by Mars Gravity
As for those seated in the east wing, their expressions had naturally become extremely ugly, especially those young disciples, as rage and envy were clearly written on their faces.
“What is this Yun Che so arrogant about?! Does he think that just because he beat Chiyang Yanwu, he is unparalleled under heaven?!”
“His arrogance is about to come to an end! The three who have yet to battle on our side are the remaining three of the Illusory Demon Seven Scions! And any one of them could abuse him to the point where his own mother wouldn’t recognize him!”
“Hmph! Just let him be smug for a while. He offended Duke Huai and offended the Chiyang, Xiao, and Jiufang Families. His status is merely that of a wild punk from outside of Demon Imperial City. Whether he will still be breathing six hours after this ceremony is a matter that has yet to be confirmed!”
“Bloody hell! I wish that Duke Hui Ran would come out now and smash his mouth to pieces with a single punch… However, that is not a likely thing, because with Duke Hui Ran’s strength, he would not even want to trade blows with such an opponent. And with the presence of Duke Hui Ye and Duke Yuan Qiao, Duke Hui Ran won’t even have the opportunity to show off his skills.”
“Hmph! Whatever it is, there is definitely no possibility that we will lose. The only thing that grinds my gears is that we allowed this punk to have the honor of winning three consecutive times. However, the more he shows off, the worse the consequences will be. I reckon that whether it is Duke Hui Ye or Duke Yuan Qiao who steps on the stage, neither will hold back, and even if he were beaten half to death, he would still have been let off lightly! So let him be arrogant!”
Duke Huai’s expression was still completely placid, but a strange light had appeared in his eyes. When Yun Che had beaten both Jiufang Yu and Xiao Donglai, even though he had been stunned, he had not truly taken Yun Che seriously. However, he had just beaten Chiyang Yanwu without even expending too much of his strength. But what caused him the most concern were the words that he had said to Chiyang Bailie… From this moment on, he had no choice but to completely reevaluate Yun Che.
He was unable to find either hide or hair regarding Yun Che’s origins despite his own great power.
He’d also been sorely mistaken about Yun Che’s strength.
Moreover, he had immediately been accepted as the foster son of that Yun Qinghong after he had entered the Yun Family…
The previous scheme that was targeted at the Yun Family and the Under Heaven Family was also completely unravelled by him, to the point where it had been laid bare for all to see.
After he had comprehensively analyzed this person, Duke Huai was suddenly seized by a thought… this Yun Che just might be a completely unforeseen and unknowable variable!
His logic-defying talent and strength, that demeanor and sharpness that far surpassed his age, all caused Duke Huai to feel a clear sense of danger.
Duke Huai’s brows faintly sunk and the killing intent he felt towards Yun Che instantly intensified by tens of times. He lowered his head and sent a profound energy sound transmission to Duke Hui Ye, “Ye’er, kill him!”
Duke Hui Ye had already been prepared to set out for battle when he suddenly heard Duke Huai’s sound transmission. His brows jumped and his mouth faintly curved into a cruel smile. He looked in Duke Huai’s direction and gently nodded his head, after which, he bounded into the air to land in front of Yun Che. His face was full of smiles as he looked at Yun Che… and that gaze was filled with an unconcealed cruelty.
“Duke Hui Ye… It’s Duke Huai’s Palace’s Young Duke Hui Ye!”
“I never thought that he would actually force Duke Hui Ye to personally come out. Ah, it really doesn’t make me feel good. But at least this competition has finally come to an end.”
“Yun Che won three consecutive victories, but it seems like he hardly broke a sweat. Moreover, he hasn’t even used his weapon yet… Do you think that Yun Che might have a possibility of beating Duke Hui Ye?”
