"Ye Xiao, I'm pretty tough myself."
Ye Cang grinned, a layer of golden scales suddenly spreading across his head.
Two golden dragon horns curved out from his forehead, and his purple vital blood surged violently.
His two hands transformed into the shape of white tiger claws, radiating infinite sharpness.
This scene instantly provoked a wave of exclamations from the onlookers.
On the old face of Ye Chongyang, a look of smugness also emerged, and he glanced unostentatiously at the distant firmament.
The Dominant Body, owners of the Nine Great Divine Forms.
Although Ye Cang was not very bright, his Dominant Body talent was unique through the ages.
At present, he was only at the Divine Wheel Realm, yet he had already manifested two great divine forms: the dragon head and the tiger claws, making his future boundless.
"I'll finish you in one punch."
As Ye Cang's voice fell, his massive fist imprint instantly spewed out a purple blood-red radiance, radiating an extraordinary and overbearing momentum.
"The Dominant Body, Dominant Fist."
The next instant, Ye Cang brought his fist down with crushing force, resembling ten thousand mountains plunging from the sky.
Before the blow even landed, the entire white jade plaza was fractured by countless shocking cracks.
"Dominant Fist?"
Ye Xiao looked up at Ye Cang plunging from the sky, not a single ripple visible in the depths of his eyes.
While Ye Cang was somewhat reckless, he wasn't a fool; he had led with the Dominant Fist right out of the gate, playing all his cards at once.
Naturally, given Ye Xiao's strength, he could easily dodge this offensive simply by deploying the Supreme-Clearing Roaming Dragon Step.
Yet this battle was not meant merely to secure a victory, but to awe the nine branches of the Ye Family.
"Hum."
With that thought, radiance lit up along Ye Xiao's arm as well.
Deep within his body, one thousand divine-demon particles vibrated in unison, blurring the very void with their shockwaves.
Amidst the shocked gazes of the gathered Ye Family elders and young clansmen, he likewise thrust out a fist, meeting Ye Cang head-on with furious force.
"Rumble!"
The heavens and earth shook violently!
At this moment, everyone saw that a bizarre crack had actually split open in the void behind Ye Xiao.
Within it, a divine-demon dharma image stood tall, towering ten thousand feet high, and thrust out a palm wreathed in hundreds of millions of runic symbols.
"Clang!"
The very instant their fist imprints collided, that patch of heaven and earth began to shatter.
And the domineering expression on Ye Cang's face froze almost instantly; his lips trembled, as if he had words stuck in his throat.
"Who won?"
Throughout the Ye Family, everyone's gaze converged on the two intersecting figures in the void.
Yet as a crisp sound of snapping bones echoed across the space, everyone's expressions changed drastically.
Ye Cang's figure plummeted from the sky, crashing heavily right before the assembled Ye Family elders.
At that moment, the arm he had thrust forward was already twisted and shattered, bloody and mangled.
In this moment, the entire Ye Family plunged once again into dead silence.
He was defeated!
The dignified Dominant Body, possessor of the strongest body in the Ye Family, had his arm smashed to pieces by Ye Xiao in a single punch?
"How is that possible..."
With a dazed expression, Ye Cang slowly got to his feet, staring at his dangling, crippled arm as he quietly swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
"First, bark like a dog a couple of times for me to hear."
Down on the distant plaza, Ye Xiao stood clad in fluttering white robes with his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes filled with a world-contemptuous indifference.
"Hm?"
Hearing this, Ye Cang clenched his teeth and let out a furious roar, "I haven't lost yet!"
"Enough!"
Just as he took a step forward, intending to rush toward Ye Xiao, a deep shout suddenly echoed from the firmament.
An aged yet robust figure stepped forward, appearing directly before the crowd.
"Greetings, Ancestor Futian!"
With trembling gazes, the crowd bowed deeply toward Ye Futian.
Yet this founding Dominant Body of the Ye Family merely cast a cold glance at Ye Cang. "Do you not find yourself embarrassing enough!"
With those words, he walked straight up to Ye Xiao and bowed respectfully. "Ye Futian, Ninth Ancestor of the Ye Family, pays respects to the Divine Son."
"This..."
The entire Ye Family was shaken to its core.
Every single member of the Ye Family, from the senior elders down to the contemporary youths, wore expressions of intense shock and utter disbelief.
A Saint Realm powerhouse bowing in submission!
No matter how formidable Ye Xiao's talent was, or how successfully he had claimed the seat of Divine Son, how could he possibly warrant a Saint Realm expert bowing to him?
"From this day onward, Ye Xiao is the Divine Son of my Ye Family and the Master of the Nine Branches. Our Ye Family will pour all resources into assisting the Divine Son in reaching the pinnacle of the Great Dao. Anyone who disobeys in public while complying in private shall have their ten generations executed, their name struck from the family genealogy, and their Samsara severed."
