Chapter 1396: I Accept

As soon as these words were spoken, Ye Chen, who was about to step down, halted in his tracks. He stared directly at the Shen Clan Shen Zi, fully aware that it was a provocation, yet he could not suppress the overwhelming rage surging within him.

"Huang Gu Sheng Ti, do you dare to accept my challenge?"

The Shen Clan Shen Zi continued to smile mockingly, like a supreme god looking down on all beings and dominating the world.

"I accept."

Ye Chen's words were calm, but those who knew him understood that the quieter he became, the more dangerous he was—like a wild lion on the verge of awakening. He could not tolerate anyone insulting the Huang Gu Sheng Ti lineage and would never allow himself to tarnish the glory of his ancestors.

"Very well."

A slight smile curved at the corner of the Shen Clan Shen Zi's mouth. He moved with an ethereal grace, positioning himself opposite Ye Chen, casually stretching his neck. "I can wait for you to recover."

"No need."

Ye Chen replied indifferently and immediately launched his attack, stepping forward with a technique that covered vast distances in an instant, closing in on his opponent.

"Arrogant."

The Shen Clan Shen Zi sneered and suddenly thrust out a finger, sending a beam of divine light straight toward Ye Chen's forehead.

To his surprise, Ye Chen neither dodged nor defended, allowing the finger to pierce his brow. At the same time, Ye Chen's strike landed, slamming his palm down and forcing the Shen Clan Shen Zi to his knees, with half his divine body shattering and radiant drops of divine blood scattering everywhere.

"What kind of fighting style is this?"

The spectators were stunned, drawing in sharp breaths. The forehead was the gateway to the divine sea, and any attack there could directly threaten the primordial spirit. No one had expected Ye Chen to be so reckless, trading heavy damage to himself for even greater harm to his enemy.

Ye Chen was indeed reckless, his tactic one of mutual destruction—hurting the enemy at great cost to himself.

This strike proved effective, catching the Shen Clan Shen Zi completely off guard.

Though his brow was pierced, Ye Chen was protected by the Hun Luan Shen Ding, Di Jue, Dan Zu Long Hun, and Feng Huang Xian Yu, safeguarding his primordial spirit. The Shen Clan Shen Zi's divine light could not reach his core foundations.

In contrast, the Shen Clan Shen Zi was in a far worse state, nearly split apart by Ye Chen's palm. His injuries were more severe, for the power of the Huang Gu Sheng Ti was no joke.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The newly built battle platform echoed with thunderous roars. The Shen Clan Shen Zi, wounded, kept retreating to catch his breath, but Ye Chen gave him no chance, shadowing his every move. For every step the Shen Clan Shen Zi fell back, Ye Chen advanced, unleashing a barrage of divine abilities and secret techniques upon catching up.

In just three instants, the platform was drenched in the Shen Clan Shen Zi's fresh blood. He had no opportunity to counterattack, being completely suppressed by Ye Chen.

The surrounding cultivators sighed in amazement, clicking their tongues in wonder. They had not anticipated Ye Chen's madness or his overwhelming dominance. The mighty Shen Clan Shen Zi was being beaten so badly he could not lift his head.

At that moment, the Shen Clan Shen Zi went berserk as well. He endured Ye Chen's punch head-on and unleashed an unparalleled secret technique, instantly restoring his damaged body with formidable regenerative power.

This confirmed the words of the Tai Xu Gu Long from the past: the Xian Clan excelled in assaults, the Mo Clan in amplifications, and the Shen Clan's proud domain was their regenerative ability. Other races, like the Wu Clan and Yao Clan, also had their own formidable strengths, unmatched by others.

As they spoke, the Shen Clan Shen Zi formed a seal with one hand, invoking a supreme divine ability.

His divine body trembled slightly, and two streams of smoke emerged, transforming into two more Shen Clan Shen Zi figures. Each possessed combat power, vital energy, and foundational principles equal to the original.

"One Qi Hua San Qing."

