53: Kneel

Mu Wanqing immediately breathed a sigh of relief, hiding behind Chen Xuan as a sense of security flooded her heart.

Her previous nervousness was completely swept away.

The surrounding Cultivators had varying expressions upon seeing the man in white. But at this moment, an image couldn't help but surface in all their minds.

This person had killed the Crimson Firmament Sect Grand Elder with a single sword strike!

Liu Ruyan narrowed her eyes slightly and gave a soft snort. "What a coincidence, to run into him here."

The Yin Yang Sect Master said flatteringly from the side, "Sect Master Liu, this is an Opportunity not to be missed! With that Earth-rank High-grade Divine Ability, your strength will surely reach a higher level."

Liu Ruyan didn't reply, simply watching quietly from the side; if she were to strike, she would have to wait for the best moment to reap the benefits. Although that trash from the Crimson Firmament Sect was certainly no match for him, it would still be worth it if he could consume some of his Spiritual Qi.

The Second Elder was also a man who knew when to yield and when to stand tall, having the thick skin to snatch a Junior's Opportunity in front of everyone.

He also had the face to immediately cup his hands and apologize after Chen Xuan appeared. "Senior, it's a misunderstanding! This Junior did not know this girl was a Disciple of your noble Sect."

To take down the man in white before him, he would have to join forces with the Sect Master. His current concession would surely be repaid a hundredfold later. The Second Elder constantly adjusted his mindset.

Chen Xuan let out a "Heh" and calmly spat out two words: "Kneel down!"

"What?"

For a moment, the Second Elder thought he had misheard.

"Offending a Disciple of my Dao Seeking Sect requires kneeling and kowtowing in apology," Chen Xuan said in a calm tone.

The Second Elder's face turned grim.

"Damn, this Dao Seeking Sect is too arrogant. The other party is the Second Elder of the Crimson Firmament Sect, yet he actually dares to tell him to kneel."

"Hiss, so what if he's the Second Elder? Even the Grand Elder was killed with a single sword strike. Besides, the Dao Seeking Sect has the Bamboo Mountain Sword Sect backing them up."

"Could this Dao Seeking Sect be a subsidiary force of the Bamboo Mountain Sword Sect?"

"Fight! Hurry up and fight! Maybe there'll be some scraps left for me to pick up."

The Second Elder's grim face looked like it was dipped in ice, the veins on his forehead writhing like earthworms. "Does Your Excellency really intend to be so aggressive?"

"Aggressive? You're not even worthy!"

A playful expression curved the corners of Chen Xuan's mouth as he continued, "Kneel down and apologize, leave your storage ring behind, and I can grant you a way to live."

The Second Elder's Adam's apple bobbed as his gaze swept over the surroundings.

If he really knelt today, the Crimson Firmament Sect would lose all face. Although those people wouldn't dare discuss it openly, it would inevitably become the laughingstock of the entire East Region in secret.

But if he didn't kneel, the power of that man's sword strike was far too terrifying.

He took a deep breath and said slowly, "Fine, fine, fine! I will remember today's humiliation."

The Yin Yang Sect Master was full of astonishment, her phoenix eyes widening. "Could it be that the Crimson Firmament Sect's Second Elder is really going to yield to the Dao Seeking Sect?"

Liu Ruyan explained calmly, "For these old fellows, the higher their Realm, the more they cherish their lives. Only after breaking through to the Golden Core Realm can one appreciate how difficult the journey has been."

"But if he really kneels, the Crimson Firmament Sect's backbone will be broken."

Liu Ruyan gave a charming smile. "In this East Region, the Five Great Hegemon-level Forces are still too many. It's just right if one or two Sects disappear."

After weighing the pros and cons, the Second Elder took out his storage ring and threw it toward the man in white. The pitch-black ring drew an arc in the air, flying toward Chen Xuan with a surge of spiritual power.

Just as everyone thought the Crimson Firmament Sect's Second Elder was about to kneel and apologize...

In an instant!

The spiritual power around him suddenly erupted, and a crimson light rose up like flames.

"Heaven-Burning Raging Flames!"

With a loud roar, five crimson-gold pillars of fire erupted from the ground, surging toward Chen Xuan like coiling dragons. Everywhere they passed, the air was scorched into distortion. The crackling flames were mixed with tiny sparks that ignited into zhang-high blazes upon hitting the ground.

