Chapter 69: Did I allow you to move?
"Prince, this place is crowded. It's not wise for you to act out..." Seeing Nolan's uncontrollable anger, Chancellor Neville quickly tried to calm him down.
"I'm well aware," Nolan gritted his teeth, his anger barely contained. "Do you know who I despise the most?"
"I do not, Your Highness," Chancellor Neville bowed.
"The ones I despise the most are those fools who are full of themselves, thinking others are smitten with them. That ridiculous Timothy, thinking he can attract a goddess with his clownish antics. Little does he know, the goddess has already shown me favor with her smiles,her heart belongs to me. Such delusional trash truly disgusts me."
"Uh..." Chancellor Neville paused for a moment, then nodded repeatedly, "You are right, Prince."
After venting, Nolan's rage seemed to subside slightly, but he still glared coldly at Timothy, his jaws clenched. "I'll spare him a few days of life. But since he dares to covet the goddess, once we leave the Blooming Sanctuary, I will make him suffer the cruelest torment before he dies!"
At that moment, the music competition ended with Timothy overwhelmingly defeating everyone, causing a stir among the crowd.
Holy Maiden Aeliana subtly glanced at Sylvia, then gracefully stood up, her voice pure and resonant: "The second part of this festival will be led by Timothy, who has emerged as the leader. Next..."
"Lucian, oh Lucian, today I must avenge you!" Just then, a cry interrupted Holy Maiden Aeliana.
Suddenly, a thick aura of murderous intent and rage filled the air.
Many monks turned towards the source of the voice, but when they saw who it was, their eyes widened in fear.
"Thunder Sage!"
This seemingly frail old man, holding a walking stick, was none other than the strongest High Priest under Holy Emperor Thunderflame!
Thunder Sage's bloodthirsty gaze swept over the crowd, locking onto Timothy.
"It was you who crippled Lucian, destroying his meridians and completely shattering his foundation.
Now, he's no better than a cripple, unable to cultivate ever again.
Boy, you dared to cripple the rare genius of our Thunderflame Valley.
Today, I will flay your skin and pull out your bones!"
"He crippled Lucian?"
"No wonder Lucian hasn't shown up yet!"
Instantly, the crowd of monks was abuzz with shock.
Even though Timothy's reputation had grown significantly due to the incident at the Valley of the Undead, it still paled in comparison to Lucian's.
After all, Lucian was a once-in-a-millennium prodigy from Thunderflame Valley, inheriting all the secret techniques of the Holy Emperor Thunderflame and enjoying the full favor of Thunder Sage.
Lucian's fame as a genius had long spread far and wide.
In countless secret realms and trials, the young disciples of various powers could only serve as a backdrop to Lucian, not even worthy to follow in his footsteps.
Such a genius, bearing the legacy of the Holy Emperor, was untouchable by any force in the world.
And yet, Timothy had single-handedly crippled him!
"Could it be that Timothy is stronger than I imagined?"
"This young man's strength and background are truly unfathomable. It seems I must inform my disciples about this when I return."
"With his own power, just how terrifying are Timothy's methods!"
As the monks marveled in their hearts.
Suddenly, a suffocating pressure filled with intense murderous intent enveloped the area.
"Mid-stage of Ocean's Gate!"
Everyone's gaze froze, utterly shocked that in such a short time, Thunder Sage had silently advanced to such a realm.
This time, Thunder Sage seemed truly intent on killing.
His eyes firmly fixed on Timothy, his figure transformed into a barely visible streak of lightning, disappearing from the spot.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, and Thunder Sage's shadow loomed overhead.
He was less than a hundred meters away from Timothy, his killing intent chilling.
"This old geezer!"
Although Timothy had faced many strong opponents so far, he had never felt such an overwhelming pressure.
The seemingly tiny bolts of lightning on Thunder Sage seemed to contain endless power.
This kind of lightning magic was far beyond Lucian's amateur level.
Being firmly targeted, even with the extreme speed granted by his Ancient Saintly Body, Timothy inexplicably felt trapped.
However, just as the annihilating thunderbolt was about to strike, it abruptly stopped.
"Who dares to obstruct me!"
Thunder Sage looked furiously in the direction of the interruption, only to find that it was Goddess Sylvia who had blocked his attack.
