Chapter 2218: Give You Time

Damn!

Instantly, a wolf's howl rang out, as Tian Zhu and Di Mie spoke in unison, both unleashing a vulgar exclamation—one exuding overwhelming dominance, the other carrying an air of unbridled arrogance.

The voices of these two peak quasi-emperors were truly thunderous. The ongoing verbal battles between Zhutian and Hong Huang suddenly ceased, with crowds fainting in droves from the shock.

At that moment, those talented individuals were still clutching their foreheads, swaying in place. Their minds buzzed from the sudden blast, the sound waves so powerful that no one could withstand them.

"You two, what's your problem!"

The person standing beside Tian Zhu and Di Mie was also unsteady, his vision going dark, with black lines of frustration crisscrossing his forehead. They had been watching the spectacle intently, but these two black-robed figures had unleashed their shout without warning, catching everyone off guard and causing blood to flow from their seven orifices.

It wasn't just them—countless old veterans turned their gazes toward this direction.

Unfortunately, their cultivation wasn't profound enough to see through Tian Zhu and Di Mie's true forms. They only knew that these two were incredibly strong, strong to an absurd degree.

Ignoring the curses and stares from all sides, Tian Zhu and Di Mie focused solely on Ye Chen—or more precisely, on the iron staff in his hand.

That wasn't just any iron staff; it was clearly a Qing Tian Tong Zhu that had been transformed and shrunk to the size of a rod.

"Has he entered the Ling Xiao Bao Dian?" Tian Zhu furrowed his brow slightly.

"Even now, I still don't know where the Ling Xiao Bao Dian has ended up," Di Mie said.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is how he managed to move the Qing Tian Tong Zhu from the Ling Xiao Bao Dian," Tian Zhu remarked, stroking his beard.

"You're right. The Qing Tian Tong Zhu has its own spirit. If it doesn't want to be moved, no one can take it."

"So, that means the Qing Tian Tong Zhu willingly followed him."

"That should be the case."

The two exchanged words, their gazes toward Ye Chen growing deeper. They knew all too well what it signified for someone to summon the Qing Tian Tong Zhu from the Ling Xiao Bao Dian.

Pfft!

As they watched, Han Jiang spat blood again, his body blown apart on one side by Ye Chen's staff, exposing blood and bones that looked terrifyingly gruesome.

"Suppress for me!"

Han Jiang roared, enduring Ye Chen's strike and summoning the Lei Hai for the second time. It blanketed the sky, engulfing Ye Chen, who hadn't been careful enough.

The onlookers held their breath.

Earlier, when Yao Chi Xian Ti had battled Han Jiang, he had used this very Lei Hai to swallow Ji Ning Shuang. She had broken through it with the Wuzi Tian Shu, but no one knew how the Huang Gu Sheng Ti would manage it.

Roar!

A dragon's cry erupted from within the Lei Hai. Ye Chen had transformed into a dragon form, like a flood dragon surging through the sea, stirring up massive waves. Countless destructive thunderbolts shot out, yet none could harm him.

"Suppress! Suppress for me!"

Han Jiang bellowed in fury and stepped into the Lei Hai, pressing his palms together to cast a powerful forbidden technique.

Then, streaks of thunder chains materialized in the Lei Hai, wrapping toward Ye Chen. Everyone knew that if those chains bound him, he would be drained into a dried husk.

Ye Chen snorted coldly and leaped into the nine heavens, shifting back from dragon form to human form as he summoned the Hun Dun Ding.

Buzz!

With a deep hum, the great ding expanded to ten thousand zhang, vast and heavy, manifesting Dao principles and visions. The Dun Jia Tian Zi circled around it, arranging themselves, while strands of chaotic energy cascaded down.

Boom!

The Lei Hai trembled and shattered under the crushing force of the Hun Dun Ding.

Pfft!

Han Jiang was also injured. Before he could unleash his second secret technique, the Hun Dun Ding sent him staggering, reopening the wounds on his newly healed body.

Ah!

The Hong Huang emperor's son howled, summoning a colossal Wai Dao Mo Xiang to withstand the pressure of the Hun Dun Ding.

Ye Chen couldn't help but look up, raising an eyebrow. This was his first time seeing such a massive Wai Dao Mo Xiang. It was far larger than his own Ba Ti Wai Xiang—in comparison, he was like a mere ant.

