Xuanyuan Xie was the younger brother of the Earth Branch Sect Master, Xuanyuan Dao, and the true number two figure of the Archaic House of Xuanyuan.

“Xie!”

With a smile on his face, Yi Xingyin accepted a hug from the man.

"No way, you’re so weak. How are you supposed to help! Are you sure you’re not trying to make things harder for me?” Xuanyuan Xie squeezed his arm with feigned mockery.

“Don't judge me by my appearance. As long as I'm here, the formation will remain strong," said Yi Xingyin.

“Yeah, right! Stop boasting. I’m old and it’s getting harder to take it. I believe you, alright?" Xuanyuan Xie then turned to greet Dao Yuanyi and Chen Cangshu.

Next to Xuanyuan Xie was a woman dressed in white. As she floated in the wind, her long hair fluttered in the wind. Quiet and at ease, she had an outstanding temperament. She was clearly an accomplished woman. She was obviously about the same age as Xuanyuan Xie and the others, but still looked young and beautiful, like an older sister.

“Wanfeng, it’s been a while.” Yi Xingyin smiled.

“Yes, it’s been a long time.” Su Wanfeng nodded, her lips curling into a smile. She was the city lord of Tianming City.

There were a hundred and eight cities in Archaion, but only about a dozen city lords. Su Wanfeng was one of them. Although she seemed gentle, she was certainly exceptional to be able to manage the first city in the south.

“Yi, I’m warning you. Don't think you can grin at my wife with those sneaky eyes. Stay away from her.” Xuanyuan Xie glared.

“Just as I had expected, you’re still so rumbustious. How are you a divine marshall?" Yi Xingyin spread his hands and said contemptuously.

“I’ll poke your old bottom!”

Su Wanfeng smiled as she watched them joke around.

“Come on. You’re more than three hundred years old put together. Stop acting like you’re three! Come inside the city. The guys in the south should arrive soon," said Su Wanfeng.

“Hurry up! I hear the imperial son is here.”

Slapping himself in the head, Xuanyuan Xie quickly searched among the crowd. He was very clever. Even if he had never met Tianming, all it took was one glance to recognize him.

“Imperial Son!” He quickly walked up to Tianming. Upon studying the young man, he said, "I’ve admired you for quite some time. Seeing you is definitely better than hearing about you. You’re really amazing!"

“Divine Marshall, you’re exactly as the rumors say you are—handsome and brave!” Tianming replied.

“You’re a man of good taste, a fellow friend!” He looked at Tianming with appreciation. "You’ve really convinced me. Here you are, rushing to fight the enemy right after escaping from the Kilostar Domain. How thrilling! But if they know you’re here, Tianming City will certainly draw more firepower."

“Am I causing trouble?” asked Tianming.

“It’s alright. Worse comes to worst, you can run off by yourself,” said Xuanyuan Xie.

“That makes sense,” Tianming laughed.

“Come, follow me to the city. I don’t think you’ll have time to rest. Our enemies have almost assembled their armies and will most likely attack when it gets dark," said Xuanyuan Xie.

“Alright!”

Tianming glanced to the south. The vast lands were surging with killing intent and shrouded by the shadow of death. He turned around, only to see Xuanyuan Xie smacking Xuanyuan Yucheng and Xuanyuan Muxue.

“Who allowed a bunch of rookies like you to walk right into your graves?”

“I wanted to come,” said Xuanyuan Muxue.

“How strong are you? What abilities do you have? How many people can you kill?” Xuanyuan Xie shouted.

“I’ll kill as many as I can. It’s my life, I’ll make my own decisions,” said Xuanyuan Muxue.

“Looks like you’ve got some backbone. In a while, you’ll be able to see what corpse puppets and beasts are, and what a real battlefield looks like. You’d better not tremble and embarrass the Archaic House of Xuanyuan," Xuanyuan Xie sneered.

“Don’t worry, we won’t.” They answered.

“Very well, since you’re here, I’ll give you a warning: you can die, but you can’t surrender. If I see you kneel, I’ll kill you myself!"

“We won’t!” Blood pumping through their veins, the youths used all their energy to assure him.

Xuanyuan Xie pursed his lips. He couldn’t be bothered to pay any attention to them.

“Imperial Son, I’m sorry you had to see that,” said Xuanyuan Xie.

“It’s alright. It just shows how much you care for them,” Tianming replied.

“What a headache! I just want to make sure the Xuanyuan clan lives on. These kids have a long future ahead of them. Isn’t it better to stay home?” Xuanyuan Xie said sadly.

“Divine Marshal, I’m also a ‘kid’,” Tianming said with a smile.

That's true.” Xuanyuan Xie patted him on the shoulder and said, "Then let us youths team up and knock down our enemy’s flag!”

“You’re middle-aged—”

“Shut up!”

……

Tianming City was enormous. In terms of scale, it was at least equivalent to the Divine Capital. The fact that the Sun-Moon-Star Formation could encompass the entire city spoke for its vastness. This was the power of a third-origin formation.

The tribulation elders entered the city. Tianming’s arrival couldn’t be concealed at all; thus, Xuanyuan Xie brought them up above the city as soon as they entered.

Countless spirit threads stretched through the hemispherical formation. The colorful spirit threads covered the entire city, permeating each and every house. And within the row upon row of houses were tens of millions of people. Whether or not they were lucky to have been brought to the city remained to be seen. None of them would be able to escape if the enemy breached the city.

“Brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, little ones, come out and see who’s here!"

Xuanyuan Xie's voice shook half the city. Many people raised their heads and blankly stared at him, only to notice a white-haired young man next to him. At the same time, Tianming was watching them. The dense crowd filled with the old and young, along with their relatives and friends amidst the fear and gloom.

“Tell me, who is he?” Xuanyuan Xie shouted.

“I-it’s the imperial son!”

The moment the first person recognized him, overwhelming cheers swept across the entire city.

“The imperial son is here!”

“Blessings from the progenitor!”

A deafening cacophony of voices rose into the sky.

Tianming was startled. Only when he arrived here did he realize what a reputation he had in Archaion. From the Number One Summit to the Kilostar Domain, the miracles he created had become Archaion’s pillars of faith.

“This is the power of the people. It’s their faith...."

He could see the condensation of their heavenly will. This was still before the war; obviously, Tianming’s arrival had inspired their fighting spirit.

“Say something.” Xuanyuan Xie patted Tianming on the shoulder.

This was the first time he had faced the masses with such an identity. Tianming couldn’t help feeling nervous.

“Everyone...” He took a deep breath, “the imperial son is supreme!”

Before Tianming could speak further, he was drowned out by their thunderous voices.