The First Marquis of Daxuan

"This is impossible!"

Xu Gu was sent flying backward, and after landing, he staggered back more than ten steps. He looked at the Great Celestial Venerable in disbelief and couldn't help but shout.

He has lost before.

He had been defeated by the Yellow King of the Yanfu Sect during the Daqian Dynasty.

Even Huang Yanwang took a hundred moves to defeat him back then.

In this world, unless one is a Dao Realm expert, it is absolutely impossible to defeat Xu Gu in one move!

But the Great Celestial Venerable in front of me is clearly not yet at the Dao Extreme Realm.

"You're not even at the Dao Realm yet, how could you possibly possess such power?"

Xu Gu stared wide-eyed at the Great Celestial Venerable and said in a deep voice.

The Great Celestial Venerable stood with his hands behind his back, looking completely calm and collected.

"The Dao Realm? Is this how your Great Qian Dynasty classifies cultivation levels?"

He said calmly, "That's your way of dividing martial arts realms. I walk my own path, which is not within your system."

To measure one's true strength by one's realm is the most foolish thing to do.

His gaze shifted from Xu Gu to Jin Yi and Sun Jifeng.

"All three of you come at me together."

He said slowly, "In a one-on-one fight, none of you are a match for me."

Since you dare to challenge me, then don't disappoint me too much.

He took a light step, and the moment his foot landed, there was a loud bang.

The earth's veins seemed to come alive, and the entire mountain range shook violently.

All of a sudden.

A clay dragon formed from loess and rocks burst forth from the ground, baring its fangs and claws as it lunged at Xu Gu, Jin Yi, and Sun Jifeng.

A hint of doubt flashed through Jin Yi's mind.

Are they challenging the Great Celestial Venerable?
They did indeed want to kill the Great Celestial Venerable, but the problem was, the Great Celestial Venerable appeared before they could even finish their plan.

Jin Yi keenly sensed the problem, but by then, he had no chance to defend himself.

It's too late, but it's soon.

The earth dragon, formed from the earth's veins, had already pounced in front of them.

Sun Jifeng roared, his power erupting instantly, and he slashed at the head of the earth dragon with his sword.

Xu Gu's body also suddenly swelled up a size, and he punched the earth dragon.

In an instant, the earth and rocks collapsed and shattered into pieces.

The deafening roar echoed continuously in the air.

The Great Celestial Venerable merely waved his arm from afar, controlling the earth dragon to suppress the three powerful figures.

The more Xu, Gu, and the other two fought, the more alarmed they became.

Judging from the aura revealed by the Great Celestial Venerable, his cultivation level is only at the Dao Source Realm.

But when they actually started fighting, the three Dao Origin Realm experts were completely outmatched.

This strength surpasses even that of Huang Yanwang before his breakthrough.

Huang Yanwang is a powerful figure who has been famous for many years, while this Great Celestial Venerable had no reputation whatsoever before.

Who would have thought that such a powerful figure would be hidden in such a remote and impoverished place as the Saha World?

Moreover, this Great Celestial Venerable seems to be indeed following a cultivation path completely different from that of the Great Qian Dynasty, just as he himself said.

boom!
There was a loud bang.

The earthen dragon collapsed.

Xu Gu, Jin Yi, and Sun Jifeng were all sent flying backwards, spitting out a mouthful of blood while still in the air.

Throughout the entire ordeal, the Great Celestial Venerable stood there with his hands behind his back, never even approaching the three of them.

It should be noted that this Great Celestial Venerable possessed an unparalleled and powerful physique. He sent Xu Gu flying with a single move as soon as he arrived.

But now, they didn't rely on physical strength to suppress them at all; they defeated them with ranged attacks alone.

Even the slowest-witted Xu Gu, Jin Yi, and Sun Jifeng realized that with their combined strength, let alone killing the Great Celestial Venerable, their very survival was questionable.

"Jin Yi, stop holding back and use your trump card!"

Xu Gu turned to look at Jin Yi and said in a deep voice.

Jin Yi looked puzzled.

Trump card?

What's your trump card?
Seeing Jin Yi's expression, Xu Gu was also furious. "What time is it? You still want to hold back? Use the trump card your sect leader gave you and kill him!"

