Profound Heaven Soul Sovereign

"Master Rongyang, this…"

Li Rucheng, Qi Liming, and the others were all dumbfounded. Just moments ago, they had been celebrating, but now they were frozen stiff. They never would have expected such a dramatic turn of events.

Rongyang's face was livid. He had no idea what to say. With so many Soul Refiners watching, there was no way he could deny the fact that the martial soul he had refined had been destroyed by the one Ye Xuan refined.

Su Xiuyi and his group, however, were overjoyed. Their faces were all lit up with excitement.

"Rongyang, you imposter! What do you have to say for yourself now?" Ye Xuan said coldly.

"Hahaha! The grand Vice President of the Soul Master Tower can't even compare to our Profound Light Pavilion's Young Master Ye. And you had the nerve to claim our Profound Light Pavilion is a scam? I think you're the one with a conspiracy!" Elder Dong sneered.

Rongyang's face was livid, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Ye Xuan's gaze turned colder. "The competition is over," he said icily. "Shouldn't you be making good on your earlier promise?"

Everyone's expression turned peculiar.

Yu Chi Bugong and Xiao Wuji, who had just arrived, didn't know what was going on and started asking around. Only then did they learn that the two had made a bet before the competition.

"Hmph! So what if I have to take a punch from you? I'll stand right here and let you hit me. What can you do?"

Rongyang's heart was filled with unvented fury, and he spoke with a savage expression.

In his mind, he already considered Ye Xuan a dead man. He knew full well that the moment he lost the competition, he had also lost his right to move against the Profound Light Pavilion.

But just because he couldn't deal with Ye Xuan now didn't mean he couldn't in the future. He had originally targeted the Profound Light Pavilion only because of Li Rucheng's invitation, but now he himself saw the Profound Light Pavilion as something that had to be destroyed.

"Get it over with. Stop dawdling," Rongyang sneered, planting himself in front of Ye Xuan. "I'll give you ten breaths. If you don't make your move by then, don't blame me for not honoring the promise."

Everyone was speechless. Ye Xuan had been severely injured by Rongyang's earlier attack and had coughed up who knows how much blood. How could he possibly have any strength left to strike? Besides, with his power as a Tier Seven Martial King, his punch probably wouldn't even tear Rongyang's clothes, right?

At the same time, they were puzzled by Ye Xuan. Even if he was furious with Rongyang, what was the point of this punch? It would accomplish nothing except to further offend Master Rongyang.

Only Su Xiuyi and his group had peculiar expressions. They knew Ye Xuan's true strength better than anyone; it couldn't be judged by his cultivation level alone. Although Rongyang was a Tier Eight Second Layer Martial Emperor, if Ye Xuan were at his peak, this punch might not kill Rongyang, but it would definitely injure him severely.

This was probably what Ye Xuan had intended from the start.

But now that Ye Xuan was severely injured from the competition, could this punch still harm Rongyang?

Su Xiuyi and the others were also doubtful.

"Don't worry, I won't need ten breaths. I just want to punch you to let you know that while the Profound Light Pavilion may not have a high status, we're not to be trifled with."

Ye Xuan sneered, took a breath, and walked up to Rongyang. Without any preparation, he casually threw a punch.

The onlookers were speechless when they saw Ye Xuan throw his punch. It seemed he just wanted to humiliate Rongyang, not actually hurt him. Otherwise, even if he were badly injured, no one would throw a punch so casually.

But at that moment, Yu Chi Bugong and Xiao Wuji's brows twitched unnaturally. They had the highest cultivation levels present. When Ye Xuan threw his punch, for some reason, an inexplicable chill rose in their hearts, as if that punch could stir their very souls.

When Rongyang saw Ye Xuan throw the punch, a cold sneer hung on his lips, and a murderous light flickered in the depths of his eyes. He raged inwardly, 'You little bastard, you actually dare to strike me. Just you wait. Once I find the chance, I'll uproot your entire Profound Light Pavilion…'

Before that thought could even fully form, he suddenly saw a strange light flash in Ye Xuan's eyes. He froze for an instant, but by then, Ye Xuan's right fist was only a few centimeters from his body.

At that moment, for reasons he couldn't explain, an extreme sense of terror welled up inside Rongyang.

'This is bad.' Rongyang was suddenly alarmed. He didn't know why his body was reacting with involuntary fear, but as a Seventh Grade Soul Refiner, he trusted his intuition above all else. He frantically tried to mobilize all his Profound Energy while simultaneously preparing to retreat explosively.

But it was too late. The instant that thought arose, Ye Xuan's fist had already landed on his chest.

BOOM!

Amid the dull thud, Rongyang felt a terrifying murderous intent and power surge into his body. This power not only contained the dreadful destructive force of Profound Energy but also carried an astonishing Soul Power attack, as well as the faint presence of a devouring power and an extremely terrifying flame energy.

These combined forces formed an incredibly terrifying destructive power within Rongyang's Profound Veins, exploding like a barrel of dynamite.

"You… You're not a Sixth Grade…"

Terror filled Rongyang's eyes. He tried to say something, but it was useless. The terrifying Soul Sense that Ye Xuan had unleashed instantly destroyed his mind, while that horrifying explosive force continued to expand within his Profound Veins, Dantian, and heart meridian.

