this while simply standing still?
"There's no doubt… it must be connected to some kind of treasure he's carrying," Zhou Yueshan thought grimly.
Yet the sudden shift in the battle made him hesitate.
Right now, he held an overwhelming advantage because all of Su Zhan's clones were at the Third-Level Mortal Realm. But if Su Zhan broke through to the Fourth-Level Mortal Realm… would his clones also advance with him?
If their cultivation stayed the same, he could manage.
But if they all advanced to the Fourth-Level Mortal Realm at once, he would be facing the equivalent of over ten cultivators of his own level. And no matter how strong he was, Zhou Yueshan knew—he could never defeat so many equals at the same time.