250: Chapter 250 Dare to fight me one-on-one!

Maha Tian had come bearing killing intent.

The void outside the main gate of the Imperial City was torn open, creating a rift dozens of zhang wide, from which dark golden light surged forth, dispersing more than half of the volcanic ash that perpetually blanketed the sky above the Burning Heaven Mountain Range.

Maha Tian stepped out first, clad in dark golden battle robes with a tall and imposing figure. His face bore a five-part resemblance to Saint Son Mohe You, yet the majesty and bearing between his brows, born of long-standing authority, were far beyond what his younger brother could compare to.

He unleashed the aura of a late-stage Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign without reservation. The disciples of the Spirit Hall guarding the walls of the Imperial City were forced back several steps by this pressure, while those with lower cultivation levels fell to one knee on the spot, their faces turning deathly pale.

Behind him followed three Immortal Grade Heavenly Supreme elders, all with grim expressions and suppressed fury in their eyes—the Saint Son of the Mohe Ancient Clan had been killed in public, an unprecedented humiliation for the Mohe Ancient Clan, one of the Five Ancient Clans, in tens of thousands of years.

"Hun Feng, come out." Maha Tian stood in the void; his voice was not loud, yet it rolled across the entire Imperial City like muffled thunder.

The main hall's gates slowly swung open.

Hun Feng walked out from the hall, dressed in profound black robes, his pace unhurried.

He stepped onto the city tower alone, locking gazes from afar with Maha Tian, who was looking down from the void.

One was a late-stage Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign and patriarch of the Five Ancient Clans; the other was a peak Immortal Grade Heavenly Supreme, an ascender who had only become the Sixth Elder of the Great Thousand Palace a few years prior.

Looking solely at cultivation, they were separated by an entire major realm.

Yet Hun Feng stood with his hands behind his back atop the eaves of the city tower, his expression calm, as if he were merely facing an ordinary visitor.

"Patriarch Maha, you visit in the dead of night; what is your business?" Hun Feng spoke, his tone casual.

"You killed my brother." Maha Tian stared at him, enunciating every word, "I have come to demand an explanation."

Hun Feng raised an eyebrow: "An explanation? He wanted to kill my disciple and he wanted to kill me—what do you think?"

The killing intent in Maha Tian's eyes surged violently.

The pressure of a Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign crushed across the void like a physical force. The tiles on the city tower cracked under the strain, and the copper bells under the eaves shook violently yet could not emit a single sound—even sound itself had been crushed by this pressure.

"I did not come here to debate right and wrong." Maha Tian's voice was as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice, "Saint Son Mohe You was my own brother, and you killed him. Today, you have only two paths—cripple your own cultivation and kneel at the ancestral grounds of my Mohe Ancient Clan for a thousand years; or, I will do it myself."

After listening, Hun Feng was silent for a breath, then gave a light chuckle.

The laughter was very soft, yet it made the three Immortal Grade elders behind Maha Tian's heart skip a beat simultaneously.

They had lived for tens of thousands of years and had seen countless Immortal Grade cultivators panic and beg for mercy when faced with the pressure of a Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign, but they had never seen an Immortal Grade Heavenly Supreme who could laugh in the face of a late-stage Saint-Rank's pressure.

What made them even more uneasy was that—although the tiles of the city tower beneath Hun Feng's feet were cracked, not a single piece fell, and every crack stopped automatically when it reached three feet from Hun Feng.

"Patriarch Maha, bringing people to block the gates of my Spirit Hall in the dead of night, I thought you might have something interesting to say." Hun Feng put away his smile, looked into Maha Tian's eyes, and said in a calm yet clear tone, "I killed him. Your brother was disrespectful to me, spoke ill of the Spirit Hall, and wanted to kill my direct disciple—he deserved to die. If you are sensible, take your people and leave now, and this matter ends here. If you are not sensible—" He paused, "I don't mind sending you to join your brother. Do not think that just because you are a Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign, I fear you. I dared to kill your brother, and I dare to kill you too!"

