Chapter 748 Face Slap

“Huh?”

Ximen Qingsong froze, and his wrinkled old face twitched violently.

Before he could even process what was happening, a terrifying Palm Seal descended from the sky. His expression changed in an instant.

The palm pulsed with infinite Mystical Power, as vast and boundless as the sea, as deep as an abyss. The moment it appeared overhead, Ximen Qingsong felt as though every pore on his body had burst open. He instantly abandoned his attack on Jiang Chen and switched to a defensive stance, conjuring a giant, verdant pine tree to shield himself.

The pine tree was incredibly lush, its needles shimmering with a floating, emerald light.

BOOM!

The terrifying palm strike slammed down.

The pine tree shook violently before exploding with a deafening BOOM. The force of the blast sent Ximen Qingsong flying.

He plummeted like a falling star, hurtling toward the Azure Sky Sea ten thousand meters below.

With a tremendous SPLASH.

The impact blasted a massive vortex in the sea. A full three breaths passed before a dazed and furious Ximen Qingsong shot out of the Azure Sky Sea and landed back on Sea View Rock.

He stared, completely baffled, at Sima Qingtian. The City Lord’s face was contorted with rage, and his eyes burned with furious flames as he glared back.

The sheer intensity of that gaze made his heart tremble. He stammered, “City Lord, I… I’m Ximen Qingsong! D-did you just hit the wrong person?”

‘The wrong person?’

Sima Qingtian was absolutely livid.

He was furious!

‘He had paid a tremendous price and gone to great lengths to persuade Jiang Chen to represent Coastal City in the Holy War. And now this Ximen Qingsong dared to attack him?’

‘This was tantamount to spelling doom for Coastal City!’

‘How could he not be furious?’

Sima Qingtian snorted coldly and roared, “I was aiming for you, Ximen Qingsong! If you don’t want the Ximen Clan to be annihilated, you will apologize to young friend Jiang Chen. Immediately. Right now…”

“…”

A muscle in Ximen Qingsong’s old cheek jumped.

‘What the hell!’

‘Does he really have to go this far?’

‘I’ve led the Ximen Clan in loyal service to you for all this time, and you’re making me apologize to a mere junior?’

Ximen Qingsong’s expression turned utterly foul, but his heart seized the moment he met Sima Qingtian’s icy gaze. As the patriarch of one of Coastal City’s Four Great Clans, Ximen Qingsong was all too familiar with Sima Qingtian’s methods and temperament. The City Lord was genuinely radiating killing intent.

‘You goddamn son of a bitch, Sima Qingtian…’

Cursing silently, Ximen Qingsong suppressed his fury. He turned to Jiang Chen and said through a stiff jaw, “Young friend Jiang Chen, I was rash just now. Please accept my apologies!”

Sima Qingtian beamed, his expression instantly shifting to a brilliant smile as he looked at Jiang Chen. “Young friend, are you satisfied? If not, I can make this blind old fool kneel and beg for your forgiveness!”

Ximen Qingsong felt like crying but had no tears. “…”

Jiang Chen shot Sima Qingtian a strange look and cleared his throat. “Never mind. I don’t have time to waste here. Just issue your decree. I want to get on Sea View Rock!”

“Yes, yes, of course! I’ll issue the decree at once!”

Sima Qingtian nodded eagerly. His smile vanished, replaced by an aura of immense authority that enveloped the entire Sea View Rock. “I, in my capacity as the City Lord of Coastal City, hereby decree: from this moment forward, until Jiang Chen chooses to descend, no one is permitted to set foot on Sea View Rock and disturb his meditation. Any who defy this order will have their entire clan, down to the ninth degree of kinship, exterminated!”

BOOM!

A golden rune soared into the sky.

It hung suspended in the air above Sea View Rock.

Unless Sima Qingtian himself removed the City Lord’s decree, anyone who dared to defy it would be seen as holding the City Lord’s Mansion in contempt.

