Chapter 1630: Silent Golden Summit

Zhang Zijiang couldn't help but say to Xie Daoyun, who was standing beside him, "Miss Xie, why are there so many fools in this world? Lord Zu clearly spoke the truth in every word, yet these people are ungrateful and keep rushing to their own demise."

He felt a pang of regret, having been somewhat intimidated by the prestige of the various Taoist sect leaders just moments ago, which stopped him from promptly flattering Lord Zu and thus missing so many good opportunities.

Seeing his frustrated expression, as if he was about to slap his own thighs raw, Xie Daoyun's expression turned strange. "It's normal for them to misunderstand, after all, Brother Zu's situation is quite unique."

Had she not personally witnessed Brother Zu in action, even she wouldn't have imagined someone who appeared so harmless could be so formidable.

The young monk Jieshe from Wuyou Temple tugged at Master Jianhuang's sleeve. "Master, I don't think Senior Brother is worthy of his Dharma name."

Master Jianhuang remained silent for a long time, finally sighing, "After we return to the temple, I will change his name."

Senior Brother's Dharma name was "Jiekuang" (Abstain from Arrogance), as he was usually too arrogant. But compared to the person before them, what right did he have to be called arrogant?

"Xu Chuan, you're a Force Soul Grandmaster, how dare you bully a young man? If you want to fight, fight me!" roared Grandmaster Huoling at that moment.

Although she also felt Zu An's words were excessively arrogant, he was, after all, trying to help Manman, and she couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

Elder Xu was so exasperated he nearly choked. "Are you blind? Who was bullying whom just now?"

Knowing he was no match for Grandmaster Huoling, he ignored her challenge and instead looked at Zu An. "Are you going to hide behind a woman again this time, like a cowardly turtle?"

Zu An calmly replied, "I've been waiting for you to make a move. Who knew you'd keep lacking the courage?"

"Damn it, nobody stop me!" Elder Xu's eyes glowed red as he rolled up his sleeves and leaped onto the arena stage.

Grandmasters from other sects secretly nodded in agreement. This youngster was indeed too infuriating; even those observing could barely tolerate him.

The disciples from various sects were even more excited. They had come to watch a match between disciples, but now they could witness judges fighting each other — it was truly worth the trip. Their only regret was that one of the judges seemed a bit weaker, so the fight might end quickly.

Seeing this, Grandmaster Huoling became very anxious. She tried to step forward but was blocked by people from other sects. "Grandmaster, since Lord Zu said that, he clearly has confidence. Don't worry about him."

Although they said this, their expressions showed a hint of schadenfreude, clearly not believing Zu An truly had confidence.

Blocked by several people, Grandmaster Huoling couldn't get through.

At this moment, Elder Xu walked up to Zu An and stopped. "You go first."

He respected his own status; though enraged, he, as an esteemed senior, couldn't possibly attack a junior first. It would be more fitting for him to retaliate after his opponent made the first move.

"If I make a move, you won't stand a chance," Zu An said with a calm expression. "And as I've said, you're not worthy of me using my hands."

Elder Xu, furious, laughed instead. "Good, then I'll see how you make me lose without even making a move."

Rage points from Xu Chuan +666 +666 +666...

The sect leaders surrounding them, and even Grandmaster Huoling, who was supposedly on his side, all felt that Zu An was simply too arrogant and didn't know his place.

At this point, Elder Xu no longer cared for martial arts etiquette. He directly threw a punch at Zu An. As a Force Soul Grandmaster, his strike carried the momentum of being able to uproot mountains.

The surrounding disciples painfully covered their ears, because this punch caused a sonic boom — no, even more, his fist directly frictioned with the air, producing a dazzling bright light.

The barrier near the arena began to crack and shatter, and even the arena itself started to collapse.

Feeling the terrifying pressure, the younger generation of disciples, even formidable ones like Wu Xiaofan and Wan Guiyi, showed looks of horror, save for a few elders of the sects.

"Is this the power of a Force Soul Grandmaster's punch?"

If one were to be hit head-on by such a punch, perhaps not even a speck of bone would remain.

At this moment, even Zhang Zijiang and Xie Daoyun grew tense. They had seen Zu An fight before, but at that time, he faced Scarred Yang Shen, a Grandmaster who had just entered the Heroic Soul stage. Now, Elder Xu was a Force Soul Grandmaster, three major realms higher!

The power of this strike far, far surpassed Yang Shen's.

In the arena, only Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue remained expressionless, their inner composure unmatched.

With a tremendous boom, the arena where Elder Xu stood completely collapsed. Even several surrounding arenas were affected and crumbled. Fortunately, Wang Wuxie and others acted swiftly to erect a new barrier, preventing the residual power from harming the many disciples outside.

"That Zu fellow must be dead, right?""If he's not dead after that, is he a god?""Still, he's an imperial official; Luofu Mountain might face trouble later."

