Chapter 341: Standing Firm

"Bang~"

"Bang, bang, bang~"

"Bang~"

Hua Dalang was the first to be flung out of the barrier, followed immediately by Tong Yao, Jing Le, and Yan Zhenzhen, with Hua Changxi last.

The instant she flew out of the barrier, Hua Changxi stored the six Xuanhuang Fruits in her hand into the Shennong Cauldron.

The five crashed heavily onto the ground, causing cracks of varying degrees to appear on the surface.

Just as the five were grimacing in pain while climbing to their feet, 'Boom~', several waves of oppressive force surged from afar with lightning speed, spreading over them and pressing down heavily; the five, who had just managed to stand, were instantly bent double at the waist.

Hua Dalang staggered several steps, bracing his hands against his knees to avoid falling to his knees.

The situation for the other four was slightly better, yet their expressions still changed drastically.

They were all Nascent Soul cultivators; the only ones capable of suppressing them were Spirit Platform realm cultivators.

Over a dozen figures arrived in the blink of an eye, treading on spiritual clouds and hovering in the midair directly in front of the five.

Their absolute high ground and sharp oppressive pressure confirmed that these newcomers bore ill intent.

The oppressive force continued to intensify...

The waists of Hua Changxi and the other four bent lower and lower.

Although the resistance was arduous, none of the five allowed their knees to buckle.

Inside the Xuanyang Manor, suppressed by prohibitions, they could kneel. But now, with the identities of the newcomers unknown and themselves hailing from the Four Great Sacred Lands, they could not kneel, whether for the sake of their own dignity or the prestige of their sacred lands!

"Cough, cough~"

Just as Hua Dalang was trembling under the crushing pressure, the cough of Elder Yiming rang out.

"Generals, these are all juniors from the Four Great Sacred Lands, our own people; please show mercy." Testing them was enough; there was no need to go too far.

Hearing Elder Yiming's voice, the five, whose nerves were taut and who were prepared to counterattack and flee at any moment, all secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Hua Dalang was the most agitated; he truly could not hold on any longer. Knowing that Elder Yiming was among the arrivals, he relaxed his clenched jaw and plopped straight down onto the ground. After resting for a moment, he felt this posture looked somewhat undignified, so he shifted to sitting cross-legged.

Seeing him do this, the other four stopped stubbornly resisting and followed suit.

However, just as Hua Changxi was preparing to sit, the oppressive force on her suddenly intensified. Moreover, the instant the pressure struck, a sharp pain immediately shot through the back of her right hand.

There was hostility...

Hua Changxi's eyes instantly turned sharp, and black flames surged deep within her pupils.

Without hostility, yielding was not shameful.

But now, with hostility directed at her body, yielding would be tantamount to cowardice and retreat.

Hua Changxi's expression turned serious and resolute; battle intent churned within her heart as she gathered fire spiritual energy around her body and directly confronted the oppressive force pressing down on her.

"Cough, cough~"

Seeing a Spirit Platform cultivator persisting in targeting Hua Changxi, Elder Yiming's expression changed; he looked at Wei Zhenjie, coughing again while making eye signals to him.

Wei Zhenjie glanced at the purple-robed Spirit Platform cultivator attacking Hua Changxi, then looked at the five Xuanyang Generals beside him, and finally fixed his gaze on Hua Changxi, offering no response to Elder Yiming.

He knew clearly that everyone present wanted to test Hua Changxi's depth; he could stop this instance, but he could not prevent these people from making subsequent moves.

It was better to satisfy them now; at least with him present, he would ensure that no real harm came to Hua Changxi.

Due to the excessive accumulation of fire spiritual energy, Hua Changxi appeared as if flames were burning around her body; the flames grew denser and larger, while her bent waist gradually straightened bit by bit.

Witnessing this scene, the other Spirit Platform cultivators were somewhat surprised and turned to look at the purple-robed cultivator, assuming he had not yet exerted his full strength.

The purple-robed cultivator remained expressionless, yet surprise churned deep within his eyes.

He had not expected that Hua Changxi, a mere Nascent Soul cultivator, could withstand ninety percent of his power; yet if he continued to increase his output, he would have to resort to killing moves.

While Hua Changxi was resisting the purple-robed cultivator's oppressive force, people continued to rush toward this location one after another.

The Xuanyang Sword trembled, and the Sword of Demon Slaughter from the Four Great Sacred Lands all responded; this disturbance alarmed not only people from the Five Great Sacred Lands but also various factions and the demon race.

