Another short, plump elder followed suit, kowtowing on the ground. These two elders, one a late-stage Golden Core Realm cultivator and the other at the Nascent Soul Stage, were now cringing before Chen Zheng with no dignity, having clearly sensed the danger.

"You two old fools have lived for hundreds of years, yet you're still so spineless," Chen Zheng said, shaking his head lightly. "I gave you a chance, but it's a pity you didn't cherish it. Tell me, what should I do with you now?"

"Senior! We know we were wrong, we admit our mistakes! Senior, we are willing to offer half of our wealth! We only hope you will spare us this one time!" the white-haired elder cried through gritted teeth, knocking his forehead to the ground once more.

"Too late!" Chen Zheng replied, his voice cold.

"You… You want to annihilate the Zhao Family? You want to declare war on our Sacred Emperor Hall? We will not let this go! Our Sacred Emperor Hall is backed by the Sacred Emperor himself. If you provoke us, you will definitely pay the price!" the short, plump elder glared fiercely at Chen Zheng, his eyes filled with malice.

BOOM!

Chen Zheng raised his right hand and pressed down toward the short, plump elder. In an instant, the old man was obliterated into ash.

"You!"

A shiver of terror went through the white-haired elder, and his eyes twitched violently.

WHOOSH!

His body twisted, transforming into a streak of escape light as he fled into the distance.

"We… surrender…"

In front of the Zhao Family estate, the remaining cultivators choked out their surrender with trembling voices.

FWOOSH!

The moment the words left their lips, they all disintegrated into ash. Just as their ancestor Zhao Changfeng had said, the Zhao Family was no more.

"Let's go! Quick! Let's get out of this cursed place!" a Golden Core Realm cultivator, still in shock, yelled after escaping several miles from the Zhao Family estate.

WHOOSH!

However, he had only made it another few hundred feet when a strange power descended upon him. In a flash, the Golden Core Realm cultivator was reduced to ash.

WHOO!

A cold wind blew across the front of the Zhao Family estate. Not a single sign of life remained.

"It seems… there was nothing to gain here," Chen Zheng mused, his brow furrowing slightly as he surveyed the ruins of the Zhao Family estate, letting out a soft sigh.

What an idiot, Little Bone thought, its head hung low as it silently cursed Chen Zheng's foolishness. Still thinking about loot in this situation. How stupid can you be? It glanced at Chen Zheng and sent a thought to remind him that it had reverted to its juvenile stage. In this form, Little Bone was useless against beings at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul Stage; only those at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage posed any threat to it.

Ah! This little girl is extraordinary! Chen Zheng's gaze shifted, landing on Zhao Yuxian. His expression grew solemn as he noticed the mysterious runes materializing on her skin. With a wave of his hand, he beckoned the girl over and plucked her into his grasp.

WHOOSH!

Zhao Yuxian's eyes fluttered open. When she took in her surroundings, her pretty face turned deathly pale. She had been cultivating when she suddenly fainted, and now she awoke to this devastation.

"Young... sir... are you my master?" Zhao Yuxian asked, her face a mask of shock and disbelief after being stunned for a good five or six seconds. In her memory, her father was at the peak of the Golden Core Realm, and her grandfather was a late-stage Golden Core cultivator. The rest of her clan members were similarly powerful. How could this young man possibly be her master?

"Mm, I am Chen Zheng. I am your ancestor," he replied with a smile.

"Ancestor…"

Zhao Yuxian was completely dumbfounded.

"Haha! HAHAHA! You're finished! You're utterly finished! My Zhao Family's ancestor is about to descend! You dared to kill the direct descendants of the Zhao Family? Our ancestor will never let you go!"

Suddenly, from deep within the Zhao Family ruins, a crazed voice echoed.

WHOOSH!

A streak of blood-red light shot into the sky.

BOOM! BOOM!

Thunder cracked across the heavens.

ROAR!

The thunder was followed by a resounding dragon's roar.

