As the Spirit Clan's Ranker moved, a powerful aura billowed out of him, and it made the nearby mountains shake like aspen trees. It was a shocking display of formidable strength.

"I'll give you one choice, and one choice only—submit, and tell me exactly what you found in there. Otherwise, don't blame me for being merciless," he said. His voice was not particularly loud, yet it echoed across the sprawling peaks as though the world had fallen under his control.

Streams of heaven-earth energy answered his call, bending to his will as if he could command them on a whim.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Nine-tailed Fox King couldn't help but tremble at the sight. It wasn't like they had never encountered a Sage, but it was their first time seeing a Sage capable of commanding the energy of heaven and earth in such a casual manner.

"You're the second person to ever demand my submission. Unfortunately for you, I already have a master," the Golden-Winged Great Peng replied. It could sense that its opponent was powerful, but there was no fear in its heart.

So what if the opponent was in the Sage Realm? It had its own pride as well. Besides, he could not let these invaders learn that one of the Nine Cauldrons was just behind them.

Meanwhile, the Nine-tailed Fox King decisively charged forward. Terrifying rays of light erupted from it nonstop.

"If you had enough time to grow and reach my level, I would have been somewhat wary of you. But as things stand now..." The Spirit Clan Ranker shook his head. He then brought his palm down.

The attack looked light and casual, yet both heavens and earth seemed to move along with it. The Nine-tailed Fox King couldn't even get close before it was forced to stop dead in its tracks.

Boom!

A deafening explosion rang out, and the Nine-tailed Fox King slammed into what felt like a mountain. Its massive figure was blasted away, and then it plummeted straight down. However, it was a beast king after all, so it quickly stabilized itself.

"What just happened? He was clearly not anywhere near me. Was it world force[1]? But even a Sage shouldn't be able to borrow that much world force from this world... Is it his innate ability?"

The Nine-tailed Fox King was deeply shaken. It had no idea how its opponent had managed to do what he just did. A Sage could mobilize heaven-earth energy, but the young man had gone far beyond that.

The only explanation was that it was the young man's innate ability.

"You're quite perceptive." The Spirit Clan's Ranker smiled. His clansmen had an innate ability to tap into the Laws of the World and the Cosmos. Even though this planet had been sealed for so many years, it was still part of the cosmos.

Naturally, the members of the Spirit Clan could exert control over it, just as he could borrow the power of the mountains around them.

World Force was among the most formidable forces in existence. The Spirit Clan's control over it allowed them to become one of the top one hundred clans and races across the universe. Their rank was also not at the bottom.

Just then, the Spirit Clan Ranker stepped forward and said, "Since you refuse to submit, then don't blame me for being impolite."

Boom!

As soon as his words fell, a strange power erupted from him, and the surrounding mountains shook even more violently than before. He hadn't done anything, yet the terrifying power pouring out of him suppressed everything.

It was like this part of the world had fallen under his command as he pleased.

Rumble!

Loud, inexplicable noises suffused the air, and the Golden-Winged Great Peng as well as the Nine-tailed Fox King felt like the entire mountain range itself was pressing down on them. They were strong, but they simply couldn't withstand it.

Their bodies and their souls were thoroughly suppressed.

The two were left stunned by the young man's innate ability. Beings from the Outer Cosmos were truly extraordinary, and they had all manner of innate abilities. If they were all Sages, the two beast kings would become confident in fighting back.

Unfortunately, their opponent was a Sage. At this rate, they would be crushed.

"My master is already on his way," the Golden-Winged Great Peng said, left with no other option but to make use of his master in hopes of instilling fear in his opponent's heart. "If you stop now, we can let bygones be bygones."

At the same time, it realized that these people had to have recently descended, and it was proven by the fact that they couldn't recognize the Golden-Winged Great Peng. Regardless, the most pressing matter was resolving the crisis at hand.

"Your master?" The Spirit Clan's Ranker laughed. "This world has just awakened. How strong could your master be?"

He was truly arrogant, and he viewed Earth with contempt.

"Well, it's a shame, but... there's nothing I can do about it." He took another step forward, and the world force inside him became even stronger than before. A roaring sound filled the air as well.

Since they refused to obey him, there was no point in keeping them as pets or mounts. This world had just awakened; finding other beasts with similar bloodlines wouldn't be too difficult.

With that, the Spirit Clan's Ranke decided to kill the two beast kings.

"That master of yours won't be able to save you."

"Oh? Is that so?"

A cold, detached voice echoed as Lu Yuan tore through the void and emerged from it. He had come all the way from Mount Tai, and covering that distance in such a short time was no small feat. His gaze swept across the suppressed Golden-Winged Great Peng and Nine-tailed Fox King.

His expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, "Release them or die."

There were neither bells nor whistles. He simply declared what he wanted the young man to do, and that was it. As for the young man's identity, Lu Yuan couldn't care less.

"A human Sage?" The Spirit Clan's Ranker frowned upon seeing Lu Yuan. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"My lord, he must be that Lu Yuan!" one of the people beside him exclaimed. After all, this world only had one remarkable Sage, and it was Lu Yuan, who had destroyed the Immortals' plan for a full-on descent.

The faces of the surrounding Spirit Clan members changed, and wariness flooded their gazes. Lu Yuan's name had not echoed across the universe, but without question, every major clan and race in every starfield had heard of him.

He was, in every sense of the word, a vicious man. Before their descent, their elders had repeatedly warned them that Lu Yuan was someone best left unprovoked.

Since they had just arrived, they believed that there was no way they'd run into a conflict with him so soon. Yet, here they were.

"So... you're Lu Yuan." The Spirit Clan's Ranker was visibly shaken, but he composed himself quickly and said, "I come from the Spirit Clan of the Spirit Void Starfield. My name is Ling Que, and I am the Spirit Clan's third-ranked Ranker."

He hailed from a top one hundred starfield and held no small position within it. Both of them stood within the Sage Realm. Why should he be afraid?

"Did you not hear what I said?" asked Lu Yuan with a frown, and his gaze turned sharp as a blade. He truly couldn't care less about the young man before him. The issue was that the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Nine-tailed Fox King were still being suppressed.

Lu Yuan's aura grew thicker and more dangerous by the second. If the young man insisted on being stubborn, then Lu Yuan would have to deal with him personally.

"You certainly live up to your reputation. You're a vicious man indeed."

Ling Que could feel the sheer force of Lu Yuan's domineering nature and overwhelming presence. His elders had warned him, yes, but he had his own pride. Bowing his head so easily was out of the question.

After a while, he looked straight at Lu Yuan and asked, "And what if I don't release them?"

BOOM!

Immediately afterward, his aura erupted in response. The two auras collided in midair, pervading the space between them. Both sides did not yield even an inch to the other, and it was clear that a fight was imminent!

1. world force's energy is also called heaven-earth energy ☜