Outside Heavenly Evolution Ancient City, countless sects had already gathered, with prodigies standing in their ranks.
Immortal light wreathed the heavens, divine beasts drew carriages, and ancient birds swept across the sky. Presences powerful enough to make ordinary dynasties tremble rose and fell, displaying the terrifying caliber of this Heavenly Evolution Assembly.
Countless cultivators gazed fervently at the immense city that had stood through the ages.
Saint runes flickered on its walls, and the sounds of the Dao thundered. Merely standing outside the city left people trembling in spirit and filled with reverence.
Yet at that moment, the atmosphere in the clearing outside the ancient city had already grown tense to the extreme.
A young man draped in divine purple-cloud robes stood in midair, radiant clouds shining for ten thousand lengths around him as his oppressive might swept in all directions like a vast ocean.
It was none other than the Purple Cloud Sect's young sect master-Lin Xiaotian!
He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze contemptuous. As his eyes swept over the densely packed cultivators below, his lips curved in disdain.
"A flock of clay chickens and pottery dogs, and you dare come join the excitement at the Heavenly Evolution Assembly?"
His voice was not loud, but it carried mighty kingly power, exploding like thunder in everyone's ears.
Many cultivators with low cultivation turned pale on the spot, their Qi and Blood surging as they staggered backward.
"It's Lin Xiaotian! The greatest prodigy of this generation in the Purple Cloud Sect! He reached the king realm at such a young age, and he's practically invincible among his peers!"
"What powerful pressure! Just a single sentence made my mind lose its defenses. This man will surely become a Great Emperor!"
"The Heavenly Evolution Sacred Fruit will probably end up in his hands this time."
Cries of astonishment rose one after another through the crowd.
Everyone looked reverently at Lin Xiaotian in the air, not daring to show the slightest displeasure.
Seeing this, Lin Xiaotian's expression grew even more arrogant.
His gaze shifted, settling on an inconspicuous corner of the crowd.
There, Zhao Shanhai, sect master of the Azure Cloud Sect, kept his head lowered, trying to make his presence as faint as possible.
A few days earlier, the Azure Cloud Sect had been oppressed by Mystic Ice Valley. Had Chu Xuan not casually intervened to save them, the entire sect would have been wiped out. With Mystic Ice Valley now closely connected to the Purple Cloud Sect, Zhao Shanhai naturally dared not provoke Lin Xiaotian.
Yet things went precisely against his wishes.
Lin Xiaotian singled him out at a glance.
"Isn't that Zhao Shanhai from the Azure Cloud Sect?" Lin Xiaotian sneered, deliberately raising his voice. "A worthless faction that doesn't even qualify as a third-rate sect, and you think you deserve to come to Heavenly Evolution Ancient City? Who gave you the nerve?"
Zhao Shanhai trembled, his face deathly pale, and hurriedly cupped his hands. "Young Sect Master Lin, I... I was merely passing by. I'll leave at once."
"Passing by?" Lin Xiaotian sneered. "Is Heavenly Evolution Ancient City somewhere trash like you can pass by? Kneel!"
The moment his words fell,
a terrifying pressure abruptly locked onto Zhao Shanhai, like a mountain bearing down on his head!
Zhao Shanhai's legs buckled, and he nearly dropped to his knees on the spot. Humiliation filled his face, yet he was powerless to resist.
The gulf separating him from the king realm was like a heavenly chasm!
Seeing this, the surrounding cultivators wore expressions of schadenfreude, yet not one dared step forward to help.
The Purple Cloud Sect was powerful, and Lin Xiaotian's potential was boundless. No one wanted to offend someone so ruthless for the sake of a mere Azure Cloud Sect.
Just as Zhao Shanhai fell into despair,
a calm, unruffled voice drifted lightly through the air.
"You're too noisy."
The voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.
In an instant, deathly silence fell over the entire gathering!
Everyone froze, their gazes turning in unison toward the source of the voice.
Amid the crowd, a white-robed figure stood quietly.
The man had handsome features and a composed bearing. Not the slightest fluctuation of Spiritual Qi surrounded him, making him look just like a mortal.
It was Chu Xuan.
Zhao Shanhai was both startled and delighted. "Mr. Chu!"
He knew that as long as Chu Xuan spoke up, even ten Lin Xiaotians would be nothing to fear!
Lin Xiaotian's face darkened, a trace of killing intent flashing through his eyes.
He stared at Chu Xuan and sized him up. Finding that the other man was merely a mortal without any fluctuations of cultivation, he laughed in furious disbelief.
