Zhu Qinglan in the Ancient Zhu Clan Tribune broke away from the defense of the Ancient Clan Elders, staring in horror at Zhi Xuan. "Release me! Zhi Xuan, he will die under that pressure!"

  Two Zhu Clan Elders with Weaver Transformation cultivation firmly held Zhu Qinglan back while maintaining the Protective Formation. "Holy Princess, it is extremely dangerous in the Plaza! Even a Soul Transformation cultivator would not survive that pressure!"

  Zhu Yanghai, sitting in the Ancient Clan seat, gritted his teeth as he withstood the shockwave of a Divine Transformation aura reaching him. "The Shi Clan is truly disgusting! Not only oppressing the Golden Dragon, but now oppressing a Junior who speaks the truth."

  Hua Tianming and Hua Lian Xi remained in their tribune; no one could interrupt a Divine Transformation cultivator. The Shi Clan's Divine Transformation Elder, though not part of an Ancient Clan, had reached his peak, only half a step away from the Sacred Passage.

  "It is so heavy! Like the earth is about to collapse on my head."

  "Yes, even if that pressure is only focused on Daoist Zhi Xuan, it is like a mountain crushing an ant."

  "The Imperial Divine Transformation is being suppressed! The Hongmeng Emperor is not even able to do anything!"

  "Daoist Zhi Xuan will not last any longer!"

  Zhi Xuan, on the other hand, could not draw his Heavenly Sword. His Heavenly-Blood Body Law rippled, and it was as if the Slaughter Seal on his chest was rebelling to break free. Ao Sheng, for his part, tried to save his Senior, but upon merely approaching the pressure surrounding Zhi Xuan, he was thrown far back and hit a pillar with his back.

  Ao Sheng rose quickly, despite his young dragon body aching from the rippling Divine Transformation pressure. He saw Zhi Xuan kneeling, black blood flowing from the corner of his lips, and his sapphire blue eyes beginning to lose focus under the unimaginable spiritual weight.

  "Senior!" Ao Sheng roared, his voice containing the rumble of an immature dragon. He swung the Dragon King Spear, trying to pierce the Lightning and Fire Domain directed at Zhi Xuan, but the spear was repelled by an impenetrable ripple of primal energy.

  In the stands, fear had replaced all other emotions. Those who were not in the Soul Transformation realm struggled to stay conscious under Shi Xuan's increasingly blind Divine Transformation pressure.

  On the side of the Ancient Zhu Clan, Zhu Qinglan finally broke free from the Elders' grip, stepping forward to the edge of the Zhu Clan's Protective Formation, her robes trembling violently.

  "Shi Clan, stop your foolishness!" Zhu Qinglan shouted, her cold voice now filled with a burning rage. "The Hongmeng Emperor will not forgive you if you kill the Envoy of the Xing Luo Plains in this Plaza! You are destroying the promise of the Three Plains Competition!"

  Elder Shi Xuan, in the air, laughed loudly, a laughter full of deafening Lightning Law. "Envoy? He is a Devil who has defiled the honor of the Shi Clan! He must die, and Zhu Clan, do not interfere in this matter if you do not wish to become an enemy of the Shi Clan!"

  Shi Xuan turned toward Shi Xing, who was filled with smoldering vengeance. "Shi Xing, kill him and destroy his soul! Do not give him a chance to escape!"

  Shi Xing, the Young King of the Western Star, nodded with an expression full of hatred and burning shame. Receiving a direct order from the Supreme Elder of the Shi Clan before thousands of eyes was a disgrace, but killing Zhi Xuan was the only way to restore his dignity.

  He raised his silver spear, and the Soul-Purifying Lightning swirling around him shot out, not as a net of destruction, but as an extremely dense blade of Lightning, aiming for the head of the kneeling Zhi Xuan. The Lightning blade carried the Divine Transformation essence that Shi Xing borrowed from Shi Xuan's pressure.

  ZZRRT! WHUSHH!

  The speed of that Lightning surpassed the capability of any Blood Transformation eye. In the center of the Plaza, Zhi Xuan fought desperately. He could not move. Every Law in his body—Extreme Ice, Primal Earth, Lightning, Fire, and Wind—was suppressed to its limit by the unparalleled Divine Transformation weight.

  "What kind of Order is this!" roared Daoist Yu Long, who had just recovered from Shi Xing's Dao wounds. "They are attacking a genius in the presence of the Empire! The Shi Clan are the true Devils!"

  "Outrageous! Fighting a lower realm with a Divine Transformation! There is no honor in the Shi Clan!" cried an Elder from a small faction, his hands clenched tightly, desperate because they could not intervene.

