By this point, the majority believed that Li Qiye had learned a technique created by Dhyana Dao Lord that’s on the same level as World Crossing.

Li Qiye always had such good luck as if he was blessed by heaven. Everyone naturally became jealous of him.

“Bam!” Debris scattered everywhere as two figures flew upward, looking quite embarrassed.

They were none other than Hu Ben and Phantom.

Numerous youths cheered after seeing this, feeling way better.

“Good, they’re still alive.” One expert heaved a sigh of relief.

These two renowned geniuses could compete against some cultivators of the last generation and win. If they were to be killed by one hand raise from Li Qiye, the rest of the holy ground would feel immense pressure.

How could they ever look straight at Li Qiye again? He would completely overshadow everyone else.

Though the two survived, they didn’t look great at all. Both were bloodied, especially Hu Ben. His body was twisted with numerous broken bones. Anyone else would be bedridden right now, becoming a cripple.

This was indicative of their power - capable of standing straight despite the grievous injuries.

They began using a great number of ointments and medicines to stabilize their wounds.

“Ah!” The third prince was still screaming while being under the pagoda. Struggling was useless unless he had some assistance.

“Brother Hu Ben, save me!” He had no choice but to ask his allies for help.

Due to their friendship, Hu Ben immediately wanted to rush over. However, Phantom appeared in front of him and raised his arm to stop.

“What are you doing?” Hu Ben frowned.

“No rush, Brother Hu Ben, we can do it after we defeat Li Qiye.” Phantom said seriously.

Hu Ben wasn’t an idiot and understood right away. The third prince was the weakest among them. He was of no use in battle and would actually drag them down.

They could save him once but a second time? They had no time to divert their attention during this crucial battle.

It was better to leave the guy suppressed because his life wasn’t in any danger.

In the end, Hu Ben gave up and agreed with Phantom’s assessment.

“Brother!” The prince shuddered and shouted again.

This time, Hu Ben didn’t say anything. The prince realized that these two wouldn’t come to save him.

The spectators watched in silence. Some understood the duo’s choice. The prince was mangled beneath that pagoda. He would only be a hindrance in battle.

Li Qiye seemed amused as he stretched and said: “One more chance, do your best now because there won’t be another.”

His nonchalant tone made it sound as if he wasn’t on a battlefield. However, everyone became frozen, including his foes.

They really believed that he could easily take down these geniuses at this point. The tree still had plenty of fruits left. He could take down a few more and instantly kill Hu Ben and Phantom.

The duo contemplated. They still had some ace cards left but if these were to fail, that would spell the end for them.

Nonetheless, it was indeed their last chance. They needed to kill Li Qiye in order to stay alive. Taking a risk was absolutely essential now.

As for the powerful spectators, they didn’t think highly of the two’s chances any longer. Nothing they do should be able to stop those Buddhist fruits.

“Idiot!” An authoritative voice suddenly came from somewhere in the capital. It was dignified and oppressive, akin to the voice of a god.

“His power is from the resources of the holy ground.” The voice continued to guide Hu Ben: “Your treasure can change everything. Sever the foundation.”

An answer dawned on Hu Ben. He clapped his hands and said: ‘I see, thank you, Royal Uncle.” He bowed towards that direction before discussing with Phantom.

The crowd was shaken to hear this voice.

“Is that the guardian of Vajra?” One speculated.

“One of the four grandmasters?!” A youth was startled to hear this due to the power of the four.

Very few have met the guardian of Vajra. This person’s identity has been a mystery. Rumor has it that Hu Ben was a disciple of the guardian.

“No, that’s not the guardian.” An ancestor revealed: “That’s the supreme brother.” [1]

“Supreme brother??” A youth has never heard of this title before.

As for the older cultivators, most have heard of this title. One said: “Supreme Brother Jianhao, one of the top students from Duality back then from the same class as Five-colored Sacred Sovereign, right?”

“Yes, the same class as Archaic Sun King too but the king left way earlier compared to them.” One ancestor said.

1. A hard title to translate. Three characters consisting of imperial/king, supreme, and younger brother. The historical context and usage is meant for the younger brother of the king. This younger brother is designated as the next king instead of the king’s son who would have the title of crown prince. A literal translation would be, Imperial Supreme Younger Brother. I tried to come up with another word - a cooler one - for brother but I don’t think there’s any unless I want to go Latin which doesn’t fit a Chinese translation, especially not an official title. Supreme Brother is close enough to work with the narrative while being succinct versus the literal translation. My previous choices were Grand Prince and Imperial Brother. Prince/King is the official title for the brother of a king/emperor but it doesn’t fit the narrative and subsequent conversation. Imperial Brother is inferior to Supreme Brother also for narrative reasons.