Chapter 228: I, Anlan, Am Unrivaled Under Heaven!

"Arrogant!"

"How dare you speak like that!?"

"Junior! Do you truly believe we wouldn't dare suppress you?!"

The elders of the Geda Sect flashed a fierce glint in their eyes, while the cultivators watching from the side, jealous at heart, all cheered inwardly, hoping Su Lin would keep pushing further.

The Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace turned his head and saw that the Source Art Master named "Anlan" had every strand of hair flying, a spear condensed from radiant light held in his hand.

He faintly sensed that some kind of 'momentum' had been stirred here, but he didn't care, instead finding it quite interesting.

"I too was once like you, believing the whole world was mine." The Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace, confident of victory, waved his hand, signaling the various elders surrounding Su Lin to step back. "Unfortunately, there is always an impassable gulf between reality and imagination."

Those elders were not members of the Five Elements Palace, yet cowed by the Zhang Sect's cultivation, they could only shut their mouths resentfully.

"I hear you are without sect or faction. I could take you as my personal disciple and pass on the ultimate arts of my Five Elements Palace." The Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace slightly raised his chin, as if bestowing a tremendous grace. "I hope that one day you will be full of spirit and vigor, unconstrained by such external pressures."

Shameless!

No shame!

The elders looked at the Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace striking such a pose; the sound of his scheming could be heard clearly even on the Purple Myrtle Ancient Star!

If 'Anlan' agreed, all the wondrous treasures brought out would fall into the Zhang Sect's pocket. Even if he didn't simply take them for nothing, it still had nothing to do with their own sects!

If 'Anlan' continued his arrogance, then the Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace would have every reason to take him away—after all, Anlan had offended him.

The other party was a Source Art genius, possibly the youngest and most talented Source Art genius in several thousand years. If such a talent were taken away by the Five Elements Palace, regardless of whether he submitted sincerely, the Five Elements Palace would reap the greatest benefit.

Shameless! Too shameless!

These elders cursed furiously in their hearts, wishing their own Holy Lords would appear here.

"Ridiculous." Su Lin pointed his spear at the Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace and said sternly: "I, Anlan, am unrivaled in this world. Who can suppress me?"

His voice was like thunder, rolling on without end.

The Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace laughed, the cultivators gloating over his misfortune laughed, and even the elders gathered nearby laughed. Though the other's fate was already sealed, this cultivator called Anlan was arrogantly adorable.

"So what if he's skilled in Source Art? Stupid as a dog." Someone said disdainfully. They felt a sense of satisfaction—no matter how many wondrous treasures he had brought out, no matter how strong his Source Art talent, so what? He still had to be taught a lesson.

The Imperial Prince of Great Xia and Yao Yuekong shook their heads, hurriedly using their respective dharma treasures to urge their elders to come. At this point, they had no way to help either.

"Hey, how can you still laugh? You're in big trouble!" The Imperial Prince of Great Xia's younger sister, that pretty little nun, frowned and reminded them.

Ye Fan laughed heartily, even laughing out loud and coughing a few times.

"Cough, cough—water." Ye Fan took the spiritual spring from Ma Xianhong and gulped down a mouthful: "Choked on it."

Blackie also wanted to laugh uproariously; that dog mouth kept twitching, showing how hard he was holding it in. If he weren't afraid of offending that existence suspected to be a "Great Emperor," he would be laughing and cursing these idiots at the same time right now.

"Zhang Sect Li, I see this Miss has excellent aptitude, very suitable for cultivating the methods of my Yin-Yang Sect. If she were to join my Yin-Yang Sect, she might well become another Holy Maiden. Wang presumes to ask on behalf of our Yin-Yang Sect for a good seedling." Wang Ke, seeing the Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace step in personally, could only settle for the next best thing.

He felt this little girl possessed a fairy-like bone structure, but the specifics would only be known after taking her back.

"Very well." The Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace nodded. Borrowing the name of the Yin-Yang Sect himself wasn't unacceptable.

"Old thing, you're seeking death." Ye Fan immediately restrained his smile, killing intent flashing in his eyes, and even Blackie made as if to bite Wang Ke.

The Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace looked toward a direction outside the Shengcheng, where a Holy Lord-level aura was approaching. He smiled and said: "Alright, good disciple, go with your friends to be this master's guest at the Five Elements Palace."

As he spoke, he was about to use his power to envelop Ye Fan and the others, while a wisp of Five Elements divine light flickered in his right hand, attempting to break through the 'momentum' Su Lin had set up.

"Senior! Senior!" An aged yet resonant voice came from outside the Stone Garden.

Immediately after, a streak of flowing light darted in—it was the white-robed elder Su Lin had seen when he first entered the Shengcheng during the day.

"Old Daoist Lin?!"

Quite a few people recognized this elder from the Dao One Holy Land.

The Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace showed displeasure. The other party showing up at this moment was likely to stall for time. He made a decisive move to continue his action, ignoring Lin He's calls to him.

