Chapter 625: Chapter 625: Arrogant
In an instant, the aura of the two-tiered hall collapsed entirely, leaving the occupants spitting up blood and crashing to the ground. The child who had risked his life to flee was now trembling in fear.
"Da Dong..."
Seeing this with his own eyes, he made no attempt to pull up the man in white robes. Meanwhile, Xiao Tong, tangled in a blanket off to the side, gazed at the two Jin Zhens, guilt written all over their faces as they browsed books.
Yet, Dong Yi was visibly terrified. The two Qingqings ignored him, staring in horror at the white-robed man while desperately waving their hands and shouting, "Don’t kill me! Don’t! I... I am not a tester! I’m not—"
The moment these words left his lips, the faces of those in the two-tiered hall instantly darkened.
Although he could understand the child’s plea, in that moment, fear gripped his heart.
But to him, these words sounded as though they echoed noisily in his ears. She claimed she wasn’t a cultivator, but rather a white-robed man had said, as long as he killed the two people who seemed promising, it would suffice.
However, it was clear that the man in white robes wouldn’t spare a single person. He merely sneered coldly, slowly raising his hand. "So what if it’s not you? It’s useless regardless! This is all because of your boyfriend’s mistake."
The man in the white robe clapped his hands fiercely.
When Du Zhen saw this, he desperately screamed while the two Jin Zhens struggled to resist with all their might. But their limbs had gone limp, leaving them glaring wide-eyed as they braced for impact.
Thunk!
A resounding boom echoed as dust billowed into the air. Du Zhen and Da Dong were suddenly buried together under the debris, their eyes tightly shut.
Yet there was no pain whatsoever emanating from their bodies.
"Is this it for me? Does death truly come without pain? Am I... am I so stubborn that I can’t sense the tides of death at all?"
As these thoughts flickered through his mind, he slowly opened his eyes. He wanted to take a look at what the world of the dead was like.
But upon opening his eyes, he didn’t see the heaven or hell he had imagined.
Instead, he found himself sitting in the depths of a mountain, coiled up, trembling, with his eyes shut tightly.
The only difference was before him. Where the white-robed man who had sacrificed lives had vanished, standing in his place were a black-haired man and a woman dressed in white. The woman stood gracefully in front of him, exquisite like an angel descending from the heavens.
"Yang Heng, what is this place? Why are we on a mountain?"
When the two looked at each other in their daze, the white-robed woman gazed somewhat accusingly at the man in black robes and asked him this question softly.
The man in black robes, however, only muttered an apology toward her. Finally, he turned around and asked, "Where is this place?"
Where is this place?
Even they didn’t understand the situation fully, but with resolve in his voice, he declared, "This... this is the Alps."
The Alps? In Europe?
The man in black nodded upon hearing this, and then the woman in white said, "So we’re finally back."
Back? What do they mean by ’back’?
Could these two actually be remnants of underworld messengers? Their countenance and presence were so different from the mythical tales Du Jinxiu had heard. As he pondered this, suddenly the scene unfolded like a script in a play. The white-robed man lunged back into the fray, his robes dusted down. He roared as though ready to strike the black-robed man before him, shouting, "You arrogant fool! Die!"
Beware.
But in the blink of an eye, Du Fu leaped forward, shouting suddenly as he moved to warn the black-clad man.
The man in black, however, remained utterly unfazed, his eyes meeting with the white-robed man’s in cold hostility.
In a flash, the white-robed man encountered something utterly terrifying—an expression of sheer shock crossed his face as the man in black swatted him down with a casual slap. His body crumbled like paper.
"Dead? He’s dead?"
Even in death, he hadn’t seen it coming. The black-robed man hadn’t even broken a sweat, while the man in white had been reduced to nothing more than a pitiful rodent. Staring down at his disgrace, the black-robed man’s commanding presence was undeniable.