Ye Chen's expression remained indifferent, recognizing the secret technique as the Shen Clan's innate divine ability. Back when Ji Ning Shuang was still the Xuan Ling Zhi Ti, she had mastered it as well. The Xuan Ling Zhi Ti was a branch of the Shen Clan, and all Shen Clan members knew this technique.

"It's over, it's over. Now it's three against one!"

The spectators grew agitated, realizing the Shen Clan Shen Zi had used One Qi Hua San Qing. This secret technique was extraordinarily uncanny.

"With injuries not yet healed and the Huang Gu Sheng Ti not at its peak, facing three opponents—this time, it's probably bad news."

Many veteran cultivators stroked their beards, expressing concern for Ye Chen.

"Still too impulsive."

Someone shook their head helplessly. "The Shen Clan Shen Zi is an existence on par with Dong Shen. Challenging him without full recovery—the Huang Gu Sheng Ti is likely to fall."

"The myth of the Huang Gu Sheng Ti being invincible in the same realm is probably coming to an end."

Many sighed. "It's all because Ye Chen is too reckless and hot-headed, ultimately outsmarting himself."

"Kill."

Amid the discussions, the three Shen Clan Shen Zi surrounded Ye Chen, each with divine light flickering at their brows as their natal artifacts flew from their divine seas, aiming to suppress him together.

Ye Chen said nothing. His Hun Luan Shen Ding emerged on its own, instantly expanding to a massive size. Its body was thick and natural, with the Dun Jia Tian Zi arranging and combining automatically, dancing with the principles of the dao. A single cauldron blocked the three Shen Clan Shen Zi's natal artifacts and even gained the upper hand.

As for Ye Chen, he activated his magical path again, creating over a hundred versions of himself—illusions of avatars. This was the divine ability once used by Bai Yi, the true disciple of Zheng Yang Zong, allowing the original body and avatars to switch places. Ye Chen had suffered from this technique during the Three Sects Grand Competition in the past.

That was not all. Beneath each avatar's feet, a Tai Ji Shen Tu manifested, inscribed with array patterns and encompassing the entire thousand-zhang battle platform. A mysterious force began to awaken.

This Tai Ji Shen Tu was undoubtedly Hua Yun's secret technique. Once someone entered it, their magical power, speed, principles, and strength would all be unconditionally suppressed.

No one present knew that Ye Chen had once fought the Xuan Ling Zhi Ti—and won, despite being a realm below. That Xuan Ling Zhi Ti was now the Yao Chi Shen Nv of this era.

Since it was the Shen Clan's One Qi Hua San Qing, its fatal flaw was a time limit. Once that period passed, the transformed bodies would dissipate on their own.

In the past, Ye Chen had used the Tai Ji Shen Tu and avatar illusions to thoroughly rout Ji Ning Shuang. Tonight, he could do the same to defeat the Shen Clan Shen Zi with these two techniques in combination.

At the very least, he could hold out until the time limit expired. In a one-on-one scenario, even not at his peak, Ye Chen was confident he could suppress the Shen Clan Shen Zi. This was his unyielding belief in invincibility.

"Using avatars? How laughable."

The Shen Clan Shen Zi charged forward, sweeping a palm toward one of Ye Chen's avatars. In his view, destroying an avatar would be effortless, so he only used about ten percent of his power.

But a strange scene unfolded. The avatar Ye Chen instantly switched with his original body, and a dominating palm strike came crashing down. The Shen Clan Shen Zi, who had not used his full strength, was caught off guard again, nearly being split apart on the spot.

"Kill!"

The Shen Clan Shen Zi roared in fury, gripping his secret divine ability and unleashing a peak palm strike.

Ye Chen smirked. His original body switched away instantly, using an avatar to draw the Shen Clan Shen Zi's full-force attack. The energy drain from this was immense, and over time, the Shen Clan Shen Zi would not be able to sustain it.

The battle erupted in full. The three Shen Clan Shen Zi were indeed formidable, unleashing endless killing techniques.

