Chapter 185: Chapter 159 Unparalleled
Amidst the blood-boiling cheers and screams of countless true disciples, the Wind-Thunder Wings on Ye Chen's back suddenly unfolded completely, stretching to an enormous span of over twelve meters. As the Gang Yuan True Qi flickered across the giant wings, Ye Chen shot towards the True Inheritance Battle Platform.
Almost in a matter of breaths, everyone felt a flash of silver light streak across the void, and Ye Chen traversed the several thousand zhang distance between Snowdrift Peak and the True Martial Battle Platform, arriving above the platform to face several of the Spirit Ranking powerhouses!
"What incredible speed!"
"These wings! The agility is so fast; it's heaven! It's not in the least bit inferior to the escapist speed of late-stage Spirit Sea practitioners!"
This was Ye Chen's first display of power within Taixuan Sect's Inner Peaks, and for many of the people from the Inner Peak, it was also the first time they had witnessed Ye Chen's combat skills.
Ye Chen's first move had shocked countless people!
"I'd heard that Ye Chen was no ordinary True Qi Realm cultivator, and indeed, he possesses powerful True Qi and martial techniques!"
"True Qi Realm fighting against late-stage Spirit Sea, that's crazy! I have never heard of such a marvel!"
"Given his agility, he might actually stand a chance against these major Spirit Ranking fighters!"
The countless true disciples who were spectating outside the True Martial Battle Platform started whispering among themselves.
In the Snowdrift Peak area, next to Jiang Yao, the sword-carrying maiden Chan'er's eyes were brimming with disbelief: "Sister Jiang Yao, it has only been a few months since we last met, but Ye Chen has become this powerful?!"
"Such fast agility! That must be a top-tier Xuan rank technique at least!"
Chan'er's last encounter with Ye Chen was at Qingyun Sect's mountain gate plaza. At that time, Ye Chen had defeated a disciple from Tianluo Sect, who was at the tenth level of the True Qi Realm, while himself being at the sixth level. That alone had made Chan'er incredulous.
But the young girl could never have imagined that in just half a year without seeing him, Ye Chen's strength had improved to the point where he could battle late-stage cultivators of the Spirit Sea Realm!
It wasn't just Chan'er who was screaming. Many of the true disciple maidens from Snowdrift Peak who were seeing Ye Chen in action for the first time started screaming excitedly.
Ye Chen came from Snowdrift Peak, and his strength made the maidens incredibly thrilled!
Amid Chan'er's screams, Jiang Yao's clear eyes were fixed entirely on Ye Chen.
Others only saw Ye Chen's strength, but Jiang Yao knew the immense hardship Ye Chen had endured to reach this level!
To fulfill the pledge of Taixuan, Ye Chen had fought fiercely in the clan competition, entered his family's ancestral secret grounds, faced numerous trials, and ventured into the treacherous Ancient God Tower. Climbing step by step, taking advantage of the opportunities presented by the flow of time, he cultivated layer by layer, defeating countless formidable opponents to reach higher ground!
He was still striving relentlessly and continuing to grow stronger!
"Ye Chen, you've always been hardworking, which is why you're so formidable. I know this well."
Jiang Yao murmured, gazing at Ye Chen.
In the spectating area outside the arena, amid the shock and screams, the several individuals on the True Inheritance Battle Platform looked at Ye Chen's agility and a glint sparked in their eyes.
Xue Jia from the Half-Step Rotating Pill Realm managed it a bit better than the others, but Zhao Xuan, Wang Mao, Chen Xing, and Lu Yuan's expressions turned extremely solemn when they looked towards Ye Chen again.
Then, Ye Chen, who had landed on the True Inheritance Battle Platform, looked at Zhao Xuan and the others and asked with a light smile, "Which of you will come forward first to fight?"
Ye Chen had not set his sights on Xue Jia; Xue Jia, from the Half-Step Rotating Pill Realm, had already said that he would only make a move if Ye Chen could defeat these four.
What Ye Chen intended to do first was to battle with these four men!
Although Ye Chen had once suppressed a high-level fierce giant fire bird on Sky Extreme Cliff, he had never actually crossed hands with a late-stage Spirit Sea Realm expert.
