Ye Qin sneered, and the face of the man in the purple-gold shirt instantly turned ashen, deeply shadowed.

“Sir, you don’t seem to be an arrogant fool, so why be so unwise as to try and provoke me! It seems you’re new to Demon Spirit City and don't recognize me, Cao Liangbai!?”

The man in the purple-gold shirt summoned a set of fire-element flying swords, and with a shift in thought, laughed out loud in his extreme anger. Ye Qin’s strength undoubtedly made him deeply wary, and since he couldn't ascertain Ye Qin’s background or true capabilities, he would have already attacked with his sword instead of wasting breath on words.

“Cao Liangbai? Never heard of him. You’re a Nineteenth-Wheel cultivator; are you supposed to be famous?!”

Ye Qin sounded impatient.

Ye Qin had inadvertently struck a sore spot for Cao Liangbai, causing him immediate embarrassment and shame. Within Demon Spirit City, there were hundreds of Nascent Soul cultivators holding the Nineteenth Wheel, but only a dozen could manage the Twentieth Wheel—those were the truly renowned figures. Cao Liangbai’s own reputation wasn't brilliant; his fame stemmed entirely from his very famous ancestor. Thus, he often tried to equate himself with those top-tier Twentieth-Wheel cultivators.

“It doesn't matter if you don’t know me, but if you don’t know my ancestor, that’s a monumental joke! My ancestor is the Great Lord Cao of Crimson Flame Valley near Demon Spirit City, and furthermore, a member of the Demon Spirit City Elder Council. He commands millions of square miles of territory, with no fewer than a thousand Nascent Soul cultivators under his command.”

Cao Liangbai chuckled, then his tone shifted, and he sent a secret voice transmission: "......For you to break through to the Nineteenth Wheel proves you are a powerful cultivator. My ancestor, if he were here, would certainly feel appreciation for your talent. If you are willing to concede defeat now, humble as I am, I can introduce you. With your skills, your standing in Crimson Flame Valley would certainly not be low—at the very least, you could become a Grand Commander of the Demon Hunters, overseeing a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators. Of course, should anyone dare refuse the goodwill of Crimson Flame Valley and disrespect my ancestor, with just one word from him, not only would other territories refuse to recruit you, but you wouldn't even be able to stay in Demon Spirit City!”

This blatant display of both tempting alliance and coercion from Cao Liangbai would certainly have worked on many other Nascent Soul cultivators in Demon Spirit City. Unfortunately, he had picked the wrong opponent.

Ye Qin hadn't even heard the name Great Lord Cao; he had no idea who that person was. A cultivator at the Soul Transformation stage was all the same to him, with no real distinction. If he couldn't stay in Demon Spirit City, he would simply find another Soul Transformation ancestor to pledge allegiance to.

Ye Qin was quite familiar with the Heavenly Demon Alliance. The giants of the East Sea Heavenly Demon Alliance were inherently arrogant and governed themselves independently, unwilling to allow other giants to interfere in their sect’s internal affairs. That inherent nature wouldn't have vanished just because they arrived at the Southern Demon Continent. He found it unbelievable that all the other Soul Transformation cultivators on the Southern Demon Continent would align themselves with Great Lord Cao and follow the orders of a single faction. Cao Liangbai's threat was nothing more than empty bluster.

“Make your move, don't waste time! If you don't strike first, you won't get the chance after I do.”

Ye Qin was tired of listening to Cao Liangbai's nonsense and said so directly.

“What?”

Cao Liangbai paused, his face contorting with displeasure again. He finally realized that this fellow was utterly immune to both soft tactics and hard threats; he showed neither face to Cao Liangbai nor to the Cao family ancestor.

He had somewhat anticipated Ye Qin would actively surrender or, at the very least, fight to a draw. But he hadn't expected Ye Qin's clean and decisive refusal. A burning rage born of being utterly disregarded instantly overwhelmed the last shred of his composure.

“You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. Then let me gauge your true capabilities!”

Cao Liangbai attacked in a furious rage, unleashing the set of fire-element flying swords in his hand.

This set of superb-grade, minor divine ability fire swords consisted of one hundred and twenty-eight small fire swords, each about several feet long, forming a massive, dense fire sword array in the sky, resembling a colossal fireball.

