In a magnificent high-rise building, an elegantly dressed elder in a splendid robe stood, gazing at the battle in the void. He sighed, “This new Emperor is truly something special.”
Beside him stood several others, including the Purple Emperor.
When Lin Xiao and his group headed to the trade fair, he had come to catch up with some old friends.
“Ahem, indeed quite special,” the Purple Emperor said, coughing twice. Among those present, he was the only one who truly knew Ling Xiao.
“This new Emperor’s combat strength is impressive. Even Emperor Luo can only suffer losses against him. Though Emperor Luo hasn’t used his trump cards, it seems the new Emperor hasn’t either,” another elder remarked.
“At just over forty years old, to reach such a level upon stepping into the First Stage Martial Emperor, this Emperor Ling’s potential is both enviable and daunting,” the splendidly robed elder said.
In other parts of Shengshi City, various exclamations echoed.
Initially, many did not acknowledge the new Martial Emperor, doubting his ability to match them. After all, these Martial Emperors had been emperors for decades, if not centuries. Even at the First Stage, strength was tied to cultivation time.
Their strength was inferior, and deep down, they did not accept this new Emperor as their equal, or rather, they saw him as the lowest-ranking Martial Emperor.
But now, seeing Ling Xiao consistently suppress Emperor Luo, the Martial Emperors in Shengshi City began to change their views.
Suppressing Emperor Luo was something many admitted they could not do.
On the streets of Shengshi City, watching the battle in the void, Luo Zhong, Luo Fan, and others looked extremely grim.
It was bad enough that they were injured, but now even Emperor Luo was being suppressed. They had no chance of reclaiming their pride, not even a little.
The Luo family’s reputation and dignity were significantly tarnished.
Observing the situation in the void, Lin Xiao sighed inwardly. It seemed Ling Xiao’s actions weren’t just about itchy hands. Taking on Emperor Luo likely had an element of proving his strength. Otherwise, if he truly wanted to fight, he might have gone all out by now.
Under Ling Xiao’s full strength, Emperor Luo could have been seriously injured.
After all, Emperor Luo’s strength seemed comparable to the Golden Emperor’s.
“Please, both of you, stop!” At that moment, a calm elder’s voice rang out. Though not loud, it echoed throughout Shengshi City.
As the voice fell, a splendidly robed elder appeared in the void above the city.
Hearing the elder, the two ceased their battle.
“Emperor Sheng?” Emperor Luo called out.
In truth, he was inwardly critical. This old man had been in the city all along, and with Martial Emperors fighting above Shengshi City, he could have intervened at any time. Yet he waited until Emperor Luo was thoroughly suppressed before stepping in.
Clearly, he wanted to use Emperor Luo to gauge the new Emperor’s strength.
“Emperor Sheng? The lord of Shengshi City?” Ling Xiao asked, slightly surprised.
The elder nodded, speaking humbly, “I am indeed Sheng Qianyu, the lord of Shengshi City. I hope both of you, for my sake, can sit down and talk, turning conflict into peace.”
At Sheng Qianyu’s words, Ling Xiao grinned, “This is Shengshi City. Since Lord Sheng has spoken, I must give him face. Honestly, it’s not a big deal. My hands were just itching, and I wanted to spar with Emperor Luo.”
Emperor Luo was speechless.
The crowd below was also dumbfounded. They thought it was some major issue, but two Martial Emperors fought just because of itchy hands and a desire to spar?
However, many inwardly scoffed. Itchy hands for a spar? Martial Emperors didn’t act so casually, sparring whenever they felt like it.
This was clearly an excuse.
Sheng Qianyu was slightly taken aback but said, “Since it’s just a spar, why not come and sit? I have many friends there.”
“Then I won’t be polite!” Ling Xiao nodded readily.
“Thank you for the invitation, Emperor Sheng, but I have some matters to attend to and won’t join for now. I’ll visit the Sheng family another time,” Emperor Luo declined politely.
As an established Martial Emperor, being suppressed by a new one was already humiliating enough. He wanted nothing more than to disappear and certainly didn’t have the face to sit with others now.
Moreover, his four juniors and Second Elder needed to heal.
Sheng Qianyu nodded, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then headed with Ling Xiao to a high-rise building.
Emperor Luo, meanwhile, took Luo Zhong, Luo Fan, and the others, leaving the street and returning to their inn.
The crowd, still unsatisfied, sighed that the fight didn’t fully escalate.
Emperor Ling’s name quickly spread throughout Shengshi City.
Lin Xiao and his group returned to Tianjiao Tower.
“According to the notes on the Immortal Skeleton Technique, refining this sixth-tier primary幽火邪虫灵核 will take at least half a month. If I start now, I’ll miss the Southeast Region Youth Summit. Interrupting midway would also waste the effort. I’ll have to wait for a time with ample opportunity to refine it,” Lin Xiao mused in his room, highly anticipating the幽火邪虫灵核 but constrained by time, forced to set it aside.
Meditating in cultivation, the summit was three days away. Refining the幽火邪虫灵核 now was clearly unsuitable.
For the next three days, Lin Xiao focused only on consolidating his cultivation.
During those three days, all the Martial Emperor forces attending the summit arrived in Shengshi City.
On the fourth day, Lin Xiao and the teams from the Purple and Ling families headed to the city’s plaza.
The plaza wasn’t in the city centre but in the northern part, previously sealed off.
It was only opened today.
Spanning dozens of li, the plaza was already packed with people when Lin Xiao’s group arrived.
Besides young Martial Kings and middle-aged or older Martial Lords, there were vast numbers of Shengshi City residents and those who had arrived early.
The total number likely reached millions, creating a grand spectacle.
At the centre of the plaza stood a black stone platform, five hundred zhang in diameter, elevated one zhang above the surroundings. Strange stone altars around it were engraved with intricate, complex patterns, immediately giving an extraordinary impression.
Clearly, this platform was a battle stageಮ
System: arena protected by an array.
Behind the most prestigious seats, arranged in a circle around the platform at intervals of dozens of zhang, were forty-nine luxurious tables and chairs made of special golden material, gleaming brilliantly. The names of the respective factions were engraved on the front of the prominent tables.
Further back were six equally splendid tables and chairs.
Beyond them, rows of tables and chairs extended outward in dense layers, too numerous to count.
As Lin Xiao and his group entered, countless people surged into their seats, while many were already seated. The Sheng family’s large contingent was busy arranging positions, and the clamour of discussions filled the plaza, creating a lively, festive atmosphere.
