by Mars Gravity
“Rarghhhh!” Duke Yuan Que’s eyes widened and all the blood vessels in his eyes popped out. He let out a roar that was filled with violence and pain, and both his spears swept forward at the same time, as if he wanted to ruthlessly smash Yun Che’s body into pieces. But along the howling of the wind brought by the sword, his spear force and energy were still firmly blocked. Yun Che’s heavy sword was locked with the two spears, and even though his chest rose and fell fiercely, his eyes were still as tranquil as still water. He looked at the Duke Yuan Que, who was gasping like a bull and had completely bloodshot eyes, and he suddenly gave a bland smile, “What’s the matter? Is that all you’ve got?”
Duke Yuan Que’s explosive increase in profound strength would most likely cause any profound practitioner to be filled with shock. However, it was not even something for which Yun Che would spare a glance. Berserking profound energy was a state with which Yun Che was all too familiar. From Evil Soul, to Burning Heart, and then to Purgatory.
An ability that caused one’s profound power to temporarily increase by two times was already something that was considered heaven-defying in the eyes of all the people.
But just from using the Evil God power’s lowest form, the Evil Soul state, Yun Che already increased his profound strength by two to three times.
Duke Yuan Que’s berserk status not only lasted for a short period of time, but it also brought along immense side-effects.
Yun Che, on the other hand, could now maintain the Burning Heart state at any and all times, and it did not even place any burden on him. Even the Purgatory state was something he could maintain for a relatively long period of time now, and as long as he did not overuse it, the only side-effect it brought about was accelerated exhaustion.
So for Duke Yuan Que to play his hand at causing his profound strength to go berserk in front of Yun Che… It was safe to say that Yun Che was not the least bit entertained.
At the same time, Yun Che was exceptionally clear about the consequences of causing one’s profound strength to go berserk. Initially when he had forcefully opened Evil Soul, Burning Heart, and Purgatory, the burden that his body and profound veins had to bear caused his body to feel like it was going to rip itself apart; that sensation was still fresh in his memory.
At the present time, he had the body of the Dragon God, the bloodline of the Phoenix, and he had been tempered by the energy of heaven and earth. Moreover, he had also survived the baptism of the spatial storm, so for him to bear the burden of a profound strength that was far beyond his current profound strength was something that did not create any pressure for him whatsoever. But if it were Duke Yuan Que… the most he could endure was one hundred breaths.
So right now, Duke Yuan Que’s strength and spirit seemed to have started collapsing.
“This cannot be… This cannot be! This duke’s current state… How can it not be enough to defeat you?!!”
Yun Che’s words and his confident expression were like one hundred thousand steel needles which pierced into Duke Yuan Que’s soul. He gave a wild howl and swept both of his spears across, sending Yun Che flying into the distance. His whole body ignited and the flames crazily swirled about, and the image of the dragon behind his back flickered into and out of existence before it let out a hoarse dragon roar filled with pain.
Bang, bang, bang…
All of the veins on Duke Yuan Que’s body swelled as parts of this dragon-scaled body bulged out grotesquely and parts of his skin cracked open, sending blood flying everywhere.
“Ah, he’s really going all out.” Looking at Duke Yuan Que’s present appearance, Yun Che grasped the Heaven Smiting Sword and positioned it in front of him. Even though his eyes were calm, his heart was definitely not relaxed. After having endured over a hundred of Duke Yuan Que’s explosive strikes, his energy consumption had been exceptionally enormous. Coupled with the fact that he had also used up quite a bit of energy over his last four fights, his present profound and physical strengths were not even at thirty percent of what they normally were.
Waiting after this was a far scarier opponent than Duke Yuan Que waiting for him, Hui Ran!
So it looked like he could not let this battle continue any longer and he needed to finish him as soon as possible.
Yun Che had originally planned to focus on defense, wait until Duke Yuan Que could no longer endure the burden on his body, and then defeat him. This method would consume a lot less energy and allow him to preserve more strength. But looking at Duke Yuan Que’s current state and seeing as how he continued to desperately fight with his life on the line, Yun Che had no choice but to once again reconsider.
