Chapter 2072: Strongers of the Divine Hall

"Arrest them all!"

After explaining, the middle-aged man from the Temple said no more and made a gesture with his hand. Behind him, four peak Immortal Monarch realm experts stepped forward in unison.

"Protect the Grand Elder..." More than ten peak Immortal Monarch realm elders surged out of the room.

Three minutes later, everyone lay on the ground, all severely injured and incapacitated for a short period.

Though all were Immortal Monarchs, the Temple warriors were far stronger than ordinary sect elders, not even on the same level.

Numerous elders were defeated, and Chu Yin and the Grand Elder were captured.

"Take them back. If we capture Palace Master Du, good; if not, have her bring something to exchange for them!" With a cold snort, the middle-aged man from the Temple turned and walked away.

Zhang Xuan's True Qi circulated slowly within him, planning to rescue the captives from the Temple. Although he still didn't understand what the Temple truly wanted, if he allowed them to take the people, Du Qingyuan would surely be in danger, and it would become very troublesome to inquire about matters then. Furthermore, he had a grudge with the Temple, and seeing them again, how could he let them leave safely?

The Parasol Robe Sword and four other peak Immortal Monarch realm longswords simultaneously appeared in his palm. Just as he was about to stealthily kill the four enemy Immortal Monarchs first and then gather all his strength to deal with the pseudo-god, he heard a sharp sound in the air, followed by a powerful pressure that spread from a distance.

"Another pseudo-god?" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows rose, and the circulating True Qi slowly ceased as he continued to conceal his presence. The sudden oppressive feeling could certainly not be exerted by an Immortal Monarch realm expert, meaning another pseudo-god realm expert had appeared!

"Who's there?" The middle-aged man from the Temple also noticed the newcomer at this moment, stopped, and looked around.

"My friend, it's wise to forgive where you can forgive. Don't take the people from the Star Seeker Palace; leave them here!" A gentle voice resonated, giving a feeling of warmth. An old man in a green robe appeared at the entrance of the main hall and slowly walked over.

He appeared to be in his sixties, with a three-strand beard, exuding an ethereal, immortal aura. His cultivation was as Zhang Xuan had sensed earlier, having reached the pseudo-god realm. Furthermore, he gave off a profound, inscrutable feeling, likely even stronger than Han Jianqiu, Sect Master Qin Yuan, and others.

"This... where did he come from?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

He had already met four of the six great sect masters, with only Palace Master Du and the sect master of the Ethereal Immortal Sect remaining unacquainted. According to previous information, there were only these six pseudo-gods in the world... great sharks, second sharks, Xuanbei Turtle, and other beasts were exceptions due to changes caused by divine blood, and it was understandable that the Temple had pseudo-gods... But where did this person come from?

Clearly, he did not belong to the same faction as the Temple. Chu Yin and the Grand Elder were also confused, their eyes simultaneously showing bewilderment.

"Leave them? That depends on whether you have the strength..." The middle-aged man from the Temple snorted coldly, surprised by the sudden appearance of this individual.

Before he finished speaking, two peak Immortal Monarch realm Temple warriors simultaneously swayed, their longswords raised, thrusting directly at the pseudo-god who had just arrived. Although these two warriors did not intentionally coordinate, their cultivation had reached such a level that their every move carried an inherent rhythm. In the blink of an eye, two sword intents merged, and dark cracks appeared in the space before them. Sword Qi was like a dragon, and sword intent was like a sea.

Their understanding of the Sword Dao was no less impressive than that of Grand Elder Ye Tian from the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion. Zhang Xuan, hidden behind the rafters, felt the pressure from the two and couldn't help but clench his fists. Although he had made great progress recently and was practically invincible among Immortal Monarchs of the same level, he would undoubtedly fall into a panic if he suddenly encountered such an attack, unsure of how to react. Even pseudo-god realm immortal beasts like the Xuanbei Turtle would find it difficult to parry. He focused his attention on the old man, wanting to see how he would respond.

As he watched, the old man moved. A faint smile appeared on his face as he raised his palm and, as if gracefully moving through a flower garden, gently waved it. *Bang! Bang!* The two peak Immortal Monarch realm experts from the Temple were instantly sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground, their faces pale and blood gushing from their mouths. They were severely wounded with just one move!

Zhang Xuan's body trembled. He had initially thought this person's strength was at most comparable to Han Jianqiu's, but now it seemed he was probably even more terrifying! That seemingly ordinary palm strike possessed an unimaginable power that one could never dream of.

After injuring the two warriors, the old man did not stop. In an instant, he appeared before the warriors holding Chu Yin and the Grand Elder and waved his hand again. The move was simple yet contained countless variations, encompassing all possible responses from the opponents. *Bang! Bang!* With two similar muffled grunts, the two warriors, like before, flew out and fell to the ground, each sustaining significant injuries. It seemed they would be unable to continue fighting for a short period.

"You two must have been startled..." With a gentle smile, the old man made a single-handed gesture, and the power sealing Chu Yin and the Grand Elder was instantly dispelled.

"Thank you, senior, for saving our lives..." The two quickly bowed.

"It's nothing..." With a faint smile, the old man took a step forward and looked at the middle-aged man from the Temple: "Make your move!"