“Are you joking?! This is the one who is ranked number three among the Illusory Demon Seven Scions that we are talking about, Duke Hui Ye of Duke Huai Palace! The thickness of the royal blood that Duke Huai Palace possesses is second only to the Demon Emperor Clan! And all the dukes in Duke Huai’s palace have a strong bloodline that is second only to the Demon Emperor! And the profound art that they cultivate is the one recognized to be inferior only to the 《Golden Crow’s Record of the Burning World》, the ‘Fallen Flame Devil Art’. A practitioner of this art who is at the sixth level of the Tyrant Profound Realm has power that is equivalent to a level seven Tyrant Profound Realm practitioner from the Twelve Families. Even though it could be said that Yun Che easily beat Chiyang Yanwu, he also had to fight nearly one hundred rounds and at one point, he was nearly forced out of the arena by her. Now that Duke Huai has made his move, he won’t even last three rounds! So how can there be any possibility that he will lose to Yun Che?”
“That’s right. Do not compare any disciple of the Twelve Families to a duke from Duke Huai Palace. Yun Che is indeed strong to the point of absurdity, but there is no way he can be Duke Hui Ye’s match. At most, he might be able to force Duke Hui Ye to use his full strength.”
There was much discussion inside the hall. The unsightly looks on everyone’s faces in the east wing seats were gradually alleviated when they saw Duke Hui Ye enter the arena; they all revealed a cold smile… They believed that Yun Che’s previous public attention would cause Duke Hui Ye to treat him harshly and there was also the possibility him killing Yun Che. As for Duke Hui Ye losing to Yun Che… it was definitely impossible.
The cries from all those seated in the west wing suddenly went cold, as every single person seated there displayed varying degrees of anxiety on their face. Especially those seniors, once they thought of Duke Hui Ye’s temperament, their brows tightly knitted together.
“You have done pretty well. Honestly, this duke actually severely underestimated your strength. One month ago, when I saw you at the Yun Family household, I had thought that you were merely a little grasshopper who was beneath my notice. I really did not think that you would actually be able to force this duke to personally take the stage. I guess that you are somewhat adequate enough for privilege of making this duke take you seriously.”
Duke Hui Ye had a bland smile on his face as he said that, but Yun Che could perceive an incomparably clear killing intent from his eyes. This kind of clear killing intent told Yun Che that in the upcoming battle, Duke Hui Ye would definitely try to deal a killing blow to him.
Yun Che also smiled, “Duke Hui Ye, it’s better if you boast less. This kind of boasting, in my entire life, even if I have not heard it a thousand times, I have at least heard it eight hundred times. But in the end, every single one of them had slapped their own face without a single exception. Heh, and let me tell you, slapping your own face is very painful, you know.”
Chapter 560: Fallen Flame Devil Art
“Be careful, the profound art this person cultivates seems a bit strange and the potency of his Golden Crow bloodline is one-fourth that of the Little Demon Empress. If you do not use your heavy sword, he will not be so easy for you to deal with,” Jasmine said out of the blue.
Jasmine was the one who was most clear about Yun Che’s true ability, so there was no way Yun Che would not take her warning seriously. Yun Che gave a gentle nod of his head in response.
After hearing Yun Che’s words, Duke Hui Ye gave a bland laugh, “This duke had always regarded himself as an arrogant man, but this is the first time in my life that I have ever seen someone that is actually more arrogant than I am. To think that this person would display such arrogance before this duke himself.”
Yun Che nodded his head and said in a most sincere voice, “I understand, I understand completely. Lord Hui Ye has probably never gone out of Demon Imperial City in his lifetime, so it is only natural that your knowledge and experience is narrow and shallow. There seems to be a few proverbs regarding th
is… they seem to be something along the lines of viewing the sky from the bottom of a well or having a ludicrous conceit as great as Yelang. These words simply fit you all too well. His Highness Hui Ye should learn some self-reflection and self-development, and after this, you should go out to see more of the world yourself. If not, even if you don’t mind being laughed at, the feeling of slapping your own face is really not a good feeling.”
If someone were to compare the experience between Yun Che and Hui Ye, Hui Ye would fall far short. In terms of his ability to scold or mock others, he would not even be able to touch the soles of Yun Che’s feet. The bland smile on his face stiffened instantly and a cold light flashed from his eyes as he said in a cold, disdainful voice, “If you had just remained an honest fool, this duke would not even deign to spare you a single glance. With your ability, you might be able to garner a bit of fame for yourself in the future. However, you insist on seeking your own death… and to continue speaking to a feckless fool such as yourself is simply a waste of my time and my breath… This duke is going to simply rip your mouth off!”
