"Your treasure?"
Xuan Guang sneered coldly upon hearing those words, his face full of disdain as he said,
"You, a newly ascended Saint-Grade Heavenly Supreme, think you have a treasure that can compare to my Ancient Buddha Clan's Ancestral Pagoda?"
Even though Mo Tong and the other powerhouses of the Ancient Buddha Clan were not on good terms with Xuan Guang, they had to admit that his words were true.
Even if Zhou Yi possessed the Heavenly Emperor's Heavenly Emperor Sword, it would still be unable to withstand the might of their Ancient Buddha Clan's Ancestral Pagoda.
Unless the Heavenly Emperor himself were to be reborn.
"Suppress!"
With a shift in the Floating Buddha Seal technique, the ancient stone pagoda appeared above Zhou Yi. It descended slowly at first but then pressed downward with an inescapable force, enveloping Zhou Yi completely.
This ancient pagoda was truly mystical. As it fell, it felt as though the outcome was already set in stone. No matter how one tried to escape, they would inevitably be drawn into it.
Yet, as the pagoda descended, Zhou Yi's face remained utterly calm, devoid of any panic.
He merely gazed indifferently at Xuan Guang, Futu Xuan, and the others, his eyes flashing with a hint of mockery.
Then, he raised his arm, and from his wrist flew out a golden bracelet the size of a palm. At first glance, it looked entirely unremarkable—something everyone had seen before and dismissed as nothing more than a simple ornament.
But the moment this golden bracelet took flight, radiating dazzling golden light, an overwhelming sense of dread swept through the battlefield.
The most affected was Futu Xuan, who was controlling the Ancestral Pagoda. A terrifying crisis surged within his heart—an unprecedented premonition of impending doom.
"Is the Ancestral Pagoda really that powerful?"
Zhou Yi looked up at the pagoda that was pressing down upon him. As the Ancient Buddha Clan's supreme clan treasure, it had been nurtured by generations of their strongest cultivators.
Even the Heavenly Emperor's Heavenly Emperor Sword could not compare to it—it was one of the most powerful treasures in the Great Thousand World.
However, when faced with the Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Universe Ring...
It was no different from an egg against a rock.
The Universe Ring merely expanded to the size of a basketball, its surface glowing with intricate innate patterns. Then, it shot forward and met the Ancestral Pagoda head-on.
Clang!
The Universe Ring, seemingly insignificant compared to the towering, hundreds-of-thousands-of-feet-tall pagoda, merely tapped against it lightly.
Yet, at that moment, a crisp, shattering sound echoed across the battlefield.
The Ancestral Pagoda—one of the Great Thousand World's most legendary treasures—began to crack like fragile porcelain.
Time seemed to freeze.
Space itself felt as though it had solidified.
The wind ceased.
Even breathing came to a halt.
All the members of the Ancient Buddha Clan held their breath, their eyes wide in disbelief as they watched their clan's ultimate treasure—their Ancestral Pagoda—fracture like a spider's web.
"How... how is this possible?"
Futu Xuan trembled, his face pale with shock. He stared at Zhou Yi, his fingers shaking, unable to form a coherent sentence.
That was their most formidable trump card.
Boom!
Like a firework exploding in the silent void, the sound of shattering rang out, causing everyone's hearts to seize violently.
The Ancestral Pagoda...
Had... shattered!
"No!"
Futu Xuan's face twisted in anguish, as though struck by lightning. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that the Ancient Buddha Clan's legendary Ancestral Pagoda would shatter right before his eyes.
"Pfft!"
A mouthful of blood spurted from his lips as his body staggered. The arrogance he once held had vanished, and he now resembled a dying old man—his eyes vacant, his heart drowning in sorrow.
The Ancestral Pagoda had shattered in his hands!?
He was the eternal sinner of the Ancient Buddha Clan!
How would he ever face his ancestors in the afterlife?
"Pfft!"
As the thought struck him, the sheer grief overwhelmed him. Another mouthful of blood splattered forth, his aura withering, as though he had aged decades in an instant.
"Impossible!"
"This is not real!"
"The Ancestral Pagoda cannot shatter!"
"An illusion! This must be an illusion!"
"Fake! It must be fake!"
Xuan Guang, Mo Tong, and the other Heavenly Supremes of the Ancient Buddha Clan roared hysterically, their bloodshot eyes filled with disbelief. They desperately clung to the hope that the Ancestral Pagoda had not truly been destroyed.
"The Ancestral Pagoda... shattered?"
Qing Yanjing's eyes were filled with shock. She had never imagined that Zhou Yi could actually destroy the Ancestral Pagoda. She hadn't even had a chance to intervene.
