Chapter 116: The Power of the Fire Poker

Now, capturing Long Ruxuan offered the best chance of tracking down the legendary dragon. If they could find the dragon and secure its treasures, it would be a monumental achievement—a true encounter with destiny!

On the arena, Li Ming and Zhang Ao, spurred on by the middle-aged man, suppressed their inner terror and raised their treasures high. Immediately, a terrifying power erupted from the artifacts, potent enough to shatter the heavens and destroy the earth!

In Li Ming’s hand was a seal, etched with mysterious, miraculous immortal runes. As soon as he activated the artifact, the entire iron-stone stage exploded, sending debris flying everywhere!

Zhang Ao clutched a divine sword, which shimmered with such brilliant light that it seemed capable of tearing through space with the slightest movement. As the sword appeared, a thunderous roar echoed across the sky above the Jixing Sacred Ground, scattering the clouds instantly.

Everyone present, unable to withstand the sheer might of these two treasures, collapsed to their knees, prostrating themselves. Were these truly artifacts of the True Immortal level? They were forces that the entire Tianwu Realm could barely hope to resist! The crowd trembled, none daring to utter a word.

Yet, on the stage, Long Ruxuan stood indifferent, hands folded. Seeing his opponents unleash their weapons, he calmly reached out and produced his own: a fire-poker, stained with soot and looking utterly unremarkable. But even this humble tool carried an air of profound mystery the moment it appeared.

Long Ruxuan swung the poker down hard toward Li Ming and Zhang Ao.

"Boom!"

A piercing sound, like a terrifying celestial thunderbolt, shattered the air. Li Ming never even had the chance to use his great seal; he simply vanished from the spot, along with his True Immortal-grade treasure. Zhang Ao, standing slightly further away, managed only one final scream before he, too, vanished. The golden divine sword he held melted into a pool of liquid on the ground, churned for a moment, and then evaporated into a wisp of smoke that drifted into the sky.

The momentum of Long Ruxuan’s strike did not stop there. The very mountain housing the Jixing Sacred Ground began to shake violently, and before the eyes of all, it was cleaved in two by an invisible force. The shockwaves rippled outward, devastating the surrounding mountain ranges. The power to annihilate heaven and earth filled the onlookers with primal dread.

On the stage, Cao Renjian and the Holy Master of Lufu Palace remained firmly on their knees, their heads pressed tightly against the ground, not daring to lift them—it was the only way to soothe their panicked hearts.

"What... what kind of staff is that? Could it be the one from the legends?"

"No... impossible! That is a weapon unrivaled in the entire Immortal Realm!"

The man beside Qi Ming was trembling uncontrollably, struggling to remain upright, his inner terror impossible to contain. "It must be that staff. It could be nothing else. It is mine! I shall dominate the Immortal Realm; that staff belongs to me!"

As he spoke, greed burned in his eyes like a wildfire. Casting aside all caution, he leaped toward Long Ruxuan, determined to seize the fire-poker. Qi Ming, equally desperate, followed him. Even if they had to join forces, they were determined to claim the prize.

But as they approached, they were struck by the residual shockwaves of the previous blow.

"No! No...!"

Both men let out agonizing cries. Even the aftermath of the fire-poker was enough to extinguish the lives of two True Immortals with ease. Qi Ming and his companion struggled and shrieked, unleashing the full extent of their cultivation to resist the force, causing the Jixing Sacred Ground to shudder under the pressure of their desperate efforts.

But it was all in vain.

Long Ruxuan merely flicked the fire-poker—a motion so minute it was almost imperceptible. Yet, the two True Immortals could not withstand even this slight disturbance; they exploded into mist before the crowd. When the noise finally ceased, there was no sign of Qi Ming or the other immortal. Only a faint scent of blood and a lingering crimson haze remained in the air.

The entire Jixing Sacred Ground felt as though it had been drenched in a downpour. It lay in ruins, as if struck by a cataclysmic earthquake; palaces had collapsed, and the tournament stage was utterly destroyed. Even the sacred mountain itself was split in two.

In the stands, the spectators remained prostrate and trembling, with the exception of An Yue’er, Leng Qianxue, and their companions. A deathly silence descended, as if the entire sacred ground had been swallowed by a void.

The damage caused by the fire-poker had clearly reached far beyond the immediate vicinity, but no one dared to look up, remaining knelt in terrified silence. That single strike had instilled a fear far greater than any True Immortal ever could. The disappearance of Li Ming and Zhang Ao, the melting of True Immortal-grade artifacts, and the annihilation of the immortals themselves—it all coalesced into a singular, terrifying reality: they did not doubt that this staff could extinguish the entire Tianwu Realm.

In front of the stage, only Long Ruxuan, Long Ru, An Yue’er, and Leng Qianxue remained standing. Each of them possessed extraordinary treasures gifted by Zhu Xiaoyuan, which shielded them from the dangerous aura and allowed them to remain unharmed.

"My goodness! This is too terrifying! Is Master's fire-poker really this powerful?" Lu Ran stood stunned. It wasn’t that he lacked experience, but surely no one had ever witnessed a simple fire-poker bring the entire Tianwu Realm to the brink of extinction.

Lu Ran knew in his heart that this poker was merely the most mundane item in Zhu Xiaoyuan’s courtyard—even the most ordinary object there would be more powerful than this. Yet, even this humble thing possessed such world-shattering might, disposing of True Immortals as if they were nothing.

"Senior Zhu, this is... incredible! Those were two True Immortals..."