Chapter 1177: Chapter 739: The Youngest Supreme Expert in History

The middle-aged man, who carried an air of scholarly elegance, merely glanced casually at Tianya before him, who had already reached the status of a Half-step Celestial God. Even as one of the most formidable beings on Earth, Tianya still bowed deeply with utmost respect under the man’s gaze.

“Who might this be? If it isn’t little Yazi. After so many years, you’ve certainly become the cream of the crop!”

A hint of faint sentimentality flickered in the middle-aged man’s eyes, as if, in his view, this year’s one hundred and thirty-seven-year-old Tianya was merely a greenhorn.

In front of him, Tianya’s demeanor was exceedingly respectful. He bowed deeply once more before sincerely responding:

“It has been sixty years since I last received guidance from Elder Xue. At that time, Tianya had just advanced to the rank of Great Grandmaster Chu Jie. Without Elder Xue’s teachings, there would be no Tianya today.”

Amidst Tianya’s profound reverence, the scholarly elegant middle-aged man nodded with a smile, and after a moment, as if on a whim, he inquired:

“I have come today to discuss some private matters with Mr. Chu. Little Yazi, which side do you plan to stand on?”

Upon the delivery of the man’s casual words, a look of hesitation and gravity immediately surfaced on Tianya’s face, who was standing in the center of the hall.

For someone like Tianya, who is among the strongest Martial Artists in the world, they are generally of a resolute nature, hardly swayed by any external force, and once they make up their mind, they hardly ever change their decision.

Just now, upon witnessing the terrifying domain of Chu Mo, Tianya had resolved to pledge allegiance under Chu Mo’s tutelage. If he could comprehend the domain released by Chu Jie, then advancing to the true realm of Celestial God was no longer just a dream.

Tianya had already decided he would stand behind Chu Mo forever, willing to step forward and relieve Chu Mo of his troubles in any situation.

However, to his surprise, no sooner had he made up his mind than the Elder of the Xue family appeared in person.

It must be known that the Xue family, as Hua Country’s most mysterious and powerful hidden noble clan, hasn’t appeared in the world of martial arts for a hundred years, to the point where only a few even know of the Xue family’s existence.

However, the absence of the Xue family from public view does not mean they have fallen; on the contrary, only those with sufficient power to reach the upper echelons can truly grasp the terror of the Xue family. Not to speak of faraway instances, one needs only to consider the once-respected pinnacle of martial arts and the venerated Abbot Zhi Shang of Shaolin, who was personally elevated by the Xue family. It was with the Xue family’s backing that Zhi Shang was able to rise above his fellow, Zhi Hui, eventually taking the position of Abbot of Shaolin Temple.

As the number one martial arts sect, Shaolin Temple was thoroughly influenced by the Xue family. As for other factions of similar strength, they naturally cannot escape involvement. It could be said that behind the topmost powers in Hua Country, the shadow of the Xue family can almost always be found.

Therefore, even though the Xue family has been reclusive for a hundred years and many are now unaware of its existence, for those truly top-tier powerhouses, the Xue family remains a God-like terrifying entity.

The Elder of the Xue family in front of him had once shown great kindness to Tianya, who at the time was merely a Half-step Grandmaster struggling to break through the Earthly Barrier. Despite decades of relentless training, he could not conquer the final hurdle. Then, by chance, he met the Elder of the Xue family, who effortlessly shattered the Earthly Barrier that had troubled Tianya for years, thereby advancing to the true Grandmaster realm of martial arts.

And since then, Tianya, originally of modest talent, made rapid progress in his cultivation. Even the Heavenly Barrier that stopped the majority could not hold him back. Once Tianya reached the pinnacle of high-ranking Great Grandmasters, he realized the terrifying energy contained in the Xue family Elder’s casual gesture from back then.

Even now that Tianya has achieved Half-step Celestial God status, he still cannot compare to the Xue family Elder of those years.

For this reason, the kindness of the Xue family Elder before him was of utmost importance. Tianya had yet to return the favor, and to bite the hand that fed him upon meeting would be to betray it. Putting aside whether he could win, such an act of ingratitude was something Tianya could not bring himself to do.

Thus, Tianya was unusually conflicted in this moment.

However, just a moment later, his gaze shifted toward Chu Mo standing behind him. Reflecting on the terrifying domain that Chu Mo possessed, Tianya could not help but let out a self-deprecating laugh, shaking his head with a wry smile as he obediently stepped aside.

At this moment, Tianya felt that his earlier confidence had been overly presumptuous.

In the presence of the two men, whether it’s Chu Mo, the mysterious and profoundly powerful gentleman from Hua Country, or the age-unknown Xue family Elder, who might well be over two hundred years old, it was clear that both were extraordinary powerhouses transcending the mundane. In this level of high-stakes confrontation, should the two unleash their terrifying domains, even if Tianya wished to intervene, he might only end up being casually annihilated by them.

A tinge of bitterness flashed in Tianya’s eyes at that moment.

Though he was an absolute strongman in the secular world, an unbeatable Half-step Celestial God, a legendary figure, not to mention superior to any Martial Artist or Great Grandmaster, in the presence of these two transcendent beings, he felt as insignificant as an ant, both capable of dispatching him with a mere wave of their hand, much like how Tianya himself could easily defeat an ordinary Great Grandmaster.