What did it mean to be a Xiantian Martial Ancestor?
It meant to clean the flesh and marrow, undergoing metamorphosis, and it meant shedding turbid Houtian qi. Throughout the body, one’s energy transformed into the clear qi of the Xiantian stage, without flaws or imperfections.
This was why they called it Anāsrava, or “flawlessness.”
At the pinnacle of this realm, cultivators feared neither water nor flame, and they were as spotlessly clean as glass or jade, accumulating neither dust nor filth.
They were so strong that they could leave the ground and take to the skies, riding the winds hundreds of feet above the ground.
When they slew their foes, they could manipulate Xiantian Astral Force, splitting mountains and rivers, and their breath could boom like thunder!
In comparison to Grandmasters, Xiantian Martial Ancestors were already close to the pinnacle of the Great Zhou, and their power was naturally terrifying beyond limit.
As such, when the White-Eyebrowed King struck without holding anything back, his technique seemed capable of shocking the entire world, and there was purple lightning intertwined with his sword qi.
This level of power left the onlookers beside themselves with shock.
Even peak experts of the Grandmaster Realm like Shen Jiusong and Chen Zheng couldn’t help but hold their breath, and they felt their hair stand on end.
But when he saw this slash bursting with electricity, Su Yi’s expression didn’t so much as waver. He suddenly threw a punch.
Boom!
The force of his fist seemed ancient and overflowing, with no signs of modernity.
But when it flew through their air, it flew with unprecedented momentum, as if this sword could flip heaven and earth upside-down or shatter moons and stars.
This was pure “force”, with the unique charms of the Grand Dao fused into the blow, like an immortal demonstrating his martial arts.
Bang!
The onlookers watched as the fist tore an opening in the descending, explosive purple sword qi, which then burst apart.
Light scattered and fell like rain, followed by a heaven-shaking impact as the unstoppable force of that fist struck the White-Eyebrowed King’s massive sword.
In an instant, the flesh between Cai Jinghai’s thumb and forefinger shook violently, producing a rending agony as his massive sword almost flew from his grip.
“Open!” The White-Eyebrowed King’s aura boomed as his Xiantian Astral Force billowed and surged. He called upon his full power; only then could he dissolve the power of that fist force.
Shock was already written all over his face. His opponent was just a seventeen-year-old Grandmaster. How could he possibly wield such unbelievable power?
Xia Houlin and the others couldn’t help but gasp too, and their expressions shifted erratically.
“Your body is old and?wisened, yet you’ve stagnated in the Xiantian Realm. You might have extended your longevity somewhat, but you will never recover your youthful determination to forge valiantly ahead. You have no hope of entering the Origin Dao in this lifetime, but that’s not all; as time passes you by, your qi, spirit, and essence will only stagnate. It’s truly lamentable.” Su Yi shook his head.
His words deeply provoked the White-Eyebrowed King. Cai Jinghai’s eyes glinted, and he took a deep breath before swinging his sword once more.
Boom!
Lightning danced in a mad frenzy, and thunder boomed. Sword qi crackling with purple electricity stirred up churning Xiantian Astral force. It was far more imposing than his last attack.
Su Yi had no plans to delay any further.
This was no mere sparring match, nor was it a one-on-one duel.
He was in no mood to waste time with a Xiantian Martial Ancestor of the older generation, either.
Clang!
The low, clear hum of a sword rang out like the tides.
Everything seemed to blur. The onlookers felt as if a curtain of endless night had descended upon them, shrouding the interior of the hall in darkness.
And this was merely the aura the Abstruse God Sword emanated.
Then, they watched as—
.
Sword in hand, Su Yi’s aura suddenly transformed, and a hint of disdain for all of creation arose in the depths of his inscrutable gaze, as if he were gazing down on them from above.
Above his tall, lean frame, seemingly illusory, dreamlike Dao Astral Force flickered in and out of view, but his imposing air was terrifying to the extreme.
Like a divine sword, its edge limitlessly sharp!
Everyone felt sharp, prickling pain all over their skin. It was so sharp that it stung their eyes, and they could barely keep them open.
In Cai Jinghai’s eyes, Su Yi now seemed like an entirely different person. Every inch of Su Yi emanated sword qi so flourishing that an irrepressible chill arose within the White-Eyebrowed King’s heart.
His expression changed.
It was then that Su Yi swung his blade and stabbed in a single, understated motion.
Whoosh!