As his voice fell, the world went silent.

Maha Tian laughed in extreme anger.

He had lived for tens of thousands of years, and this was the first time an Immortal Grade Heavenly Supreme had pointed at his nose and said, "I dare to kill you too."

He stopped wasting words and waved his right hand: "Three elders, take him."

The three Immortal Grade Heavenly Supreme elders behind him stepped forward simultaneously.

Spiritual energy at the Immortal Grade level erupted in the void, and the spiritual arrays on the walls of the Imperial City were automatically activated by this combined force, causing the entire wall to hum.

Just as the three were about to strike, one figure after another walked slowly out from the hall behind Hun Feng.

Without a word, without any unnecessary movements, sixteen people stepped out of the hall in turn and lined up behind Hun Feng.

Hun Tiandi walked over from the left, his gray-white robes fluttering slightly in the night wind, a calm smile of ten thousand years hanging on his lips as he stood with his hands behind his back to the left behind Hun Feng.

Void Swallowing Flame followed closely, black flames silently churning around its body, swallowing even the light by three parts, its face wearing that same eternal indifference.

Cai Lin walked out from the side door of the main hall, her dark purple dress trailing on the ground, her purple snake eyes emitting a cold, eerie light in the night as she stood one step behind and to the right of Hun Feng.

Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame swirled around Gu Xun'er of its own accord, casting her moon-white dress in a pale golden hue, her expression calm and composed.

Yao Yao vaulted directly over the railing of the city tower, a bone whip coiled around her waist, her peach-blossom eyes sweeping over the three Immortal Grade elders in the void, a look of eagerness on her lips.

Zi Yan was the last to come out from the side door of the hall, her petite figure wrapped in a purple-gold short robe, her golden eyes shining in the night, the pressure of the Dragon Phoenix origin causing the three Immortal Grade elders in the air to take a half-step back in unison.

Following closely, Gu Yuan stepped out from the side hall in simple gray robes, as steady as a mountain.

Hun Qinger had silver hair and blue eyes, with the dual auras of Heavenly Flame and Ice Soul interwoven around her body.

Yun Yun stood by the stone pillar of the city tower with her arms crossed, her gentle face wearing a rare trace of coldness.

Cao Ying flew in from the other side, her phoenix eyes slightly raised, holding an unknown medicinal pill in her hand, the fragrance of the medicine permeating the night wind.

Hun Qian, Soul Mie Sheng, Hun You, and Hun Jing stood side by side, clad in black armor and profound robes, cold and silent.

Xiao Yi Xian was the last to walk out from the side hall, her white hair hanging down, her fingertips still stained with a few herb fragments she hadn't had time to brush off.

Xue Wei stood at the very edge, her dark red dress fluttering in the hot volcanic wind, her arms crossed as she leaned against the city tower railing, looking at the people from the Mohe Ancient Clan in the void with a half-smile, as if watching a good show.

Sixteen auras of Heavenly Supreme exploded simultaneously in front of the main hall of the Imperial City.

Seven Immortal Grade, nine Spirit Grade, plus Hun Feng himself, totaling seventeen Heavenly Supreme.

These seventeen auras shot into the sky without reservation, sweeping away the volcanic ash above the Imperial City, and even punching a huge hole through the thunderclouds churning on the horizon.

The pressure of seventeen Heavenly Supreme was like seventeen mountains, crushing back and forcing the combined force of the three Immortal Grade elders to crumble inch by inch.

The expressions of the three changed drastically, and they retreated several steps in the void—they had originally thought that the Spirit Hall was merely a nouveau riche power established by an ascender, and that having Hun Feng as an Immortal Grade to hold the facade was the limit; how could they have imagined this scene?

Seventeen Heavenly Supreme; this already exceeded the total number of Heavenly Supreme on the surface of the Mohe Ancient Clan.

The faces of the three Immortal Grade elders behind Maha Tian changed completely.