But who would have thought the other party didn't linger by his side at all, instead hurrying over to 'Anlan's' side.

Lin He said respectfully:

"Senior came to our Dao One Holy Land's Stone Workshop, and this old Daoist only just learned of it—this matter is this old Daoist's fault!"

"I just heard Senior brought out numerous wondrous treasures in the Dao One Stone Workshop. Congratulations, Senior, congratulations."

"This old Daoist presumes to take the liberty of giving you a seventy-percent discount on your consumption in the Stone Workshop. Please forgive this old Daoist's daytime offense."

Elder Lin He spoke without taking a breath, delivering his words without the slightest hesitation, then looked around in confusion and suddenly realized:

"Zhang Sect Li has returned from Zishan? Forgive this old Daoist for not paying attention just now—what is this about?"

Lin He's words were like a sea-calming divine needle, plunging the Stone Garden, which had just been a sea of rising voices, into a dead calm.

The Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace's eyes widened slightly, his hand's action stopping at once. Though the five-colored divine light did not vanish, it dimmed somewhat.

And the elders who had earlier shouted rebukes at Su Lin stood rooted to the spot, their backs taut as if facing some great terror.

"Old Daoist Lin, what did you just call this Anlan little—no, master—Anlan Master?" An elder who had not been involved in this matter stepped forward from the side to ask.

"Naturally Senior, Senior Anlan. This old Daoist was careless, please do not take offense." Lin He said with a smile. White robe, white hair, white beard, he cut a picture of a kindly lofty figure. "Eh? Old Monster Zhou Cai, Old Witch Wu Xin, Elder Qin Youfeng…"

He greeted each familiar face as if reciting a menu of dishes.

"Why does it look like none of you are feeling well? This old Daoist has a few ancient pills here—would you like to try some?"

Some cultivators had already been secretly slipping away into the crowd, but these elders could not leave. Hearing Old Daoist Lin call out their names one by one, they were greatly annoyed yet did not dare to act.

Impossible… How could there be a Holy Lord this young?!

It wasn't just them—this thought appeared in the mind of every cultivator present.

The other party had basically not concealed his aura. Just by his aura alone, one could feel that the spiritual power on him was at most only slightly denser than that of an ordinary Dao Palace cultivator.

But the attitude of Dao One Holy Land's Elder Lin He at this moment…

The Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace naturally would not simply believe Lin He. He naturally released his own aura; even just a sliver of the terrifying presence belonging to the second heaven of Immense Platform was displayed in full.

This couldn't be counted as hostility, merely a slight probe.

"Apologies, my injuries haven't healed, I couldn't control it… cough, cough."

The low-level cultivators watching around immediately felt their own qi and blood suppressed to the extreme, their spiritual power hindered, so much so that some couldn't keep steady on their feet.

Those at the Four Poles Realm could barely hold their ground, while those at the Dragon Transformation Realm, though heart-trembling, kept their expressions unchanged.

There were exceptions: Ye Fan stood before Ma Xianhong, using his entire body's blood and qi to shield others from the pressure; his bones cracked loudly as he gazed coldly at the Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace.

The Great Xia Imperial Prince and Yao Yuekong felt a titanic terror rushing toward them, yet their innate talents allowed them to remain largely unaffected.

Su Lin furrowed his brows, his gaze sharpening as he stepped forward; a ripple converged into a stream, tearing through the Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace's aura.

'Did I misjudge him?'

The Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace muttered inwardly, retracting the divine light from his hands, still smiling, and said:

'I thought I had discovered an unparalleled genius, an uncarved jade of epochal potential, and my heart leapt with delight.'

'But I never imagined your hidden arts were so profound. Alas, Daoist friend, you deceived me most cruelly.'

He wished to cease hostilities; the divine herb would be set aside for now. The opponent was likely a Source Artisan—and probably an Immortal Platform cultivator. Though he did not know the exact realm, his injuries were still unhealed, and he was certainly no match.

'I offer my apologies to Daoist friend,' said the Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace, bowing. He immediately turned to leave. 'Let us gather again at the Five Elements Palace another day.'

Clang—clang—

A crisp sound rang out. The Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace suddenly looked up. Lines of cosmic chains, like phoenix divine feathers, descended, sealing the entire stone garden's space.

Looking again, Su Lin's palms and fingers had turned golden, gripping those very cosmic chains.

'The Source Heaven Master's cosmic chains! The ancient Source Heaven Master's cosmic chains!' exclaimed an elder with vast experience who had once witnessed the Source Heaven Master's glory.

This was the Source Art technique of controlling spiritual veins, manifesting the laws of the Dao as tangible forms. When pushed to its extreme, such Source Art could even temporarily sever off a miniature world!

'What do you mean by this?' the Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace said coldly. 'The misunderstanding has been cleared. Are you taking advantage of my injuries?'

Su Lin lifted his head. His eyes turned white-gold. A colossal tree, woven and entwined from light elements, appeared above the Shengcheng!