Even Chen Jing, standing on the sidelines, could only gape. Her lips parted, then closed again helplessly. Several heartbeats passed, yet she couldn’t even utter a single word.
What level of power did Qin Qing possess?
The white-robed man, capable of striking fear into the hearts of others, had been seemingly tailor-made as a natural predator! And yet, the man in black had effortlessly swatted him aside—a level of power that was difficult to fathom.
"Is this the realm of divinity? Are you truly at God-level strength?" The two stared at the black-robed man, their faces etched with disbelief.
"God-level?"
The black-robed man laughed out loud upon hearing their query, exchanging a glance with the woman in white beside him, as though amused by the idea.
For they had returned—through the spatial passageway opened by Ruvik Cube—from the Yang Chuan of Earth!
What is Yang Chuan?
In the mortal realm, he was regarded as the strongest Mahayana practitioner to ever live. Even during Yang Chuan’s Great Victory Period, few could contest his might! If the white-robed woman by his side spoke truly, then Chen Xue—who had returned to Earth with Yang Chuan—must also harbor remarkable strength.
Compared to them, figures like Jing Zhi were as inconsequential as ants.
At this point, the only clarity Du Jinxiu could discern was the ominous threat they represented. Why was it that Xin Atu had chosen to pursue such a path? Were such powers even attainable on Earth?
Indeed.
The white-robed man’s eyes betrayed the intrigue swirling within him. For him to step into the ranks of a half-divine practitioner was extraordinary.
During Yang Chuan’s time on Earth, Divine Dao had barely even manifested its presence on a planetary scale.
As far as Earth’s cultivators were concerned, the notorious Xin Atu was nothing more than cosmic cannon fodder for Yang Chuan’s implacable Divine Dao supremacy!
Of course, even so, despite all the rumors surrounding him, in truth, Xin Atu’s disciples were roots akin to demons, smokers, or charlatans unworthy of their notoriety.
But just now, the man openly practicing an orthodox school of cultivation had reached power levels nearing Divine Dao itself, which naturally piqued Yang Chuan’s curiosity.
As Yang Chuan gazed at the two men before him, wondering aloud, "Xin Atu’s cultivators... are they now considered Earth’s most powerful force?"
"Strongest?"
At this revelation, Yang Tian’s brow furrowed deeply.
To his understanding, even in his absence, figures like Warsaw’s Thousand Sword Celebrities, Biyue, and Qingyue Dazi should have been more than sufficient to dominate Earth’s power structure.
If stories of Xin Atu’s sudden rise amidst the chaos following humanity’s cultivation awakening were true, then Liu’s leadership in the development of China might pale in comparison. How had this astonishing reversal come to pass?
As Liang Chuan digested these thoughts, his voice thundered decisively, "Explain thoroughly!"
"Yes, senior."
Thus began an account of Earth’s shifting tides since Yang Chuan had disappeared several years ago, as narrated by the trembling disciples.
It turned out that after Yang Da set foot into the realms unseen, the world trembled under the arrival of an unprecedented era of Divine Level cultivators. Even more alarmingly, individuals genuinely breaching Godly boundaries soon emerged!
Regions once dominated by Earth’s average cultivators witnessed rapid shifts. Throughout numerous encounters, practitioners unveiled their strengths, gradually pulling cultivation out of obscurity and spreading its allure among humanity. Knowledge of cultivation became commonplace; countless began diligently pursuing this newfound path upward.
Although a world filled with cultivating masses seemed promising, particularly for figures like Yang Tianwei who thrived upon China’s exponential advancements—it wasn’t without pitfalls.
For cultivation by its nature demanded rigorous discipline, innate talent, and luck, rendering true achievement exceedingly rare. Many disheartened individuals chose shortcuts, Xin Atu being a popular destination.
For ordinary people, believing in "gods" offered unmatched advantages within regions overseen by Xin Atu disciples. Rather than spend decades honing their craft, devotees gained instantaneous powers merely through faith!