However, just because they did not dare did not mean no one else dared.
Lin Xuan's voice was not loud, but bolstered by his spiritual power, it reached everyone clearly, including Ming Gu and Cang He, who were still fighting.
Both men froze, clearly not expecting anyone to step forward at a time like this.
They stopped fighting one after the other and turned toward the voice, catching sight of Lin Xuan in his white robes.
Ming Gu and Cang He had not expected it, and neither had anyone else. Was there really someone so unafraid of death that he dared speak to the two of them like that?
When they saw that the speaker was none other than Lin Xuan, who had made Chu Yuechan yield her inner-circle spot with a single sentence earlier, their gazes grew stranger still.
Just what was the deal with this guy?
First, with one utterly baffling sentence, he had made Chu Yuechan, who had defeated a King Realm cultivator with her sword, willingly surrender her inner-circle spot. And now...
"Boy, what did you say?"
Ming Gu's gaze turned icy. When he sensed that Lin Xuan was only at the Tribulation Realm ninth level, killing intent surged in his heart.
"Looks like you don't understand human speech."
As his words fell, Lin Xuan abruptly slashed out with his sword beneath everyone's astonished gazes!
Sword Gang streaked like a rainbow, tearing through the sky as swiftly as startling thunder!
With a hum, Sword Gang filled the sky and engulfed Elder Ming Gu.
And then, there was no then...
When the Sword Gang dispersed, where was Elder Ming Gu's figure in the air?
Even his presence had vanished from heaven and earth forever.
All that remained was a horrified crowd, including Cang He of the Yuanming Sect, who had been fighting Ming Gu earlier.
Never had he imagined that Elder Ming Gu, who had been entangled with him for years, whom he had tried every possible means to eliminate, would fall just like that...
Slain by someone with a single sword strike.
Everyone looked at Lin Xuan as though they were looking at a monster.
And wasn't that exactly what he was?
Only now did they finally understand why Chu Yuechan had yielded her spot to Lin Xuan earlier...
Everything made sense.
So that was it. So that was it!
"I don't want any more fighting here."
Sheathing his sword, Lin Xuan addressed not only Cang He but everyone present with this warning. They could fight, but not here, or they would end up just like Elder Ming Gu.
A chill rose from the depths of Cang He's heart, leaving his entire body numb. Fortunately, his temper was not as explosive as Ming Gu's. Still, he too had been deeply displeased by Lin Xuan's words earlier. A mere Tribulation Realm ninth-level cultivator had actually dared speak to them like that.
He had originally intended to make trouble for Lin Xuan as well, but Ming Gu had been a step ahead of him...
Thinking back on it now, he was filled with lingering fear.
That had been close. He had nearly been the one to die...
Cang He did not think he could withstand a sword strike that even Ming Gu had failed to withstand.
After bowing to Lin Xuan, Cang He returned to his original spot.
At last, silence settled around the withered tree. One could even have heard a pin drop, as everyone feared making the slightest noise and disturbing the monster that was Lin Xuan.
"Just how strong is he?"
Chu Yuechan's feelings were complicated.
How could such a monster have appeared in the tiny Seven Moon-Reflecting Kingdoms?
At that moment, Lin Xuan seemed like a bottomless pit to her, unfathomably deep.
Whenever you thought you had seen his limit, Lin Xuan proved through his actions that it was merely the tip of his iceberg.
After defeating her with a single sword strike, he had defeated someone at King Realm second layer perfection with another...
Compared with him, even those in the Mystic Ranking's top ten could hardly be called geniuses, could they?
It had to be said that the withered tree contained an enormous amount of Spiritual Qi. Even with so many people, including over a dozen King Realm cultivators, absorbing it together, nearly half a day passed before it was finally exhausted.
Looking at the withered tree, which had completely lost its vitality, everyone still felt they had not had enough.
This half-day of cultivation equaled months or even years of cultivation in the outside world.
Lin Xuan had likewise gained a great deal.
Not only had his injuries nearly healed completely, but his cultivation had also advanced further. Already at King Realm first level perfection, he had now reached the King Realm second layer outright! He was only a step away from second layer perfection! All that remained was for him to fuse his second Great Dao.
After all, only a few days had passed since he broke through to the King Realm.
Of course, this was also thanks to Lin Xuan having comprehended twenty-two Great Daos early on, allowing him to skip the hardest part: comprehending the Great Dao.
Looking at the withered tree, now utterly devoid of life, everyone began to leave.
Some time later, only a handful of people remained.
Lin Xuan's injuries had also healed completely. He rose to his feet and prepared to leave as well.
But just then, a deafening crash stopped him in his tracks.
The enormous tree, which had already lost all vitality, began showing faint signs of revival. Soon, it broke apart and, before everyone's eyes, transformed into a bronze-armored wooden figure standing atop an enormous wooden platform!
It simply stood at one end of the platform, seemingly waiting for a challenger to step up and determine who was superior.
This bizarre sight left the few cultivators still present utterly shocked.
"What is this? A bronze-armored wooden figure? Gold, silver, bronze?"
Some were puzzled, while others opened their eyes wide, their expressions filled with shock!
"The Ancestral Tree Trial! This is the Ancestral Tree Trial! Hahaha, staying here really was the right choice."
"The Ancestral Tree Trial?"
"The Ancestral Tree Trial? The legendary Ancestral Tree Trial? Heavens..."
Some had heard of it, while others had not, but everyone who knew the legend cried out in shock.
"Rumor has it that an Ancestral Tree exists within the Heaven-Burning Mystic Realm. They say Earth Venerable Heaven-Burning obtained it from the Heavenly Desolation Sea Area. The last time anyone found this tree was centuries ago. In all the centuries since, it seemed to have vanished and never appeared again. Who would have thought... it had now become a withered tree... No wonder it still contained such pure, concentrated spiritual power even after withering."
"They say that anyone who passes the Ancestral Tree Trial can obtain an extremely precious reward. That so-called trial should be this bronze-armored wooden figure, right?"
"The wooden figure's strength changes according to the challenger's cultivation realm. Whatever realm the challenger is at, the wooden figure will be at the same realm."
The few people present were eager to try, their eyes shining as they watched the bronze-armored wooden figure.
The earth-shaking crash had also attracted many cultivators from the surrounding area, who hurried over. Before long, the crowd here began to grow again.
One figure, however, appeared on the bronze-armored wooden figure's platform ahead of everyone else. It was none other than Lin Xuan.
"It's him!"
By now, one group after another had come and gone, so very few of those present recognized Lin Xuan.
Those few who did recognize Lin Xuan all held their breath and focused their gazes on him.