“Ultimate… Sky Dragon Sunder!!”
All of Duke Yuan Que’s energy poured desperately into both of his spears and the black and silver long spears began to generate two profound energy storms. Both storms enfolded one another and they carried an aura which threatened to destroy the heavens and the earth. In an instant, the storm had engulfed the entire arena, and within the boundaries of the arena, which could only be described as ‘small and narrow,’ Yun Che was left with no way out.
This was simply Duke Yuan Que’s last stand, where he put everything on the line as he was about to fall into despair. Facing the all-out onslaught of the violently surging energy wave, a scarlet light flashed across Yun Che’s pupils.
“Pur… gatory!!”
Duke Yuan Que’s fearsome attack produced a change in everyone’s gaze and soul and all of the people in the audience strained their eyes wide as they prepared to see how Yun Che would deal with this attack. But at this time, everyone suddenly felt the aura around Yun Che’s body abruptly rise dramatically!
“Wha… What… Wha… What?!!” The dignified Patriarch of the Su Family, Su Xiangnan, looked at Yun Che and the cry that he inadvertently let out caused him to stumble over his words.
This match had been extremely intense and it had gone far beyond what anyone had anticipated. Even when Duke Yuan Que had used the forbidden ability and gained a massive power up, Yun Che was still able to hang on. From how everyone saw it, this was already a miracle that was beyond miracles. He was being suppressed by Duke Yuan Que with every move; everyone in the west wing was worried that Yun Che would suddenly be unable to withstand it and get smashed by a thrust of Duke Yuan Que’s spear.
But… what they would never ever have imagined was that under such conditions, Yun Che’s aura actually abruptly flared up tremendously… this was a pure and genuine spike in power! And the degree to which his power was increased far exceeded that of Duke Yuan Que. In just a short span of time, he completely covered the aura of power emitted by Duke Yuan Que after he had powered up.
Chapter 566: Five Consecutive Victories
Duke Zhong, who was seated in the middle of the east wing, stood up suddenly and his face had become extremely warped with astonishment. In regards to Duke Yuan Que’s lack of hesitance in activating his forbidden art, he actually approved of it silently. As the young master of Duke Zhong Palace, if Duke Yuan Que was defeated, it also signified the defeat of the entire Duke Zhong Palace. Even though the side-effect of being weakened for three months as a result of using the forbidden bloodline art to completely crush Yun Che was serious, it was at least better than the consequence of falling in defeat.
Yet Duke Yuan Que, who had made his profound power go berserk, could not crush Yun Che under his feet, and this already caused Duke Zhong to feel ill at ease. At this moment, Yun Che’s aura suddenly expanded explosively and it shocked him to the point where he had nearly vomited blood on the spot.
This aura of power which explosively rose up and abruptly assaulted Duke Yuan Que caused the raging duke to suddenly grow sluggish, and even the spear aura he emitted grew gentler. Facing Duke Yuan Que’s all-out attack, Yun Che no longer went on the defensive; instead, he abruptly ran forward to face the attack head on and he sent a fierce ‘Falling Moon Sinking Star’ crashing forward.
Bang!!
The strength of the
blow that came from Yun Che was much more tyrannical than that of his previous strike. The profound energy storm that had been raised by Duke Yuan Que’s dual spears crashed into it like a thousand foot wave crashing into a ten thousand foot tsunami, and in an instant, it was suppressed and devoured. An incomparably tyrannical and immense attack smashed into his dual spears before continuing onto his body.
An immense explosion ripped through the air as both his arms completely lost all sensation. His entire body was like a leaf fluttering in a storm as it flew over a great distance until he violently smashed into the roof of the Demon Imperial Hall. The Demon Imperial Hall shook greatly before his body smashed heavily into the floor, which caused the great hall to shake once again.
However, since he had been smashed high into the air, he was not sent flying out horizontally. When his body came to a standstill, it did not leave the boundary of the arena.
