Ye Chen’s expression was icy as he looked at Hua Longtian, his voice cold. “Was the last lesson not enough?”
Hearing this, a fierce cold light flashed in Hua Longtian’s eyes, revealing a hint of viciousness. He said menacingly, “You only succeeded last time through a sneak attack. You won’t be so lucky this time, brat. Dare to play the pig to eat the tiger? I’ll let you know that a pig is always a pig!”
Ye Chen glanced at him. “Are you referring to yourself, you foolish pig?”
“Just clever words,” Hua Longtian sneered. He clenched his fists, turned toward the stern man in purple standing next to him, and said, “Cousin, this scoundrel is the one who sneak-attacked me outside the main gate last time, almost gravely injuring me!”
The stern man in purple looked indifferent, as if everything was under his control. Hearing this, his eyes flickered slightly, and he looked down at Ye Chen with detached disinterest. “Sever your own arm and kowtow three times while kneeling. I will spare your life.” His voice carried an undeniable authority, as if an emperor were commanding a subordinate.
Ye Chen glanced at him, a flash of sunlight in his eyes, and said calmly, “You are not qualified enough to demand that.”
The stern man in purple raised an eyebrow, a cold glint flashing through his eyes, and his expression slowly darkened.
Seeing the man’s expression, Hua Longtian couldn't help feeling a surge of secret joy. He turned back to Ye Chen and sneered, “What an arrogant statement! You truly are presumptuous! Do you even know who he is? He is Zidian of the Supreme Genius Hall. Killing you would be as easy as crushing an ant! Those two beside him are also renowned powerhouses from the Supreme Genius Hall. And you still dare to be so insolent, clearly not knowing what’s good for you!”
“And you, you arrogant brat, do you realize that my cousin Zidian has an intimate acquaintance who is from the Yanlong Hall! You dare to challenge his authority? This isn't seeking death; it's suicide!”
He spoke with arrogance and cold disdain. “My cousin is magnanimous. If you sever your own arm, I, this young master, will let you go today. Otherwise, if you dare step out of Donglin City even once in the future, I will hunt you down to Jia!”
“Yanlong Hall?” Ye Chen frowned slightly, saying indifferently, “Never heard of what wretched place that is.”
Hua Longtian choked, nearly suffocating, and the purple-clad man and his companions also paused slightly, before contempt and disgust flashed in their eyes as they mockingly looked at Ye Chen.
“Truly ignorant!” Hua Longtian couldn't help but roar. “The Yanlong Hall is where the supreme geniuses of my Yanshen Empire reside! Every single genius gathered there is among the absolute pinnacle of the Yanshen Empire, capable of easily slaying Divine Realm powerhouses with the might of a demigod! Every figure within is unparalleled in talent, epoch-making, and a once-in-ten-million-year anomaly! They are the dragons among geniuses! Killing a small fry like you would take merely a puff of breath!”
Ye Chen’s heart stirred. He recalled what Teacher Bai Ya had said earlier about the Ten Nations, Ten Halls Genius War, where participants were transcendent talents, any one of whom could slay a Divine Realm expert using only their secret techniques!
Such figures, in the real world, would possess at least one or two Divine Artifacts, perhaps even Peak Divine Artifacts! Beings like them could absolutely fight across two entire realms!
This was the true pinnacle of anomalies!
These were the unparalleled prodigies selected from over a thousand vassal states and billions of people within the Yanshen Empire!
“So, these people are all in the Yanlong Hall,” Ye Chen realized inwardly. He looked up at Hua Longtian, his tone sharp and cold. “You are merely a defeated opponent of mine; you have no right to call me an ant! If not for that guard captain protecting you last time, you would have been utterly obliterated, not even ashes left!”
“You!” Hua Longtian glared, his body trembling slightly with rage, his fists clenching until they audibly cracked. It seemed as if fire was about to erupt from his eyes.
“He won’t do, but what about me!” The purple-clad man beside him spoke, his eyes glowing with icy light as he fixed his gaze on Ye Chen. “Brat, do you dare fight me?”
Ye Chen’s gaze flickered. He turned his head to stare at the man. “If you have the guts, then challenge me to a Real Arena match!”
A provocation!
Hua Longtian nearby couldn't help but freeze, then two sharp glints shot from his eyes, revealing ecstatic delight. The white-clothed man with the folding fan and the delicate woman beside him all looked at Ye Chen with surprise and strange expressions.
The so-called Real Arena Match meant both parties fought in reality, but were only allowed to use designated weapons, forbidden from using their own. In essence, this was not much different from fighting with secret techniques in a virtual battle.
The only difference was that in a Real Arena Match, one could activate the Superman Mode!
And in a Real Arena Match, a careless mistake could even lead to devastating injury, potentially grinding one's soul to dust. After all, at Ye Chen’s level, every fight was all-out, and sometimes the force of the blow couldn't even be controlled by the attacker himself.
The purple-clad man frowned slightly, examining Ye Chen intently, then fell silent for a long time.
Hua Longtian couldn't help but grow anxious. “Cousin, this is a great opportunity. Cripple this kid, and my hatred will be erased.”
The purple-clad man remained silent.
