Chapter 96 - 90: A Minor Display of Skill, the Shocked Crowd of Cultivators

Chapter 96: Chapter 90: A Minor Display of Skill, the Shocked Crowd of Cultivators

"That’s right. People have used this kind of cheap trick in past prodigy battles."

"Making a huge scene on purpose—isn’t it just to take advantage of everyone’s fear and gain the upper hand in the inner sect’s competition? Do you guys actually believe it?"

"Brother, it’s real. You didn’t see him with your own eyes. If that person stood in front of you, you’d probably wet your pants."

"Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration? It’s not like there aren’t peerless freaks who have stepped into the Spirit Transformation Fifth Stage. They’re just a bit mysterious. How did you guys get so scared?"

"Could it be that an absolutely terrifying existence has truly entered the Ancient Emperor Sect ruins? Someone whose strength is even a cut above those peerless freaks? If that’s really the case, we’re in for a good show."

"I still don’t really believe it. What black-robed figure? What ghost mask? Could it just be someone playing the devil to mess with our heads in a psychological war?"

For a time, more and more people were discussing this mysterious existence with the black mask. Some still had lingering fears, trembling at the mere mention of him. Others looked entirely unconvinced and even somewhat disdainful. After all, this kind of tactic had been seen time and time again in past battles between supreme talents.

However, right as countless Cultivators were engaged in fervent discussion, Jiang Hao had already walked out of his cave dwelling. He flew to the halfway point of a Divine Peak, standing atop a massive boulder and gazing in the direction of the Nine Mountains.

Right at that moment, several Cultivators who were discussing the terrifying black-robed figure casually glanced back—only to see Jiang Hao standing on the boulder, having appeared there at some unknown time. When the group saw the figure hidden within the black robes, they all froze. Especially when they saw that ghost mask, their faces instantly drained of color.

Jiang Hao first stared in the direction of the Nine Mountains, then slowly lowered his gaze to give them a calm, sweeping look.

The next moment, BOOM!!!

As a world-shaking aura suddenly erupted, the group only felt a gust of violent wind hit their faces. The figure hidden beneath the black robes instantly turned into a blur, flashing past them and disappearing in the blink of an eye. Even after the violent winds dissipated, the group remained standing there in a daze, their breathing seeming to stop for a few seconds.

"Did you guys see that?"

"I saw it."

"It’s him!"

"Oh my god...!"

Recovering their wits, the group gasped for air, their eyes filled with shock. The rumors were actually true. A super terrifying existence had truly entered the Ancient Emperor Sect ruins. He was unimaginably terrifying. Just that scene from a moment ago—just the instant that black-robed figure flashed past them—gave them the feeling of brushing shoulders with the Grim Reaper.

"What a terrifying person. The rumors have come true. This isn’t psychological warfare; a terrifying existence has truly appeared in the Ancient Emperor Sect."

"Who is it? Is this person in the prodigy registry?"

"I’m afraid the prodigy registry won’t give you an answer. Dressing like that obviously means he doesn’t want people to know who he is. He’s very likely one of the top thirty figures on the registry."

GASP!!!

The group all drew in sharp breaths of cold air, suddenly feeling their mouths go dry. Fortunately, the other party was not some bloodthirsty maniac. Otherwise, given the words they had just spoken, if they had run into a Cultivator with a bloodthirsty nature, they would have died a hundred times over.

Although those few people had seen Jiang Hao, the endless supreme talents still held fast to their own opinions. More people felt that this widely rumored existence was just bluffing, trying to use psychological warfare to pin everyone down and gain an advantage in the inner sect competition.

However, right when countless Cultivators were discussing this matter, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Hmph, you’re courting death!"

A cold snort echoed through the night sky, exploding among the Eighteen Divine Peaks. Everyone looked toward the source of the sound. On a certain Divine Peak, a thousand-foot Sword Qi tore through the void, illuminating the world. It was terrifyingly shocking. The thousand-foot-long Sword Qi shot up into the sky, visible from almost anywhere within the ancient ruins.

"A peerless freak?"