"Where did a wild brat like you come from, daring to interfere in Lin Xiaotian's affairs? Have you grown tired of living?"
To him, Chu Xuan was nothing more than cannon fodder Zhao Shanhai had brought along to bolster his standing, utterly beneath notice.
Chu Xuan's gaze was indifferent. He could not even be bothered to glance at him. "Scram."
One word, delivered casually.
Yet it stabbed viciously into Lin Xiaotian's pride like the sharpest blade.
"Insolence!"
Lin Xiaotian flew into a rage, divine purple-cloud light surging around him. "A mere mortal dares speak to me like that? Today, I'll teach you how disaster comes from the mouth!"
He raised his hand and struck his palm toward Chu Xuan.
The palm strike howled through the air, purple qi churning, carrying terrifying kingly power sufficient to crush a half-step king with ease!
In everyone's eyes, Chu Xuan was certain to die this time!
Zhao Shanhai's expression changed drastically. "Mr. Chu, watch out!"
However,
Chu Xuan remained standing where he was, utterly motionless, his gaze calm and unruffled.
Just then-
[Ding! Detected: the host is under attack by a king realm cultivator. Automatically counterattack?] [Ding! Enemy detected: Lin Xiaotian. Cultivation: king realm first layer. Combat strength rating: ant.] [Ding! The host may choose: subdue with one finger, cripple cultivation with one word, or instant kill with one click.]
The cold system notifications rang out in Chu Xuan's mind.
After signing in for a hundred thousand years, Chu Xuan had long since become invincible in the world. The system's existence served more to entertain him than anything else.
Chu Xuan responded calmly in his mind.
"No need for such an unnecessary step."
Facing that palm strike capable of shattering mountains and splitting seas, Chu Xuan merely raised one finger lightly.
There were no earth-shaking phenomena, no dazzling divine light.
Just a casual tap.
Hum-
The void trembled faintly.
The next moment,
Pfft!
Lin Xiaotian's unstoppable palm strike shattered instantly!
He himself seemed to have been struck by a primordial divine mountain. His body hurtled backward as blood sprayed wildly from his mouth, and he smashed into the ground several hundred zhang away, gouging out an enormous, deep crater.
Deathly silence filled the gathering!
One could have heard a pin drop!
Everyone's eyes widened, their faces filled with disbelief, as though they had seen a ghost.
"What happened?"
"Young Sect Master Lin... was flicked away with one finger?"
"He's a king realm prodigy! How could he be so vulnerable?"
"Who exactly is this young man in white? He looks like he has no cultivation at all, so why is he so terrifying?"
Countless hearts pounded wildly, scalps tingling.
The cultivators who had mocked Chu Xuan earlier were now deathly pale, cold sweat streaming down their bodies, wishing they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Had they actually been mocking a peerless mighty figure just now?
Inside the deep crater,
Lin Xiaotian struggled to his feet, his hair disheveled and his body covered in blood, his eyes filled with fear and unwillingness.
He stared fixedly at Chu Xuan, his voice hoarse. "You... who exactly are you?"
Chu Xuan spoke calmly. "Someone you can't afford to provoke."
As his words fell,
an invisible pressure quietly spread.
It held not the slightest killing intent, yet it was like the heavens looking down upon all living beings. Every cultivator present involuntarily felt reverence arise in their heart, their legs weakening with the urge to kneel.
Even some old monsters who had lived for thousands of years paled drastically, their spirits trembling.
"A presence like this... he's at least at the level of a Saint!"
"Impossible! Saints are so rare. Why would one appear here?"
"This man must be an old monster living in seclusion, disguised as a youth!"
Storm-tossed waves surged through everyone's hearts.
Lin Xiaotian's face was even more ashen, his entire body trembling.
He finally understood that he had kicked an iron plate! A supreme iron plate capable of smashing him to pieces!
"S-Senior, this junior had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai and offended you. Please spare my life!" Lin Xiaotian no longer had the slightest trace of a prodigy's arrogance. He dropped directly to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly as he begged for mercy.
Before absolute strength, all pride and dignity were meaningless.
Chu Xuan's gaze was indifferent. "You told him to kneel just now?"
He was referring to Zhao Shanhai.
Lin Xiaotian shuddered and hurriedly turned toward Zhao Shanhai. With a thud, he dropped to his knees before him and kowtowed hard. "Sect Master Zhao, this junior was wrong! Please forgive me!"
Zhao Shanhai looked utterly bewildered, overwhelmed by the unexpected deference.
The prodigy who had been lofty and insufferably arrogant a moment ago was now kneeling before him, begging for mercy?
All of this was because of the seemingly ordinary Mr. Chu beside him!
