Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

He seemed completely unaware of the events that had transpired last night in Lingtian Pavilion at the Dongxuan Restaurant.

All he knew was that Li Jianyin had hosted a banquet for his fellow cultivators.

The Buddha's Son's mouth twitched as he fought to hold back a smile. In a deep voice, he said, "He's here."

After all, Ye Chen himself had said there was no longer any need to hide his identity, so the Buddha's Son saw no reason to hold back.

"He's here?" The Undying Demon Lord's eyes lit up. "Where is he?" he asked excitedly.

"He doesn't seem to have arrived at the venue yet... I expect he'll be here in a little while."

At this, the Buddha's Son couldn't help but wonder, 'Can Ye Chen really still make it?'

He had learned from Master Jialan that Pure Buddha had personally taken action, leading Master Minghui and the others to find Ye Chen.

'With Pure Buddha's power, even if Ye Chen's abilities could reach the heavens, could he really escape this time?'

The Buddha's Son shook his head, not wanting to dwell on it.

'In any case, whether Ye Chen lives or dies has nothing to do with me.'

He had long since realized the immense gap between himself and Ye Chen.

He no longer thought of revenge; he just wanted to get as far away from that dangerous man as possible!

"I see..."

The Undying Demon Lord's eyes gleamed. "I eagerly await his arrival."

"But for now, let's you and I have a match!"

...

Unsurprisingly, the Buddha's Son was no match for the Undying Demon Lord.

He barely managed a few rounds before conceding on the spot.

Although he had broken through to the Divinity Transformation Realm, his foundation was ultimately far weaker than that of the heirs from the great powers.

Moreover, since the Undying Demon Lord had already cultivated his Undying Demon Body to the stage of Great Completion, his own cultivation had successfully advanced to the Third Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm!

He was far beyond the level of the Buddha's Son, who had only just broken through to the Divinity Transformation Realm.

Thus, the Buddha's Son sensibly conceded defeat to avoid a miserable beating.

After he returned to his seat, even Master Jialan couldn't help but frown in confusion.

The Buddha's Son of the past, when sparring with his peers, would have fought with all his might, full of spirit, even knowing he was outmatched.

He wouldn't have been like this—his fighting spirit gone, easily admitting defeat.

"Disciple, you clearly could have lasted several more rounds. Why did you surrender so quickly?" Master Jialan couldn't help but ask.

"The gap in our strength is too great. Struggling further would have been futile, so why waste the effort?" the Buddha's Son replied, shaking his head with a desolate expression.

'It couldn't be helped. After his encounters with Ye Chen, his Dao Heart, once brave and unyielding, had been shattered to pieces!'

'He finally understood that in the eyes of true prodigies, his level of attainment was completely insignificant, not even worth mentioning.'

'Fighting with all his might would have been nothing more than a way to console himself; it was utterly pointless.'

Master Jialan could naturally see the change in his disciple's state of mind.

He frowned. "Is this because of that Ye Chen?"

The Buddha's Son froze, remaining silent.

"You need not concern yourself with him."

"With Pure Buddha himself taking action, his death is certain."

"You should focus on adjusting your mindset for the upcoming matches."

Master Jialan advised in a solemn tone.

The Buddha's Son's gaze wavered, but he still nodded. "I understand."

'Will Ye Chen really die at the hands of Pure Buddha?'

'He didn't know.'

'The Ye Chen of today was simply too unpredictable.'

'He didn't dare to be one hundred percent certain that even Pure Buddha of Jingkong Temple could take Ye Chen down.'

The Buddha's Son sighed silently.

'Of course, perhaps he was just overthinking things.'

...

"This sparring tournament is exceptionally fierce! Every one of these youngsters on the stage is giving it their all!"

From the front-row seats, General Jiang Quguang of the City Lord's Mansion laughed as he watched the intense, tiger-versus-dragon clashes on the stage.

"But of course. The rewards this time are so generous, it's no wonder they're so motivated," City Lord Zhong Luoxun added with a wide smile.

Just before the Peach Blossom Banquet began, he had, on behalf of the Mansion Lord, publicly announced the prizes.

The prizes included the usual fare: the Immortal Peaches—Spiritual Objects of Heaven and Earth that were a staple of every Peach Blossom Banquet—and other recurring rewards. But this year, Mansion Lord Li Yu had also brought out his treasured Spiritual Treasure, the Jadeite Gold Seal, as the grand prize for first place!

The Jadeite Gold Seal! This was a powerful Spiritual Treasure whose quality surpassed even Top-grade Spiritual Soldiers!

Rumor had it that it was crafted by a Great Power at the Peak of the Void Realm and contained the mysteries of spatial power.

Once activated, even a Cultivator below the Void Realm could manage to wield a degree of spatial power in battle.

It could lock space, freeze it in place, and possessed many other miraculous abilities.

For experts in the Divine Might Realm, the Jadeite Gold Seal could even be used to comprehend the secrets of space, helping them prepare for their breakthrough to the Void Realm!

One can only imagine how precious such a Spiritual Treasure was!

Across the vast eastern region of the dynasty, one could hardly find a single Void Realm Cultivator.

Yet this Spiritual Treasure allowed one to temporarily wield a portion of the spatial power that only Void Realm Cultivators could comprehend. How could anyone not burn with envy?

Forget the heirs of the various powers; even their leaders were incredibly tempted, their eyes blazing with desire, their hearts itching with an unbearable craving.

Unfortunately, they knew their own limits.

That was a prize only first place could win!

And the throne of first place was something only the heirs of the absolute top-tier powers were qualified to contend for.

As for the rest... they would be lucky just to rank near the top and receive one of the extraordinary Immortal Peaches.

Li Yu silently watched the scene on the dueling grounds.

He suddenly turned to Li Jianyin beside him and asked, "Are you planning to compete?"

At that moment, Li Jianyin was yawning out of sheer boredom.

To him, the matches on the dueling grounds were like children playing house—so pathetic he couldn't bear to watch, and he felt not the slightest bit of interest.

"Me?" Li Jianyin paused, then shook his head with a laugh. "Aren't you making things difficult for me? If I compete, I'd have to be so careful with my every move just to avoid seriously injuring them."

"Being so restrained would be far too unpleasant."

Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Li Yu's face. "I just wanted my son to show off a bit in front of everyone."

"It's just empty fame. Not worth mentioning," Li Jianyin said, shaking his head.

Li Yu didn't press the matter; he had only mentioned it casually.

In truth, he had never really intended for Li Jianyin to compete.

Ever since his son had followed the previous Mansion Lord to the Central Province for training, he had returned on a level far beyond any of his peers in Dongxuan Province.

His son was said to be highly regarded at the Heaven-Reaching Sword Institute in the Central Province, with countless old monsters vying to take him as their disciple.

His son and his peers in Dongxuan Province were in completely different worlds.

Even he, his own father, sometimes found it difficult to see through his son's level of cultivation.