Xin Hongyi curled her lip from the side and said, "This Sixth Prince Tianming loves showing off, but his strength is indeed quite impressive. He has already reached the Late Purple Palace Realm."
Upon hearing this, Ye Qiubai nodded slightly.
At that moment, Tianming suddenly looked toward Ye Qiubai and said with a mysterious implication, "Presumably, this is the prodigy of Tianyuan City from back then, Ye Qiubai?"
"I heard that Brother Qiubai had completely lost his talent back then, but now his talent has returned, and he has even joined Cangdao Academy."
"Not only did he kill an enemy family's successor with a single sword, but he also killed Ye Yan right in front of his own ancestor?"
Hearing this, Ye Qiubai's eyes constricted.
Although it sounded fine on the surface, it was entirely inappropriate for the Sixth Prince Tianming to bring these matters up in front of everyone.
This was a tactic of killing with a borrowed knife through unwarranted praise!
Sure enough, countless gazes were cast in his direction.
People from the enemy family also looked at Ye Qiubai, the killing intent in their eyes growing even more intense!
Hongying teasingly said, "Senior Brother, have you ever offended him?"
Ye Qiubai shook his head, looking just as puzzled since he had clearly never met the man.
Just then, several more figures appeared on the warship.
Those people were all clad in golden armor, and imprinted on their helmets was the emblem of a sun.
Seeing this, Ye Qiubai's eyes constricted.
Huo Qingming's expression showed astonishment.
Xin Hongyi was likewise quite puzzled.
"Why are people from the Sunset Dynasty coming to the Southern Domain?"
Ye Qiubai understood.
Now he understood why he had never even met the Sixth Prince Tianming, yet the man harbored hostility toward him.
The moment he saw the Sunset Dynasty, everything became clear to him.
A wave of anger inevitably surged within his heart.
Jiang Chan, will you never rest easy until I am dead?!
When the day comes that I achieve mastery, I will surely cut down the Sunset Dynasty with my sword!
Meanwhile, Hongying had also learned about the Sunset Dynasty from Lu Changsheng's words, and an intent to kill inevitably appeared in her eyes.
Now, Ye Qiubai was her Senior Brother.
That meant he was of the same lineage as her, and calling him family was no exaggeration.
In that case, was anyone even allowed to touch a person belonging to her, the Empress?
In Hongying's heart, the people of Luo Sunset Dynasty had already been marked for death!
Chapter 24: Overwhelming Dominance!
There were a total of four people on the side of the Sunset Dynasty.
All four of them were at the Peak Purple Palace Realm, and auras of slaughter continuously swirled around their bodies!
Clearly, these four had been forged in mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
At the same time, standing behind those four were three men in black.
The men in black seemed to have completely concealed their cultivation auras using a special treasure, making it impossible for anyone to sense their existence.
The leader among them said in a deep voice, "According to the agreement, our Sunset Dynasty occupies seven quotas of the Tianyuan Dynasty to participate in the Southern Domain Blood Prison Trial."
Then, he let out a sneer and said, "And by the way, let's see what kind of strength these Southern barbarians actually have."
Among the other three domains, the Southern Domain was far behind in overall strength, so it was called the Southern Wasteland by outsiders, and the people of the Southern Wasteland were referred to as barbarians...
A trace of anger appeared in Tianming's eyes, but he had no choice but to suppress it and say nothing.
Someone from Cangdao Academy angrily shouted, "Barbarians? It's not like your Northern Domain is all that strong, is it?"
A certain sect's influential figure coldly snorted and said, "There may be a gap, but I doubt the gap is that large, right?"
"Isn't Your Excellency being a bit too arrogant?"
The leading man scoffed mockingly, "Whether I'm being arrogant or not, why don't you try it out and see?"
"Hmph, then let me give it a try!"
Immediately, a prodigy of the Mingyang Sect charged toward that man!
This Mingyang Sect prodigy was also a practitioner at the Peak Purple Palace Realm. With a single palm strike, the palm print actually carried the power of solar flames!
Waves of fire burned as if consuming all creation, causing the entire space to warp and distort!
"Good! The Mingyang Sect's Solar Flame Palm truly lives up to its formidable reputation!"
"That fellow on the other side looked down on us Southern Domain people so much, he's bound to suffer for it!"
"The Mingyang Sect is considered a top-tier sect even within the Southern Domain!"
Yet Ye Qiubai's expression remained grave.
In his opinion, that leading man was not simple at all.
The baleful aura alone, honed in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, was enough to make one feel suffocated!
