Celestial Dragon Sword Venerable

"Do as I say. Tell Ji Yun to come out. My patience is wearing thin. If he doesn’t, I’ll kill every last one of you. You have three breaths. It’s a rare opportunity, so cherish it."

Ye Tianling gave a nonchalant smile, one that was exceptionally bright.

However, in the eyes of Ji Hui, Ji Nan, and their companion, this bright smile was no different from a Demon’s.

Although the other four Cultivators hadn’t made a move, they had previously witnessed Ye Tianling fight Ji Yun, Qianyu, and other peerless prodigies, and the sight had left them deeply shaken.

They had previously considered joining forces with Ji Nan’s group to form the Seven-Section Killing Array for an Absolute Kill, but now, seeing Ji Nan utterly powerless to retaliate, a chill ran through them, extinguishing any trace of Battle Intent.

Ji Hui and the others knew that since Ye Tianling had made his threat, he would not hesitate to act on it.

Without further hesitation, she sent a message to Ji Yun.

Ji Yun was in the midst of comprehending the Profound Meaning of the Hell Red Lotus Fire when he was abruptly interrupted by the forced message. He was furious.

’This Ji Hui... is she brainless?’

He was deeply resentful. To have such an opportunity for enlightenment interrupted with less than an hour left... it seemed his chance was gone.

Ji Yun’s expression was grim. The Laws and Profound Meaning contained within the Hell Red Lotus Fire represented an unprecedented opportunity for him. If he could have assimilated it, he might have even been able to complete the transformation from a Divine Child into a Young Venerable.

’A pity. To fall short at the final hurdle!’

Displeased, Ji Yun silently accepted Ji Hui’s message.

After receiving it, his expression grew even darker.

’Damn it, Ye Tianling! Do you think my Ji Family has no one to stand up to you? In this area, the use of Magical Treasures and other trump cards is unrestricted. You still dare to provoke us?’

Although his heart surged with killing intent, Ji Yun forced himself to steady his nerves and remain calm.

’Is Ye Tianling an idiot?’

Perhaps Ji Yun might have thought so in the past, but now, he would never believe Ye Tianling was a fool.

’And if Ye Tianling wasn’t a fool, then for him to come here all alone, and for the seven of them—Ji Nan and Ji Yuan included—to not even dare resist...’

’That in itself spoke volumes about the severity of the situation.’

’Ji Yun had been worried about something like this, which was why he’d had Ji Nan and the other two teach the ’Seven-Section Killing Array’ to Su Yuchang’s group of four. And yet, the Killing Array hadn’t even been deployed... Clearly, it wasn’t that they didn’t want to use it, but that they never even got the chance.’

’If they couldn’t even deploy the Killing Array, Ye Tianling must have grown much stronger again!’

’Besides, wasn’t this area supposed to be limited to a thousand Cultivators? Ye Tianling isn’t on the ranking list, so how did he even get in?’

Ji Yun was no fool. In a near-instant, he grasped the gravity of the situation.

Without further hesitation, his figure flickered, and he instantly left the area. He appeared in the sky above the dark abyss, arriving where Ji Nan and his group were gathered.

The moment Ji Yun appeared, a single glance was all it took for him to spot the two handprints on Ji Nan’s face.

The marks were like brands, seared onto his face like engraved Runes, showing no signs of fading.

Ji Yun’s eyes narrowed. He already understood what this meant.

’This is Ye Tianling’s show of dominance. Even with my current strength and Ability, I couldn’t have beaten Ji Nan this badly if he was fighting back.’

’And Ye Tianling striking without Ji Nan resisting? That’s obviously impossible.’

"Ye Tianling, what do you want? Are there no rules you abide by?"

Ji Yun’s face was ice-cold, his frustration palpable. It wasn’t just that a rare chance for enlightenment was lost; being interrupted at such a critical moment and having his opportunity snatched away was an excruciating feeling, enough to make one cough up blood.

"Rules? Does having the bigger fist count as a rule?"

Ye Tianling said lightly, then raised his hand, balled it into a fist, and gestured toward Ji Yun’s face.

Such a gesture was incredibly disrespectful—an outright provocation.

Seeing this, Ji Yun nearly exploded with rage. He was a peerless Divine Child, yet he was being provoked so brazenly!

But he held back his eruption. The more Ye Tianling acted this way, the more apprehensive he became.

’For one person to dare venture so deep into enemy territory, to come all this way, not even bothering to check if I had any traps laid... this isn’t foolishness. This is the confidence and strength of someone peerlessly invincible!’

’Is Ye Tianling a fool?’

’Obviously, he is not.’

"Ye Tianling, name your terms. I, Ji Yun, will accept them!"

Ji Yun took a deep breath, suppressing the raging killing intent, boundless fury, and humiliation in his heart. He spoke, enunciating each word clearly.

"Accept them? You can’t handle it. First, cool your head. Then we’ll talk."

As he spoke, Ye Tianling reached out and struck.

HUMMM—

Ji Yun’s pupils constricted. His body twisted in an attempt to evade, but he couldn’t escape. Ye Tianling’s palm slapped down directly onto his shoulder.

CRACK—

The bones in Ji Yun’s shoulder instantly cracked, and his entire body was nearly shattered by the force of the blow.

A look of profound horror filled Ji Yun’s eyes. He stared fixedly at Ye Tianling, his gaze flaring with an unbelievably brilliant light.

"You... you—"

Ji Yun was both shocked and enraged.

Besides Ji Yun, Ji Nan and the others were also utterly stunned, as if they were seeing a ghost.

Previously, when Ye Tianling had subdued Ji Nan in a single move and slapped him twice, Ji Nan had thought that while Ye Tianling was strong, the gap between him and Ji Yun couldn’t be that large.

But now, seeing Ye Tianling strike, they knew. The gap wasn’t small; it was so vast it defied imagination.

’How... How can this be!’

Even Ji Hui’s mind went blank. She had never imagined that Ye Tianling could be this powerful.

"There, there. Don’t be scared. Relax, I won’t kill you. You’re a Divine Child, after all, right?"

Ye Tianling smiled faintly, but this smile sent a chill down everyone’s spines.

When he wasn’t smiling, when his expression was cold and stern, the group actually felt more at ease.

But the moment he smiled, a chill shot through their hearts.

This level of strength was clearly beyond their imagination. He was no longer an opponent they could ever hope to face.

Ji Yun’s expression became exceedingly grim. Blood flowed from the spot where Ye Tianling’s strike had shattered his shoulder, a gruesome sight.

However, he quickly circulated his Cultivation Technique and recovered. The injury had little lasting effect, making it seem as if he hadn’t been wounded at all.

Despite this, Ji Yun knew that in that brief exchange, he had lost.

Unlike their previous encounters, this time he had been utterly powerless to retaliate.

"Ye Tianling... I admit, you’re incredibly strong. But do you have any idea what you’re doing? Have you thought about what you’ll have to face once you leave this place?"

Ji Yun took another deep breath. Left with no other choice, he resorted to threatening him with the powers of the outside world.

If he didn’t, he had no other recourse.

This Ye Tianling was evil and ruthless; he would absolutely kill them to silence them.

The crucial point was, if he killed them to silence them in this area, no one would be able to say a thing about it.