With a flicker of Cao Liangbai’s divine sense, the sky full of swords transformed into a waterfall of fire, slashing towards Ye Qin with a "whoosh, whoosh!" sound.

Ye Qin immediately displayed a trace of seriousness. He pointed with his Great Five Elements Sword Art, controlling his own Great Five Elements Sword Array to rapidly form a perfect defensive formation.

A total of one hundred and twenty-eight swords—controlling this many artifacts required splitting one’s divine sense no less than seven times! This Cao Liangbai must have practiced specialized divine sense cultivation techniques, investing heavily in that area.

Although Ye Qin held the man in purple-gold slightly in contempt, he dared not casually slight the direct descendant of a regional lord. He initiated the most secure defensive posture of the Great Five Elements Sword Array to ward off the small swords attacking from all directions.

Countless tiny, minor divine ability flying swords, their edges as sharp as solid matter, trailed dazzling streaks of flame as they violently struck the Great Five Elements Sword Array, which shimmered with circulating light.

“Clang, clang, ...!”

Amidst a continuous chorus of dense metal clashes, the imposing waterfall of fire swords was forcefully intercepted by the net woven by Ye Qin’s Great Five Elements Sword Array.

Although the fire sword attacks never ceased, any discerning eye could see that Cao Liangbai could not make the slightest dent in Ye Qin.

Inside the dueling arena, Cao Liangbai felt the pressure most acutely.

The five small divine ability flying swords, each representing a different element—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—formed a perfect array, inherently integrated, their magical energy flowing seemingly inexhaustibly. Moreover, the Water Sword possessed the most dominant aura, constantly positioning itself at the front, perfectly neutralizing the sharpness of his fire swords, preventing them from utilizing more than seven or eight tenths of their full offensive power.

“How can a cultivator practice five-element sword arrays simultaneously?”

Cao Liangbai felt like he was attacking a Divine Turtle with impenetrable defense, finding nowhere to strike. Ye Qin’s five flying swords were purely defensive, offering no vulnerability for him to exploit.

Of course, Cao Liangbai didn't consider himself weak.

His fire sword array could maintain a stalemate against Ye Qin's Great Five Elements Sword Array. If Ye Qin dared to divert even one sword for an attack, the defensive net would reveal a slight flaw, allowing him to force a mutual injury upon Ye Qin.

Regardless, the outcome seemed poised to be a draw.

But what nearly made Cao Liangbai spit blood was the fact that Ye Qin didn't just have the five-element sword array; he also possessed a Wind Sword, held still and motionless. That blade, thin as a cicada's wing and iridescent with flowing light, was a lethal threat, not merely a prop.

Only then did Cao Liangbai grasp why the Nascent Soul cultivators who challenged before him had lost so easily, even admitting defeat preemptively. This feeling—being suppressed by someone stronger who could end your life at any moment—was torturous.

Cao Liangbai knew very well that he was using his full power in the sword array attack against Ye Qin and had no means to defend against a surprise attack from that Wind Sword.

At this moment, he deeply regretted impulsively accepting the challenge.

Yet retreating seemed even more difficult. With so many Demon Spirit City Nascent Soul cultivators, and even Soul Transformation ancestors, watching, plus the red-robed Senior Sister Dou and the white-shirted man who seemed eager for chaos, his reputation was utterly compromised.

Losing face on the Demon Dueling Stage would surely earn him severe reprimands from his own ancestor even upon returning to Crimson Flame Valley.

Thinking of this, Cao Liangbai decided to take a gamble. He bit down, cutting his right index finger, and rapidly painted an obscure incantation in the air using his vital blood as a medium, simultaneously spitting out a large mouthful of true essence while roaring, “...Five Elements Fire Thunder, quick!”

The incantation, fueled by his true essence and carrying extremely dense fire spiritual energy, suddenly flashed brilliantly.

Immediately afterward, the clear blue sky changed color as vast swathes of fire clouds materialized out of nowhere, rapidly forming a vortex.

Luminous fireballs, each several meters wide and crackling with lightning, plummeted from the fire cloud vortex, striking towards Ye Qin in the arena.

