"God of Hongmeng?"

"What nonsense is this?"

"Has Yang Xiao gone mad?"

The crowd was in an uproar.

Belief in Divine Spirits had existed since ancient times. Shaolin believed in Buddha. Wudang believed in the True Martial Emperor. Huashan believed in Ancestor San Qing. But everyone knew deep down that Divine Spirits simply didn't exist. Even if they did, they wouldn't concern themselves with mortals. Throughout history, no one had ever seen a real Divine Spirit.

"How can Divine Spirits drive away the Yuan soldiers?"

With a scornful look in his eyes, the Huashan Sect Master, Xian Yutong, mocked, "Yang Xiao, you can't possibly be telling us that the God of Hongmeng will manifest and then swat the Yuan soldiers to death with a slap, can you?"

"The God of Hongmeng is a Divine Spirit, with vast Divine Skills and boundless mana. Why would He need to make an appearance? Maybe He'll just send divine punishment raining down, striking the Yuan soldiers dead. Haha!"

"Makes sense!"

"Hahaha!"

As Xian Yutong spoke, the crowd followed with jeering laughter.

"Xian Yutong."

Yang Xiao's sharp gaze turned toward him. Xian Yutong suddenly felt a tremendous pressure overwhelming him. However, remembering that the heroes of the martial world and Master Zhang of Wudang were present, he immediately felt emboldened.

He sneered, "What? Are you angry and embarrassed? Do you intend to kill me?"

The experts from the Huashan Sect and other sects fixed their hostile gazes on Yang Xiao. If Yang Xiao made a move, he would certainly be met with a thunderous counterattack from all present.

"What if I do?" Yang Xiao declared proudly. "A treacherous, cruel, morally bankrupt manipulator of women—such scum wastes the world's grain just by living!"

"Nonsense, that description suits your Demon Sect perfectly!" Xian Yutong retorted angrily, his eyes betraying a hint of guilt.

"You first seduced and then abandoned a girl from the Miao family. She planted the Golden Silkworm Gu poison on you, still hoping for your change of heart. The dosage wasn't heavy, to allow for the possibility of rescue. After being poisoned, you immediately fled, cunningly stealing two pairs of Golden Silkworms from the girl's possession. Yet, shortly after escaping, you collapsed."

Xian Yutong, furious and embarrassed, shouted, "Nonsense! Slandering me like this, you're courting death!"

As he spoke, he pressed a mechanism on the handle of his fan while simultaneously exerting his internal energy. The poison powder hidden in the fan instantly sprayed out, capable of harming a person invisibly.

The onlookers witnessed this scene. All of them sneered, full of disdain. The great Huashan Sect Master, resorting to using poison for a sneak attack. Truly a disgrace to the Huashan Sect.

WHIRR.

Facing the toxic mist, Yang Xiao waved his sleeve, and his Grandmaster Realm qi surged out, reflecting the poison mist back and smearing it right across Xian Yutong's face!

"Ah!" Xian Yutong screamed, hastily pulling out an antidote and attempting to cure himself.

Yang Xiao moved swiftly, snatching the antidote away, and said with a cold laugh, "So this is the poison powder you made from the stolen Golden Silkworms, isn't it?"

"Give it to me!"

"Quick, give it to me!" Xian Yutong roared, trying to snatch back the antidote but was suppressed by the imposing aura of Yang Xiao's Grandmaster Realm, unable to get close.

Seeing that Yang Xiao hadn't made a killing move, and with an interesting drama unfolding—plus their own disdain for Xian Yutong's character—no one stepped forward to help.

"Back then, when you fainted from the poison, Hu Qingniu happened to be gathering herbs in the Miao territory and saved your life. After your life was saved by Hu Qingniu, you fell in love with his sister, Hu Qingyang. Hu Qingyang gave herself to you, even becoming pregnant. However, you later coveted the position of Huashan Sect Master and abandoned her, marrying the then Sect Master's only beloved daughter instead. Shamed and enraged, Hu Qingyang took her own life, resulting in the tragedy of one corpse and two lives. At the same time, you also murdered your own martial brother Bai Yuan and framed my Ming Sect for it!"

Facing Yang Xiao's interrogation, Xian Yutong's face changed dramatically. He yelled, "I didn't do it! You're talking nonsense! Your Demon Sect killed my martial brother and now you want to pin the blame on me? No way!"

