My Xianxia Harem Life-Chapter 355 Courtesy

"What are you doing?" Selena demanded, her voice trembling between disbelief and frustration.

The formation’s oppressive energy pressed down on them like a mountain, distorting the air itself.

Yet Riley stood unmoving before her—calm, steady, and utterly unconcerned—as if the danger meant nothing to him.

He had positioned himself directly in front of her, his tall frame shielding her from the strange crimson mist coiling out from the formation’s runic edges.

His spiritual aura, faintly golden, flared around them like a protective barrier.

"Just relax, Selena. I’ve got you," Riley said softly, his tone unhurried, almost teasing.

His eyes narrowed slightly, glowing faintly as he gazed through the layers of mist.

Though she couldn’t see it, he was locking onto several distant figures hidden behind the veil—those controlling the formation from afar.

He could have destroyed it all with a single blow.

A punch from him would have been enough to shatter the core of this formation and turn the men behind it into twisted corpses.

But there was no fun in that—not yet. He had time.

The old man he was waiting for would appear sooner or later.

Until then, he saw no harm in enjoying himself a little... perhaps even building his little harem here while he was at it.

"This cursed formation is siphoning off our spiritual essence!" Selena snapped, clutching her abdomen as she felt her spiritual veins grow heavy and sluggish.

"There’s no time to waste! Move, or we’ll both be drained dry!"

Riley tilted his head, a faint smile touching his lips. "Perhaps. But I think there’s a third option."

"A third option?" she repeated, glaring at him. "Are you insane? There’s only fight or flee!"

He chuckled quietly, and the sound sent an inexplicable chill through her.

"This formation," he said slowly, "is called the Calamity Cloud Sealing Formation—as I’m sure even you know. It drains our spiritual energy, yes... but that’s not all there is to us, is there?"

Selena’s eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Riley turned slightly, and for a brief moment, their gazes met.

His eyes glowed with a strange golden light that made her heart skip a beat.

"You’ll see soon enough."

Time flowed slowly—so slowly it almost felt frozen.

The heavy mist that enveloped the area pulsed faintly with a crimson glow, humming with the steady rhythm of the formation.

The battlefield was eerily silent.

Only the faint crackle of distorted energy and the occasional gust of cold wind disturbed the stillness.

An hour passed. Neither side moved. The air itself seemed to hold its breath, waiting.

Then, at last, the silence broke.

From within the shrouded distance, a ripple of movement stirred the fog.

A dark silhouette emerged, stepping forward with the measured confidence of a predator.

He wore long black robes that seemed to drink in the faint light around him.

Strange symbols stitched across the fabric flickered in and out of visibility—runes used only by the most sinister of cultivation sects.

His face was sharp and cold, his eyes like twin blades gleaming beneath his hood.

As his gaze fell upon Riley, his lips curled into a sneer.

"You should be gasping for breath by now," he said, voice low and venomous.

"This formation drains both energy and will. Even a Dao Searching Realm cultivator would have collapsed long ago. How are you still standing?"

Selena heard the man’s words and felt a chill stab through her chest.

She wanted to ask the same thing.

Every breath she took felt like fire in her lungs; her meridians burned as her spiritual essence continued to leak away.

Even lifting a finger felt impossible. She sat there trembling, drenched in sweat, waiting for the end.

Riley, however, didn’t seem to notice the crushing weight that was suffocating the world around them.

He stood tall and relaxed, his dark eyes half-lidded, his expression unreadable.

"That’s a good question, isn’t it?" he said, his tone light, almost playful. "Let’s just say I don’t rely much on the ’usual route’ of cultivation."

The dark-robed cultivator frowned, clearly thrown off by Riley’s casual demeanor.

"You’re an interesting man, Riley Rice," he said, spitting the name as if it were poison. "Our intelligence on you is limited—but that will soon change. Once you die here, I’ll dig through your remains myself and take all your secrets from your soul."

He raised his sword—a wicked blade that pulsed with black energy—and slashed.

A brilliant arc of sword light erupted from its edge, tearing through the air with a shriek that split the clouds above.

The ground cracked under the pressure, shockwaves sweeping through the mist.

Bang!

Riley met the strike head-on with his bare fist. No hesitation, no spiritual weapon, no barrier.

Just flesh and bone.

The collision was blinding.

A blast of air rippled outward, scattering the fog and shaking the earth beneath their feet.

The sword light shattered like fragile glass, its remnants raining down as fading embers.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then, disbelief filled the dark-robed man’s face. "What?! That’s impossible!"

Gasps echoed from the remaining enemies hidden beyond the mist.

Even Selena, weakened as she was, could only stare.

She had seen many battles, witnessed countless techniques, but she had never seen anyone block a sword strike of that magnitude—with their body alone.

The cultivator stumbled backward, his expression twisting into something between horror and fury. "You—what are you?"

Riley smiled faintly and lowered his fist, brushing away a few sparks that still lingered on his sleeve.

