Furthermore, many of China's high-ranking officials were already aware that the Emperor of Da Gan was also a compatriot of Huaxia, thus considered "one of their own."
Regarding the online discourse about the "Da Gan Emperor being an outsider," the Huaxia authorities did not offer any explanations.
This was because the elder had issued an order: Xu Mo's information was classified at the highest security level, accessible only to top-tier officials.
Any attempt to investigate Xu Mo's information now would yield nothing; he simply did not exist in any records.
...
Another peak collapsed from the residual impact. The two had exchanged blows hundreds of times, and Shan Zu was gradually falling into a disadvantage, being suppressed by Xu Mo.
Shan Zu's expression was grim. His palms were numb with pain, bleeding continuously, only to be healed by spiritual energy.
As the battle progressed, his defeat was becoming inevitable, filling him with immense rage!
To be defeated by an early-stage Saint while possessing the strength of a mid-stage Saint and the aid of a Saint artifact was incredibly frustrating!
Xu Mo was also panting, not faring much better. His fists were numb, and his spiritual energy was severely depleted!
Shan Zu had a continuous supply of power from his Dao foundation, whereas Xu Mo relied solely on his internal spiritual energy. If not for the Chaos Furnace that could replenish his spiritual energy, he wouldn't have lasted this long.
It was at this moment that Xu Mo realized the profound importance of a Dao foundation.
In his previous battle with Bai Yue, neither had utilized their Dao foundation. He hadn't yet condensed his, and Bai Yue's had been stolen by him. They fought purely with their own strength, which was quite limiting.
True battles between Saints involved the power from their Dao foundations.
"He's almost done for, finish him off quickly, don't let him escape!"
The drifting bottle had been observing the battle, and its shock was even greater than Shan Zu's!
Shan Zu believed Xu Mo was using the power from his Dao foundation, but the drifting bottle knew that Xu Mo's Dao foundation hadn't even formed yet, and he was going head-to-head with Shan Zu using pure, raw strength!
Watching Xu Mo's fight with Shan Zu, the drifting bottle began to question its own existence.
It had experienced numerous crossings, spanning a vast period, and had encountered many geniuses. They were all exceptionally talented, capable of fighting beyond their realms, facing multiple opponents simultaneously, and so on.
But it had never encountered anyone as outrageous as Xu Mo, who could fight across realms without utilizing the power of his Dao foundation. This was terrifying.
The drifting bottle dared not imagine how powerful Xu Mo would become once his Dao foundation condensed.
That was a Dao foundation forged by the Nine Tribulations Heavenly Thunder!
A supreme Dao foundation built by overcoming eight tribulations of heavenly thunder was already incredibly formidable, with such prodigies generally capable of fighting across two minor realms.
The Dao foundation built by nine tiers of heavenly thunder was simply unimaginable.
The drifting bottle suddenly found itself anticipating what Xu Mo's Dao foundation would be like once it condensed. If eight tribulations were called a supreme Dao foundation, what would nine tiers be called? Perhaps an ultimate Dao foundation?
"Don't worry, he won't escape!"
Xu Mo's aura began to surge. He fed a pile of rare treasures into the Chaos Furnace for refinement, converting them into pure spiritual energy that flowed into his body, replenishing his consumption.
The Chaos Furnace not only aided in cultivation but also served as a 'power bank.'
During battle, as long as it was continuously supplied with refineable rare treasures, it would endlessly convert and output spiritual energy to compensate for any depletion!
In the blink of an eye, Xu Mo's spiritual energy deficit was completely replenished, restoring him to his peak.
Sensing Xu Mo's change, Shan Zu's expression drastically shifted, and he exclaimed, "You... what divine object did you consume to recover to your peak so instantly!?"
He was horrified. He had hoped to escape while the Emperor of Da Gan was depleted of spiritual energy, but now that the latter had instantly recovered, how could he possibly flee?
"Too much nonsense, die!"
Xu Mo snorted coldly and unleashed the Dragon Emperor's Dao Fist again, striking towards Shan Zu's face.
Seeing this, Shan Zu gritted his teeth and mustered his remaining strength to engage Xu Mo once more.
However, after less than ten exchanges this time, Shan Zu could no longer hold on.
Cracks began to appear on his body, like brittle rock, accompanied by a 'crackling' sound.
Shan Zu was greatly alarmed and continued to wield his Saint artifact, the Dragon Tooth Staff, for defense.
But Xu Mo's offense was incredibly fierce, one punch after another, expending spiritual energy as if it were limitless, giving Shan Zu no chance to breathe.
A massive crack appeared on Shan Zu's arm. With a 'snap,' the entire arm was severed and fell to the ground.
"No!" Shan Zu's eyes reddened, bloodshot. He was filled with unwillingness. Was he truly going to die like this?
Die at the hands of a newly ascended Saint, an early-stage Saint?
He felt stifled, unwilling, resentful, and ashamed. After failing his last crossing, he had paid a great price to slumber on Earth, enduring over two thousand years, only to await a new crossing.
Yet, before the crossing had even officially begun, he was about to perish. It was too unbearable!
"Boom!!!" A massive explosion echoed as Shan Zu's body, like a mountain, collapsed. His flesh and blood turned into earth and stone, plummeting from the sky.
Shan Zu had perished!
Xu Mo retracted his numb fists. This was his first time engaging in a full-blown battle with a true Saint and successfully killing one, which gave him much insight.
"The power of the Dao foundation seems to be the hallmark of a Saint?"
Xu Mo mused, then looked inward at his own Dao foundation, which remained a chaotic expanse, not yet condensed.
He felt regret; his Dao foundation was forming too slowly. At this pace, he had no idea when it would finally form.
Without a Dao foundation, he could only rely on his own strength to clash with others. Honestly, Xu Mo found it quite exhausting.
"Forget it, brute force it is. As long as I can win, that's all that matters," Xu Mo shook his head.
He then looked down at the pile of earth and stones, which was Shan Zu's corpse. It was peculiar that it hadn't dissolved into flesh and blood.
Suddenly, a radiant golden light shot out from the earth and stones, emanating a sacred aura, incredibly divine!
Upon its appearance, the golden light flew directly towards Xu Mo, merging into his body, causing him to glow with golden light, as if a Buddha had descended.
Experiencing the effects of the golden light, Xu Mo's expression was one of surprise. "This golden light... it feels like the aura of a Fortune Fruit. Could this be fortune?"
"That's right, it's fortune!" The drifting bottle appeared beside him and said, "In a crossing, when you kill a Saint, you gain all of that Saint's fortune. It's directly plundered; you don't need to absorb it."
Xu Mo suddenly understood why the golden light had automatically flowed into his body without him doing anything.
After entering his body, the golden light settled in one place, becoming calm.
He continued to examine it carefully, ensuring there was no danger from this golden light of fortune, before finally relaxing.