They had lived for tens of thousands of years and had never seen a newly emerged super power cultivate seventeen Heavenly Supreme in just a few short years.

The auras of those seven Immortal Grade Heavenly Supreme were particularly sharp, not the kind of greenhouse Immortal Grade cultivators piled up by time and resources, but ones who had killed their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood—that faint, lingering murderous aura made the three of them, old fellows who had also lived for tens of thousands of years, feel a chill down their spines.

Maha Tian's expression also changed.

It was not fear, but gravity.

He had originally thought that only Hun Feng was capable of fighting in the Spirit Hall, and the rest were just filler Spirit Grade Earth Supreme.

But standing before him now were seventeen solid Heavenly Supreme.

Even if he were a late-stage Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign, he could never retreat unscathed if surrounded by seventeen Heavenly Supreme.

Especially the man in gray-white robes behind Hun Feng and the cold youth with black flames around it, the auras on these two made even him feel a trace of apprehension.

He suddenly understood why Hun Feng had the confidence to kill Saint Son Mohe You—it was not because he was the Sixth Elder of the Great Thousand Palace, but because he held in his hands a force capable of going head-to-head with the Five Ancient Clans.

"Patriarch Maha," Hun Feng stood in front of the sixteen, his profound black robes flapping in the night wind, his tone still calm, "Do you still think that you four can take down my Spirit Hall?"

In the void, the two sides confronted each other.

One side was the Ancient Clan patriarch, a late-stage Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign, with three Immortal Grade elders; the other side was seventeen Heavenly Supreme lined up and waiting.

Tens of thousands of disciples inside and outside the Imperial City looked up at this scene, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Maha Tian was silent for a long time.

Then he slowly raised his hand, signaling the three elders behind him to retreat.

"Hun Feng," he spoke, his voice deeper than before, "Dare you fight me alone?"

Hun Feng raised an eyebrow slightly, not answering immediately.

"You said just now that you do not fear me. Then let us have a life-or-death battle—you and me, one-on-one. The winner lives, the loser dies." Maha Tian stared at him, the killing intent in his eyes like a physical thing, "I swear by the names of the ancestors of the Mohe Ancient Clan that regardless of the outcome of this battle, no one else from the Mohe Ancient Clan will intervene. Your people from the Spirit Hall may not intervene either. Do you dare to accept?"

Hun Feng looked at Maha Tian and suddenly smiled.

This was exactly the sentence he was waiting for.

The seventeen Heavenly Supreme were lined up to make Maha Tian realize that he had no other choice—either retreat with his tail between his legs, or fight one-on-one.

Maha Tian chose the latter.

And what Hun Feng wanted was to defeat this late-stage Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign patriarch of the Ancient Clan fair and square in a one-on-one fight, settling everything in a single battle.

But he didn't just want to win a fight.

"Patriarch Maha, a one-on-one fight is fine, but we must add a wager. Otherwise, why should I accompany you in this fight? If you lose, you just walk away, and I get nothing; that's not a good deal." Hun Feng tilted his head, "If I lose, I will submit to your disposal—kill me or slice me, as you wish. But if you lose—"

He paused, his gaze landing on a flickering dark golden light in the void behind Maha Tian.

"Hand over the Mohe Yin-Yang Bottle."

As soon as these words were spoken, the three elders behind Maha Tian changed color simultaneously.

"Patriarch, you must not!" the leading elder shouted sternly, "The Mohe Yin-Yang Bottle is our clan's supreme treasure; how can it be used as a wager! There is no need to fight this battle; we will go back and gather the strong members of the clan—"

"Exactly, Patriarch, you must not be provoked by him! If the Mohe Yin-Yang Bottle is lost—"

"Silence." Maha Tian did not turn back, but his voice made the three elders shut their mouths simultaneously.

He stared at Hun Feng for a long time, so long that the backs of the three elders behind him were soaked in cold sweat.

The Mohe Yin-Yang Bottle. The supreme treasure of the Mohe Ancient Clan, one of the top peerless sacred objects in the Great Thousand World.