Yet Ye Chen was no pushover. He flawlessly combined the Tai Ji Shen Tu and avatar illusions, causing the unaware Shen Clan Shen Zi to suffer repeated setbacks.

The Hun Luan Shen Ding and the three natal artifacts clashed fiercely, with the cauldron facing off against three opponents and dominating, beating them back relentlessly.

Ah!

The Shen Clan Shen Zi raged again, his hair disheveled like a demon, left in utter disarray by Ye Chen. Despite having three bodies of equal power, he was left dizzy and disoriented.

The spectators watched in a daze. On the battle platform, there were three Shen Clan Shen Zi and over a hundred Ye Chen, making their heads spin. It no longer looked like a three-against-one fight—it was more like a free-for-all brawl.

"That young Ye Chen is quite the crafty one!"

Many veteran Zhun Di chuckled. "That Tai Ji Shen Tu and avatar illusion are truly profound, and he's mastered them to perfection."

"At this rate, the outcome is still uncertain."

The Yao Chi Xian Mu smiled lightly. "The Huang Gu Sheng Ti is even more astonishing than we imagined. Their legends are no mere fabrication."

"It's dispersing, it's dispersing."

As the Yao Chi Xian Mu murmured, someone exclaimed in surprise.

On the battle platform, Ye Chen's avatars had been mostly wiped out, and the Shen Clan Shen Zi's One Qi Hua San Qing had reached its limit, the three figures merging back into one.

Ye Chen unleashed his power, surging with golden vital energy as he pounced. The Shen Clan Shen Zi roared in fury, like a madman, unleashing Shen Clan secret techniques one after another without end.

The battle escalated instantly—one like a war god, the other like a divine king—as they fought their way into the skies.

In this one-on-one matchup, the Shen Clan Shen Zi was clearly at a disadvantage.

No matter how many secret techniques he threw out, he could not withstand Ye Chen's overwhelming assaults. Ye Chen drove him from the western void to the eastern skies, then from the eastern skies to the northern heavens, and finally to the southern void. Even his powerful regeneration could not keep up with the damage.

Under the watchful eyes of all, the Shen Clan Shen Zi plummeted, crashing into the ground and forming a deep crater.

His form was unrecognizable, his divine body nearly destroyed, making even the Man Clan Shen Zi wince at the sight. This was far worse than his own injuries—it looked painful just to see.

Ye Chen descended as well, his killing intent soaring as he looked down on the Shen Clan Shen Zi.

"The Huang Gu Sheng Ti lineage is not for you to insult. This battle is to teach you how to respect the ancestors of the past."

"I don't believe it."

The Shen Clan Shen Zi lay weakly in the pit, roaring like a mad dog, unable to accept his crushing defeat. As the supreme Shen Clan Shen Zi, how could he endure this? Especially since his opponent had not been at full strength from the start. His pride was utterly shattered.

"Shen Zi."

The Shen Clan Da Sheng arrived—one to rescue the Shen Zi, the other two charging at Ye Chen. Like the Feng Huang Clan's Da Sheng, their faces were savage, their pressure immense, and their killing intent ice-cold.

"Some things don't need me to say more, do they?"

The Yao Chi Da Sheng intercepted them, their voices laced with menace. "A loss is a loss. Is the Shen Clan so unable to accept defeat?"

"You..."

The Shen Clan Da Sheng gritted their teeth, but they dared not act rashly. After all, this was the Yao Chi sacred ground. The Shen Clan had produced great emperors, and so had the Yao Chi. If a war broke out, the outcome was uncertain.

The Shen Clan Shen Zi was carried away, roaring all the while until he finally passed out.

The scene fell silent. The veteran cultivators no longer doubted Ye Chen's strength. The legend of invincibility in the same realm remained a myth, unbroken from the Huang Gu era to now.

"Is there anyone else? Let's settle it all today."

This time, Ye Chen did not turn to leave the platform. Instead, he scanned the distant Yuan Gu Jiu Zu side coldly, eyeing each Shen Zi and Shen Nv.