As the torrential black energy and fluctuations dissipated, a pitch-black body fell from the sky.
The body was mangled, its blood and wounds dark, devoid of any trace of life.
Clearly, Xing Zou had perished under Lin Xiao’s strike.
The crowd was stunned. A centenarian Ninth Martial Lord, suppressed to a lower realm, wielding special bloodlines and phenomena, had still died at Lin Xiao’s hands?
Was Lin Xiao’s demonic energy truly so terrifying?
Even at the Southeast Domain Youth Assembly, no word had spread of Lin Xiao possessing such potent demonic power. Had he concealed his strength there?
Yang Lan and Duan Tianya’s faces darkened. Xing Zou had ignited their hopes for vengeance, yet he, stronger than Duan Dongtian, had also fallen to Lin Xiao.
The Xing family’s expressions were even grimmer, their eyes glinting coldly. To kill Lin Xiao, they had sacrificed a Ninth Martial Lord, yet not only failed to avenge Xing Tian but lost Xing Zou as well.
One of them, after casting a cold glance at Lin Xiao, rushed toward Xing Zou’s body.
Zhe Renfeng and the others looked equally grim.
The Spear Dragon Sect disciples were utterly shocked. Lin Xiao was not only prodigious in righteous power but equally monstrous in demonic cultivation, killing Xing Zou without using the Righteous Spear Technique.
At the Ninth Martial Lord realm, Lin Xiao was invincible.
“Elder Zhe, it seems the marriage proposal for the Dao Saint Spirit Vein won’t be settled today. If there’s nothing else, please leave!” Zhong Moyang issued an eviction order, a smug look on his face.
Duan Dongtian had swept through the Spear Dragon Sect disciples, shaming the sect. Now, with both Duan Dongtian and Xing Zou dead by Lin Xiao’s hand, the sect had regained its honour.
In contrast, Zhe Renfeng and his group had lost face.
Zhe Renfeng shook his head, saying, “Elder Zhong, you speak too soon!”
Zhong Moyang frowned slightly, asking, “What, do you still have someone to challenge?”
A Ninth Martial Lord like Xing Zou, suppressed, had been defeated. Did they have an even stronger Ninth Martial Lord?
“Duan and Xing families have lost, but our Ling Sword Sect has not,” Zhe Renfeng declared.
“Exactly!” As his words fell, an elderly figure suddenly darted from the outskirts, standing before the crowd.
The old man was frail, nearly bald, his face wrinkled like a corpse risen from a coffin.
He appeared far older than Xing Zou, yet a faint Ninth Martial Lord aura clung to him, or everyone would have mistaken him for a feeble elder.
“Xun Shi!” Zhong Moyang’s brow furrowed, recognising him instantly and calling his name.
“Zhong Moyang, long time no see!” The old man greeted, clearly acquainted.
Zhong Moyang, furious, rebuked, “Xun Shi, you’re decades older than me, over two hundred years old, yet you have the gall to challenge a youth not even twenty!”
The crowd was shocked. This Ling Sword Sect elder, over two hundred years old, had been called out to deal with Lin Xiao? Ignoring Zhong Moyang’s scolding, Xun Shi remained calm, saying flatly, “Unlike you, I never took that step, stuck at Half-Step Martial Emperor, my lifespan nearly spent. So, why not fulfil my youthful dream of genius and vie for the Grand Era Token?”
“Shameless!” Zhong Moyang couldn’t help but curse.
A two-hundred-year-old challenging a youth under twenty was disgraceful enough, yet he spoke loftily of fulfilling youthful dreams.
If he truly sought to fulfil dreams, he should challenge peers of his age and realm. Who at two hundred would suppress their cultivation to fight a junior and call themselves a genius?
The crowd was further stunned by their exchange. This elder, Xun Shi, was not only over two hundred but a Half-Step Martial Emperor?
For a Half-Step Martial Emperor to suppress their cultivation to face Lin Xiao?
Ling Sword Sect had invested heavily!
A Half-Step Martial Emperor, suppressed, would likely possess unimaginable combat power in the same realm.
Lin Xiao’s brow furrowed. Xing Zou, a suppressed Ninth Martial Lord, was already formidable; a suppressed Half-Step Martial Emperor would likely far surpass him.
Yet, he was unafraid. Even a Half-Step Martial Emperor, suppressed, remained in the Ninth Martial Lord realm. It shouldn’t be too outrageous.
“Elder Zhong, words are useless. This time, your Spear Dragon Sect may lose a genius!” Zhe Renfeng said.
Zhong Moyang’s face darkened, intent on stopping the fight.
But Lin Xiao, high in the sky, shouted, “Come fight! I’d like to see who in the same realm can kill me!”
Surging battle intent radiated from him.
What did a suppressed Half-Step Martial Emperor matter?
Those who wished to fight him, he would face; those who wished to kill him, he would slay!
“Hmph, three moves to kill you!” Xun Shi’s lips moved, his voice raspy.
Then, his frail body moved, soaring skyward, a flood-like aura erupting, terrifying pressure enveloping all directions.
This aura exceeded what a Ninth Martial Lord could unleash.
Yet, his cultivation remained within that realm.
Feeling this pressure, the Spear Dragon Sect disciples grew solemn.
Xun Shi’s aura surpassed Xing Zou’s by far, like the gap between a Half-Step Martial Emperor and a Ninth Martial Lord.
This time, Lin Xiao might be in danger.
Zhong Moyang’s eyes locked on the sky, ready to intervene if Lin Xiao was in peril.
If Ling Sword Sect discarded shame, he would risk his own reputation to protect Lin Xiao.
Lin Xiao’s talent was too extraordinary to fall to an elder.
“Chi!”
Xun Shi’s aura surged, his pressure vast, green light blooming from him, terrifying fluctuations rippling outward.
He drew a gleaming long sword, gripping it with both hands, infusing it with fearsome power.
The sword seemed to generate its own aura, merging with his, amplifying the terrifying pressure enveloping the heavens, even affecting the onlookers below.
The crowd was shocked. Worthy of a Half-Step Martial Emperor, beyond other Ninth Martial Lords, he had mastered sword intent. Even suppressed, his insights remained.
Though not as terrifying as a Half-Step Martial Emperor, his might was still astonishing, enhanced by what seemed a special physique.
“Sword intent!” Lin Xiao’s brow twitched, recognising the phenomenon from Jian Wuqu.
Clearly, Xun Shi had unleashed sword intent.
Drawing on the way of heaven, absorbing its momentum, his strength greatly amplified. Moreover, Xun Shi’s physique seemed extraordinary. He wasn’t aiming for three moves but likely a single strike, unleashing his strongest trump card.
