On that altar, panic was already spreading, with nearly half the faces ashen as they stared upward. The Flying Leaf Sword Formation, challenged by the combined efforts of Hu Qianqiu and the others, was being broken down inch by agonizing inch. Yet, it remained a considerable distance from Zong Shou's position.

Chai Yuan swung his twin great axes, charging directly into the formation. He held very little hope for Zong Shou, but the heroes of the Wind Bear Clan were men whose word was their bond. Since a Blood Oath had been sworn, they could not stand idly by now.

Still, his heart sank to the very bottom. What worried him most was precisely the scene unfolding before his eyes. The Young Lord possessed no martial prowess or spiritual attainment.

Once he ascended the throne, it would only hasten his death. In the vast Eastern Lin Yun Continent, with its scores of great cities and numerous hidden sects, any single one of these powers harboring ill intent would be enough to plunge the Young Lord into eternal ruin! He couldn't fathom what Hu Qianqiu was thinking.

His 'Tiger Brother' had always been a man who considered the bigger picture. Why now, knowing the Young Lord was an invalid, was he going to such lengths to push him onto the Demon King’s throne? Wasn't this pushing Zong Shou onto the path of certain death?

Ling Fakong, no longer the Clan Leader, stood behind Ling Xuan, a faint sneer touching his lips. He felt neither joy nor urgency. He had known all along that the result would be this.

How could Zong Shou, in his ruined state, possibly succeed the Lord of Qiantian City? He had exhausted himself in his efforts simply to ensure the continued existence of Qiantian City. The result was his own deposition, and the Wolf Clan had also suffered grievous losses.

The elites cultivated over several decades were almost entirely wiped out, causing him an agony so sharp it felt like his heart was being twisted. He watched coldly as his eldest son, Ling Xuan, rushed onto the Sacrificial Altar, fighting fiercely against Li Hu Jichang and the others. Ling Fakong merely offered a slight, cold laugh, showing not the slightest intention of assisting them.

Ling Xuan was acting due to the Blood Oath; he himself was under no such obligation. With his clansmen suffering such heavy losses, there was no longer any possibility of him risking life and limb for this Young Lord. Even if he did not help Zong Shi, he would not lift a finger for Zong Yuan.

What good would rushing up now even do? What an extraordinary Young Lord Zong Shi was; when he chose not to act, he didn't. But once he did, it was an ultimate killing blow!

Truly worthy of the person he regarded as the chosen one. Though he felt he was letting Zong Weiran down, given the current circumstances, all he could do was watch Zong Shou perish here. Behind Ling Fakong, some others showed glints of joy in their eyes, watching the front with veiled smirks.

A mere youth, incapable of lifting a chicken, relying only on a bit of cunning—how could he be allowed the position of Demon King? Today, Young Lord Zong Shi would surely turn the heavens upside down! This Qiantian Mountain City would remain under Young Lord Zong Shi's dominion!

And those elders of the Heavenly Fox Clan made no attempt to hide their intent; some openly sneered, while others subtly moved to the high platform, blocking those behind them. One man even spat forcefully onto the ground, laughing loudly to vent his malice. Zong He stood far in the distance, his gaze profound: "A mere cripple with dual meridians, daring to rely on his father's influence to be so arrogant.

He was only destined for brief glory. What a pity for the nearly one thousand elite disciples of my Heavenly Fox Clan—they died for nothing! This bastard, good riddance, truly good riddance!" "Hu Qianqiu must pay the price for this!

As for Zong Shou, after he dies, I will personally flog his corpse in public and hang his head for months to soothe my hatred!" Standing beside him, Zong Rui scoffed coldly: "But the immediate priority is to ask Elder Uncle Zong to hurry. Hu Qianqiu and Qiu Wei, along with Zong Lan and the others, are all fiercely loyal to Zong Weiran. Young Master now stands alone and weak; even if he slays Zong Shou, controlling the situation will be difficult.

It seems we still need Elder Uncle Lu's intervention to suppress these people." Zong He's eyes brightened; this was sound reasoning. As long as Elder Uncle Zong appeared, with Zong Shi's ability, he would have a nearly one-hundred-percent chance of securing the Demon King's position. On the Sacrificial Altar, Zong Shi, however, walked toward Zong Shou with an air of detached indifference: "Your Majesty treated me well.

Originally, following my own wishes, I didn't intend to take your life, merely to imprison you for a few years. Today, you seek death yourself; you cannot blame me! Knowing you possess dual meridians, an utterly useless waste—one who has not cultivated martial arts or learned spiritual techniques should have self-awareness and stay far away.

This foundation, though belonging to your father, is a calamity and the cause of your death for you. Yet, you were foolish enough to return and contend for the Demon King's position..." Mid-sentence, Mist Leaf True Person above frowned slightly: "Shou'er, hurry up! Maintaining the Flying Leaf Sword Formation consumes too much soul power; I can't hold it for much longer.

At most, three hundred breaths remain." Li Hu Jichang, upon hearing this, burst into laughter: "No matter! I still have trump cards unplayed, no less potent than True Person Mist Leaf's sword array. It can certainly last another hundred or two breaths.

Let Young Lord Zong Shi play with him for a while; what harm is there in that? I, too, wish to see such a good show..." Across from him, Hu Qianqiu let out a cold sneer internally, his demeanor growing calmer. Play with the Young Lord?

