41: Chapter 41 The Descent of a Sage, the Might of the Imperial Weapon

Above the Imperial Capital of Great Xia, the sky darkened without warning.

It was not the dimness of dark clouds blocking the sun, but a deeper darkness, as if the firmament had been completely covered by a massive, purple-black curtain.

In the Void Realm, purple lightning snakes danced wildly, each one ten thousand zhang long, tearing through the sky, yet no thunder rumbled; there was only a heart-palpitating pressure.

"Thump!"

On a bustling street in the Imperial Capital, a peddler hawking his wares felt his legs go weak and fell directly to his knees, his face pale, fine threads of blood seeping from his seven orifices.

This seemed to be a signal.

Immediately following, the sounds of "thump, thump" rose one after another. On the streets, in the restaurants, and inside the mansions, countless Mortal commoners, regardless of age or gender, were forced to their knees by this invisible pressure descending from the sky, their bodies trembling, their spines feeling as if they were about to be snapped in two.

Even those Martial Artists possessing cultivation could not be spared.

Martial Artists in the Body Tempering Realm knelt instantly, and those in the Acquired Realm could only barely hold on for a moment before vomiting blood and collapsing to the ground.

The Imperial Guards within the palace, all one-in-a-hundred Innate Realm experts, were now flushed with red faces, using all their strength to prop themselves up with their long halberds to avoid kneeling in public, but beneath their armor, their bones were already groaning under the unbearable burden.

In this moment, all tens of millions of living beings in the entire Imperial Capital of Great Xia were suppressed by an irresistible, mighty force, their hearts filled with terror.

"Has the sky collapsed?"

"Which deity is enraged..."

"Help me... I can't breathe..."

Desperate wails echoed in every corner of the Imperial Capital.

Just then, a huge crack suddenly split open in the center of that thick, purple-black sky.

A magnificent purple pagoda slowly descended from that fissure.

The pagoda had nine levels, and its body was engraved with ancient patterns of the sun, moon, stars, birds, beasts, insects, and fish, each pattern exuding an ancient and powerful Aura.

It merely hovered there, yet the wisps of Aura it emitted caused the space below to crack and collapse, turning into Chaos.

"An Imperial Weapon! That is... the legendary Imperial Weapon!"

In front of the Golden Throne Hall, the Great Xia Emperor Li Zhan lifted his head with difficulty, his expression filled with shock.

As the Emperor, he was blessed by the Luck of the nation and was one of the few who could still stand.

Yet even so, facing that pagoda, he still felt himself to be insignificantly small.

And at the very top of that purple pagoda, a figure stood.

He wore a purple Daoist robe, his hair and beard were completely white, his features were ancient and simple, and his eyes were profound.

He stood there quietly, yet he became the only thing in heaven and earth.

A Saint!

A true Saint had descended!

This was completely different from the Aura created by the Saint when he descended previously relying on a Dharma decree and a projection.

This was the Saint's true body arriving in person; he resonated with the Laws of heaven and earth, and with a single thought, he could decide the life or death of billions of living beings.

"It is... that Old Ancestor from the Ziyang Holy Land!"

An envoy from the Eastern Wasteland collapsed on the ground, recognizing the origin of that figure, his voice filled with despair. "It's over, everything is over. A Saint has arrived in person with an Imperial Weapon; this is the destruction of the world!"

The Ziyang Saint swept his indifferent gaze over the trembling living beings below, devoid of any pity.

His line of sight finally landed upon the majestic Great Xia Imperial Palace, and his dignified voice resounded in everyone's mind:

"Lower Realm ants, you slaughtered my sect members. Today, this seat shall turn your Divine Dynasty into dust!"

Every word carried the power of the Law, transforming into tangible sound waves that struck at the Golden Dragon of National Fortune of Great Xia.

That Golden Dragon of Fortune, which had been coiled above the Imperial Palace, originally imposing and majestic, now let out a mournful cry under the impact of this voice, its massive body dimming significantly.

The Luck of the nation had actually been injured by a single word from a Saint!

"Retired Emperor... where is our Retired Emperor?"

Li Zhan was burning with anxiety. This was the greatest crisis the Great Xia Divine Dynasty had faced since its establishment; a single misstep would lead to the destruction of the nation and the family, resulting in a river of blood.

In everyone's heart, a thought arose: Who could resist this?

In this situation, it didn't matter who came; it would be useless.

Not to mention a mere King-level Divine Dynasty, even those Immortal Imperial Dynasties would have to weigh the consequences when facing a Saint who had come for revenge, carrying an Imperial Weapon.

Just as the entire Imperial Capital was plunged into dead silence.

The doors of the Changsheng Hall were pushed open with a "creak."

This slight sound was exceptionally clear in the oppressive atmosphere.

A figure slowly walked out from the hall.

He wore a simple white robe, his black hair draped over his shoulders, and his features were handsome.

In his arms, he was holding a very cute little girl.

It was none other than Li Xuan, and his two-year-old daughter, Li Qingyue.

Little Qingyue seemed to have just woken up. She was rubbing her sleepy eyes, nuzzling her little head into her father's warm embrace, and letting out a tiny yawn, seemingly unaware of the apocalyptic scene outside.

Li Xuan held his daughter, his steps light and slow, and he took a single step out.

There was no shrinking of the earth, no spatial teleportation, just such a simple, plain step.

Yet when his next step landed, he had already appeared above the Imperial Palace, facing the Ziyang Saint from afar, who was controlling the Imperial Weapon and suppressing the heavens and earth.

His appearance did not erupt with any Aura, nor did it trigger any phenomena of heaven and earth.

He just stood there calmly in the Void Realm, his expression relaxed, not at all like someone facing a Saint who had come to take his life.

The Ziyang Saint naturally noticed this person who had appeared suddenly and was the only one daring to meet his gaze.

He frowned slightly; the dignity of a Saint could not be provoked.

With a thought, the might of the Saint, mixed with the Aura of the Imperial Weapon, transformed into a storm and swept toward the location where Li Xuan was!

Wherever the storm passed, the Void Realm was crushed, revealing the spatial turbulence behind it.

This was an enraged strike sufficient to make even a Saint of the same rank avoid its edge!

However, the scene that followed exceeded his expectations.

The violent storm of pressure, the moment it approached within three feet of Li Xuan, dissipated without a sound.

From beginning to end, not even the hem of Li Xuan's clothing fluttered.

Li Qingyue in his arms did not even feel the slightest bit of wind.

She simply opened wide those jet-black, pure eyes inherited from her mother, curiously looking at that purple, shining, glowing "big toy" in the distance.

"This... how is this possible?"

The Ziyang Saint's eyes showed violent fluctuations for the first time, his expression filled with shock and doubt.

His own Saintly might combined with the might of the Imperial Weapon, the pressure released with full force, had actually... failed?

It wasn't blocked, it wasn't neutralized, but it just vanished into thin air?

It was as if his power, within three feet of that person, was something that simply did not exist.

This completely exceeded his understanding of power.

"Who... are you?"

For the first time, there was gravity in the Ziyang Saint's voice.