Duke Hui Ye’s right arm shot out with his hand in the shape of a claw as all the profound energy in his body surged. Before he had made any other movements, a cluster of reddish-black flames appeared in the air thirty-five meters in front of him and fiercely exploded towards Yun Che’s face.
The Golden Crow Flame was not an ordinary profound flame, so the color of its flames would not manifest the same changes that normal profound flames would as one’s profound strength rises. Low-grade Golden Crow Flames were the same as low-grade Phoenix Fire, as both would appear a scarlet red with some faint gold streaks mixed in it. The thicker one’s Golden Crow bloodline was, the thicker the gold color in the flames would be and the purest Golden Crow Flames were a pure golden color.
Duke Hui Ye possessed the Golden Crow bloodline, so he could naturally produce low-grade Golden Crow Flames, but the flames he had produced in this instant… were instead a strange crimson-black color! And it was the black color which was dominant. The flames speeding towards him did not cause Yun Che to feel a burning hot sensation; instead, they radiated a gloomy and sinister cold which pierced the bone and bored into the heart. Wherever those red-black flames landed, the incomparably tough and durable profound jade floor had instantly become charred black… This blackness was clearly not caused by scorching heat, but by corrosion!
Because the Illusory Demon Royal Family had the bloodline of the Golden Crow, they would all basically cultivate fire-based profound arts. So when Jasmine had previously warned Yun Che that the profound art that Duke Hui Ye cultivated was extremely strange… Right now, it looked like rather abnormal indeed.
“So this is the rumored Duke Huai Palace’s ‘Fallen Flame Devil Art’?”
“That is right! It is said that this Fallen Flame Devil Art is compatible with the Golden Crow Flames and its might is only inferior to the Golden Crow’s Record of the Burning World! Even though Duke Hui Ye is not yet thirty years old, it is reported that his rate of compatibility has reached a shocking seventy percent… And Duke Hui Ran has supposedly already reached a compatibility rate of ninety percent!”
Before the crimson-black flames had appeared, Yun Che had felt that there was an abnormal change in the airflow. Even though he experienced a moment of astonishment, his willpower did not waver in the slightest. Moreover, it was not the first time that he had seen flames of this color or felt such an aura. During the years he was being pursued by all the heroes of the Azure Cloud Continent, he had seen every kind of bizarre profound art. Forget about a crimson-black flame, he had even seen a pure black ghost flame, a blood-colored devouring flame and even a viridian poison flame quite a few times.
Yun Che thrust his palm out without hesitation and faced with the Frozen End Divine Arts, the crimson-black flames which were exploding towards him immediately came to a stop. After the flames struggled for less than half a breath, they were forcibly frozen over, and even the color of the flames was rapidly changing from red-black to crystal blue.
“Ah! Even Duke Hui Ye’s devil flames were sealed!” All of the people seated in the great hall gasped in astonishment.
Duke Hui Ye’s brows faintly moved and he subsequently gave a cold sneer. The crimson-black flames ignited all over his body and his extended five fingers spread out even wider. Immediately, an explosive roar which sounded like exploding thunder rang through the air and surging energy waves swelled up all around him. A cluster of raging crimson-black flames, which was a full three times larger than the previous cluster, flew through the air as it explosively rushed towards Yun Che. As the flames rippled and fluctuated, the cluster rapidly distorted into the shape of a gigantic skull. The skull opened its huge horrific mouth as it flew towards Yun Che, accompanied by a wretched hissing noise which sounded like the wailing of ghosts.
A cold and sinister aura instantly engulfed the entire great hall and those who had relatively weak profound strength felt their entire bodies tremble as even their eyes grew slack; it was as if their entire spirit had been brought into a sinister, cold hell.
“What… what is this profound art, it is truly dreadful!” Even though Xiao Yun had long ago heard of Duke Huai Palace’s ‘Fallen Flame Devil Art’, this was the first time that he had truly witnessed it. It gave off a gloomy and sinister sensation that should not be felt from any flame and it made him feel as if all the bones in his body were trembling. If just the aura of the flames alone was this dreadful, it would be hard for him to imagine how terrifyingly powerful these crimson-black flames really were.