It could release endless Yin and Yang energy, sweeping across the world, settling the universe, and suppressing all laws.

Its power could easily suppress experts at the Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign level.

Looking across the entire Great Thousand World, apart from the Ancient Floating Pagoda Clan's Eternal Pagoda, nothing could restrain it.

This was a supreme treasure that would make any power go crazy, and it was also one of the biggest trump cards that had allowed the Mohe Ancient Clan to stand proudly among the Five Ancient Clans for tens of thousands of years.

Using the supreme treasure of the clan as a wager—this was something that had never happened in the forty-eight thousand years since the founding of the Mohe Ancient Clan.

The three elders stared fixedly at Maha Tian's back, the anxiety and fear in their eyes undisguised.

What they were afraid of was not that Maha Tian would lose—a late-stage Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign fighting a peak Immortal Grade Heavenly Supreme, how could he possibly lose?

They were afraid that the Patriarch's dignity would be kidnapped by this ascender with a wager, and they were afraid that even if he won, he would be criticized for "almost staking the supreme treasure of the clan for a bet."

But Maha Tian was not afraid. Because he did not believe he would lose.

A late-stage Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign against a peak Immortal Grade Heavenly Supreme was a crushing gap.

Hun Feng was able to kill Saint Son Mohe You because Saint Son Mohe You was only Spirit Grade.

Facing a true late-stage Saint-Rank, he did not believe Hun Feng could stir up any waves.

On the contrary, this bet was an opportunity—an opportunity to kill Hun Feng alone without provoking an encirclement by the seventeen Heavenly Supreme of the Spirit Hall.

As long as Hun Feng died, the Spirit Hall would be leaderless, and the remaining sixteen Heavenly Supreme would be scattered sand.

The face the Mohe Ancient Clan lost today could be taken back with interest.

"Good." Maha Tian spat out a word, his voice like the clashing of gold and iron, "If you can defeat me, the Mohe Yin-Yang Bottle will be handed over with both hands."

A faint smile appeared on the corner of Hun Feng's mouth.

"Refreshing."

He raised his hand, signaling the people behind him to step back.

The sixteen Heavenly Supreme slowly retreated, leaving a vast void battlefield above the Imperial City tower.

The Imperial City's spiritual array operated at full power, laying down layers of protective barriers around the perimeter of the battlefield to prevent the aftermath from affecting the city.

The three elders behind Maha Tian had livid expressions, but they could only follow and retreat.

When they retreated to the edge of the battlefield, the leading elder looked back at Hun Feng—there was anger, disdain, and a trace of faint uneasiness in that look that even he himself had not noticed.

He had not forgotten that just a moment ago, when Hun Feng stood alone on the eaves of the city tower, not a single one of the cracks crushed out by the Saint-Rank pressure beneath his feet had spread within three feet of him.

In the void, only the two remained, confronting each other from afar.

On one side was the Ancient Clan patriarch, a late-stage Saint-Rank Heavenly Sovereign, his dark golden spiritual energy like an abyss or a sea, dyeing half the night sky dark gold.

On the other side was the Hall Master of the Spirit Hall in profound black robes, standing with his hands behind his back, not a shred of spiritual energy leaking from his body, as quiet as a bottomless pool of water.

"I have seen many arrogant juniors," Maha Tian slowly raised his hand, dark golden spiritual energy condensing in his palm, and the surrounding void began to tremble violently, "but you are the first to be arrogant to this extent. Killing my brother, humiliating my clan, and wanting to seize my clan's supreme treasure—today I will let you know what exactly lies between the Saint-Rank and the Immortal Grade."

Hun Feng did not answer.

He flipped his right hand, and the Heaven-Slaying Flame rose from his palm, the crimson flames slowly elongating in his hand, condensing into a zhang-eight long spear.

The spear body was as pitch-black as ink, with flames flowing at the spear tip, the crimson light casting his face in shifting light and shadow.

"Come," he said.