Chapter 1869: Kowtow

Qiong Qi's blood splattered across the battle platform. Even with his powerful physical body and formidable recovery abilities, the accumulating injuries proved too much to bear. Time and time again, he bled profusely, the crimson spreading across the ground, a sight that made hearts tremble.

Compared to him, Ye Chen moved like a phantom beast, wielding his Dao Jian. He seemed to flicker in and out of existence, a ghost. Each time he struck, he landed a heavy blow on Qiong Qi. He ignored the Ben Yuan Kai Jia, aiming directly for Qiong Qi's vital points.

"Kill." Qiong Qi roared, acting like a madman. He unleashed deadly killing techniques one after another, each strike intended to be fatal. But he couldn't even grasp Ye Chen's figure, his efforts proving futile.

Ye Chen sneered, vanishing into the void and traversing space. He was using Xu Kong Jue Mie, a secret technique from the Tian Zong family, one he had honed through years of insight to reach a level of heaven-defying mastery.

He wasn't avoiding a direct confrontation with Qiong Qi out of fear. Instead, he was using the battle to refine his Dao Jian, unlocking its boundless power and mysteries.

"Get out here." Qiong Qi roared in frustration, stepping into the air and forming a Dao Fa in his palm. His strike descended like a massive mountain, shattering the void and causing the thousand-zhang space around them to collapse inch by inch.

"The prince's words—I have to listen." Ye Chen teleported away just in time, narrowly dodging the palm strike. His movements remained as agile as ever.

"Where do you think you're going?" Qiong Qi bellowed, unleashing another sky-covering palm. The space that had just begun to heal trembled and collapsed again with a resonant hum.

"So eager to head to the Yellow Springs? I won't deny you that." Ye Chen gripped his Dao Jian, shooting upward like a divine ray of light. His sword pierced through the heavens, cleaving through Qiong Qi's palm strike and advancing straight for Qiong Qi's forehead.

Qiong Qi's eyes widened in shock, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints. Ye Chen's sword was too fast, locking onto his Yuan Shen for a fatal blow. There was no way he could evade it.

In that instant, the spectators straightened up, their eyes glued to the platform, eager to witness Qiong Qi being obliterated by Ye Chen's sword.

True to expectations, Ye Chen did not disappoint. His sword pierced Qiong Qi's forehead, shattering his Shen Hai. Qiong Qi's Yuan Shen was reduced to ashes by the strike.

With his Yuan Shen destroyed, Qiong Qi's body plummeted from the sky.

One could see the terror still frozen on his face. Everything had happened too quickly; he hadn't even had time to scream. The mighty prince of the Qiong Qi clan had died in utter frustration.

As he fell, his life-bound weapon lost its power and couldn't withstand the might of the Hun Chao Da Ding. Ultimately, it was swallowed up.

Ye Chen descended as well, stumbling slightly as if unsteady. He nearly fell before managing to steady himself. Then, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his face turning visibly pale.

At the sight, the younger generation from Zhutian felt their hearts skip a beat, instinctively thinking Ye Chen had suffered severe injuries.

Only the elders and those who knew him well understood. Ye Chen was indeed experiencing backlash, but his deep foundations meant it hadn't touched his core.

In fact, his vomiting blood was all an act, a deliberate performance intended to deceive the Hong Huang princes into believing he was gravely wounded. This way, he could lure them onto the platform.

Now that the fight had begun and both sides had abandoned all pretense, Ye Chen was prepared to fight to the bitter end. The Hong Huang princes were too formidable; he needed to eliminate as many as possible while he had the chance. If they realized his true strength, they might simply flee.

Ye Chen's acting skills were on par with a shadow emperor's, and it proved effective. At least, the Hong Huang princes were completely convinced. They believed he was half-crippled and that now was the perfect time to strike.

Before Ye Chen could even call out, Jin Ni Prince leaped onto the platform. His form flickered like an illusion, with waves of silent power surging around him.

"So eager to die?" Ye Chen wiped the blood from his mouth, deliberately disrupting his Qi and blood flow, still fully committed to the theatrical performance.

