On the arena, Ye Tian and the Seventh Prince stood a hundred meters apart, each gazing intently at the other, amplifying their respective auras.
"Daring to step onto the stage signifies your confidence, but confidence does not equate to strength!" the Seventh Prince declared coldly, raising his spear to point menacingly at Ye Tian. An extraordinary sharpness emanated from him, overwhelming his opponent with a torrent of formidable pressure.
Such a tyrannical aura was suffocating, sending shivers down the spines of the onlookers, who felt utterly defenseless against it.
Yet, amidst this oppressive force, Ye Tian stood with an expression of calmness, slowly raising his blood-red blade. An overwhelming killing intent surged forth, almost tangible, cleaving through the Seventh Prince's oppressive aura.
The arena trembled violently under the impact of their contrasting energies, fissures spider-webbing across the surface, spreading like a net.
"What terrifying killing intent! How many lives has this young man taken?" Some elders from the Divine Star Sect, sensing the dreadful aura emanating from Ye Tian, were visibly shaken, their faces etched with disbelief.
To them, Ye Tian was merely a youth barely in his twenties; how could he possess such horrifying killing intent? Even the most ruthless of murderers would pale in comparison.
King Nanlin and Old Zang exchanged serious glances, their expressions revealing their concerns.
"What potent killing intent! Even my generals would pale in comparison!" King Nanlin remarked in awe.
Beside him, Old Zang could hardly conceal his delight, thinking to himself, "Such killing intent is extraordinary. If this young man has comprehended the essence of the Slaughter Blade, then it would indeed explain such an intense aura."
With this thought, anticipation flickered in Old Zang's eyes. He understood the odds were slim, yet he could not help but hope.
At that moment, the two combatants on the arena sprang into action.
The Seventh Prince lunged forward with his spear, resembling a divine dragon, his true essence roaring through the air as he charged at Ye Tian.
Clang!
Ye Tian's blood-red blade arced through the air, his eyes shining with fierce determination. A torrent of true essence erupted from the blade, forming a dazzling, radiant arc that extended over ten yards.
As the blade and spear clashed, sparks flew, and a terrifying energy erupted, sweeping in all directions.
Ye Tian remained steadfast, his aura intensifying. With a fierce glare, he unleashed an astonishing force, sending the Seventh Prince's spear flying and forcing him to retreat several steps.
A chorus of astonished gasps erupted from the crowd, many feeling invigorated and cheering for Ye Tian.
"Merely brute strength; you are woefully naive!" The Seventh Prince, regaining his footing, sneered coldly and retaliated with a thrust of his spear, unleashing a blinding flash of true essence.
"Hmph!" Ye Tian retorted with a cold snort, having anticipated the Seventh Prince's counterattack. He swung his blade down with tremendous force, the brilliant arc cleaving through the air.
The Seventh Prince, undeterred by the lack of advantage, evaded the strike and ascended into the air, preparing to deliver a powerful punch down toward Ye Tian.
Suddenly, gasps filled the air as they noticed a layer of frost enveloping the Seventh Prince's fist, the temperature plummeting instantaneously, a chilling aura engulfing the arena.
Even the spectators surrounding the arena felt an involuntary chill.
"This is the Frost Fist, a profound-level martial technique!" the Seventh Prince shouted, his fist radiating with a fierce glow. The overwhelming cold descended, and Ye Tian felt the icy breath upon him before the attack even reached him.
"A profound-level martial technique, is it?"
A smirk crept across Ye Tian's lips, a cold smile forming as he transferred the blood blade to his left hand, gathering boundless true essence in his right, which began to emanate a hazy glow as he approached the airborne Seventh Prince.
The onlookers watched in astonishment as Ye Tian's palm blazed with radiant light, a colossal true essence hand materializing in mid-air, descending upon the Seventh Prince with crushing force.
"It's the Hand of the Stars!" an inner disciple exclaimed in shock.
"How is this possible?" Some elders from the Divine Star Sect were equally taken aback, their faces filled with disbelief. Although all disciples received training in the Hand of the Stars upon joining, Ye Tian had only been with the sect for three days and had already mastered this profound-level technique.
Moreover, the aura and power he exhibited clearly indicated he had achieved the pinnacle of mastery with the Hand of the Stars, a feat that even some inner disciples could not accomplish.
"Could it be that he learned the Hand of the Stars beforehand?" Some expressed doubts, incredulous that a profound-level technique could be mastered so swiftly, especially to such a high degree.
Unbeknownst to them, their suspicions were correct, but lacking evidence, the Divine Star Sect would never act against a promising disciple.
Knowing this, Ye Tian now wielded the Hand of the Stars without hesitation, free from the fear of retribution from the sect.
A tempest of energy swirled above the arena as the Seventh Prince was enveloped by the colossal true essence hand, yet he stood resolute. With a roar, he appeared to ignite, his formidable true essence soaring toward the heavens.
Ye Tian's expression shifted, sensing the Hand of the Stars tremble violently before it began to crumble. A wave of frigid air rushed toward him, making him shiver involuntarily.
