As that single finger fell from the sky, the surrounding space began collapsing on a large scale.
The pressure surged between his fingers, and a rumbling sound echoed.
Endless gales and shockwaves gathered. When the finger dropped, Tan Jiulin felt an overwhelming power descend from above.
Her whole body froze in place, her internal energy circulation slowed drastically.
She struggled to raise her giant axe to defend, but with a loud boom...
A powerful force came from the finger, and she was sent flying from the center of the storm.
Like a lone boat in a vast sea, she had no power to resist.
Bang!
Her body crashed into the ground, creating a deep pit several meters wide.
She lay still for a long time before slowly struggling to her feet.
In that brief moment just now, she felt she had truly experienced the terror between life and death.
Even now, her heart was pounding, and it felt like her blood had frozen.
"You..." Tan Jiulin looked up at Xu Zimo, her lips parting, but she couldn’t say a word.
"You’re too weak, so weak that I don’t even have the interest to draw my blade," Xu Zimo said, shaking his head slightly. "With strength like that, you want to talk about destiny? About battle? About sparring?"
Tan Jiulin stayed silent for a long time. She had spent the past few years traveling the world.
She had seen real geniuses and always believed she was no worse than any of them.
"You’re just too strong," she finally replied after a pause.
"How did you get the second-ranked battle body?" Xu Zimo asked.
"My master gave it to me," Tan Jiulin hesitated for a moment and then answered.
"Who’s your master?" Xu Zimo asked with interest.
"I don’t know his name. I only heard others call him the Sage," Tan Jiulin replied.
"If you see your master again, tell him I have something to ask him," Xu Zimo said calmly.
"Have him come find me at the True Martial Sacred Ground. I’ll spare your life this time, think of it as delivering a message for me."
Xu Zimo frowned slightly. The name “Sage” sounded very familiar.
During the Legendary Era, the young man who rode a green ox was also called the Sage.
In his conversation with the God Emperor, the one who was ordered to seal the Primordial Demon Cave was also the Sage.
And now the second-ranked battle body was also related to this Sage.
Xu Zimo really did want to meet this person and get some answers.
Whether friend or foe, if he stood in Xu Zimo’s way, he’d be eliminated.
"One day, I’ll be strong enough to fight you," Tan Jiulin said seriously before leaving.
"The second battle body means nothing to me. Without it, what do you have left?" Xu Zimo replied coldly.
Tan Jiulin fell silent. In the end, she put away her axe and dismissed her battle body form, walking slowly toward the city gates.
The sky was just beginning to brighten in the east, a pale light spreading across the horizon. The world was still in quiet slumber.
Tan Jiulin exited the city and turned back to take one last deep look at it.
"Little Xie, do you think I can surpass him?"
The Evil God List in her arms emitted a faint golden light and finally replied, "If your Dao Heart is strong enough, there’s nothing in this world you can’t do. But that man, I can’t see through him."
...
The death of the city lord would cause a huge uproar in Blood Slaughter City. The death of Xue Jingyu might also shake the Blood Nether Sacred Ground, but none of that had anything to do with Xu Zimo.
Early the next morning, Xu Zimo used the teleportation formation in Blood Slaughter City to head back to the Western Region.
After a rather dull space journey, on the seventh day, Xu Zimo returned to the Western Region.
Chasing Sun City was located north of the True Martial Sacred Ground, within the territory of the Divine Sun Sacred Ground.
It was one of the few large cities under their control.
Legend says that an ancestor of the Divine Sun Sacred Ground once chased the sun and reached this place, where he later gained insight and became immortal.
The lineage built the city here to honor that ancestor’s glory.
Morning sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm glow over a luxurious courtyard inside the city.
Xuanyuan Xuantian slowly opened his door. Facing the sunlight, his eyes were deep and clear.
He had once been the Divine Sun Sacred Ground’s Holy Son, possessing one of the Hundred Great Battle Bodies, the Golden Emperor Battle Physique.
He had even competed in the Six Holy Lands Gathering. Although he didn’t take first place, he had made a strong impression.
Back then, he was the sect’s most promising candidate to seize the Heaven’s Will of the age.
But now, Xuanyuan Xuantian could only sigh at how unpredictable the world was.
Half a year ago, the sect’s ancestor emerged from seclusion.
Not only had he broken through to the Arcane Immortal Realm, but he had also elevated the sect’s overall strength.
He brought back a young man and focused on nurturing him, intending for him to replace Xuanyuan as the new Holy Son.
Xuanyuan Xuantian swore he would never forget that day.
He challenged the newcomer and ended up being defeated and trampled in a humiliating fashion.
That young man possessed the 17th-ranked Undying Battle Physique.
Now, he had become the new lord of Chasing Sun City.
Even though the city was still under the Divine Sun Sacred Ground’s control, Xuanyuan Xuantian had been stripped of his status as Holy Son.
It was essentially exile from the sect.
With no future ahead, Xuanyuan Xuantian felt only sorrow.
...
Xu Zimo exited the teleportation array. It was midday, and the streets were bustling.
If he traveled south from Chasing Sun City for a few days, he would arrive in the territory of the True Martial Sacred Ground.
Xu Zimo found a restaurant. At his cultivation level, eating wasn’t necessary anymore.
He just felt like indulging his appetite.
He entered the restaurant, which was lively at this time of day.
It wasn’t overly crowded, but not quiet either.
Xu Zimo picked a window seat and sat down, observing the scenery outside.
Just then, a young man in golden robes entered the restaurant, accompanied by an old man.
"Young Master Xuanyuan, please head upstairs, your private room is ready," the innkeeper said respectfully, rushing over.
Xuanyuan Xuantian nodded calmly and started walking upstairs.
As he reached the stairs, his gaze met Xu Zimo’s by the window, and he froze in place.
"Young Master Xuanyuan?" the innkeeper called softly nearby.
"I’ll sit downstairs today," Xuanyuan Xuantian said with a small shake of his head and walked toward Xu Zimo.
"We’re kind of old acquaintances, right? Mind if I sit here?" Xuanyuan Xuantian asked.
"Go ahead," Xu Zimo nodded.
Being back in the Western Region gave him a faint feeling of homesickness.
"You look defeated."
"Is it that obvious?" Xuanyuan Xuantian chuckled.