"Aaaaah... Give me the antidote! Quick, give it to me..." The potent poison flared up in Xian Yutong's body, causing unbearable pain, and he howled continuously.

However, looking at his expression, the crowd had a good idea of what had happened. Especially the Elders of the Huashan Sect. Bai Yuan's death had always been suspicious; now it seemed highly probable that Xian Yutong was responsible.

"Alright, I'll give it to you!" Yang Xiao casually threw the antidote over.

Xian Yutong, delighted, reached out to catch it. However, the jade bottle containing the antidote directly pierced through his palm and smashed into his forehead between his brows.

"You..." Xian Yutong couldn't utter another word before he died.

Everyone's faces turned pale. Yang Xiao's move was truly astounding. The jade bottle was inherently fragile, yet it had pierced through a palm and killed Xian Yutong, demonstrating the profound depth of Yang Xiao's power.

"Yang Xiao, regardless of what Xian Yutong did, he should have been dealt with by our Huashan Sect! Let us witness your brilliant skills for ourselves!" The Two Elders of Huashan stepped forward. Regardless of Xian Yutong's despicable nature, he was still the Huashan Sect Master. If the Sect didn't demand an explanation, how could they maintain their prestige?

"You are no match for me!" Yang Xiao shook his head, his calm voice inciting great anger in the Two Elders of Huashan. This was blatant contempt, looking down on them.

"Take this!" The two moved, one from the left and one from the right, coordinating their attack on Yang Xiao.

Everyone's eyes lit up. The coordination of the Two Elders of Huashan was exquisite; few among those present could confidently claim victory over them.

BOOM.

Suddenly, a powerful aura erupted from within Yang Xiao. Like a tsunami or a mountain torrent, like the sky falling and the earth caving in. The Two Elders of Huashan had approached quickly but were sent flying back even faster. Like a solitary boat, they were instantly capsized by the terrifying waves.

THUMP.

The Two Elders of Huashan crashed heavily to the ground.

HISS!

Everyone's eyes widened. This was too terrifyingly fast. Just the aura alone had flung the Two Elders of Huashan away. Was this the might of a Grandmaster?

But Zhang Sanfeng, also a Grandmaster, knew that Yang Xiao was not merely a Grandmaster. He had reached the very pinnacle of the Grandmaster Realm; he was at the Peak of Grandmaster.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

「Immediately following.」

The White Brow Eagle King Yin Tianzheng, Golden Fur Lion King Xie Xun, Green Winged Bat King Wei Yixiao, and other Ming Sect experts like the Five scattered people all released their auras.

「In that instant.」

Waves of terrifying Grandmaster auras swept across the plaza like a collapsing mountain or a surging tsunami, leaving everyone breathless and utterly dumbfounded.

"How is this possible?"

"Grandmasters! They are all Grandmasters!"

Seeing this scene, even Master Zhang Sanfeng, who had appeared calm and collected even at the sight of the Dragon-slaying Saber, was shocked. As a Grandmaster, he knew all too well how difficult it was to become one—it was harder than ascending to the heavens. Yet, the Kings of Law of the Ming Sect and the Five scattered people had all become Grandmasters. How could this be? It was utterly illogical. It wasn't that he looked down on the Golden Fur Lion King or the Five scattered people, but this was the reality.

Even Zhang Sanfeng began to question reality, let alone Sect Master Mie Jue of Emei, Shaolin Kongwen, the Kongtong Five Elders, Kunlun He Taichong, and other experts from various sects and wandering Martial Artists.

The plaza fell into dead silence, with only expressions of shock and disbelief on every face.

"Envoy Yang," Zhang Sanfeng was the first to recover his wits and couldn't help but ask, "forgive my boldness, but is your breakthrough in cultivation related to the God of Hongmeng?"

Such breakthroughs in cultivation were closely guarded secrets among Martial Artists, taboo in the martial world. But Zhang Sanfeng couldn't restrain his curiosity. After much thought, he realized the only unusual thing about the Ming Sect was this God of Hongmeng. So, he boldly speculated that the changes in Yang Xiao and the others were related to the God of Hongmeng.

SWISH. SWISH. SWISH.

Everyone looked at Yang Xiao in unison, their eyes filled with fervor. If they could obtain that method, could they also break through to the Grandmaster Realm? But such a method was undoubtedly a top secret; Yang Xiao would never tell them. However, with all the major sects and masters of the martial world present today, they had to try, no matter what.