"You've suffered backlash and fought two Hong Huang princes in a row—how long can you hold out, Ye Chen?" Jin Ni sneered. "Trying to play tricks won't save your life."

"Extinguishing you is more than enough." Ye Chen shrugged casually.

"Overconfident fool." Jin Ni laughed, baring his fangs completely.

With that, he vanished, his trace impossible to find. Only a faint, flickering Dao You Mang appeared on the platform, shimmering in and out of existence. His speed and body techniques were undeniably impressive.

Ye Chen smirked and teleported away. Just as he left, Jin Ni appeared where he had stood, unleashing a killing strike—but it missed Ye Chen.

"Keep hiding." Jin Ni chuckled, disappearing again.

"Catch me, and I'll take your name." Ye Chen remained unfazed, strolling leisurely across the platform, his steps slow but his movements profoundly mysterious.

He had fought Jin Ni Prince before and was well aware of the Jin Ni clan's divine abilities. Fei Lei Shen Jue was overwhelmingly dominant, capable of instantly beheading opponents—a truly troublesome killing technique.

However, Fei Lei Shen Jue was not without its flaws. Distance was its first major weakness; if the range was too far, it became useless. The second was the time-space imprint; erasing it in advance could effectively counter the technique. And third, constant movement was key—any pause could lead to instant defeat.

Ye Chen had thoroughly studied this killing secret, which is why he was darting all over the platform, refusing to give Jin Ni any opportunity to capitalize on his technique.

Whenever he could, he would actively seek out and wipe out the time-space imprints Jin Ni left behind, erasing as many as Jin Ni managed to place.

"Are you only going to run?" Jin Ni Prince sneered coldly.

"None of your business." Ye Chen retorted, teleporting away again as Jin Ni's strike missed.

"Spineless turtle." The Hong Huang princes all scoffed in unison.

"The Hong Huang are all idiots." The Zhutian younger generation fired back with equal fervor.

"The Hong Huang are all idiots," even the Yao Chi fairies chimed in, led by Yao Xin. They planted their hands on their hips, completely abandoning all pretense of grace as they shouted crisp, forceful insults, sounding much like fishwives in a market brawl.

"What a lovely sight." The Zhutian elders smirked, amused by the sight of these stunning women spewing such crude words.

"If the Yao Chi Empress were still alive, she'd be so proud." The imperial 道传承 exchanged meaningful glances, stealing a look at Chen Yi as they spoke.

"If my sister were alive, the Hong Huang wouldn't have a say in anything." Chen Yi chuckled leisurely, clearly enjoying the spirited display from the Yao Chi fairies. They were full of energy, truly honoring their ancestors.

Yao Chi's immortal mother rubbed her brow, as did the Yao Chi elders. The sacred image of Yao Chi had been completely shattered.

While the crowd below was in an uproar, the platform remained relatively quiet.

Looking up, one could see two bolts of lightning darting back and forth—Ye Chen and Jin Ni—colliding occasionally but with little actual impact, creating a dizzying spectacle.

"Keep chasing; catch me and you can have my name." Ye Chen fled, not forgetting to taunt his opponent. "You look just like a scurrying rat."

Jin Ni gritted his teeth, suddenly stopping and forming a seal with one hand. Four golden lights flew from his body—ancient war banners—that he planted at the platform's four corners.

The banners fluttered wildly, their divine patterns awakening and spreading across the sky and earth, forming a powerful binding array.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, immediately sensing the space around him grow heavier. His speed slowed accordingly.

"Destroy for me." Jin Ni teleported in for the kill, his face twisted in rage, swinging a silent sword directly at Ye Chen's head.

Blood splattered, but the scene of Ye Chen's head falling did not play out—he had dodged just in time. Jin Ni's sword struck his shoulder, leaving a gruesome wound.

And on that wound, a time-space imprint appeared, placed by Jin Ni, allowing him to track and instantly kill Ye Chen.

"Not bad, kid." Ye Chen laughed, wasting no time as he teleported away multiple times, actively erasing the imprint from the wound. "Still think you can one-shot me? Dream on."