If he doesn't die, we will have no place to stand in this world!

Jin Yi: "..."

The sect leader's trump card?
You think too highly of me. What have I done to deserve the sect leader giving me a trump card?
I've only seen the sect leader a few times, okay?

Seeing that Jin Yi's puzzled expression seemed genuine, Xu Gu belatedly realized what was going on.

He said, "Something about this whole thing feels off. Oh, I see!"
"We were fooled."

Xu Gu said in a deep voice.

"Those things don't matter anymore; what matters now is how to get out of here."

Jin Yi said.

Opposite him, the Great Celestial Venerable slowly raised his hand again, and the scattered rocks reassembled.

"You guys let me down so much."

The Great Celestial Venerable spoke slowly, his tone devoid of any emotion.

"With your strength, it's no wonder you look like stray dogs."

A hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes.

"Too weak, so weak that I can't even muster the interest to kill you."

He raised his palm and then pressed it down.

There was a boom.

A massive mountain materialized and pressed down on Xu Gu, Jin Yi, and Sun Jifeng, as if Mount Tai were pressing down on them.

"Too deceiving!"

Xu Gu was so angry that he trembled all over.

He used to be a high-ranking elder in the Punishment Hall of Hengshan Sect, and he was flattered wherever he went.

Even though he was defeated by King Yama, not many people in the world looked down on him.

If he hadn't wanted to seize the position of Grand Elder of the Hengshan Sect, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

Being humiliated in front of others is intolerable.

"You forced me to do this!"

Xu Gu's face revealed intense killing intent as he gritted his teeth and said, "I originally thought you were a talented person and was going to spare your life, but now, I'm going to kill you!"

Before he finished speaking, a dazzling golden light suddenly appeared in Xu Gu's hand.

Amidst the golden light, there was also a long staff, taller than a person, with golden light flowing across it.

Rumble!
A beam of golden light shot into the sky, as if it were about to pierce through the heavens.

The mountain that fell from the sky was also punched in a large hole by the golden light.

When Xu Gu unleashed his most powerful skills, Jin Yi and Sun Jifeng also stopped holding back in the slightest.

They all knew that this was a matter of life and death.

If they had held back even the slightest bit, they might have died at the hands of this Great Celestial Venerable today.

This Great Celestial Venerable is incredibly powerful.

boom!
The two simultaneously unleashed their heavenly soldiers, which transformed into two beams of light that instantly shattered the mountain into dust.

The three beams of light continued their relentless assault, slashing down upon the Great Celestial Venerable.

The Great Celestial Venerable's expression remained unchanged; he simply raised his hand slowly.

boom!
The three beams of light were held in the hands of the Great Celestial Venerable.

The Great Celestial Venerable clenched his fist, and with a cracking sound, the three beams of light, which seemed to be tangible, were crushed to pieces by the Great Celestial Venerable.

pedal!pedal!pedal!
Xu Gu, Jin Yi, and Sun Jifeng retreated simultaneously, leaving a series of footprints several inches deep on the ground.

…………

Almost at the same time that Xu Gu, Jin Yi, and Sun Jifeng began to fight desperately, Su Mu's figure also appeared in the Daxing Mountains.

After some effort, Su Mu finally managed to escape the encirclement and pursuit of the powerful figures of the Great Chu Dynasty.

Su Mu was able to escape not because the powerful figures of the Great Chu Dynasty were not strong enough, but because Su Mu was too strong.

With Su Mu's current cultivation level, if he were to hide himself, almost no one in the world would be able to discover his whereabouts.

After obtaining the Chaos Profound Yellow Spirit Embryo, Su Mu had no intention of fighting the Great Chu Dynasty head-on.

He simply changed his form and slipped out of the encirclement.

For Su Mu, determining the strength of the Great Celestial Venerable was the most important thing.

When he arrived at Daxing Mountain, he witnessed the Great Celestial Venerable easily defeating three Dao Origin Realm experts all by himself.

Just by looking at him from afar, Su Mu was already certain that the Great Celestial Venerable was even stronger than he had imagined.

The worst happened.

