Xiang Shaoyun did not have the time to pay attention to anyone else. He was trying his very best to withstand the pressure.
Presence of dragon and tiger!
Without any hesitation, he released his presence as well, reducing the pressure he faced.
"Huh?" The middle-aged man sensed the change and shot a curious glance at Xiang Shaoyun.
A slight trace of astonishment appeared in his eyes for a split second when he saw the presence of a dragon and tiger around Xiang Shaoyun. After all, Xiang Shaoyun was only a peak third-stage King. Even with the remarkable presence of dragon and tiger, he still wasn't enough to catch Yu Clan's attention. The middle-aged man stopped paying Xiang Shaoyun much attention upon noticing his cultivation level.
Meanwhile, Xiang Shaoyun was using all he had to withstand the pressure, unleashing a might comparable to a seventh-stage or even an eighth-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator. Alas, that was still not enough. Others would find it hard to believe Xiang Shaoyun was actually someone capable of battling people several stages above him.
But that was his actual strength. One ought to know that even back then, Xiang Shaoyun had been able to battle eighth-stage Transformation Realm cultivators when he was only a second-stage Transformation Realm cultivator.
He was now in the King Realm, and the gap between stages was much larger in this realm. It was understandable why he could no longer battle those six stages above him like when he was still in the Transformation Realm.
With his unrivaled presence of a king, he could face the presence of all Kings. However, that did not apply to the presence of Emperors. This was the difference between cultivation realms.
Xiang Shaoyun could feel all nine of his stars being suppressed. He was barely hanging on, his body bowing lower and lower, looking like he was going to collapse at any moment.
At this time, Di Tong noticed Xiang Shaoyun and couldn't help but sneer at him, "My dearest Little Brother Yun, this is not an event a weak King like you can participate in. Stop struggling and give up."
The words pierced into Xiang Shaoyun's ears, stabbing straight into his heart like a sharp needle, filling him with sorrow. Back then at the Ziling Sect, the Di Clan siblings were akin to his brothers. Ultimately, they had all betrayed him. It was a betrayal he would never forget. He had sworn to one day retake all they had stolen from him. Thus, after hearing Di Tong's words, his unyielding heart seemed to have been ignited.
If I can't even withstand a pressure like this, how am I supposed to take my revenge in the future? I want to break through! Xiang Shaoyun roared inwardly. His stars erupted with even more power. At the same time, he refined a large number of spirit crystals in his astral cosmos sea, sending numerous strands of astral energy to his nine stars and 365 acupoints. A boundless river of energy coursed violently through his meridians, giving him a sensation that he was going to reach the next stage at any time.
After reaching peak third-stage Skysoar Realm with the help of Ugly Gambler's pill, Xiang Shaoyun had not expected to break through again this fast. But under the intense suppression he was currently subjected to, he had no choice but to break through. In fact, the intense pressure would help solidify this breakthrough, but it would be an extremely dangerous method.
As Xiang Shaoyun grew in strength, a look of pain covered his face.
That's right. He had a look of pain. It was due to the conflict of his internal energy and the external pressure currently exerted on him. It placed him under twice the pressure, one that he could barely withstand, and he felt the two sources of pressure were going to crush his meridians. Fortunately, he had a body tempered by lightning. His meridians were extremely tough.
"Still not enough power," Xiang Shaoyun muttered as he clenched his teeth and refined a king medicine capable of growing the strength of its user in his astral cosmos sea. He very rarely used herbs to increase his strength. This time, he was left without much choice.
With the king medicine and a large number of spirit crystals, Xiang Shaoyun gathered a large amount of energy in his body. He circulated his Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual over and over, and with the presence of the middle-aged Emperor still weighing down on him, he finally charged into the next stage.
"Ahhhh!"
He faced the sky and roared. Blood was dripping out of the corner of his lips as he straightened his back. A large amount of power surged out of him, instantly shattering the barrier of the fourth stage. Immediately, his weakening presence of dragon and tiger was strengthened, becoming several times more powerful than its previous form.
"Roar! Roar!"
The purple dragon soared, the white tiger pounced. Their roars filled the air, shaking the world.
At that moment, the young geniuses who had remained unaffected by the presence's pressure all looked at Xiang Shaoyun in astonishment. The middle-aged man from the Yu Clan was also looking over. The nonchalant expression on his face was gone, replaced by a complicated look when he found that Xiang Shaoyun had broken through under the suppression of his presence. It was an inconceivable feat.
Breaking through was something any cultivator would treat with extreme caution. Generally, one would only wait for the optimal timing before breaking through, aiming to smoothen the process. Of course, there were some who were hit by inspiration in the midst of battle and broke through as a result, but breaking through under the suppression of an Emperor's presence was something unheard of.
More importantly, Xiang Shaoyun was only a third-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator. Not only had he broken through to the next stage under such suppression, he had even successfully broken free of the suppression. This was a shocking feat.
One ought to know that even some of the ninth-stage Kings here had failed to withstand the presence of an Emperor, but this young man who was only a fourth-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator had done so. That was a display of his terrifying potential.
I can't allow him to keep growing. I must kill him at all cost after leaving this place, vowed Di Tong inwardly.
He knew very well Xiang Shaoyun had only started cultivating after he was driven from the Ziling Sect. It had only been three years, and he was already a fourth-stage King. A talent like that had surpassed even his two most remarkable siblings, his eldest brother and ninth brother. If he couldn't kill Xiang Shaoyun, in the future, he would bring their clan calamity.
Apart from Di Tong, Su Jun also had a similarly murderous look in his eyes.
This damnable kid! Su Jun cursed inwardly.
He had always liked Lady Shura, but she had always ignored him. Since his master had ordered him to participate in this banquet, he had decided to come. When he saw Xiang Shaoyun breaking through right before his eyes, his hatred for Xiang Shaoyun deepened.
Xiang Shaoyun was completely oblivious to all their gazes. He was still completely immersed in the pleasure of breaking through. A comfortable sensation washed over him as he felt the suppression grow weaker until it eventually became almost negligible.
It was at this time that the middle-aged Emperor's voice rang out, "Alright. Those who are still standing can now enter the third floor."