  Behind the Imperial Protective Formation, the Imperial Elder, whose Immortal Law Domain vibrated under the pressure of Shi Xuan and the three Shi Clan Weaver Transformation cultivators, shouted loudly, his voice containing a burning anger. "Shi Clan! If you take a single life in this Plaza, the Hongmeng Empire will declare you enemies of Order!"

  However, the threat was in vain. Elder Shi Xuan, now completely enveloped in dark purple Lightning Law, ignored him. "Order? We are the Order! This Devil must die!" he roared. Shi Xing's spear shot out. At the last second, just as Shi Xing's Soul-Purifying Lightning blade was only a hair's breadth from Zhi Xuan's forehead.

  WHUMP!

  A pitch-black, thick, and dense shadow suddenly appeared in front of Zhi Xuan. It was Ye Ming, the Young King of the Central Star. His face was shrouded in shadow, but his eyes radiated the clear light of the Weight of Acceptance he had just obtained.

  Ye Ming did not use a spiritual shield. He only raised both his hands. The stable and cold Primal Earth aura around him absorbed Shi Xing's Soul-Purifying Lightning directly. That weight of acceptance did not deflect; it absorbed the destruction of Shi Xing's Lightning into his own Dao.

  ZZRRT! KRAKK!

  The Lightning carrying Shi Xuan's Divine Transformation power vibrated violently upon touching Ye Ming's weight, then subsided, losing its wild nature and disappearing into Ye Ming's infinite Earth Dao. Ye Ming staggered back, his body trembling.

  Thin blood flowed from the corner of his lips, and his robes smoked. Although he had successfully absorbed that destruction, a collision with the Divine Transformation power borrowed by Shi Xing was no trivial matter. However, he did not fall. He stood firm, like a primal mountain withstanding a storm.

  "Shi Xing," Ye Ming called out, his voice calm, carrying a resonance of unshakable weight. "This battle has not yet begun. You will not touch Daoist Zhi Xuan before I test my Weight of Acceptance against your destruction!"

  Ye Ming was not just protecting Zhi Xuan; he was openly challenging the will of Shi Xuan and the Shi Clan. He risked his Dao and his own life to protect a junior who had just given him enlightenment.

  In the Ancient Zhu Clan Tribune, Zhu Qinglan was stunned, her cold eyes radiating a hint of admiration. "The Weight of Acceptance..." Zhu Qinglan whispered. "He actually absorbed that destruction! Zhi Xuan, you are not alone!"

  Zhu Yanghai laughed loudly, a laughter that drowned out the deafening spiritual pressure. "Ye Ming, Young King of the Central Star! What a good lad! He understands the promise of karma! Who says the Ancient Clans have no honor!"

  In the Ancient Hua Clan Tribune, Hua Tianming touched his chin, his expression returning to calm after the shock. "Ye Ming, he has stepped onto the same path as Zhi Xuan. Interesting. The Shi Clan now faces not only one Devil carrying a Golden Dragon, but also a Star Young King who bears the Weight of Acceptance."

  Above, Elder Shi Xuan became even angrier. "Ye Ming! You dare to become that Devil's dog? Your Weight of Acceptance is but a fairy tale! Destroy him, Shi Xing! Use your spear and cut both their necks!"

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  Shi Xing, seeing the Lightning blade he threw being absorbed, had eyes radiating double hatred. Now he hated not only Zhi Xuan but also Ye Ming. He swung his silver spear forward. Soul-Purifying Lightning exploded, this time shooting out in the form of a Lightning dragon that was much larger and more brutal, aiming for Ye Ming and Zhi Xuan simultaneously.

  Under Ye Ming's protection, Zhi Xuan struggled to breathe. He felt his Heavenly-Blood Body struggling against the pressure, but the weight of Shi Xuan's Divine Transformation was too much. He lay flat on the Imperial Plaza; the ground around him cracked, and the cracks in his bones began to sound heart-wrenching.

  In the Jade Plaza, Shi Xing's terrifying Lightning dragon shot out with a roar containing the Divine Transformation will, aiming at the two figures standing in the center of disgrace and honor.

  "He is insane! Shi Xing has been completely possessed by hatred!" cried Daoist Yu Long, his face pale as he watched the approaching destruction.

  "That is no longer mortal Lightning! That is a Calamity Law borrowed from Divine Transformation!" whispered an Elder from a small sect, his voice filled with deep horror.

  In the Ancient Zhu Clan tribune, Zhu Qinglan took another step forward, her cold eyes radiating a lethal flame. She prepared to break through the Zhu Clan's Protective Formation, ready to risk her Dao to intervene.