The Great Celestial Venerable's strength even surpasses that of Su Mu in his current state.

In other words, Su Mu is still no match for the Great Celestial Venerable.

No need to fight; that's a master's intuition.

The Great Celestial Venerable's strength cannot be measured by realm; he has forged his own entirely new path.

Even before reaching the Dao Extreme Realm, Huang Yanwang would absolutely lose against the Great Heavenly Venerable.

Although Su Mu defeated Huang Yanwang, strictly speaking, Huang Yanwang did not lose.

However, because Huang Yanwang had a sudden realization at that time, he accepted Su Mu's favor and chose to leave on his own.

Boom!

The loud noise brought Su Mu back to his senses.

Xu Gu, Jin Yi, and Sun Jifeng were thrown high into the air, their blood splattering everywhere.

The three of them tried their best, but the Great Celestial Venerable was still in control and had completely cornered them.

Seeing that the three were about to die at the hands of the Great Celestial Venerable, Su Mu frowned slightly.

Although he had secretly instigated this battle, Su Mu did not want the three of them to die at the hands of the Great Celestial Venerable.

At the very least, Su Mu did not want Jin Yi and Sun Jifeng of the Yanfu Sect to die like this.

Su Mu wants to cooperate with Yanfu Sect in the future.

If Jin Yi and Sun Jifeng die here, although it may seem like it has nothing to do with him on the surface, it would still be a troublesome matter if someone used it as an excuse to make things difficult for him.

"That's all."

Su Mu thought to himself, "Keeping them around can at least keep the Great Chu Dynasty in check."

The next moment, Su Mu's muscles rippled, and with one step, he had completely transformed.

With another step, Su Mu appeared on the battlefield.

He clenched his fist and swung it.

boom!
A loud bang, followed by a rolling shockwave.

The dissipated power swept across the land like a scythe, plowing the already ravaged land once again.

Xu Gu, Jin Yi, and Sun Jifeng staggered back two steps, staring in horror at the figure that appeared in front of them.

They had just thought they were going to die at the hands of the Great Celestial Venerable.

Unexpectedly, someone suddenly appeared in front of them and took the blow from the Great Celestial Venerable for them.

Most importantly, the other party actually caught it!

That powerful blow, enough to kill them, was actually withstood by the opponent. Who was this person?

Xu Gu, Jin Yi, and Sun Jifeng all had the same thought at the same time.

They stared intently at the figure in front of them, a figure completely unfamiliar to them, with no recollection of where they had ever seen this person before.

"You are--"

Sun Jifeng couldn't hold back any longer and couldn't help but ask.

The person in front turned around and smiled slightly at them; it was a completely unfamiliar face.

Sun Jifeng was certain that he did not know this person at all.

“We’ve only met by chance, you go first, I’ll stop him.”

Su Mu said calmly.

"meet by chance?"

Jin Yi and Xu Gu frowned. They weren't as straightforward as Sun Jifeng, so how could they possibly believe such an explanation?

They met by chance, yet they were willing to stand up to the Great Celestial Venerable for their sake?

Besides, how could a chance encounter lead to a master who could rival the Great Celestial Venerable?
That's the Great Celestial Venerable!

Looking across the world, how many people can rival the Great Celestial Venerable?
Even in the Great Qian Dynasty, only a powerhouse at the level of the Ten Kings of Hell from the Yanfu Sect would have such strength.

Even with Xu Gu and Jin Yi's status, they had never seen many experts of this level in their entire lives. How could they possibly encounter one by chance in this world?

Before they could speak, the Great Celestial Venerable on the other side had already spoken.

"That's what it looks like."

The Great Celestial Venerable showed a satisfied expression. "I interrupted my cultivation and came here after leaving seclusion. If it's just the three of them, then I'm somewhat disappointed."

Now this is getting interesting; it wasn't in vain that I personally made this trip.

He sized up Su Mu, his expression one of eager anticipation.

"Don't leave yet!"

Su Mu glanced at Xu Gu, Jin Yi, and Sun Jifeng, and said in a low voice, "Do you want to stay and die?"

Xu Gu, Jin Yi, and Sun Jifeng then realized what was happening.

"Take care, Your Excellency!"

