C6 One Punch

Outside the carriage, Loong San's voice carried through, prompting Zhao Xiaoqi to furrow his brow.

He drew back the curtain.

Before him, a circle of Grand One Holy Land disciples had gathered around an elder in a white robe, helping him to his feet.

The elder's white robe was tattered, and a trickle of blood stained the corner of his mouth.

With the disciples' aid, the trembling elder stood, swallowing a pill handed to him by Tang Xin, and cast a wary glance skyward.

Following his gaze, Zhao Xiaoqi peered into the heavens.

Two silhouettes loomed above, surveying the disciples of the Grand One Holy Land from their high vantage point.

"The Divine King's Dragon Blood is not yours to possess!"

Both figures were shrouded in voluminous black robes, their forms obscured by the dark fabric. One stepped forward, declaring, "Surrender the Divine Dragon's Blood Essence, and I'll grant you a swift end."

The Grand One Holy Land's disciples stiffened.

As cultivators, they recognized the overwhelming disparity in strength between themselves and the two figures above.

Yet, they hadn't anticipated that these intruders sought not only the dragon blood but their very lives as well!

"Rakshasa Sect, you were nothing but a petty, ignoble faction in the past. When our Grand One Holy Land was mighty, you weren't even worthy to offer tribute!"

The elder, propped up by his followers, gazed defiantly into the sky, his eyes seething with fury.

In its heyday, the Grand One Holy Land was nearly sovereign over the East Continent. Now in decline, they struggled to protect even a few drops of dragon blood, their lives hanging in the balance.

"But as you said, that was the past!" retorted the black-robed figure with a cold laugh. "The Grand One Holy Land of today is nothing more than a hollow shell, a facade of strength. Don't delude yourselves into thinking you still hold the title of a Holy Land!"

"Defaming our Holy Land is a death sentence!"

"Disciples of the Grand One, we shall never yield!"

Below, the eyes of every Grand One Holy Land disciple blazed with fury.

Raised within the Grand One Holy Land, they were incensed beyond measure to hear their sacred institution belittled and dishonored.

Clang!

Clang, clang...

It was unclear who drew their sword first, but in no time, every disciple had unsheathed theirs.

"Loong San, what's this Rakshasa Sect all about?" Unlike the tense standoff elsewhere, Zhao Xiaoqi sat in the vehicle, curiously observing the scene.

"Master, the Rakshasa Sect is currently one of the foremost powers on the East Continent..."

Loong San respectfully began his report to Zhao Xiaoqi, who, through this briefing, gained a clearer picture of the Rakshasa Sect.

The Rakshasa Sect was a secretive and unorthodox faction. In comparison, the Grand One Holy Land was as insignificant as an ant to a towering tree; there was simply no contest.

For the Grand One Holy Land, the Rakshasa Sect was an immovable behemoth.

"Hmph, hand it over, or I'll kill you all!"

A black-robed figure sneered, pointing a finger ominously.

In a flash, a fearsome power converged at his fingertip, unleashing a dreadful arc of energy that seemed to shroud this pocket of the world.

The overwhelming might and imminent threat instantly targeted the Grand One Holy Land's disciples, causing those with lesser strength to spurt blood.

How could they possibly defend against this?

Moments ago, the disciples of the Grand One Holy Land were filled with indignation; now, their faces were etched with despair. The gap between them was insurmountable; their adversaries could extinguish their lives with a mere flick of the wrist.

As the lethal arc drew nearer, many disciples resigned themselves to their fate, closing their eyes. If escape was futile, they would face death with dignity!

Boom!

A thunderous blast erupted.

The shockwave sent a gust tearing through the area, tossing the Grand One Holy Land's followers left and right.

Yet, they remained unharmed!

Had someone saved them?

The disciples opened their eyes to chaos. The collision of titanic forces had even spawned a miniature mushroom cloud before them.

Even the Rakshasa Sect's experts in the sky adjusted their robes, and despite their obscured faces, their gravity was palpable.

The attack, seemingly effortless, had in truth called upon nearly all his power.

"I don't wish to kill..."

As the dust settled, the figure of Zhao Xiaoqi stood tall and unscathed, having withstood the formidable assault without so much as a tear in his clothing.

Zhao Xiaoqi advanced steadily, and as the dust settled from the battle, not a single speck clung to him.

He glanced up at the two figures hovering above and shook his head, "Scram, and stop pestering me!"

"That's the one..."

Tang Xin watched Zhao Xiaoqi, unfazed before the Rakshasa Sect's formidable duo. Both she and Zhao Xiaoqi were barely twenty—or at least they appeared so. Yet the gulf in their powers was stark. Had she faced that blow, she'd likely be reduced to nothingness by now.

"There's something off about this guy!"

The Rakshasa Sect's experts exchanged a grave look, sensing the weight of the situation.

"I can't detect any cultivation on him!"

Yet this young man had nearly withstood their full-powered strike, emerging without a scratch.

"Who are you?"

"You don't need to know who I am..."

With a serene demeanor, Zhao Xiaoqi addressed the Rakshasa Sect's experts, "Leave now, and we can forget this ever happened."

A flicker of disappointment crossed Zhao Xiaoqi's face as he observed the experts above. He had been eager to encounter truly formidable opponents to gauge his own strength, but it seemed he was bound for disappointment.

These experts from the Rakshasa Sect were significantly stronger than Loong San and the Grand One Holy Land's Elder, perhaps even surpassing them by an entire realm. But to Zhao Xiaoqi, such a disparity was negligible—barely a hair's breadth.

He couldn't even be bothered to lift a finger.

"Arrogant fool!"

One of the Rakshasa Sect's experts scoffed, his hands weaving a spell as his black robe whipped about in the wind. A colossal Rakshasa phantom loomed behind him, towering a hundred feet tall, as if it could crush the mortals below with a mere stomp.

"The Rakshasa Sect's forbidden technique..."

The Elder of the Grand One Holy Land wore a grave look on his face.

He had just learned of Zhao Xiaoqi's origins from a disciple, and he found the young man's immense strength shrouded in mystery.

Yet, he doubted Zhao Xiaoqi could withstand this particular attack. After all, more than a decade ago, their own Holy Lord had been defeated by it.

Their Holy Land might have waned, but the Grand One Holy Lord still ranked among the mightiest in the East Continent. Zhao Xiaoqi might be formidable, but the Elder couldn't see him surpassing the Grand One Holy Lord.

"You think the young master can't handle it?"

Loong San, at the edge of the crowd, let out a derisive snort upon hearing this.

Of everyone gathered, only he, Brandug, and Xyret had truly witnessed Zhao Xiaoqi's fearsome power—the kind that could crush the will to resist with a mere gesture!

And during the days spent in Zhao Xiaoqi's company, Loong San had increasingly sensed an overwhelming aura, one that stemmed from his lineage.

Such an effect could not come from a mere human bloodline, unless... Zhao Xiaoqi was the pure-blooded scion of a Divine Beast lineage!

That was Loong San's firm belief.

Could such a potent heritage be bested by a human?

"If you ignore my warning, I'll have no choice but to retaliate..."