C18 They Were Calm and Collected

Armed with the enigmatic woman as his ace and the power to navigate the void at will, Su Mo's confidence was unshakable.

He had thoroughly studied "Acting Self-Cultivation," mastering the persona of a reclusive sage with ease.

"Cough, cough."

Clearing his throat, Su Mo edged closer to Blade Sovereign and said, "Junior Brother, focus on healing. I'll handle what comes next."

"Senior Brother, that's not wise!"

Blade Sovereign was adamant about not letting Su Mo confront the brown-robed elder.

Bearing the searing pain, he insisted, "I'll hold him off! You all find a way to escape!"

"Escape? In my presence, where do you think you can go?"

The brown-robed elder's gaze was icy, his aura surging like a tempest from the Second Layer of the Immortal Platform.

Crack!

Realizing he was no match for the elder's overwhelming presence, Su Mo lifted his foot and pressed it against Zhuang Yan's chest, stating coolly, "Keep up your display of power. I'll just watch in silence."

"Curse it!"

Unlike the unrestrained Elder Mo, the brown-robed elder harbored some reservations.

Reluctantly, he withdrew his aura and growled, "I possess the Rule Stone. What do you have to turn the tide?"

"Turn the tide? No, no, no. I never planned on that. I've known from the start that you were never going to succeed."

Su Mo shook his head gently, his expression serene, "Now, you have two options. First, surrender the Rule Stone and leave. Or second, I take down Zhuang Yan and Wu Qin, and we go to war."

"Where do you get the audacity to think you can stand against me?"

The elder's brow furrowed in confusion, unable to fathom the source of Su Mo's boldness.

His own cultivation at the first level of the Dao Palace might rival that of an average Nirvana Stage warrior, but compared to an Almighty like himself, it was a mere trifle.

"Believe it or not, that's your choice."

Su Mo shrugged nonchalantly and gave Zhuang Yan a nudge with his foot, adding, "Your fates rest with the brown-robed elder. He dictates whether you live or die. Should he choose the latter, I'll be the first to oblige."

"Uncle Wei, save me!"

In a moment of panic, Zhuang Yan's plea for help was desperate and shrill. "I'm not ready to die. Trading a worthless stone for my life is a fair deal, any way you look at it."

"Worthless, my foot!"

Wai Chenming, the man in the brown robe, had a face as sour as if he'd bitten into raw liver.

On the Uttarakuru Continent, the Rule Stone's significance to an Almighty like him surpassed everything else.

Without it, Immortal Platform masters couldn't remain on the continent indefinitely; they were bound to leave within a prescribed period.

Frankly, Wai Chenming was filled with regret.

Had he known Zhuang Yan was so foolish, he never would have brought her to Uttarakuru.

Ultimately, his overconfidence was to blame. He had assumed Uttarakuru, the Abandoning Continent, was a place where no one would dare cross him.

"Take your time; I'm not pressing you."

Su Mo was utterly unconcerned with Wai Chenming's internal struggle.

As long as Wai Chenming refrained from attacking him within the next three minutes, all would be well.

After all, the enigmatic woman was currently subduing a fearsome entity within the Heaven Devouring Devil Pot, which was expected to take about three minutes.

"Uncle Wei! Why are you hesitating? Do you really want to stand by and watch me be killed?"

Zhuang Yan was desperate to survive. Seeing Wai Chenming's lack of response, she played her ace, threatening, "What about the promise you made to my grandfather before we came to the Abandoning Continent? If I die, you can forget about living too!"

"We can strike a deal, but it must be done at the border between the Abandoning Continent and Purvavideha."

Ultimately, Wai Chenming conceded.

He had no choice but to yield; Zhuang Yan's grandfather was an Immortal Level Three Dao Slashing King, capable of killing him as easily as one would squash an ant.

"From this moment on, if I hear you utter 'Abandoning Continent' again, don't expect me to hold back."

Su Mo crushed Zhuang Yan's ribs underfoot and stated coldly, "You have three minutes to think it over. Once they're up, I want a definitive answer."

"Don't push me too far!"

Wai Chenming struggled to contain the fury within, knowing that if not for the last shred of reason holding him back, he would have immediately struck down Su Mo.

Buzz! Buzz!

Su Mo realized that mere oppression wouldn't suffice. It was time to unveil some of his hidden strengths to deter Wai Chenming.

With hands clasped behind his back, Su Mo took a deliberate step forward.

Swoosh!

To Wai Chenming, that seemingly small step was terrifying beyond belief!

Swish!

Su Mo had the astounding ability to navigate freely through the void!

Gudong!

The shock hit not only Wai Chenming but also the Blade Sovereign standing behind him, both utterly astounded.

Was this a case of playing the fool to catch the wise?

Could it be that his elder brother Su Mo was not merely at the first layer of the Dao Palace but had actually reached the Immortal Platform Stage?

In that moment, the Blade Sovereign was utterly bewildered, feeling like a frog at the bottom of a well.

But the shock was fleeting, and the Blade Sovereign quickly regained his calm.

After all, Su Mo was his senior brother, a fellow warrior united on the same front.

If he couldn't handle Wai Chenming, perhaps Su Mo could dispatch him with ease!

Indeed, the Blade Sovereign began to harbor hopes for the Rule Stone in Wai Chenming's possession.

With the Rule Stone in hand, there would be no need for self-sealing, allowing him to traverse the Uttarakuru Continent without restraint.

Bang!

As Su Mo continued his standoff with Wai Chenming, elsewhere, Zhou Hai, the third Dragon Transforming Five-change powerhouse from Purvavideha, succumbed to the relentless assault and was slain on the spot.

Now, only Wai Chenming, Zhuang Yan, and Wu Qin remained.

Moreover, with Zhuang Yan and Wu Qin captured, Wai Chenming found himself in a precarious situation.

Plop!

Yang Yuqing was astute enough to recognize the situation.

He understood that the likelihood of Wai Chenming emerging victorious from this conflict was slim. The optimal outcome would be for Wai Chenming to retreat with Zhuang Yan and Wu Qin from the Essence Returning Sect, back to Purvavideha.

Yet, even this best-case scenario was far from favorable for him.

To prevent any retribution from Su Mo and Ling Xuzi, Yang Yuqing immediately fell to his knees, weeping and wailing, "Young Hero Su, Senior Blade Sovereign, I'm not to blame. It was Wai Chenming who sought me out, plotting to rule over the Reed Region as king!"

"Ling Xuzi, handle it as you see fit. His fate is of no concern to me," Su Mo said without sparing Yang Yuqing a glance. "I prefer not to meddle in the Essence Returning Sect's internal affairs."

"Many thanks, Young Hero Su!" Ling Xuzi expressed his gratitude with a fist salute before soaring into the air. Descending swiftly, his right foot loomed larger and larger in Yang Yuqing's terrified gaze until it brutally crushed down upon his head.

Crack! The sound of his skull shattering was followed by a spray of blood.

The surrounding sect leaders and patriarchs admired Ling Xuzi's resolute action. Yang Yuqing, at the Dragon Transforming Two-change level, could have been a significant asset to the Essence Returning Sect. His abrupt execution seemed somewhat wasteful.

"Clear the area," Su Mo commanded coolly after Yang Yuqing's demise. He surveyed the onlookers and continued, "The elders of the six great sects may remain. Everyone else, stand guard outside the Essence Returning Sect. No one is to enter without my express permission."