As the voice faded.
Before the Imperial City, there was a dead silence.
Everyone looked at each other, a sense of powerlessness welling up in their hearts.
Hearing the words of the High Ancestor, everyone finally understood.
The Great Tang Lamp-Lighting Martial Saint they believed in was, in the eyes of others, nothing more than a rustic villager waving a wooden stick.
Was this the difference between the Immortal and the mortal?
"So..."
Jiang Yuechu suddenly spoke, "Since they are so powerful, why... are they so easy to beat?"
"..."
The look of grief and indignation on the High Ancestor's face instantly froze.
The originally heavy and oppressive atmosphere.
Because of this single sentence.
Suddenly became somewhat strange.
Indeed.
Since it was described so mysteriously and as so invincible.
Then why was this so-called orthodox Immortal currently lying there like a dead dog?
Without even a chance to fight back?
"This..."
The High Ancestor opened his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words.
He also felt a sense of doubt in his heart.
Logically... it shouldn't be like this.
This Child came from the Red Immortal Lineage, was at the Lamp Lighting Realm Perfection, and carried a Legacy.
How could he be such a waste in this girl's hands?
"Ahem..."
The High Ancestor coughed twice, trying to save face, "Girl, you... you are an Anomaly."
"But... Five Immortals Mountain has stood for countless years. Each peak is guarded by an Immortal Master, existences that have truly transcended the Lamp Lighting Realm."
At this point.
The High Ancestor looked at Jiang Yuechu, his eyes full of sincerity.
"Lonely Moon."
"I am telling you this not to boost others' morale."
"But to tell you... the weight of this Dao Lineage."
"You have peerless talent now. If you stop here because you lack a subsequent Legacy, it would be... a great pity."
The High Ancestor did not continue.
But the meaning was already clear.
For the Great Tang, for this cultivation, perhaps... bowing your head temporarily is also an option.
After all.
That was the only ladder to Longevity.
Jiang Yuechu nodded thoughtfully after hearing this.
Just as she was about to ask more.
"Cough..."
A light cough came from her hand.
Jiang Yuechu looked down.
She saw the Child, who was previously limp as mud and breathing faintly, suddenly twitch.
Immediately after.
"Cough, cough... cough, cough, cough..."
Along with the coughing, two wisps of red mist seeped out from the swollen slits of his eyes.
The red mist was thick and expanded as it met the wind.
In just the blink of an eye.
The red mist had already enveloped the Child's entire body.
Jiang Yuechu's eyebrows twitched slightly, instinctively sensing something unusual.
The girl always acted decisively, without the slightest hesitation.
Her fingers loosened, and she threw the Child outward.
Almost at the same instant.
"Gua—"
A muffled frog's croak exploded above the Imperial City.
The red mist twisted in the air, suddenly transforming into a giant Crimson Toad phantom.
The phantom opened its mouth, its red tongue like a spear, stabbing straight at the girl's face.
Jiang Yuechu's expression remained unchanged. She dropped her shoulders and sank her elbows, delivering a punch.
Boom—
The airwaves rolled.
Jiang Yuechu's figure did not move.
But that toad phantom actually only drifted back several yards, turning into a cloud of red smoke upon landing.
She withdrew her fist and glanced at the back of her hand.
On her fair skin, a trace of dark red had stained it, slowly corroding the flesh.
"Interesting..."
She shook her hand, shaking off the red mark.
She looked up again.
From within the red smoke on the ground, a figure slowly stood up.
The Child stood straight, his wounds healing at a rate visible to the naked eye. His neck twisted with a crisp crack, and all expressions vanished from his tender face.
He raised his hand and stiffly brushed the dust off his clothes.
Then.
With his hands behind his back, he slowly raised his eyes.
His gaze passed over the crowd, looking directly at Jiang Yuechu.
"A Wild Cultivator is just a Wild Cultivator."
"Even with the power to uproot mountains, you are nothing more than a beast in the mountains, uncivilized and ignorant of the Mandate of Heaven."
Having said that.
He took a step forward.
Red mist surged, faintly manifesting a Crimson Toad phantom behind him.
"I am the Red Immortal, Red Toad True Man."
The Child—or rather, the Red Toad True Man—tilted his head slightly, his gaze cold.
"Now that you have seen my Dharma Body, why haven't you knelt down immediately?!"
As his voice fell.
Everyone felt their hearts sink.
In just the blink of an eye.
Except for a few, a vast number of people before the Imperial City actually knelt down.
"Hmm?"
Red Toad True Man lowered his eyes slightly, letting out a soft sound of surprise.
He seemed a bit surprised that some people were still standing.
But that was all.
In the next moment.
The red light intensified, and the pressure suddenly surged.
Boom—
Li Clan High Ancestor's face turned red. As one in the Lamp Lighting Realm, his perception was far more profound than others.
Before this aura, a strange thought arose in his heart.
Kneel.
As long as you kneel, you will be liberated.
As long as you kneel, you can obtain that Great Dao of Longevity.
Gaozu's figure swayed, his knees weakened. Even though he exerted all his strength, his body continued to sink lower and lower.
But at that moment.
The black-clad figure who had been standing in the distance was actually completely unaffected and moved in directly.
Along with a flash of red light, an entirely crimson Crescent Blade appeared out of thin air in the girl's palm.
Upon the blade, Evil Qi billowed.
As if sensing the girl's killing intent.
The tightly closed blood-colored eyes snapped open.
Jiang Yuechu felt a sharp pain in her palm.
The blood and Qi surging like a Dragon within her body instantly found an outlet, frantically pouring into the blade through her arm.
But... in the next moment.
A sense of coolness surged from her limbs and bones.
[Eternal Evergreen]
Even though a massive amount of blood and Qi was drained by the long blade.
This continuous stream of vitality could refill it in an instant.
Draining blood from the left.
Replenishing blood from the right.
It was locked in a loop.
As the blood and Qi poured in like a river or sea, the red light on the blade suddenly surged several times over.
Within the blood-colored eyes, a hint of... bewilderment actually appeared.
It had never been this full before.
It even felt a bit like vomiting.
But Jiang Yuechu had no time for such thoughts. She twisted her waist, gripped the blade with both hands, and swung her arms in a wide arc.
"This is..."
Red Toad True Man's eyebrows twitched; he had clearly recognized the origin of this blade.
"But... how could a mere mortal Wild Cultivator wield such a Ominous Weapon?!"
"Gua!"
The toad phantom let out a roar, and billowing red mist instantly enveloped the Child's body.
In just an instant.
The solidified red mist was forcibly split apart by more than half by this strike.
Although it barely blocked the blow, the lingering force actually exploded behind the Child.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
Floor tiles shattered, soil churned up, and broken stones flew through the air.
The residual force traveled all the way back until it crashed into the heavy walls of the Imperial City.
Bang—!!
A thunderous sound.
Smoke and dust rose everywhere.
When the dust settled slightly, everyone looked on in horror.
They saw that a section of the city wall had actually been forcibly shattered, the jagged bricks and stones at the break being a shocking sight.
At this moment.
Whether it was Li Clan High Ancestor or the others, they all held their breath.
Their gazes slowly returned to the center of the field.
Jiang Yuechu held the blade with one hand, its crimson body still vibrating slightly.
Opposite her.
At the center of the Child's brow, a blood-red flame was burning!