Chapter 1288: Deserved Reputation

Boom!

Fists and palms met, and the Tian Lu trembled with a resounding crash.

The two unleashed their divine power in a direct confrontation, but the result was astounding. Zi Yang, at the peak of Huang Jing, was sent stumbling backward by Ye Chen's punch. He finally stopped, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

The entire assembly was stunned. Ye Chen's combat strength far exceeded their expectations, especially considering he was eight minor realms below Zi Yang.

"I don't believe it!"

Zi Yang's eyes were bloodshot, his face contorted in ferocity as he summoned a killing sword and slashed out a galaxy with a single stroke.

"Then I'll beat you until you do!"

Ye Chen snorted coldly, drawing his divine sword and striking at Zi Yang.

The battle erupted instantly, shaking the Tian Lu with thunderous roars.

The scene of their fight was immensely grand. At the end of the Tian Lu, the cloud platform had become a chaotic battlefield, filled with the aura of annihilation swirling through the air. Every wisp of it was incredibly heavy, making the void tremble.

Everyone craned their necks, their eyes gleaming as they gazed up at the cloud platform.

At that moment, no one paid any attention to Zi Li and Zi Tian, who were still on the Tian Lu.

As for the two of them, they had reached the 990th level of the cloud stairs and stopped there in perfect sync.

They glanced up at the battle above and both let out cold laughs, sharing the same thought: let Ye Chen and Zi Yang fight until they were mutually exhausted, then swoop in to clean up the mess.

However, their plan backfired. After just ten exchanges, Zi Yang was defeated, sent flying off the cloud platform into the vast void, tracing a brilliant arc through the sky.

The whole scene fell into a dead silence because of Zi Yang's defeat.

Who was Zi Yang? He carried the Nine Yin Absolute Pulse and was currently the strongest disciple in Da Luo Jian Zong.

In the past, he had competed for supremacy with the Da Luo Shen Zi and lost by only a single move. Now, against someone at Huang Jing Level One, he couldn't even last ten strikes. The speed of his defeat left everyone reeling.

But they had no idea about Ye Chen's true power.

Before, even without undergoing the heavenly tribulation and only at Huang Jing Level One, he had already thoroughly beaten the Da Luo Shen Zi.

Now, after surviving the tribulation and breaking through two more minor realms, his combat strength had transformed dramatically. If he hadn't held back, Zi Yang wouldn't have lasted five rounds against him.

"Is that it? He's defeated just like that?" The long silence was broken by someone's voice.

"Ten strikes! Senior Brother Zi Yang at the peak of Huang Jing couldn't even hold out for ten."

"That Li Kang is way too powerful!"

"His strength is already on par with that of a master." Zi Zhu Zhen Ren felt his mouth go dry, his head spin, and his vision blur again. The level of Ye Chen's power had shattered his previous limits of shock. As Li Kang's master, he never imagined having such an astonishing disciple.

"You don't seem very surprised," Ling Xuan said, glancing at Nie Feng beside her.

"His feats are already legendary," Nie Feng replied with a slight smile. His words left Ling Xuan momentarily stunned, as he was stating the plain truth—who else across the myriad domains had slain a great emperor?

"What a surprise, truly a surprise." The eighteen sages of Da Luo Jian Zong all took deep breaths, their old eyes filled with shock. "His achievements far surpass those of the former Da Luo Shen Zi."

"Da Luo Jian Zong truly has talents emerging one after another." The Da Luo Jian Zong Sheng Zhu stroked his beard, beaming with joy. Though they had lost one Da Luo Shen Zi, they had gained someone even more dominant.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Ye Chen sat down again at the end of the Tian Lu.

He pulled out a wine flask, took a swig, and then looked with interest at Zi Tian and Zi Li, who were still on the 990th level of the Tian Lu. "You two seniors, have you rested enough?"

At his words, Zi Li and Zi Tian's expressions turned ice cold. Was this outright disregard?

Both snorted coldly, channeling their vital energy, and charged straight to the end of the Tian Lu and onto the cloud platform.

"Kill!"

Once on the platform, they immediately drew their killing swords—one strike devastating everything in its path, the other cleaving heaven and earth.

Ye Chen sneered and rose to fight again.

The Tian Lu, which had only just quieted, rumbled once more.

Even facing two opponents, Ye Chen remained fiercely powerful, unleashing secret techniques one after another. He wielded the sword arts of Da Luo Jian Zong, having already copied many of their secrets, making his swordsmanship incredibly formidable.

The expressions of everyone watching shifted again.

Though Zi Li and Zi Tian were slightly weaker than Zi Yang, they were still ganging up two against one and yet couldn't overcome Ye Chen. He had them on the defensive, shattering their shock thresholds once more.

Blood stained the Tian Lu.

At some point, two blood-soaked figures were seen falling from the cloud platform—it was Zi Li and Zi Tian.

At the end of the Tian Lu, only that upright silhouette remained, like a blazing sun, too dazzling to look at directly.

He had won. Da Luo Jian Zong's four most brilliant disciples—one slain by him, three defeated at his hands. Whether on the Tian Lu or in the battle on the cloud platform, he was the undisputed Shen Zi.

"Good!"

Cheers erupted like ocean waves, growing louder with each surge. No vote was needed—Ye Chen's position as Shen Zi was well-deserved. One could only wonder if they'd spit blood upon learning his true identity.

"Ah!"

Roars of frustration and rage echoed from three directions—it was Zi Yang, Zi Li, and Zi Tian, especially Zi Yang. He had lost his past contest and now this one, defeated even more utterly.

The Tian Lu dissipated, and amid the cheers, Ye Chen descended from the heavens, pulling off quite the dramatic exit.

