Chapter 1640: Screening

The immensely powerful spirit energy of the artifact swiftly enveloped the mace. In an instant, before everyone's eyes, it refined the opponent's natal artifact—which had been tempered for tens of thousands of years—into its purest spirit energy, integrating it into the Emperor's Cauldron.

"No!"

The stout man never imagined that Xu Yang would seize his natal artifact in a single encounter. His combat effectiveness was undoubtedly more than halved, and now he lay severely wounded from Xu Yang's kick.

He had originally vowed to be the savior among the thousands of renowned rogue cultivators in the Kunlun Divine Dynasty, but unfortunately, he had severely overestimated his capabilities. Before Xu Yang, he wasn't even fit to be an ant, yet he still harbored fantasies of being a hero who could save everyone. Nevertheless, Xu Yang seemed to appreciate his courage, nodding subtly at him.

"If your strength were ten times greater, perhaps you could truly secure a chance for your companions behind you to alter their fate. Unfortunately, you've gravely overestimated yourself. You'll soon realize the consequences of your foolish decision."

Xu Yang conceived an idea: to make this man, so oblivious to his own power, witness firsthand the fate of those who dared to defy him.

Next, Xu Yang once again formed hand seals. Soon, the spatial law he had just woven began to redefine itself. The original spatial lock, which covered an area of several thousand meters, underwent a fundamental transformation under Xu Yang's mental direction and adjustment. The expansive range, previously thousands of meters wide, instantly contracted into a mere few hundred meters—a space no bigger than a projectile. It's crucial to remember the immense scale of the void battlefield; from Xu Yang's perspective, an area of just a few hundred meters was a spatial volume that could be effortlessly crushed with one hand.

What truly astounded everyone was that this paltry few hundred square meters of the void battlefield now contained a thousand esteemed cultivators from various factions of the Kunlun Divine Dynasty.

"My goodness, is the Boss going to play with these esteemed cultivators as if they were mere toys?"

Long Kun and the others were utterly stunned, but Little Hua, standing nearby, displayed an elegant and composed smile.

"You're absolutely right. Before A-Yang, they are nothing more than toys. A-Yang possesses the power to weave the laws of the myriad heavens; if he so desires, any rule within this world can be crafted by his hands. Only core laws of a grand world, comparable in intensity to space-time laws, remain beyond his current ability to weave. However, a localized spatial sealing law like this is, for his current powers, merely a simple, effortless task. The two sides were never on the same playing field from the outset. Yet, these individuals persist in their delusions, believing that by pooling all their strength, they can conquer him. It's truly laughable."

As the law woven by Xu Yang continued to shift according to his mental guidance, the nearly one thousand esteemed cultivators of the Kunlun Divine Dynasty were on the verge of complete mental collapse. They profoundly realized they were now mere playthings in the hands of this formidable human leader. Xu Yang could strip them of their lives at any moment he chose. The naive young man who had been wielding the mace, still dreaming of being a hero, finally revealed a look of terror.

"No, please, don't! Sir, I beg you, show mercy and spare these fellow cultivators. Please don't punish them for my offense. I'll even kneel for you, isn't that enough?"

As the man with the mace spoke, he immediately prostrated himself, frantically kowtowing towards Xu Yang. He had completely forsaken all dignity as a top-tier esteemed cultivator of the Kunlun Divine Dynasty.

While his actions seemed utterly shameful to the cultivation world in the eyes of others, Xu Yang appeared to perceive a different side to him.

"Alright, there's no need for such extremes. While you might be somewhat reckless and not particularly astute, your genuine sincerity in being willing to sacrifice yourself for the greater good is rare. Although your cultivation level and various talents are truly unremarkable, at least you did what others dared not. I, Xu Yang, never slay those who are loyal and righteous. Since you fulfill these two conditions, return to your Northern Imperial Dynasty and live in peace. Do not appear before me again."

Having spoken, Xu Yang simply waved his hand through the void, extracting the man from within his law-bound domain and sending him directly back through the void to the deepest reaches of the Northern Imperial Dynasty. Furthermore, he enveloped the man's physical body with a subtle layer of space-time law. This law functioned as a personal spatial restraint, exclusive to him. Without Xu Yang's continued support of power, this seal would dissipate on its own before long. The cultivator would then regain his mobility. However, by the time his state of confinement was fully lifted, it was probable that the entire Northern Imperial Dynasty would cease to exist.

After banishing this simple-minded giant who had unexpectedly pleased him, Xu Yang shed all traces of mercy, resuming his demeanor as a god of slaughter. His gaze, piercingly cold, swept over the thousands of esteemed cultivators from the Kunlun Divine Dynasty trapped within the area.

"I offered you a chance, but you proved useless, still deluding yourselves that you could achieve a favorable outcome at my hands. Ridiculous. From this moment, I will determine your fates based on each of your individual values."

After uttering these words, Xu Yang slowly extended his hand once more. This time, he directly materialized the totem of his Emperor's Cauldron from his palm. A brilliant, dark-golden light rapidly enveloped the exclusive spatial law Xu Yang had woven above them. At that moment, the dark-golden halo transformed into countless scattered and chaotic golden specks of light, raining down upon the heads of the thousands of esteemed cultivators from the Kunlun Divine Dynasty, who were imprisoned by Xu Yang in the void battlefield.

Xu Yang was clearly employing this method to assess the strength of each individual's natal artifact. If an artifact surpassed Xu Yang's evaluation criteria, a golden droplet would be etched onto that cultivator's brow. Cultivators bearing this droplet mark would be granted exemption from death within Xu Yang's screening system. Naturally, the price they had to pay was the sacrifice of their most powerful natal artifact. Conversely, those who didn't even qualify to offer their artifacts would, without question, face only one fate: demise.

After the screening process, Xu Yang's expression noticeably softened. This was because over seventy percent of the nearly one thousand esteemed rogue cultivators had successfully manifested their water droplet inscriptions. Having completed this diagnostic process, Xu Yang suddenly touched his brow, then moved two fingers in a continuous motion.