In terms of pure strength, Tianxing might have been only marginally stronger than the other Great Emperors, but her power was uniquely detrimental to Holy Spirits — she was practically the natural nemesis of all Holy Spirits!
Even the Dragons and Phoenixes were no exception. Over the years, quite a few Dragon Clan members had perished under her blade.
The Four Great Sacred Venerables of the Ancient Lands were also Holy Spirits, but they were still far inferior to the Dragon Clan. If even the Dragons couldn't withstand Tianxing, how could they dare face her head-on? So the moment they realized that Zhang Ruoxi was a descendant of Tianxing, their faces went white with terror, as if doomsday itself was about to arrive — utterly petrified.
"Fan Wu... you can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you want." Cang Gou swallowed hard, staring fixedly at Zhang Ruoxi whose entire bearing had transformed, and said in horror: "Are you sure she's a descendant of Tianxing?"
Fan Wu smiled bitterly, his voice hoarse: "You inherited the ancestral memories too — can't you recognize that sword?"
Cang Gou had no words. The Tianxing Sword — it was the divine weapon that Tianxing had wielded back in the day. In their inherited memories, it had always been sealed within the Blood Gate. The reason they had sealed off this area, not letting anyone approach the Blood Gate, was not because they feared some demon beast might enter and obtain the Source Power, leap over the dragon gate, and become a Holy Spirit.
Their greatest fear was that the Tianxing Sword might reappear in the mortal world.
And now that fear had come true.
Not because someone had entered the Blood Gate and taken out the Tianxing Sword, but because it had been summoned by a human girl barely in her twenties.
The Tianxing Sword could only be wielded by Tianxing and her descendants. With that sword in hand, Zhang Ruoxi's identity was unmistakable.
"It's over..." Cang Gou murmured.
The thing they feared most had happened. The Tianxing Sword had returned to the world, and the bloodline of Tianxing's descendant had awakened. From this day forward, the Holy Spirits across the land would likely have no more peace. And the ones who would bear the brunt were undoubtedly the Four Great Sacred Venerables present here.
"A descendant of Tianxing..." Yang Kai was also stunned. He never imagined that Zhang Ruoxi was actually that legendary descendant of Tianxing — the natural nemesis of all Holy Spirits!
The news was too explosive. He stood there blankly for quite a while, unable to process it.
But then his thoughts shifted, and he suddenly recalled certain things.
Back in the Four Seasons Land. When entering that Temple of Time, Ruoxi had briefly vanished, and when she reappeared, she was wearing a Phoenix Colorful Cloud Robe.
That was a defensive Emperor Treasure, its value beyond estimation.
Ruoxi had told him that a being called Qiongqi had given it to her.
Qiongqi was one of the most notorious fierce beasts among the Holy Spirits. Yang Kai had never been able to figure out why such a powerful existence would give Zhang Ruoxi such a precious treasure. Now he understood — Qiongqi must have sensed the power of her bloodline and didn't dare provoke her, fearing that pushing her to her limit would trigger an early bloodline awakening. If that happened, even Qiongqi would have no peace.
And Duan Hongchen must have noticed too, but the matter was far too grave for him to dare reveal it.
All signs pointed to the fact that Ruoxi was indeed a descendant of Tianxing.
"So that's how it is..." Yang Kai laughed bitterly. The development of events had exceeded the bounds of his imagination. He never expected that after Ruoxi's bloodline power awakened, it would bring him such a tremendous shock.
"Big Stone!" Zhang Ruoxi suddenly turned her cold gaze toward Shi Huo, her voice chilling: "How do you want to die?!"
Shi Huo's entire body trembled. An expression of extreme terror surfaced on his face, and the flames in his eyes flickered rapidly, betraying his inner turmoil.
The Zhang Ruoxi from before — he hadn't put her in his eyes at all. She was merely a human girl at Dao Origin Stage Three; a single breath from him could have killed her. But the Zhang Ruoxi of now filled him with dread and despair.
He had just expressed his intent to kill Zhang Ruoxi, and before that, he had tormented Yang Kai for so long. Zhang Ruoxi undoubtedly harbored a bone-deep hatred for him. Among all the demon beasts and Sacred Venerables present today, any of them might survive — but his prospects looked dire.
Shi Huo clearly realized this too. Pitch-black flames erupted from his body as he blustered, fierce on the outside but crumbling within: "A descendant of Tianxing, so what? This seat is a descendant of an ancient Holy Spirit! Before you've grown to maturity, how could you possibly kill me?!"
As he roared, he turned his head toward Fan Wu and the others, saying: "Everyone — Tianxing is the common enemy of all Holy Spirits, and Tianxing's power is uniquely detrimental to us Holy Spirits. If you ever want to sleep peacefully again in the future, you'd better join this seat in striking now, while she hasn't yet reached maturity, and slay her here!"
At these words, Yang Kai's expression darkened, and he tensely studied the other three Sacred Venerables.
As Shi Huo had said, Ruoxi had only just awakened the bloodline power within her; how strong she could actually become was still unknown. But the strength of these Sacred Venerables was beyond doubt. If all four of them truly joined forces, it was uncertain whether Ruoxi could stand against them.
What he saw was Cang Gou wearing an eager expression, clearly swayed by Shi Huo's words.
Fan Wu and Luan Feng, on the other hand, showed little reaction — their inner thoughts unknown. Their response indirectly affected Cang Gou, who furrowed his brows in thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head, suppressing the impulse stirring within him.
Seeing this, Shi Huo's heart sank, and he shouted angrily: "You'd actually be willing to give her room to grow?! Don't you understand that once she reaches maturity, there will be nowhere for the Holy Spirits of this world to hide?!"
How could Fan Wu and the other two not know this? During Tianxing's rampage in ancient times, those surviving Holy Spirits had all been forced to hide and scatter, terrified of being found and killed by her, their Holy Spirit Origin taken.
It wasn't until Tianxing mysteriously disappeared for tens of thousands of years that Holy Spirits gradually dared to emerge and move about.