Within the Star Realm of the Heavenly Star Mountain Range, although Starfall Pavilion's reputation on the Continent had soared due to Pill Venerate, even so, it was still just a first-rate power. But now, the leaders of several top powers were gathered here.
Gu Yuan of the Gu Clan, Hun Tiandi of the Soul Clan, plus the Lei Clan, Yan Clan, Medicine Clan, and several ancient Imperial Clans – more than half had arrived.
"Counting it this way, besides the Spirit Race, I should have interacted with people from all Seven Clans," Zhao Li thought as he looked at the figures before him.
Immediately, he scanned the many powerful experts, putting on an expression of immense admiration, and slowly said, "I never expected there to be so many powerful experts on the Continent. You've really hidden yourselves well."
Then, his tone suddenly shifted, and he asked coldly, "May I ask when you all arrived?"
In truth, he knew these people were mostly here to mediate. Moreover, given Hun Tiandi's cautious nature, he certainly wouldn't continue fighting him in this situation, lest Gu Yuan and the others gain an advantage for free.
However, although he knew this, he wouldn't just let the matter of Starfall Pavilion slide. At the very least, in the worst-case scenario, the people from the Soul Hall would have to pay some price, and there was no longer any need for them to continue existing.
Hearing the indifference in Zhao Li's tone, the expressions of the several individuals varied.
Hun Tiandi and Gu Yuan found this extremely normal. Hun Tiandi even felt that Zhao Li was already quite gentle. If it were him, and Gu Yuan wasn't present, he would likely have slapped them away long ago, letting them know that some fights were not for them to mediate.
But Lei Ying and the others felt very uncomfortable in their hearts. In other places, which one of them wasn't a being who could decide the fate of countless lives with a single word, a revered existence? They didn't know how many years it had been since someone dared to show them such disrespect. Even the Soul and Gu Clans, out of consideration for appearances, wouldn't do something so close to a complete falling out.
And Yan Jin, who had the most explosive temper among them, frowned upon hearing Zhao Li's words, then shouted loudly, "Who are you? When is it your turn to speak here?"
He had arrived late and hadn't seen Zhao Li's battle with Hun Tiandi, nor his confrontation with Gu Yuan. Even though he had felt the immense pressure earlier, he only assumed it was due to Hun Tiandi and Gu Yuan.
As for Zhao Li? Hearing the admiration in his words, he might just be some ignorant Dou Sheng expert on the Continent. He didn't put him in his eyes at all.
When Hun Tiandi and the others heard his shout, they all turned their gazes towards him, a strange look appearing in their eyes and hearts. They gave Yan Jin a silent thumbs-up for his courage.
Seeing this, a sense of anticipation actually rose in Lei Ying's heart. He thought to himself, "It's good if they fight. Let him test the waters."
Although he had felt three equally matched auras fall upon him earlier, he was still very unwilling to believe that there were such powerful experts on the Continent besides Hun Tiandi and Gu Yuan. Moreover, compared to Gu Yuan and the others who had been famous for a thousand years, Zhao Li seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, which made him feel even more unreal.
Before his thoughts finished, he saw a smile appear on Zhao Li's face. A vast aura surged up from him, rushing towards Yan Jin like a tide.
He only felt a trace of the aura that leaked out, and his heart trembled. It was indeed the same as Hun Tiandi and the other. He would never mistake that unique, strange aura of Hun Tiandi and Gu Yuan!
Zhao Li didn't want to be polite with these people. Even if they didn't fight, if negotiations were to begin, he had to display his strength and let them know that he was not like those beings they could casually deceive!
The aura on his body was like a sleeping giant suddenly awakening. For a moment, even Hun and Gu were taken aback. That aura actually seemed purer than theirs...
And Yan Jin was completely stiff, his eyes filled with shock. He felt that at this moment, in front of Zhao Li, he was like facing a terrifying Magical Beast in his youth, instinctively feeling a sense of fear he hadn't experienced for hundreds of years.
For a moment, he was frozen in place. Even the anger on his face hadn't dissipated before expressions like embarrassment, fear, and confusion appeared, making for a particularly spectacular sight...
Zhao Li spoke again, a hint of mockery in his words: "Is there a principle in this world where one has their own affairs but isn't even allowed to speak about them?"
He actually knew that such things not only existed but were quite common, whether in his previous life or now. Because no matter where, the majority were still those ordinary people as insignificant as dust...