BOOM!

High above the Zhao Family's residence, the phantom of a thousand-meter-long Purple Lightning Jiaolong materialized.

"The ancestor has descended!"

"Ancestor! Save me!"

"Ancestor, this man killed the direct descendants of the Zhao Family! He is a demon! You must avenge our direct bloodline!"

Outside the ruins of the Zhao Family, the kneeling cultivators all cried out in hope.

"ROAR!"

The thousand-meter-long phantom of the Purple Lightning Jiaolong roared ferociously, its eyes locked on Chen Zheng.

"Ants are always just ants. Even a sacred beast is merely an ant." Chen Zheng shook his head lightly.

HISS!

This statement sent a tremor through the kneeling cultivators, and expressions of pure horror appeared on their faces. His tone! He isn't afraid of the Sacred Emperor Hall's ancestor at all!

The ancestor of the Sacred Emperor Hall was said to be a being at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Stage!

"Insolent cur! You dare insult me! I will tear that mouth from your face! ROAR!" the Purple Lightning Jiaolong bellowed.

RUMBLE!

It swiped a claw toward Chen Zheng!

BOOM!

A gigantic spectral claw descended upon him!

"Ancestor! Tear him apart! Tear him apart!"

"The ancestor is mighty!"

"Ancestor, crush him!"

The cultivators before the Zhao Family ruins began to shout excitedly once more.

However, as the Purple Lightning Jiaolong's spectral claw came down…

BANG!

It shattered in an instant.

"You… something's not right!"

The phantom of the Purple Lightning Jiaolong flickered, its form revealing an expression of utter terror. With a low growl, it turned into a streak of light and tried to flee.

"Heh." A soft chuckle escaped Chen Zheng's lips as he reached out and snatched the wisp of a remnant soul, capturing it instantly in his hand.

"AH!" the broken soul screamed in anger and terror.

"Hmph. A mere wisp of a soul dares to be so arrogant," Chen Zheng murmured coldly. He pressed forward with his left hand, and the soul was instantly obliterated, leaving behind a single drop of crimson blood.

"Oh? What's this…"

Chen Zheng raised an eyebrow and drew the drop of essence blood toward him. The lotus platform of creation in his glabella trembled, and a pulse of green light flashed out, devouring everything within the blood.

A few moments later, the green light of creation vanished.

Creator-level essence blood… It's even more special than I imagined… Chen Zheng mused thoughtfully.

"Ancestor…" Little Bone called out tentatively.

"I am entering seclusion for a while," Chen Zheng stated before his figure vanished from sight.

...

Mount Tiannan. Ten Thousand Swords Island.

The Sword Tomb.

This was an ancient tomb on Mount Tiannan where the Taixu Sword Cultivators were buried.

"The sword cultivators buried in the Sword Tomb were once the strongest in all the myriad worlds. Although most have perished, they left behind many treasures! At the core of the Sword Tomb lies the Sword Emperor Stele. Only disciples with unparalleled talent or those with heaven-defying fortune can enter the Sword Emperor Stele to comprehend the Sword Intent! Even the weakest Sword Intent from a Sword Emperor Stele is comparable to the full-powered strike of a Golden Core True Monarch!"

"It is said that each Sword Intent on the Sword Emperor Stele contains a law. Comprehending one Sword Intent gives one the chance to comprehend a second. If one could obtain the complete Sword Intent from a Sword Emperor Stele, it would be akin to mastering the way of the Sword Cultivator across all the myriad worlds! However, this is nearly impossible, as there are only nine Sword Emperor Steles in existence!"

"Hehe! Our Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion was fortunate enough to obtain the inheritance of the seventh Sword Emperor Stele's Sword Intent. It's said that one only needs to contemplate it for three days to condense a complete sword path, causing one's strength to surge! I wonder who the seventh Sword Cultivator is. In this Ten Thousand Swords Tower trial, I must become their disciple!"

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