Seeing Du Xiaozhuang completely at a loss, Xu Zimo shook his head and chuckled.
âBrother Du, itâs nothing serious. Thereâs no need to panic,â he said.
âHow can I not panic?â Du Xiaozhuang replied anxiously. âThe Patriarch is dead. Our Ancient Relicfolk doesnât even have a Grand Emperor anymore. We wonât even be safe in this Ancient Town.â
Xu Zimo continued shaking his head.
âDonât rush. The sky isnât falling. And the Ancient Relicfolk isnât as weak as you imagine.â
He patted Du Xiaozhuang on the shoulder.
âGo back and get some sleep. When you wake up tomorrow, everything will be fine.â
âAt a time like this, how could I possibly sleep?!â Du Xiaozhuang said.
âBrother Du, there are many things you canât see clearly,â Xu Zimo replied calmly.
âIf you trust me, come back tomorrow and take another look. If you notify the clansmen now, it will only cause unnecessary trouble.â
Although Du Xiaozhuang was anxious, he trusted Xu Zimo deeply.
He hesitated for a moment, then asked, âSo I should go back now?â
Seeing Xu Zimo nod, he thought for a while before finally saying, âBrother Xu, I trust you. Iâll keep this matter secret until tomorrow. Iâm just afraid someone else might discover the Patriarchâs death.â
âYour Patriarch isnât dead,â Xu Zimo waved his hand.
He did not want to say more.
Watching Du Xiaozhuangâs retreating figure, Xu Zimo raised his hand and struck the old manâs corpse with a single palm.
With a loud boom, the body instantly shattered and dispersed.
There was no blood or flesh. Instead, it dissolved like dust and vanished into the air.
âA false death body. Clever, but it still accelerates exposure,â Xu Zimo said, shaking his head.
This kind of fake corpse might deceive ordinary people, but once one reached the level of a Saint Sovereign, it was easy to discern truth from falsehood.
After all, it was not real life and could not perfectly imitate it.
Xu Zimo stepped into the thatched hut.
The interior was extremely simple. There was only a stone slab bed, without even a table or chair.
Xu Zimo knocked on the bed lightly.
Then he smiled and said, âIs this how the Ancient Relicfolk treats its guests?â
The surroundings were silent. No one responded.
âIf youâre unwilling to come out, then youâre forcing me to break in,â Xu Zimo said calmly.
He clenched his right hand into a fist. Terrifying power gathered around it, twisting the surrounding space.
With a single punch, Xu Zimo smashed down onto the stone slab bed.
A thunderous roar echoed.
The bed shattered completely, revealing a deep, bottomless hole beneath it.
From the hole surged a dense stench of blood.
âA hidden world within,â Xu Zimo said with interest.
âIt seems your Ancient Relicfolk is plotting something big.â
Black light surged from within the hole. Amid powerful fluctuations, a figure slowly rose, wrapped in darkness.
It was a person clad in robes, completely shrouded in black.
A chilling aura radiated from his body.
Eyes gleaming from beneath the hood fixed onto Xu Zimo.
âWho are you, to trespass upon the territory of my Ancient Relicfolk?â the robed figure asked.
âIsnât your race good at divination?â Xu Zimo smiled. âThen calculate my origins.â
The robed figure looked at him for a moment.
âLeave immediately. We will not pursue todayâs incident,â he said.
âSo you already calculated my arrival,â Xu Zimo said with a smile.
âPerfect. I also wanted to take a look inside the Ancient Relicfolk.â
Xu Zimo reached out with one hand. A terrifying force erupted, and he grabbed the other man by the collar in a single motion.
Then he dragged him straight down into the depths of the hole.
âAre you insane?!â the robed man shouted in both anger and shock.
âThe outer layers of our Ancient Relicfolk are protected by thunder-fire seals and cursed beasts.
âAny outsider who breaks in will die for certain. Donât drag me down with you.â
âRelax. You wonât die,â Xu Zimo said with a faint smile.
âAnd you still need to guide me. I donât plan on letting you sleep just yet.â
As his words fell, Xu Zimoâs figure plunged rapidly downward.
Before long, he encountered the first layer of obstruction.
Thunder and crimson flames fused together, forming a devastating seal that locked down everything, capable of annihilating all living beings.
Xu Zimo passed straight through amid deafening explosions.
The first thunder-fire seal shattered instantly.
He then descended into the second layer.
Embedded in the earthen walls of the tunnel were countless eggs.
Each egg contained a creature.
They all resembled lizards, covered in red skin, their bodies riddled with festering pustules.
They looked utterly repulsive.
These were self-detonating lizards.
They possessed no combat strength, but the moment a living being passed through, they would explode instantly, leaving no chance to evade.
Seeing this, the robed man shouted urgently, âYou canât go down there. Even a Grand Emperor wouldnât survive such explosions.â
âItâs fine,â Xu Zimo replied calmly, raising his right hand.
The thunder-fire energy from the shattered first layer gathered once more, as if it had become part of his own power.
A torrent of thunder and flame surged toward the eggs of the self-detonating lizards.
Boom, boom, boom.
The entire tunnel shook violently, explosions echoing without end.
It seemed on the verge of collapsing.
Xu Zimo was enveloped by a layer of protective force as several branching paths appeared ahead.
âWhich way?â Xu Zimo asked.
The robed man fell silent for a moment.
âDo you want me to throw you down there?â Xu Zimo asked calmly.
âLeft,â the robed man said hoarsely.
Light appeared ahead.
Within that light was a mysterious power enveloping everything.
Xu Zimo felt his feet touch the ground.
Looking around, he found himself in a space surrounded by walls forged of steel and iron.
Countless densely packed eyes were embedded across the walls.
âPatriarch of the Ancient Relicfolk, wonât you come out and meet me?â Xu Zimo said.
âThis place does not welcome anyone, especially those who force their way in,â an aged voice replied.
âWhat the Ancient Relicfolk has done, you know best. My arrival was inevitable,â Xu Zimo said.
He closed his eyes and sensed his surroundings.
Everything here fell within his perception.
There were hundreds of Grand Emperors alone.
The Ancient Relicfolk had hidden itself extremely well.
And in the deepest part of this place, there was faintly a terrifying aura spreading outward.
âWho exactly are you?â someone asked.
âEveryone, I think we can talk this through peacefully. If you insist on using force, I donât mind wiping out the Ancient Relicfolk,â Xu Zimo said calmly.
He snapped his fingers.
Paimonâs figure appeared, stepping through the air at some unknown moment.
The terrifying might of his Death-Despair Dao Fruit erupted, suppressing everything instantly.
A vast pressure descended, sealing the entire particle world of the Ancient Relicfolk.
âWho are you?â At this moment, an elderly member of the Ancient Relicfolk stepped forward.
He wore a red robe and had a long beard. His aura was the strongest among them, faintly reaching the peak of the Grand Emperor realm.
Paimon smiled slightly.