As Ye Futian's voice fell, one could hear a pin drop in the Ye Family's Ancestral Land.
Everyone looked at that young Divine Son, refined in white robes and gentle of temperament, feeling their souls shake with heartfelt awe.
Even Gu Mingyue wore a look of faint, complex emotions as she gazed at Ye Xiao at that moment.
At eighteen years of age, high-spirited and vigorous.
"Furthermore, this is not just my intention, but the will of all the other ancestors as well."
"What?!"
Hearing this, the expressions of the Ye Family elders grew even more solemn as they bowed to Ye Xiao in unison.
"Greetings, Divine Son!"
The ancestors of the Ye Family had awakened; from this moment on, the Ye Family no longer possessed nine branches—there was only a single clan!
"Divine Son, tomorrow I shall open the Ancestral Land of the Ye Family. You shall lead the Ye Family sequence to traverse the Saint's Path, endure the thunder tribulation, and receive the baptism of ancestral Qi!"
Ye Futian's voice boomed like a giant bell, shaking the firmament.
With a light wave of his hand, an ancient stone seal rose from the direction of the ancestral shrine, blooming with ten thousand rays of soul light.
"Soul-Suppressing Stone!"
Waves of exclamations resounded across the world. The gazes of all the Ye Family members trembled as their very blood surged.
This soul stone was a treasured heirloom of the Ye Family, left behind by a former Great Emperor ancestor, and was hailed as one of the Ten Great Divine Treasures of the Three Thousand Dao Prefectures.
It was said that this stone was a fragment of a Nine Heavens immortal stone that fell when Pangu split heaven and earth apart, capable of suppressing all evil souls and malevolent spirits, rendering it immune to ten thousand ghosts.
At the same time, it was also the symbol of identity for the Ye Family's Divine Son, having been enshrined in the ancestral shrine for ten thousand ages while basking in the incense offerings of the nine branches.
Today, Ye Xiao had suppressed his generation and become the eleventh Divine Son of the Ye Family; naturally, he deserved the soul stone to protect his body, rendering his path invincible.
"Hum."
At Ye Futian's light wave, that soul stone plummeted from the sky like a seven-colored shooting star, landing right in Ye Xiao's palm.
"Greetings, Divine Son."
Throughout the Ye Family's Ancestral Land, thousands of clansmen dropped to their knees, bowing together toward a single figure.
"Many thanks, Ancestor."
Ye Xiao lowered his gaze, toying with the soul stone in his hand while a sliver of cunning amusement flickered in the depths of his eyes.
He suddenly looked up at Gu Mingyue and walked straight toward her.
"Since Mingyue has lost all her cultivation, you may temporarily borrow this Soul-Suppressing Stone to protect yourself."
With those words, Ye Xiao handed the Ye Family's ancestral heritage item directly into Gu Mingyue's hands.
"What?!"
At these words, not only did Gu Mingyue freeze in place, but even Ye Futian and the elders of the nine branches widened their eyes, swallowing hard.
As for Ye Qinghuang and the other proud daughters of the Ye Family, their dainty lips parted slightly, and their eyes gradually grew moist...
That was the Soul-Suppressing Stone! The most supreme creation-level divine artifact in the Three Thousand Dao Prefectures.
And now, Divine Son Ye Xiao had publicly bestowed it upon Empress Mingyue, purely to... keep her safe?
"Ye... Ye Xiao..."
Gu Mingyue's gaze trembled, and for a moment she felt somewhat dazed.
Even in her past life, this soul stone had been Ye Xiao's most formidable trump card, helping him suppress countless young supremes.
Could it be that he was deliberately testing her?
"Then Mingyue will accept it without courtesy."
Gu Mingyue pressed her red lips together, reaching out to take the Soul-Suppressing Stone while observing Ye Xiao's expression with an indifferent gaze.
Yet from beginning to end, this Divine Son of the Ye Family did not show a shred of surprise or resentment, instantly plunging Gu Mingyue into utter bewilderment.
"Forget it, this gift is far too precious. Divine Son Ye Xiao should take it back."
"In my eyes, no fortune in this world is as precious as Mingyue's life."
Ye Xiao shook his head, his expression earnest and sincere.
After all, only as long as Gu Mingyue remained alive could he continuously fleece her.
"Hiccup."
At this moment, throughout the Ye Family's Ancestral Land, a chorus of hiccups rang out, accompanied by the barking of dogs.
Hic...
Did they suddenly feel full?
"Everyone disperse."
Ye Futian exchanged glances with Ye Zhantian and hurriedly waved his hand to dismiss the crowd on the plaza.
The atmosphere had already been set up to this point; as for what should be done next and how to do it, there was no need for him to spell it out, right?
Young people were full of fiery vigor; surely this would last... for a day and a night, wouldn't it?