Following the concealment and isolation arrays laid down by Yan Zhenzhen, the crowd discovered a spatial rift, and before even reaching it, they had already exchanged several blows with Spirit Platform realm demons.

After the demons were slain and repelled, some attempted to enter the Xuanyang Manor through the spatial rift, only to find the manor wrapped in a barrier, making entry impossible.

Just as everyone was at a loss, Hua Changxi and the other four flew out from the back gate of the Xuanyang Manor.

The Spirit Platform cultivators, being the fastest, arrived at the back gate first; those arriving now were Nascent Soul cultivators and soldiers of the Demon-Suppressing Army.

"Ninth Sister..."

"Sixth Brother..."

Watching Hua Changxi clashing head-on with the Spirit Platform cultivators, and seeing Hua Dalang sitting on the ground in anxiety and worry, Hua Dalang of the Demon-Suppressing Army was completely stunned.

He never expected that this huge uproar, which had mobilized Spirit Platform cultivators from the Five Great Sacred Lands as well as the imperial family and noble clans, was related to his own younger sister and younger brother.

Among the cultivators from the noble clans, Gu Jinfan also looked at Hua Changxi, surrounded by rising flames, with a sigh of emotion, admiring her courage and the early appearance of the Xuanyang Manor.

With the appearance of the Xuanyang Manor, the situation on the Central Continent could be settled sooner; when external invasions occur, perhaps someone will step forward to shoulder the burden.

In this life, things are ultimately different...

At the center of attention, sensing that more and more cultivators were arriving, Hua Changxi decided not to continue the stalemate; she decisively summoned the Fuguang Sword, slammed it into the ground with a "Bang," and used the sword's support to instantly straighten her body.

Simultaneously, she turned her head and looked directly at the purple-robed cultivator who had exerted pressure on her, her eyes filled with unyielding battle intent.

When the purple-robed cultivator's gaze met Hua Changxi's, he first froze, and then his eyes began to flicker uncontrollably.

This caused the purple-robed cultivator's heart to tighten; after steadying his mind, he smiled and said, "No wonder one who can summon the stars of the heavens to appear is truly extraordinary!" As he spoke, he withdrew his oppressive force.

The pressure on Hua Changxi eased, but she did not withdraw her gaze from the purple-robed cultivator; instead, she activated her Eye of Truth and 'saw' black and white dual flames burning within his dantian.

Upon seeing this, another Spirit Platform cultivator standing beside the purple-robed one suddenly spoke out: "Haha, each generation produces its own talents; today's juniors are truly remarkable!"

Hua Changxi swept her gaze across them; excellent, here was another person who had ignited black and white dual flames!

"Minister Wei, may we leave now?"

Hua Changxi stopped looking at the purple-robed cultivator and fixed her gaze on Wei Zhenjie; her intuition told her that Wei Zhenjie held the power to decide their fate.

Wei Zhenjie looked at Hua Changxi with a smile and, instead of answering, asked counter-questioningly: "The place you entered, was it the Xuanyang Manor?"

Hua Changxi: "If we don't answer your questions, does that mean we cannot leave?"

Wei Zhenjie's smile remained unchanged: "It would be best if you spoke; the seniors present are quite eager to know the situation inside."

Seniors?

Applying pressure to force others to bow their heads upon the first meeting—what kind of seniors are these?

Hua Changxi felt an urge to roll her eyes but held back: "It should be the Xuanyuan Prefecture."

Wei Zhenjie: "...What is the situation inside the Xuanyuan Prefecture?"

Hua Changxi: "Inside lies nothing but ruins; bones are scattered everywhere. After we entered, those bones turned into dust."

"A golden-yellow sword hovers at the center of the prefecture; its sword intent is terrifying, making it impossible to approach."

"As for anything else, we were flung out before we had time to investigate!"

Wei Zhenjie: "How did you enter the Xuanyuan Prefecture?"

Hua Changxi: "We discovered a spatial rift and entered through it."

After roughly asking these few questions, Wei Zhenjie pressed no further, turning instead to the five cultivators beside him clad in golden-yellow armor: "Five Generals, what is your view?"

Hua Changxi and her four companions were all looking at the five figures hovering in midair, who were clearly distinct from the other cultivators; the golden-yellow armor they wore bore a striking resemblance to the damaged armor found within the Xuanyuan Prefecture.

The Xuanyuan General standing in the very center spoke: "No outsider is permitted to take anything from the Xuanyuan Prefecture."