Soon, a person stopped not far from Billy. Everyone looked over and saw an old man with white hair, whose actual age was indiscernible.
“Elder Stinton!” Mark Thomas, Daniel Hill, and Larry Bell all greeted the old man at the same time.
The old man nodded slightly at the three of them. Then, he looked at Billy and said, “I am Scott Stinton. It’s an honor to meet you, Commander Gardner!”
“What’s the matter?” Billy asked casually.
“I’ve heard that Commander Gardner is the young master of Ether Mountain, proficient in various Ether Mountain techniques!” the old man responded. “I’ve always been curious about the techniques of Ether Mountain, so I wonder if Commander Gardner could kindly enlighten me?”
“Damn! You shameless old man!” Bob cursed. “As a Saint Realm one, you voluntarily challenge an Eighth-rank Sovereign. Can you be any more shameless?”
“I only broke through to the Saint Realm half a year ago,” the old man didn’t get angry and faintly smiled before continuing to look at Billy. “If Commander Gardner feels that the two levels are too disparate, I can suppress my cultivation to the Eighth-rank Sovereign!”
It was clear that he was trying to retreat while advancing. If Billy really needed him to suppress his cultivation for the battle, it meant that Billy had already lost before it even began. In a world where the strong were respected, in a battle between two parties, no one cared about the difference in cultivation levels.
“Do you really want to fight me?” Billy squinted his eyes and asked.
“I hope Commander Gardner can fulfill my request.”
“Alright!” Billy responded solemnly. “You don’t need to suppress your cultivation. Give it your all. As long as you can take one of my moves, I’ll consider it your victory!”
With his spiritual strength, how could Billy not know that the other party was trying to show off his power?
Hearing Billy’s words, both Stout and Soul Chaser felt a bit worried about him.
“Commander Gardner is indeed as confident as the rumors say!” the old man laughed and made a respectful gesture. “Please proceed!”
Mark Thomas and the others stared at Billy with a disdainful expression, as if they were looking at an idiot. Sovereign and Saint Realm were absolutely two completely different levels. Even if Billy’s talent was strong, there was no chance of winning.
Two minutes later, Billy and the old man arrived at an empty space on the side. Billy didn’t hold any weapon in his hand and directly threw Bloodshadow Fury Blade to Stout. Since the old man wanted to learn Ether Mountain techniques, Billy wanted to satisfy his curiosity.
“Be careful!” Harleen’s face showed a worried expression.
Casey, Ivy, and the others also felt a bit worried. After all, this was Billy’ first battle against a Saint Realm expert.
“Commander Gardner, I apologize!”
As the old man shouted loudly, his aura instantly exploded, causing the surrounding crowd to retreat. In the next moment, the old man’s hands opened and closed vigorously, causing the air around him to surge wildly. Soon, a semi-circular barrier formed in front of him, surrounded by thunder and lightning.
“Take this!” the old man shouted again, and with a strong push of his hands, the semi-circular barrier, accompanied by thunder and lightning, rushed towards Billy. Wherever it passed, the strong wind howled, and the air waves surged. Just this momentum alone was not something that a Half-Step Saint Realm could compare to.
“You want to see techniques of Ether Mountain? I’ll show you!” Billy said as he took two steps forward. He twisted his gaze and pulled out several afterimages with his hands.
“Five Elements Secret Art, Metal Technique, activate!”
In the next moment, the weapons in the weapon shops on both sides of the street, as if possessed by magic, flew up into the air one after another. Including the crowd around, anyone with cultivation below the Sovereign Realm had their weapons uncontrollably slip from their hands. Soon, the sky was filled with all kinds of cold weapons, with over a thousand blades, covering the sky.
“Shatter!” Billy uttered in a deep voice, and thousands of swords shot towards the old man like a unstoppable force.
“Commander Gardner, you’re too arrogant!” The old man glanced at the swords filling the sky, showing no signs of panic. “While your secret technique is decent, you’re too optimistic if you think you can break through my defense with just that!”
“Is that so?” Billy replied nonchalantly. Immediately, he narrowed his gaze and released a powerful mental shockwave.
“You, an eighth-rank Sovereign, actually want to initiate a spiritual attack. That’s a bit…” The old man’s face suddenly changed halfway through his sentence, his pupils filled with astonishment. At the same time, the semi-circular barrier seemed to tremble, weakening its momentum. Then, countless swords pierced through the barrier and shot towards him.
The rain of swords descended rapidly, piercing the ground around the old man and trapping him in the center. Following that, while the old man was still trying to react, a sword stabbed towards his forehead. He wanted to dodge, but his reaction speed couldn’t keep up. He could only watch as the sword rapidly enlarged in his pupils. Just when the old man thought he was about to meet his demise, the sword stopped just one fist-length away from his forehead.
The entire scene fell quiet. Everyone, including Casey and the others, wore expressions of extreme shock. Never had they expected a genuine Saint Realm expert couldn’t even withstand a single move. It was inconceivable. Even Ernest Shepherd, Milo Guzman, and Otis Hum couldn’t help but feel amazed and silently admire Billy’s growth. When they first met him, Billy was only at the Half-Step War God-Emperor realm. But in less than a year, he had surpassed them to an extent they couldn’t help but feel inferior.
“Damn!” Stout exclaimed. “Boss is too insane!”
Ivy raised her hand and slapped her brother on the back of his head.
“What do you have to say now? Billy used his spiritual strength to control the sword and pointed it at the old man, speaking in a calm tone.
A drop of sweat the size of a soybean rolled down the old man’s forehead.
“Th-thank you, Commander Gardner, for sparing my life!” While speaking, waves of shock and awe surged within him. He was not only amazed by Billy’s martial arts skills, but also by his spiritual strength. To possess a spiritual strength level higher than his own, despite being at the Eighth-rank Sovereign realm, was unheard of.
“This is the first and last time. If there’s a next time, you’ll die!” Billy responded with a deep voice. He didn’t kill the old man because he didn’t deserve to die for his crimes. Moreover, the old man was a Saint martial artist, and it would be a waste to kill him like this. If he were to die, it should be on the battlefield.
As Billy finished speaking, the sword suspended in the air fell to the ground.
“There… there won’t be a next time…” the old man replied, struggling to speak.
“Do you three have anything else to say?” Billy then turned to Mark Thomas and the others.