Duke Yuan Que looked incomparably pathetic as he propped himself up with both his spears and pulled himself upright amidst the shattered stones. All the energy and blood in his body were thrown into complete chaos, and the hands that gripped both spears were torn and dripping with blood. Because of the protection of his strong protective profound energy, this slash did not inflict much damage, but his already wavering belief had taken a huge hit.
While in the state of ‘Purgatory’, Yun Che had to bear an immense consumption of energy and burden on his body, so naturally he could not waste even half a second. Just as Duke Yuan Que stood up, he rushed in swiftly and sent his sword sweeping forward.
All the veins in Duke Yuan Que’s body were either swollen or torn, but a crazy, ominous glint suddenly flashed across his eyes. Every single dragon scale on his body swelled up greatly and ghastly blossoms of blood shot into the air…
“This duke… wants your life!!”
Both of Duke Yuan Que’s eyes had turned crimson and a few of his teeth were broken. He raised both his hands and with a low, pained roar, he unreservedly poured all the energy he had left into his spears. The silhouette of the dragon behind him shattered and the image of two fierce dragons appeared on the bodies of his spears; one of them silver, while the other, black.
“It is the finishing move of the Duke Zhong Palace, Demon Dragon Slaughtering the World!”
“Che’er, be careful!” Yun Qinghong swiftly shouted.
As one of the Duke Zhong Palace’s ultimate finishing moves, Demon Dragon Slaughtering the World was normally incredibly difficult for Duke Yuan Que to perform. For him to forcefully use this move when he was in such a state, one could well imagine the kind of burden he would have to endure. But at this moment, Duke Yuan Que’s spirit was on the verge of collapse, so why would he still care about the consequences?
After this move, if anything went wrong, there was even a possibility that his profound veins would be heavily injured.
But even with his current strength, it was still incomparably terrifying.
“Yun Che… go and die!! Demon Dragon Slaughtering the World!”
Both the silver and black fierce dragons flew from his spears and they fiercely snaked out as they intertwined and pierced the air. Before both dragons came close to Yun Che, he had already been pinned down by the impact of the assault, his clothes were swiftly torn into shreds, and he could barely even open his eyes.
This was truly a strong move… But this fellow had released this strength only after he had endured a heavy burden for a long period and his profound energy was nearly empty…
Was he tired of living?!
“Sealing Cloud Locking Sun!”
The Evil God barrier appeared for an instant, and the two fierce dragons were completely consumed by Yun Che’s barrier. The destructive power surged violently and erupted and the Evil God barrier was battered by the impact. A cutting sound filled Yun Che’s ears, and after three breaths, the Evil God barrier was finally broken, but ninety percent of the power of Demon Dragon Slaughtering the World had been reduced as well. Even though the remaining energy sent Yun Che flying for tens of meters, he had only sustained some light injuries.
“Ah, I can finally end it…” Yun Che wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, his figure blurred as it pierced through the sand that was flying all around, and he smashed his sword into the completely dazed Duke Yuan Que’s body.
Duke Yuan Que had already wagered all of his remaining energy in that single blow and there was not even a shred of profound energy left to protect his body. Yun Che’s sword at a mere two-tenths of its power caused his body to fly through the air like a sack of rotten meat.
Bang!
Duke Yuan Que’s body hit the floor heavily and his entire body was covered in blood. However, the injuries that Yun Che had caused were all internal injuries which either snapped muscle or fractured bone. The blood covering him was due to his body being unable to withstand the overbearing burden and rupturing.
A huge amount of fresh blood flowed from Duke Yuan Que’s head, body and the back of his hands. He lay still on the ground and his eyes were directed at the blurry ceiling of the great hall. They were dull and lifeless and it seemed as if he was in some extremely ephemeral dreamscape. He opened his mouth but no sound came out at all, and his consciousness completely flew away. His head rolled back as he thoroughly fainted dead away.
Duke Yuan Que had lost!
The entire hall had fallen into a dead silence and one could even hear the sound of a pin drop.