"Bind for me." Jin Ni snorted coldly, increasing the spatial pressure even further. He only needed to trap Ye Chen for a single moment to deliver the killing blow.

"Bind your sister." Ye Chen scolded, swinging his arm to release the Dun Jia Tian Zi from the Hun Chao Ding. They flew out, immediately breaking the restraints of Jin Ni's banner array.

The Dun Jia Tian Zi then merged into the fabric of the heavens and earth, rearranging themselves to form their own array, further weighing down the space.

Now, it was Jin Ni Prince who found himself restricted. The sudden increase in pressure made him stagger.

"Let's make it bigger." Ye Chen grinned, summoning the Hun Chao Great Realm. Jin Ni, who had just managed to steady himself, hadn't even caught his breath before being forced to his knees, vomiting blood.

"Break." Jin Ni growled, activating his own vision to counter the Hun Chao Great World and shatter the suppression.

"Don't rush; there's more." Ye Chen's laughter echoed faintly as the Hun Chao Shen Ding descended from above. Jin Ni, who had just managed to stand up, didn't get a chance to show off before being smashed back down to his knees.

"Not like it's New Year's—why do you keep kowtowing to me? Is this your way of showing respect, or are you after a red envelope?" Ye Chen chuckled.

"Break!" Jin Ni roared, summoning his life-bound weapon from his Shen Hai to smash the Hun Chao Ding and rise to his feet once more.

This time, Ye Chen didn't make him kneel. Instead, he unleashed a sword strike like a lonely rainbow, cold and desolate.

"Think you can kill me?" Jin Ni sneered, preparing to use Fei Lei Shen Jue to escape and counterattack.

But to his shock, all the time-space imprints he had placed in this space were gone—Ye Chen had meticulously erased every single one.

Without the imprints, he couldn't teleport to evade the strike.

In a flash, his Yuan Shen fled his body.

He escaped just in time; his physical body was pierced by the sword, spraying blood several yards away.

Ye Chen was just as quick, swiftly seizing Jin Ni's now lifeless body. "Yuan Shen escaped? Not getting it back, you bastard."

"You deserve to die." Jin Ni howled, now in his Yuan Shen form, still agile and hoping for a comeback. After all, his Fei Lei Shen Jue could still one-shot most opponents.

Well, it could one-shot most, but Ye Chen wasn't most people—he was a monster, consistently staying out of Fei Lei Shen Jue's effective range.

"No body? I'll still take you down." Ye Chen waved his hand, effortlessly wiping out the new time-space imprints Jin Ni tried to set. Without them, it was even easier to catch him.

He directed the Dun Jia Tian Zi to rearrange themselves, forming gleaming golden chains that bound Jin Ni's limbs, trapping him in mid-air.

"Damn you." Jin Ni shrieked, surging with his Ben Yuan power to form divine swords aimed at breaking the chains.

But he had underestimated the Dun Jia Tian Zi; his divine swords, though strong, could not sever the unbreakable chains.

"Run! Keep running!" Ye Chen approached, Dao Jian in hand, flashing his pearly white teeth in a grin.

As Ye Chen drew near, Jin Ni struggled violently, his face turning ashen with despair. With a physical body, he could have broken free instantly, but as a mere Yuan Shen without a solid foundation, he was powerless to escape the bindings.

This scene left onlookers clicking their tongues in amazement.

That was Jin Ni—the ancestor of the Silence God Body, the master of Fei Lei Shen Jue, a technique that could instantly kill enemies or ensure escape.

Yet, ironically, this expert in such techniques was now captured, his body seized and his Yuan Shen restrained.

What a talented one you are, to catch Jin Ni like this—the progenitor of instant kills, completely subdued!

Many elders gave Ye Chen a silent thumbs-up.

The Zhutian crowd cheered loudly, but the Hong Huang side was grim-faced, with a few princes looking utterly baffled.

You're Jin Ni! How did you get caught like this?

They glanced at the Jin Ni Quasi-Emperor; his old face was drawn long, displaying a mix of iron-blue anger and deep embarrassment. Even he felt ashamed for Jin Ni Prince.