Yan Jin knew he had hit a tough spot, but his long-standing pride prevented him from replying. He just blinked his eyes wildly, hoping that the others would help him out of consideration for their thousand-year friendship.
Gu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly and chuckled, saying, "This young brother may not know, but because the clashes between Dou Sheng experts cause too much commotion and destruction, we have a covenant. Those above Five-Star Dou Sheng cannot easily make a move!"
Of course, he didn't truly care about this covenant. To him, it was merely the best excuse to intervene in this matter legitimately. Furthermore, if Zhao Li was foolish, he could even use this to make him suffer a bit. He believed that Hun Tiandi wouldn't miss such an opportunity.
Hearing this, Zhao Li dispersed the aura on his body and watched Gu Yuan with leisure. Meanwhile, Yan Jin, feeling the suffocating sensation around him recede, breathed a sigh of relief and cast a grateful look at Gu Yuan.
Zhao Li, however, had no time to care about Yan Jin. He had discovered something interesting. Vaguely, he seemed to understand why, a thousand years ago, Gu Yuan had stood by and done nothing when Hun Tiandi attacked the Xiao Clan with the full strength of their clan.
In Zhao Li's eyes, Gu Yuan was like a true son of a wealthy family. Although he was a good person, he had never truly experienced hardship. And under such circumstances, his thoughts and ideas seemed to be aimed at solving the most superficial problems, as if he lacked the awareness to see through appearances to the essence.
Of course, this wasn't to say Gu Yuan was foolish, but he was indeed too naive, or perhaps pure. Perhaps this was one of the reasons he could reach the peak?
Above all, this was Zhao Li's feeling towards Gu Yuan during this short period: a pure person is actually very good.
Thinking of this, he suddenly smiled and said, "Oh? I didn't know such a thing existed."
Suddenly, his voice rose sharply, and he shouted, "Heh, a covenant? In your eyes, it's just nonsense! Not easily make a move? He attacked me without a word, just because they are his people. Why can't I make a move because of them?"
Zhao Li first pointed at Hun Tiandi and the Soul Hall members, then pointed behind him at the people from Starfall Pavilion who couldn't see this place at all.
Hearing this, Hun Tiandi chuckled, disdainfully saying, "They are just Ants. If you insist on sticking up for them, then the fight continues. Gu Yuan, we both know the situation with some things. There's no need for you to find such a high-sounding excuse."
His last sentence was directed at Gu Yuan, and it also carried mockery and sarcasm, as if venting the Qi he had initially felt from Gu Yuan's passive-aggression.
Gu Yuan didn't care about Hun Tiandi's mockery. He just shook his head gently and said nothing more.
Hearing this, Zhao Li seemed to have heard some great joke, and he laughed in anger, "A good one, 'just Ants'! Since that's the case, please hand over these Ants to me, and this matter will be settled!"
He pointed at Soul Extinguisher and the others. To him, Soul Extinguisher and the rest were also like ants!
Hun Tiandi's gaze sharpened, revealing his killing intent:
"You're courting death!"
With that, his figure suddenly vanished. The next moment, he had already appeared before Zhao Li and pressed a palm towards him.
He didn't actually care that much about Soul Extinguisher and his group, but Zhao Li demanding that he hand them over was no different from demanding that he kowtow and admit his mistake. With his pride, how could he accept that?
Zhao Li had long known that Hun Tiandi wouldn't hand them over, just as he wouldn't easily back down. However, he hadn't expected that Hun Tiandi would dare to directly attack in front of Gu Yuan.
Facing Hun Tiandi's aggressive palm strike, Zhao Li's figure flickered, evading the attack. He then sneered:
"Heh heh, is this your so-called treaty? It's simply a joke!"
He had always known that the so-called rules were never meant to restrain those at the very top. To them, those rules were merely a game.
And precisely because of this, no matter where, countless people wanted to climb higher. In his previous life, it was for power and status; in this life, it was for strength and cultivation level!
Zhao Li knew that he himself couldn't escape this common desire. However, the mark of his previous life had not yet faded. While pursuing strength, he hadn't neglected the vast number of people in the middle and lower strata.
Even if they were as humble as dust, they still had people and things they wanted to protect. Everything he did was simply to hope that more of them could successfully protect that small bit of happiness.
