Chapter 783: Master and Disciple Duel

Chapter 783: Shi Tu Dui Jue

After hearing Xi Yan finish speaking, Shangguan Yu'er and Shangguan Han Yue both turned their gazes sharply toward Ye Chen.

"Don't mess around, it's not what I said."Ye Chen shook his head playfully, acting completely unserious.

"As if we'd believe you." Shangguan Yu'er glared at Ye Chen fiercely, then took Shangguan Han Yue by the hand and headed down the mountain. It seemed they wanted to explore Heng Yue thoroughly, and from the look of it, they had no intention of returning to their family anytime soon.

Once the two had left, Ye Chen cleared his throat and looked at Xi Yan. "Little girl, do you have to make things so dramatic every time?"

"Master, those two big sisters from the Shangguan family are so beautiful. They'd make perfect master mothers for me." Xi Yan chuckled. "Xiong Er Shishu said that for men, having three wives and four concubines is totally normal."

"I knew it was that dead fatty. Stay away from him from now on."

"Got it, got it." Xi Yan giggled again, then blinked her big eyes at Ye Chen. "Master, you've never guided my cultivation. You're not a very responsible master, you know!"

"You're right." Ye Chen stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Then today, let's see the results of my training! I'm really strong now." As Xi Yan spoke, she stepped back more than ten zhang in an instant. She let out a mischievous laugh, and suddenly, a powerful aura burst forth, enveloping her entire body in dazzling light. An ancient mark even appeared on her forehead.

"Not bad at all!" Ye Chen smiled in surprise.

"Here I come!" Xi Yan blinked her eyes, then stomped down, her figure moving like a ghost. With Ling Shuang Jian in hand, she unleashed a Feng Shen Jue strike directly at Ye Chen's forehead. The power of it even made Ye Chen feel a bit astonished.

Zheng!

Ling Xiao Jian rang out sharply, its edge incredibly fierce, stopping just a zhang away from Ye Chen.

"Your speed is good, but the power of your sword is a bit weak." Ye Chen smiled slightly, casually raising his hand to clamp the tip of Ling Shuang Jian perfectly. With a light flick of his finger, he sent the sword flying and knocked Xi Yan back.

"Don't underestimate me, Master!" As Xi Yan retreated, her small hands quickly formed hand seals.

Immediately, the sound of ten thousand swords ringing filled the air. Countless sword qi appeared around Xi Yan, each one sharp and numerous beyond measure, shooting straight toward Ye Chen.

"Wan Jian Chao Zong." Ye Chen chuckled, and a barrier of Xuan Guang Dun Jia materialized in front of him.

To his surprise, however, the sword qi from Xi Yan's Wan Jian Chao Zong veered off just before hitting the barrier, curving around it and flying directly at Ye Chen.

"This move is interesting." Ye Chen was mildly shocked. He lightly stepped on the ground, creating a vortex centered on his foot. The vortex spun rapidly, growing larger and shredding the incoming sword qi into pieces.

"Bi Hai Tian Quan." Xi Yan changed her hand seals again.

In an instant, the heavens and earth trembled. A vast ocean suddenly appeared, with surging waves and towering tsunamis engulfing Yunu Peak. Even Chu Ling'er, who was in seclusion, was startled and emerged from her cave, looking on in amazement at the massive scene.

Boom!

A thunderous roar echoed across Yunu Peak, all because the pressure from Xi Yan's Bi Hai Tian Quan was overwhelmingly strong, as if it could devour everything.

"A group attack technique—impressive." Ye Chen stood like an unmovable monument, allowing Bi Hai Tian Quan to swallow him whole, yet he remained completely steady.

Soon, though, he noticed the technique's subtlety—it had the ability to absorb his spiritual power and contained hidden sealing spells. Chains of runes had already wrapped around his body, trying to lock his Dan Hai.

"How intriguing." Ye Chen shook his sacred body, shattering the rune chains instantly, and cleaved Bi Hai Tian Quan apart with a single palm.

But as soon as he split it open, a pair of enormous pupils appeared. Deep within those pupils, myriad flowers scattered chaotically, gleaming with mysterious light. It looked dazzling but felt like a vortex that could swallow one's mind.

"Xi Yan, your Wan Hua Tong might work on me the first time, but not the second." Ye Chen smiled faintly, instantly breaking the illusion. He quickly stepped back, as Xi Yan's fierce sword strike pierced through like a bolt of lightning, carrying unmatched penetrating force.

Ye Chen shifted his body slightly, easily dodging the sword, then flipped his hand to strike out with a palm.

However, he had underestimated Xi Yan's combat skills. As if anticipating his move, she spun her body the moment she thrust her sword. A burst of divine light erupted from her forehead, launching a Ling Hun Sha Jian.

"You've surprised me!" Ye Chen marveled inwardly, summoning his own Ling Hun Sha Jian from his forehead to crush Xi Yan's.