How could someone like that possibly be simple?
I'm afraid he is going to lose...
Sure enough!
As the Mingyang Sect prodigy's Solar Flame Palm force approached, the man from the Sunset Dynasty poked a finger forward.
"Insignificant tricks, get broken!"
Instantly, that baleful aura erupted from his fingertip!
The Solar Flame Palm print was pierced through in a single instant!
The Mingyang Sect prodigy froze, just as he wanted to retreat, but the opponent closed the distance directly!
That killing intent burst forth with full force, instantly enveloping the Mingyang Sect prodigy!
The Mingyang Sect prodigy's eyes instantly went blank, terror spreading across his face as even his will to resist vanished in an instant!
The man from the Sunset Dynasty sneered, fiercely throwing a punch like a wild beast breaking free from its leash, carrying an intimidating momentum that slammed heavily onto the Mingyang Sect prodigy's chest!
Crack! Crack!
In just a fraction of a second, the sound of shattered ribs echoed out!
At the same time, the prodigy spewed a torrent of blood, mixed with fragments of his internal organs, and flew backward like a kite with a snapped string!
The Mingyang Sect prodigy crashed onto the ground, devoid of breath.
A one-hit kill!
It was merely a single punch!
Yet the might of that single punch filled countless people with dread!
The power of this punch was definitely something an ordinary Peak Purple Palace Realm practitioner could never unleash!
"How dare you kill someone from my Mingyang Sect!"
Instantly, an elder from the Mingyang Sect charged out!
The person who had just been killed was the next sect master successor of their Mingyang Sect. How many resources had the sect expended to cultivate him? Now that he was dead, the Mingyang Sect would suffer heavy losses and potentially face a generational gap in talent!
For a top-tier sect, this blow was undoubtedly massive!
As the Mingyang Sect elder made his move, the expressions of the men from the Sunset Dynasty also turned grave.
After all, the opponent was a Qi Sea Realm powerhouse.
The four of them gathered together, locking down the four cardinal directions of southeast, northwest.
Four streams of baleful aura soared into the sky at that moment and then began to merge, forming a massive sea of blood that filled the space!
The Mingyang Sect elder's attack descended, and the four of them threw a punch simultaneously.
That sea of blood actually transformed into a gigantic blood-red fist, hurtling toward the Mingyang Sect elder!
Boom!
The moment they clashed, the blood Qi boiled!
The Mingyang Sect elder's expression changed drastically!
He had originally thought that with his own action, he would at least be able to crush these Peak Purple Palace Realm practitioners.
However, when the four of them joined forces, their strength underwent a qualitative leap!
It wasn't as simple as addition; their strength multiplied exponentially!
The Mingyang Sect elder felt as though he was no longer facing four juniors, but rather a colossal fiend who had slaughtered countless lives!
That intense killing intent even impacted the elder's mind, making his consciousness tremble!
Puff!
In a duel, the moment one's mind wavers even for a split second decides the victor.
The instant the Mingyang Sect elder's mind trembled, he was swallowed whole by the blood-red giant fist!
"Ah!"
An extremely piercing shriek rang out!
Watching this scene from the side, the crowd could not help but wear looks of terror!
Peak Purple Palace practitioners could actually crush a Peak Qi Sea Realm elder?
Granted, it was four people attacking together.
Yet the gap between the Qi Sea Realm and the Purple Palace Realm could never be bridged merely by numbers!
In just a brief moment, the Mingyang Sect elder was completely devoured by the blood-red giant fist, losing all signs of life!
"Is that all?"
Watching this scene, a Confucian Academy elder finally could not stand it any longer, frowning as he said, "Aren't you people being far too unbridled? This was just a normal spar, yet you take lives!"
With that, the Confucian Academy elder uttered a soft shout: "Break the demonic!"
Instantly, that wave of sound swept over the blood-red giant fist, causing it to scatter apart into nothingness.
The corpse of the Mingyang Sect elder also dropped back to the Mingyang Sect's side, where someone cupped their fists toward the Confucian Academy elder in gratitude.
The four men of the Sunset Dynasty stepped back sequentially, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths, yet they smiled coldly with unconcealed reluctance.
"Do you Southern barbarians only know how to bully the weak with numbers?"
The Confucian Academy elder's eyes narrowed.
The armored man continued, "If we had been left here by people of equal realm, I suppose the Dynasty wouldn't say anything, but..."
Saying this, the man could not help revealing a cold smile, a flash of killing intent sweeping through his eyes.
