Chapter 630 - 361: Carefree Divine Venerable, Peerless Halberd Art

"What an impressive halberd technique!"

Xiao He laughed heartily. ’The stronger the better, since it will all be mine anyway.’ He immediately stepped forward, unleashed his Ultimate Skill, and started to fight the man.

The great powers, who had been preparing to attack him as a group, were stunned. They hadn’t expected this Divine Venerable who had appeared out of nowhere to be so formidable.

"He’s not Divine Venerable Xiaoyao. The real Divine Venerable Xiaoyao isn’t this strong."

"Who is he? How can he be this powerful? He must be in the True Immortal Realm already."

"Members of the Xiaoyao Sect, come here at once! What is going on?"

An enraged great power summoned the Sect Leader and other high-ranking members of the Xiaoyao Sect and questioned them harshly.

Although the man was currently fighting as an ally, not an enemy, a peerless Divine Venerable had been replaced right under their very noses.

The thought sent a chill of fear down everyone’s spine.

"We don’t know! Our Old Ancestor was in seclusion for centuries. He only came out this time because he heard the Ancient Star had appeared."

"And no one noticed anything unusual before this?"

"No. The Old Ancestor gave orders that no one was to approach without urgent cause, on pain of punishment by sect rules. How could we dare go near the back mountain..."

"Then what about his Cultivation Technique? Is it from your Xiaoyao Sect’s lineage?"

"Th-This is indeed our Xiaoyao Sect’s Daoist Technique, but... I’ve never seen the Old Ancestor use a long halberd."

"I recall that when the Xiaoyao Old Ancestor entered seclusion, he was already in the Mahayana Realm. Could he have failed his ascension and had his body seized by someone else?"

At these words, all the cultivators were horrified.

All eyes turned to the powerful cultivator in the arena, a figure of immense power who seemed to pluck the stars from the sky and move with unstoppable might.

A powerful cultivator whose body had transcended tribulation to reach the True Immortal Realm, yet whose Divine Soul had been seized by another.

"This man... is he friend or foe?"

"What should we do?"

"Wait and observe! Pass down the order: form the Grand Cosmic Star Array. Surround both of them."

"Yes!"

At the leading expert’s command, all the cultivators began to move into formation according to the Array, channeling the Star Power of the heavens to form a perimeter, loosely encircling the area where Xiao He and the other man fought.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the fight between the two had reached a fever pitch. One wielded his long halberd with majestic power, his movements an unpredictable blur of feints and true strikes. The other was wreathed in demonic shadows, his form shifting through a thousand transformations.

It was a true clash of titans, a dragon against a tiger, each revealing their Divine Techniques. Skillful Methods emerged one after another in a contest to prove who was the greater hero.

After fighting for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Xiao He had already finished copying the man’s peerless halberd technique. He suddenly laughed heartily. "My friend, I am in awe of your strength! It’s just... your allies don’t seem to trust you very much, do they?"

The man swung his long halberd, creating a barrier in the void. He sneered, "A bunch of short-sighted fools. And to think I hid among them, looking out for them at every turn."

With that, he waved his hand, and a long, dark-colored scroll resembling an imperial edict descended from the void.

Boundless, brilliant light then shot out from the edict, so dazzling it was like a newly risen sun.

"Receive the Immortal Emperor’s Edict!"

A thunderous voice descended from the heavens, its vibrations instantly covering a region hundreds of millions of light-years across.

The entire Milky Way Galaxy, and even the Virgo Cluster of Galaxies, fell within its range.

"Imm... Immortal Emperor!"

The cultivators’ Divine Souls reeled in shock. With faces of utter disbelief, they tried to withstand the immense pressure, but their knees held for only a few breaths before they all collapsed to the ground, kneeling.

Of all those present, only that cultivator and Xiao He could remain standing calmly under the pressure.

"The Ancient Star has appeared, and the threads of Celestial Secret are once again in turmoil. It is hereby decreed that this realm shall follow the will of Divine Venerable Xiaoyao. Proceed to the Ancient Star to rest and recuperate."

As the voice faded, the edict dissolved into motes of golden light in the void, vanishing completely.

"We greet the Divine Venerable Xiaoyao."

"We greet the Divine Venerable Xiaoyao!"

The vast and mighty chorus spread throughout the entire galactic cluster.