The moment they saw that Sword Qi, the vast sea of Cultivators paled in shock. With this kind of might, it was highly likely that a peerless freak had made a move. Even more astonishingly, that Sword Qi grazed past a figure. More accurately, that figure barely dodged the world-shaking Sword Qi.

This figure was none other than Jiang Hao. He was merely passing by when he sensed the aura of a peerless freak. Treating it as a reference point, he had wanted to compare their cultivation bases. He hadn’t expected to meet a short-tempered peerless freak. The moment the other party sensed an expert of the same level approaching, he raised his hand and unleashed a sword strike. In the Cultivation Realm, this kind of blatant probing was seen as a provocation.

As the Sword Qi slashed across the heavens, a figure emerged from the cave dwelling below. Taking a single step, he instantly appeared under the night sky, glaring fixedly at the uninvited guest. This figure emanated the aura of the Spirit Transformation Fifth Stage. His overwhelming pressure made him look like an angry god descending to the mortal realm, inspiring awe and fear.

However, the moment he stepped into the air, his expression faltered.

"You again?"

When he clearly saw the ghost mask hidden beneath the black robes, he was utterly stunned. As for why he said "again," it was because Jiang Hao had visited his cave dwelling over ten days ago.

The moment this peerless freak recognized Jiang Hao, countless Cultivators who had also been visited recognized that figure.

"It’s him! It’s him, that terrifying existence wearing the mask!"

"He’s actually facing off against a peerless freak?"

Amidst the endless sea of humanity, Ji Qingxue and the others also spotted the black robes, their breathing turning rapid.

"It’s that person."

Evidently, the people from Nanling had also recognized the figure, though they failed to connect him to Jiang Hao.

When Jiang Hao was forced into the open night sky by the Sword Qi, over ninety percent of the Cultivators saw his figure. The loose black robes wrapped around his body, making it impossible to see his physique. The intimidating ghost mask concealed his face, and even his aura felt unusually foreign.

"Such a person really exists?"

"The legends are true?"

For a time, everyone was dumbfounded. All the doubts, disdain, and contempt from before vanished in an instant. The moment he appeared, all talk of cheap tricks and psychological warfare became a joke. If he didn’t have absolute confidence, who would dare to casually provoke a peerless freak at a time like this?

Looking at the murderous white-clad youth, Jiang Hao furrowed his brows. He hadn’t intended to clash with the other party; he just wanted to see what level these so-called peerless freaks had reached by now. He never expected the other party to strike over a single disagreement.

"Whatever. Since you’ve made a move, I’ll take this chance for a brief test of strength," Jiang Hao said to himself.

Holding nothing back, he instantly released his boundless pressure and aura, posing aggressively for a major battle. He figured that no matter how much he compared, nothing was as intuitive as a fight. As long as he exchanged blows with one peerless freak, he would be able to roughly gauge the lower limits of this tier of figures. Moreover, having just become extraordinarily terrifying, he also wanted to find someone to test his depths. After all, he wouldn’t know how strong he truly was until he put it into practice.

Seeing Jiang Hao’s surging battle intent, the other party showed no fear and coldly snorted. Evidently, both sides shared the exact same thought. Jiang Hao wanted a brief test of strength, and so did he. After all, everyone had just ascended several steps in power.

Seeing that Jiang Hao didn’t take out a Magical Artifact, the peerless freak slowly put away the Upper Spirit Ancient Sword in his hand. The atmosphere, however, instantly dropped to the freezing point.

"Are they going to fight?"

"Are they really going to throw down?"

Watching the posturing of the two in the void, everyone instantly held their breath. That was friction between peerless freaks! In a way, this was the very first clash between peerless freaks since everyone entered the Ancient Emperor Sect. How could it not be thrilling?

Logically speaking, the inner sect ruins were about to open. No one wanted to engage in a deathmatch at this juncture; after all, competing for the Nine Mountains’ legacy was their true goal.

"They won’t really fight to the death. They clearly treat each other as whetstones to verify their own strength. It’ll be a probing exchange at most," an unrivaled prodigy pointed out, seeing through the situation. The figure hidden in the black robes hadn’t drawn a sword, and the other person had put away his Magical Artifact. Clearly, they weren’t going to put their lives on the line.

