Martial God Asura

The ranking board caught Chu Feng and the others’ attention.

Most of the crowd were talking about the ranking board too, though there were still a couple of people talking about Chu Feng’s conflict with the Seven Realms Sacred Mansion and the Totem Dragon Clan’s rebellion.

This current iteration of Nine Heavens’ Zenith was opened to all juniors. Those who had replied to the invitation could head directly to the Nine Heavens’ Zenith, whereas the others needed to undergo a formation test. The ranking board reflected the results of the formation test.

“Where did those Huangfus come from? To think that even Xianhai Shaoyu ranks behind them!” Long Chengyu was perplexed.

He was familiar with Xianhai Shaoyu’s strength—the latter’s title as the strongest junior hadn’t come out of nowhere. He could still understand that Xianhai Yu’er had received the invitation because her talents surpassed Xianhai Shaoyu, but it was baffling to him how there were five people who did better than Xianhai Shaoyu on the ranking board.

What made it odder was that he had never heard of these five people before.

“Huangfu? Is it just a coincidence?”

Chu Feng was reminded of the story the Totem Dragon Clan’s Clan Chief had shared with him a while back—the Heavenly God level cultivator who wreaked havoc in the Seven Realms Sacred Mansion back then also went by that family name.

“Jie Baobao is here too?” Long Muxi exclaimed.

“Who’s Jie Baobao?” Chu Feng asked.

“She’s a prodigy whose name was once mentioned alongside Ling Xiao, but she went into closed-door training shortly after coming to fame. It has been many years since I last heard about her. Rumors have it that she’s struggling to keep up with Ling Xiao and the other top prodigies, so she decided not to appear altogether. From the looks of it now, the rumors are clearly untrue. She must be decently strong to have been able to get onto the ranking board,” Long Muxi said.

“I heard that Jie Baobao’s original name is Jie Bao, but she thought that it sounded awful, so she stuck with her nickname instead,” Long Chengyu remarked with a chuckle.

“Where did you get that news from?” Long Muxi asked.

“Don’t worry, it’s from a reliable source,” Long Chengyu replied confidently.

“Why not focus on your cultivation if you have time to squander on such matters?” Long Muxi said.

“Big sister, I haven’t been slacking off on my cultivation either,” Long Chengyu replied indignantly.

The three of them soon arrived at Pulse Ignition Village amidst idle chatter. There was no one residing in the area anymore, and most of the buildings had disintegrated with time. It was now a remote mountain valley.

However, the Nine Heavens’ Zenith had brought so much bustle to the area that there was hardly anywhere in the vast world of cultivation that could compete with it.

What was different about this iteration of the Nine Heavens’ Zenith was that all juniors in the world of cultivation could participate in it, and the results were announced real time. Given it was currently God’s Era, those who left their names on the ranking board could potentially become the new pillars propping up the world of cultivation.

Many cultivators were gathered here to witness the making of history.

The legendary Nine Heavens’ Zenith couldn’t be seen from the Pulse Ignition Village—only a palace to be seen floating just a hundred meters above the village. The palace was shaped like a tower, boasting a height of over ten thousand meters, but its gate already spanned over nine thousand meters.

“What an exquisite formation!” Chu Feng remarked.

He could tell that the palace was a formation far beyond his understanding.

“It’s fortunate you’re here, Brother Chu Feng. Otherwise, we won’t be able to make it in time,” Long Chengyu remarked.

There was a timer above the palace, and those unable to clear the test before the timer hit zero would be deemed unqualified to enter the Nine Heavens’ Zenith. There were only several hours left before then.

However, there was no information about the test, so none of them dared to carelessly proceed.

Chu Feng and Long Chengyu could have directly qualified for the Nine Heavens’ Zenith too, but that opportunity slipped past their fingers when they failed to accept the invitation in time. Thus, they had to participate in the test too if they wanted to join the Nine Heavens’ Zenith.

Shoosh!

Just as the three of them were about to enter the test ground, a person descended from the sky and blocked their path.

This was peculiar as the three of them were concealed, and the person had clearly descended to block their path.

Long Chengyu and Long Muxi were alarmed, prompting them to draw their weapons.

“Brother Zhang?” Chu Feng asked in surprise, as he recognized the person standing before him to be Zhang Yingxiong.

“You know him?” Long Chengyu asked.

“I do,” Chu Feng replied with a nod.

Zhang Yingxiong walked up to Long Muxi and bowed to her, saying, “You must be Long Muxi. You’re as beautiful as the rumors put you out to be. I’d expect no less from the Totem Dragon Clan’s young miss. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Zhang Yingxiong, Chu Feng’s brother.”

Long Chengyu narrowed his eyes in displeasure. He glanced at Chu Feng as if asking him what Zhang Yingxiong’s background was.

Long Chengyu was a famed figure in the world of cultivation, but Zhang Yingxiong ignored him and instead fawned over his big sister. This made him think that Zhang Yingxiong was a lecher.

“Brother Zhang, are you here to look for me?” Chu Feng asked.

“Indeed, Brother Chu Feng. There’s something I have to discuss with you,” Zhang Yingxiong said as he walked up to Chu Feng. He shot a glance at Long Chengyu and Long Muxi and said, “The two of you should participate in the test first.”

“Go ahead and say whatever you want now. We’ll be entering with Brother Chu Feng,” Long Chengyu said.

“You can’t compete with Brother Chu Feng. He’ll still be able to clear the test even if you delay it for another two hours, but the same can’t be said for you. You shouldn’t dilly-dally and let this opportunity slip past your fingers,” Zhang Yingxiong said impatiently.

“What do you mean by that? I’m still better than you even if I’m weaker than Brother Chu Feng. Are you looking for a fight now?”

Long Chengyu was an arrogant person. He might have acknowledged Chu Feng, but that didn’t mean that he would lower his head to others as well. He could tell that Zhang Yingxiong was not a normal cultivator, but he couldn’t tolerate being treated in such a way.

Boom!

Formidable oppressive might from a rank seven Half-God level cultivator crushed down on Long Chengyu, causing him to stiffen in place.

“Damn it!” Long Chengyu cursed in anger.

He had recently advanced his cultivation to rank six Half-God level, and he could further raise his cultivation via his bloodline too. As powerful as Zhang Yingxiong was, he didn’t fear the latter once he raised his cultivation.

Yet, there was something weird about Zhang Yingxiong’s oppressive might that prevented him from raising his cultivation level, as if his bloodline was being suppressed. He had thoroughly lost in this encounter.

“Long Chengyu, you would have been dead if not for Brother Chu Feng. Do you know who I am? Even a true dragon means nothing to me, let alone the Totem Dragon Clan,” Zhang Yingxiong sneered.

“I dare you to let me go! Let’s have a fair fight!” Long Chengyu spat through gritted teeth.

“You’re asking for a beating.” Zhang Yingxiong’s eyebrows shot up.

Wu!

The oppressive might further intensified, causing Long Chengyu’s expression to warp in pain.

“Brother Zhang,” Chu Feng called out.

Zhang Yingxiong immediately retracted his oppressive might.

Long Chengyu felt infuriated and indignant, but he couldn’t make a move at all. He was in an extremely weakened state, devoid of the strength to even stand up. He would have collapsed onto the ground if not for Long Muxi supporting him.