Chapter 653: Overwhelming Pressure

// 2 extra chapters brought to you thanks to the amazing folks who left reviews on the new story. A big shout out to Zaroky, Vengeful_Slave, Ramyboyz15, Daoist170471, Time_walker, and applo43. 

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Sage Zi Yun's face turned exceptionally ugly. "Master Huo Mo is being too domineering!"

The Eastern Thunder Pulse Master and others also darkened their expressions. They had already backed down by simply asking for the person, yet Huo Mo continued to push them aggressively. Did he truly think the Fire Spirit Clan could instantly teleport here to aid him?

"Hmph!"

Huo Mo snorted coldly, and just as he was about to utter more harsh words, a loud boom resounded in his ears.

Boom!

Simultaneously, in the vast sky above the endless plains, it seemed as if the sun, moon, and stars had appeared. Finally, they swiftly transformed into a massive array that enveloped the entire space.

All the elite experts on the continent took notice when the celestial bodies appeared in the sky.

Especially Sage Zi Yun and the others, who abruptly looked up. Even with their composure, they were instantly horrified to the point of their scalps tingling when they saw the grand array.

The grand array that suddenly appeared had completely trapped them all within it!

Not just them, the array that seemed to bring down the sun, moon, and stars was unimaginably vast and had enveloped everyone in the area. This caused countless strong figures to turn pale with shock.

Many were aghast as they gazed at the majestic array that had appeared high above.

Under such a Spiritual Array, even those who had reached the Quasi-Heavenly Sovereign Stage felt their hearts tremble with fear.

Huo Mo and Huo Yan simultaneously changed color and showed terror on their faces as they recognized the instigator of the grand array. It turned out to be the one they had assumed to be the Grandmaster Alchemist!

At this moment, countless rays of light converged in the pupils of Qing Yan's calm eyes. Mystical Spiritual Seals as numerous as stars then condensed out of the rays of light.

"Who set up this grand array…!??"

By then, a profound connection had already formed between Qing Yanjing and the grand array above.

Sage Zi Yun and the others quickly fixed their incredulous gazes on her.

"How is this possible?!!"

Faced with this scene, Sage Zi Yun and the others were dumbstruck. They could not comprehend how Qing Yanjing could suddenly set up such a terrifying array.

Wasn't she the high-ranking Grandmaster Alchemist? How could her Spiritual Array skills become so terrifying? This Spiritual Array already posed a great threat to them. Moreover, her strength also seemed to have reached the Quasi-Heavenly Sovereign Stage!

Sage Zi Yun and the others had already cursed those responsible for the intelligence work in their hearts. What kind of shitty intelligence work was this? None of the information they had received was accurate!

The idea that Qing Yanjing could simultaneously excel in Spiritual Energy, Spiritual Array Mastery, and Alchemy, and achieve great success in all of them, was something they simply couldn't believe.

Therefore, there was only one possible conclusion: Qing Yanjing's main expertise was in Spiritual Array Mastery, and there must be another person who was the Grandmaster Alchemist!

The ordinary Earth Sovereigns were also visibly shocked. After some frantic thought, everyone turned their gaze towards Xiao Ming.

Not looking was fine, but the more they looked, the more terrified they became. His aura seemed weak, yet it was as vast and unfathomable as an abyss. All their attempts to probe him were like tiny droplets disappearing into the ocean without making a ripple!

Damn, the one who appeared to be the weakest turned out to be a massive slab of iron!

And the hardest kind at that!

Everyone's face turned green, especially Sage Zi Yun and Old Yan.

Being the strongest, they felt it the deepest. With their strength nearing the Quasi-Heavenly Sovereign Stage, they could not detect anything about Xiao Ming. If this had been just before, they would have thought Xiao Ming was just a freeloader, with such poor strength.

But now, it seemed he was at least as strong as them, if not stronger!

Thinking back, they realized that the Spiritual Array Scholar had been subtly deferring to him all along. It was only their blindness from the previous intelligence that had misled them.

"Sir, this matter actually has nothing to do with this emperor. You may handle it yourselves. May I be allowed to leave the grand array first?" The Red Heavens Emperor's face was grave and was the first to open his mouth after realizing that the person in front of him was not an easy target.

Sage Zi Yun and two others quickly spoke up as well.

"This sage has no intention of causing you trouble."

"This humble woman merely wished to engage in a profound exchange with Sir and meant no harm."

"The same goes for this Pulse Master."

Huo Mo cursed inwardly as he heard the words of Sage Zi Yun and the others. Moments ago, they had been eager to stake their claim, but now that they saw the situation becoming dire, they wanted to flee. A bunch of old foxes indeed.

Cursing aside, Huo Mo knew that their decision was wise. The size of the grand array was far beyond what an ordinary Spiritual Array Scholar could set up, and since Sage Zi Yun and the others hadn't actually started a physical confrontation, it wasn't worth fighting to the death against such a formidable array.

Four elite experts at the Quasi-Heavenly Sovereign Stage would certainly give the other side pause.

The thought of them successfully escaping, leaving himself and Old Yan to face a Spiritual Array Scholar and an Alchemy Grandmaster, made Huo Mo's face contorted slightly.

The combat abilities of both opponents were generally stronger than others at the same stage!

