Chapter 21: A Nonsense Way to Lose

## Chapter 21: A Ridiculous Defeat

"Ah...!"

A wretched cry soon escaped Ye Chen's lips.

Naturally, this was a facade. Though he could not fully unleash the power of his True Fire, it was more than sufficient to resist this frigid Ice Qi. He feigned agony solely to lull Wei Yang into a false sense of security. This was his consistent stratagem: to play the pig to eat the tiger.

In mere moments, a layer of ice began to creep up his body, starting from the soles of his feet and rapidly ascending. At this rate, he would be completely encased in ice before long.

Witnessing this, Wei Yang let out a cold chuckle. He had anticipated expending some effort to defeat Ye Chen, never imagining he would fall so easily. He held immense confidence in his Ice Qi; disciples with weaker cultivation, once struck, had almost no hope of escape. He already envisioned Ye Chen's inevitable defeat.

"It seems I truly overestimated you," Wei Yang sneered again, slowly approaching. Seeing Ye Chen being frozen, he was too indolent to even employ profound arts or secret techniques.

A sigh of helplessness rippled through the disciples below.

Under everyone's gaze, Wei Yang reached Ye Chen, observing him with interest. "Does it feel good?"

Ye Chen pretended to struggle, but remained bound by the ice.

The Ice Qi lived up to its name, possessing the power to bind. Once the body was frozen, movement became exceedingly difficult.

However, he was not among those so easily ensnared. His True Fire provided ample protection, allowing him to directly ignore the Ice Qi. Furthermore, he was confident that even without True Fire, his immense True Qi would suffice to forcefully shatter the ice's restraint. His current display of weakness was merely a prelude to a powerful counterattack once Wei Yang's vigilance waned.

"Fighting you is truly a waste of time," Wei Yang's mouth curled into a cold smile as he raised his palm.

Yet, just as his palm was about to descend, a strange, cold glint flickered in the corner of Ye Chen's mouth.

Suddenly, a bad premonition struck Wei Yang.

But it was too late. The Ye Chen who had been frozen moments before now moved with startling speed, lifting his foot in an instant.

"He... he ignored the Ice Qi!" A wave of astonishment swept through the crowd below.

The sudden turn of events left Wei Yang utterly shocked. "You...!"

The proximity, Ye Chen's sudden action, and Wei Yang's relaxed guard resulted in a solid kick to his lower abdomen.

A muffled groan escaped Wei Yang's lips as he stumbled back, reeling from the blow.

"Impossible!" Wei Yang roared, staggering backward, clearly unable to accept the reality. A second level Qi Condensation disciple had actually ignored his Ice Qi! This truly defied all his expectations.

"Nothing is impossible." A cold voice echoed as Ye Chen surged forward like a male lion, granting Wei Yang no time to catch his breath.

Wei Yang had barely regained his footing and was yet to manifest his protective True Qi when Ye Chen kicked him staggering backward once more.

"Come back here!" Ye Chen swiftly advanced two steps, extending both hands, and stepping forward, seized one of Wei Yang's arms, forcibly dragging him back as he stumbled.

Wei Yang's body lost balance. Just as he was about to react, he found his feet were already off the ground, and his entire body was being swung in a wide arc by the ferocious Ye Chen.

Bang!

With a resounding thud, Wei Yang was violently slammed onto the battle stage. The impact cracked the very stone.

Puff!

Wei Yang spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

But it was not over yet. The relentless Ye Chen again lifted his body.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sounds were continuous. Ye Chen, gripping Wei Yang's arm, treated him like a whip, repeatedly smashing him onto the battle stage. Wei Yang's internal organs were displaced from the brutal impacts, and the battle stage bore the imprint of his body.

Below, the spectators watched in stunned silence, swallowing repeatedly.

"This... this is too brutal! If I were Wei Yang, I'd probably be a crumpled mess by now."

"This battle... it was fought too... too ridiculously!"

These words resonated with the thoughts of everyone present. Wei Yang, a peak seventh level Qi Condensation cultivator blessed with Ice Qi, had lost in such a ridiculous fashion. He hadn't even had the chance to display his secret arts.

Ah...!

With Wei Yang's final scream, he was forcefully slammed onto the battle stage by Ye Chen.

At this moment, nearly half of his bones were broken, his flesh and blood a blur, utterly unable to move.

"No... impossible." Blood gurgled in Wei Yang's mouth as he stared with bloodshot eyes at Ye Chen. He wanted to protest, to say he had many secret arts left, many techniques unused, but he was simply rendered incapable by this brutal assault.

"Senior Brother Wei, you who are so high and mighty, did you ever imagine a time like this?" Ye Chen squatted down, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at Wei Yang.

Wei Yang tried to speak, but the surge of blood in his mouth choked him.

"Don't say a word," Ye Chen stated, and with practiced ease, he relieved Wei Yang of his storage bag.

"You...!" Witnessing this, Wei Yang gasped for breath and promptly fainted.

But fear not, it was not over yet.

Ye Chen's hands worked swiftly, beginning a thorough search of Wei Yang's person. Be it the jade pendant at his waist, the ring on his finger, or the jade beads inlaid on his belt, anything of value was consciously stuffed into his own embrace. He was like a bandit, seizing anything he saw. His techniques were skillful, suggesting he was no stranger to such "chicken-stealing and dog-pilfering" endeavors.

"He... he even does this?" The disciples below watched in disbelief.

Under everyone's gaze, Ye Chen stripped Wei Yang clean of all his valuables.

Decades of arduous cultivation, wiped out in a single moment.

Alright!

Having completed his task, Ye Chen dusted off his rear and slipped away, vanishing from the Wind and Cloud Stage.

Long after he departed, a profound silence still held sway.

Across the three main peaks of the Hengyue Sect's outer courtyard, Ye Chen had now consecutively defeated the chief disciples of two peaks.

Emerging from the Wind and Cloud Stage, Ye Chen hugged Wei Yang's storage bag and treasures and rushed non-stop towards the Wanbao Pavilion. The harvest from this Wind and Cloud Confrontation was even more bountiful than his previous battle against Zhao Long.

Blessed with innate Ice Qi, Wei Yang, though not exceptionally talented, was deeply valued by Tianyang Peak. Due to this, his storage bag was remarkably well-stocked, containing over a thousand spirit stones, more than thirty bottles of Jade Spirit Liquid, and a myriad of other miscellaneous items. It was a considerable fortune, to say the least.

"Not bad, not bad," Ye Chen patted the storage bag, his mood exceptionally good, and with one foot, he had already crossed the threshold of the Wanbao Pavilion.

As he stepped in, Pang Dahai's head popped out. Just as on his first visit, the elder's eyes were bright and piercing, his gaze sharp and discerning. Anyone daring to pilfer from his Wanbao Pavilion would surely not escape his watchful eyes.

"Little brat, you're back! What catches your fancy? Grandfather here will give you a better price," the elder rubbed his hands, a somewhat abnormal laugh escaping his lips, sending a shiver down Ye Chen's spine.

"Elder, do you have Snow Jade Orchid Flower?"

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