When the crowd saw blood streaming from all seven of Rongyang's orifices, they immediately sensed that something was terribly wrong.

"Master Rongyang, you…"

Li Rucheng rushed forward to ask, but he was only halfway through his sentence when—BANG!—Rongyang's body was sent flying backward. He crashed heavily to the ground, and the light in his eyes quickly faded, leaving no trace of life.

This…

In an instant, everyone froze, staring blankly at Rongyang's fallen body and at Ye Xuan, who stood there wiping his fist. Their minds went completely blank.

Li Rucheng and Qi Liming scrambled forward, while Yu Chi Bugong and Xiao Wuji flickered and reappeared before Rongyang's body.

"He's… He's dead… He's actually dead! H-How is this possible?"

Li Rucheng was horrified. He felt dizzy and lightheaded, as if he were in a dream.

This was Master Rongyang! The Vice President of the Soul Master Tower, a Tier Eight Second Layer Martial Emperor, a Seventh Grade Soul Refiner! In the entire Celestial Capital Prefecture, he was a top-ranking figure, yet he had been killed by a single punch.

What made it even harder for Li Rucheng to accept was that the one who killed Rongyang was just a young man of about twenty.

He was in a daze, but then he snapped back to reality. With a savage expression, he turned to Ye Xuan and roared, "You dared to kill Master Rongyang! You're dead! Do you hear me? You're dead!"

Li Rucheng was filled with immense terror, his roars becoming hysterical. The man who died was the Vice President of the Soul Master Tower, and he was the one who had invited him! Although Ye Xuan from the Profound Light Pavilion was the killer, if President Zuo Yuan of the Soul Master Tower found out the truth, even as an elder of the Li family, he would have no hope of survival.

In that instant, Li Rucheng had only one thought: pin all the blame on Ye Xuan. Only then might he have a sliver of a chance to survive.

Ye Xuan chuckled coldly. "This doesn't seem to have anything to do with me, does it? He lost the bet and insisted on taking my punch. If he were a real Soul Refining master, he couldn't have failed to block my punch. What a pity. He was just an imposter, and I accidentally killed him with a single blow."

"Oh, that's right, Elder Li Rucheng, you were the one who invited him, weren't you? When the time comes, I'll have to ask you to go to the Soul Master Tower and explain why they would send an imposter to our Profound Light Pavilion, one who spouted baseless accusations and nonsense to ruin our reputation. The Profound Light Pavilion will need an explanation from the Soul Master Tower."

"You…" Li Rucheng spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Young Master Ye, you…" Su Xiuyi, Elder Dong, and the others were also stunned. The Ye Xuan before them now didn't look severely injured in the slightest.

How could they have known? Ye Xuan's earlier "severe injuries" were all just an act.

In terms of Soul Refining cultivation, Rongyang was far inferior to Liang Yu of Infinite Mountain. Back then, Ye Xuan wasn't even afraid of Liang Yu's Soul Power techniques, so why would he fear Rongyang's Soul Power attack?

From the start of the competition, when he took a pill to feign a breakthrough to the Seventh Grade, to later faking his injuries—everything was done to dispel Rongyang's suspicions.

Ye Xuan was an excellent judge of character. He knew that someone like Rongyang was extremely cautious and vigilant. Even after losing the bet, he wouldn't have genuinely allowed Ye Xuan to attack and would have surely pulled some kind of trick.

Under those circumstances, no matter how strong Ye Xuan was, if a Tier Eight Second Layer Martial Emperor and Seventh Grade Soul Refiner was on guard, it would be impossible for him to kill his opponent with a single punch.

Therefore, Ye Xuan had put on an act, which successfully eliminated Rongyang's suspicions and filled him with contempt for Ye Xuan.

And the price of that contempt was his life. For someone who wanted to take the lives of those in his Profound Light Pavilion, Ye Xuan would show absolutely no mercy.

"You certainly have impressive methods."

Just then, Yu Chi Bugong spoke up coldly.

He and Xiao Wuji were the only ones present who could see through some of the charade.

At first, they were just suspicious, but now, seeing Ye Xuan's current state, they immediately knew that he hadn't been injured at all. It was all a setup to kill Rongyang with a single punch.

Such meticulous scheming made even Yu Chi Bugong feel a little wary.

"I don't understand what you're talking about," Ye Xuan said flatly.

"Don't play dumb with me," Yu Chi Bugong sneered. "You killed Master Rongyang. Just wait for the Soul Master Tower to come looking for you."

Xiao Wuji, standing to the side, also shook his head. "Rongyang was the Vice President of the Soul Master Tower. Now that you've killed him, the Soul Master Tower will absolutely not let this go. A pity, what a pity…"

Unlike Yu Chi Bugong, he somewhat admired Ye Xuan's talent and strength. It was just a shame that by killing Rongyang, Ye Xuan had inevitably incurred the wrath of the Soul Master Tower.

And although the Xiao and Yuchi families were the most respected in Celestial Capital Prefecture, the Soul Master Tower held a transcendent status. Once President Zuo Yuan came to hold someone accountable, not even their two great families would dare to intervene.