The opening scene reveals the story of Yao Lao, alarming the Soul Emperor.

The moment Hun Yue stepped out of the shadows, the oppressive aura emanating from both sides of the main hall vanished instantly.

The auras of the twenty-six Dou Zun retreated almost simultaneously.

It wasn't ordered by someone; it was instinct.

When the Five Heavenly Venerables stood up, no one was willing to leave their own aura in the arena and mix it with his.

That's not called stacking, that's called courting death.

The main hall suddenly fell silent, with only the faint crackling of the will-o'-the-wisps and the heavy footsteps of Hun Yue remaining.

He stood on the right side of the passage, about twenty steps away from Hunyu, looking down at the pale-faced young man in white.

"You're that Soul Feather?"

"Yes."

"He killed a Dou Zun without using his battle aura?"

"Good luck."

Hun Yue laughed, but the laugh was short.

"I am also a Dou Zun. Why don't you give it a try and see if your luck still holds true?"

"Five Heavenly Venerables are joking," Hunyu said, slinging his fan over his shoulder. "How could I, a cripple from a collateral branch, dare to spar with a Heavenly Venerable?"

"A useless person?"

Hun Yue's gaze moved from his face to the white feather fan in his hand, and then to his feet.

"The stone slab beneath your feet is shattered like this. The combined pressure of the twenty-six Dou Zun on both sides would make even a four-star Dou Zong unable to stand. Not only are you standing, but you can also walk and chat at the same time."

"Is this what you call a useless person?"

Hunyu didn't reply.

Hun Yue took two steps forward.

"I've been sitting in this chair for quite a while now, just looking at one thing."

"What is it?"

Are you really not afraid, or are you just pretending?

Is there a difference?

"Yes." Hun Yue's smile faded. "Those who are truly fearless have hidden cards up their sleeves. Those who pretend to be fearless have tricks up their sleeves."

"I don't like fancy tricks."

"What does that Heavenly Venerable like?"

"I prefer simplicity."

He moved as soon as he finished speaking.

There was no warning whatsoever.

The nine-foot-tall figure took a step forward, raised its right palm, and a huge wave of black battle aura surged from its palm.

It wasn't intimidation, it was an attack.

A genuine half-step Dou Zun level Dou Qi, wrapped in destructive power, struck directly at Hun Yu's back.

The width of the wave covered an area of ​​three zhang (approximately 10 meters) to the left and right of the passage, leaving no room for evasion.

People on both sides of the main hall changed their expressions.

"Soul Mountain!"

The old man in the gray robe called out.

No one responded.

The massive black wave of fighting spirit has arrived.

Hunyu stopped a moment before the giant wave hit his back.

He turned to the side.

The movements are slow.

It could even be described as very slow.

He turned halfway around as if he were taking a stroll in an alley and occasionally glancing at the scenery behind him.

She took the white feather fan off her shoulder and gently unfolded it at her side.

The golden feathers shone for a fleeting moment.

When that massive wave of black battle qi, powerful enough to severely injure a Dou Zong, crashed into the fan, it neither exploded nor clashed.

It turned a corner.

The massive wave was guided along the arc of the fan, changing direction and gliding past Hunyu's side before plunging into the cracks in the broken stone slabs beneath his feet, where it was completely swallowed by the earth.

The ground shook, and several cracks extended another two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) in length.

Then there is no more.

The hall returned to silence.

Hunyu stood still, not a single crease appearing on his white robe.

He looked at Hun Yue, covered his mouth with a handkerchief, and coughed twice.

"Five Heavenly Venerables, please forgive my bluntness."

He folded the handkerchief and tucked it into his sleeve, then put the fan back on his shoulder.

"Didn't you eat enough for breakfast? You don't have enough strength to even swat away flies."

The air in the hall seemed to freeze for a moment.

The two Dou Zun in the first row on the left turned their heads at the same time, their expressions complicated.

The people on the right, towards the back, exchanged glances, but no one spoke.

The old man in the gray robe moved his lips, but ultimately said nothing.

Everyone was watching Hunyue's reaction.

He is ranked fifth among the Nine Heavens Venerables, a peak half-step Dou Zun, and is known for his explosive temper in the Heavenly Gang Palace.

He struck out with his palm, but a disciple from a collateral branch with no cultivation level brushed it into the ground with a fan. The disciple then told everyone in the hall that he wasn't strong enough to swat a fly.

To put it mildly, this is a slap in the face; to put it more seriously, it's like rubbing the face of a deity into the ground.

Hun Yue's reaction was slower than anyone expected.

He stood there, looking at Hunyu, the muscles on his face twitching.

About five breaths later, he smiled.

The smile was unpleasant.

"You've got guts."

He uttered two words, and then all the stone slabs beneath his feet shattered.

It wasn't a crack; it was a catastrophic collapse.

Centered on his feet, the ground within a radius of five zhang collapsed by half a foot, and rubble and dust were swept into the air by a terrifying shockwave.

His cultivation level no longer showed any signs of abating.

The aura of a peak half-step Dou Zun was fully released, and six ghost flames on both sides of the passage were extinguished in succession, causing the eerie green light to shake violently.

He took a step forward.

With just one step, the entire floor of the hall trembled.

"Your fan is indeed something special," he said in a low, deep voice, "it can block one of my palm strikes."

"But I want to see if it can withstand ten of my palm strikes."

"Five Heavenly Venerables." A voice spoke from the shadows of the high platform, not loud, but extremely penetrating, "Enough is enough."

Hun Yue ignored him.

He stared at Hun Yu, black battle qi seeping from his pores, forming a distorted aura around him.

"The clan chief's decree summoned you to Zhongzhou because you are capable."

"Today I want to test just how capable you really are."

"Can you dodge the second strike?"

Hunyu stood amidst the rubble and dust, the hem of her white robes billowing in the air currents.

He neither retreated nor raised his fan.

He looked at Hun Yue and smiled.

"Five Heavenly Venerables, I have a request for you."

"What?"

"Before you make a move, look down at your feet."

Hun Yue's expression changed for a moment.

He did not bow his head.

But he had already caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye.

On the ground that shattered when he unleashed his full power, several extremely fine golden lines were slowly extending from the cracks in the rubble.

The pattern and arrangement of those lines were exactly the same as the trajectory of Hun Yu's palm strike that had been guided into the ground with his fan.

His pupils contracted slightly.

Hunyu gently tapped his shoulder with his fan.

"The fighting spirit from your palm strike just now was channeled underground by me. You thought it disappeared?"

No. It's still there.

"It's located three feet beneath your feet, spreading out along the crack in the stone slab for a full twenty paces. Now, that battle aura is contained within my array patterns; all I need to do is close my fan..."

He paused for a moment.

"Think about what will happen to you."

Hun Yue lowered his head.

The golden patterns on the ground had spread to his feet, encircling him completely.

The patterns shimmered slightly, carrying a chilling, rhythmic pulse.

"When did you set up the formation?"

"When you made your move."

"It has been less than ten breaths since I made my move."

"That's enough." Hun Yu waved his fan. "Your palm strike gave me enough energy, and I just used it. Thank you."

A collective gasp rose from both sides of the main hall.

Several figures in the shadows of the high platform sat up straight.

Hun Yue's lips twitched twice, his black battle aura shield shook violently, and the fat on his face bulged together.