The wind howled over the Star Gazing Platform.
Emperor Jiang Wu bent at the waist, his hands clasped in salute, maintaining that deeply respectful posture.
The ruler of the Great Jiang Dynasty, usually so lofty and untouchable, had now humbled himself as far as he could.
The Alliance Leader, Old Ancestor Cangwu, and Old Ancestor Xuanming stood to one side. None spoke to stop him; even their breathing had slowed.
They were all waiting.
Waiting for the young man standing before the Light Stairway to speak.
Zhou Xuan did not answer immediately.
He turned, sweeping his gaze across the faces of the four ancient monsters of the Longevity Realm.
Any one of these four could unleash a storm of blood across Central Province.
Yet now, they could only stare at him expectantly.
Zhou Xuan raised his hand and pointed at the enormous Blood-Red Warship overhead.
"I can grant you eligibility."
Zhou Xuan's voice was quiet, but every word reached their ears with perfect clarity.
Emperor Jiang Wu jerked his head up, wild joy flashing across his face.
The other three ancient monsters also breathed sighs of relief, their taut bodies relaxing a little.
But Zhou Xuan's next words doused them with a bucket of cold water.
"But this ship recognizes only the laws of the Immortal Court."
Zhou Xuan slowly lowered his hand, his tone indifferent.
"Your Dao Fruits, whether tied to Great Jiang's national fortune or bound to the origin source of the Purple-Gold Immortal Vein, are all impurities in its eyes."
"If you want to board, you must first become clean."
At those words, the four ancient monsters' expressions changed instantly.
Impurities.
The Longevity Dao Fruits they had painstakingly condensed through tens of thousands of years of bitter cultivation and countless schemes were nothing but low-grade impurities in