It was the Seventh Prince's Frost Fist!
Ye Tian's eyes blazed like lightning, his hair whipping about as he raised the blood blade, charging forward without fear.
At this moment, although the Seventh Prince's punch remained fierce, the cold aura had diminished significantly. It was clear that even though he had shattered the Hand of the Stars, he had expended considerable energy and could no longer pose a threat to Ye Tian.
In another fierce clash, Ye Tian's feet trembled, causing the entire arena to quiver. A terrifying force radiated from his feet, sweeping outward and sending countless fragments flying in all directions.
"Ah…"
"This is bad!"
The spectators cried out in alarm, hastily unleashing their true essence to erect defensive barriers against the barrage of debris.
The scene descended into chaos!
Yet, despite the turmoil, many remained transfixed on the arena, where the battle between Ye Tian and the Seventh Prince had escalated to a fever pitch, both sides unleashing their full strength, mere moments away from revealing their trump cards.
Ye Tian let out a thunderous roar, his true essence erupting like an unquenchable volcano, surging forth like a mighty river, yearning to ascend to the heavens.
"Get out of my way!"
A blinding radiance erupted from the blood blade in Ye Tian's hand, the air trembling as a dazzling blade arc, dozens of yards long, cleaved through the sky.
The Seventh Prince, suspended in mid-air, found his momentum obstructed; the Frost Fist was shattered by the ascending blade arc but was subsequently blocked by his spear.
"Futile! I am two levels stronger than you!" the Seventh Prince scoffed, his spear glowing with blinding brilliance, enveloping him entirely. He seemed to merge with the spear, unleashing a formidable aura that cascaded down upon Ye Tian.
The elders of the Divine Star Sect gasped in awe.
This was the advantage of comprehending martial will, enabling one to fuse with their weapon and unleash devastating power.
Boom!
At the critical moment, Ye Tian no longer concealed his true strength. With a mighty roar, ten blood elixirs within him erupted simultaneously, resembling ten dormant volcanoes bursting forth with an inexhaustible flow of molten magma.
Boom!
From a distance, the area where Ye Tian stood erupted in chaos, boundless true essence surging forth, sending the Seventh Prince, merged with his spear, hurtling away.
The ground trembled violently, with horrifying cracks radiating from beneath Ye Tian's feet, spreading outward as if the earth itself were fracturing, leaving the crowd astounded.
The entire arena shook, sinking several inches as debris flew and smoke billowed, marking the arena's complete destruction.
Everyone was left in shock; such power had surpassed even the fifth-level Martial Spirit, Meng Shiyun.
Yet, Ye Tian was merely at the first level of Martial Spirit!
Before the crowd could fully grasp the magnitude of the situation, Ye Tian, invigorated by the eruption of ten blood elixirs, reached the pinnacle of his potential. With a casual swing of his blade, he unleashed a blade arc a hundred yards long.
The terrifying arc radiated with intense brilliance, dazzling and resplendent, akin to divine retribution descending from the heavens, aimed directly at the Seventh Prince.
The Seventh Prince gritted his teeth, shaking off the earlier shock. His expression grave, he unleashed all his true essence and charged forward with his spear.
Boom!
The blood blade's brilliance surged, and in Ye Tian's icy gaze, the Seventh Prince was sent flying, his spear shattered into fragments, scattering around him.
The Seventh Prince was propelled backward by the immense force, crashing heavily to the ground.
Once again, the crowd was left in awe!
"We've won!" Lin Fei exclaimed in delight, astonished that Ye Tian had truly defeated the Seventh Prince. Elation surged within him, for this meant he would no longer have to follow the Seventh Prince.
Beside him, the Thirteenth Prince and Yun Shuiyao wore expressions of exhilaration.
"Not so fast! Do not forget, the Seventh Prince still possesses the will of the spear!" Meng Shiyun interjected coldly, as if dousing the crowd with cold water, bringing them back to reality.
Indeed!
The Seventh Prince still had the trump card of spear will!
"Ye Tian!" At that moment, the Seventh Prince's voice boomed from the arena, catching everyone off guard as they turned to look.
There, the Seventh Prince wiped the blood from his lips and slowly rose to his feet, his gaze fixed fiercely on Ye Tian, his expression still brimming with arrogance. "Impressive! Your strength exceeds my expectations, yet the stronger you become, the more I desire to recruit you. Submit to me, and together we shall conquer the Divine Continent. In the future, I shall elevate you to divine status!"
"This guy has lost his mind!" The surrounding crowd rolled their eyes in unison, regarding him as though he were a fool. How could he remain so arrogant at this juncture?
"Defeated foe!" Ye Tian's expression remained unchanged as he replied coldly, a single statement encapsulating everything.
The Seventh Prince's gaze sharpened, studying Ye Tian intently. "It seems you are quite confident in yourself. Then let this prince allow you to experience the will of the spear firsthand!"
In an instant, an overwhelming will surged into the sky, causing the weapons in the hands of all present to tremble.