Chapter 855 - Holy Sons of Imperial Lineages

The Azure Dragon Crown Prince frowned slightly.

He could hear the discussions around him, so this guy was one of those two who were hyped up before?

He felt half-skeptical.

It wasn’t that he doubted Xu Zimo’s identity, but rather his strength.

This year, many people had come to participate in the Heavenly Dao Academy’s admissions, including many Holy Sons and Daughters from imperial lineages he personally knew.

Everyone understood the difficulty of the Heavenly Dao Tower.

Now, to think that only two people had managed to easily reach the top, it was only natural for him to feel unconvinced.

As a Holy Son, he naturally carried pride in his heart.

The level of people he had interacted with since childhood had led him to believe he was one of the top geniuses in the world.

He neither believed nor allowed that someone could be stronger than him.

At this moment, as news from the Myriad Martial Platform spread, more and more people gathered here.

“Look, that’s Yin Luohang.”

“Yin Luohang? Isn’t that the Holy Son of the Compassionate Voyage Sacred Ground? Even he came.”

“Not just Yin Luohang, Ming Hu and Zhang Chunyang are here too.”

Shouts rang out from all around.

Hearing these cries, the crowd looked increasingly shocked.

Ming Hu was the Holy Son of the Heaven Nether Sacred Ground, while Zhang Chunyang was the Holy Son of the Pure Yang Sacred Ground. Each of them were from imperial lineages.

No one expected that a single life-and-death duel would draw them all out.

“What’s there to be surprised about? Xu Zimo and Ao Nan, one is the Holy Son of an imperial lineages, the other is a recently famous genius who reached the tenth floor of the Heavenly Dao Tower. A life-and-death duel between them means one will definitely die. You think people wouldn’t come to see?”

Someone else explained, “Everyone wants to gauge each other’s strength so they can prepare accordingly. And what better stage than a life-and-death duel?”

In short, the students buzzed with discussion.

Most of those gathered here were newly admitted this year.

But gradually, many older students, driven by curiosity, also came over.

“Azure Dragon Crown Prince, do you dare to go up?” The Heaven Nether Sacred Ground’s Holy Son, Ming Hu, laughed loudly from the side.

“You’re not scared of him, are you?”

“Ming Hu, don’t you think your provocation is pretty low-level?” Ao Nan said calmly.

“But you’ll still fall for it,” Ming Hu laughed.

“Right, Zhang Chunyang?”

The Pure Yang Sacred Ground’s Holy Son, Zhang Chunyang, smiled and nodded.

He said, “Ao Nan, why not give it a try? I don’t believe he’s that strong. We know your strength well, and we trust it.”

Ao Nan ignored the two and quietly weighed the pros and cons.

If Xu Zimo were just an ordinary student, he would have agreed to a life-and-death duel without hesitation.

But someone who could reach the tenth floor of the Heavenly Dao Tower was clearly no simple figure.

He didn’t want to make trouble with such a person for no reason.

Xu Zimo leaned casually against the railing of the arena and said with a smile, “If you’re scared, just apologize to Ren Pingsheng. From now on, take a detour when you see him, and this matter will be over.”

“You’re going too far,” Ao Nan lifted his head, his eyes dark.

“I don’t want to offend you, but that doesn’t mean I’m afraid of you. If my Ancient Dragon Dynasty wanted you dead, there are ten thousand ways to make it happen.”

“Ancient Dragon Dynasty?” Xu Zimo replied with interest.

“That’s perfect. I’m from the True Martial Sacred Ground. We can see who dies first when we get the chance.”

“True Martial Sacred Ground?” Ao Nan froze when he heard the name.

Xu Zimo had only told Li Changhe about his identity as the Holy Son of the True Martial Sacred Ground.

At the moment, only some higher-ups in the academy knew, ordinary disciples didn’t.

There were quite a few imperial lineages on the Primordial Heartlands, so Ao Nan didn’t immediately think of one from the Eastern Continent.

But when he carefully savored the words “True Martial,” a spark flashed in his mind, and he remembered.

Zhen Wu, the very first Grand Emperor of the Imperial Era, the one who began it all. That title alone was enough to shake the world.

It would not be an exaggeration to call him the most illustrious emperor in all of history.

The hope and glory he brought to the human race could not be matched by any other emperor.

“One sect, four emperors,” Ao Nan said, his expression unpleasant.

Although the Ancient Dragon Dynasty had produced two emperors, in terms of heritage and power, they were far inferior to the other side.

Among imperial lineages, there were absolute gaps in strength.

“Why would the Holy Son of the True Martial Sacred Ground become my enemy over someone like him?” Ao Nan’s tone eased slightly.

“As far as I know, he’s just a rogue cultivator. His ancestor may have been the heir to an emperor, but that was long ago, and his line has fallen.”

“Do I need to report my actions to you?” Xu Zimo said flatly. “I’ll give you only two choices, either fight me in a life-and-death duel, or take a detour when you see Ren Pingsheng from now on. Choose for yourself.”

“Holy Son Xu, aren’t you being too overbearing?” Ao Nan’s expression darkened.

“Your True Martial Sacred Ground may be powerful, but do you think you can act so arrogantly in our Middle Continent?”

With that sentence, he was trying to set the True Martial Sacred Ground against the entire Middle Continent.

Otherwise, relying on just the Ancient Dragon Dynasty, he wouldn’t dare provoke Xu Zimo.

Alone, they were not enough to face him.

“Alright, stop giving yourself too much credit,” Xu Zimo waved his hand and said.

“This is just between you and me, it has nothing to do with our sects. If you don’t dare fight, then leave now.”

“Fine. Remember what you said, that this is just between us and won’t involve our sects.”

Ao Nan let out a breath and waved his hand.

“I’ll accept this life-and-death duel.”

His only concern earlier had been the True Martial Sacred Ground.

If he killed Xu Zimo, and the True Martial Sacred Ground came for revenge, his sect wouldn’t be able to protect him.

Now that Xu Zimo dared say this with so many witnesses, even the True Martial Sacred Ground, powerful as it was, could not act without restraint.

With a dragon’s roar, Ao Nan’s figure turned into a streak of purple light.

The next instant, he was already on the arena stage.

“Please give me your guidance,” Ao Nan said calmly.

“In a life-and-death duel, there’s no such thing as guidance,” Xu Zimo waved his hand.

He spoke directly, too lazy to waste words.

Clenching his right fist, he gathered endless spiritforce and struck at his opponent.

Ao Nan was not to be outdone, his right hand was suddenly covered in a layer of purple scales, lightning flickering across them.

Their fists collided. Ao Nan’s strength was extremely fierce, like an ancient fierce dragon, thunder exploding as they clashed. Both were forced back several steps.

Ao Nan frowned slightly.

He could tell his opponent was testing him, testing his strength.

The next moment, Xu Zimo’s lips curled into a slight smile.

From his fist, demonic energy surged, thick demonic clouds rolling.

The space around them shattered, and another punch, carrying overwhelming power, crashed toward him.

The instant Ao Nan’s right fist made contact with that power, the scales on its surface shattered completely.