Chapter 966: God King's Ninety Percent Strength

"Ye Chen, is your Tianzhao faster, or is my Feileishen faster?"

As the ethereal and silent voice echoed through heaven and earth, all the spectators were stunned for a moment, their minds dazed for an instant. This was because Ye Chen and Shen Chao Shengzi were still standing in their respective positions in the void sky, without any movement.

"What on earth just happened?" someone exclaimed in astonishment.

"That was a battle of willpower," an expert with profound cultivation said thoughtfully. "What surprises me is that their clash of wills is visible to us, meaning their levels of cultivation far exceed our expectations."

"They're both testing each other, but in that earlier exchange of wills, Ye Chen seems to have fallen at a disadvantage," someone else pondered. "Both the initial and follow-up strikes were fatal—he probably couldn't dodge them."

"You're underestimating the Holy Lord of Tian Ting," another voice retorted.

"The warm-up is over." Amid the discussions, Shen Chao Shengzi gave a faint smile, his eyes of dead stillness gleaming with a sinister light.

"You're going through the motions." Ye Chen replied calmly, taking a step that shrank the distance in an instant, appearing right in front of Shen Chao Shengzi. He raised his hand and unleashed a massive seal, as heavy as a mountain peak. Even before it fully descended, it had already crushed that section of the void sky.

Shen Chao Shengzi's eyes were full of mockery as he vanished in an instant. When he reappeared, he was behind Ye Chen, striking with a deadly sword thrust.

Ye Chen remained composed, shifting his position with a single step. He flipped his hand and slapped backward, though he didn't hit Shen Chao Shengzi, he forced him into view—only for Shen Chao Shengzi to disappear again immediately.

"Like a shadow that follows," Da Chu Huangyan murmured, standing in the void sky. "If they're competing in speed techniques, Ye Chen is at a slight disadvantage."

"But if it's raw power, Shen Chao Shengzi is far behind," Long Teng said leisurely. "That's the weakness of assassins—if they're caught once, a single strike can severely wound them, or even kill them on the spot."

"Have you noticed that Shen Chao Shengzi resembles Shen Xuanfeng a lot?" someone asked.

"As father and son, they naturally share many similarities," Xiao Chen replied flatly.

"It's not that kind of resemblance," Zhou Tianyi pondered. "I have a strange feeling that Shen Chao Shengzi's similarity to Shen Xuanfeng Shenwang goes beyond some unseen boundary."

Boom!

While they spoke quietly among themselves, the entire void sky collapsed, turning into a chaotic realm of space rifts.

Ye Chen stood there unmoving, like a statue.

The figure of Shen Chao Shengzi had vanished from heaven and earth. Aside from a few individuals present, no one could track his movements.

Adapting to all changes by staying still?

In the crowd, Tai Xu Ancient Dragon glanced at Shen Chao Shengzi, who was constantly shifting positions, then focused on Ye Chen.

Zing!

No sooner had he spoken than Shen Chao Shengzi struck like a ghost, appearing behind Ye Chen and slashing his sword toward Ye Chen's head.

Ye Chen tilted his body slightly, narrowly dodging the fatal strike.

Shen Chao Shengzi disappeared once more, like a specter, making it nearly impossible to trace him each time.

This secret technique of Shen Chao Shengzi made even the most powerful experts among the spectators feel a chill down their spines. Assassins were the most troublesome opponents, and someone like Shen Chao Shengzi, with such elusive movements, was nearly impossible to defend against. Just his incredible speed technique alone was beyond what they could counter.

"Is the mighty Holy Lord of Tian Ting being forced to stand still and defend?" someone sighed in amazement.

"The shadow-like assassination technique—Ye Chen is countering change with constancy."

"In the current Da Chu, Shen Chao Shengzi is one of the few in his generation who can push him to such a defensive stance, truly standing above the rest."

"Ye Chen, this isn't your style." Shen Chao Shengzi's eerie laughter echoed through the heavens once more, his voice faint and shifting—from east to west, south to north—impossible to pinpoint.

"I want to see how long this clown can keep jumping around." Ye Chen's voice remained calm and even.

"You want to die that badly? I'll grant it." Shen Chao Shengzi chuckled darkly.

Zing!

Before his words faded, the sharp ring of a sword echoed. A pitch-black killing sword appeared without warning, thrusting straight toward Ye Chen's forehead.

Ye Chen stood in the void sky like an unyielding monument, not moving an inch.

Zing!

The black sword rang even louder, its tip encircled by a dim glow.