Even though she disliked Futu Xuan and was at odds with Xuan Guang and Mo Tong, the Ancient Buddha Clan was still her home—the place where she was born and raised.
She did not want any harm to come to it.
She understood better than anyone how vital the Ancestral Pagoda was to the Ancient Buddha Clan.
"Relax. It's just a little shattered. I'll fix it in a moment."
Sensing Qing Yanjing's sorrowful gaze, Zhou Yi leaned close to her ear and whispered in a voice only she could hear:
"I promise it'll be exactly the same as before."
"Haven't my repairs always been flawless?"
Qing Yanjing's eyes widened in disbelief. She had not expected Zhou Yi to be able to fix the Ancestral Pagoda. But before she could rejoice, his next words made her ears and neck flush crimson.
"You scoundrel!"
Her legs tensed, and she pounded her small fists against Zhou Yi's chest, furious that he could say such shameless things.
She really wanted to bite him.
But to Futu Xuan, Xuan Guang, Mo Tong, and the others, Zhou Yi and Qing Yan Jing's actions appeared to be nothing but a display of arrogance—flirting right in front of them.
"Qing Yanjing, you dare conspire with outsiders to betray the Ancient Buddha Clan?! From this day forth, you are no longer one of us!"
"Even if I have to die today, I will kill you all!"
Futu Xuan's white hair stood on end as he roared in fury. The destruction of the Ancestral Pagoda had completely broken him.
"You stubborn old relic!"
Before Futu Xuan could strike, Zhou Yi waved his hand, and the Universe Ring suppressed him instantly. Futu Xuan struggled, but his resistance was utterly futile.
His strength was like a drop of water vanishing into the ocean—the Universe Ring sealed all his spiritual power in an instant.
At that moment, Zhou Yi's aura erupted like the collapse of heaven and earth. His presence became towering and boundless, consuming the world and striking fear into everyone's hearts.
Xuan Guang, Mo Tong, and the others who had intended to resist were now frozen in place, their eyes filled with both fury and terror.
Too powerful.
Too terrifying.
Even a late-stage Saint-Grade expert would not be this overwhelming.
Could he already be on par with the Ancient Nine Emperors?
"You people just won't listen when I try to talk things through nicely—do you have to force me to get rough?"
Zhou Yi's authoritative gaze swept across the crowd. In truth, he was a man who valued peace and disliked senseless violence.
Well, except when it came to women.
"Grand Elder, can we have a proper conversation now?"
Cradling Qing Yanjing in his arms, Zhou Yi approached Futuo Xuan and looked at the white-haired elder. The old man's face was filled with fury as he glared at Zhou Yi with unyielding defiance.
"The victor takes all, the defeated suffers humiliation. If you're going to kill me, just do it!"
Futuo Xuan's voice was firm and unshaken.
"You sure are stubborn."
Zhou Yi shook his head and sighed.
"As expected, you're quite an unqualified Grand Elder."
"As the leader of your clan, your personal honor and disgrace should come second. The survival of your people should be your priority. I didn't come here to exterminate your clan, yet you insist on forcing my hand. Do you truly want to see the Ancient Buddha Clan wiped out?"
"If you die, do you really think your ancestors in the underworld will praise your so-called integrity? No, they'd beat you senseless for being such a stubborn old fool."
"The Ancestral Pagoda may be shattered, but as long as your people still stand, there's always a path forward. And yet, you remain obstinate, ready to throw your life away. Do you honestly believe your head is harder than the Ancestral Pagoda?"
With that, Zhou Yi stretched out his hand, gathering the scattered fragments of the Ancestral Pagoda. Then, employing his artifact-forging techniques, he began reassembling and reforging it.
He had exercised precise control over his previous attack. After all, this was Qing Yanjing's maternal home—he couldn't truly destroy their sacred relic.
Despite its seemingly devastating destruction, the damage had only affected the outer layers. Its core essence remained intact.
The flames of the Candle Dragon blazed fiercely, enveloping the fragments as Zhou Yi refined them. Before long, the Ancestral Pagoda was fully restored.
Of course—
For the Ancestral Pagoda to regain its former strength, the Ancient Buddha Clan would still need to nurture it for several years. However, thanks to Zhou Yi's reforging, the pagoda's overall quality had improved.
In other words, while it was currently weaker than before, its potential was now even greater. In time, it would surpass its past glory.
"Here, take it."
With a casual toss, Zhou Yi flung the Ancestral Pagoda back to Futuo Xuan. The elder, still in a state of shock, instinctively caught it.
His expression was one of utter disbelief.
Zhou Yi had restored their Ancestral Pagoda… just like that?
How was that even possible?
His spiritual sense surged into the pagoda, carefully inspecting it—
And in the next instant, his eyes widened in sheer astonishment.
It was real…
It had truly been restored!
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