At this moment, they didn't bother to ask about Su Mu's identity and turned to run away.

The Great Celestial Venerable merely glanced at them coldly, showing no intention of stopping them.

In his eyes, these three people were not worth his attention at all.

He could kill them casually, or even if he couldn't, they wouldn't be worth pursuing them.

His gaze was now completely fixed on Su Mu.

"I had no idea that there was such a master as you in this world."

The Great Celestial Venerable said in a deep voice, "However, I don't like those who hide their true intentions."

Before he finished speaking, the Great Celestial Venerable raised his hand and grabbed forward.

Five sharp gusts of wind rushed towards Su Mu's face, seemingly trying to tear his skin off.

Seeing that Xu Gu, Jin Yi, and Sun Jifeng had left, Su Mu smiled slightly and said, "Today is not suitable for a duel. Let's settle this another time!"

Before he finished speaking, Su Mu flashed away, about to leave the place.

The Great Celestial Venerable snorted coldly.

"Come and go as you please? Do you think I'm just a decoration?"

His body trembled, and a violent power suddenly erupted from him.

He could let Xu Gu and the other two leave because he didn't care about them at all.

But it won't be so easy for Su Mu to leave.

boom!
Su Mu felt as if the sky had collapsed, turning into a huge mountain that was about to suppress him.

A powerful force suddenly descended upon him, making it impossible for him to move an inch.

That immense power was so great that it threatened to crush his body into dust.

If Su Mu's physique hadn't been incredibly strong, he would probably have been turned into mincemeat by now.

Su Mu's body trembled violently, and as his physical strength surged, he blocked that force from his body.

As the Great Celestial Venerable's attack was about to strike, a fierce look appeared on Su Mu's face.

His current strength is indeed slightly inferior to that of the Great Celestial Venerable.

But this does not mean that he was afraid of the Great Celestial Venerable.

He wanted to leave simply because he knew he couldn't defeat the Great Celestial Venerable and didn't want to waste his energy.

This does not mean that the Great Celestial Venerable can kill him if he wants to.

In other words, he couldn't defeat the Great Celestial Venerable, but if he wanted to leave, the Great Celestial Venerable absolutely couldn't stop him.

Gathering all his strength, Su Mu unleashed a powerful punch.

boom!
The two forces collided, unleashing a blinding light, and visible power fluctuations spread through the air.

Click!
The trees that had grown deep in the Daxing Mountains for thousands of years were all cut down by this force.

Even that great mountain is almost razed to the ground.

When Su Mu first embarked on the path of martial arts cultivation, the Daxing Mountains were a purgatory for him.

Back then, any one of the powerful demons in the Daxing Mountains could have threatened his life.

At that time, Su Mu could never have imagined that one day, the aftershocks of his battle with others would level the entire Daxing Mountain.

Looking at the mess below, Su Mu was filled with emotion.

However, this was not the time for sentimentality. He laughed heartily and said loudly, "Great Celestial Venerable, I've learned my lesson. We'll meet again someday!"

He threw another punch, the sonic boom of which blocked the Great Celestial Venerable's steps.

After the Great Celestial Venerable dispersed that attack, Su Mu's figure had completely disappeared.

The Great Celestial Venerable's eyes flickered, as if he could see things a thousand miles away.

Still, they couldn't catch a glimpse of Su Mu.

"interesting."

The Great Celestial Venerable smiled and said, "Being invincible is a bit lonely. Having such an opponent will make the path of cultivation less boring."

"I am waiting for you to come to me."

The Great Celestial Venerable's face radiated confidence, as if he was certain that Su Mu would come looking for him.

The next moment, the Great Celestial Venerable's figure swayed slightly and disappeared into thin air.

…………

Hundreds of miles away.

Xu Gu, Jin Yi, and Sun Jifeng have stopped.

When confronted, the three immediately realized that they had never contacted each other.

"Someone impersonated you to find me, and then impersonated me to find you."

Xu Gu's face was gloomy, and he said coldly, "He told us to deal with the Great Celestial Venerable, and then reap the benefits!"

That's a brilliant tactic!

"Who is that person?"

Sun Jifeng frowned and pondered.