Zhao Xiaodie gasped, looking nervously at the dust-filled arena. Her expression seemed to convey both tension and relief.

Cai Yu, the ninth junior brother beside her, remarked, "Senior Sister truly cares for Senior Brother. That pretty boy is certainly dead; it's a good way to vent our anger for Senior Brother."

Zhao Xiaodie forced a smile, but her expression was filled with confusion. Logically, she should be happy that the villain was dead, so why did she feel an emptiness in her heart?

However, sharp-eyed individuals soon noticed that the sect leaders were all staring gravely in the direction of the arena, as if they had witnessed something horrifying.

"Look, golden light in the sky!"

Someone cried out. Everyone looked up to see golden ripples suddenly appearing in the air. In front of these golden ripples, a figure floated in mid-air. Who else could it be but Zu An!

At this moment, he was holding Pei Mianman in his arms. Pei Mianman, whether fainted or shy, had her face pressed directly against his chest.

"Never missing an opportunity to flirt," Yun Jianyue cursed under her breath, clearly disdainful of his actions.

Across from her, Yan Xuehen also lowered her head slightly, her expression seeming three points colder than usual.

Xie Daoyun, who had been worried, breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Zu An was safe and sound. But upon seeing him holding Pei Mianman like that, she felt a sour pang in her heart.

However, she soon remembered that she had been held by him in a similar way first, and her mood immediately improved significantly.

He actually evaded that attack and still had the leisure to save Pei Mianman?

Elder Xu was incredibly shocked. He had clearly locked onto his opponent just moments ago, yet suddenly, he had vanished.

"This guy is feigning weakness to ambush us!" The chief disciples like Wan Guiyi, Wu Xiaofan, and Lou Wucheng's eyes lit up, and a strong fighting spirit surged within them. They had never imagined that there would be another contemporary with such profound cultivation on this Golden Summit.

As for the other disciples, all that remained was envy, jealousy, and resentment.

"If only I could be rescued by a handsome young man holding me like that someday, it would be worth dying for!" Many female cultivators began to swoon.

Other male cultivators secretly scoffed, thinking, "You should look in a mirror," but their hearts were also pounding. Having once been young boys, who among them hadn't fantasized about being a peerless hero descending from the sky to save the girl of their dreams?

However, as they grew older, they all realized that it could only remain a fantasy.

They never imagined they would witness it with their own eyes today.

There truly is light in this world!

At this moment, the golden ripples in the air gradually condensed into golden weapons, each emitting the formidable aura of at least a Heaven-grade divine weapon.

"How can he possess so many divine weapons?" Even Wang Wuxie was so shocked he looked utterly bewildered.

Elder Xu, who was at the center of it all, realized something was amiss. He tried to dodge, but found his entire body had been locked by a terrifying aura, leaving him nowhere to run.

Just then, the golden longswords shot out one after another, like streaks of light, instantly engulfing him.

"Luofu Mountain Quelling!" Elder Xu was greatly alarmed and hurriedly activated his strongest defense: a phantom image of Luofu Mountain enveloped his body, radiating an incredibly dense aura.

At the same time, he pulled out his signature weapon, and all the sect's magical artifacts were deployed as if they were free.

Unfortunately, under the overwhelming assault of the golden light swords, all his magical artifacts and signature weapons shattered inch by inch. Finally, even the phantom image of Luofu Mountain completely collapsed…

"Lord Zu, please show mercy!" Wang Wuxie hastily urged.

Zu An, holding Pei Mianman, slightly turned his head. "Give me a reason?"

Wang Wuxie had originally intended to say, "Give me some face," but realizing his influence might not be enough, he suddenly had an idea and quickly said, "He held back when he threw that punch just now; he didn't intend to kill you."

Regardless of whether it was due to unspoken rules among upright sects or an unwillingness to kill an imperial official, Elder Xu's punch just now was primarily aimed at destroying the surrounding arena. Of course, if Zu An couldn't block it, he would certainly be severely injured, but his life wouldn't be in danger.

Zu An nodded upon hearing this. The light sword closest to Elder Xu suddenly stopped, hovering just an inch from his glabella.

Elder Xu swallowed hard. The tension in his chest dissipated, and he promptly fainted.

Only then did everyone see how miserable he was. His entire body was devoid of any intact clothing, covered instead in bloody sword marks. Clearly, had his opponent not held back, he would likely have been reduced to a pile of minced flesh by now.

One must remember that Force Soul Grandmasters possess incredibly exaggerated strength and physical resilience. Furthermore, Luofu Mountain Quelling was Luofu Mountain's strongest combat technique, renowned as the foremost defensive art among the Taoist sects, yet he was still wounded to such an extent.

Someone murmured, "It seems he really didn't use his hands from beginning to end…"

The entire Golden Summit fell silent, from the young disciples to the older sect leaders.