"Hmph, I have been waiting for you for a long time."
Zi made no attempt to conceal his presence; his voice resounded throughout the battlefield, ensuring that countless living beings heard his words.
Clearly, he believed he had foreseen everything.
The Sacred Court clearly underestimated his power, only sending the Nine Mysteries Holy Lord and two Late-stage Holy Lord experts, along with Han Xuanji's formation, which was indeed a considerable amount of attention.
But clearly, these cultivators had no idea how powerful he was now.
The moment Zi stepped through the air, the entire sky seemed to be pressed down by something; the clouds suddenly lowered by a third, and the distant Desolate Domain mountain range trembled slightly.
Its body was as tall as an iron tower, its dark red skin covered with a layer of fine purple armor that seemed to be integrated into its flesh and blood, its long blood-red hair was scattered behind its head and fluttered wildly in the wind, and the eerie green light in its vertical pupils was so strong that it almost overflowed.
With each step he took, a visible ripple spread across the space beneath his feet, a sign of overwhelming power.
He deliberately unleashed an overwhelming aura of pressure, even towards his own people.
The five Saint Holy Lord- level Eternal Deity outside the city watched his actions with varying expressions.
The scaled deity stuck out its forked tongue and whispered to the snow-white giant wolf beside it:
"Look at his behavior. I don't know what stroke of luck he had to gain the favor of Great One, and now he thinks he's someone important."
The snow-white giant wolf snorted, its tone sour:
"Indeed, what is he without the gift of Great One?"
Although Zi had a reputation for causing trouble, among the Eternal Deity, strength was paramount. Any Eternal Deity at the Holy Lord level could easily kill Zi with a single slap.
This guy also likes to provoke others, steal resources, and use all sorts of underhanded tactics. If it weren't for having a good brother, he would have been beaten to death long ago.
Now, things have taken a turn for the better; he has transformed into the tenth Guardian under the Great One.
"Hmph, as the cultivators say, it's just a petty person getting ahead."
The several Eternal Deity were sharp-tongued, but their gazes towards Zi all carried an undisguised sense of apprehension.
Zi's strength has improved by leaps and bounds, which is no secret in the circle of Eternal Deity in the Heavenly South Desolate Domain. Otherwise, he would not have been able to raise such a large army in such a short period of time.
It is said that even the An, who is also Guardian, had difficulty defeating him.
These deities were willing to obey Zi's commands not only because of the promises of benefits, but also because Zi's power was genuine, leaving them no choice but to follow his orders.
Zi's figure hovered high in the sky ten miles directly in front of Thousand Souls City, looking down at the city walls.
His gaze swept over Mo Chenxiao, then over the two elders of the Sacred Court, and finally landed on Han Xuanji, a cold, eerie green glint flashing in his vertical pupils.
"You are Han Xuanji?"
He spoke, his voice sharp and somewhat grating:
"I heard you're the Young Venerable of the Sacred Court? You're so young, why aren't you staying home cultivating? What are you doing here to die?"
He grinned, revealing a set of sharp teeth:
"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll give you a chance."
If you lead your men out of Thousand Souls City now, I will spare your life.
otherwise--"
He raised his hand and pointed towards the city wall, a dark red sphere of light condensing at his fingertip. The sphere crackled with lightning, and its aura caused the entire city wall to hum.
"I will bury you all here."
Zi was also somewhat wary. After all, as the most famous prodigy of the Sacred Court in this era, he didn't believe that the Sacred Court hadn't left him some kind of life-saving method.
In his view, it would be best to give Han Xuanji face and let him leave with some people, so that the two would have nothing to do with each other.
The faces of the cultivators in the city turned deathly pale.
The pressure was too strong. Although it was weakened by most of the formation, even the slightest lingering aura caused many cultivators with low cultivation levels to feel their legs go weak.
Some powerful cultivators could barely stand. If it weren't for Han Xuanji and the others, Zi's aura alone would have been enough to make almost all the cultivators in the city lose their will to resist.