It was simple as could be, yet it struck with the force to break through all restraints, magnetically invincible.
That deep, ink-dark blade instantly cut open the skies, tearing a perfectly straight spatial rift.
Cai Jinghai’s strike had been so terrifying that his Xiantan Astral Force boomed like thunder.
Yet in an instant, it split beneath Su Yi’s sword as if it were made of paper mache, crumbling completely and scattering into flecks of light.
Crack!
When the sword’s black point reached Cai Jinghai’s massive sword, it shattered like glass beneath a hammer, bursting into fragments.
But it couldn’t stop that sharp edge’s advance. In an instant, it pierced straight through Cai Jinghai’s throat.
Splurt!
Fresh blood splattered.
Cai Jinghai’s eyes widened; it seemed he dared not believe it. His lips moved, and he said in a raspy voice, “You…. You…..”
Before he could finish his sentence, the sword’s edge took his head clean off, and it flew through the air.
His headless corpse thudded to the ground.
The entire venue fell deathly silent. Even the birds ceased their song.
One attack had separated Cai Jinghai’s head from his body!
A non-Zhou King, a famed Xiantian Martial Ancestor, a long-established expert who stood near the pinnacle of the nation’s martial artists, couldn’t take so much as a single attack!
Xia Houlin silently clenched his fists, and his eyes widened.
Pei Wenshan’s back was drenched in cold sweat, and he felt a chill in his hands and feet.
The kneeling Yue Qing seemed even more startled and terrified; his trembling intensified, and now, even his teeth clattered.
As for the various big shots in attendance, all of them looked stunned. They felt as if they stood amidst a howling gale; they felt a chill so intense, it pierced their bones and chilled their marrow!
Mu Xi’s eyelids twitched.
He was a Xiantian Martial Ancestor too, the current youngest of the Great Zhou’s non-Zhou kings. He was naturally keenly aware that the gap between a Xiantian Martial Ancestor and a Grandmaster was as vast as the gulf between clouds and mud.
Were Su Yi any other Grandmaster, he would have long since died a brutal death beneath the White-Eyebrowed King’s sword.
Yet now, Su Yi, a mere first-level Grandmaster, had slain Cai Jinghai in a single attack!
This was undoubtedly far too terrifying.
Shen Jiusong, Chen Zheng, Jiang Tangyun, and Lu Zhangfeng’s hearts shook too. They looked at each other and saw the shock written on each other’s faces.
“Third Young Master, just witnessing your majestic bearing has left us all sighing with admiration, but aren’t you worried that your actions will bring disaster upon those closest to you?”
Xia Houlin took a deep breath, then said gravely, “How about this? We’ll apologize for our earlier behavior and humbly request that you?stay?your hand. I trust that with your current power, so long as you’re willing to let bygones be bygones, you’ll surely win the family head’s favor, and becoming a king or minister will be but a matter of time.”
There was no doubt about it: watching the White-Eyebrowed King take a sword to the throat had changed Xia Houlin’s attitude completely. He no longer dared underestimate Su Yi.
It wasn’t just him; everyone in attendance was comparably terrified, and the way they looked at Su Yi had changed. Their gazes were now full of bewilderment and dread.
Su Yi had slain a Xiantian Martial Ancestor in a single attack. If he turned his sword on them, perhaps only Xia Houlin would be any match for him!
But a cold angle formed on Su Yi’s lips. “Become a king or minister? You could offer me the imperial throne on a silver platter, and I wouldn’t so much as spare it a second glance.”
Xia Houlin’s heart sank. “Third Young Master, do you really plan to disregard the safety of all those connected to you? Will you really insist on mutual destruction?”
Su Yi glanced at the Abstruse God Sword and said, “I’ve always hated nothing more than threats of that nature, and I’ve never lowered my head to anyone. If someone happens to those connected to me, all I can say is, I’ll slaughter the murderer’s entire family. If any of you doubt my words, you’re welcome to go ahead and try it.”
As he spoke, his calm, indifferent gaze swept across the room.
Without exception, their expressions shifted beneath the weight of his gaze, and a chill arose within their hearts.
Xia Houlin’s face was ashen as he asked, pausing for emphasis between each word, “Third Young Master, I’ll ask you one last time. If you don’t?stay?your hand, it’ll mean an irrevocable rift between you and the Su Family. Are you sure you’ve understood the consequences?”
Clang! ．
Su Yi wasted no further words. He raised his sword and slashed at Xia Houlin.