As Zhou Bai's voice echoed between heaven and earth, everyone's gaze followed his line of sight, turning to the Floating Palace where Xiang Tiandi was.

Arrogant! Presumptuous!

Upon hearing Zhou Bai's words, everyone instinctively had the same thought.

The Zhou Bai before them was incredibly arrogant, to openly provoke Thunder Fire, the marshal of the Immortals, a top entity amongst the four chief deities — something unimaginable in days gone by.

But then they thought of how he had just killed the demon gods with a single palm strike, and immediately some felt that Zhou Bai's arrogance may not be unfounded.

'Perhaps... he really has the power to defeat Marshal Xiang?' Just as this thought crossed Zhang Tianxin's mind, he immediately suppressed the disrespectful idea.

But the seed of doubt had been planted; at that moment, all the heavenly cultivators present no longer saw Immortals and gods as invincible or unbeatable for mortals.

Seemingly anticipating this, Xiang Tiandi within the palace let out a cold chuckle, "Impressive, Zhou Bai... I originally thought I had esteemed you highly enough, yet it seems I still underestimated your potential and strength."

Xiang Haocu asked, "Father, do you need to discontinue the projection?"

Xiang Tiandi gestured dismissively, "Continue the projection."

If they had stopped the projection before the demon gods' slayer had been killed, it would have been easy to concoct an excuse to cover it up, and in the end, it would have been fine as long as Zhou Bai ended up dead.

But now, in front of all the humans across the world watching Zhou Bai kill the demon gods' slayer with a single palm strike, Xiang Tiandi knew they couldn't just stop the projection any longer, as it would cause an extremely negative impact.

Even if Zhou Bai were to be killed afterward, that impact would be difficult to reverse.

Especially since Zhou Bai was, in a way, standing up for the Sky Flipping Sect — how many humans witnessing this scene would plant the seeds of rebellion against the Immortals in their hearts? And how many would begin practicing the Heavenly Demon Ten Techniques, foolishly seeking to defeat the Immortals?

When the time comes, with war raging everywhere, they wouldn't be able to stamp out the fires fast enough, not knowing how many would have to be killed, nor how many powerful demonic bloodlines would awaken.

'We must continue the projection, to redeem the demon gods' slayer's failure and minimize the negative impact caused by Zhou Bai,' Xiang Tiandi reflected.

A gleam of calculation flashed in Xiang Tiandi's eyes as he contemplated the situation on the ground, slowly rising to his feet.

'The clone tactic has already been used by Immortal Ming Yue. Using it again would not only be unconvincing but would even raise doubts about Ming Yue's defeat.'

' Then, there's only one option left...'

Thinking of the current predicament, Xiang Tiandi couldn't help but frown inwardly, feeling that these Immortals from Wanxian Island were truly unreliable.

'A bunch of useless beings; in the end, it's up to me to clean up the mess.'

Shaking his head, Xiang Tiandi stepped forward and walked toward the location of the Heavenly Arena.

On the side, Xiang Haocu couldn't help saying, "Father… please be extra cautious."

Xiang Tiandi returned with a faint smile, "Don't worry, Zhou Bai can't turn the sky upside down."

He sensed the situation within his Luotian Realm and seemed to see a terrifying figure rising and falling, emitting a heartbeat skipping aura.

With an everything-is-under-control smile, Xiang Tiandi stepped into the sky, his body bursting with streaks of thunder like a suit of lightning armor he had donned.

At the same time, as Xiang Tiandi's thoughts shifted and his magic was activated, Primordial Spirit power surged, and the sky suddenly darkened, with clouds rolling and lightning dragons shuttling back and forth in the clouds, thundering loudly.

And as the clouds expanded with the ascension of Xiang Tiandi's power, they turned the entire firmament pitch black, completely covering the sunlight's brilliance.

With each step Xiang Tiandi took, the thunder in the sky grew more intense. When he approached the Heavenly Arena above, nine exploding Thunder Dragons entwined together in the clouds; their roar sounded like a sun was ignited in the sky, illuminating the entire world.

Terrifying flashes of lightning traveled to and fro in the atmosphere, and the cultivators in the sky felt a bone-deep terror emanating from the clouds.

Xiang Tiandi under the lightning glow was like the Thunder God who carried out heavenly punishments, exuding endless majesty, with his aura infinitely elevated by the thunder light.

As the electrical charge in the air kept increasing, a sensation of pricking and numbness appeared on the skin of everyone present.

Even isolated bolts of lightning began to scatter, striking directly onto the ground ruins, booming loudly and leaving behind scorched marks of Thunder Fire.

Thus, Xiang Tiandi stepped forward to make his presence known, his thunderous aura speaking louder than words, and with sheer presence, he captivated everyone's gaze and displayed the utmost prestige of the Marshall of Thunder, causing the crowd to unconsciously cease all speculation and conjuncture.

Zhou Bai could feel a massive convergence of spiritual energy, force, and lightning on Xiang Tiandi. The opponent's aura seemed to grow unceasingly.

Zhou Bai cursed internally, "This bastard has no shame; it seems like he's planning to gather power outside the arena and then enter to hit me with a big move."

Christina too could sense the frantic increase in the opponent's power. The lightning in the sky grew denser, turning into a thunderstorm inferno, where even the mere shine of the lightning could blind ordinary people.

"The spiritual energy from a hundred miles around is probably converging here," Christina said. "We can't let him keep powering up indefinitely. If he lands the first blow on the Heavenly Arena, it might directly shatter your Void Crown and inflict severe damage.."

Zhou Bai's gaze shifted slightly as he looked toward Xiang Tiandi, exuding the aura of a nine heavens thunder god. His tone was as tranquil as a still well, yet his voice, accompanied by Primordial Spirit power, rose above the thunder and resounded across the entire battlefield:

"Xiang Tiandi, even the Slayer of Ghosts and Gods couldn't take one of my moves. I hope you won't disappoint me.

I know your Nine Heavens Demon Clearing Thunder Technique values momentum build-up, but I won't obstruct you. Let's see if your ultimate strike at its peak can satisfy me."

…

Spectator Slayer of Ghosts and Gods coldly commented, "Zhou Bai is really full of himself. And since when did the Nine Heavens Demon Clearing Thunder Technique prioritize power accumulation? Utter nonsense."

He glared in Zhou Bai's direction, annoyed that the youngster had misled the crowd again, claiming they couldn't even take one of his moves. In reality, it was Zhou Bai who had been battered by him in the Luotian Realm, scurrying away with his tail between his legs, yet no one witnessed that scene.

Spectator Li Xiuzhu said, "He's forcing Xiang Tiandi to make a move earlier than planned. The battle started the moment the verbal confrontation began. Zhou Bai is very skilled at applying psychological pressure through words to gain an advantage in battle, so it's not going to be that easy for Xiang Tiandi to suppress him."