Even if it was like carrying firewood in the snow, with a long and difficult road ahead, he was still willing to work for it, because some things needed to be done by someone!
With this thought, Zhao Li suddenly felt a sense of clarity in his heart. It was as if the world before him had become clearer, just like a nearsighted person suddenly putting on glasses.
On the other side, seeing Zhao Li evade the attack, Hun Tiandi relentlessly pursued him like a maggot attached to bone. He vanished again, and the next moment, a pale fist appeared before Zhao Li's eyes like a falling meteor. The Void seemed meaningless before that punch.
Facing the terrifying punch, Zhao Li remained calm and composed. He even chuckled lightly and said loudly:
"Since the rules are a game for the strong, then I'll join in too!"
Immediately, he no longer dodged. With a flip of his hand, Divine Light suddenly appeared in his palm, erupting from his palm and carrying five incredibly radiant beams of Divine Light.
The vast Divine Light filled the sky. Under the interweaving Five-Colored light, it was as if the firmament was evolving, and a colorful ocean appeared in everyone's eyes.
As the Five-Colored light in Zhao Li's palm flowed and outlined, it seemed to contain the fundamental principles of the universe. Then, Zhao Li raised his hand, meeting Hun Tiandi's fierce, Returning to Simplicity punch from above.
He extended a palm, which transformed into a massive, colorful scroll stretching for thousands of miles, covering the sky and sun. The Five-Colored light reached the heavens and penetrated the earth. As far as the eye could see, the world seemed to have no other colors.
"Hmm?"
Hun Tiandi's eyes flickered. He felt an extremely familiar aura, exactly like the strange energy in his body earlier. However, this time, it seemed to possess a continuous stream of powerful energy!
Having suffered a significant loss earlier, his expression was now solemn. However, a sense of relief rose in his heart. If Zhao Li hadn't revealed this move before, perhaps he truly would have been injured by this attack. But now, he knew how to counter it!
Before the Divine Light reached him, he suddenly raised his hand and swiped, attempting to tear open The Void and banish this move. But to his surprise, the normally fragile Void was now unexpectedly solid. He couldn't tear it open with a single move.
And in that instant, the Divine Light had already reached him. He then sensed that the Five-Colored flowing light, like a brilliant scroll, was also like a Heaven and Earth Mill, constantly grinding away his power.
His expression changed drastically, no longer retaining his former composure!
Retreat!
In an instant, he made the same choice as Zhao Li had earlier. He flashed back instantly, then violently threw a punch. The moment the punch was thrown, a cracking sound echoed.
The Space here shattered and collapsed once again. Collapsing with it was a large area of the sky filled with Five-Colored light. An indescribable dark hole appeared beneath his fist!
That pitch-black hole was constantly being torn and enlarged, like an endless abyss, continuously吞噬ing the radiance under Zhao Li's palm!
Seeing this, Zhao Li chuckled:
"If I could be banished so easily by you, why would I go to such trouble?"
As his voice fell, Zhao Li slightly curled his five fingers and clenched in The Void. The seemingly endless Five-Colored light flowed back with it, returning entirely to his five fingers. Then, his figure flickered, carrying the unstoppable, annihilating power of the Divine Light, and smashed towards Hun Tiandi.
Feeling the fierce fist wind coming from all directions, a chill rose in Hun Tiandi's heart. Zhao Li's methods, their energy wasn't that strong, but they were too strange. They were different from any Dou Technique he had learned or seen in the past thousand years, but their power was definitely no less than any Heaven-tier Dou Technique.
He had already known that this Five-Colored flowing energy was too troublesome to deal with. At this moment, he didn't dare to be careless. He formed a complex fist seal, and as his fingers changed, a faint silvery-white light emerged from The Void, covering his fist.
For a moment, The Void trembled, as if returning to nothingness under the sharp edge of his fist. And this was just him building momentum.
Buzz!
It was as if the world exploded at this moment. The colossal sound of collision, reaching its extreme, seemed to surpass the limit that ordinary people could perceive.
So much so that there seemed to be no sound! Heaven and Earth were silent, Sun and Moon were lightless!
Only then did the various powerhouses, each with their own thoughts, suddenly gain a deep understanding of these eight words.
It felt like a few moments, or perhaps a long time later. A monstrous wave, stirred up by the collision of two terrifying energies, suddenly exploded in the long sky, like tens of thousands of ancient ferocious beasts stampeding.
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