The Power of Bonds!

Just as Su Mo and Mo Wenli stepped off the arena stage, a figure rushed over in an anxious hurry. It was none other than the Thunder Fire Sect Master, who hurried up to Su Mo with deep concern. "Master, are you all right?" "Master?" Mo Wenli scratched his head, utterly unable to make sense of what was happening for a moment. "This is my master, your grandmaster," the Thunder Fire Sect Master explained to Mo Wenli via voice transmission. "Grandmaster? Didn't you say Grandmaster was dead?" Mo Wenli was startled. His attitude toward Su Mo earlier hadn't been friendly at all. "That was just the story told to the outside world. In truth, your grandmaster dispersed his cultivation to start anew in order to push for the Tribulation Transcendence stage. Years ago, he made several enemies. After dispersing his cultivation, he didn't dare draw attention to himself for fear of revenge, so he claimed to the outside world that he had passed away." "Then when Grandmaster and I were practically about to fight, you didn't even tell me..." Mo Wenli looked at the Thunder Fire Sect Master with a rather aggrieved expression. If the Heavenly Court Cult hadn't intervened, they really would have come to blows. The Thunder Fire Sect Master scolded, "Isn't that because you can't keep a secret to save your life? You would have given it away on the arena stage! And what Young Cult Master Lu said wasn't wrong either. Look at how you've learned lightning arts—split all over the place like a divided stream of piss! Go back into secluded cultivation! Don't you dare come out until you show some real results!" Mo Wenli's face turned ashen. "All right, all right, don't go scaring the junior. Little Mo is actually quite strong. His opponent this time was just stronger. How about this: once we're back, I'll give you some pointers," Su Mo stepped in to smooth things over. He was quite pleased with Mo Wenli, seeing him as malleable talent. The Thunder Fire Sect Master cast a sullen glance his way. "You certainly didn't treat me like that back in the day." ... Below the arena, the five great celestial kings radiated an aura that warned strangers to stay away. Bystanders dared not approach, yet their curiosity could not be contained. "Those five Heavenly Kings are terrifying. Just getting close makes me shiver." "Tell me about it! They belong to a great power from the ancient era. How chaotic was the ancient times? Human life was treated like grass! Who knows how many lives these Heavenly Kings have under their belts!" "Quiet, don't let them hear you!" "We're using voice transmission. They shouldn't be able to hear us, right?" "Better safe than sorry. Who can say for sure that the ancient era didn't have secret techniques for eavesdropping? Look at those five—their baleful aura is so thick it's practically solid! They're definitely the type to avenge the slightest grievance. If they mark you, do you think you'll have any good days left?" "Uh, what you just said sounds way harsher than what we said." ... The five protector Heavenly Kings stood like stone statues, their minds clear of stray thoughts, detached from all things, devoid of joy or sorrow. "I have to say, the Acting Sect Master's idea was pretty good. Taking advantage of the home turf to give the Heavenly Court Cult a flashy debut really got our brand out there. I refuse to believe the demonic cults and ancient cultivators won't take the bait." The Grand Elder sent a gleeful voice transmission. Seeing the stunned, terrified, and flustered looks on everyone's faces when they first made their entrance had felt downright exhilarating. "Do you think we might get exposed?" Old Ba asked nervously. It felt great, sure, but he worried about the secret leaking out. This time was different from before. In the past, they had only tricked people of the same realm, but this time they were duping even senior experts at the Tribulation Transcendence stage. If they were found out, going outside in the future would be dangerous. They didn't fear the Body Integration stage, as no one could beat them there. But if someone at the Tribulation Transcendence stage stepped in, they would have to pray their master could save them in time. The Third Elder felt his second brother was worrying too much: "No way. Junior Niece Yun guaranteed it wouldn't happen. She swore we wouldn't be exposed. "And even if we are found out, it's fine. I've prepared a backup plan." The other four were astounded. Old Three could actually prepare a backup plan? "What backup plan?" "I went to the chamber of commerce and bought insurance for the five of us. Even if something goes wrong, we'll receive a massive pile of spirit stones... Let's not talk about that for now. My disciple is taking the stage." "Dao Seeking Sect, Meng Jingzhou." "Longteng Village, Long Huo!" Longteng Village was a very unique power. It was an administrative unit under Great Xia, but also fell under the domain of the Long family clan. Eight thousand years ago, an expert surnamed Long