Ch. 218 - What Is A Sect Worth?

As the others reconsidered their own strength, not a single person dared step onto the stage.

“How embarrasing,” Xu Zimo chuckled softly from below.

He could tell that Baili Xiao wasn’t much stronger than Baili Zhenyun. Even if she was stronger, it shouldn’t have been so easy to defeat him.

What truly made the difference was Baili Xiao’s battle experience and her mastery over spiritforce, being able to immediately spot the weakness in Zhenyun’s technique and concentrate her full power there.

With just one move, she left Zhenyun no chance to fight back.

This preserved her strength and stunned the younger generation into silence.

“Baili Xiao, you’d strike your own kin like that? You’re not fit to be the Saintess!” a young man in the crowd shouted.

“Exactly! She’s vicious and ruthless. It was just a sparring match, yet she showed no mercy to a fellow clansman. How can such a person lead us?”

As more and more people found this weakness to exploit, the protests began to pile on.

“When you don’t have strength, all you’ve got left is your mouth.”

“Enough!”

A thunderous roar silenced the entire crowd.

Baili Chengfeng stood tall, an overwhelming aura radiating from him as he looked at the younger generation of his clan with disappointment.

“You all truly disappoint me. If your skills are lacking, then work harder, catch up. Instead, you resort to jealousy and slander. She injured one clan member, and you cry that she’s cruel? Do you even know what it means to be a Grand Emperor? Without tens of thousands of lives on your hands, you’re not even worthy of being called powerful. Greatness is built on mountains of bones. The strongest are those who walk out of seas of blood. Look at yourselves. What do you think you are?”

Silence filled the venue. Many of the youths lowered their heads in shame.

“Enough. I hope my words make you reflect,” Baili Chengfeng sighed. Then, raising his voice again, he declared: “I now proclaim Baili Xiao as the current-generation Saintess of the Baili Imperial Clan.”

As Baili Xiao stepped forward and took the Saintess token, the clan members below all bowed and shouted in unison: “Greetings, Saintess!”

Baili Xiao walked to the edge of the stage, her gaze sharp. She looked at Xu Zimo and smiled calmly, “Got any more schemes or plans?”

“My words still stand,” Xu Zimo said with a faint smile. “If you dare return to the True Martial Sacred Ground, I will do everything in my power to destroy you.”

“How about a bet?” he added.

“What are we betting?” Baili Xiao asked.

“A duel. If you win, I’ll give up my position as Holy Son of the True Martial Sacred Ground. That way, you’ll be the Saintess of two imperial lineages,” Xu Zimo said. “If you lose, I won’t ask for anything, just one condition.”

Baili Xiao thought for a moment, then asked, “What condition?”

“A battle to the death. One of us must die. No surrender, no withdrawal,” Xu Zimo replied, smiling.

“You’re not as smart as you think you are,” Baili Xiao said, turning and walking away.

Xu Zimo chuckled and didn’t try to stop her.

After all, this was the Baili Imperial Clan’s territory, and there were too many people around.

He didn’t want to reveal too many cards today. More importantly, killing Baili Xiao wasn’t interesting enough.

After all, death isn't the most painful thing in life.

As the enthronement ceremony wrapped up, the Baili Imperial Clan prepared a feast for all the guests.

The food served was made from spirit herbs and treasures, extremely rare and valuable in the outside world.

For that day, the entire Baili City covered everyone’s expenses.

Guests could eat and drink anywhere in town, completely free of charge.

…

As the feast neared its end, Xu Zimo found Baili Chengfeng.

Having seen how the ceremony had played out, Baili Chengfeng already had a good idea of what had happened.

Though his younger disciples had complaints, they wouldn’t have dared act out so boldly without someone backing them.

That someone, of course, was Xu Zimo.

So Baili Chengfeng’s attitude toward him had turned colder.

“You want to enter the Heaven Genesis Microcosm?” Baili Chengfeng asked flatly.

“Yes. I hope Patriarch Baili can make arrangements soon,” Xu Zimo nodded.

“Seven days from now,” Baili Chengfeng said indifferently. Then, after a brief silence, he added:

“No need to plead for her. Some things, once decided, won’t change,” Xu Zimo said, shaking his head.

“Then do as you please,” Baili Chengfeng huffed and walked off with a flick of his sleeve.

Not long after, the First Grand Elder of the True Martial Sacred Ground approached Xu Zimo.

“Your feud with Baili Xiao ends here,” the elder said coldly. “That’s the will of the Vice-Lord. Things aren’t as simple as you think.”

“My path is my own. I don’t need others making decisions for me,” Xu Zimo replied.

“Listen here boy, without the sect, you’re nothing,” the elder frowned. “Baili Xiao is no longer who she used to be. The sect plans to cultivate both of you, to compete for the current generation’s Heaven’s Will.”

“There can only be one Grand Emperor,” Xu Zimo said with a faint smile. “So in the end, you’re asking us to kill each other?”

“You don’t understand,” the elder replied. “If you both reach the final stage, our sect has a better chance of claiming the Heaven’s Will. Even if one loses, the winner might spare them, for the sake of being fellow disciples.”

“Grand Elder. You don’t seem to understand,” Xu Zimo shook his head calmly. “I will bear the Heaven’s Will. No matter how talented they are, genius or monster… If they crawl before me, they may live. If not, they’ll become bones on the road to my ascension.”

“Arrogant fool,” the elder snorted. “This is the sect’s will. Not something you can overturn.”

As the Grand Elder walked away, Xu Zimo smiled faintly and shook his head.

“What is a sect worth?”

…

With the enthronement ceremony over, Baili City remained lively, but it couldn’t match the hype of the previous days.

The story of Baili Xiao defeating Baili Zhenyun with a single palm quickly spread through the city.

Her reputation as the Baili Imperial Clan's Saintess spread rapidly across the Eastern Continent.

People always paid close attention to the Saintesses and Holy Sons of major sects, especially imperial lineages.

After all, these were the top contenders for the Heaven’s Will each generation.

…

Seven days later, Xu Zimo returned to the Baili Imperial Clan, ready to enter the Heaven Genesis Microcosm.

Baili Chengfeng was already waiting inside the clan, and he personally led Xu Zimo to the clan’s forbidden area.

“You have seven days,” Baili Chengfeng said. “After that, the hidden realm will forcibly expel you.”

Xu Zimo nodded.

What lay inside the Heaven Genesis Microcosm was crucial to him. Had he not wasted time in Primordial Ancient City, he might have already obtained what he came for.

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