Clan Building System: I'm not the Protagonist?!-Chapter 363- Updated*

A short silence stretched between them.

The wind brushed lightly against the courtyard stones.

Fang Yuan slowly turned back.

His expression was calm, almost indifferent.

"I’m afraid you’re mistaken about me," he said evenly. "I am Fang Yuan. I came here from a lower realm. My current cultivation is at the Nascent Soul Realm."

His gaze met hers without wavering.

"As for the Vile Phantom Sect... I have no clue—"

"Crane Dance — Thousand Feather!"

Her voice cut through the air like a blade.

In an instant, the sky above the courtyard dimmed. Spiritual qi exploded outward in a spiraling surge.

Countless white feathers materialized midair, each one gleaming with razor-sharp intent.

They hovered silently above them, blotting out the light as if a flock of celestial cranes had descended to pass judgment.

The atmosphere turned suffocating.

Without hesitation, Fang Yuan’s hand flashed to his side.

His sword was unsheathed in a single fluid motion, the metallic ring crisp and clear beneath the heavy silence.

Spiritual qi surged through his meridians as he steadied his stance, blade angled forward.

The hovering feathers trembled.

And then, they began to fall.

The feathers shot downward like a torrential storm of blades, each one shrieking as it cut through the air.

The courtyard stones cracked under the sheer pressure before the first feather even struck.

Fang Yuan’s eyes sharpened.

"Golden Shell Armor — Bravery."

Golden light burst from his body.

Six small hexagonal golden planes materialized around him, each one no larger than a shield, their surfaces inscribed with runes pulsed with condensed spiritual qi.

With a flick of his wrist, he sent them spinning outward.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The first wave of feathers collided against the rotating golden planes.

Sparks exploded midair as steel-like quills shattered against the shields.

But there were too many.

The feathers twisted mid-descent, curving unnaturally as if guided by invisible strings.

They slipped past the rotating hexagons, slicing through narrow gaps with surgical precision.

Shhk!

One feather grazed his shoulder, tearing through fabric and drawing blood.

Another pierced through his thigh, punching straight past the golden defense as if it had found the exact blind spot in his rotation.

Fang Yuan gritted his teeth, spiritual qi surging harder as he manipulated the six golden planes faster, weaving them into a frantic defensive formation.

Yet the storm did not slow.

Amidst the rain of blades, her voice descended coldly from above.

"I recommend you speak now while you’re still alive."

Another volley rained down.

"Why did you send me towards the Vile Phantom Sect’s ambush zone?"

Three feathers pierced through his defense at once, one embedding into his side.

"Who are you loyal to?"

The courtyard floor shattered under the pressure.

"Gu Yuzhong?"

A feather tore across his cheek, leaving a thin line of blood.

"Shan Mingkong?"

Fang Yuan forced his golden planes to stack together, forming a brief wall before him as dozens of feathers detonated against it in a blinding burst of sparks.

"I’m telling you the truth!" he shouted through clenched teeth. "I have no clue about the Vile Phantom Sect or whoever those two people you just named are!"

Another feather slipped past the edge of a hexagon and stabbed into his shoulder.

Blood splattered across the golden light and his breathing grew heavier.

Damn it... I didn’t expect this girl to be at the peak stage of Hollow Spirit Realm!

The realization hit him like another blade.

The pressure wasn’t just from technique, it was from pure realm suppression.

If this keeps up, I’ll have to consume another Hollow Spirit Pill... that’s such a waste!

A violent wave of feathers gathered overhead, forming an even denser cluster.

Where are you, Master?!

High above, she looked down at him through the storm of feathers, lips curling faintly.

"You say you’re at the Nascent Soul Realm..."

Another volley crashed against his spinning golden planes, sparks bursting like fireworks.

"But what is this?" Her tone turned openly sarcastic. "You’re handling yourself rather well against a Hollow Spirit Realm cultivator."

The pressure intensified deliberately, as if to mock him.

Fang Yuan’s jaw tightened. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as another feather scraped past his ribs.

If this goes on, I’ll remain completely passive. I’ve got to do something!

His eyes hardened.

The six spinning hexagonal shields abruptly shifted formation.

Instead of intercepting individually, they snapped inward and fused together midair.

Golden light condensed.

"Golden Shell Armor — Cowardice."

The hexagons locked together seamlessly, forming a layered, dome-like turtle shell around him.

Its surface thickened with overlapping golden facets, runes interlocking as the rotation slowed into a dense, immovable defense.

The remaining feathers slammed into it in a furious cascade.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Cracks formed along the courtyard floor as the impact reverberated outward, but the turtle shell held.

Her brows lifted slightly.

"You’re using techniques capable of contending with a saint-level art," she said coldly. "That alone is suspicious enough."

Her killing intent sharpened.

"Speak now or Die!"

Her hand shifted.

"Crane Dance — Tanchō."

The feathers vanished and silence fell for a fraction of a breath.

The blade in her hand suddenly trembled with a pulse.

A faint crimson aura bled along its edge, and the surrounding air warped subtly, carrying with it a sweet, intoxicating fragrance.

Fang Yuan’s pupils shrank.

The scent brushed against his golden shell shield like silk.

Sht... one breath of that and my mind will be dragged into illusion and taken over by lust!

Without hesitation, he bit down on another Hollow Spirit Pill.

I can’t believe she really intend on burying me here!

The medicinal energy exploded within his dantian.

Spiritual qi surged violently through his meridians, swelling to the brink of instability.

Veins bulged along his arms as he forcefully gathered every strand of power he could muster.

The golden turtle shell shattered outward as he dispelled it himself.

His sword rose and the air around the blade fractured faintly, thin spatial ripples spreading like cracks across glass.

"Tyrant Light Sword — Spatial Cut!"

He swung and a razor-thin arc of distorted space tore forward, slicing through the heavy, perfumed air, splitting the pressure in two as it hurtled straight toward her.