"No need!"

However, just as they were about to unleash their cultivation, they were softly stopped by Hou Yuxiao.

Hou Yuxiao's voice carried a sense of casualness, leaving everyone momentarily dumbfounded. But when they saw him slowly draw a golden long staff from his body and leap toward Wanyan Jun in mid-air, they immediately understood his intent.

Behind Hou Yuxiao, the phantom of the Demon Ape Martial Spirit suddenly expanded, the Star Sea Sacred Core in its abdomen radiating with a blinding brilliance, releasing an immense pressure. The Canglong Staff in his hand was suddenly coated with a layer of dark demonic qi, expanding as if by thousands of times, matching the increasingly robust Martial Spirit phantom, creating an unbelievably terrifying spectacle.

"Copper City Holy Body, Annihilation God Fist!"

Wanyan Jun was already filled with anger. Hou Yuxiao's act of not using his apparent advantages was undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire. His pupils turned a shade of crimson, and the phantom of Illusion City behind him elevated to its peak, the layer of bronze gloss on his body becoming even more dazzling.

With arms extended to the sky, he aimed at the moment Hou Yuxiao flew up. The Star Sea Sacred Core in the center of his Illusion City Martial Spirit phantom condensed abruptly, and his fists fiercely crashed towards the incoming Canglong Staff of Hou Yuxiao.

Buzzzzzzzzz...

Though there was no bell, and it was in the open sky, Wanyan Jun managed to create a sound of bell ringing with just the force of his fists, evoking a terrified flash in the eyes of the people of the capital, and even Jiang Yuyun, seated on the imperial throne, showed a slight change of expression.

"You scoundrels, I..."

Overcome with rage, Wanyan Jun saw his fists touching Hou Yuxiao's long staff, thinking he was about to achieve victory, ready to shout arrogantly, but before he could finish, his facial expression froze instantly.

The Demon Ape Martial Spirit behind Hou Yuxiao instantly surged from over nine thousand feet, growing even larger. As a fellow Sub-Saint of Martial Dao, Wanyan Jun could see with one glance that Hou Yuxiao's Demon Ape Martial Spirit had reached nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine feet, the pinnacle of Martial Dao Sub-Saint, as talked about in the world.

"At the foot of Cangyuan Mountain, you hid your strength?"

"How else would I have baited you if I didn't hide my strength?"

Hou Yuxiao didn't give the stunned Wanyan Jun much time to think. With a single sentence, the Canglong Staff was swiftly raised above his head, twelve meridians coursing throughout his body, and demonic qi surged from the Star Sea Sacred Core.

"Holy Sky Long Staff, Black Dragon Annihilation!"

As the staff descended, a dragon's roar suddenly echoed throughout the capital.

Roar...

Crushing everything in its path!

The true meaning of the staff path melded with the firmament above; this was secondary though, as at the Sub-saint Realm of Martial Arts, nearly everyone possessed martial intent. The key was the overwhelming force of cultivation, and the momentum Hou Yuxiao had amassed, all in this one staff strike. Wanyan Jun, caught off guard, didn't have time to react, and as his fists crossed with the staff, he was effortlessly blasted over ten miles back.

Flying back only over ten miles wouldn't have been an issue.

The key was that the phantom of Illusion City Martial Spirit behind him was instantaneously shattered by the Black Dragon summoned by Hou Yuxiao's staff. The bronze gloss that hovered around his body dimmed by ninety percent, and even the Star Sea Sacred Core at the center of his Martial Spirit was cracked, and his aura weakened by eighty percent in an instant.

Gurgle...

A mouthful of backlash blood spurted from his throat, and as Wanyan Jun was blasted back, seven-tenths of his anger had already been calmed. Before he could fully react, and seeing Hou Yuxiao closing in, the remaining three-tenths of his fury instantly vanished.

In life and death, what emotions could there be?

Realizing the moment Hou Yuxiao could have killed him any time, the humiliation in his heart disappeared, replaced only by an overwhelming desire to survive.

"Hou Yuxiao, don't be arrogant!"

Fortunately, the Yucheng King, the Yongwei King, and Hulao Pass's commander Zuoqiuyuan, who came with him, did not stand by idly. Seeing Wanyan Jun forced into dire straits, they shouted in anger, and simultaneously attacked Hou Yuxiao.