Such bravado in front of Zong Shi! He simply stopped being anxious, advancing steadily, moving neither too fast nor too slow, constantly applying pressure. Only Qiu Wei seemed utterly frantic, thrusting inward recklessly, disregarding his own safety.

His limbs were slashed countless times by the sword array. Zong Shi seemed oblivious, articulating each word deliberately: "In this world, the strong reign supreme. No matter how cunning you are, I can shatter it with sheer force.

Young Lord, why can't you see this? Last night, you won, that is true, but today, I, Zong Shi, can end you with a single sword strike and overturn the universe!!" Zong Shou, hearing this, could only offer a wry smile. His seal technique was truly troublesome.

However, there was some truth to these words; he deeply agreed with them himself! Within his Sea of Consciousness, the second dark Epiphyllum had begun to unfurl. Zong Shou's brow lifted slightly: "And then?" Zong Shi's face contorted, the previously calm expression replaced by a surging tide of rage.

He felt Zong Shou’s gaze as if looking upon a clown, a feeling he could barely tolerate. Suppressing his emotions, Zong Shi finally managed a cold laugh: "So when you go down to see His Majesty, don't blame me!" Without hesitation, he thrust out a sword. Zong Yuan beside him was tied up by Xue Moyan and the two Xuanwu Grandmasters, unable to intervene.

As the sword energy spat forth, it drove straight for Zong Shou's throat. And just as Zong Shi’s eyes began to show signs of satisfaction and triumph, and the crowd below involuntarily held their breath— The path of the three-foot-long sword hesitated mid-air. Then, it seemed to strike a wall; the further it advanced, the harder it became to push.

When it reached three feet before Zong Shou, it stopped completely, unable to advance even an inch. It was as if the space ahead was not air, but a sheet of steel. It was not a barrier of vital energy blocking the way, but an invisible force holding back his blade.

At this moment, Xue Moyan, True Person Mist Leaf, and the others nearby assumed Zong Shi was still merely playing with Zong Shou. They were secretly annoyed; Zong Shi clearly didn't know the gravity of the situation! Why was he still stalling now?

Only Zong Shi’s eyes snapped wide open, filled with disbelief. How could this be? He had poured his absolute maximum effort into this single thrust.

With the strength of a second-tier Xiantian realm cultivator, tens of thousands of pounds of force, he had launched this strike. Fearing that Zong Shou possessed some defensive treasure capable of protecting him from death, Zong Shi had committed his full power, treating the situation as a lion attacking a rabbit! Yet, here, at just three feet away, the blade could not penetrate even a fraction.

There was no vital energy reaction, no fluctuation of spiritual power, yet it simply could not advance further. Suddenly, a colossal, irresistible force surged from the opposite side, causing his sword, and even his arm, to writhe in the air like a snake. His entire body was dragged along, swaying uncontrollably.

He stared dumbfounded at Zong Shou, only to see the latter chuckling, awkwardly scratching his cheek with his index finger. "A mistake, a mistake! This blasted Kingly Ultimate Art—I haven't used it before.

I'm a bit rusty..." While Zong Shi remained utterly bewildered, a vast, insurmountable pressure suddenly descended upon him. For a moment, it felt like an illusion: as if Zong Shou at this instant had merged entirely with the entirety of Qiantian Mountain City. The tens of millions of citizens, the millions of soldiers, the magnificent, impregnable fortress city, the territory spanning three thousand li across five provinces—even powerful figures like Hu Qianqiu and Zong Lan seemed like phantoms coalescing behind Zong Shou.

Then, under the sudden, crushing weight of millions of tons of pressure, the area around his knees fractured with a loud crack! His whole being was utterly crushed by this immense power, collapsing before Zong Shou onto the ground in a bow! In that single instant, this mere projection of presence severely wounded him.

He coughed blood, his consciousness teetering on the brink of blackout, and even the massive stones beneath him shattered. Spiderweb-like cracks spread outwards with the sound of splintering wood! His mind was hazy, retaining only one thought.

What dark sorcery had Zong Shou employed? How could his Xiantian realm on the Earth Meridian and Wheel meridians be entirely defenseless? Then, he jolted back to awareness: backing himself with the power of an entire city, the Kingly Ultimate Art?

Had Zong Shou truly drawn upon the momentum of a nation and channeled it into his own body just now? But how was that possible? He had heard tales that the monarchs of the Central Dynasty, and the great kingdoms of the Eastern Lin Yun Continent in their prime, could contend with the strongest beings of the Cloud Realms.

However, as far as he knew, those monarchs themselves needed extraordinary martial arts. If one hadn't grasped the momentum of the martial way to an extremely profound level, how could one command the power of a nation? How had Zong Shou managed this?

Thoughts raced through his mind, but it was only a single instant. Zong Shi's chest was filled with unbearable grief and indignation, his gaze fixed venomously and disbelievingly upon the youth before him. How could this be?

With one sword strike today, everything should have been settled. Why did such an unexpected twist occur at the very end? Yes, he must be dreaming right now; he was trapped in a dream!

How could a boy devoid of vital energy and spiritual power inflict such grievous injury upon him? Force him to kneel? "Oh dear, why are you kneeling again?

My apologies, my apologies, another slip-up..." Zong Shou, meanwhile, was genuinely troubled, pulling at his hair in frustration. This Kingly Ultimate Art was truly different from ordinary martial paths. (To be continued)