  "You Shi Clan rats! You have crossed the line!" roared Zhu Yanghai; he could barely stay in his seat, but he had to. An open conflict with the Shi Clan in this Plaza would destroy the Xing Luo Plains.

  In the Pavilion of Majesty, the Hongmeng Emperor, whose face was stiff, finally moved. His Divine Transformation aura exploded, trying to tear through the chaos in the Jade Plaza.

  "Shi Xuan! Enough!" roared the Hongmeng Emperor, his voice the thunder of Order. "If you do not stop your son, the Hongmeng Empire will purge the Shi Clan from this Plain!"

  However, the threat came too late. Shi Xing's lethal Lightning dragon was already above the heads of Ye Ming and Zhi Xuan. There was not even time to dodge, only leaving the heavy pressure to be endured. Just as the Lightning was about to pierce them both, a voice that shook the Heavens descended, making time seem to freeze.

  "Shi Clan, you truly bear the wrath of Heaven and Earth." The voice was hoarse, yet carried a weight that vibrated in everyone's hearts. A hoarse laugh followed like a waterfall crashing against rocks.

  From the Sky, a vortex of clouds writhed like a Heavenly storm; a void crack opened, and a giant hand appeared from the rift. It shot out carrying a weight that even the Hongmeng Emperor had to tremble slightly at; the spiritual vibration caused seemed capable of toppling mountains with a single finger, and in an instant, Shi Xing's Lightning dragon evaporated like dew.

  The giant hand swept away the three Weaver Transformation cultivators who were holding back the Imperial Elder; in just one swing, it seemed to carry an Ancient Clan Law that shook the Plains. The three Weaver Transformation cultivators did not even have time to react; their Domains collapsed merely by being touched by that giant hand. It did not stop there; the giant hand grabbed three at once and crushed the Weaver Transformation cultivators until they exploded into blood dust.

  "Sacred... Passage... pressure..." Shi Xuan roared lowly, his breath short. He was already half a step toward the Sacred Way, yet the pressure of the Sacred Passage was not even comparable to his current cultivation at the Peak of Divine Transformation. "Patriarch of the Zhu Clan! You dare to interfere with me!"

  In the stands, every cultivator, from the Five Element realm to the Weaver Transformation Elders, was now kneeling, not because of Shi Xuan's wild pressure, but because of the oppressive weight coming from Beyond Mortal Limits. The silence of the Jade Plaza was broken by unconscious wailing and the thundering sound of blood rushing through chests.

  "The Sacred... Sacred Passage!" whispered an Imperial Elder, his eyes filled with pure terror. The Sacred Passage realm was the realm of true ancestors, the pillars supporting the Plains, who rarely showed themselves in the mortal world. In the Pavilion of Majesty, the Hongmeng Emperor, though still standing, his body trembled slightly. He looked at the torn Sky, his stiff face now filled with deep respect.

  "Patriarch Zhu Tian Sheng..." the Hongmeng Emperor murmured, the acknowledgment in his tone carrying the weight of history.

  On the side of the Ancient Hua Clan, Holy Son Hua Tianming staggered back, his eyes radiating shock, not expecting this intervention. "This power... Sacred Passage, just like Grandfather's power!"

  Hua Lian Xi, beside him, gripped her fan tightly, her face pale. "The Zhu Clan does not want to be involved in the karma of oppressing an Ancient Race. Even a Sacred Passage cultivator does not want to bear Heavenly wrath!"

  In the Ancient Zhu Clan tribune, Zhu Yanghai, who had been shouting earlier, was now silent, bowing his head. He knew that the Patriarch, his Father, had moved. He turned toward his sister, Zhu Qinglan, whose tears were flowing. They were not tears of sadness, but tears of relief and recognition of protection.

  "Father..." whispered Zhu Qinglan, her trembling body now stable under the familiar aura; that protection was a feeling she admired.

  In the center of the Plaza, Zhi Xuan, who had been on the verge of destruction, now felt Shi Xuan's Divine Transformation pressure vanish. He rose, coughing up a few remaining drops of blood, and looked at the torn Sky. He felt the same weight in his Sea of Consciousness, but this weight carried a Will of Protection that was soothing, not a Will of Slaughter.

  In the air, Elder Shi Xuan, who had reached the peak of Divine Transformation, struggled to remain floating. His body was wrapped in a suffocating Sacred Passage aura, like a rope tightening around his neck. He knew that in the face of the Sacred Passage realm, he was but a speck of dust.

  "Patriarch of the Zhu Clan!" roared Shi Xuan, his voice containing a painful note of despair. "You destroyed three Weaver Transformation cultivators of my clan! That is open hostility!"