"But if you slaughter us using this kind of method, I'm afraid that one day, the iron cavalry of my Sunset Dynasty will trample the Southern Domain!"
This was a threat!
A blatant, naked threat!
Yet everyone had no choice but to accept it!
For no other reason than the fact that the Sunset Dynasty possessed a bigger fist!
That Sovereign of the Sunset Dynasty was the super powerhouse ranked fourth on the Four Domains Martial Rankings!
No one could bear the consequences of the Sunset Dynasty's retaliation!
Even the Confucian Academy elder could only let out a cold snort and take no further action.
Their Academy Dean, Qin Tiannan, was only ranked 26th, clearly no match for the Sunset Dynasty.
Furthermore, the Academy never interfered in worldly conflicts.
At this moment, the Mingyang Sect could only leave in disgrace.
Their sect's successor was dead, and their leading elder had been blasted to death. They no longer had the qualifications to participate in this trial.
At that moment, the elder of the Tianyuan Dynasty spoke up, "Everyone, the farce is over. It is getting late, so it's time to open the Blood Prison Secret Realm."
Chapter 25: Heavenly Demon Assessment!
The opening of the Blood Prison Secret Realm required several Water Overflowing Realm powerhouses to join forces.
The Confucian Academy elder flew up into the air.
Working together with several other Water Overflowing Realm powerhouses to exert their power, the heaven and earth instantly took on a bloody hue!
An endless blood-red land appeared within the fissure stretching endlessly before them!
At the same time, at the ends of that blood-red land, one prison after another seemed to suppress downward from above.
Inside each of those prisons sat a withered skeleton.
From those countless withered skeletons, wave after wave of supreme might emanated, allowing everyone to feel it even before the realm was fully opened!
The Confucian Academy elder explained in mid-air, "The secret realm can only accommodate those at the Purple Palace Realm and below. Once anyone exceeds the Purple Palace Realm, they will be attacked by the pressure within the secret realm."
"Next, you may enter. However, you must come out after one month, otherwise the secret realm will close and you will be trapped inside."
"Once locked inside, you can only wait a year until it opens again—though I'm afraid you won't survive until then."
"Very well, you may enter."
Instantly, countless disciples rushed inside.
The Sixth Prince Tianming of the Tianyuan Dynasty cast a mysterious look at Ye Qiubai and said, "Take care of yourself..."
Before entering, the people of the Sunset Dynasty also cast a deep glance at Ye Qiubai.
The enemy family's Qiu Libei led his family members inside as well. Before stepping through, he shot Ye Qiubai a glance, the murderous intent in his eyes completely undisguised!
Hongying stood beside Ye Qiubai and couldn't help smiling as she said, "Senior Brother, it seems you have quite a few enemies."
Ye Qiubai spread his hands helplessly and said, "I can't help it. I didn't go out of my way to provoke others; they're the ones provoking me."
Hongying nodded. "Only mediocrity goes unenvied. Still, you just need to cut down whoever provokes you."
Her junior sister truly possessed a decisive and ruthless character.
Ye Qiubai concurred, nodding with a smile as he said, "Alright, let's head in too. We have to bring back some opportunities to win some face for Master."
Hearing this, Hongying thought of her Master's thick-skinned, nothing-bothers-him attitude, and the corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily as she said helplessly, "I'm afraid our Master wouldn't care about such things at all."
Ye Qiubai was amused.
"That's true."
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Lu Changsheng was basking in the sun on his reclining chair.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, his gaze shifting toward the east.
That was the direction of the Blood Prison Secret Realm.
"Huh? Why do I feel a sense of palpitation?"
This feeling of palpitation wasn't related to himself.
It concerned those close to him!
Lu Changsheng might not be entirely self-aware, but with his current strength, he had a premonition of certain crises.
Inside the Blood Prison Secret Realm, Ye Qiubai and Hongying were right over there.
The only people connected to him were these two disciples.
Could it be that something might happen to them?
Lu Changsheng wasn't a cold and unfeeling person.
After all, they were his disciples.
Furthermore, they knew how to cook...
Thinking of this, Lu Changsheng turned and vanished from where he stood.
Inside the Blood Prison Secret Realm:
Hongying said to Ye Qiubai, "Do you really not need me to help you solve this? Their strength is still quite tricky for you to handle."
Ye Qiubai said helplessly, "It's fine. Don't you have other matters to attend to, Junior Sister? Go ahead. Besides, I want to resolve this matter myself."
Seeing the firm resolve in Ye Qiubai's eyes, Hongying stopped trying to persuade him.
