Chapter 280 – Why Aren’t You All Kneeling?

Martial Saint Island.

A massive White Square was bustling with people from various sects and schools.

Everywhere, there was an atmosphere of tension, anticipation, and excitement-faces eager and aspiring to gain fame in a single battle.

On the high platform, Grandmasters awaited to witness the event, sipping tea and chatting leisurely.

The Five Elders of Penglai sat above, quietly meditating, their presence as deep as the sea.

In this secluded, almost otherworldly paradise, enveloped in radiant glow and clouds, an ancient martial arts legacy event, preserved for hundreds of years, was about to commence.

Everything seemed solemnly official, harmonious, and natural.

But suddenly.

“Boom!”

A thunderous noise erupted from the edge of the island.

“Whoosh–“

A flock of seabirds took off in alarm from the woods near the beach, and the tranquil clouds in the sky quickly churned.

The noisy chatter in the White Square abruptly fell silent, and the Grandmasters on the high platform stopped their conversations.

Everyone instinctively looked towards the source of the loud noise.

They saw the protective light shield covering the entire island become distinctly visible, violently rippling and oscillating with dense waves.

What happened?

All the faces were marked with puzzled expressions as they looked at the fluctuating light shield.

Even a fool could tell that the island’s protective light shield was being struck by an external force, causing this unusual disturbance.

But…

Who would dare attack this place? And at this time?

Everyone knew that this was… Martial Saint Island of Penglai!

The most supreme holy ground in the ancient martial arts world!

Right now on the island, there were dozens of Grandmasters, countless True Intent Realm experts, not to mention the Five Elders and more renowned figures like the Lord of Heaven.

To have an external attack occur in this place under such circumstances was as absurd and laughable as terrorists attacking during a joint summit of world leaders from the Xia State, Distant Star Federation, and Javier.

Fortunately, after that thunderous noise, there were no further disturbances from outside the island.

The protective light shield’s fluctuations were gradually subsiding.

The turbulent clouds began to calm down, and the startled seabirds slowly returned one by one.

On the White Square, people’s eyes shifted away from the light shield. Those walking continued walking, the nervous stayed nervous, and the expectant remained expectant.

On the high platform, the laughter and chatting among the Grandmasters resumed.

Everything seemed to return to its original trajectory.

The earlier loud noise felt like a minor, insignificant interlude.

However, this calm was short-lived…

“Boom!”

An even louder explosion sounded.

“Boom!”

This time, the beach at the edge of the island exploded outright. The protective light shield, which had just started to settle, shook violently and shattered, blowing open a massive gap.

Intense white light burst from the gap, followed by a cascade of dark purple electricity pouring down like a waterfall, coursing wildly across the silver-white sand.

People on the White Square seemed to be pressing a giant Pause Button again, all eyes turned sharply toward the source of the commotion, their faces filled with shock and amazement.

On the high platform, the Grandmasters also halted their actions, staring fixedly in that direction.

The Five Elders, who had been meditating, opened their eyes quietly, observing with expressionless faces.

The next moment.

“Rumble–“

Under countless pairs of eyes, a five-level white yacht surged out of the gap in the protective light shield.

The yacht rampaged crudely and aggressively across the beach.

Eight figures leapt from the white yacht, pausing momentarily in mid-air, emanating an overwhelmingly powerful aura.

These auras intertwined, rising like a hurricane and dispersing the clouds above.

It felt as though a massive shadow was swallowing the light, slowly expanding.

Before anyone could react.

A giant black-golden carpet flew out from the white yacht into the air.

The eight suspended figures each grabbed a corner of the carpet and descended.

The thick black-golden carpet landed on the silver-white sand and began to unfurl, rolling out…

The carpet was extremely long, extending all the way to the center of the White Square.

At that moment, the eight figures stood flanking the carpet, and one of them spread his arms, transforming into blood-red eagle wings, soaring high.

Under the large black martial arts banner flapping on the mast of the white yacht, the hovering eagle-man emitted a voice as cold and eerie as a night owl’s:

“The Current God Emperor of the Deity Martial Alliance is here. The people of Penglai, kneel and greet him immediately!”

In an instant.

“Boom!”

The White Square erupted into an uproar.

On the high platform, powerful auras burst forth furiously.

In no time, the high platform was crowded with numerous Grandmasters, all standing with dark expressions, their eyes burning as they glared at the two figures stepping off the white yacht onto the black-golden carpet.

…

“Uh…”

Outside the island, the Crew-cut Man standing on the speedboat stared blankly at the scene unfolding before him, his neck stiff as if someone had gripped it. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, yet he couldn’t utter a single word.

After a long while, he barely snapped out of his stupor from the immense shock.

A hint of panic flashed across his face. Gritting his teeth, he kicked away the skinny black man piloting the speedboat and took the helm himself, quickly steering in the direction of the island.

…

On the other side, Rock-Smashing Style disciples, preparing to disembark, stood dazed on their boat, staring at the white yacht already skidding onto the island, and listening to the chilling voice echoing across the sea.

Nearly everyone was in a state of bewilderment.

Amidst them, the silver-haired sect leader of Rock-Smashing Style was both shocked and incredulous, his eyes flickering intensely.

“Evil Martial Alliance! The Contemporary Evil Emperor!…”

“How dare they… How dare they brazenly barge in here like this?!”

The silver-haired elder’s face changed drastically.

Suddenly, he shot out from his boat like an arrow, skimming over the sea’s surface, creating splashes as he made a beeline for the island.

He moved incredibly fast, trailing a long white streak over the water.

The disciples of Rock-Smashing Style were still in a daze when they were abruptly jolted awake by a heavy “thud.”

