Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

"He... He's actually this strong?"

After a heart-stopping silence, the audience suddenly erupted into an uproar.

The wave of noise soared into the heavens!

No one could have imagined that the young man from Songyin Sword Mansion, the one forced onto the stage, was actually the true peerless prodigy!

Everyone was utterly dumbfounded.

'With such a powerful genius on their side, why would Songyin Sword Mansion have sent up Ji Yuanshan, an injured disciple, in the first place?'

Yu Chunshui's gaze trembled. 'I seriously misjudged him,' he thought.

Han Qinglu's beautiful eyes were also fixed on him, ceaselessly sizing up Ye Chen.

In that moment, she felt an unparalleled pressure emanating from him.

'A casual strike was all it took to grievously injure both Li Changhe and his sword. Even I couldn't possibly do that!'

As for the members of Qingyue Sword Mansion, they were deathly silent.

Not a single one dared to make a sound.

Seeing Li Changhe's half-dead state had completely worn down their initial fighting spirit. Now, their hearts were filled with nothing but deep dread, rendering them speechless!

Cradling Li Changhe's broken body, Hong Zhi slowly rose to his feet. Amid the trembling of his gaze, an astonishingly cold glint surged in his eyes.

He looked at Ye Chen and ground out through gritted teeth, "You vicious bastard!"

"This was just a match! Were you trying to kill him?"

It was no wonder Hong Zhi was so furious.

Li Changhe was the number one cultivation genius of Qingyue Sword Mansion. In less than a month, he would have been able to attempt a breakthrough into the Primordial Mansion Realm.

With his current abilities, he was virtually unrivaled below the Primordial Mansion Realm, at least within Xu Province.

Back when Li Changhe had first reached the Ninth Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm, he had single-handedly fought three of his senior brothers of the same rank, defeating them all within twenty exchanges.

Such a battle record was nothing short of brilliant!

Only now, however, did Hong Zhi realize what it truly meant that there was always someone better out there.

Even with his immense combat strength—unrivaled below the Primordial Mansion Realm—Li Changhe couldn't block a single casual strike from this boy. It was utterly absurd!!!

If Li Changhe were to perish here, not only would Qingyue Sword Mansion lose a rare talent, but Hong Zhi himself would undoubtedly face severe punishment upon his return.

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen turned his indifferent gaze toward Hong Zhi.

For some reason, when their eyes met, Hong Zhi felt an inexplicable shudder in his heart.

He grew even more shocked. 'I'm a cultivator at the Third Layer of the Primordial Mansion Realm, an Elder of Qingyue Sword Mansion! How could I possibly be intimidated by a boy in the Spirit Sea Realm?'

"I already gave him several chances."

"He was the one who insisted on courting death... Besides, I didn't even use my full strength. His skills were inferior. Who can he blame but himself?"

Ye Chen's indifferent words slowly echoed across the arena.

As the crowd listened, they were still shaken by Ye Chen's immense power, but they couldn't help but nod in agreement, feeling that he had a point.

After all, everyone had seen it with their own eyes. Ye Chen had refused again and again, but Li Changhe had been the one to relentlessly insist on coming up to get himself killed.

In an instant, the crowd's gazes toward Hong Zhi and Li Changhe turned mocking and scornful.

Hong Zhi's face instantly turned livid.

'I originally thought he was too afraid to accept the challenge. Who would have known that the truth was he simply looked down on Li Changhe's meager strength and had no interest in fighting him at all?'

Seeing Hong Zhi staring daggers at him, looking as if he was about to lose control and attack, Ye Chen simply shook his head and said casually, "Are you planning to get revenge for him?"

"If you are, then feel free to make your move."

The moment he said this, the crowd was once again stunned.

'Just who on earth is this young man? To be so aggressive, even when facing a senior figure like Hong Zhi, a Primordial Mansion Realm expert?'

In contrast, when Yu Xiaoran and Ji Yuanshan saw this, their expressions didn't change at all.

'With Ye Chen's strength, it would be strange if he *wasn't* this aggressive!'

Hong Zhi looked at the aggressive Ye Chen, his brow furrowing slightly.

'This situation is simply too strange.'

The boy's fearless attitude actually made Hong Zhi hesitant to act rashly.

Even though he truly wanted to avenge Li Changhe, and it didn't look like Yu Xiaoran and the others had any intention of stopping him, they were in front of a massive crowd. If he attacked now, he would be guilty of an elder bullying a junior, which would in turn damage the reputation of Qingyue Sword Mansion. That would be disastrous.

Hong Zhi's expression shifted uncertainly. Finally, with a defeated sigh, he chose to turn and leave.

"This tournament is a competition between you young people. I will not get involved."

"However, once this tournament is over, if I get the chance, I won't let you off the hook."

Before leaving, Hong Zhi coolly tossed out those two sentences.

"I can tell you right now, choosing to leave was undoubtedly a wise decision."

"As for revenge... after the tournament is over, if you still have the notion, feel free to come and find me."

Ye Chen just smiled.

His audacious attitude left countless onlookers in awe!

Hong Zhi was stunned for a moment. He gritted his teeth and strode quickly off the martial arts stage.

Not far away, Tang Huagui sized up Ye Chen with an intrigued look in his eyes, muttering to himself, "And here I thought this tournament was just a formality, with no one even worthy of a fight."

"I never thought I'd find someone I can't quite see through... Now this is getting interesting!"

On the high platform, the members of the Black Tiger Gang were also stunned by the strength Ye Chen had displayed.

"Elder Chen, it seems this guy's strength is far greater than other geniuses at the same realm."

"We may have underestimated him!" a member of the Black Tiger Gang couldn't help but say.

"Hmph!" Chen Lie shook his head disdainfully. "No matter how amazing he is, he's still just in the Spirit Sea Realm. There's a world of difference between that and the Primordial Mansion Realm."

"Just wait. With Young Master Tang's personality, he has definitely marked him as prey. All we have to do is wait for the good show to start."

Hearing this, the others all nodded in agreement.

'With Tang Huagui's strength, dealing with this young man shouldn't be difficult at all.'

Sure enough, just as Chen Lie had thought, with Li Changhe's departure, Tang Huagui could finally hold back no longer!

"Hey, kid. How about a match?" Tang Huagui stepped forward, flashing a grin at Ye Chen. "I'm very interested in you. Of everyone here, you're the only one qualified to be my opponent!"

"Is Tang Huagui finally making his move?" the crowd murmured. It seemed this surprising young man was about to be knocked off the stage after all.

However, Ye Chen only gave Tang Huagui a passing glance.

"But in my eyes, you are not yet worthy of being my opponent."