When the royal guards opened the city gates, they were collectively stunned.
In front of the vast and huge Vermilion Bird Gate.
Xiao Yi stood alone, with a ten-meter-high and five-meter-wide black stele behind him. The stele was starkly empty without any inscriptions, and a chain as thick as an arm connected Xiao Yi to the stele.
One hand was gripping one end of the chain.
With every step Xiao Yi took, the stele would boom loudly, leaving a fierce scar on the ground.
The guards responsible for opening the gates, as well as some strong individuals hurrying out of the city, couldn't help but gasp for air, their faces filled with shock, "This stele must weigh at least several hundred thousand pounds, right? This is like dragging a small mountain!"
"He must be a Golden Core Realm powerhouse, otherwise, it would be impossible to have such strength!"
"I remember now, he is Xiao Yi!"
"What? He is the Xiao Yi who is challenging the Royal Martial Arts Academy today? But why is he dragging such a huge stone..."
The crowd quickly made way to both sides, whispering amongst themselves.
The guard sergeant braced himself to approach and interrogate, "Xiao, this stele cannot go in..."
Xiao Yi's step did not stop, his expression ice cold as he spoke.
Fang Qingzhu and others were taken away by Jiang Shanhe, and the resentment and anger in his heart had been suppressed all night, no longer able to be contained.
The guard sergeant's face turned somewhat ugly, but under Xiao Yi's cold aura, he dared not show the slightest displeasure, and said in a deep voice, "Xiao, please don't make it difficult for me. This stele is so heavy that if dragged all the way in, Vermilion Bird Avenue will be ruined, and I cannot take responsibility for that!"
Xiao Yi's brows furrowed, glancing back behind him.
Where the giant stone passed, a deep trench was left behind on the avenue, like a ferocious scar upon the road.
Just as the guard sergeant had said, if he really dragged it all the way to the Royal Martial Arts Academy, Vermilion Bird Avenue would be destroyed!
"Xiao, what do you think..." the guard sergeant asked Xiao Yi anxiously.
Xiao Yi said indifferently, "Then carry it!"
"Carry, carry it? This thing?"
The guard sergeant looked bewilderedly at the stone that was as tall as several floors, weighing several hundred thousand pounds. To drag it by one's own strength already far exceeded the power of an ordinary Golden Core Realm cultivator.
As for carrying it...
Xiao Yi turned around and approached the underside of the giant stone. Standing in front of it, he was unbelievably small, and his right hand plunged into the stone like a steel spike.
His muscles tensed instantly, and his veins popped out like writhing dragons. With a roar like thunder, he bellowed, "Lift!"
The stone that weighed several hundred thousand pounds was forcibly lifted by Xiao Yi.
Carrying the mountain with one arm, he moved forward.
Each step made a thunderous rumble resonate.
Amidst the booming sounds,
Xiao Yi carried the giant stone into the city, each step leaving behind a deep pit.
The guard sergeant had already forgotten to obstruct him, and it was not until he saw the sequence of deep pits that he collapsed on the ground, "Is this even humanly possible?"
Such terrifying strength, the deafening noise, carrying several hundred thousand pounds of giant stone with just one's power, he walked through Vermilion Bird Avenue.
This scene had already attracted countless strong individuals.
With every step that echoed, the ground trembled violently, and the houses on both sides of Vermilion Bird Avenue shook intensely with the steps.
Tiles fell, tables and chairs bounced up, and people rushed out of their homes, "Is there an earthquake?"
"No, no, look, someone's carrying a mountain..."
more and more people gathered behind Xiao Yi, forming a black iron flood trailing closely behind: "Xiao Yi is heading to the Royal Martial Arts Academy!"
"What's he doing with such a huge rock at the Royal Martial Arts Academy?"
a figure suddenly appeared ahead - it was Elder Wang.
Elder Wang, looking at Xiao Yi carrying the giant rock on his shoulder, forced a wry smile: "Why torture yourself so? Can't this be resolved?"
Elder Wang had been trying to mediate these past days,
but Zhou Yuan was resolute and wouldn't heed his counsel.
Elder Wang felt ashamed to face him.
on the day of Xiao Yi's showdown with the Royal Martial Arts Academy, he had no choice but to step forward to prevent Xiao Yi from going to his death: "Xiao Yi, heed my advice, do not be obstinate. Zhou has entered the Tao Tribulation Realm, you can't possibly be his match..."
Xiao Yi said indifferently.
Elder Wang pressed on with a grave voice: "Xiao Yi, I'm trying to save you! Other than the Royal Martial Arts Academy, forces like Mingjian Manor, Nine Profound Sect, Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple, Tianlan Kingdom, Xue Yilou... their powerhouses all want your life, you..."
Xiao Yi nodded. He was aware that Elder Wang truly wanted to protect him, but the grudge between him, Zhou Yuan, and the others was irreconcilable, "Zhou Yuan has no shame, he attacked me and left me severely injured and then sent strong men to besiege me in the secret realm. Now, they have taken Qingzhu and my brothers. Today, nobody shall stop me from leveling the Royal Martial Arts Academy!"
Before Elder Wang could finish, Xiao Yi stepped forward, and a powerful gust blew Elder Wang away.
Elder Wang was dumbfounded.
His cultivation wasn't particularly strong; a warrior of the High-Layer Golden Core Realm could blow him away, but for Xiao Yi to do so with such ease, without Elder Wang even having the will to resist, was something not even those at the Golden Elixir Realm Peak could easily do.
"His strength has become so terrifying? It's only been half a year, hasn't it? This..."
Elder Wang closed his eyes in despair, "Zhou Yuan... you are leading the Royal Martial Arts Academy to its doom..."
Xiao Yi suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He scanned his surroundings.
"Come out, you hidden rats!" Xiao Yi shouted coldly, like a muffled thunder.
The once-bustling streets were now eerily silent on both sides.
"Will you not show yourselves? Then don't blame me!"
Suddenly, Xiao Yi swung his arm, hurling the massive rock towards the side of a building, smashing it violently.
With a massive roar, rows of houses were crushed to dust.
The rock, propelled by Xiao Yi, rolled over the debris, leaving behind a trail of wreckage and scattered remains.
With that single throw, he destroyed hundreds of civilian homes and killed dozens of strong men hidden in the dark.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Amidst the sound of tearing air, nearly a hundred powerful figures appeared before Xiao Yi.
"Nine Profound Sect, Mingjian Manor... Just the two of you?" Xiao Yi narrowed his eyes, observing the nearly hundred powerhouses in front of him.
Jin Sheng, once beaten into a retreat by him, was among them.
Besides him stood another powerhouse, at the Ninth Layer of the Golden Elixir Realm - the Sect Master of the Nine Profound Sect, known as 'Nine'.
On Mingjian Manor's side was Elder Jian San among the crowd, along with several other strong individuals. The strongest among them was an old man in an elegant white robe, bearing the refined air of a sage with seven longswords on his back. This man was Feng Qingge, a peerless genius of Mingjian Manor!
It was rumored that Feng Qingge had disappeared for a hundred years, yet today, he had also made his appearance here.
"We two are more than enough!"
'Nine' said, his eyes cold as ice and with an air of arrogance.
Feng Qingge stood beside him, the seven longswords buzzing behind him, his chilling gaze fixed on Xiao Yi: "Xiao Yi, you've gone against the Tao, wantonly slain the innocent, your sins unforgivable. Today, we shall be the instruments of Heaven and take your damned life!"