"Goddess Sylvia, this young man has completely crippled the once-in-a-millennium prodigy of my Thunderflame Valley.
No matter what, I must kill him today.
By stopping me, are you trying to recreate the scene from a hundred years ago when three Holy Emperors besieged your Sky Sanctuary?"
Thunder Sage's eyes were bloodshot, his anger uncontrollable.
The surrounding monks all knew his words were true.
Lucian, as a once-in-a-millennium prodigy who had inherited all the secret techniques of Holy Emperor Thunderflame, was virtually the future heir of Thunderflame Valley.
His existence was crucial for Thunderflame Valley.
Now that Lucian was completely crippled, it would undoubtedly provoke the fury of Holy Emperor Thunderflame!
The three Holy Emperors had only united against Goddess Sylvia to keep warm.
If they seized this opportunity, they might very well try to avenge the century-old grudge with all their might.
"Die!"
At this moment, Thunder Sage, his eyes bloodshot, completely lost control of his anger.
Endless thunder roared around him, as intimidating as the roar of tigers and dragons.
This strike was aimed directly at Timothy.
"Did I allow you to move?"
Suddenly, a cold voice came from behind.
Thunder Sage, already blinded by rage, thought he would no longer feel fear even facing Goddess Sylvia, as he had in the past.
But he realized he was wrong.
This cold voice seemed to contain supreme divine authority.
In an instant, Thunder Sage felt as if his entire body was covered in ice, stiff and trembling.
"Boom."
A bone-chilling gust of wind suddenly swept through, and just as Thunder Sage was about to reach Timothy, he was instantly thrown back.
"Do you want to make enemies of the three Holy Emperors at once?" Thunder Sage raged uncontrollably, suppressing the tremor in his heart, frantically trying to attack Timothy again.
But the next moment, he suddenly felt a chill in his abdomen.
Then came strands of pain.
Thunder Sage looked down in horror to see a trail of blood spreading across his waist.
His flesh was blurred, and half of his waist had been sliced off by a sword.
Pain and fear, like being swallowed by the darkness of the abyss, instantly overwhelmed him.
Thunder Sage's pupils shrank, his heart filled with terror.
But the overwhelming frost sword mark had already swept towards his face, and he felt as if his body was being split in two.
All sounds quieted down, only the flow of blood remained.
"Thud."
Thunder Sage's body fell to the ground, never to rise again.
...
"Just like that... killed with a single sword strike?"
The air seemed to freeze.
As a High Priest of Thunderflame Valley, Thunder Sage's mastery of lightning magic was second only to Holy Emperor Thunderflame himself.
His mid-stage Ocean's Gate power was nearly on par with a Holy Emperor.
Yet, he didn't even have a chance to fight back, mercilessly slain by Goddess Sylvia with a single strike!
It was unimaginable that despite the injuries from the great battle a century ago, Goddess Sylvia's strength had still increased at a terrifying rate.
If she truly wished, it seemed possible she could suppress all the cultivators present with her power alone.
Watching Thunder Sage's body collapse lifelessly, a renewed sense of supreme fear of Goddess Sylvia spread among everyone.
Initially, when they saw the Goddess interacting with Holy Maiden Aeliana and Timothy, her icy demeanor seemed somewhat thawed.
But now, no one dared harbor such absurd thoughts anymore.
Goddess Sylvia remained that deity, cold and aloof, not to be trifled with by anyone.
"Sylvia, by slaying Thunder Sage and destroying their once-in-a-millennium prodigy, I fear Holy Emperor Thunderflame won't let this go easily," Holy Maiden Aeliana approached Sylvia, her tone tinged with concern.
"It doesn't matter. Those three Holy Emperors, each and every one of them, if they dare covet Sky Sanctuary, I wouldn't mind cutting down all three. Besides, I've been wanting to settle that century-old grudge," Sylvia's eyes were cold, each word she spoke seemed to emit a chilling menace and murderous intent.
This made everyone simultaneously think: "What dominance!"
Only such a spirit could befit the Supreme Goddess!
"I understand. Should that day come, Blooming Sanctuary will lend all its strength to aid you in battle," Holy Maiden Aeliana nodded.
"No need, I alone am enough."
"…"