"You're not an ancient?" The Red Soul Sect's young master sized up Zhao Zhuyin, his tone less than friendly.
"If I weren't ancient, would I be standing here?" Zhao Zhuyin countered.
With those words, everyone's gaze grew even more complicated — after all, they had been unable to determine whether Zhao Zhuyin was male or female.
Perhaps sensing that Zhao Zhuyin was no weakling, the Red Soul Sect's young master refrained from attacking directly and instead asked: "If you're ancient, then why help them?"
"I'm helping you."
"The two of them — you can't afford to provoke them," Zhao Zhuyin said.
"Ridiculous."
Hearing this, the Red Soul Sect's young master let out a laugh — though it was a laugh through gritted teeth.
His fury was plain to see. Even if Zhao Zhuyin was also ancient, he was already contemplating making a move.
"Let me tell you — in this vast martial cultivation world, there is no one I dare not provoke."
With those words, a boundless aura erupted from within his body.
That oppressive might was extraordinarily powerful. Nearly every young genius present felt a suffocating pressure pressing down on them.
His cultivation had already surpassed the Half-God realm, reaching the level of a first-tier True God.
"A True God — he's at the True God realm?"
"He's reached the True God realm at the age of a junior?"
"Does that mean even a genius like Chu Feng would be powerless before him?"
"Is this the gap between ancient geniuses and those of our contemporary era?"
Sensing the Red Soul Sect's young master's cultivation, the contemporary juniors were filled with terror, their hearts shaken to the core.
Ancient and contemporary — though they had yet to clash in earnest, everyone understood that a battle between the two was inevitable.
It was true that when a real war came, the strength of the elders would be the deciding factor. But the strength of the younger generation would serve as a mirror reflecting the true power of each side.
Most critically, in this Era of the Gods, it was the juniors who held the key.
Sensing the fearful, stunned gazes directed at him, the Red Soul Sect's young master grew even more smug.
"Remember — never bolster the enemy's morale while crushing your own."
As his words fell, with a thunderous boom, he actually directed that overwhelming wave of pressure straight at Zhao Zhuyin.
But in the very next instant, heaven and earth shook.
On the ancient side, every junior collapsed to the ground. Even the Red Soul Sect's young master stumbled back several steps.
The only one who held her ground was Zhao Zhuyin.
It was only then that people realized — Zhao Zhuyin's cultivation had also reached the first-tier True God realm.
"Who exactly are you?"
The Red Soul Sect's young master asked, his voice heavy.
"People from the Red Soul Sect aren't worthy of knowing who I am," Zhao Zhuyin said.
With those words, even the members of the Red Soul Sect wore complicated expressions.
The fury that had been blazing on their faces moments before began to recede, and they couldn't help but glance toward their young master.
They were panicking.
Their opponent not only possessed first-tier True God cultivation, but didn't take them seriously in the slightest.
It wasn't just them — even the humiliated Red Soul Sect's young master did not attack again. Instead, he asked: "Are you from the Heavenly Sword Sacred Palace?"
Zhao Zhuyin did not answer.
But the words "Heavenly Sword Sacred Palace" stirred Chu Feng's memory.
When the ancient races had attacked the Ancestral Martial Star Field before, Chu Feng had learned from the lips of ancient juniors that the Heavenly Sword Sacred Palace was among the more formidable known powers of the ancient races.
As for the Red Soul Sect, Chu Feng had never heard of them before. But judging by the young master's reaction, even they harbored some wariness toward the Heavenly Sword Sacred Palace.
Hum— But just then, brilliant light shone across the void above.
The power of the formation in the void had converged together, and everyone could feel that an immense force was about to manifest overhead.
At this point, no one cared about anything else — all eyes turned skyward.
In the end, the vast formation energy coalesced into two enormous banners, each bearing a single word: "Contemporary" and "Ancient."
The banners were colossal, vast enough to blot out the sky.