The old demon emperor spoke to Xu Mo and Bai Yue with the mindset of a strong practitioner, which immediately made the two feel a bit strange.
Both Xu Mo and Bai Yue could tell that the old demon emperor's strength was still at the level of decades ago, half a step into the Saint realm, not yet a Saint, but with deep accumulation.
If it were just a few days ago, before Xu Mo had advanced to the Saint realm, he might not have been able to defeat the old demon emperor. After all, the old demon emperor had been in the half-Saint realm for over a thousand years, with profound cultivation and attainment.
But now, Xu Mo could directly overpower the old demon emperor.
"Old Demon Emperor, are you sure you want to stand up for Hao Jiao?" Xu Mo looked at the old demon emperor.
The old demon emperor smiled confidently, "Of course! I know that Emperor Qian, you and Hao Jiao have grievances, but today I am repaying a favor, so I can only offend you."
He wore an apologetic expression, but his eyes remained unchanged, clearly intending to suppress them with his strength.
Hao Jiao watched this scene, his expression filled with excitement. He had held onto this trump card for a long time, and now it was finally paying off. Perhaps he could even use the old demon emperor's power to avenge his father.
Bai Yue looked at the old demon emperor's confident demeanor and suddenly felt a sense of disorientation, finding it somewhat amusing.
Did the old demon emperor truly believe that her and Xu Mo's cultivation levels were still at the level of decades ago? Now that they had become Saints, it would be effortless to deal with a half-Saint.
Of course, it couldn't be blamed on the old demon emperor's foolishness for not being able to discern the strength of Xu Mo and Bai Yue. After reaching the Saint realm, their auras were contained, and their Dao rhymes returned to simplicity. Unless they actively released their energy, cultivators below the Saint realm could not perceive the true level of a Saint.
And although the old demon emperor was a half-Saint, he was ultimately not a Saint, and thus naturally could not see that Xu Mo and Bai Yue had already become Saints.
Xu Mo said lightly, "Since you wish to interfere, I hope you will not regret it later."
Upon hearing Xu Mo's words, and seeing his calm and confident demeanor, the old demon emperor frowned, sensing that something was amiss.
He carefully probed the surrounding environment with his spiritual power, including Xu Mo and Bai Yue, but found no anomalies. He relaxed, thinking that Xu Mo might be bluffing.
"Regret? I have never regretted anything! Today, Hao Jiao's matter is my concern, and whoever dares to touch him will face the consequences!" the old demon emperor sneered, his words extremely domineering, intending to help Hao Jiao secure the throne of the Great Jin Dynasty.
Bai Yue frowned, finding the old demon emperor truly arrogant and overbearing. She immediately wanted to unleash her Saintly pressure to teach him a lesson and settle an old score from decades ago.
But before Bai Yue could make a move, Xu Mo acted first.
"Then I shall see how you will react if I touch Hao Jiao?"
Xu Mo decisively attacked, reaching out directly for Hao Jiao, intending to capture him on the spot.
Hao Jiao did not expect such a sudden turn of events, his face instantly changed, turning pale. Under Xu Mo's massive hand, he felt an irresistible pressure, his body completely unable to move.
Fear began to grip him, and he couldn't help but cry out for help, "Demon Emperor, save me!"
"You dare!?" the old demon emperor roared in anger. Xu Mo's action was undoubtedly a blatant disregard for him.
He also acted decisively, extending his right hand, which transformed into a furry, dark brown tiger claw, attempting to intercept Xu Mo.
"Hmph?" Xu Mo's eyes turned cold. Facing the old demon emperor's tiger claw, he remained unfazed, completely disregarding it.
He no longer concealed his Saint realm pressure, releasing it entirely. Instantly, a supreme and majestic pressure enveloped the grand hall, causing all the civil and military officials to fall to their knees with a 'thump,' their backs bent.
The officials' eyes were filled with immense fear, their bodies trembling!
What level of power was this? A single pressure forced them all to their knees uncontrollably, unable to even stand upright. Those present in the hall were all cultivators with considerable strength. The last time they encountered such a situation was when they were mortals facing powerful cultivators.
Since becoming cultivators, they had never experienced anything like this, not even when facing the half-Saint demon emperor.
This immediately sparked a terrifying speculation in their minds. Could the Emperor of Great Qian have actually stepped into that legendary realm and become a Saint?
Hao Jiao, who was at the forefront, felt the supreme pressure most acutely. His bones were cracking, and his blood vessels were rupturing under the oppressive force, a truly terrifying sight.
Blood streamed from his eyes, and blood seeped from his nostrils, his appearance utterly tragic. At this moment, Hao Jiao's eyes were filled with shock and fear. He felt this pressure and was certain that the Emperor of Great Qian had indeed stepped into the Saint realm and become a supreme Saint!
The old demon emperor also felt this pressure, and his expression changed drastically, more shocked than anyone else present!
"You... you have stepped into that realm?" The old demon emperor immediately stopped his attack, retracting the manifested tiger claw, and looked at Xu Mo with immense shock.
He had been in the half-Saint realm for over a thousand years, and he dared to say that no one understood the Saint realm better than he did. The aura and pressure emanating from Xu Mo now were the Saintly might that only a Saint could possess, weren't they?
Xu Mo directly captured Hao Jiao, who had collapsed in fear, and then, facing the old demon emperor, did not deny it. Instead, he nodded faintly and said, "Yes, I was fortunate enough to become a Saint a few days ago."
"Hiss.....!"
Once again confirming that the aura and pressure from Xu Mo were indeed Saintly might, the old demon emperor couldn't help but gasp, his heart filled with disbelief!
How was this possible!?
Decades ago, the Emperor of Great Qian was still in the Heaven-Treading realm, and at the early stage at that, with very little strength. Now, he had directly bypassed the quasi-Saint realm and become a Saint?
For a moment, the old demon emperor even wondered if he had been in the half-Saint realm for too long, leading to some inner demons. But now he was very clear-headed and certain that he was not hallucinating; the Emperor of Great Qian before him had truly become a Saint!
Yet, this outcome was the most difficult for him to accept. He considered himself exceptionally talented, never inferior to other demons. He had spent nearly a thousand years becoming a quasi-Saint, and then another thousand years refining his cultivation in the half-Saint realm, only catching a glimpse of the Saint realm's threshold, with becoming a Saint still a distant prospect.
Yet, Xu Mo was how old? A young man less than 200 years old, and he had already become a Saint? How could anyone accept this?
"Impossible! In just a few decades, how could you directly advance from the Heaven-Treading realm to Sainthood? Did you use a Saint artifact!?" The old demon emperor refused to believe it, suspecting that Xu Mo had used a Saint artifact, hence possessing Saintly might.
As he thought this, the old demon emperor felt much better, and the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
He also possessed a Saint artifact. If he activated it, he could also emit Saintly might, appearing no different from a Saint externally.
But his combat power would be far inferior.