This minor divine ability-level Five Elements Fire Thunder, personally taught by his ancestor and activated by his true essence, could significantly boost its power. Furthermore, as long as he continued to feed true essence into this lightning technique, he could launch continuous strikes, maximizing his offensive output when coordinated with his fire sword array.

Minor divine ability spells are notoriously difficult to master; many Nascent Soul cultivators never succeed in learning one in their entire lives. The Five Elements Fire Thunder was a terrifying one among the major element minor divine abilities—slightly slower, but its destructive power was immense, capable of instantaneous explosion, making it the perfect counter for the Great Five Elements Sword Array.

The Nascent Soul cultivators watching in the arena showed expressions of shock, particularly because Cao Liangbai was exhausting his true essence to cast the Five Elements Fire Thunder.

The countless cultivators below the dueling platform erupted in clamor.

Ye Qin saw the fire thunder streak toward him, let out a soft hum, and finally moved the Sanqing Colored Wing Sword hovering beside him.

A faint red light flashed.

In a split second, a burst of razor-sharp energy tore open a deep spatial rift about a foot wide a hundred yards above Ye Qin. This tear instantly swallowed the lightning fireball whole, causing it to vanish without a trace.

The celestial fire carried by the lightning fireballs was also shredded into fragments, its power nullified.

The minor divine ability demon art attached to Ye Qin’s Sanqing Colored Wing Sword—Spatial Tear—was vastly overpowered for dealing with this mere minor divine ability level lightning spell.

“He can use the Wind Sword to unleash a wind-element minor divine ability spell!”

“Including the five elements plus wind, that makes six elements.”

The scene stunned the multitude of conversing cultivators, causing them to gasp collectively as a chill swept over them.

Cao Liangbai felt like he had punched cotton; the utter lack of resistance nearly made him vomit blood. Although the true essence he expended could be replenished with spirit crystals, this debilitating sense of powerlessness was difficult to control.

Below the stage, the gaze of the red-robed woman shone even brighter.

Cao Liangbai hesitated, wondering if he should continue bombarding with the Five Elements Fire Thunder.

“No other tricks? Then it’s my turn now!”

Ye Qin flicked his sword art. The Sanqing Colored Wing Sword, having just consumed the fire thunder, twisted in mid-air and unleashed a torrent of frantic energy blades, shooting towards Cao Liangbai. The wind-element minor divine ability spell—Spatial Tear—if it struck, would pull a Nascent Soul cultivator into an interdimensional storm, leading to certain death.

In terror, Cao Liangbai hastily recalled his fire swords and directed the Five Elements Fire Thunder to fully defend against the Spatial Tear.

The maneuvering space above the Demon Dueling Stage was quite limited. Duels on this platform differed from typical combat in that fleeing was forbidden. If he didn't fight, he had no recourse but to admit defeat. The airspace above the stage was only about a thousand feet high; escaping this boundary was considered cowardly and held no difference from being defeated.

Cao Liangbai could only stubbornly hold out for the time it took to burn a few sticks of incense before he could no longer endure. With a tragic cry, he plummeted to the ground. He wasn't dead, but one of his arms had been severed by the Spatial Tear. If he hadn't had his ancestor backing him, the consequences would certainly have been more severe than losing an arm.

“Nineteenth Wheel, Ye Qin wins, Cao Liangbai defeated!”

The Demon Spirit City guard presiding over the stage shouted excitedly!

Around the Demon Dueling Platform, the assembled cultivators erupted into near-frenzy. Demon Spirit City had produced another Nascent Soul cultivator capable of challenging the Twentieth Wheel; no one paid attention to the defeated Cao Liangbai.

With virtually no suspense, Ye Qin effortlessly defeated the Nineteenth-Wheel cultivator Cao Liangbai, establishing an undeniable, total victory that put the Nineteenth-Wheel cultivators in awe of him.

In all of Demon Spirit City, only ten Twentieth-Wheel Nascent Soul cultivators were qualified to continue fighting him. Whether they fought or the outcome of such a fight hardly mattered anymore. Ye Qin was already among the very top echelon of Nascent Soul cultivators in Demon Spirit City. Even Soul Transformation ancestors would have to look upon him with newfound respect. (To be continued)