Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 426 426: Establishing Authority

"Brat, are you still deluding yourself into thinking you can stand against me? Fine, since you're so clueless, I won't hold back!" Wang Cheng said disdainfully upon seeing Ye Qingchen draw his Flowing Cloud Sword.

At the same time, Wang Cheng's body began to swell rapidly, his muscles bulging until they were clearly defined.

Ye Qingchen knew Wang Cheng was preparing a powerful move, but he didn't interrupt. To create a sufficient deterrent, he had to crush Wang Cheng at the peak of his power. Only then would the others be truly convinced of his strength.

Seeing Ye Qingchen remain unmoved, Wang Cheng assumed he had scared him witless, and his confidence grew.

Once I kill Ye Qingchen, I'll not only secure a spot for the Spiritual Qi Infusion but also complete the task Feng Yuan gave me. After leaving the Secret Realm, the rewards from Feng Yuan will be substantial. If the Spiritual Qi Infusion boosts my strength again, I might even be able to compete for a spot at Central Celestial Academy.

The more Wang Cheng thought about it, the more excited he became, and the Spiritual Energy within his body surged with even greater intensity.

"Bear Annihilates the Earth!"

Wang Cheng's ultimate move was finally ready. The ground before him began to crack as terrifying Spiritual Energy morphed into a giant brown bear and lunged at Ye Qingchen.

Watching such a powerful attack, the spectating Martial Artists watched with rapt attention. Some of the more timid female Martial Artists even closed their eyes, unwilling to witness the gruesome fate they imagined awaited Ye Qingchen.

Facing the oncoming brown bear, Ye Qingchen scoffed with disdain. Wielding his Flowing Cloud Sword, he instantly unleashed the Wind Blade Sword Technique. He didn't even call upon his Martial Soul, yet he condensed a hundred-meter-long sword shadow that cleaved down at the giant brown bear.

BOOM!

The bear, which had been so imposing just a moment ago, was cleaved in two by the Wind Blade Sword Technique. The hundred-meter-long sword shadow didn't stop, sweeping down toward Wang Cheng's head. With a flash of white light, Wang Cheng vanished from his spot.

"What… what just happened?"

"I don't know. How did Wang Cheng disappear? Did that sword strike just one-shot him?"

The onlooking Martial Artists swallowed hard, scarcely believing what they had just seen. A First-Layer Martial King had just killed a Third-Layer Martial King who possessed an eight-star Martial Soul in a single strike. What's more, he had done it so cleanly without even using his own Martial Soul.

Feng Yuan also frowned. He had never expected a mere Wang Cheng to kill Ye Qingchen. After all, Ye Qingchen had previously slain the Golden Star Lion King, a beast at the Sixth Layer of the Martial King Realm. His plan had been for Wang Cheng to lead the charge against Ye Qingchen. Even if Ye Qingchen defeated Wang Cheng, he would surely have expended some energy. Feng Yuan could then incite more people to attack, and once Ye Qingchen's Spiritual Energy was depleted, he would personally step in and send him out of the Secret Realm.

He just hadn't expected Ye Qingchen to be so ferocious, dispatching Wang Cheng in a single move while apparently not even using his full strength. This level of combat prowess was enough to deter the others who had been eager to make a move. It was no longer feasible for him to incite them.

You can keep posturing for a little while longer. Once the Spiritual Qi Infusion is over, I'll deal with you myself! Feng Yuan thought coldly as he watched Ye Qingchen's back.

After killing Wang Cheng, Ye Qingchen swept his gaze over the crowd. The Martial Artists who met his eyes couldn't help but retreat. That single sword strike had been so astonishingly powerful that they now felt an unprecedented fear when facing him.

This was exactly the effect Ye Qingchen wanted. He believed that after that display, no one would dare to bother him for the next hour. However, he had no intention of letting Feng Yuan, the one who framed him, off the hook so easily. With that thought, he gripped the Flowing Cloud Sword and began walking step by step toward Feng Yuan.

"Since the reward for first place is so much more generous than for second, why don't we switch symbols?" Ye Qingchen said with a cold smirk as he approached.

Feng Yuan hadn't expected Ye Qingchen to come looking for trouble with him. He instinctively took a step back, but seeing the astonished looks from the crowd, he felt deeply ashamed of his fearful reaction. Although his strength had now reached the Fifth Layer of the Martial King Realm, the traumatic memory of being pinned to the ground and utterly dominated by Ye Qingchen had left a psychological scar.

Seeing Ye Qingchen approach, the Martial Artists gathered around Feng Yuan quickly moved to stand in front of him, glaring fiercely at the newcomer.

After that single sword strike, no one dared to underestimate Ye Qingchen's combat prowess, but they still couldn't believe he was bold enough to challenge Feng Yuan. To everyone else, Feng Yuan was the most dangerous person to provoke in the entire Secret Realm—but that was just their perception. After all, Feng Yuan was not only the sole Fifth-Layer Martial King present and the son of a city lord, but his lackeys were all Martial Kings in their own right.

"Ye Qingchen, I advise you to think this through," Feng Yuan threatened, trying to suppress the fear in his heart. "Never mind that you're no match for me. I have over a dozen Third-Layer Martial Kings by my side. Do you really think you stand a chance?"

Ye Qingchen just smiled, unimpressed. "If these people are what you're relying on, then you're sorely underestimating me. In my eyes, they are nothing but ants!"

Arrogance. This was the very definition of arrogance. A First-Layer Martial King pointing his sword at a group of Third-Layer Martial Kings and calling them ants. If the crowd hadn't just witnessed that astonishing sword strike, they would have already drowned him in their scornful jeers. But even after defeating Wang Cheng, no one believed Ye Qingchen could overcome the combined forces of so many Martial Artists—especially not with a Fifth-Layer Martial King like Feng Yuan among them.

My goal is to establish dominance. The more arrogant I appear, the less likely others will be to provoke me, and the smoother the rest of my journey in the Secret Realm will be. When I first entered this Secret Realm, Xia Chengkai warned me that Feng Yuan had bribed many Martial Artists to do his bidding. I've considered it; with so many Martial Artists around, it's impossible to tell who is one of Feng Yuan's minions. Rather than waste time trying to figure it out, it's far better to instill fear in all of them directly. The only reason these people would side with Feng Yuan against me is because they fear him, right? So if I prove that I'm even more terrifying than Feng Yuan, then anyone who wants to make a move against me will have to think twice!