  That hoarse laugh was heard again from the void crack, echoing in every corner of the Plaza. "Hostility? Shi Clan, you oppressed a Golden Dragon Descendant, bringing a Great Karma that could destroy the entire Xing Luo Plains, and you call it honor?"

  The voice was now filled with a coldness that pierced to the bone. "Three Weaver Transformation cultivators are but a small price for the sin you and your clan tried to bury. From this moment on, the Shi Clan shall forever bear the karma of oppressing an Ancient Race. You, Shi Xuan, have defiled the Field of Honor before the Emperor; you dared to kill under the promise of Order."

  The Void Crack formed a spiral that seemed about to devastate its surroundings. From within, the Zhu Clan Flying Ship appeared majestically; on the ship's deck stood a man with a blackish beard, his face showing that he was a descendant of the Great Emperor and that Imperial blood flowed in his body. His robes were the same as Zhu Yanghai's, aligned with the majesty of the Ancient Zhu Clan.

  The man's robes, radiating the Ancient Zhu emblem embroidered with gold and silver thread, fluttered slowly even though no wind blew at that height. His presence on the ship's deck, though merely standing tall, radiated a weight of power that surpassed the Mortal Emperor.

  It was a weight inherited from Ancient blood and a Dao forged within the eternal vortex. Patriarch Zhu Tian Sheng. All cultivators, who had been kneeling, now bowed their heads deeper. The majesty descending from the Sacred Passage realm was the manifestation of true Order on the Plains.

  "Patriarch Zhu Tian Sheng!" roared the Hongmeng Emperor with deep respect, as he bowed his body in the Pavilion of Majesty. This act broke the suffocating silence and affirmed that in the presence of a Sacred Passage cultivator, even the Descendants of Emperors must show obedience.

  "Hongmeng Emperor, do not worry," Zhu Tian Sheng replied, his voice now sounding clearer, carrying the resonance of an Ancient Clan's Order that was thousands of years old. "The Zhu Clan will not interfere with your Imperial Order. We will only cleanse the disgrace caused by a cultivator who exceeded the limits of the Dao."

  Zhu Tian Sheng shifted his sharp gaze toward the trembling Shi Xuan. He did not need to speak. However, the two Divine Transformation Elders of the Zhu Clan behind him acted without Shi Xuan even realizing it; they cast seals that chained Shi Xuan. They even captured the other Shi Clan Elders with ease.

  "You people, oppressing the Golden Dragon blood," Zhu Tian Sheng continued, his tone filled with suppressed anger. "If the Ancient Clans in the Upper Realm knew of this, even the resulting catastrophe would not be easy for the Xing Luo Plains."

  Now, Elder Shi Xuan, the other Shi Clan Elders, and Shi Xing were completely trapped in the Law chains cast by the two Zhu Clan Elders. The chains were made of dense spiritual essence, radiating an Ancient aura that suppressed all forms of rebellion. They, who moments ago stood as deciders of fate, were now no more than disgraced and angry prisoners.

  All present members of the Shi Clan were immediately arrested and taken toward the Imperial Prison. With the Hongmeng Emperor's decision, given without words but through a command to the Imperial Elders, the Shi Clan members were taken one by one to vanish from the Imperial Plaza. Shi Xing stared at Zhi Xuan with absolute hatred before being dragged away alongside Shi Xuan.

  In the Jade Plaza, the cultivators who had been bowing and kneeling slowly began to raise their heads. However, they did not dare to look directly at Patriarch Zhu Tian Sheng, instead only gazing at the majesty of the Zhu Clan Flying Ship hovering in the sky.

  "The Patriarch of the Zhu Clan... how powerful!" whispered an Imperial Elder, his voice filled with sincere shock. "The Peak Divine Transformation Shi Xuan was captured without resistance! Truly an unimaginable chasm between Divine Transformation and Sacred Passage!"

  "The Shi Clan is finished," murmured a cultivator in dark blue robes from a prominent sect. "Oppressing a Golden Dragon, and then challenging the Imperial Order and the Ancient Zhu Clan in public. This karma can never be erased."

  In the Pavilion of Majesty, the Hongmeng Emperor finally let out a long breath, the weight pressing on his chest lifted. He looked at Patriarch Zhu Tian Sheng standing tall on the deck of the Ancient Flying Ship, a faint bow radiating from his face.

  "Patriarch Zhu Tian Sheng has saved the Imperial Order," said the Hongmeng Emperor, his voice calm yet containing the weight of deep acknowledgment. He shifted his gaze to the Imperial Elders. "Resolve this chaos. Seal everything related to the Shi Clan and ensure Order is restored. The competition must proceed."

  The Imperial Elder, whose Immortal Law Domain had been released, immediately bowed and carried out the command.