MIGHT AS WELL BE OP Chapter 1261: The Great Wall

Anthony didn’t bother with the words he heard from the Inner and Core disciples. He didn’t even glance at any of them, as though he didn’t acknowledge them at all. He simply followed behind Jarod as though they weren’t talking about him.

’So when The Punisher said they were going to make an announcement about me, he wasn’t joking,’ Anthony mused to himself as he walked.

In just three days of ascending to the Ecliptica Galaxy, he was already famous within the Null Sect. But Anthony wasn’t bothered. He was already used to the attention he gathered wherever he went from a very young age, starting from his days at the Omni Peak Academy back on Blue Planet.

Anthony’s eyes shifted towards Jarod, who had changed his walking pace and posture. He couldn’t help but give the guy a small smile as he spoke.

"Why are you raising your head like a peacock basking in the attention?" Anthony asked playfully.

Jarod, who had already begun to understand the kind of personality Anthony had, spoke freely. "As a mere servant, my status is bound to rise within the sect since I’m a servant serving an Above disciple directly," a smile appeared on his lips as he spoke. "A few disciples will certainly try to curry favor with me, even bribing me to pass messages to you and things like that. And with you being a direct descendant of the Sect Master, my own personal status is bound to rise above that of the other servants serving the Above disciples," he explained, his smile widening slightly as he imagined the treatment he would receive from now on.

Anthony stayed silent for a moment before simply nodding his head without another word. He had no issue with Jarod riding on his name, as long as it was done passively and not actively. After all, a foolish servant might eventually start causing trouble using his name, something Anthony had no intention of allowing. As long as Jarod understood his limits and acted with common sense, Anthony couldn’t care less if his position improved because of him.

Soon, they arrived at the area reserved for the Above disciples. The moment they approached, an invisible wall that seemed to block both sight and everything beyond it flickered before vanishing, allowing passage for Anthony and Jarod.

"What you just saw is called the Great Wall," Jarod explained as he walked. "It’s used to hide the area where the Above disciples stay. Anyone who walks into this area would simply be stopped by an invisible wall that has merged with reality itself," he stated.

Anthony’s sky-blue eyes shifted to the side, and there he could see that the so-called Great Wall was simply the work of a formation.

The moment Anthony entered, he could sense an enormous amount of ambient Origin Essence Energy filling the air. Spread before him were eleven massive mountains, each surrounded by smaller hills, flourishing trees, and gently flowing streams. The surrounding scenery possessed an almost ethereal beauty.

Birds flapped their wings as they flew through the air while butterflies fluttered gracefully between the flowers. Various smaller animals wandered throughout the forests and open fields without the slightest hint of fear, giving the entire place a peaceful yet lively atmosphere that contrasted sharply with the overwhelming prestige surrounding the mountains.

Upon ten of the eleven mountains, twenty people could be seen standing, two on each mountain. One stood at the front with calm composure while another stood respectfully behind them. The ones standing in front possessed entirely different demeanors. Some appeared indifferent, some arrogant, while others simply watched in silence. Regardless of their expressions, every single one of them stood as though they owned the world, naturally exuding the confidence expected of the highest-ranked disciples within the Null Sect.

It wasn’t hard to understand that they were the ten Above disciples, while the ones standing behind them were their servants.

Jarod stood frozen in pure shock as he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, his lips parting as he spoke.

"What are they doing here?" he asked. "Aren’t they all supposed to be in seclusion, training for The Sleeping Hollow?"

Anthony stared at the twenty pairs of eyes resting upon him. He wasn’t surprised by Jarod’s words, as he had already heard from The Punisher, the First Core Elder, that the Above disciples were supposed to be in seclusion.

"It seems they came out of seclusion just for you," Jarod continued.

Anthony wasn’t surprised they had heard about him. It was only natural that the servants of the Above disciples would report the news to their respective masters, prompting them to emerge from seclusion to personally observe the newest member of their ranks. After all, even amongst the Above disciples, rankings existed, and every one of them received resources according to those rankings. The appearance of another Above disciple, especially one directly descended from the Sect Master, was naturally enough to attract their attention.

’So each of them possesses either a special Physique or Bloodline,’ Anthony thought to himself.

His All Seeing Eyes shimmered faintly as his gaze swept across the ten disciples, effortlessly seeing through their cultivation ranks. From what he could tell, the weakest amongst them in terms of cultivation was at the Perfection Astraforge Rank. Anthony’s eyes eventually came to a stop upon one particular young man. He possessed golden hair and purple eyes. Standing well over six feet tall, his physique was lean, yet every muscle hinted at explosive strength hidden beneath the surface. He stood at the Perfection Firmament Rank, making him one of the few present who had reached that level.

Anthony immediately understood that he was the disciple The Punisher had spoken about, the one who had comprehended five Minor Laws while already being halfway towards comprehending two Greater Laws.

Since none of them were speaking and merely continued staring at him, Anthony decided to stop wasting time. He hadn’t come here for a staring competition. His eyes shifted towards the empty eleventh mountain, and he had already guessed that it belonged to him since it remained completely unoccupied.

"Let’s move," Anthony stated, his words directed at Jarod.

Jarod finally pulled his gaze away from the ten Above disciples, the fascination within his eyes gradually fading. He reminded himself that he now served an Above disciple and no longer had any reason to admire another. Anthony was his master now, and his loyalty belonged solely to him.

With that, he turned away and followed behind Anthony as they began walking towards the empty mountain. However, before they could take more than a few steps, an unbearable pressure suddenly descended upon the entire Above disciple area, crashing down upon both Anthony and Jarod like the weight of mountains.

The ten Above disciples had simultaneously unleashed their auras as they intended to test Anthony and determine exactly where the strength of this newly appointed Above disciple truly lay.

Jarod’s knees immediately buckled before crashing into the ground as he felt the pressure bearing down upon his body increase with every passing second. His breathing became strained, his muscles trembled violently, and cold sweat instantly covered his forehead as he groaned, desperately supporting himself with both hands to stop himself from collapsing completely.

The overwhelming presence wasn’t even focused on him, but entirely on Anthony. He was merely suffering from the residual pressure because he happened to be standing beside Anthony.