"Li Kang, step forward to receive the decree." The Da Luo Jian Zong Sheng Zhu rose, his ethereal voice resonating throughout the Feng Chan grounds, carrying the authority of a saint and instantly silencing the crowd.

Ye Chen casually smoothed his hair and adjusted his clothes, then ascended the stone steps one by one.

The Da Luo Jian Zong Sheng Zhu had already taken out a sword decree and a Qian Kun bag. The bag contained a million yuan stones, along with various secret scrolls, divine powers, elixirs, and immortal herbs.

"Thank you, Sheng Zhu." Ye Chen didn't hesitate to accept it—all gifts were welcome. But the Shen Zi token surprised him; it was forged from special immortal metal, something the Chaos God Cauldron would likely love.

"Should I take this token and wander around the Bei Dou Star Domain for a bit?" Ye Chen mused to himself. As the Da Luo Shen Zi, he could probably gather plenty of good things on a tour.

"Li Kang, stay behind. Everyone else, return to your peaks." The Da Luo Jian Zong Sheng Zhu's voice remained ethereal.

At his words, the peak masters began leading their disciples out of the Feng Chan grounds. As they left, they all cast glances of amazement at Ye Chen—this was perhaps the most thrilling Feng Chan ceremony they had ever witnessed.

Notably, Zi Zhu Zhen Ren and the people from Zi Zhu Peak left with their heads held high. With a Shen Zi from their peak, their future influence, even reaching Sheng Zhu level, would rise with the tide.

Once the elders and disciples had gone, only Ye Chen remained in the Feng Chan grounds, along with the eighteen sages, including the Da Luo Jian Zong Sheng Zhu.

Ye Chen stood respectfully in place, playing the part perfectly.

The Da Luo Jian Zong Sheng Zhu and the others narrowed their eyes, scrutinizing Ye Chen as if searching for something.

Ye Chen felt uncomfortable under their gaze. Thankfully, his Zhou Tian evolution concealed his aura; otherwise, they might see right through him, leading to quite the commotion—and probably have the eighteen sages spitting blood.

"I'm truly surprised. At Huang Jing Level One, how do you possess such overwhelming strength?" The Da Luo Jian Zong Sheng Zhu spoke first, his eyes fixed meaningfully on Ye Chen.

"When I was out training, I happened to meet an elderly senior who passed on some secret techniques to me," Ye Chen replied, making up a reason on the spot.

"An elderly senior?"

"A Sheng Wang level senior," Ye Chen added immediately.

"Sheng Wang." A glint flashed in the eyes of the eighteen sages. A Sheng Wang was an extraordinarily powerful being—even Da Luo Jian Zong had only one—and they hadn't realized Ye Chen had such a fortuitous encounter.

"No wonder." The eighteen sages murmured to themselves, not doubting his words.

"Sheng Zhu, I heard that those who secure the Shen Zi position can comprehend the Jian Shen's sword intent," Ye Chen said, rubbing his hands together with a grin. "So, when can I go sense the Jian Shen's sword intent?"

"We kept you here precisely to let you sense the Jian Shen's sword intent," one of the sages said with a smile.

"That's great."

"Begin!" The eighteen sages all looked up and simultaneously formed the same hand seals.

As their seals locked into place, the Feng Chan grounds trembled with a buzz. Strands of immortal light danced mysteriously, and a massive light gate suddenly appeared, towering a hundred zhang high and exuding grandeur.

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, instantly seeing through the gate's nature.

The light gate was a passage, one that could only be opened with all eighteen sages present. No wonder he hadn't found it before.

Da Luo Jian Zong clearly valued the Jian Shen's sword intent highly, hiding it with extreme secrecy. They had even sealed it with the sages' hand seals to prevent outsiders from prying.

"Go ahead!" One of the sages smiled faintly.

"You have three days," the Da Luo Jian Zong Sheng Zhu added.

"Thank you, Sheng Zhu." Ye Chen took a deep breath and stepped into the massive light gate.

Once Ye Chen entered, the gate vanished without a trace.

Gazing in the direction he had gone, the Da Luo Jian Zong Sheng Zhu and the seventeen sages stroked their beards, their eyes occasionally flickering with deeper meaning. Ye Chen was just that impressive.

On the other side, Ye Chen emerged from the light gate.

Before him was a small world, only about ten thousand zhang in radius. A massive rock wall stood there, glowing brilliantly with faint, flickering divine light.

Ye Chen approached and stood before the rock wall. At first glance, he spotted a sword mark etched into it.

Zheng! Zheng!

Vaguely, he could hear the resonant hum of divine swords, sharp and piercing. That single sword mark was imprinted with endless sword intent—a profound dao, the dao of the Zhutian Jian Shen.

Jian Shen's sword intent!

Ye Chen instinctively raised his hand and gently touched the sword mark.

The moment he did, his mind trembled violently, and he was instantly pulled into a mysterious realm.

When he reappeared, he was in a vast starry sky.

Bei Dou Star Domain!

Ye Chen scanned his surroundings and recognized the star domain immediately.

He saw an illusory figure—a man in white robes with white hair, dreamlike and ethereal, his face still indistinct, identical to the shadowy figure Ye Chen had seen deep within Da Luo Jian Zong that night.

This illusory white-robed, white-haired figure was undoubtedly the sword intent manifestation of the Zhutian Jian Shen.

The sword intent figure stood in the starry sky, hands clasped behind his back, gazing upward at the ethereal void. His white hair stirred without wind, like a gentle scholar with no trace of malice or killing intent. Everything about him seemed ordinary, devoid of any Jian Shen's majesty.