Chapter 20

"Xuanming Sect."

Upon seeing the bald giant and his companions, the faces of the original group of black-robed elders and a dozen others turned somewhat unpleasant. The middle-aged man who had initially questioned Du Shaopu frowned as he looked at the bald man and said, "Bald Zhong, your Xuanming Sect sure arrived quickly."

"The Heavenly Snake Sect isn't slow either. The powerful existence inside has encountered a change, which isn't something your Heavenly Snake Sect can meddle with," the bald giant, known as Bald Zhong, did not linger his gaze on the middle-aged man for long. He then looked at the black-robed elder holding a snake-headed cane and said, "I didn't expect that even the venerable Copper Snake Elder of the Heavenly Snake Sect would come this time."

"You came too, and it seems you're also after the benefits of that powerful existence." The Copper Snake Elder gripped his snake-headed cane, his gaze sweeping over the few young men behind Bald Zhong, and said lightly, "The younger generation of Xuanming Sect is quite impressive this time, waiting for this opportunity to lay the foundation. However, I wonder if they have the right opportunity."

"The younger generation of the Heavenly Snake Sect is also impressive, but it seems they lack the good fortune. They might return empty-handed this time." Bald Zhong glanced at the few young men and women of the Heavenly Snake Sect, his words equally unyielding. The atmosphere became tense as soon as they met.

"Truly lively, arriving early is not as good as arriving at the right moment."

A rather hoarse voice sounded, and another dozen figures appeared. Leading them was a crane-haired elder with an extraordinary demeanor. Some powerful figures with thick auras subtly surrounded a few extraordinary young men and women in the center.

"Xuanfu Sect, Crane Spirit Daoist."

Seeing the crane-haired elder, both the Copper Snake Elder and Bald Zhong's eyes flickered.

Du Shaopu, carrying several demonic beasts, didn't expect to encounter three groups of people so soon. He had heard of the Heavenly Snake Sect and Xuanming Sect, both said to be colossal forces towering over the empire, with awe-inspiring power. Even the rulers of a country would personally welcome and pay respects to the protectors and hall masters of these sects.

Such forces were beyond the reach of Stone City.

Now, Du Shaopu understood why these people dared to enter the Savage Beast Mountains at this time. Each of them had astonishing backgrounds.

"You guys chat, it's none of my business."

Du Shaopu wasn't a fool. He couldn't afford to offend either the Heavenly Snake Sect or the Xuanming Sect. The last group that arrived was likely no less powerful than the Xuanming Sect and the Heavenly Snake Sect. It was best for him to leave early; he wasn't familiar with any of them.

"Boy, my uncle asked you a question, and you haven't answered yet."

Within the Heavenly Snake Sect, a proud young man about the same age as Du Shaopu stepped forward, blocking Du Shaopu's path. His expression was fierce and domineering, showing no respect for Du Shaopu.

"Get out of my way, I'm hungry and want to eat some roasted meat."

Du Shaopu was annoyed by the arrogant young man. He sidestepped and walked past him, planning to climb the mountain first.

The young man felt his dignity was damaged. Within the sect, he was a pride of heaven, and no one dared to disrespect him. If not for waiting for the strongest demonic beast's essence to lay the foundation, he would have already broken through to the Xiantian realm.

"Humph, you refuse the wine and choose the punishment."

Seeing Du Shaopu walk past, the young man coldly snorted and immediately threw a punch. The shadow of the fist had runes faintly surging, with a fierce momentum. A wave of energy from the punch rushed toward Du Shaopu's back.

"Surging Waves Palm!"

Du Shaopu wasn't foolish and had been on guard. Feeling the young man's attack from behind, he immediately used the perfected version of the Surging Waves Palm. Mystic energy surged, and a terrifying force erupted like a volcanic eruption. He turned around and slapped the young man's punch.

"Bang!"

A sound like a muffled thunder suddenly echoed. Waves of energy continuously crashed into the young man, causing sand and stones to fly, leaves to scatter, and even cracks to appear on the ground. The young man of the Heavenly Snake Sect staggered back several steps and finally fell to the ground, blood trickling from his mouth.

Du Shaopu stood still, his body only slightly swaying. He sighed inwardly, this young man was truly strong, much stronger than his peers in the Du family. If not for the perfected Surging Waves Palm, he might have been knocked back as well.

"Such a strong young man."

The sudden scene made the three groups of people's eyes widen in shock. Many young men and women looked at Du Shaopu with surprise.

Some of the powerful figures from the Heavenly Snake Sect were petrified. The young man who had attacked, though not yet at the Xiantian realm, was already at the peak of the Houtian realm, waiting for the strongest demonic beast's essence to lay the foundation. His strength could match that of a general Xiantian realm practitioner, but he was just now slapped away by a young man from the mountains. This was simply unbelievable.

Even the crowd couldn't discern the level of the purple-robed young man. There was only a surge of mystic energy, no signs of a cultivation realm. This young man was too terrifying.

"Just now, it seemed to be a Xiantian martial technique, and there was a pulse of energy. Could this young man already be at the Xiantian realm, or is he a pulse cultivator? This is crazy."

Many powerful figures were puzzled, and many were stunned.

"Good boy, you actually dared to hurt someone, I won't let you off."

The middle-aged man from the Heavenly Snake Sect's face suddenly turned dark. He reached out directly toward Du Shaopu, his claw-like hand distorting space, making Du Shaopu's surroundings seem to solidify, preventing him from moving.

"Whoosh."

In that split second, a streak of light descended from the sky, carrying runes that flashed like lightning, directly piercing through the space and landing on the middle-aged man's claw.

"Ah!"

The claw shattered, and the streak of light pierced a bloody hole in the middle-aged man's hand, blood spurting out, and he let out a惨叫.

"I'll be back to cook you some meat, don't worry."

Du Shaopu smiled. The one who acted must have been the plain-clothed beauty. She indeed wouldn't abandon him, and she was clearly stronger than these people. Grinning, Du Shaopu completely ignored the three groups of people and, with several demonic beast corpses hanging from his waist, began to climb the mountain.

"Too strong!"

The surrounding crowd came to their senses. The middle-aged man was very powerful, but he was unexpectedly severely injured by someone out of nowhere, and no one even saw who did it. That kind of strength was too terrifying. It turned out that the purple-robed young man had such a formidable powerhouse backing him. No wonder he dared to appear deep in the mountains, and no wonder he could directly slap the young man of the Heavenly Snake Sect away.

"There's always someone better, and a higher sky. Remember this, don't be arrogant outside, and be humble and learn."

The crane-haired elder said to the few extraordinary young men and women behind him, then his aged gaze looked at Du Shaopu's back, who was climbing the mountain bare-handed. He was puzzled. This young man was clearly extraordinary, but he was climbing the mountain bare-handed. Was this a special method to train his physique? The purple-robed young man's physique was clearly extremely strong, comparable to a demonic beast. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to stand firm like a mountain when colliding with the young man of the Heavenly Snake Sect.

"Yes, we will follow the elder's teachings."

The few extraordinary young men and women behind the crane-haired elder nodded in response. They indeed saw firsthand that there was always someone better, and a higher sky. The purple-robed young man climbing the mountain was about the same age as them, but he was no less impressive.