Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

"Eldest Martial Brother, what happened? How did you end up like this?!"

The three looked at Ji Yuanshan's pathetic state, their expressions shifting in utter shock.

After all, Ji Yuanshan was not only Yu Xiaoran's head disciple but also the most powerful young disciple of the Songyin Sword Mansion's current generation.

He was, naturally, the one chosen to represent the Songyin Sword Mansion at the Kunlun City Martial Arts Convention to compete for a spot at the Peach Blossom Banquet.

With his strength, how could he have been bullied into such a state by a dandy like Li Yue?

"What are you all doing here?!"

Seeing his martial brothers appear, Ji Yuanshan's face lit up, but his gaze quickly dimmed again. "It's a long story. Isn't Master with you?"

"Of course Master is here too."

Just then, Yu Xiaoran, Ye Chen, and the others were seen approaching from a distance.

Seeing Ji Yuanshan's tragic state, Yu Xiaoran's brow furrowed. In a flash, he appeared before him.

"Tsk… Why is an old geezer like Yu Xiaoran here too…"

Li Yue frowned, and the other dandies beside him all took a few steps back.

Yu Xiaoran was an Elder of the Songyin Sword Mansion, and a genuine Primordial Mansion Realm Cultivator to boot. The likes of them were no match for him.

"What in the world happened here?" Yu Xiaoran asked, his gaze tinged with shocked uncertainty as he looked from Ji Yuanshan to Li Yue and his companions.

Li Yue and the other dandies exchanged glances, about to make a swift exit.

"Stop!"

Yu Xiaoran shouted in a low voice as the aura of the Primordial Mansion Realm spread out, pressing down like an ancient Divine Mountain.

The immense pressure caused the faces of Li Yue and his companions to drain of color. They stood rooted to the spot, each feeling as though they could barely breathe.

Many onlookers were also startled by this powerful aura, and a new layer of awe and reverence filled their gazes as they looked at Yu Xiaoran.

In the surrounding provinces, a Primordial Mansion Realm Cultivator was already considered a regional powerhouse.

"Yu Xiaoran, surely you don't intend to use your strength to bully these youngsters?"

Just then, a ripple of Spiritual Power, in no way inferior to Yu Xiaoran's, spread out to meet his, completely neutralizing the Primordial Mansion Realm's oppressive aura.

An old man with graying temples and a faint smile on his gentle face walked slowly out from the crowd.

His steps seemed agonizingly slow, but in the time it took to blink twice, he was already standing before Li Yue and the others, facing off against Yu Xiaoran.

"Hong Zhi?" Yu Xiaoran's eyes narrowed. The other disciples also tensed as if facing a powerful foe.

"Elder Hong! The people from the Songyin Sword Mansion are being so unreasonable! They're actually trying to bully us juniors! You have to back us up!"

Seeing that their backer had arrived, Li Yue and his friends became animated, grinning smugly at Ji Yuanshan and the others.

"Don't worry. With me here, the people from Songyin Sword Mansion won't dare to do a thing," Hong Zhi said with a smile, a hint of mockery in his eyes as he looked at Yu Xiaoran.

Clearly, he had been observing the situation from the sidelines for some time.

When Ji Yuanshan was being bullied for no reason, he turned a blind eye. But the moment Yu Xiaoran angrily made a move, he conveniently stepped in to stop him.

He even managed to brandish the accusation of "an elder bullying a junior" against him.

This caused Yu Xiaoran's brow to furrow deeply, and a spark of indignation ignited within him.

"Hong Zhi, although your Qingyue Sword Mansion and our Songyin Sword Mansion have always been arch-rivals, I never imagined you could be so shameless!"

Yu Xiaoran spoke in a low voice, his expression cold and stern.

"Hahaha, you're mistaken, Elder Yu."

"It's just juniors sparring with each other. As elders, we should just turn a blind eye."

"Insisting on interfering would only make us seem petty."

Hong Zhi smiled dismissively.

Hearing this, Lin Heng, Qu Yuanfei, and Lu Fanyan were filled with indignation.

Although they didn't know why their powerful Eldest Martial Brother had fallen into such a state, it was obvious that when Li Yue and the others had attacked, their goal wasn't to spar at all, but to humiliate Ji Yuanshan!

Lu Fanyan moved to help Ji Yuanshan up from the ground. However, the moment she touched him, her expression changed drastically.

She felt a bone-piercing chill, like a venomous snake baring its fangs, coursing through Ji Yuanshan's body.

She had only brushed against his skin, but the chill instantly shot into her, causing her entire body to go stiff. She subconsciously stumbled back several steps.

"H-How can this be?!"

Lu Fanyan cried out in alarm. Realizing something was wrong, Lin Heng and Qu Yuanfei also moved to help, and they too quickly discovered the strange condition of Ji Yuanshan's body.

'No wonder Eldest Martial Brother was bullied by a dandy like Li Yue!'

'What in the world happened to Eldest Martial Brother?'

The three of them stared at Ji Yuanshan, their faces filled with shock.

"Why do you have a Bone-Corroding Soul Curse on you?"

Just then, a clear voice suddenly sounded from the side.

Ye Chen walked over to Ji Yuanshan's side. He looked him up and down, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Behind Ye Chen, Jieling and Song Yubing stood gracefully to one side. Both were stunningly beautiful and otherworldly, each with her own unique charm.

"You're… Ye Chen?!"

Staring at the young man before him, Ji Yuanshan froze for a moment before a look of profound shock washed over his pale face.

He stared at Ye Chen in disbelief, his entire body trembling slightly from the overwhelming emotion.

"You know me?" Ye Chen was startled.

"Of course." Ji Yuanshan's weak gaze suddenly brightened. "Outside the Dragon Prison Cave, your feat of slaying a Divinity Transformation Realm Great Power is still vivid in my mind, unforgettable!"

At these words, everyone present stared wide-eyed, as if struck by lightning.

'Slaying a Divinity Transformation Realm Great Power?'

Not only were Hong Zhi and his group stunned, but even Yu Xiaoran and his disciples looked as if they had seen a ghost.

Hearing this, Ye Chen, on the other hand, felt a bit embarrassed.

With his current abilities, he wasn't guaranteed to win against a Divinity Transformation Realm Cultivator.

Even if he gained the upper hand in a fight, if a Divinity Transformation Realm Cultivator wanted to escape, he couldn't stop them.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to watch helplessly as the Undying Devil Lord and Saint Mother Jinglian escaped from right under his nose back then.

"So you're that Ye Chen whose name has been causing such a stir in Lei Province?"

Yu Xiaoran looked at Ye Chen with a complicated expression. He couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder you're so powerful. I just never imagined you would be so young!"

Ever since the Dragon Prison Cave closed, Ye Chen's name had become incredibly famous throughout Lei Province.

It had even reached the ears of Cultivators in other provinces.

However, the major powers who had suffered setbacks at the hands of this young man were naturally unwilling to divulge too many details.

As a result, while other provinces might have heard of Ye Chen, they didn't know the specific details of his exploits.