"Take this from your disciple!" Xi Yan giggled and slapped down from above with her small hand.

"Attacks at this level can't hurt me." Ye Chen casually countered with a palm.

Hmm?

In the instant their palms collided, Ye Chen furrowed his brow.

The next second, he was forced to stagger back from Xi Yan's palm, because in that moment, her power had surged more than tenfold. His carelessness had cost him.

Now, Xi Yan's form had changed. A massive, illusory figure appeared around her, wrapping her completely and boosting her power by over ten times.

"Wai Dao Fa Xiang and the power of heaven and earth." Ye Chen narrowed his eyes, instantly seeing through it. His disciple Xi Yan had actually harmonized with heaven and earth, drawing on its power, while the enormous shadow was Wai Dao Fa Xiang—a heaven-defying divine ability for both offense and defense.

"This little girl's talent is just too incredible." Ye Chen felt unsettled in his heart. Even he had never fully harmonized with heaven and earth or borrowed its power, yet his young disciple had achieved it, and it seemed she'd been doing so for quite some time.

"I told you, this little girl will surpass you one day," Tai Xu Gu Long remarked leisurely. "Such high talent is rare in the world, and she's only at Ling Xu Jing. If you were at the same level, you'd have a tough time."

"I guess I've always underestimated my disciple!" Ye Chen sighed.

"Master, you're zoning out again." Xi Yan giggled, her figure moving like a ghost—appearing and disappearing without a trace, making her hard to track.

Ye Chen smiled and stepped forward, launching his first real attack. He easily located Xi Yan and sent her retreating with a palm strike.

Then, his speed increased dramatically, his figure like a streak of light as he used Yi Yang Zhi. The finger strike carried devastating penetrating force, thrusting straight at Xi Yan.

Xi Yan had just steadied herself when she saw the incoming finger strike. Its immense power made her small face turn pale instantly.

Yet, when the finger was only an inch from her forehead, Ye Chen suddenly stopped and gently flicked her forehead. "Little girl, you've lost!"

"You're still the best, Master." Xi Yan stuck out her tongue sheepishly. Her earlier attacks had been fierce, chaining one secret technique after another, each impressive in its own way, but against Ye Chen, they were like child's play.

After all, she was now harmonized with heaven and earth and had activated Wai Dao Fa Xiang, yet she still couldn't withstand even one of Ye Chen's moves. This brief showdown had truly disheartened her. She had thought herself powerful, but in front of her master, it all felt like a game.

"The path of cultivation is still long." Ye Chen gently patted Xi Yan's head, though his heart remained far from calm. Just as Tai Xu Gu Long had said, if Xi Yan were at his level, he'd definitely suffer.

"You're scaring her again." Chu Ling'er walked over, pulling Xi Yan away, and shot Ye Chen a stern glare.

"It's just sparring—I didn't go all out." Ye Chen shrugged, waving his hand to produce several scrolls and hand them to Xi Yan. "Here, take these for your training. Don't rush—build a solid foundation."

"I understand." Xi Yan was as well-behaved as ever. She took the scrolls and scampered down the mountain like a little sprite, full of energy. As she passed Ye Chen, she couldn't help but flash him a grin.

"When are we attacking Zhengyang Zong?" Chu Ling'er glanced at the departing Xi Yan, then turned her eyes back to Ye Chen.

"Unless something unexpected happens, it'll be in the next couple of days." Ye Chen casually found a spot to sit, grabbing a spiritual fruit from the table and munching on it without a care.

"With our current strength, starting the war now gives us a full ten percent chance of success. Why keep delaying? The situation in Da Chu could change if we wait too long." Chu Ling'er looked at Ye Chen with confusion.

"Of course I know that." Ye Chen shrugged. "But this is war, and as the commander of the three armies, my job isn't just to think about how to win—it's to minimize casualties while ensuring victory. Besides, Zhengyang Zong isn't as simple as you imagine."

"You always have so many reasons."

"Trust me, and you'll be fine."

"I heard you met Dao Huang?" Chu Ling'er smiled lightly at Ye Chen.

"Of course I did." Talking about Dao Huang got Ye Chen excited. He squatted down on his seat, spitting out words enthusiastically. "He's absolutely a peerless powerhouse. Even not at his peak, his combat strength is beyond anything we can match."

"If my sister knew Dao Huang had reappeared, she'd be thrilled." Chu Ling'er said casually, then gave Ye Chen a peculiar look.

"What's that got to do with my master?" Ye Chen paused, noticing her strange expression.

"Don't you know? My sister really admires Dao Huang." Chu Ling'er grinned at him.

"There's that?" Ye Chen was stunned, his face full of surprise as he looked at Chu Ling'er. "Are you messing with me? You never mentioned this before!"

"Did you ever ask?" Chu Ling'er shrugged.

"That's a pretty good excuse." Ye Chen couldn't help but twitch his mouth.