"What am I?" he echoed softly. "Just someone who learned not to depend on fragile things."

His aura flared for the first time. It wasn’t spiritual energy—it was something deeper, older.

The ground beneath him cracked and groaned as invisible pressure radiated outward.

Even the crimson mist seemed to shy away, the formation reacting to his mere presence.

"You depend on spirit veins and borrowed power," Riley continued.

"But I rely on something purer—the strength of my body, the power of the mortal shell refined beyond divine steel."

The cultivator gritted his teeth. "Arrogant fool!" he roared. "Let’s see that mortal shell survive this!"

He vanished in a flash, reappearing above Riley with blinding speed.

Dozens of sword strikes rained down, each one infused with enough killing intent to shred mountains.

The formation howled as it absorbed and magnified the attack.

But Riley didn’t move from his spot.

Every blow that struck him met an immovable force, like blades striking an indestructible wall.

Sparks burst through the air. Each impact echoed like thunder.

The cultivator’s attacks grew wild and desperate as his disbelief deepened—nothing worked.

When the last strike fell, the air cleared.

Riley stood exactly where he had been, his clothes barely ruffled.

He exhaled lightly, as though brushing off dust.

"You done?" he asked calmly.

The robed cultivator froze, sweat beading down his temple. His sword trembled slightly in his grip. "You... monster..."

Riley tilted his head, amusement flickering across his face.

"Monster?" he said softly. "Maybe. But I’ve met real monsters before. You’re not one of them."

Before the enemy could move again, Riley vanished.

The air where he stood exploded, leaving a crater in the ground.

A heartbeat later, he reappeared right in front of the man—close enough for the cultivator’s pupils to dilate in terror.

Riley’s hand shot forward, and his fingers wrapped around the man’s throat with unhurried precision.

"You talk too much," he whispered.

The cultivator tried to summon his qi, but the moment he did, a violent surge of foreign energy invaded his body.

It felt like his veins were burning from the inside out.

Crack.

Riley’s grip tightened, and the man’s sword slipped from his hands, clattering uselessly to the ground.

His body convulsed once, then went limp.

Riley released him casually, letting him fall like discarded trash.

Selena watched in stunned silence.

Riley glanced over his shoulder at her. "You see?" he said, his voice calm but laced with quiet dominance. "There’s always a third option."

Selena’s lips parted, but no words came out. Her mind was a whirl of disbelief and awe.

The man before her wasn’t simply strong—he was terrifying.

Riley turned his gaze back toward the mist, where several other dark figures now stood frozen, watching.

"Now then," he said, cracking his neck slightly, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Who’s next?"

"Don’t be careless!" one of the evil cultivators barked, his voice echoing through the shrouded field.

"Attack from all sides! Target the woman as well—he’ll be forced to protect her. Keep your distance and bombard them with everything you have!"

In an instant, dozens of sinister auras flared across the battlefield.

Streams of black and crimson light shot through the air like falling stars, converging upon Riley and Selena from every direction.

The ground trembled under the sheer force of their combined assault.

Riley’s eyes narrowed. He stepped forward without hesitation, his body moving like lightning.

His fists, elbows, and forearms became living shields as he intercepted the countless attacks raining down on them.

Each blast that should have torn Selena apart instead struck his body—his skin glowing faintly gold under the impact.

The shockwaves split the earth, but Riley stood firm, blocking every strike that dared approach her.

Yet, as the attacks intensified, Riley began to stagger slightly.

To the enemies watching, it looked as though the pressure was finally catching up to him.

His expression twisted with strain; blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Then came the sight they’d been waiting for—Riley spat out a mouthful of scarlet blood, his body swaying.

Selena’s heart clenched.

"No..." she whispered, her voice trembling. Her chest tightened as she watched him endure the relentless onslaught. "Even you... can’t block everything..."

Her spiritual veins felt like they were burning, and the suffocating air of despair pressed heavily upon her.

For the first time, the man who had seemed so invincible looked human—wounded, vulnerable, and still choosing to stand before her.

She bit her lip until it bled.

"If you can punch your way out of this... then go," she whispered hoarsely. "Leave me, Riley. Go back to the sect before it’s too late."

Riley turned his head slightly, just enough for her to see the faint smirk curling his lips.

Despite the blood on his chin, his eyes still gleamed with that same infuriating calm.

"Nope," he said easily, voice low and steady even amidst the roaring storm of energy.

"I’m not leaving you here." He raised an arm and shattered an incoming blast with his bare hand, the explosion lighting his grin in fierce gold.

"After all," he added, tone teasing, "I haven’t gotten tired of teasing you yet."

"Riley..." Selena’s voice broke, tears welling in her eyes despite the burning around them.

More attacks poured in, but Riley didn’t retreat.

If anything, he stepped forward—each strike landing on him only fueling the illusion of weakness he wanted his enemies to believe.

Most of all he wanted to fool Selena also into believing his heroic acts and he guessed that he succeeded.