"We and the Great Celestial Venerable will both suffer heavy losses, so whoever benefits the most will win. Who else could it be but Su Mu?"

Xu Gu sneered.

"I'm not talking about the people who lied to us, I'm talking about the people who just saved us."

Sun Jifeng said, "We can't be saying that Su Mu was the one who lied to us, but he was also the one who saved us, can we?"

"Old Sun, don't make assumptions about others without any evidence."

Jin Yi said in a deep voice.

Although he knew that Su Mu was most likely the one who had deceived them, he pretended not to know unless he confronted him directly.

Otherwise, what's the point of making it clear?
Let Su Mu give them an explanation?
Wouldn't that directly cut off the possibility of recruiting Su Mu into the Yanfu Sect?

Besides, with their combined strength, they are no match for Su Mu at all. Why should Su Mu give them an explanation?
This is a loss that can't be swallowed.

It would be better to pretend they don't know, so they can continue to find ways to cooperate with Su Mu.

Jin Yi could tell that the person who had saved them earlier was most likely Su Mu.

Otherwise, he couldn't think of anyone else in this world who could save them.

Since Su Mu saved them, it means that Su Mu only used them to deal with the Great Celestial Venerable and did not intend to take their lives.

If that's the case, why should they expose the truth?
Sometimes, being taken advantage of is a good thing.

"What are your plans next?"

Xu Gu looked at Jin Yi and Sun Jifeng and said with some helplessness.

Having fallen for Su Mu's trick this time, he has now become enemies with the Great Celestial Venerable, and he probably can no longer stay in this Saha World.

If they leave the Saha world, they will be hunted down by the Yokoyama sect.

After much deliberation, their only way out was the Yanfu Sect.

Only by joining the Yanfu Sect can they survive and have a chance to make a comeback.

"I, Xu, am interested in joining the Yanfu Sect. I wonder if you two could introduce me?"

Xu Gu said.

Xu Gu believed that with his cultivation level, if he wanted to join the Yanfu Sect, the Yanfu Sect would definitely welcome him with open arms.

did not expect.

Jin Yi and Sun Jifeng exchanged a glance and then fell silent.

Xu Gu's brows furrowed involuntarily.

"With my cultivation level, I shouldn't be rejected by the Yanfu Sect, right?"

Xu Gu frowned.

"Elder Xu, do you know why the two of us have come here?"

Jin Yi didn't answer but asked a question instead.

Xu Gu shook his head.

"We have come to this world for only one purpose, which is to recruit Su Mu. Our mission is to get Su Mu to join the Yanfu Sect. At the very least, we must turn Su Mu into our ally."

Jin Yi said, "As far as I know, you and Su Mu are enemies, not friends. Under these circumstances, I don't think you are suitable to join our Yanfu Sect."

"You're rejecting me because of Su Mu?"

Xu Gu frowned and said, "I am an elder of the Hengshan Sect, and I have many powerful subordinates. I can bring greater value to the Yanfu Sect..."

"Value is not something you define yourself."

Jin Yi shook his head and said, "Let me put it this way, the price our Yanfu Sect offered Su Mu was the position of the Ten Kings of Hell."

"And Elder Xu, even without these things, if you really joined the Yanfu Sect, you would at most only be an elder."

Jin Yi's words were a bit harsh, but that's the value of Su Mu and Xu Gu.

"Even so, can't Su Mu and I join the Yanfu Sect at the same time?"

Xu Gu's chest heaved violently with anger, but reason still compelled him to speak.

He is now at his wit's end. If Yanfuzong doesn't want him, he will truly become a homeless dog.

So even though he was living under the same roof as Su Mu, he had to bite the bullet and join the Yanfu Sect.

"In theory, Elder Xu, you and Su Mu can certainly join the Yanfu Sect at the same time."

However, this requires Su Mu's consent.

Jin Yi said solemnly, "If Su Mu rejects our Yanfu Sect because of you, then our Yanfu Sect will suffer a great loss."

If you two can only choose one, I can tell you that we will definitely choose Su Mu.

Therefore, unless you can get Su Mu to agree, neither of us will ever try to get you to join the Yanfu Sect. (End of Chapter)