Acting Tough with Me?

Su Xuan, seated on his throne with hands tucked into his sleeves, lifted his eyes. A withered, sallow hand slid out from his cuff. With a slight raise of his hand, that incomparably immense pressure dissipated like smoke. Then, with a flick of his finger, a streak of spiritual light sank into Long Hou's body. His injuries healed instantly, and the golden armor was restored to its pristine state. Even the bell on the hilt of Hong Zhi's saber returned to its original shape under the warping space. Having done all this, Su Xuan raised his gaze to look at the nine figures before him. Nine old monsters of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm... The very pinnacle of cultivators in this world. Su Xuan smiled. Yet the smile on the old man's face was chilling to the bone. One among them glared at Su Xuan and said in a frigid voice, "Su Xuan, you have suppressed us and barred our ascension for well over ten thousand years!!!" "Now our Ancient Clan intends to fully enter the mortal world. Will you permit it or not?" Su Xuan clasped his hands behind his back. At some point, an archaic saber sheath had appeared in his grip. From beginning to end, Su Xuan acted as though he hadn't heard their furious shouting. He merely fixed his gaze on the leading elder and said softly, "Yu Wenxuan... do you think that touching the threshold of the Ascension Realm gives you the right to yell and shout before me?" "Back then, I beat the shit out of you until you were kneeling on the ground, begging me not to kill you." "Let me tell you: I can still do it today." "Not only can I, but as long as I refuse, not a single one of you is ascending!!" As he spoke, the old man reached out and tore open the void. The instant that rift opened, the elder who had spoken first turned pale with horror!!! "You!! Im—impossible!!" "We are separated by more than a million li!! How could you find me directly?!" A withered, sallow hand materialized within that elder's spiritual projection, ruthlessly seizing his throat and hoisting him into the air. Immediately after, Su Xuan vanished into the rift. At that exact moment, the elder's spiritual projection slowly disintegrated, as though an irresistible force had made it impossible to maintain. Barely a few breaths passed before the projections of the remaining eight elders, who had just been throwing their weight around, paled in terror!!! *Hum—!* Hong Zhi snapped her head to her side. Amid a slight ripple of distorted space, a blood-soaked figure walked out. Su Xuan's aura showed not the slightest ripple, yet in his hand, he held a dripping severed head!! Specks of blood were splattered across Su Xuan's face. The saber sheath in his hand still held lingering saber qi, sharp saber intent slicing through the empty void. *Drip.* The old man turned his head, his cold eyes sweeping over the others, and spoke in a chilling voice. "Never mind nine Tribulation Transcenders—even if nine Ascended experts came..." "If I tell you to kneel when you speak, you'll damn well kneel!!" *Boom—!* The moment his words fell, a terrifying pressure capable of dominating heaven and earth erupted from the old man!!! His hemp robes whipped violently through the air, and disheveled silver hair danced wildly before his eyes. His piercing gaze bored into the group. Even across a million li, that overwhelming momentum left them suffocating!! One by one, their faces turned deathly pale. They lowered their heads, their eyes darting away, utterly unable to meet Su Xuan's gaze. Even the figures behind the old man swallowed hard; several among them were seeing Su Xuan truly fight for the very first time!! The old man withdrew his aura and slowly sat back upon the throne. This time, not a single soul dared to speak out of turn. Closing his eyes, Su Xuan spoke: "Pass the word down: I grant you permission to enter the mortal world." "The condition is that you do everything in your power to suppress the Abyss Sealing Grounds as quickly as possible." "Furthermore... excessive conflict is forbidden. If anyone disobeys... face the consequences yourself." Lifting his hand, he gave them no chance to speak, instantly shattering their projected spiritual light. He then turned to glance at Hong Zhi, a gentle smile returning to his face as he asked softly, "Lass, was the fellow you encountered this time very strong?" Hong Zhi nodded honestly and replied softly, "His strength... is not inferior to Ah Long's." "It's very likely he is also someone who has touched the Tribulation Transcendence Realm!" "What's more..." Seeing her hesitate, Su Xuan said mildly, "No matter. Speak whatever is on your mind." Hong Zhi composed herself and said in a grave voice, "I don't think that was the full extent of his power!" "The Liang I encountered might have merely been an avatar!" To the side, Chankongzi couldn't help but blurt out in shock, "What?! Someone capable of severely wounding Second Sister might only be an avatar?!" "Then doesn't that mean his true strength is..." Su Xuan smiled and nodded, saying gently, "All right, I understand." "Now, you few will have to work hard. Once the Six Domains have purged the Abyss Demons, reseal the rifts." "As for my grandson... try not to have too much contact with him for now." "Right now, he doesn't have the strength to stand alongside you." Behind him, the others nodded in understanding. But immediately afterward, the corners of the old man's mouth curved upward, and an enigmatic smile appeared in his eyes. "Still, rest assured. The day he stands before you... won't be long in coming." Hearing this, Chankongzi shrugged and muttered inwardly, *A peak Void Refinement cultivator who won't even turn thirty for another few months... there probably aren't many like that in the entire world.* Su Xuan turned his back to the eight of them and said softly, "Keep an eye on the Ancient Clan's movements. If things get out of hand... go find the Four Kings." At the mention of the Four Kings, everyone stiffened, and Long Hou was no exception. Bowing his head with deep respect in his eyes, Long Hou said in a deep voice, "If we encounter an invincible foe, I will seek out those esteemed lords!" Su Xuan nodded, then stepped forward and vanished like smoke. Only the severed head on the ground bore witness to everything that had transpired within that brief span. In less than ten breaths from start to finish, a pinnacle cultivator who had touched the Ascension Realm had been silently slaughtered. No one knew how strong Su Xuan truly was; Long Hou even suspected the old man might possess the power of an immortal within the Human Spirit Realm!!! Yet even he only dared entertain such speculation in the privacy of his thoughts. To this day, not a single person knew the true depth of their Domain Lord's power. In the entire Seventh Domain, not one soul knew! Su Xuan's strength was an absolute mystery. Whenever people thought their guesses were bold enough, the old man shattered those assumptions every single time. Consequently, not a single cultivator in the Seventh Domain dared go against his wishes! If he so desired, ascending to the Immortal Realm was easier than drawing breath. Long Hou sighed inwardly, then turned to the others and spoke. "You all heard him. Next... the Six Domains are destined to plunge into an era of chaos. Our duty is to prevent widespread devastation!" Chankongzi shrugged, saying with some concern, "When the powerhouses of the Ancient Clan emerge, it will be an absolute slaughter against outside cultivators..." "Uh... though maybe not for that little fellow, hahahaha."