Hurriedly turning to look, they saw a large splash where their master, the silver-haired elder, had collided with the protective light shield and was now sinking into the sea with a series of gurgles.

Finally comprehending the situation, they began shouting in panic and chaos.

“Not good, Master knocked himself out hitting the light shield!”

“Darn it, why was Master in such a hurry? Did he forget the protective light shield wasn’t deactivated yet?”

“Quick, save him! Master can’t swim!”

…

On the luxurious carpet patterned with black-golden designs, Lu Yuan and Liu Daoyuan walked side by side, slowly descending from the white yacht.

The carpet’s middle section was supported by the evil force fields of several Protectors from the Evil Martial Alliance, making it feel as solid as the ground beneath their feet, without the slightest hint of instability.

“Old Liu, how was that entrance? I had them rehearse it for quite a while,” Lu Yuan said casually as they walked.

Liu Daoyuan, on the other hand, looked as stiff as a robot, his every movement filled with rigidity.

Lu Yuan could even hear the rapid “thump, thump, thump” of Liu Daoyuan’s heartbeat echoing within his chest.

It seemed that this dramatic reveal had indeed dealt a significant blow to Old Liu.

However, Old Liu’s mental fortitude was impressive; he quickly calmed his turbulent emotions.

“How much more have you kept from me?” Liu Daoyuan asked in a low voice, taking a deep breath.

“Not much more,” Lu Yuan replied softly. “After all, how old am I this year…”

“…”

A sudden flash of blue light flickered in Liu Daoyuan’s eyes, and his gaze locked onto a specific position.

Following his line of sight, Lu Yuan saw a middle-aged man standing on a distant high platform, his face expressionless.

Lu Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You want to take care of that guy named Cai?”

“He was mine to begin with,” Liu Daoyuan replied, squinting his eyes before scanning the entire area swiftly.

“Excluding The Five Elders and the Lord of Heaven, there are a total of thirty-eight Grandmasters here, with at least two hundred at the True Intent level…

You’ve slapped Penglai’s face quite hard this time; they won’t let you off easily. Even Yellow Bear’s affiliation won’t help you.

I’m curious how you plan to wrap this up…”

Lu Yuan laughed and looked at him, asking, “Don’t worry about my ending. Just tell me… isn’t it thrilling, isn’t it exciting?”

Liu Daoyuan rolled his eyes at him and said nothing.

The two continued walking down the black-golden carpet.

Along the way, they passed eight Protectors from the Evil Martial Alliance who were holding up the carpet.

Lu Yuan spoke softly to Liu Daoyuan.

“…Among these eight, you can fully trust only one.”

Lu Yuan pointed to the silent Elephant Protector.

“No matter what happens, he will help you. Those other two you can trust halfway; they’ll fight alongside you, but they’ll definitely cover your escape if necessary.”

Lu Yuan then pointed to the Hawk Protector and Lin Protector.

“The rest are either fence-sitters or harbor ulterior motives. When a real fight breaks out, they might run faster than you…”

Liu Daoyuan frowned at Lu Yuan’s words. “Out of so few people, there are barely any reliable ones… and you still dare to bring me to Penglai to make trouble with this kind of backing?”

“Well, we’ve got to make do with what we have,” Lu Yuan shrugged helplessly.

Finally, after walking several kilometers along the black-golden carpet, they set foot firmly on the ground at the center of the White Square.

Countless eyes were fixated on them, and an invisible pressure in the air kept building up around them, like a gigantic mountain growing larger and taller, looming over their heads and slowly descending.

The immense, omnipresent pressure in the air made it feel as if they were standing in the midst of an army on a battlefield, with countless spears pointing directly at them.

“Teacher,” Lu Yuan said softly to Liu Daoyuan as he glanced around.

“Once the fighting starts, I can’t look after you. Just make sure… you don’t get yourself killed.”

“Don’t worry,” Liu Daoyuan snorted. “I have more ways to save my skin than you do.”

“That’s good,” Lu Yuan nodded, feeling the last bit of worry fade from his mind.

He lifted his gaze, looking straight ahead.

He saw the level three platform.

He saw the dozens of Grandmasters on the level one platform.

He saw The Five Elders on the level two platform.

And he saw the figure half-hidden in the radiant glow like a waterfall on the level three platform.

There was also the long ascension staircase behind the figure, leading to the heavens.

Lu Yuan studied the path he needed to break through.

Quickly, Lu Yuan finished his observation and retracted his gaze, lowering his head slightly.

In a voice only he could hear, he muttered to himself, “With such an imposing entrance, it would be really embarrassing if I can’t hold my ground…”

Finished speaking, Lu Yuan lifted his head again. His face now only showed calmness and composure.

He slowly took a step forward.

The immense pressure in the void, akin to the condemnation of thousands, suddenly became even heavier.

It felt like an invisible mountain, ready to crush him at any moment.

Feeling this pressure, Lu Yuan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Then he exhaled slowly.

When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with brilliant light.

He felt the blood in his veins heating up, his mind becoming more alert and excited, and every cell in his body seemed to be cheering, shouting, and anticipating…

Lu Yuan’s eyes gleamed brighter and brighter.

The air around him began to swirl…

In the next second.

“Boom!”

A momentum as powerful as a volcanic eruption burst from his body, shattering and obliterating the invisible mountain above him…

Then it surged outwards in massive waves, several tens of meters high, spreading in all directions.

Lu Yuan’s eyes sparkled like stars, and a smile curved on his lips.

His sleeves and hair swayed as if blown by an invisible wind.

He took a few more steps forward, looking around with a dominant gaze, and said with a smile, “The God Emperor is here in person. Why aren’t you all kneeling?!”