Zhong Moyang slightly furrowed his brow and said, “There’s no issue, but have you considered that, at over a hundred years old, even if you luckily win and obtain the Grand Era Token, you’ll be killed by your peers?”
Zhong Moyang’s words were clear: among peers, Xing Zou, at over a hundred years old, even if victorious, could be easily killed by any peer the Spear Dragon Sect chose to send.
The rules of the Grand Era Token, though simple and seemingly exploitable, allowed high-aged experts to suppress their cultivation to challenge others.
However, doing so came with a significant cost.
Even if a suppressed cultivator won, they would then face challenges themselves.
Among high-aged experts, others with far superior cultivation could easily eliminate them.
“This old man, yet to reach the Ninth Martial Lord, has hidden ailments and a nearing lifespan. Today, I come with a resolve to die,” Xing Zou declared righteously.
Hearing this, Zhong Moyang frowned, clearly noting Xing Zou’s resolve to face death.
Otherwise, knowing Duan Dongtian suppressed his cultivation to challenge, Xing Zou still risked his own.
A Ninth Martial Lord with suppressed cultivation would likely far surpass Duan Dongtian in strength.
Lin Xiao also slightly furrowed his brow. To kill him, these people had prepared numerous contingencies.
Yet, within the same realm, what did it matter if a higher cultivator suppressed their power?
Whom did he fear?
“It’s not some feeble clan. Come, let’s fight. In the same realm, no matter who comes, I’ll face them!”
Gazing at Xing Zou below, Lin Xiao spoke calmly.
Though the third move of the Righteous Spear Technique consumed much energy, he wasn’t yet unfit to fight.
Against Xing Zou, he needed no rest, nor did he plan to use the Righteous Spear Technique again.
“But if you die, who will avenge you? Your grandfather must have passed long ago, right?” Lin Xiao added.
“You!” Even as a centenarian elder, Xing Zou was enraged by Lin Xiao’s words.
Regaining composure, realising Lin Xiao’s deliberate provocation, he suppressed his anger, snorted coldly, and soared into the sky. Drawing a long spear, Xing Zou thrust diagonally upward, a ghostly light shooting from the spear’s tip, imbued with terrifying, soul-shaking ghostly power, as if to pierce the heavens, charging at Lin Xiao with unmatched momentum.
Lin Xiao drew his Yaoguang Broken Sword, thunder intent coalescing, lightning flickering around him, as if enveloped in a thunderous space, rendering him heroic and divine.
“Thunder Slash!”
With a soft cry, Lin Xiao slashed downward, a massive thunder sword forming, rumbling with lightning, slashing diagonally at the ghostly light.
“Rumble!”
The clash erupted in a thunderous roar, dazzling light bursting forth, illuminating half the sky in black and white, with vast airwaves surging and unmatched fluctuations rippling through the air.
This strike was evenly matched.
“Thunder Triad!”
Lin Xiao’s long hair danced, holding his sword skyward, a towering aura surging upward.
Instantly, the heavens changed, dark clouds roiling, gathering from all directions.
“Spear of Penal Hell, Die!”
Seeing this, Xing Zou’s expression darkened, shouting as he unleashed the Xing family’s powerful martial technique.
His spear, like a death spear ruling over penal hell, thrust diagonally upward.
Unmatched ghostly light shot from the spear’s tip, a terrifying force as if from the Nine Nether Hell, carrying a chilling aura, charging at Lin Xiao.
Boom!
In that instant, vast heavenly thunder poured from the roiling dark clouds, merging into Lin Xiao’s broken sword and body.
“Thunder Judgment!”
With a resounding shout, Lin Xiao slashed downward with his Yaoguang Broken Sword, a deafening thunderclap ringing out, vast heavenly thunder pouring forth like a surging river, flashing diagonally downward.
In that moment, the crowd was shocked.
Most had only heard of Lin Xiao wielding thunder power, able to summon heavenly thunder, but never witnessed it.
Seeing it now, it was truly terrifying.
Channeling thunder into his body was unprecedented in their experience.
Even Martial Emperors like Zhong Moyang and Zhe Renfeng were astonished.
Amid the crowd’s shock, Lin Xiao’s vast thunder power collided with Xing Zou’s ghostly force.
“Rumble!”
As if nine heavens’ thunder exploded, a deafening sound rang out, a blinding light like ten suns bursting forth, illuminating all directions.
A torrential storm of energy erupted, surging in all directions.
Most of the fluctuations poured toward Xing Zou, sending him reeling far back diagonally.
In Lin Xiao’s direction, the fluctuations were fewer and slower, allowing him to retreat some distance, unscathed.
Clearly, Lin Xiao held a slight advantage in this strike.
Yet, Xing Zou showed no signs of injury.
“Truly formidable!” Lin Xiao, seeing Xing Zou stop in the distance, felt a slight shock.
This centenarian Ninth Martial Lord, with suppressed cultivation, was indeed powerful, merely pushed back by the thunder Lin Xiao summoned, without any injury.
“So strong, no wonder Xing Tian fell to him!” Xing Zou’s expression grew grave, eyes narrowing, dense killing intent emanating from him.
He then soared to Lin Xiao’s altitude, charging forward, thrusting his spear again.
“Lin Xiao, die, Spear of Slaughter Hell!”
A thunderous shout rang from Xing Zou, terrifying fluctuations surging from the spear, dark ghostly light shooting from its tip, forming a near-tangible spear dozens of feet long, piercing forward.
The ghostly spear, brimming with overwhelming killing intent, seemed to aim to slaughter all life, thrusting toward Lin Xiao.
“Right, let’s try the Nether Heaven Demon Art!” In that moment, Lin Xiao, originally set to use the Yaoguang Sword Technique, had another idea.
He had cultivated the Nether Heaven Demon Art to the third level, involuntarily reaching the fifth in the Grand Era Temple, but hadn’t tested the latter two levels’ power.
With the Nether Heaven Demon Pillar, its might should be significant, perfect for testing on Xing Zou.
Switching to the Nether Heaven Demon Pillar, he circulated the Nether Heaven Demon Art to the fourth level, vast demonic energy flowing through his meridians, pouring into the pillar.
“Chi!”
Instantly, torrential black energy surged from him and the pillar.
Lin Xiao seemed to transform into a nether demon from hell, his body flickering with demonic flames, an awe-inspiring aura enveloping the heavens, making the world tremble, the entire space turning oppressively heavy.
Everyone felt the chilling, terrifying aura.
“To kill me, unless your grandfather comes!”
With a thunderous shout, Lin Xiao swung the pillar heavily, the heavens darkening instantly.
Torrential demonic energy erupted, terrifying demonic power forming a massive black pillar, near-tangible, surging with horrifying fluctuations, smashing through the air.
The entire void seemed to tremble, piercing whistles filling the heavens. This strike’s power was terrifying, its might overwhelming!