Zhao Shanhai was tremendously stirred, and his reverence for Chu Xuan deepened another degree.
Chu Xuan said calmly, "Scram. Don't appear before me again."
"Yes, yes, yes! This junior will scram right away!"
As though granted a grand pardon, Lin Xiaotian scrambled and crawled, trying to flee.
Just then,
a cold, furious shout came from the void.
"How dare you, whelp!"
An elderly figure instantly crossed the void and appeared amid the gathering.
He wore purple robes, his face sinister and his presence terrifying, more than several times stronger than Lin Xiaotian's!
It was none other than the Purple Cloud Sect's supreme elder-Lin Cangxuan!
He was a king realm peak existence, only one step away from becoming a Saint, and his name was renowned throughout the Azure Mysterious Domain.
Lin Cangxuan spotted the wretched Lin Xiaotian at a glance, then looked toward Chu Xuan, killing intent boiling in his eyes. "Young friend, you injured my Purple Cloud Sect's young sect master, yet still dare act so arrogantly. Do you really think my Purple Cloud Sect is easy to bully?"
In his view, even if Chu Xuan possessed some strength, he had merely just entered the saint realm, and Lin Cangxuan could fully suppress him.
"Supreme Elder! Save me!" Seeing his savior, Lin Xiaotian immediately burst into loud sobs.
Lin Cangxuan snorted coldly, his gaze settling on Chu Xuan. "Cripple your cultivation immediately, then kneel and apologize to Xiaotian. This old man can leave your corpse intact!"
He unleashed his full might, his peak king pressure sweeping in every direction and leaving countless cultivators breathless.
Everyone grew tense again.
"It's Lin Cangxuan! A veteran powerhouse of the Purple Cloud Sect!"
"Now there's a good show to watch. I wonder whether this white-robed senior can withstand him?"
Facing Lin Cangxuan's threat, Chu Xuan's expression showed not the slightest ripple.
[Ding! Enemy detected: Lin Cangxuan. Cultivation: king realm peak. Combat strength rating: speck of dust.] [Ding! Recommendation for the host: slap him away to display your invincible bearing.]
The corners of Chu Xuan's mouth lifted slightly, revealing a trace of faint disdain.
"The Purple Cloud Sect?"
"Before me, you even deserve to call yourselves a sect?"
As his words fell,
Chu Xuan raised his hand and waved it lightly.
There were no flashy moves of any kind.
Just that simple sweep.
Boom-!
The void collapsed outright!
Terrifying power rushed out like a tsunami, instantly engulfing Lin Cangxuan.
"No-!"
Lin Cangxuan let out a despairing scream. Without even a chance to resist, his body was blasted into nothingness, his soul scattered, leaving not a single trace behind.
An instant kill!
A dignified supreme elder at the king realm peak had actually been killed instantly with a casual wave of someone's hand!
Deathly silence filled the gathering!
Everyone stood frozen in place, their minds blank, utterly scared senseless.
An instant kill of a peak king?
What kind of strength was this?
A Saint?
No!
He was probably a legendary existence above Saints!
Lin Xiaotian was even more terrified, frightened out of his wits. He collapsed limply to the ground, losing control of his bowels and bladder, utterly broken.
Chu Xuan's gaze fell on him, and he said indifferently, "You can die too."
He flicked a finger.
A barely perceptible gust shot from his fingertip.
Pfft-
Lin Xiaotian's head exploded outright, his body perishing and his Dao extinguished.
A prodigy of his generation fell just like that.
Having disposed of the two, Chu Xuan looked as though he had merely done something insignificant. His expression did not change in the slightest.
He turned to Zhao Shanhai, who had long since been scared witless beside him. "Let's go. Into the city."
"Y-yes! Mr. Chu!" Zhao Shanhai hurriedly answered respectfully, his voice filled with the utmost reverence and fear.
The two strode toward Heavenly Evolution Ancient City.
Along the way, all the cultivators moved aside of their own accord to clear a path, their heads lowered, not even daring to breathe loudly.
Reverence and fear!
Utter reverence and fear!
No one dared block their way, much less say another word.
Only after Chu Xuan entered the ancient city and disappeared from everyone's sight-
Did an unprecedented uproar erupt outside!
"What... did I just see? Lin Cangxuan was killed in one blow?"
"He was the pillar of the Purple Cloud Sect! Just like that, he's gone!"
"Who on earth is this young man? He killed a peak King in a single strike. How terrifying!"
"The Heavenly Evolution Assembly... is probably about to see the heavens change!"
