Chapter 1450: Smart Elder

Xu Yang’s powerful move didn't alert the Supreme God in the slightest, which inwardly startled Xiao Hua and Ling Yao.

"Boss Xu Yang’s current strength and realm have indeed far surpassed everyone else, even transcending the countless epochs and eras of the entire Great World. Even the so-called Supreme God wouldn't gain any advantage against him," Ling Yao thought.

Soon, Long Kun, who had just obtained the thousandth Saint identity, immediately concealed his true form and became the new gatekeeper. To create an opportunity for Xu Yang and his two companions to conquer Saints, Long Kun did not halt his progress. After acquiring the thousandth Saint’s halo and glory, he immediately challenged the nine hundredth Saint, skipping a hundred ranks.

Naturally, the strength of the nine hundredth Saint was incomparable to that of the Ant-man warrior whom Long Kun had just defeated with a single punch.

However, with Long Kun’s strength, challenging across such a significant span didn't require much pressure. After all, Xu Yang, Ling Yao, and Xiao Hua stood behind him. There was no real crisis, just a matter of making the game proceed faster or slower.

Following this, an orange halo shimmered around the nine hundredth Saint, successfully triggered by Long Kun. The transparency of this orange halo was far deeper than the simple red halo seen before.

This indicated it was likely a peak-orange level halo, fitting the strength and status expected of the nine hundredth Saint. However, Long Kun’s response was merely a sinister, cold smile.

"I thought you were strong, but in front of me, you have no right to be arrogant. This time, my boss and I came here to teach you all a good lesson."

Long Kun spoke frankly to the elderly human who was the nine hundredth Saint, revealing his true thoughts. Though the elder didn't fully grasp the meaning behind his words, he could sense the immense power of this outsider.

"Before we fight, may I inquire more deeply about your identity and origin? Based on my assessment of your strength, you should be far beyond the nine hundredth position. You should be able to further improve your strength and ranking," the elder said calmly. He seemed to have foreseen the outcome of this battle even before Long Kun made his move and expressed no desire for a life-or-death duel.

According to the competition rules within the ‘Biological Diagram’, if the defeated party is directly annihilated by the victor on the spot, the victor bears no responsibility. Furthermore, all faith and power belonging to the defeated party are transferred to the victor. The position previously held by the challenger (if victorious) would then be filled successively by every subsequent Saint due to the vacancy.

In other words, completely eliminating the defeated party doesn’t bring significant benefit to the victor; instead, it benefits every subsequent cultivator.

Therefore, the elder wished to use a gentle approach as a plea for Long Kun to show mercy. This way, even if he lost to Long Kun, he could still retain a relatively decent ranking, at least avoiding the complete loss of his Saintly honor or even his life. Unfortunately, Long Kun seemed utterly indifferent to the elder’s feelings.

In Long Kun’s view, this fellow was merely a stepping stone destined to fall into his hands today. How could a strong individual care about the feelings of the defeated beneath their feet?

Long Kun burst into laughter. "Is this how you beg for mercy? Old man, whether you live or not depends on whether your strength meets the standard, because I will only strike you once. If you can’t even withstand this single punch, then I regret to say, you don’t deserve to continue living in this world."

Although Long Kun spoke harshly, he had actually held back about thirty percent of his strength, calibrating the punch’s power to what he judged to be the elder’s defensive limit.

If the elder failed to withstand this punch, it would mean Long Kun had overestimated him, and as Long Kun said, he wouldn’t deserve to continue living in this world or occupy a Saint’s seat.

If the elder endured the blow, it would prove that, in Long Kun’s judgment, he was qualified to cling to life; his fate, whether life or death, would be his own making.

The moment Long Kun’s expression vanished, he finally unleashed his earth-shattering punch. Xu Yang and his two companions, who had been observing, immediately noticed that the power of Long Kun’s offensive burst seemed considerably weaker. However, the technique he used was precisely the "Earth-Shattering Fist" that Xu Yang had taught him years ago.

Back in the Three Thousand Dao States, Long Kun had more than once used this incredibly dominant fist technique to defeat countless elder masters whose realms were originally above his own.

Now, Long Kun had cultivated this technique to a level of complete mastery, where it was as natural as an extension of his body, responding to his every whim. With just one incredibly ferocious surge of explosive power from his punch, all dozen or so protective seals on the elder’s body instantly shattered.

His physical body also endured a tearing pain. In an instant, about a third of the flesh on the elder’s right arm and right leg disintegrated into dust.

If the elder hadn’t been clever enough to keep a personal divine artifact guarding his heart, which played a crucial role in resisting the attack, he might not have existed at all.

Long Kun burst into laughter. "The outcome is decided, but you, old man, have indeed passed my test. Therefore, I declare you may live; continue clinging to life in your position. Of course, I’m not sure if you can withstand the continuous challenges from subsequent contenders."

Hearing Long Kun’s words, the elder shook his head with a bitter, helpless smile. "Originally, I did have such intentions, but now I am absolutely certain. If I continue to occupy this Saint’s seat, I will soon be directly cut down by later cultivators. It’s time to abandon this glory and leave the temple. I am no longer qualified to serve as a Saint because I cannot recover to my former peak strength. In any case, thank you for not completely obliterating me, because I could feel that there was still some reserved power in the explosive force of your punch."

Although the elder’s strength was limited, as one of the thousand most powerful individuals within the Eye of Heaven Divine Dao, his judgment and experience were beyond doubt.

He immediately perceived that Long Kun had no true killing intent, so he had essentially gained a benefit. At his age and with his current aptitude, further progress was almost impossible. Now, with his foundation shattered by Long Kun’s punch, recovering to his peak state was a pipe dream. Leaving was his best option.

After saying this, the elder transferred the Saint’s halo of faith from his nine hundredth position and all the domain space he possessed to Long Kun. He himself transformed into a streak of light and vanished from above the temple in an instant.