Even so, seeing two great peerless freaks make a move was a breathtaking moment worth holding one’s breath for. Just as everyone’s mouths went dry, that figure finally moved.

The white-clad youth suddenly clenched his fist. The terrifying power of the Spirit Transformation Fifth Stage instantly crushed the void. He threw a punch, causing the entire night sky to tremble.

"Perfect timing," Jiang Hao thought. Without hesitation, he immediately mobilized his entire Spirit Transformation Fifth Stage power. Condensing his golden Spiritual Power to a single point, he returned a punch of his own.

BOOM!!!

The two fists collided, erupting with shocking power. The void at the epicenter of the blast twisted infinitely and collapsed layer by layer. Unrivaled force swept across the heavens and the earth, colliding like two mushroom clouds and bursting with world-shaking might.

However, the moment the two forces collided, the white-clad youth’s expression changed drastically. In the face of Jiang Hao’s golden power from the Five Veins Second Transformation, his Fifth Stage power rapidly disintegrated, and he was instantly blasted away. Not only that, but the white-clad youth suffered the brunt of the fist’s impact. His entire body jolted as he spat out a large mouthful of blood while flying backward.

"What—???"

UPROAR!!!

This scene instantly stunned the endless Cultivators. The vast army of Cultivators paled in absolute shock, as if struck by lightning. Even the peerless freaks hiding in the shadows instantly narrowed their pupils in sheer horror.

In contrast, the figure hidden beneath the black robes and mask was also retreating, but it didn’t look like he had been blasted back—rather, he was deliberately shedding the force. Ultimately, the black-robed figure landed atop a massive boulder, as immovable as a mountain.

BOOM!!!

A loud crash drew everyone’s attention. The white-clad peerless freak slammed heavily into a Divine Peak, coughing up blood once more.

This scene completely shocked everyone. Countless Cultivators felt as if they had been struck by lightning, monstrous waves surging in their eyes. Both were peerless freaks, yet the gap was so huge! With just a single punch—and a probing one at that—he had shaken his opponent until he vomited blood. Even if it hadn’t caused massive damage, it was far too horrifying.

After stabilizing his footing, the white-clad youth’s eyes filled with endless flashes of shock and utter disbelief.

"Impossible... how could he be this terrifying?"

"How is this possible? He’s absurdly strong!"

Suddenly, heaven-shaking horror erupted across the entire Ancient Emperor Sect. Countless Cultivators snapped their heads back to look at the figure hidden beneath the black robes and mask. However, the moment everyone looked back, the spot was already completely empty. Jiang Hao was nowhere to be found. That black-robed figure had vanished right from under their noses like a phantom.

For a time, countless people drew in sharp breaths of cold air, a sense of terror rising in their hearts. Even those peerless talents, unrivaled prodigies, and peerless freaks felt as if a bolt from the blue had struck them.

"An unimaginable existence has entered the Ancient Emperor Sect ruins! Oh my god!"

"Repelling a peerless freak with a single punch, shaking him until he spat blood... this... this...?"

The countless members of the cultivation army were all deeply shaken. It was as if their inner worlds had suffered a violent impact, sending a sudden chill down their spines.

Before anyone could react, the entire Ancient Emperor Sect ruins abruptly trembled violently.

RUMBLE!!!

The heavens shook and the earth quaked as the ground vibrated madly. In the direction of the Nine Mountains, the terrifying sky canopy disintegrated layer by layer. Even the inner sect’s grand array, battered by the Divine Weapons inside, began to crack.

"The inner sect ruins are opening?"

This sudden turn of events instantly diluted the shock brought by that figure moments ago, pulling the cultivation army’s gaze away. Compared to Jiang Hao’s appearance, the Nine Mountains’ legacy was everyone’s primary focus.

In an instant, countless Cultivators soared into the sky, their eyes filled with shock, seemingly ready to charge toward the Nine Mountains at any moment. Even those unrivaled prodigies and peerless freaks no longer cared about the shock that figure had given them. Instead, carrying world-shaking might, they rocketed into the air, staring fixedly at the Nine Mountains’ canopy and grand array.

Everyone was waiting. Once the canopy completely shattered, the ensuing tragedy would be unimaginable.