âHoly Son, something's wrong!â the disciple shouted in panic.
âWhatâs the rush?â Xu Zimo sat up and smiled lightly.
âPeople from the Divine Sun Sacred Ground have shown up,â the disciple quickly said. âThe Sacred Lord asks you to come over.â
âItâs probably about the Soft-Water Pearl,â Xu Zimo murmured to himself.
He stood up and looked toward the eastern horizon, his gaze deep.
Then he followed the disciple to the eastern side of the Sacred Ground.
At that moment under the sky, besides the leaders of the four imperial lineages, there were faint traces of others hiding in the void.
This situation had already drawn the attention of other powers and forces across the Eastern Continent.
At this moment, many eyes were fixed on the True Martial Sacred Ground. This giant, which had remained silent for an entire era, was finally being challenged.
Especially in the Western Region, the two top-tier forces, the Immortal Spirit Sect and the Sacred Spring Sect, were also watching closely.
âŠ
Xu Zimo arrived slowly at the eastern part of the Sacred Ground. Seeing his arrival, Cang Songlin shouted sharply, âXu Zimo, do you admit your guilt?â
âSacred Lord Cang, what do you mean by that?â Xu Zimo frowned slightly and asked in return.
âYou injured disciples of our Divine Sun Sacred Ground and stole our sacred treasure. Shouldnât there be an explanation?â Cang Songlin asked loudly.
âAnd what does that have to do with the rest of you?â Xu Zimo glanced at the other three imperial lineages and asked calmly.
The Sacred Lord of the Purgatory Sacred Ground, Yan Hong, chuckled and said, âCang Songlin and I are close friends. We came at his request to uphold justice.â
âXu Zimo, are you still denying it?â Cang Songlin snorted coldly.
âYou wanted an explanation? Fine, hereâs one,â Xu Zimo said indifferently.
âThe truth is, I got the Soft-Water Pearl from the Southern Four Demons. Your Sacred Ground found out and tried to rob me. I fought back and killed them.â
âNonsense! The Soft-Water Pearl has always been our Divine Sun Sacred Groundâs treasure. What Southern Four Demons are you talking about?â Cang Songlin shouted.
âYou see, you donât believe me no matter what I say, yet you still demand an explanation,â Xu Zimo shrugged helplessly.
âStill talking tough at deathâs door,â Cang Songlinâs aura flared up.
Though he had only recently stepped into the God Meridian Realm, he had fully opened his eighth vein gate. A massive force surged from him.
At that moment, Xu Qingshan also stepped out into the sky from within the Sacred Ground, gathering his own God Meridian pressure.
His gaze was deep as he looked at Cang Songlin and said flatly, âTouch my son, and see what happens.â
âSacred Lord Xiao, are you really going to shield him?â Cang Songlin turned to Xiao and asked with a frown.
âSacred Lord Cang, no need to rush. Why should your disciplesâ words be taken as truth while our Holy Sonâs words are called lies?â Sacred Lord Xiao shook his head and said.
âWe can investigate slowly. But if youâre trying to use force, go ahead and try. Our True Martial Sacred Ground has stood since the Imperial Era. What havenât we faced? Back when our ancestors ruled the Primordial Heartlands, your Sacred Grounds probably didnât even exist yet. Though we descendants are weaker, we still wonât let ourselves be humiliated.â
âIn that case, we fight,â Cang Songlin said coldly, his aura growing even stronger.
The other three imperial lineage leaders also unleashed their divine pressure.
The sky was torn apart as their combined auras gathered, collapsing a massive portion of the heavens behind them.
Endless spiritforce surged in all directions.
Xu Zimo slowly raised his head and asked Cang Songlin, âYou want to kill me?â
âHand over the Soft-Water Pearl, and Iâll let bygones be bygones,â Cang Songlin replied flatly.
âYouâre just a newly advanced ant in the God Meridian Realm. Why act so arrogant?â Xu Zimo shook his head slowly.
In the next instant, an endless Power of Creation surged from him. His figure disappeared into the void.
He moved incredibly fast. Ripples spread through space, and most people present couldnât even react in time.
Xu Zimo reappeared behind Cang Songlin and struck with his palm.
A thunderous explosion echoed all around. The force of the palm shattered the surrounding space.
Power of Creation filled half the sky. Xu Zimo had already reached the peak of the God Meridian Realm, far beyond the newly advanced Cang Songlin.
The gap between them was massive.
As the palm descended, Cang Songlin reacted immediately.
âSo fast!â He quickly turned and raised both palms to block.
But with a loud boom, half the sky collapsed. Spatial turbulence roared around them.
Cang Songlin couldnât even block one move. His body was sent flying.
As he flew back, lightning surged in Xu Zimoâs eyes.
Arcs of purple electricity crackled out, and with another boom, two massive bolts of lightning struck down like the wrath of the thunder god, hitting Cang Songlin squarely.
Thunder rumbled across the sky, and the surrounding crowd was stunned silent.
âThe Holy Son is that strong?â Disciples of the True Martial Sacred Ground couldnât believe what they were seeing.
âDoesnât that mean even our Sacred Lord Xiao canât beat him?â someone whispered.
âŠ
When the dust settled, Cang Songlin was kneeling on the ground, bloody and with torn flesh.
He was quickly healing his injuries, but his face was filled with embarrassment as he looked up at Xu Zimo.
âPeak of the God Meridian Realm!â
Xu Zimo smiled lightly, his figure vanishing into the void again.
The next moment, he reappeared behind Cang Songlin, with his saber, Shadow Tyrant, already drawn.
The curved blade fell from the sky with immense power, aiming directly for Cang Songlinâs neck.
Suddenly, a heavy snort echoed from the void. A giant hand reached out from the sky, grabbing toward Xu Zimo.
Though Xu Zimoâs strike did not slow down, the giant hand moved even faster and caught Shadow Tyrant.
With a loud boom, the hand was shattered by the saberâs force, and an explosion followed. Xu Zimo was forced back several steps.
He stared toward the sky where the space had been torn open, and two elders stepped out.
One was Elder Lei Yun, who had just broken through to the Arcane Immortal Realm. The other had a blazing sun behind his head.
His presence was extraordinary. He was the Divine Sun Sacred Groundâs ancestor and former war general of Grand Emperor Shen Ri, Elder Chiwu.
âLooks like your Divine Sun Sacred Ground brought out everything it has,â Sacred Lord Xiao narrowed his eyes and said calmly.
âSky Shroud, arenât you coming out too?â