Upon hearing Zi's words, some cultivators began to waver.
" Undying die myself" is what most people think, and some cultivators who are afraid of death wish they could agree to this condition on Han Xuanji's behalf.
The two elders of the Sacred Court exchanged a glance, their expressions extremely solemn.
One of the tall, thin elders realized that the two of them had underestimated the difficulty of this mission. They had thought that with the two Holy Lord and the Nine Mysteries Holy Lord, dealing with a small beast tide would be a piece of cake.
After all, the largest beast tide the Sacred Court had ever dealt with was caused by only one Holy Lord- level Eternal Deity going berserk; in most cases, it posed little threat.
"Something's not right. Perhaps we should take Young Venerable with us and leave first."
The tall, thin elder was very decisive, feeling that there was absolutely no need to fight to the death with these Eternal Deity; Han Xuanji's safety was the most important thing.
Given their status, they naturally knew that Han Xuanji becoming the " Young Emperor " was a foregone conclusion, and they absolutely could not allow him to die prematurely.
Even with their status as Holy Lord, they would still face punishment upon returning.
"That's right, Young Venerable cannot be harmed."
Another plump elder surnamed Chen nodded hurriedly, indicating that he was not afraid.
They are, after all, elders of the Sacred Court, with profound cultivation, and it's difficult for them to die. The only concern is that they might not have time to look after Han Xuanji when a fight breaks out.
After discussing it, the tall, thin elder also transmitted his voice to Han Xuanji, saying urgently:
" Young Venerable, something's wrong. Zi's strength far exceeds the estimates in the intelligence; he's already comparable to Peak Holy Lord."
"You take your men and retreat first. Elder Chen and I will go up and hold him off. You quickly send a message to Holy Lord Mingyan, asking him to request higher-level support."
Elder Chen also said repeatedly:
" Young Venerable, this matter is beyond our capabilities; we cannot fight it head-on."
Mo Chenxiao's usual carefree smile was gone, replaced by a deep frown.
He stared at the eye in mid-air and said in a deep voice:
" Xuanji, the situation is not good. I originally thought that even if Zi became stronger, he wouldn't be that powerful."
I never imagined that the 'Candle' would bestow such terrifying power upon this guy.
He secretly calculated in his heart that although his combat strength was comparable to that of Late-stage Holy Lord, he probably wouldn't be a match for this guy in a fight.
Han Xuanji gently shook her head, her tone calm:
"Master, it's over."
"Um?"
Mo Chenxiao was stunned for a moment, then looked at Han Xuanji and saw that he was not flustered at all, and even had a very faint smile on his lips.
Mo Chenxiao was puzzled at first, then seemed to realize something and raised an eyebrow.
He recalled the incident in the Judgment Court; his apprentice was not the kind of reckless brute who only knew how to fight and kill.
Han Xuanji is always the type to think three steps ahead before acting. Since he dared to come to Thousand Souls City, he probably already took Zi's strength into account.
Mo Chenxiao felt somewhat relieved, but he still couldn't help asking:
"Are you so sure? Did the Saint Emperor give you something?"
I guess so.
Han Xuanji nodded slightly to his master without offering any further explanation.
He had already confirmed with the Immeasurable Saint Emperor several times.
The other party also assured him of one thing.
Be bold and do it.
With the guarantee of the Immeasurable Saint Emperor, and the simulation of Chu Qi's future also indicating that he would be safe and sound.
With Han Xuanji's own multiple trump cards and numerous safeguards, she naturally had ample confidence.
In mid-air, seeing no one responding from the city wall, the smile on his face gradually faded, and the coldness in his vertical pupils intensified.
Just as he was about to erupt, Han Xuanji dropped his pretense, suddenly stepped forward, and said in a deep voice:
"You idiot, you're about to die and you still don't realize it?"
Upon hearing this, silence fell over both the city walls and the surrounding area.
Mo Chenxiao's lips twitched, thinking to himself that this kid was even more arrogant than his master.