Unfortunately, their calculations went awry.

"I gave him the opportunity for a fair duel. Do you three want to disregard the rules?"

As Hou Yuxiao spoke, the long staff had already smashed into Wanyan Jun's head. He paid no attention to the three because Lu Kangping, Chu Kuangren, and the Broken Realm experts from three families were already flying up to surround them.

"Ah..."

The wailing of Wanyan Jun reached their ears. Zuoqiuyuan and the other two's faces darkened, rising with fury, desiring to intervence forcibly. But seeing the people surrounding them, knowing rescuing Wanyan Jun was hopeless, they clenched their fists helplessly and refrained from acting.

They had no rebuttal to Hou Yuxiao's words.

Wanyan Jun had indeed attacked first, and Hou Yuxiao had certainly given him a fair chance, and them intervening was indeed inappropriate, not to mention they weren't qualified to intervene...

"Stop!"

A large voice came from the sky, and the people of the capital froze, while the expressions of Hou Clan, Jiangbei Alliance, Lu Family, and others slightly darkened; conversely, Zuoqiuyuan and his companions expressed wild joy.

Of course, there was also Wanyan Jun who had been pierced through the shoulder by Hou Yuxiao's long staff and was now sensing the ever so clear scent of death.

"Retired Emperor, save..."

Gurgle!

The last word from Wanyan Jun hadn't left his lips before Hou Yuxiao swept across, completely obliterating his body. The Illusion City Martial Spirit that had been crushed to dust behind him also vanished entirely into the heavens and earth with the destruction of his body, the last to disappear being Wanyan Jun's terrified eyes.

The entire audience was stunned, and the three factions, who had reacted differently just moments ago, all showed identical expressions.

The people of the capital, the Hou Clan, the Lu Clan, the Jiangbei Alliance, including Zuoqiuyuan and his companions, all showed shock, their pupils filled with disbelief as they stared at Hou Yuxiao.

How did Hou Yuxiao dare?

He had just been told to stop by the Youye Emperor!

A Saint commanded you to stop, and yet you dared to kill?

Moreover, the one killed belonged to the Wanyan Clan.

"I told you to stop, didn't you hear?"

Wanyan Cheng had not revealed himself, but his voice alone echoed from the sky.

Everyone heard the anger contained in this query clearly.

If it were an ordinary person, anger would merely be anger.

But this was Wanyan Cheng, one of the three emperors of the Great Jin!

A bona fide Martial Dao Saint.

The anger of commoners might lead them to actions such as removing their headdress to bang their head against the ground.

The wrath of a Saint could result in corpses lying everywhere and blood flowing for miles.

This was not a joke...

Currently, the Great Jin has three battlefronts: one led by Fenling Emperor in Liangzhou, one by Youye Emperor in Jizhou, and one by Youye Emperor in Hexi. Although these emperors command armies of millions, they never take action personally.

Of course, the Saints on the side of The Righteous Path alliance haven't stepped in either.

Saints not intervening isn't without reason.

Because if they do, it could affect not just the battlefront but the shape of the entire world.

Moreover, the key reason is that it would result in overwhelming casualties!

These casualties could be referenced by looking at second rank Undying Realm demons equivalent to Saints.

So even if the battles are fierce, they seldom provoke Saints without cause.

Yet Hou Yuxiao acted in front of Wanyan Cheng.

How come?

"Wretch, since you've come, don't stay hidden and silenced. Demand me to stop, and who do you think you are to speak for Wanyan Jun? You're a rebel of Great Jin, showing no respect for the Yu rites nor reverence for the Divine Dynasty. In the capital of Great Yu, before the spirits of divine ancestors, how dare such a traitor bark wildly!"

......

Everyone from the Hou Clan, Lu Clan, Jiangbei Alliance, Yucheng King, Yongwei King, Zuoqiuyuan, regardless of faction or cultivation level, including Jiang Yuyun on the imperial throne in Yu Divine Palace and the millions of people on the ground.

All of them trembled at Hou Yuxiao's words.

Without exception, they all looked up, staring at the immovable clouds in mid-air.

Wanyan Cheng, who hadn't shown himself in the mid-air, remained silent for a long time, clearly not expecting to hear such words in his lifetime.

At this moment, the capital was dead silent!

No one spoke; the atmosphere plunged into extreme stillness.