"Looks like I have to resort to my trump card..." he muttered inwardly as a jade token engraved with the character for 'Fire' appeared in his palm.

Just as he was about to press it, he was interrupted by Xiao Ming's voice.

"Leaving is not impossible; just leave behind all your possessions, and this Emperor might grant you a way out." Xiao Ming's eyes were as calm as an ancient well, but his serene words caused an uproar among everyone, especially those whose strength did not match Sage Zi Yun's, who had been excluded early on.

"This man wants all of our possessions? Impossible! I've worked five hundred years for mine!"

"Right, let's fight him!"

"We have more people anyway. We don't need to be afraid of him!"

"..."

"You're going too far. Do you really think we're afraid of you?" Sage Zi Yun, the Red Heavens Emperor, the Eastern Thunder Pulse Master, and Fairy Huanxi all said angrily, their faces turning iron blue when they heard this demand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, why don't we join forces? Five Quasi-Heavenly Sovereigns should subdue these three first," Huo Mo said, actually pleased. He had not expected Xiao Ming to be so audacious and quickly extended his invitation.

This proposal slightly tempted Sage Zi Yun and the others. After all, handing over all their possessions was out of the question, and a confrontation seemed inevitable.

Qing Yanjing's eyes flashed with a cold light as she observed the opponents in front of her. Within her grand array, a peer at the same stage could not last fifteen minutes in a one-on-one fight, and even with a few more, escape would not be so easy.

Had Xiao Ming not told her to let him handle it, she could have already begun crushing those whose strength was less than the Quasi-Heavenly Sovereign Stage.

When Xiao Ming saw that Sage Zi Yun and the others had rejected their only chance, he lowered his eyelids slightly and said indifferently, "Go ahead, don't say that this Emperor bullied the weak by not giving you a chance."

"Arrogant!" The anger of Sage Zi Yun and the others surged when they saw Xiao Ming's attitude, as if he was ready to take on everyone and even letting them strike first.

They were revered ancestors who had dominated their respective continents; how could they tolerate such an insult?

"Since he dares to be so presumptuous, let's join forces to defeat him and break the grand array!"

Sage Zi Yun's face darkened as he shouted. A vast purple light spread, and a giant purple figure emerged behind him.

This was clearly the Sovereign Celestial Body he had cultivated.

"Purple Emperor Star Plucking Finger!"

Sage Zi Yun chanted in a deep voice as his hand seals changed. He bent his fingers together and suddenly pointed into the air.

Similarly, the purple giant behind him extended two fingers, surrounded by swirling purple light, creating the illusion of a vast purple starry sky. Its fingertips reached out as if to pluck stars from the sky.

Upon seeing this, the Eastern Thunder Pulse Master immediately circulate his Spiritual Energy without hesitation. Dazzling lightning bolts shot into the sky as he fixed his eyes firmly on Xiao Ming.

Fairy Huanxi gave a slight smile, her sleeves fluttering as her body gently rose. Vast Spiritual Energy surged behind her, and faintly, it seemed as if a massive, translucent silhouette loomed.

Boundless black flames suddenly erupted from Old Yan, swirling around him and forming a black ice mountain behind him. The ice mountain emitted strange fluctuations.

The five great powerhouses attacked at the same time. Their combined spiritual pressure enveloped the entire grand array. Countless cultivators trembled under this pressure, their faces showing terror.

Under such oppressive force, even those at the Perfected Stage lost all will to fight and refrained from joining the attack.

They were not the targets of the attack, yet they found it so unbearable. One could only imagine the tremendous pressure Xiao Ming was under as he directly confronted the five Quasi-Heavenly Sovereigns.

Countless gazes turned to the figure in the sky, only to see that the young man remained absolutely still, his clothes rigid as if forged from iron. No matter how fierce the waves of Spiritual Energy that swept towards him, they could not move him in the slightest.

Xiao Ming lifted his head and gazed at the distant figures shining like the fierce sun. The united front of the five Quasi-Heavenly Sovereigns failed to arouse even the slightest interest in him.

'I'll just crush them with my aura,' Xiao Ming thought.

Boom!

Billions of rays of spiritual light suddenly erupted from within him. The space behind him transformed into a vast world of flames that spanned thousands of miles, its boundless pressure sweeping across the world.

Boom, boom!

Even the world itself trembled under this immense pressure, and the ground below began to crack continuously.

Those cultivators who were below the Earth Sovereign Stage collapsed to the ground almost instantly under this crushing force.

Even those who were above the Earth Sovereign Stage could hear their knees creaking as their bodies gradually began to buckle.

The unbridled release of aura from a Heavenly Sovereign was not something an Earth Sovereign could withstand.

As for the massive attacks that blazed like the fierce sun, they were violently dispersed!

Sage Zi Yun and the others stared at the handsome young man in horror. They could clearly sense the terrifying surge of Spiritual Energy emanating from his figure.

This kind of fluctuation had clearly surpassed the Quasi-Heavenly Sovereign Stage!

He was a Heavenly Sovereign!

Huo Mo and Old Yan were left utterly dumbstruck. It was as if they had been struck by lightning, and it took them a long time to regain their senses.

This was a Heavenly Sovereign!

The pinnacle of existence in the Great Thousand World, a realm countless prodigious geniuses could never reach, even at their fullest potential.

"How could this be?!!"