Immediately following, powerful auras surged from both the left and right, totaling six figures, each riding vitality-formed wings beneath their feet.
Clad in black robes, their faces shrouded in dark cloth, they exuded formidable presences, their identities impossible to discern.
In an instant, the six encircled Lin Xiao, forming a tight protective ring around him.
The sudden turn left Lin Xiao bewildered. He didn’t recall knowing this many Martial Kings, did he?
Which faction was stepping in to save him?
“Who are you?” The Chen family Grand Elder barked, his brows knitting tightly. Six Martial Kings outnumbered them, making it difficult to break through to Lin Xiao in the short term.
“Where did so many Martial Kings come from?” Chen Wendao, charging forward, frowned, his gaze inadvertently drifting to Meng Xi and Zhou Moyi, spectating from the Feng family’s perimeter.
Yet both maintained expressions of complete detachment.
The arrival of the six halted the fighting, plunging the scene into a tense standoff.
Onlookers at a distance gaped in shock. Lin Xiao wielded such influence that not only did the Spirit Controller Alliance and Tianxuan Sect back him, but now six Martial Kings had come to his aid?
This lineup was downright terrifying.
Many cast discreet glances toward Zhou Moyi and Meng Xi, watching from a vantage point outside the Feng estate. Speculation buzzed—could these be their Martial Kings? No other faction in the Lanlan Empire boasted so many, save perhaps the top-tier powers. The Feng family had eight, the Chen family seven, Tianxuan Sect six—six Martial Kings alone marked a first-rate force.
Yet Meng Xi and Zhou Moyi’s faces remained impassive, as if uninvolved. Without proof, what could anyone say?
The six ignored the Grand Elder’s question. One glanced at Lin Xiao in the center and said, “Go—we’ll hold them off!”
With that, five figures surged toward the four Chen family Martial Kings ahead and the one behind, while the sixth stood guard in the void.
“Thanks!” Lin Xiao veered sideways and bolted.
“You won’t escape!” Another Martial King, partially recovered from Lin Xiao’s earlier blast, forced his injured body forward.
But the idle black-clad Martial King intercepted him head-on.
“Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!”…
Thunderous clashes erupted, dazzling bursts of light illuminating the sky. Rolling shockwaves exploded outward, their unmatched force shaking the heavens.
To avoid the fallout, Lin Xiao accelerated, clearing the Feng family’s outer walls.
“Everyone, stop!”
At that moment, a terrifying, boundless aura swept from the depths of the Feng estate, its overwhelming pressure roaring like divine thunder in everyone’s ears, leaving them buzzing.
Lin Xiao’s expression shifted as he traced the sound. A wind-robed elder emerged, his vast aura stretching across the sky. An oppressive, fearsome pressure enveloped Lin Xiao in moments.
The elder appeared above the battling crowd in a blink—thick brows, deep eyes, broad features, sharp angles, and white hair, exuding vigorous age. His robes billowed, radiating an aura of unrivaled dominance, like a supreme monarch commanding obedience from all.
Under his staggering presence, all combat ceased. Facing him felt like confronting an ultimate sovereign—heart-pounding, awe-inspiring, urging submission.
“Feng Yuntian, you’ve broken through to Martial Lord?!” Meng Xi’s face changed, her eyes flashing with sharp light.
“Martial Lord!” Zhou Moyi, Yi Xuanfeng, Ye Fenghua, and others blanched.
At the words “Martial Lord,” everyone present paled.
Martial Lord—a pinnacle of martial prowess!
Martial Venerables already stood at the Lanlan Empire’s peak. Above them lay Martial Lords.
A Martial Lord needed no vitality to soar through the void—a true overlord, reigning supreme, dominating all.
Though only one realm above Martial Venerable, the gap was astronomical. For countless years, no Martial Lord had emerged in the Lanlan Empire.
Meng Xi, the empire’s top powerhouse, had lingered at Martial Venerable ninth-layer for decades—nearing two hundred years old—yet never crossed that threshold.
No one had imagined Feng Yuntian, the Feng family’s Supreme Elder and the empire’s second-strongest, would surpass Meng Xi to reach this unattainable martial summit first.
Perhaps the title of the Lanlan Empire’s mightiest was about to change hands.
“Sorry, old hag—I beat you to it. Just stepped into Martial Lord,” Feng Yuntian said, a cold smirk flashing as he eyed Meng Xi outside the estate.
“From Martial Venerable eighth-layer to Martial Lord—how did you do it?”
Meng Xi’s eyes flickered, her heart unsteady. Decades at ninth-layer, yet no breakthrough—while he’d leapt two realms into Martial Lord.
Feng Yuntian didn’t answer, instead turning a frigid gaze on Lin Xiao, killing intent glinting.
“Greetings to the Supreme Elder upon your emergence!” Feng Youyu saluted with clasped fists.
“Greetings to the Supreme Elder!” Feng Ziyang and the Feng family followed, their morale surging.
“Congratulations, Brother Feng, on reaching Martial Lord!” Chen Wendao saluted, eyeing Feng Yuntian’s terrifying aura. “But today, someone dared kill our families’ brightest geniuses and attack our people in your presence.”
Feng Yuntian was well aware.
He’d been at a critical breakthrough moment, unable to spare attention to save Feng Lanyue and Chen Yan.
Now, an even more fearsome pressure bore down on Lin Xiao from above. “You killed Feng Lanyue?” he asked, his tone icy.
“A Martial Lord’s pressure—truly terrifying!” Lin Xiao’s heart raced. The mere aura pinned him in place—its full power unimaginable.
Yet even facing a Martial Lord, he showed no fear. Meeting Feng Yuntian’s gaze, he replied coldly, “Yes!”
Feng Yuntian’s expression chilled, twin glints of menace flashing in his eyes. “Do you know that because of her, I reached Martial Lord?”
Lin Xiao’s eyes burned with equal killing intent. “And do you know the sixth-grade spirit stone she used was stolen from me?”
At that, Meng Xi and the others understood—Feng Yuntian had relied on a sixth-grade spirit stone to ascend to Martial Lord.