"Impressive strength..." The middle-aged man's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected this person to possess such power; even with his own strength, defeating the four peak Immortal Monarchs wouldn't be so easy.

The old man stomped his foot and charged forward. The middle-aged man met him. *Boom! Boom! Boom!* The battle between the two pseudo-god realm experts tore through the heavens and earth. Fortunately, the main hall was protected by a formation; otherwise, the entire Star Seeker Island would likely sink into the sea due to their confrontation.

Zhang Xuan, hidden above, knew that battles between experts of this caliber were rare and invaluable. He activated his Eye of Insight and watched carefully. The middle-aged man's power was fierce, while the old man's moves were ingenious. In an instant, they fought fiercely, neither gaining the upper hand.

"Why do this old man's moves always feel familiar to me?" After watching for a while, Zhang Xuan frowned. This old man's moves seemed simple, yet they struck directly at critical points, attacking places others had no choice but to defend. Normally, his strength and the purity of his True Qi were far inferior to the middle-aged man opposite him, but throughout the battle, the latter was forced to retreat repeatedly, seemingly unable to hold on.

"This old man's martial arts are somewhat similar to the Simplified Heaven's Path martial arts, able to simplify the complex and unleash greater combat power..." He nodded to himself. No wonder there was a sense of familiarity; it turned out this old man's martial arts were somewhat similar to his Heaven's Path cultivation technique. Both directly targeted the Great Dao, attacking points that others had no choice but to defend, leaving them exhausted.

"It seems he's going to win..." As this thought arose, he saw the middle-aged man from the Temple turn pale, struck in the chest by a palm. *Thud, thud, thud!* He staggered back several steps.

"Take my final move..." With a roar, a longsword appeared in the middle-aged man's palm. Sword Qi whistled as it thrust straight towards the old man. Judging by the sword's power, it seemed to be his strongest, most desperate technique. With a solemn expression, the old man was about to meet it when he suddenly felt a blur before his eyes. The four peak Immortal Monarch realm experts, along with the middle-aged man, vanished simultaneously.

"I'll spare you this time; don't let me encounter you again..." The voice echoed, but the five Temple experts had already disappeared without a trace.

"This..." Clearly not expecting that a dignified Temple expert would employ a feint and simply escape, the old man laughed wryly and shook his head helplessly. He flew into the air to observe carefully, and only after confirming that the opponents had indeed left, did he return to Chu Yin and the Grand Elder.

"Thank you, senior, for saving our lives..." The two knelt.

"You're welcome. I also came to help on behalf of my sect master, to prevent the Star Seeker Palace, a sect that has existed for thousands of years, from being disgraced..." The old man smiled faintly.

"Sect Master?" The two exchanged a glance, and the Grand Elder bowed: "Might I inquire about senior's name and the sect you belong to...?" As the Grand Elder of the Star Seeker Palace, she essentially knew all the peak experts of the six great sects. This person had reached the pseudo-god realm but wasn't a sect master. Who was he? And where did he come from?

"My name is Fuchenzi..." The old man stroked his beard, a look of pride in his eyes: "I am an elder of the Heavenly Deities Hall!"

"Heavenly Deities Hall?" Chu Yin and the Grand Elder were both stunned. After guessing for a long time, they hadn't expected him to be from the Heavenly Deities Hall!

Zhang Xuan was also slightly taken aback. He had long known that the Heavenly Deities Hall, founded by Master Kong, surely had many experts, but he hadn't expected... an elder alone to reach the pseudo-god realm! Moreover, he had saved the people from the Star Seeker Palace at a crucial moment. Truly worthy of having obtained the complete "God" character.

"Indeed..." Elder Fuchenzi nodded and said, "Hall Master Kong detected the Temple's unusual activity and sent me to assist the Star Seeker Palace. Fortunately, I arrived just in time..."

"Thank you, Hall Master Kong, and thank you, Elder Fuchenzi..." The Grand Elder clasped her fists again.

"You're too kind!" Fuchenzi returned the courtesy, then frowned, appearing somewhat puzzled: "The Temple has always stayed out of worldly affairs. Why are they suddenly causing trouble for the Star Seeker Palace?"

"This..." The Grand Elder hesitated.

"If it's inconvenient to say, then let it be!" Seeing her expression, Fuchenzi's demeanor remained normal. He nodded and said, "However, Palace Master Du is now very likely in danger. If I don't know the specifics, it will be difficult to help..."

"Grand Elder, he is an elder from the Heavenly Deities Hall, and he just saved us..." Chu Yin looked at the Grand Elder before her. The most important thing now was to save her master, which they certainly couldn't do with their strength. The only one capable was this person in front of them. She didn't understand why the Grand Elder was still hesitating and concealing information, given the situation.

"Very well!" Hearing her words, the Grand Elder shook her head and said, "Since Senior Fuchenzi is an expert from the Heavenly Deities Hall, there's no harm in telling him!" Although the Heavenly Deities Hall was mysterious, it had always acted for the benefit of the continent. She had never heard of it having any involvement with the Temple, nor any misdeeds.

"Actually, the Temple came this time to seize our Star Seeker Palace's most treasured artifact!"

"Most treasured artifact?" Elder Fuchenzi frowned.

"Indeed, it is... the altar used by the Star Seeker Palace for sacrifices!" the Grand Elder explained.