had settled down in a deserted area of Jizhou, bringing along his wives, concubines, and servants. No one knew this expert's origins; it was as though he had appeared out of thin air, though some claimed he came from the East Sea and was a dragonkin. After siring several sons and daughters, the expert passed away. Before his death, he left behind a massive hoard of cultivation resources, so his children remained there to multiply and thrive. Thanks to the resources left by the expert, along with the decent talent of his children, the family fortune wasn't squandered. Passing down through the generations, they came to be known by the outside world as the Jizhou Long family, becoming an aristocratic clan. Gradually, a settlement formed. When local officials came to inspect the area, they decided it met the criteria for a village and reported it up the chain. The imperial court officially designated it as a village and, respecting the Long family's wishes, named it Longteng Village. And the village chief of Longteng Village was none other than the current family patriarch of the Long family. Long Huo was the son of the previous patriarch. Although he had faced suppression from the current patriarch during his youth, as his talent shone through and he grew increasingly prominent—eventually becoming the top genius of Longteng Village—the current patriarch could no longer suppress him. Long Huo channeled his Golden Core, coating the surface of his body with a thin film of water that could deflect attacks to a certain degree. His was a water-attribute first-grade Golden Core. "Roaming Dragon Strike!" Moving like a swimming dragon, Long Huo darted across the arena with terrifying speed, leaving afterimages in his wake, to the point where even divine sense struggled to pinpoint his location. He circled behind Meng Jingzhou, aiming a fierce knife-hand chop straight at the back of his neck before Meng Jingzhou could react. *Got him!* Delight surged in his heart. His opponent had been careless. To his shock, Meng Jingzhou's body swayed ever so slightly, dodging the ambush with ease. "What!" Meng Jingzhou shouldn't have seen him at all. Meng Jingzhou let out a bored yawn. This opponent wasn't all that impressive. Refusing to give up, Long Huo unleashed the Roaming Dragon Strike once more, sending a relentless flurry of strikes from every direction, all of which Meng Jingzhou effortlessly dodged. Below the arena, Young Cult Master Lu clapped, excitement gleaming in his eyes as if he had spotted a long-awaited rival. "Splendid! As expected of a disciple representing the Dao Seeking Sect! If I see correctly, he has already cultivated to the 'Selfless Oblivion' realm of body cultivators. Even among the ancient prodigies, no one reached this realm at the mid Golden Core stage!" The Unbroken Heavenly King nodded. "It appears he has only just stepped into the Selfless Oblivion realm. At this level, one's body automatically dodges minor threats without requiring conscious thought." A minor threat did not mean no threat; if an attack could be dodged, naturally it should be. Only after Young Cult Master Lu pointed it out did the prodigies below realize just how formidable a body cultivator Meng Jingzhou currently was. Meng Jingzhou nodded with satisfaction. Lu Yang was decent enough to give him some credit. *Boom—* Meng Jingzhou unleashed the Heaven-Shaking Six Forms, taking a sudden step forward. Channeling inch-force power, a triple-layered punch blasted Long Huo flying! Long Huo continually dispersed the force through his body, only stabilizing himself half a foot away from the edge of the stage. Meng Jingzhou showed a hint of surprise. "Not bad, managing to endure that punch. Come again!" Meng Jingzhou held back no longer, relentlessly pressing with the Heaven-Shaking Six Forms to force Long Huo back. Yet each time he thought he would knock Long Huo out of the ring, Long Huo unexpectedly managed to withstand the blow. Even so, Long Huo was gradually reaching his limit against such high-intensity strikes. "You can't beat me. Just surrender." *Surrender?* Realizing the vast gap between them, Long Huo closed his eyes in bitter frustration. Fighting for this long had exhausted him. Continuing would be futile; the outcome was already sealed. Was the difference between him and a true prodigy really so great? "Big Brother Long Huo, keep going!" "Long Huo, don't give up!" "You're the man who defeated me to represent our village! How could you lose here?!" Images of his companions flashed through Long Huo's mind—his childhood sweetheart, his closest friends, the patriarch's son who was both rival and comrade... They seemed to appear right before his eyes, calling out his name in his ears. *I can't give up!* He carried the high hopes of his village and fought on behalf of the Long family. How could he admit defeat here?! The referee walked over and looked down at Long Huo lying on the ground. "His life is already flashing before his eyes? Winner of this match, Meng Jingzhou."