Chapter 2221: Spirit Tree(3) With Xiao Cangming’s approval, Xiao Meilin drew her sword as she stepped forward, approaching the sea of experts before them. "Do you really think you can defeat all of us with your pitiful numbers?" Zhao Juechen sneered. "Only two of you are at the ninth level of God Ascension. The rest of you are between the first level and the seventh level. Even if you doubled your number, you won’t be able to defeat us!" Zhao Juechen was unaware that Xiao Cangming had fed his cultivation to the Spirit Tree and regressed back to the first level of God Ascension, so in reality, only Xiao Meilin was at the peak of God Ascension. Li Zhenwu had the second-highest cultivation in the Asura Clan at the seventh level of God Ascension, with Xiao Chen being the third at the fifth level. The others were only between the first and third levels. Xiao Meilin smiled at his words and said, "This won’t be our first time dealing with a crowd that far exceeds us in numbers." Suddenly, her aura erupted, flooding the area with an overbearing pressure that crushed down on the experts like an invisible mountain. Without uttering a single word, Xiao Meilin’s figure blurred and vanished like a ghost. When she reappeared, she stood amidst their ranks—her presence radiating with a murderous intent so dense it made the air tremble. "W-Watch out—" Before anyone could even react, Xiao Meilin swung her sword through the air. It seemed to strike nothing, only empty space. Yet, a heartbeat later, more than twenty cultivators around her plummeted from the sky, their bodies cleaved into countless pieces. The cultivators froze in shock for an instant, but quickly regained their senses and retaliated, unleashing everything they had at Xiao Meilin without a thought for their spiritual energy. In the blink of an eye, the entire area erupted into chaos, transforming into a full-fledged battlefield. Li Zhenwu and the others didn’t remain idle and swiftly joined the fray. However, Xiao Cangming decided to stay behind to guard the portal, as he didn’t want anyone to sneak inside and disturb Yuan. Because of the Asura Clan’s unique physique, which rendered physical attacks ineffective, the intruders were forced to abandon their weapons and rely solely on martial techniques to fight. Of course, this limitation applied only to Xiao Cangming and those who possessed the Violet Nebula Physique. Li Zhenwu and the servants, who were not part of the Asura Clan by blood, remained vulnerable to physical attacks. That said, their weakness did not make them any easier to deal with. "Asura’s Blade of Execution!" Xiao Chen summoned a colossal blade forged entirely from killing intent, and with each swing, dozens of experts fell, their lives snuffed out in an instant. As the battle raged on, the sky and earth were drenched in blood, crimson rain falling without end. Hundreds of experts under Zhao Juechen had already fallen, yet their ranks showed no sign of thinning, as reinforcements continued to pour in, replenishing their numbers as fast as they died. "Do not falter! It is only a matter of time before the Asura Clan falls! Ming Xuanyang, Bai Zhentian, Wu Moyun, come with me! We’ll take care of Xiao Cangming together!" Zhao Juechen roared as he went to confront Xiao Cangming, followed by three other experts. Zhao Juechen was a powerhouse at the seventh level of God Ascension, while the others were at the fifth or sixth level. Yet, despite being on at the first level, Xiao Cangming didn’t show even the slightest hint of fear or worry in his gaze. "God of War’s Astral Arts!" Xiao Cangming wrapped himself in a massive purple avatar and fought back without moving from his location. Though his cultivation had weakened to the first level of God Ascension, the God of War’s Astral Arts relied more on Soul Strength than cultivation. And since only his cultivation had been affected by feeding the Spirit Tree, Xiao Cangming’s Soul Strength was still unfathomably strong, allowing him to contend with powerhouses of far higher realms easily. In just several exchanges, Xiao Cangming had not only repelled Zhao Juechen but even killed one of the powerhouses. "What the hell is this?! I knew he was powerful, but this is beyond anything we know!" Ming Xuanyang exclaimed in shock after witnessing Xiao Cangming’s overwhelming prowess. "This bastard must’ve been hiding his strength this entire time!" "That’s impossible! He was already monstrously strong before, and you’re saying that wasn’t even his full power?!" Zhao Juechen shouted, clenching his fists as he glared at Xiao Cangming, his voice trembling with disbelief and the bitter realization of his mistake. "Zhao Juechen," Xiao Cangming said suddenly, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade. "Your greatest sin today isn’t daring to bare your fangs at me or the Asura Clan—it’s coveting the Spirit Tree, which belongs to my lord." "Your lord? What the hell are you talking about?!" "Still pretending you don’t know what I’m talking about?" Xiao Cangming said, shaking his head in disappointment. "There’s only one person I would ever address as my ’lord.’ And you—someone who stood on the battlefield during the Heavenly War of Immortals and Gods—should know exactly who that is." Zhao Juechen’s entire being froze as a certain individual appeared in his mind. "You don’t mean..." he swallowed nervously. "No! That’s impossible!" Zhao Juechen shook his head. "There’s no way he’s still alive! After all, he perished alongside the Celestial Emperor!" Although most of the earliest inhabitants of the Primordial Realm were imprisoned before the fall of the first Celestial Emperor, the realm itself wasn’t sealed until his successor took the throne. Before permanently closing it, the second Celestial Emperor cast a few more individuals inside, who revealed the aftermath to the others. Of course, this included the Celestial Emperor’s defeat and Tian Xian’s death. "Does it look like I am joking to you?" Xiao Cangming said with a serious expression, refusing to elaborate further. "..." Zhao Juechen fell silent, but the fear in his eyes was as clear as day.