Three zhang, two zhang, one zhang, nine cun, six cun...

Under the watchful eyes of all, Shen Chao Shengzi's sword drew ever closer to Ye Chen's forehead.

Was Ye Chen not going to dodge?

Seeing Ye Chen stand his ground without evading, the spectators' hearts raced with shock.

Zing!

In a flash, Shen Chao Shengzi's sword struck Ye Chen's forehead dead-on.

Yet, to everyone's astonishment, the domineering fatal strike failed to pierce Ye Chen's defense. The sword tip only penetrated half a cun into his forehead and could go no further.

Hiss!

This sight made the onlookers draw in a sharp breath.

Only then did they truly understand why Ye Chen hadn't dodged—he had known all along that Shen Chao Shengzi couldn't break his defense.

The most shocked was Shen Chao Shengzi himself, his eyes filled with disbelief. He never imagined his deadly strike would be so ineffective against Ye Chen, unable even to breach his defenses.

"Without borrowing Shen Xuanfeng Shenwang's true power, you're far from enough." Ye Chen spoke, his gaze fixed on the shadowy form where Shen Chao Shengzi lurked, more precisely on his lifeless eyes.

At these words, Shen Chao Shengzi's eyes narrowed sharply.

Ye Chen's statement carried profound implications, revealing secrets with the mention of "Shen Xuanfeng Shenwang's true self."

"Does he already know I'm Shenwang's Dao Shen?" Shen Chao Shengzi frowned, caught off guard by this.

Indeed, when he had gone to Nan Chu to declare war on Ye Chen, he had carried nine-tenths of Shen Xuanfeng's combat power.

And even now, up to this point, he hadn't drawn on his true self's power—otherwise, that earlier sword strike would have pierced Ye Chen's skull.

Boom!

Everything happened in an instant, and the void sky within a thousand zhang radius collapsed violently.

Ye Chen's outer Dao Fa Xiang, the Chaotic World, flashed briefly, crushing the void and forcing Shen Chao Shengzi out once more.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Shen Chao Shengzi was sent retreating with each step, each one causing the void sky to thunder.

Now, his form was no longer a vague shadow but a distinct figure, clad in a black robe and wearing a dark mask. Black qi swirled around him, and faint traces of lightning flickered within each strand of the qi.

"With your current level of power, you won't get to see my Tianzhao." Ye Chen advanced step by step, his eyes fixed straight on Shen Chao Shengzi.

"Ye Chen, you're strong." Shen Chao Shengzi said with a cold laugh.

"So, without his power, you can't use Feileishen Jue?" Ye Chen continued at a steady pace, his expression indifferent—more accurately, one of utter disregard for Shen Chao Shengzi, born from his immense confidence.

"You're full of surprises." Shen Chao Shengzi's eyes narrowed into slits, now certain that Ye Chen knew his secret.

Suddenly, a thick beam of black light shot up from his Tianling Cap, blasting a massive hole in the ethereal void sky.

Boom! Boom! Rumble!

Dongling Cangyuan trembled, dark clouds gathered in the void sky, lightning flashed and thunder roared. An overwhelming pressure that made heaven and earth quake erupted from Shen Chao Shengzi, his body enveloped in Dao principles formed by thunder runes. It was an ancient, world-shaking killing intent, manifesting in this form.

Instantly, the surroundings froze into ice at a visible speed, even the flowing air turning to frozen shards.

This aura belonged to Shen Xuanfeng Shenwang!

The descendants of various kings and emperors had sharp glints in their eyes at the same moment, as if they had seen through something.

"So that's it." Mo Wang Kui Yujiang stared intently at Shen Chao Shengzi. "Transmitting power mutually—he's a Dao Shen."

"What a cunning Shen Xuanfeng, even deceiving us," Yao Wang said coldly.

"This is quite unexpected." Da Chu Huangyan took a deep breath.

"Who would have thought the Shen Chao Shengzi, the assassin, is Shenwang Shen Xuanfeng's Dao Shen?" Long Teng sighed.

"What an overwhelming killing intent." The spectators around felt pale and their legs trembled, instinctively retreating. Even from a distance, they struggled to breathe under the pressure.

"Nine-tenths of Shenwang's combat power." Ye Chen, who had been striding through the sky, paused, stopping exactly three hundred zhang from Shen Chao Shengzi. This distance was the limit for both Feileishen and Tianzhao.

"With my power now, is it enough?" Shen Chao Shengzi stepped forward and vanished silently.