The white-clothed man with the folding fan’s gaze flickered. He consoled Hua Longtian, “Don’t worry. This person isn't an idiot. If he willingly chose this type of combat, he must possess an extremely powerful Superman Mode, which is why he dared to propose it. Perhaps he was lucky enough to obtain some rare Divine Beast Gene.”
Hua Longtian couldn't help but retort, “Cousin’s Superman Gene comes from the Nine-Headed Bird of the Dark Great World, now activated to the fourth stage, amplifying strength by 400 times and speed by 750 times. This is the gene of a top-tier Super Divine Beast. Given this kid’s background, he shouldn't have obtained anything stronger, right?”
“That might not be the case,” the delicate woman’s eyes shimmered. “Some Super Divine Beasts roam everywhere. Perhaps they left behind a feather or a scale stained with blood. It entirely depends on luck. This person is so confident, he must have acquired an extremely powerful Divine Beast Gene. And based on the data you gave earlier, he has already activated to the fifth stage of Superman Mode. Even if his gene is slightly inferior, being one stage higher means this fight is very dangerous for Zidian, considering his Superman Mode.”
Hua Longtian glanced at the purple-clad youth, gritted his teeth, then turned back, looking proudly at Ye Chen. “Brat, you’re doing this on purpose! If you truly have the ability, then don't use Superman Mode in the Real Arena Match!”
“If you don’t dare, then just concede,” Ye Chen glanced at him and turned to walk toward the villa.
“Stop!” The previously silent purple-clad youth suddenly spoke. His eyes were cold as he stared at Ye Chen. “I accept!”
“Cousin!” Hua Longtian exclaimed happily.
“Zidian!” The delicate woman frowned.
The purple-clad youth waved his hand, staring coldly at Ye Chen. “We meet at Central Arena No. 3. I will go wait for you there. I hope you don't lose your nerve!” With that, he turned and strode away. “You were too impulsive,” the delicate woman hurried over, unable to help herself. “This person clearly has a trap laid out. You fell right into his snare.”
“It’s fine,” the purple-clad youth’s eyes flashed with icy light. “Recently, my Illusory Realm cultivation has reached mastery. I was just looking for someone to practice with. Even if I am inferior to him in terms of Superman Mode, in terms of mental fortitude, he is doomed!”
“Mental fortitude!” The delicate woman’s eyes brightened.
Ye Chen watched the group depart, his brow furrowing, a glint flashing in his eyes. With a movement, he turned and walked back into the villa, entering the Demon God Palace. He went directly to the central control area and saw Zixiang sitting atop the gatehouse, looking extremely bored from a distance.
“Master,” Zixiang’s eyes lit up when she saw Ye Chen, and she stood up.
Ye Chen blinked, shook off his distraction, and appeared before her, quickly asking, “Do you have any treasures here that guard the mind, or any medicine that can temporarily enhance mental fortitude without leaving detectable traces?”
Zixiang paused. “Master, what do you need this for?”
“Urgent need,” Ye Chen pressed. “Do you have anything?” He felt almost certain of victory in the Real Arena Match; the only area he thought might cause an issue was his mental fortitude.
Although his own mental fortitude had reached the peak of the first stage of the Saint Realm, subtly on the verge of breaking through to the second, he still felt it wasn't completely foolproof.
Zixiang tilted her head, thought for a while, and finally shook her head. “There are some medicines that can temporarily stimulate brain waves to a certain intensity, but they all leave traces that equipment can detect. As for artifacts that can protect the mind, I do have some. If Master needs them, I can find a few for you.”
Ye Chen immediately said, “Good!”
“Please wait a moment, Master,” Zixiang said, and her figure rapidly vanished, like a streak of purple light across the sky. After a long while, she condensed back, descending before Ye Chen like a shooting star. As the purple light dissipated, her figure was revealed.
“This one,” Zixiang held a seven-colored, exquisite pagoda with seven sharp corners, radiating a mysterious energetic aura throughout. It looked almost like a projection, giving an unreal impression. “This is the Demon Suppressing Pagoda. It can protect the mind and is a Peak Divine Artifact. It can easily resist mental attacks even from the Saint Realm!”
Ye Chen’s eyes brightened. He quickly reached out to take it, examining it closely. He felt a faint current stimulating his palm as he held the Demon Suppressing Pagoda, the electrical sensation neither too strong nor too weak, extremely comfortable.
He felt as if the entire pagoda was an empty space, hollow inside, waiting for something to enter. He permeated his brainwaves into it. Immediately, the Demon Suppressing Pagoda trembled slightly. Then, he felt the interior suddenly contract, clamping down on his brainwaves, gradually devouring them, as if his entire wave pattern was fusing with the pagoda.
Ye Chen suddenly experienced a marvelous sensation, as if he understood something without truly grasping it, wisdom flashing in his eyes, deep as the vast starry sky, piercing through everything.
The Demon Suppressing Pagoda slowly sank from his palm, penetrating into his body. Ye Chen felt his entire being become fuller, imbued with a sensation of immunity to all poisons, his bones like iron and sinews like steel.
Ye Chen felt that in his mind, if he closed his eyes, he could see a brilliant pagoda suspended in the center of the entire dark world, guarding all things.