Celestial Dragon Sword Venerable

"Fine!"

Li Jiuchen grew angry. ’This Ye Tianling really knows how to brag!’

’If that’s how it’s going to be, then I’ll just have to embarrass him!’

With this thought, Li Jiuchen erupted with his full Battle Power. His Divine Demon Blood flared, and his Battle Intent raged. His Battle Soul combined with his Totem Power, manifesting as a blood-red longsword that he violently thrust toward Ye Tianling.

The strike was indeed tremendously powerful, reaching the same level of intensity as the peak Battle Power Ye Tianling had displayed two months ago with his Sword Void Six Transformation.

However, this was the present, not the past. Ye Tianling was no longer the same person he had been two months ago.

Even though the attack was outrageously powerful, Ye Tianling merely took the opportunity to feel the Celestial Dao Rule Domain.

Then, in the empty space before him, a wisp of Spiritual Energy suddenly transformed into a pale golden leaf.

The leaf drifted over nonchalantly, following no apparent trajectory or direction.

At that exact moment, Li Jiuchen’s destructive strike bizarrely ended up hitting that very leaf.

"TING—"

A cluster of destructive sparks burst forth from the leaf.

Then, Li Jiuchen’s attack simply fizzled out.

"BOOM—"

The void trembled violently, a deafening sound echoing in all directions.

After a slight pause, the leaf continued its descent.

"WHOOSH—"

The leaf wasn’t moving quickly, but in a flash, it was descending upon Li Jiuchen.

Li Jiuchen was completely unable to react. The webbing between the thumb and forefinger of his sword hand had split open, his palm now covered in blood.

At some unknown point, the backlash had shattered a large number of the bone spurs covering his body.

The pale golden leaf, still drifting, now landed on his head.

"BOOM—"

Li Jiuchen’s legs were driven deep into the ground. The single leaf oppressed him so much that his head was forced down, as if an entire mountain was weighing on him!

But just then, the force suddenly stopped, pressing no further.

Li Jiuchen remained hunched over, his bones groaning with a "CRACK" sound, as if they would shatter at any second.

"Th-Thank you, Divine Child, for your mercy. Jiuchen... has lost. I... submit."

The leaf suddenly flew up from Li Jiuchen’s head. In the middle of the air, it shattered, turning into a wisp of Spiritual Qi before dissipating completely.

With Li Jiuchen’s submission, all the pressure on him vanished into thin air.

This scene stunned the nine people present, as well as the dozens of male and female Cultivators who had been arriving one after another.

"Hiss— Unbelievably strong!"

"With a single thought, he created a leaf and suppressed Saint Child Li Jiuchen!"

"A lot of people said Saint Child Li Jiuchen’s Battle Power was no less than a Divine Child’s! I never expected the gap between him and the Celestial Secret Divine Son to be so huge!"

"The Celestial Secret Divine Son is still in a league of his own. The master is still the master."

"The Celestial Secret Divine Son, the man who slaughtered a Holy Land... so what if his life force is weak? The myth continues, and his legend remains unchanged."

"A legend is a legend, after all. It looks like this trip to the Ten Thousand Beasts Demon Cave is going to be even more interesting."

"He’s so strong... what level of Battle Power is this? Why can’t I get a read on it at all? Judging from his vital signs alone, the Celestial Secret Divine Son seems completely ordinary!"

"Who the fuck knows? If we knew, we’d be peerless existences like the Celestial Secret Divine Son too!"

...

The Cultivators who had been steadily arriving couldn’t help but break into a flurry of discussion.

All kinds of gazes—filled with awe, respect, apprehension, envy, and admiration—were cast in his direction.

’My Soul Talent has grown stronger again. This is true Control over a Domain.’

Ye Tianling mused.

In reality, these discussions were held in hushed tones, mostly through telepathic transmissions.

Yet Ye Tianling heard them with perfect clarity.

He didn’t mind.

Through this battle with Li Jiuchen, Ye Tianling had also gained a clearer understanding of what the Celestial Dao Rule Domain truly was.

It was true Control.

The feeling was like a person drawing a circle on the ground, then catching an ant and placing it inside the circle.

Then, he would just quietly watch as the ant in the circle scrambled about frantically, constantly searching for a way to crawl out.

That was how it felt to fight Li Jiuchen. And Li Jiuchen was the ant.

Ye Tianling hadn’t underestimated his enemy—he never underestimated anyone—but this feeling still left him inwardly shaken.

One ten-thousandth?

No.

Li Jiuchen didn’t even measure up to one-millionth of his power.

It wasn’t that Li Jiuchen wasn’t strong, nor that Ye Tianling was a million times stronger. Rather, the two of them were on completely different levels, making comparison meaningless.

’So, I’m already this powerful. Little Dragon Girl, when you awaken, will you be happy for me, or will you be disappointed?’

Ye Tianling murmured to himself. With a wave of his hand, he lifted Li Jiuchen’s body from the hole in the ground.

"Divine Child, I have embarrassed myself in front of you."

Li Jiuchen’s face was beet-red, overcome with shame.

He had made himself a complete laughingstock.

At this moment, he felt as if the eyes of every Cultivator present were filled with mockery for him.

But he didn’t fly into a rage. Instead, he was completely and utterly convinced of his defeat, because that single exchange was enough to show him how despairingly large the gap between them was.

"It’s nothing. Your Battle Power is quite good. Yes, keep working hard!"

Ye Tianling waved his hand and patted the empty air.

Instantly, Li Jiuchen felt Ye Tianling’s hand as if it had clapped him directly on the shoulder.

The force of the pat nearly shattered his bones!

And he knew Ye Tianling hadn’t even used any real force.

Li Jiuchen realized that before Ye Tianling, he was as fragile as an ant, unable to withstand even a single blow.

Recalling his earlier arrogant words about teaching Ye Tianling a lesson, he truly wished he could dig a hole and crawl into it. It was just too damn embarrassing.

"I... I will."

Li Jiuchen said sheepishly.

"Mm. It’s good to turn shame into courage. Your prospects are promising. Though this journey will be perilous, there will also be opportunities. As for Li Jiuxu... I fear a fatal calamity awaits you this time. It would be best not to go to the Ten Thousand Beasts Demon Cave."

Ye Tianling activated his Eye of Celestial Secret, glanced at Li Jiuchen and Li Jiuxu, and then gave his judgment.

This was his Ability to grasp the threads of fate.

"The Divine Skill of Celestial Mandate Inference from the Celestial Secret Divine Hall?"

Li Jiuxu trembled, a look of horror in his eyes. His voice quavered as he spoke.

"Yes. It allows me to foresee certain dangers."

Of course, Ye Tianling’s Ability was far more powerful than the Divine Skill of Celestial Mandate Inference. His was a true Inference of fate, a judgment derived from his Celestial Dao Rule Domain and the Eye of Celestial Secret!

The so-called Divine Skill of Celestial Mandate Inference was merely the core destiny inheritance of the current Celestial Secret Divine Hall. It was a Law of Transformation that drew upon the Divine Hall of Destiny and Celestial Secret Power, making it utterly incomparable to Ye Tianling’s methods.

"Congratulations, Celestial Secret Divine Son, on finally unlocking the Celestial Secret Divine Hall’s core Divine Technique of Celestial Mandate inheritance!"

Li Jiuxu bowed deeply, his tone exceptionally sincere.