These four men, Zhao Xuan was the eighth on the true disciple's Spirit Ranking, Wang Mao the seventh, Chen Xing the sixth, and Lu Yuan the fifth — they were all famously late-stage Spirit Sea masters from Taixuan Sect.
Facing these four men, Ye Chen also felt his fighting spirit surge.
After exchanging glances, Zhao Xuan, who was wearing the true disciple's robe of "Huoyun Peak" — one of the Eight Great Inner Peaks — stepped forward: "I rank the lowest on the true disciple's Spirit Ranking, so let me go first!"
Just as Zhao Xuan stepped forward, in the even higher expanse of the void unseen by all true disciples, more than a dozen figures suddenly began to converse.
These dozen figures were none other than the peak masters, elders, and other Rotating Pill Realm powerhouses of Taixuan Sect. Even though these Rotating Pill Realm powerhouses did not make a direct appearance, they were all observing the true disciple martial contest from the void.
"Jia Luo, Zhao Xuan is my 'Huoyun Peak's' top true disciple. Though Ye Chen previously suppressed a high-level fierce beast, there is still quite a difference between a fierce beast and a truly powerful genius martial artist. Can your peak's Ye Chen really fight with Zhao Xuan?" spoke the peak master of Huoyun Peak.
In the midst of the Rotating Pill Realm powerhouses lay the Xianzi, Jia Luo, who wore a snow-white palace dress and was sitting cross-legged. At the moment, Jia Luo Xianzi, with her gaze piercing through the spatial barrier, turned her attention to the True Inheritance Battle Platform below.
She smiled lightly: "I'm afraid it's not only Zhao Xuan, but the other few might not be Ye Chen's match either. Ye Chen's real opponent should be that Xue Jia."
"Xue Jia? Half-Step Rotating Pill? Has Ye Chen really become so strong?!" one of the elders said incredulously.
"Just watch. Everything will be clear very soon."
Jia Luo Xianzi didn't say much more, instead directing all her attention to the platform below.
Seeing Jia Luo Xianzi cease to speak, the other Rotating Pill Realm powerhouses also turned their gaze to the battle unfolding below on the platform.
Boom!
As Zhao Xuan stood forward, the others left the platform to prepare to watch the battle from the periphery.
On the True Inheritance Battle Platform, only Ye Chen and Zhao Xuan remained, standing a hundred zhang apart, facing each other!
"Ye Chen, I am the true inheritor of 'Fire Cloud Peak', and my cultivation method is mainly based on fire-based techniques. I hope to integrate with the fire laws when I step into the Rotating Pill Realm in the future!"
"Fire-based techniques are incredibly powerful; you need to be cautious!"
Zhao Xuan said, slowly looking towards Ye Chen.
Ye Chen smiled and nodded. He didn't say much, simply replying, "Brother Zhao Xuan, make your move!"
"Good, since our battle is but the first, let's not delay any further!"
As Zhao Xuan spoke, his hands fiercely clenched in the air, and instantly, a hundred meters high surge of azure True Qi burst forth from his body.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the moment when the True Qi was stirred from within, Zhao Xuan formed a strange spell with his hands. In an instant, flames flickered on the surging azure True Qi. Moments later, the True Qi turned into a vast expanse of fiery red in the sky, densely packed with giant palm prints.
Each gigantic fiery red palm print was several tens of feet in diameter. With probably seventy to eighty of these dense fiery red palm prints, they rained down from the sky and furiously slapped towards Ye Chen.
"Sky Burning Giant Handprint!"
"This is Zhao Xuan's powerful Xuan-tier superior combat skill. Combined with his unmatched True Qi from the later stages of the Spirit Sea Realm, each Sky Burning Giant Handprint could easily slay a mid Spirit Sea Realm expert. With seventy to eighty palm prints launched simultaneously, even late Spirit Sea Realm warriors would struggle to withstand them."
"Zhao Xuan's move is a fierce killing technique!"
"How will Ye Chen defend against it?"
Everyone looked towards Ye Chen, who was completely engulfed by the Sky Burning Giant Handprints, and when they shifted their gaze to Ye Chen, they saw a faint smile on his face.