"Die!"

Han Jiang's face twisted ferociously as he thrust a spear forward.

Ye Chen didn't block it head-on; he dodged instantly and ascended to the nine heavens in a single step.

In his hand, the Ling Xiao iron staff extended infinitely, much like Ji Ning Shuang's Dao sword earlier—enormously long and thick, truly like a Qing Tian Tong Zhu.

The domineering Ye Chen gripped the staff with both hands and smashed it straight toward the head of the Wai Dao Mo Xiang.

Pfft!

The Wai Dao Mo Xiang's head exploded on impact, its towering body forced to kneel. The sight was utterly shocking; just watching it made one wince in pain.

Bang! Boom! Bang!

Ye Chen unleashed his divine might, wielding the Qing Tian Tong Zhu and striking blow after blow. The massive Wai Dao Mo Xiang was pounded from its humanoid form into a heap of bloody flesh.

Gulp!

The spectators around felt their hearts pounding, swallowing hard.

As expected, people from the Sheng Ti lineage were incredibly fierce.

Earlier, Ji Ning Shuang had used a ten-thousand-zhang Dao sword to dismember the Wai Dao Mo Xiang.

Now, Ye Chen was even more overbearing, smashing it into a puddle of blood with a ten-thousand-zhang iron staff.

This proved that fighting against their clan members meant never summoning a Wai Dao Mo Xiang—it was useless. They didn't care how mystical or towering the manifestation was; they'd just hammer it relentlessly.

History repeated itself.

Once again, it was Han Jiang who was defeated, and more miserably than before. His Wai Dao Mo Xiang was utterly destroyed, sending him flying horizontally.

Ye Chen's iron staff returned to its normal size, and he carried it in one hand as he strode through the air, step by step toward Han Jiang. Fresh blood dripped from the staff—all of it Han Jiang's.

"If not for my earlier battle draining me, how could you destroy my Wai Dao Mo Xiang?" Han Jiang staggered to a stop, his silver eyes turning blood-red, his face full of malice.

"How about we chat about my Sheng Ti origin?" Ye Chen kept advancing, smirking at Han Jiang. "If my origin were complete, I'd smash you with one swing—believe it or not."

Though he said that, Ye Chen actually halted his steps. He slung the Ling Xiao iron staff over his shoulder with a stylish flick of his head. "I'm not taking advantage of you. I'll give you time to recover."

Han Jiang let out a sinister laugh, realizing the tactic, and casually popped a handful of pills into his mouth. He began recovering right there, thinking this provocation had worked.

True to his word, Ye Chen didn't attack. He simply stood in the void, staff in hand, waiting patiently for Han Jiang to recover.

From a distance, the posture of Da Chu's tenth emperor looked every bit like that of a street thug.

"You bastard, are you messing around?" Xie Yun muttered under his breath.

"Is this even a thing?" Xiong Er added. "Hit him while he's down!"

"With Ye Chen's power, it doesn't matter if Han Jiang recovers or not," Xiao Chen, son of the Zhan Wang, said calmly. "The reason he's giving him time isn't arrogance—it's because Ye Chen is enlightenment."

"Enlightenment?" Everyone raised their eyebrows.

"He must have caught a trace of some law in that instant—fleeting and rare, something that can only be encountered, not sought. So, he needs time to grasp it fully."

"I see!" Everyone suddenly understood.

Of course! With Ye Chen's nature, he wouldn't just give his opponent a breather.

Allowing Han Jiang to recover wasn't out of overconfidence; it was because Ye Chen needed time for his own enlightenment. As Xiao Chen said, Han Jiang's recovery made no real difference.

"What incredible talent! To gain insight in such a situation," Sheng Zun sighed. Xiao Chen could see it, and so could he—Ye Chen was enlightenment, and on a supreme law at that.

"His acting is as masterful as ever," Yue Huang chuckled. Ye Chen appeared recklessly bold, but he was actually misleading everyone.

In the end, he needed the time more than Han Jiang did.

Both were getting what they wanted.

But truly speaking, Ye Chen's time was more precious. A fleeting insight like this was incredibly valuable; miss it now, and who knows when it might come again.