Not even Duke Zhong Palace made a move for a long time after seeing a bloodied and unconscious Duke Yuan Que lying on the ground… they had all been struck dumb.
“Big Brother… is simply too incredible! Big Brother, you are way too awesome!!”
A loud, emotional cry rang through the great hall, Xiao Yun was already dancing about excitedly as he wildly cheered until he lost his voice.
Xiao Yun’s cheers were like the spark that ignited the powder keg, and the entire Demon Emperor Hall exploded into sound.
“Yun Che won again… Yun Che actually won again!! My heavens! This is simply… simply… simply…”
“Duke Yuan Que used all of his power and displayed all of his finishing moves. He did not even hesitate to use a forbidden art. Even after Yun Che had fought four matches, and all four of his opponents were individuals who stood on the summit, whose names had shaken all of Illusory Demon Realm, Yun Che had still won each and every battle… he’s simply a monster!”
“I have personally witnessed the glorious ascension of a supreme genius today! For me to come to Demon Imperial City and see with my very eyes a genius that seems to have walked out of mythology, this competition… is enough to satisfy me for the rest of my life!”
“After his previous bouts, Yun Che’s name would definitely shake the heavens. But after this match, he has qualified himself to be recorded in the very annals of our Illusory Demon Realm’s history! Defeating five mid-stage Overlords with his strength only at the Sky Profound Realm has never been seen before in the history of Illusory Demon Realm, and it is likely that such a feat will never be seen again after.
“Good… Good!” Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou clasped their hands together and they were so moved that they could barely speak.
All the young disciples who were present had been stunned senseless. Any of them were peak existences amongst their peers, and normally, they were incomparably proud and arrogant. After witnessing that bitterly fierce battle, Yun Che’s extremely terrifying strength had caused every single one of them to be scared witless, even to the point where their courage had been completely torn to shreds. In front of such strength displayed by a person who was of a similar age, they felt that their power was not even at the standard where it could be displayed as a disgraceful sideshow.
When Su Zhizhan had fallen in defeat, the east wing still had a whole six competitors, while the west wing was only left with one. Furthermore, the strongest competitors left in the east wing consisted of Hui Ye, Yuan Que and Hui Ran, and any one of them could co
mpletely defeat Su Zhizhan. On the other hand, the west wing’s final combatant, Yun Che, had a profound strength that was so weak, everyone disregarded him.
All of those seated in the west wing thought that this match would end up exactly as they had originally predicted… either that or it would end up as a defeat that was even more miserable and humiliating than anticipated. But not a single one of them could have predicted that Yun Che would actually defeat Jiufang Yu, Xiao Donglai and Chiyang Yanwu…
To think that he would defeat the one who was ranked third amongst the Illusory Demon Seven Scions, the one who had both the bloodline of the Demon Emperor and the strongest profound art, Duke Hui Ye…
And to defeat yet another member of the Illusory Demon Seven Scions, the second-ranked Duke Yuan Que, who had not even hesitated to use a forbidden profound skill!
Five consecutive victories!
Every single one of his matches had shaken the very soul of all who were watching. It was a string of five consecutive victories that had completely overturned all logic!
This was a series of five matches that would stir a huge commotion in the entire Illusory Demon Realm. Beside such a string of victories, all the previous defeats that had occurred on both sides had become woefully insignificant and all the previous victories were not worth mentioning. This series of matches looked like a competition but was actually a secret gamble between two large factions who were pitted against each other. It was a struggle between loyalty and ambition, but all of this had been overshadowed by Yun Che, who had become the sole protagonist as he drew all the attention and won the hearts of all those present.
When those seated in the west wing gazed toward Yun Che now, every single gaze was filled with a radiant splendor that had not existed before. The gathered elders of the Yun Family were filled with such emotion that they were either rendered speechless or they could not form coherent sentences. Regarding the matter of the ‘foster son’ that Yun Qinghong had taken in, originally everyone felt like it was inappropriate and they even despised him because his profound strength was too low. Only now did they realize that the Yun Family had actually picked up a huge treasure!