Even the few cultivators who had been meditating on the rock roused themselves and retreated.

Dongfang Wudi stared at Ximen Qingsong, completely bewildered. “Wh-what just happened?”

“Hmph, how should I know?” Ximen Qingsong snorted, his dissatisfaction mounting.

Dongfang Wudi then turned to Sima Qingtian and quickly saluted with cupped fists. “Dongfang Wudi greets the Lord City Lord!”

“Mm.”

Sima Qingtian gave an indifferent nod. Then, his frosty expression melted away, replaced by an eager smile. He rubbed his hands together and looked at Jiang Chen. “Young friend Jiang Chen, you may now ascend Sea View Rock!”

“Alright then.”

With a hint of resignation, Jiang Chen stepped onto Sea View Rock.

He left the crowd staring after him in utter bewilderment.

Ximen Qingsong gritted his teeth and snorted. “I’d like to see just what zone you brat can reach!”

Dongfang Wudi raised an eyebrow. Having already heard what had transpired from the others, he watched Jiang Chen’s retreating back with a curious gaze and murmured, “I don’t recognize this young man… But for Sima Qingtian to treat him with such reverence, his background must be extraordinary. He’s likely a prodigy from the depths of the Holy Sanctuary Mountain Range…”

“A prodigy?”

Ximen Qingsong sneered. “I doubt he’s even a match for our clan’s Ximen Jinlian and Ximen Yu. He’s merely at the Middle Stage of the Emperor Realm. If he makes it past the third zone, I’ll twist my own head off and let him kick it like a ball!”

Dongfang Wudi faltered, “…”

With Sima Qingtian’s decree in place, no one dared to ascend Sea View Rock. They simply remained where they were, watching the lone young man on the rock.

……

“So this is Sea View Rock? It’s certainly remarkable. The Power of Origin here is far denser than in the outside world. By cultivating here, I estimate I can break through to the Late Stage of Tier Nine within three days. In ten days, I might even reach Tier Nine Peak…” A look of delight crossed Jiang Chen’s face. In just these few moments, he could already feel the bottleneck in his Mystical Technique cultivation beginning to loosen.

He immediately closed his eyes, calming his mind to perceive the Power of Mystical Origin in his surroundings.

As he meditated, Jiang Chen subconsciously began to walk forward.

The oppressive force around him grew increasingly intense.

The Mystical Origin also grew richer, and Jiang Chen could feel his Mystical Power constantly increasing.

‘At this rate…’

‘I might not even need three days to break through to the Late Stage of Tier Nine.’

Half a day passed in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Chen had already passed the third zone.

His progress elicited gasps of astonishment from the crowd below.

Sima Qingtian wore a smug expression. “As expected of a prodigy capable of invoking Heaven’s Wrath. Truly incredible!”

Dongfang Wudi was also filled with admiration. “Reaching the third zone in just half a day… I don’t think even Sima Lingkong or Beitang Jian were this fast on their first attempts, were they?” He glanced at the ashen-faced Ximen Qingsong beside him and chuckled. “Brother Ximen, it looks like your head is about to become a ball for someone to kick!”

“Hmph! What’s the point of rushing? He’s not taking the time to absorb the surrounding Power of Origin. The true purpose of Sea View Rock is to meditate on one’s Mystical Technique…”

Ximen Qingsong’s words caught in his throat, as if a squawking duck had suddenly been choked. His face flushed bright red, as though he’d been slapped a dozen times.

There, on Sea View Rock.

A tremor ran through Jiang Chen’s body as a Mystical Light flickered around him. He had already broken through to the Late Stage of Tier Nine.

Dongfang Wudi struggled to hold back a laugh. “Did he… just… break through?”

“I…”

Ximen Qingsong’s face burned with humiliation. With an indignant snort, he flicked his sleeves and stormed away.

He was simply too ashamed to remain any longer…