"Thunderfall!"
With a roar like mountains collapsing and seas overturning, countless bolts of heavenly lightning crashed down from the sky.
Facing such an attack, the Ninth-Rank elder revealed a disdainful smile.
"Hmph. With this little trick, you think you can hurt me? What a joke."
As he spoke, a milky-white light shot from his fingertip, wrapping around his son's body.
"Sky-Lifting!"
The elder pushed one hand upward.
All the lightning was forcibly shoved back into the sky.
Seeing this, Zhao Xuan's expression darkened.
"Even stronger than I imagined. But your brain really isn't that great."
"I was only distracting you, idiot."
"Lightning Draw."
A faint smile appeared on Zhao Xuan's face. A blue mark lit up between his brows.
The next second—
A streak of blue light descended from the sky and fused into the mark on his forehead.
Lightning began to coil around his entire body.
The whole process happened in an instant.
The thunderstorm in the sky had merely been a smokescreen.
What he truly wanted—
Was to draw a strand of heavenly lightning into his own body.
After that—
Zhao Xuan's aura began to skyrocket.
"Dragon-Man Form."
Under tenfold amplification, his physique already surpassed 150,000.
With the added boost from the heavenly lightning—
It increased by at least another 70,000.
222,580!
A terrifying number.
With this level of enhancement, Zhao Xuan no longer felt the same tension facing this Ninth-Rank Emperor.
"Old man. Come fight."
Seeing the violent lightning crackling across Zhao Xuan's body, the elder waved his hand and dispersed the dark clouds.
"To raise your strength to this level… you do have some weight to you."
"But if this makes you overestimate yourself, that would be extremely foolish."
"No matter what, you will die here today."
"Clone."
Pressing a finger to his brow, two identical figures appeared beside him.
One protected his son.
The elder and the other clone attacked Zhao Xuan from both sides.
"Heavenly Cloud Palm!"
Two identical giant palms descended from opposite directions, clapping together.
The surrounding space twisted.
Under the immense pressure, Zhao Xuan could not move.
"Thunder Roar · Iron Body!"
Lightning condensed into a fluid-like layer wrapping his body.
He allowed the two palms to slam into him without moving an inch.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The vibrations spread outward, even shaking the relic entrance.
In the distance, the elder and his clone retreated calmly, a look of absolute confidence on his face.
"Hmph. The weak are still weak. Even with secret techniques to forcefully raise your power, you are nothing but cannon fodder before true strength."
"Son, your revenge is avenged. The things inside that relic now belong to us."
The elder prepared to move toward the relic.
But suddenly—
Long, wild laughter echoed.
"Old man, don't be so confident. Who told you one move was enough to knock me down?"
"Take one of mine."
"Shave!"
"Tempest Kick!"
Lightning flashed.
No one knew when Zhao Xuan had already appeared behind the elder.
A Transcendent-level Tempest Kick enhanced by lightning—
Its power soared three full tiers.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three holes were blasted straight through the elder's clone.
The damage was too severe.
The clone could no longer maintain its form and dissipated.
"You brat! Seems I underestimated you!"
"But you won't be this lucky again!"
"Heavenly Cloud Death Palm!"
"Thunder Bagua!"
Master-level Armament Haki mixed with lightning collided with the white giant palm.
Mountains and rivers shook.
Both were blasted back more than a hundred meters.
The elder's blue-white robes were torn apart. His withered skin was exposed.
He no longer looked calm.
As for Zhao Xuan—
He was forced backward by waves of white cloud energy, landing perfectly beside the elder's severely wounded son.
"Finger Pistol!"
Ten strikes in rapid succession.
The remaining clone was riddled like a sieve.
"Wait! We can talk this out! Don't hurt my son!"
"I'll do anything!"
Zhao Xuan's fingers hovered over the young Ninth-Rank's forehead.
At this moment—
The elder truly panicked.
"You do seem quite sincere."
"Alright then. Let's have a nice talk."
"The relic's existence is already known to too many people. Before long, many others will arrive."
"I need a quiet place to cultivate and temper my body."
"I'll take your son inside. You stay here and stand guard for me. Once I'm done, you can take him and leave."
"How does that sound?"
As Zhao Xuan spoke, his finger pressed lightly against the young Emperor's forehead.
A clone with 70% of the elder's strength couldn't withstand the lightning-enhanced Finger Pistol.
His son, already half-dead, had no chance at all.
Zhao Xuan's current attitude looked… surprisingly kind.
"…Fine. I agree. I will stand guard here—"
"—and protect the area."
"But you must ensure my son's safety. If not, even if you talk the heavens down, I will kill you."
"Of course. Please wait outside, old sir."
Zhao Xuan leisurely walked back into the relic, completely ignoring the powerful elder.
Time passed.
Soon—
Several tearing sounds came from the distance.
Experts from various factions arrived.
Seventh Rank. Eighth Rank.
Dozens of them gathered, wanting to claim the relic's treasures for themselves.
Unaware—
That at the relic entrance stood a mountain they could never cross.
"You may not enter."
A long voice echoed.
The white-robed elder appeared before them.
"Hmph, who do you think you—"
Before the sentence finished—
A streak of white light flashed across several necks.
Heads fell.
Among those killed instantly were two Eighth-Rank experts.
The entire crowd froze in terror.
Many stared at the elder with fear in their eyes.
"Ninth-Rank Emperor…"
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