The giant tree split open from within, giving birth to a breathtaking world where daylight and starry night stood side by side.

'What kind of divine manifestation is this?! It seems almost real!'

Many were stunned by this manifestation nearly made real, and their hearts filled with dread: if a Holy Lord were to fight here, could they possibly survive?!

'I said,' Su Lin, holding a spear forged from light, looked down with disdain, 'if you take one more step forward, heaven and earth will be overturned!'

'The Emperor cannot be insulted!'

Extreme light erupted in an instant. A pure spear of light elements shot skyward, ascending along the waterfall of stellar power.

The Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace had no time to react before Su Lin pierced him from below with the spear.

Crack—crack—

That was the sound of his divine artifact, the Five Elements Treasure Mirror's barrier, shattering one after another. Only now did he realize he had been suddenly attacked!

Before he could even panic, he unleashed a Five Elements divine light to block the spear piercing his chest—when two dragons, one black and one white, each thousands of zhang long, appeared below. Their scales were sharp, gleaming with metallic luster.

The roar of dragons echoed across heaven and earth. They twisted past the Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace, then their colossal heads turned back from high above, striking down.

Caught between front and rear assault, the Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace's Sea of Qi expelled an ancient array disc, upon which earth, wind, water, and fire swirled, and the yin-yang fish spun.

Boundless shockwaves exploded in the sky, sweeping like autumn winds scattering fallen leaves—the starlight drawn from the Shengcheng vanished without a trace.

Too fast. Everything happened too fast.

All saw a figure plummeting from the sky. The cultivators below hastily dodged.

Boom—

The sturdy stone garden sank inward. The Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace lay at the pit's center, a spear piercing his chest. Beside him lay a shattered array disc, split into four pieces.

Gulp

'That—that was a Holy Lord! Even with injuries from returning from Zishan, he shouldn't have fallen so easily!'

All cultivators looked up at the sky. Divine authority descended like a prison. The figure above, spear in hand, gazed down upon them all.

He said nothing, sweeping his spear through the crowd and pointing it at Wang Ke of the Yin-Yang Sect.

Almost simultaneously, Wang Ke was pierced through by the spear. A blood hole appeared in his third eye. The spear of light elements dissolved behind him. A Dragon Transformation Realm great elder had just perished.

Su Lin continued searching the crowd for Li Yishui of the Illusion Annihilation Sect. Those swept by his spear, though knowing they were not the target, still trembled in soul, their legs weakening.

At that moment, several figures flew in from all corners of the Shengcheng.

'Stop!' A slender man in brown robes sent his voice ahead: 'Who are you?! Violence is forbidden within the Shengcheng!'

'Master, save me!' Li Yishui shot toward the Master of the Illusion Annihilation Sect as a streak of light.

'Hmph.' Su Lin snorted. Light elements stirred with the wind, summoning a storm of radiance out of thin air. Using the Source Art of the Fourth-Generation Source Heaven Master, he teleported Li Yishui into the storm's center.

The next instant, a faint, naked figure tumbled out. Su Lin did not kill him; after all, though this man had bullied others, he had never shown outright murderous intent toward him.

Su Lin continued searching for the few who had radiated the strongest killing intent.

'Stop!'

Several more Holy Lord-level figures arrived, astonished by the Zhang Sect of the Five Elements Palace's condition—and by Su Lin's methods, yet they dared not move.

Su Lin ignored them. Several spears shot through the crowd.

'Arrogant!' one roared, hurling his sword to shatter Su Lin's spear: 'This is the Northern Region's Shengcheng! Are you trying to make enemies of us?! Do you not realize there are countless cultivators below?!'

The man was noble and imposing, wearing a dragon crown, radiating grandeur and awe-inspiring might—a Royal Dao cultivator.

'Arrogant?' Su Lin repeated. He spoke loudly: 'Even if I bore the abyss of heaven, and had to hold up the entire Northern Region's Shengcheng with one hand—I, An Lan, would still be invincible in this world!'

Endless light erupted. Su Lin, wielding the momentum of heaven and earth, swept forward like a storm. Several powerful figures, like dry leaves, were suddenly flung into the infinite heavens by the gale.

When Su Lin landed from the sky and retracted all divine light, the elderly women and men who had spoken insolently and radiated killing intent fell to their knees.

Lin He froze in place. He had underestimated Su Lin's power. This man was no mere Holy Lord—he was a Saint, perhaps even a Saint King, existing only in legend.

'Welcome, Saint King!' Lin He spoke first.

'Welcome, Saint King!' The other cultivators snapped to attention. Regardless of the turmoil in their hearts, they bowed in reverence.

At that moment, Su Lin felt the Fourth-Generation Source Heaven Master's techniques fading from his body. His only thought was:

'Damn. I need to renew.'

A bit late. Sorry. Posted first, will edit later—ran out of time, and still didn't make it in time. 0.0 (Refresh to see the rest)