The crimson-black fire skull did not only have an extremely strong burning and corrosive power, it could even directly invade your spirit. For an instant, Yun Che’s outlook turned ominous, but he immediately recovered his clarity and his brows slightly furrowed as his expression grew a shade more serious. He took a half step backwards, raised his hand, and pointed his finger in the air and a beam of blue light shot out to meet the onrushing flame skull. The crimson-black devilish flames formed an extremely clear contrast with the pure and spotless icy-blue light.
Crack…
The red-black sparks which were spread all around had begun to rapidly freeze over and the gigantic flame skull’s speed immediately became slower, gradually coming to a standstill. But this only lasted for half a breath. A noise that sounded like a devil’s cry abruptly surged and rang loudly in the air. The ice seal of the Frozen End Divine Arts was forcibly brushed aside as ice fragments filled the air. The skull emitted a sinister and gloomy roar which seemed to come from the depths of hell as it rushed directly at Yun Che’s face.
“Hahahaha!” Duke Hui Ye’s laughter rang through the air, “Your ice profound energy is indeed rather interesting, but if you want to seal this duke’s devil flames, you are simply delusional!”
As he faced the skull composed of devil flames which had broken through his Frozen End Divine Art, Yun Che’s eyes narrowed, but he did not retreat in a fluster. Instead, he shot his palm out and that palm thrust brought along an incomparably huge profound energy storm.
“Falling Moon Sinking Star!!”
Boom!!
The entire Demon Imperial Hall trembled fiercely as a profound energy storm exploded in the air and sent out violent surges of energy akin to a raging tsunami. If this was not the Demon Imperial Hall, but rather some normal hall, the aftershock of profound energy alone would have been enough to blast that place into complete rubble.
Under the raging profound energy storm, the flame skull which exuded that sinister aura completely burst apart. The red-black flames filled the air as they shot out, causing the roof and the floor of the hall to be riddled with a countless number of black scars due to the flames’ corrosive properties; the damaged areas resembled hornets’ nests.
Yun Che’s body had also been shot into the sky by the exploding flame skull and he flew for tens of meters before he landed on the ground stably. The clothes he was wearing had also become r
iddled with hundreds of holes of varying sizes, and the borders of these holes were all charred black. But no obvious wounds could be seen on his body; the only wound that was visible was a small spot of blackened flesh that appeared on the back of his right hand.
Given Yun Che’s ability to completely resist fire, with just a little more control, even the clothes on his body would not be destroyed by flames. However, Duke Hui Ye’s devil flames did not only consist of flames, it also contained a fearsome corrosive power. Even though he had destroyed the flame skull, he had also been hit by a large number of sparks. While these dispersed devil flames were not enough to harm him, they had reduced his clothes to tatters.
“He blocked it… Yun Che actually blocked it!”
The two combatants had only just started their fight, but the fearsomeness of the devil flames unleashed by Duke Hui Ye had caused many of the realm’s hegemons to pale in shock. But what caused the crowd to truly be flabbergasted was that the Yun Che who had created the miracle of three consecutive victories had actually managed to completely block such a fearsome flame!
Looking at the Yun Che, who looked almost completely unharmed despite being blasted away, a flash of alarm darted through the depths of Duke Hui Ye’s eyes. However, a cold sneer had appeared on his face instead, “Not bad, not bad. To actually be able to resist my devil flames at sixty percent of their power. It looks like this duke has truly underestimated you by quite a bit. However, seeing your current pathetic appearance, how much longer do you think you can still hold out?”
Red-black sparks were still falling to the ground, burning little holes in the floor with a hissing sound. Yun Che glanced at the black scar on the back of his hand and said in a bland voice, “The flames of the Golden Crow are the flames of a divine beast, but you actually fused it with such an evil and ominous devilish art. This is simply a profanity against the Golden Crow Flames. If I were your grand ancestor, the Golden Crow, I would definitely do some house cleaning!”