Yet just as they were contemplating how to coerce Yang Xiao into revealing the secret technique, Yang Xiao spoke openly!

"That's right! Our ability to break through to the Grandmaster Realm is all thanks to the grace of our God!"

Everyone was stunned. Yang Xiao was indeed straightforward. Could it be that he was so confident in his cultivation level that he had no fear?

Yang Xiao said, "Here I have Volume One of the 'Meditation Method,' bestowed by the Divine Spirit. As long as you have the God in your heart and pray devoutly, you can receive the Divine Spirit's blessing, and breaking through your cultivation level will be as easy as flipping your hand! How much divine grace you receive will depend on the sincerity of your faith!!"

The crowd stared, bewildered. A divine technique, given to them just like that? Could it be fake? They found it hard to believe.

"Envoy Yang, are you really prepared to pass on the God's Wonderful Law to us?" Zhang Sanfeng couldn't help but ask again.

"Of course. Our God is magnanimous and great. As long as you believe in our God, you are His followers. Now, recite it with me." Yang Xiao nodded, looked at everyone, and said, "Believe it or not, it's up to you!"

After saying that, Yang Xiao began to chant to himself. The people of the Ming Sect also began to pray devoutly.

Zhang Sanfeng did not hesitate and began to chant along. Song Yuanqiao and the other Wudang disciples naturally followed suit. The other sects, figuring it was better to believe it than not—after all, reciting it once cost them nothing—also joined in. If it turned out to be true, they would have struck gold.

"Amitabha, may the Buddha forgive me," Master Kongwen chanted a Buddha's name. "This monk is only trying to discern its truth, with absolutely no intention of believing in another god!" Then, he too began to chant along.

Unconsciously, they lost all perception of the outside world. Their consciousness arrived in a Boundless Chaos. And in the center of that Chaos stood an indescribable, majestic being. Billions of stars orbited its form. Endless Universes were born and annihilated in flashes.

He, ancient and everlasting, eternal and undying.

He, supreme and absolute, utterly divine and sacred.

He... was a God!!!

When Zhang Sanfeng saw this majestic figure, his mind went blank. His heart was overwhelmed beyond description.

So there are indeed Divine Spirits in this world.

An unknown amount of time passed before Zhang Sanfeng suddenly awoke with a start. Almost simultaneously, Master Kongwen, Sect Master Mie Jue, He Taichong, and the others also regained their senses.

"Amitabha! So there are truly gods in this world!" Master Kongwen exclaimed in shock.

"Such a great and unfathomable being—it could only be a God!" He Taichong trembled with a mixture of excitement, awe, and trepidation.

"Ah, I've broken through in my cultivation! I've reached the Innate Realm! Thank you, great God of Hongmeng!"

"My hidden injuries have healed! I feel light all over, and my cultivation level has increased significantly! Thank you, my God! From now on, I will believe only in my God!"

Cheers erupted. Countless Martial Artists were ecstatic; many knelt and kowtowed in gratitude, some even began to pray again.

Master Kongwen, Sect Master Mie Jue, and Zhang Sanfeng also felt a surge in their own cultivation levels, though they managed to maintain their composure. But the shock on their faces was evident.

"Everyone," Yang Xiao's eyes revealed a hint of a smile; no one in this world could resist the blessings of a Divine Spirit. He proclaimed loudly, "Do you now feel the greatness and generosity of my God? As long as you believe in my God, you will receive divine grace. You don't need to do anything else. Now, the Ming Sect is preparing a sacrificial ceremony for our God. Those who wish to join are most welcome. Those who do not may observe from the side!"

"I am willing!" the Kongtong Five Elders hurriedly said. Just by praying once, not only had their internal injuries from practicing the Seven Injuries Fist healed, but their cultivation levels had also increased substantially. Failing to embrace such a supreme True God would be courting heavenly retribution!

"I am willing, too!"

"And me!"

"Me as well!"

Countless Martial Artists clamored to express their readiness.

Great Emperor, don't blame this old Daoist for abandoning his faith in you. It's just that the God of Hongmeng offers too much! Zhang Sanfeng silently mused. From this day forward, his Wudang would believe in the God of Hongmeng.

"Amitabha!" Master Kongwen clasped his hands together. "May Buddha forgive me. It's not that this humble monk is unfaithful, but the divine grace is simply too alluring!"

...

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