Chapter 836

Ninth Stage!

Among the entire Blue Star, he is an absolute peak powerhouse!

Though only one major rank apart, a Ninth-Stage Adept possesses undeniable crushing dominance over an Eighth-Stage Adept!

When Jonathan's aura erupted, every Adept present felt a powerful oppressive pressure!

As if Jonathan were a god—merely by thought, he could kill them instantly!

"How is this possible?! The Sect of Destiny has a Ninth-Stage powerhouse?!"

Zhou Yu swallowed hard, his pale, handsome face filled with despair.

Even though we still have over a hundred Seventh- and Eighth-Stage Adepts here, before a Ninth-Stage Martial Saint, all are mere ants!

"Sh*t! A Ninth-Stage Martial Saint? When did the Sect of Destiny reach this level?!"

Ryan of the United States also wore a grim expression, silently cursing inside.

Fortunately, the Holy Church still has ties with the Sect of Destiny; they probably won't kill me right away.

Of course,

The rare herbs and plants on my person are certainly lost.

Even the rare plant life seeds I found in the temple ruins cannot be taken away.

"The Plant Holy Water was stolen by Xu Jingming—now even the seeds can't be kept..."

Ryan frowned, feeling terribly unlucky.

After all the hardship to find the temple, he ended up gaining nothing.

"Ha ha! Weak humans! The glory of my divine race shall be eternal!"

Jian Jian mocked the silent, grim-faced crowd with unrestrained disdain.

Behind him, the Grand Masters who had surrendered all wore delighted expressions.

They had clearly made the right choice!

Among them, Wang Linyang was especially ecstatic.

Too bad he hadn't seen Xu Jingming yet—otherwise, just for Xu Jingming's disrespect at the banquet,

he would have vented his fury before Jian Jian killed him!

"Now, I give you five seconds to choose.

Submit or die. After five seconds, anyone who refuses to submit will be executed!"

Jian Jian's voice rang out again.

Everyone here is Seventh- or Eighth-Stage; with Bloodshed Pills, there's no fear they won't be tamed.

Once subdued, those who submit can be deployed to the Sect of Destiny's various branches, greatly strengthening its overall strength.

At these words, the Adepts present immediately stirred in unrest.

Better to live in shame than die honorably.

Having endured countless hardships to reach Eighth Stage, they naturally didn't want to die so easily.

Of course, many still held firm gazes, their auras unwavering—they had clearly prepared to fight to the death.

At this moment, Roland also climbed out of the deep pit on the ground, his voice low and hoarse:

"All of Great Xia, do not surrender! Anyone who disobeys will be killed by me first!!"

Though he faced Jonathan's aura assault directly, most of the force was absorbed by his Dust-Body, so his actual injuries were not severe.

Surrendering to the Sect of Destiny was precisely what he could not tolerate.

"Stubborn fool!"

Jonathan sneered, readying to strike again.

But the next moment, he froze, frowning at a point in midair.

Hum—

With a soft sound, a spatial gate suddenly condensed, then opened from both sides.

A man and a woman stepped out of the gate—Xu Jingming and Ling Shuang.

"Ha ha ha! Xu Jingming! You've arrived just in time!"

Jian Jian, seeing Xu Jingming appear suddenly, let out an excited cry.

Xu Jingming was their primary target this time—if he escaped, this operation wouldn't be perfect!

"Ling Shuang, take Xu Jingming and run! They're from the Sect of Destiny—there's a Ninth-Stage Martial Saint here!"

Roland panicked immediately and shouted a warning.

Though missing this portal's opening would trap them in the secret realm for four or five years,

it's far better than being killed by the Sect of Destiny!

If these people die, they die—but if Xu Jingming dies, it will be a massive loss for Great Xia.

"Try to escape? I've already prepared for this! Stay here!"

Jian Jian sneered, pulling a pure white bone from his space ring.

He then unleashed his blood qi into it, instantly generating a strange spatial barrier.

The surrounding space was completely sealed, rendering teleportation impossible.

"Damn it!!"

Roland's heart sank—he never expected the Sect of Destiny to be so thoroughly prepared.

"Xu Jingming, didn't expect this, did you? To prevent your escape, I already secured another space beast bone!"

Jian Jian's mocking voice rang out, his eyes fixed on Xu Jingming like a predator staring at prey.

"Sect of Destiny?"

Though Xu Jingming had just teleported in, based on Roland's information and the scene before him,

it was easy to deduce that Sect of Destiny members had infiltrated the secret realm.

Simultaneously, he noticed Jonathan, radiating Ninth-Stage aura.

But unlike ordinary Ninth-Stages, Jonathan's aura was chaotic and unstable.

"He forcibly ascended to Ninth Stage using Divine Blood techniques."

As the creator of the Divine Thunder Bloodshed Body, which fuses Divine Blood techniques and Divine Thunder Immortal Body, Xu Jingming instantly recognized Jonathan's condition.

But no matter how he reached Ninth Stage, Ninth Stage is Ninth Stage—it exerts unquestionable dominance over Eighth-Stage Grand Masters!

"Good thing I maxed out my ability to SSS rank—otherwise, this situation would've been tricky."

Xu Jingming's expression remained calm.

This was the absolute confidence granted by the Chaos Divine Thunder.

"Xu Jingming, let me introduce myself—I am Tian Jian, the Divine Son of the Sect of Destiny."

As if everything were already in his grasp, Tian Jian spoke leisurely:

"I possess an SSS-tier Enhancement-type ability, and my rank far surpasses others my age.

I once wanted to enter the Global Genius Exchange Tournament to prove myself, but unfortunately, my status barred me from participating.

Fortunately, now I have you—the dual champion of the Genius Tournament.

Come! I won't let the Divine Messenger intervene—we'll fight one-on-one."

Tian Jian's eyes burned with boundless fanaticism and bloodlust, then cruelly added:

"Of course, whether you win or lose, you will die in the end!"

As he spoke, Tian Jian immediately activated the Divine Blood Technique!

His aura, already at high Seventh Stage, surged violently!

"Come on, come on! Let's see which of us, two SSS-tier users, is stronger!"

Feeling his power skyrocket, Tian Jian grew increasingly deranged, his face twisted in fury.

The aura of his Enhancement-type Divine Beast SSS ability—"Spiked Crimson Dragon"—grew fiercer.

Nearby, Jonathan couldn't help but show a look of fanaticism.

As the Sect's Divine Messenger, he was merely a tool—Tian Jian was the true future of the Sect of Destiny!

"With the Divine Son, the Sect of Destiny will become even more glorious." This had always been Jonathan's unwavering belief.

Yet at that moment, he saw Xu Jingming raise his right hand and point at Tian Jian from afar.

The next instant,

The heavens and earth darkened instantly—a thick, pitch-black thunderbolt coalesced!

The terrifying aura it emitted made it impossible to look directly at it!

Sizzzz!

With a thunderous crash, the pitch-black lightning struck Tian Jian with unstoppable force!

His blood-aura-wrapped, powerful body shattered like porcelain beneath the black lightning.

His deranged expression froze on his face—then Tian Jian was utterly obliterated into ash.