All the flames suddenly converged, condensing into a zhang-long blood-colored spear. The tip was surrounded by distorted heat waves, and the surrounding space rippled from the heat. The spear, carrying the power to collapse mountains and shatter stones, pierced straight toward Chen Xuan's face with a sharp whistling sound.

This was one of his trump cards, an Earth-rank Low-grade Divine Ability of the Crimson Firmament Sect.

The Second Elder knew clearly that the Realm of the man in white was not weaker than his own. Therefore, he feigned an apology, which was actually a sneak attack while Chen Xuan was relaxed.

"You dare make me kneel? Let's see if you die from this move!"

After his words fell, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. This was the backlash from burning his Essence Blood to use 'Heaven-Burning Raging Flames'.

To ensure nothing went wrong, the Second Elder had not hesitated to burn a portion of his Essence Blood to enhance its power.

Boom!

Accompanied by a deafening explosion, the scorching flames instantly swallowed the man in white and the Yellow-Skirts Girl behind him.

Everyone gasped. A Golden Core Expert was truly terrifying!

Liu Ruyan narrowed her eyes and praised, "What a calculating mind. If I were to face this move, I'm afraid I would also be heavily injured."

The Yin Yang Sect Master grumbled in her heart. As expected, no one who can reach the Golden Core is easy to deal with. This Dao Seeking Sect Master is still too young.

"Sect Master Liu, what should we do now? Should we strike?"

Liu Ruyan was about to nod when her pupils constricted and her heart rate suddenly accelerated. "How is this possible?"

"Crack!" With a crisp sound, the flames that had swallowed Chen Xuan and the girl were instantly blown away by a ripple of Qi.

The sinister smile on the Second Elder's face froze, the blood drained from his face, and he looked at the scene before him with disbelief.

He saw Chen Xuan, who should have been in a wretched state, standing perfectly unharmed. He calmly looked up, his left hand composedly catching the storage ring. He extended a finger on his right hand, and a light green screen appeared at his fingertip.

That spear, powerful enough to collapse a mountain, actually shattered inch by inch like glass. The crimson flames hit the light screen and turned into sparks, without even a single heat wave splashing onto Chen Xuan's robes.

The surrounding Cultivators instantly erupted into a commotion, completely unaware that their Magical Artifacts had fallen to the ground with a "clang"!

Chen Xuan said calmly, "I gave you a chance to live, but unfortunately, you didn't know how to treasure it."

"Thud!" As Chen Xuan's words fell, the Second Elder knelt on the ground without hesitation, trembling as he said, "Please forgive me, Senior! Spare this Junior's life!"

Even a Golden Core Fourth Layer expert might not have been able to catch his previous move so easily. This person before him was very likely a Golden Core Fifth Layer expert, just like his Sect Master.

Chen Xuan glanced sideways. "The chance was given."

As his voice fell, his body didn't move; he only pointed his fingers forward like a sword.

A Green Glow, condensed to the extreme, shot out silently, so fast that the air didn't even have time to ripple. The Second Elder's pupils constricted; he wanted to retreat but found his body immobilized by an invisible spiritual force.

"Sect Master Liu, save me! Any price can be discussed!"

In an instant, a graceful figure appeared like a ghost. The silk ribbon at her waist suddenly expanded, turning into a sky full of pink silk ribbons interwoven into a net, meeting the Green Glow.

Boom!

The two collided, and the surrounding spiritual power surged wildly, making people's clothes flutter.

Many Sect Disciples near the Second Elder were directly blown away by this spiritual force, falling to the ground and dying instantly.

When immortals fight, it's the Mortals who suffer. It was exactly like that!

As soon as the pink ribbons touched the Green Glow, a "sizzling" burning sound erupted. Several ribbons instantly snapped inch by inch, dissolving into pink spots of light.

Liu Ruyan gave a muffled groan, forcibly twisting her body to stand in front of the Second Elder. She pushed both palms out to sacrifice a Carved Bronze Mirror. A spiritual light flashed on the mirror's surface, barely blocking the Green Glow three inches away.

"Pfft!" The immense force contained in the Green Glow made her retreat several steps, and a trace of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth. The spiritual light of the bronze mirror dimmed, and fine cracks appeared on its edges; it was clearly heavily damaged.