Facing the terrifying Sky Burning Giant Handprints, Ye Chen actually revealed a smile?
As this thought emerged in everyone's minds, Ye Chen, who stood in the void, lightly pointed his finger. At that moment, countless Swords of True Qi shot out in front of him.
These Swords of True Qi shimmered with eighteen kinds of mystical Sword Intents. As they formed, the Swords of True Qi vanished from sight.
The next instant, the Swords of True Qi suddenly appeared before the vast fiery red palm prints.
Almost in the blink of an eye, these Swords of True Qi tore into the vast fiery red palm prints, shocking everyone to find that the once terrifying palm prints, capable of easily killing mid Spirit Sea Realm experts, exploded upon contact with the myriad Swords of True Qi.
The Sky Burning Giant Handprints had no resistance whatsoever against these Swords of True Qi!
"What kind of technique is this? Could it be even more powerful than a Xuan-tier superior technique?!" Many true disciples exclaimed in astonishment.
In the field, warriors who practiced sword techniques saw the numerous Sword Intents flickering within these Swords of True Qi and all were thunderstruck: "A Sword Formation, this is comparable to an Earth-tier combat skill!"
"Ye Chen has actually mastered a Sword Formation!"
These warriors were not mistaken; the killing move executed by Ye Chen was indeed one of the four great Sword Formations he had cultivated from Sister Yu over the past two months—the "Hidden Wind Sword Formation"!
The Hidden Wind Sword Formation, possessing the second-level Sword Intents of Instantaneous Flash and Coiling Slaughter, along with sixteen first-level Sword Intents, was supremely powerful. Mere Xuan-tier superior combat skills like the Sky Burning Giant Handprint, of course, could not compare.
After shattering all of the Sky Burning Giant Handprints in an instant, the Swords of True Qi vanished once again, reappearing in the next moment in front of Zhao Xuan!
The Hidden Wind Sword Formation's might was not yet expended, striking at Zhao Xuan once more!
Zhao Xuan didn't expect Ye Chen's counterattack to be so swift and mighty. As his eyes sparkled, his body once again swept out boundless True Qi. In a flash, it transformed into a fiery red cyclone that enveloped him, lunging at the Hidden Wind Sword Formation.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fiery red cyclone and the Hidden Wind Sword Formation exploded into a frenzy upon contact.
While Zhao Xuan focused all his attention on defending against the Hidden Wind Sword Formation, he was suddenly horrified to find a figure piercing through his protective fiery red cyclone, like a fierce human-shaped beast, landing directly within the cyclone before him.
This figure, surrounded by tremendous silver True Qi and golden light, had hair that flew wildly in the surging True Qi!
It was Ye Chen!
Since this was only the first battle, Ye Chen certainly wouldn't waste too much time on Zhao Xuan. As he deployed the Hidden Wind Sword Formation, he also executed the Nine Transformation Fighting Body, breaking through Zhao Xuan's defenses and arriving directly before him.
Then, Ye Chen reached out to grab Zhao Xuan, swiftly shattering Zhao Xuan's Protective True Qi flames, with two fingers stopping just inches away from Zhao Xuan's neck.
A mere push further, and Ye Chen's two fingers would completely pierce through Zhao Xuan's neck!
This caused everyone to cry out in shock.
None had expected Zhao Xuan, ranked eighth on the True Inheritance Spirit Ranking, to be completely outmatched just after engaging Ye Chen.
Clearly, Zhao Xuan was no match for Ye Chen!
Thump!
Ye Chen did not pierce through Zhao Xuan's neck; this was but a competition, not a battle to the death. Naturally, he wouldn't take Zhao Xuan's life.
According to the rules of the true inheritance martial confrontation, defeating Zhao Xuan by knocking him out of the battle platform was enough to claim victory!
Ye Chen simply flicked his fingers gently, and a tremendous force flung Zhao Xuan out dozens of feet, tumbling wildly along with his fiery red cyclone across the True Inheritance Battle Platform.
Finally, with a thud, Zhao Xuan, utterly powerless to resist, crashed down outside of the battle platform.