As though it had sprouted wings, the news instantly spread throughout Heavenly Evolution Ancient City and beyond.
Countless powers were shaken!
The ancestors of the great sects, the patriarchs of the High Antiquity aristocratic clans, and the old monsters living in seclusion were all alarmed. They emerged from their places of seclusion and looked toward where Chu Xuan had disappeared, their expressions grave.
"Not the slightest trace of his presence leaks out. His depths are unfathomable. He is at least a Holy Lord-level existence!"
"A Holy Lord? Not necessarily, I think. He may be an even more ancient existence!"
"Are the old monsters who haven't appeared for a hundred thousand years finally returning to the world?"
"The Heavenly Evolution Sacred Fruit is about to emerge. With this person's arrival, this fortuitous opportunity will probably change hands!"
Deep within the ancient city.
Inside an ancient palace.
A white-haired old man resting with his eyes closed slowly opened them. His gaze pierced through layer upon layer of buildings toward Chu Xuan, and a trace of utmost gravity flashed in his eyes.
"What a terrifying junior... no, what a terrifying existence!"
"Even at my peak, I fell far short of such a presence!"
"Heavenly Evolution Ancient City is about to welcome a truly supreme figure!"
Meanwhile, Chu Xuan-
Had already strolled into Heavenly Evolution Ancient City.
The streets were broad, immortal towers rose in clusters, and the Spiritual Qi was so dense that it formed mist. Cultivators with profound cultivation could be seen everywhere, and even those in the King Realm appeared occasionally.
[Ding! Host has entered Heavenly Evolution Ancient City. Check-in successful!] [Ding! Reward obtained: Heavenly Dao Holy Eye (can see through all illusions, secret-realm fortuitous opportunities, and enemies' weaknesses)!] [Ding! Reward obtained: one Saint Dao Fruit!] [Ding! The Heavenly Evolution Assembly will begin shortly. Main quest triggered: seize the Heavenly Evolution Sacred Fruit and suppress every prodigy present!]
The system notifications sounded one after another.
Chu Xuan's expression remained indifferent, without a ripple in his heart.
After a hundred thousand years of checking in, what heavenly materials and earthly treasures or supreme divine arts had he not seen?
In others' eyes, a Saint Dao Fruit was a supreme treasure. To him, it was merely a slightly useful fruit.
As for the Heavenly Evolution Sacred Fruit?
It was nothing more than a little trinket he would pick up in passing on this trip.
Chu Xuan swept his gaze over the ancient city. Within Heavenly Evolution Ancient City, he sensed several fairly strong presences. Even the weakest was at the Saint level, and one or two had even reached the Holy Lord level.
"Somewhat interesting."
The corners of Chu Xuan's mouth lifted slightly.
After lying dormant for a hundred thousand years, he had finally encountered a few opponents who were somewhat worth his notice after emerging into the world.
However.
They were only worth his notice.
Before his absolute strength, all those so-called prodigies, ancestors, and powerhouses were nothing but clay chickens and pottery dogs, unable to withstand a single blow.
"Mr. Chu, where are we going now?" Zhao Shanhai asked cautiously.
"We'll wander around," Chu Xuan said indifferently. "And wait for the Heavenly Evolution Assembly to begin."
The two wandered at leisure through the ancient city.
Along the way, countless cultivators cast sidelong glances at them but dared not approach. They could only watch from afar and discuss in hushed voices.
Everyone knew that, from this day onward, the heavens over Azure Mysterious Domain were about to change!
And the source of it all was this white-robed young man who had just entered the city after casually killing two powerhouses in an instant-Chu Xuan!
As time passed.
More and more powerhouses arrived in Heavenly Evolution Ancient City.
The High Antiquity Xuanyuan Aristocratic Clan, the Primordial Jiang Clan, Demon Race prodigies from Myriad Demon Domain, and top powerhouses from Lingxiao Domain... all gathered there.
Every one of them was a major figure whose might shook a region.
The atmosphere throughout the ancient city grew increasingly fervent, yet increasingly oppressive.
A grand gathering of prodigies sweeping across all of Azure Mysterious Domain was about to raise its curtain.
Yet none of them knew.
This Heavenly Evolution Assembly, destined to go down in history, would be utterly dominated by one man.
Chu Xuan, who had checked in for a hundred thousand years and emerged invincible.
Before the eyes of the masses, he would once again enact an invincible legend of sweeping aside everything and suppressing the ages!
The Heavenly Evolution Sacred Fruit?
The prodigies of every faction?
The powers of High Antiquity?
Before Chu Xuan, they were all ants!
The coming Heavenly Evolution Assembly would surely become his stage!