Hearing Gong Chuhe speak, the burly man touched his bald head and, somewhat displeased, stepped aside.
Gong Chuhe turned around, looked at Xu Zimo, and said with a smile, “Lin Qiu, don’t misunderstand. Since you’ve obtained the inheritance, we naturally won’t snatch it by force. We just want to take a look at what our ancestor left behind. This request should be reasonable, right? After all, it is from our ancestor.”
“What good does looking at it do?” Xu Zimo asked with interest.
“If Young Master Lin is willing to exchange, we can offer something you’ll be satisfied with,” Gong Chuhe said. “And you’ll gain the friendship of our Eternal God Sect.”
Everyone around focused their gaze on Xu Zimo. Some even secretly exerted pressure, trying to intimidate him.
“I don’t think that’s necessary. At first, I didn’t even want this inheritance. Unfortunately, your ancestor insisted on giving it to me,” Xu Zimo shook his head and said. “But since it’s already in my hands, there’s no chance of returning it.”
“You really won’t reconsider?” Gong Chuhe narrowed his eyes slightly, rhythmically tapping the armrest of his seat with his right hand as he stared at Xu Zimo.
“What, are you going to take it by force? You’re welcome to try,” Xu Zimo replied.
“What’s there to talk about? This kid, I can take him down easily,” the burly man known as Si Xiong seemed impatient.
Maybe it was Xu Zimo’s arrogant demeanor that annoyed him. He said coldly, “Kid, if you hand it over now, we’ll let it go. If not, and you dare keep our ancestor’s inheritance, I’ll make sure your blood spills within five steps.”
“Why are you so noisy?” Xu Zimo turned and looked at the burly man with indifference.
He activated the A Speck In The Vast Sea technique he had learned in the Nine Heavens Imperial Sect. Endless spiritforce gathered in his hand, and a small droplet of water appeared on his right index finger.
With a gentle flick, the tiny droplet, carrying the weight of five thousand kilos, shot toward the burly man.
A look of surprise appeared in the man's eyes. A beastly roar suddenly came from his body.
A phantom of a fierce beast appeared, howling at the sky with overwhelming might.
Its true form was unclear, but the aura alone marked it as an ancient beast.
Yet before the beast could show its power, the droplet pierced its forehead.
The man’s pupils shrank. More beastly roars followed, and three additional fierce beast phantoms emerged behind him.
Along with the previous one, there were now four beast shadows.
The droplet, carrying immense force and spiritforce, descended like an ocean falling from the sky.
The beasts had no chance to resist. It pierced through the man’s back, slamming his body heavily onto the floor of the great hall.
The beast phantoms shattered, their dying cries filled with terror.
In the upper part of the hall, two Grand Empyrean-level elders showed a hint of surprise in their eyes.
“I was going to destroy your Eternal God Sect, but since your ancestor was a chill guy, I didn’t bother,” Xu Zimo said flatly. “But that doesn’t give you the right to act up in front of me. I won’t tolerate any more nonsense. Otherwise, even if we’re standing in your sect, in front of all your people, I’ll still kill you.”
Hearing Xu Zimo’s words, the hall fell silent.
Gong Chuhe coughed a few times and chuckled, “I think Young Master Lin has misunderstood. Elder Si Xiong is just like that. We truly meant no harm. We merely wanted to ask about our ancestor. It’s been tens of thousands of years since he went to the Immortal Dao Bridge. Over these years, we’ve tried to reach the top of the God Staircase many times but failed. Your appearance today made us a little too excited.”
“It’d better be that way. If there’s nothing else, Sect Master Gong, send someone to take me back. I don’t have time to waste with you,” Xu Zimo said coldly.
“Of course,” Gong Chuhe nodded with a smile.
Just as Xu Zimo was about to leave, Gong Chuhe called out, “Wait, Young Master Lin.”
“What is it?” Xu Zimo turned around and asked.
Gong Chuhe waved his hand and tossed a token over. “I know you want to go to the God-Demon Battlefield. With this token, you can skip the line and go straight to the teleportation formation.”
“Thanks,” Xu Zimo nodded.
As he walked away, the entire hall fell into silence.
After a long while, one of the Grand Empyrean elders at the top finally spoke, “Sect Master, you're just letting him leave? We haven’t even figured out the ancestor’s inheritance. Today’s events are a disgrace to our sect. In tens of thousands of years, who has ever dared act so arrogantly in front of us?”
Gong Chuhe didn’t rush to respond. Instead, he looked down and asked, “Si Xiong, are you okay?”
The bald man struggled to stand, his eyes dazed. He muttered, “Terrifying.”
“What’s wrong?” a nearby elder asked.
“I’ve fought Grand Empyreans before. Even Grand Empyreans I could hold off for a while,” the man murmured. “But just now, I felt as weak as an ant. An ant crushed at will. That feeling was like…”
At this, his pupils shrank, and he suddenly raised his head, “A god walking the earth.”
Hearing this, Gong Chuhe narrowed his eyes and remained silent for a long time, as if deep in thought.
“Why did the Sect Master let him leave?” the elder beside him still didn’t understand. “Are we really afraid of him?”
“That’s part of it,” Gong Chuhe shook his head and explained.
“Have you never wondered why our ancestor built the God Ascension Staircase?”
The others frowned and remained silent.
Gong Chuhe continued, “If it were just an ordinary inheritance, our ancestor would have left it to us. Why would he give it to an outsider so easily? There’s a remnant soul of our ancestor guarding it. Do you think he doesn’t know what he’s doing? As they say, don’t chase illusions. Some things, even if you obtain them, are useless, or worse, bring disaster. Besides, that Lin Qiu was calm in front of all of us. That’s not an act. It means he truly has confidence, he’s not afraid of us.”
“So the Sect Master gave him the token to befriend him,” an elder smiled.
“Brilliant insight.”
“It’s not brilliant,” Gong Chuhe waved his hand. “I just trust our ancestor’s judgment. Avoid making him an enemy. Send someone to escort him out.”
……
After leaving the Eternal Hall, Xu Zimo smiled slightly.
The leader of the Eternal God Sect was no fool, he knew how to read the situation.
Outside, Jiu You had been waiting anxiously. Seeing Xu Zimo come out safely, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
“Let’s go, back to Eternal City. I’ve got things to do,” Xu Zimo shook his head.
Riding in the same flying palanquin as before, they returned to Eternal City.