She tossed him a jade pendant carved with the pattern of a spreading phoenix.
Ye Qiubai caught it, and heard Hongying say, "Remember to crush the jade pendant when you encounter danger. It contains a defensive formation capable of blocking a full-strength strike from that Four Domains Martial Rankings powerhouse."
Ye Qiubai was startled.
The Four Domains Martial Rankings? Wasn't that equivalent to a full-strength strike from powerhouses like the Cangdao Academy Dean or the Sunset Dynasty Sovereign?
Not refusing any longer, Ye Qiubai nodded.
Seeing this, Hongying said, "Take care, Senior Brother," and flew off into the distance.
Ye Qiubai took a deep breath.
He looked around.
It was complete desolation!
The soil on the ground was steeped in a bloody hue, as if soaked through by a sea of blood.
The stench of blood was extremely heavy, even making Ye Qiubai feel a slight prickling sensation in his nose.
This place was probably not just a prison.
It was a battlefield!
Ye Qiubai walked aimlessly across this blood-stained earth.
Suddenly, a wave of dark sword Qi began to burst forth from within his body!
Ye Qiubai was stunned.
This was the unique sword Qi belonging to the cultivation of the Heavenly Demon Nine Swords!
At that moment, that black sword Qi extended in a certain direction, as if calling out for Ye Qiubai to follow it!
Could it be that something here resonated with the Heavenly Demon Nine Swords?
Thinking of this, Ye Qiubai walked toward the direction where the sword Qi extended.
The calling of the black sword Qi inside his body grew increasingly intense.
At the same time, the blood-red color on the ground began to fade, replaced by pitch black.
The earth gradually transitioned into a jet-black hue.
Gradually, not far ahead, a massive black cage appeared before Ye Qiubai.
This cage seemed to connect the entire heaven and earth, colossal beyond compare.
Those thick black iron pillars towered straight into the sky like pillars supporting the heavens.
Meanwhile, the outer perimeter of the black iron pillars was wrapped by layer upon layer of golden chains.
After all these years, these golden chains had still not faded; instead, they carried an extremely terrifying sealing power!
Just what kind of powerhouse needed to be imprisoned to have a cage built like this?
And what level of strength had the imprisoned entity reached?
The end of the extension of that black sword Qi lay right within this cage.
Following the direction of the sword Qi, Ye Qiubai looked toward the center of the cage, where a skeleton sat cross-legged.
Swirling around that skeleton were strands of black Qi.
That Qi resembled sword Qi, seemingly faint, yet Ye Qiubai could sense it.
This strand of black Qi was extremely dangerous!
Yet the aura contained within it also made Ye Qiubai feel a sense of affinity!
Thinking of this, Ye Qiubai was already certain.
This skeleton was definitely related to the Heavenly Demon Nine Swords.
Ye Qiubai stepped forward.
Suddenly, the black Qi on that skeleton surged violently, wrapping the entire skeleton within it!
Then, Ye Qiubai's eyes narrowed.
After the black Qi dissipated, the skeleton had already vanished.
In its place was a refined gentleman of the mortal world, clad in white robes with long black hair fluttering in the wind.
However, in stark contrast, the sword in the man's hand was pitch black from hilt to blade!
The man spoke.
"You? You cultivate the Heavenly Demon Nine Swords?"
Ye Qiubai was startled, then cupped his fists and said, "This junior indeed cultivates the Heavenly Demon Nine Swords."
The man nodded and said, "Then you can be considered my successor. However, my inheritance is never passed to those of wavering temperament; you must accept an assessment."
"If you fail the assessment, you will remain here forever."
With that, the man lightly pointed a finger.
Instantly, the world before Ye Qiubai's eyes changed completely.
The cage bound by golden chains vanished.
The man had disappeared to who knows where.
The scene shifted once more!
A vast, massive crowd of people suddenly appeared before Ye Qiubai.
Those people had no faces and wielded tattered swords in their hands.
Like a black cloud, they rolled forward to overwhelm Ye Qiubai!
"There is only one assessment: slaughter them all."
Chapter 26: The Heavenly Demon Sword Saint's Shock!
Slaughter all these people before him?
Although there were numerous people, they possessed no cultivation realm—they were merely mortals.
Ye Qiubai was puzzled as to why the man would give such an assessment.
However, Ye Qiubai wouldn't just sit there and wait to die either. Gripping his wooden sword, he charged into the crowd!
He swung his wooden sword continuously!
Waves of sword Qi billowed outward, spreading wildly in all directions!
Those mortals were directly shredded the moment they touched the sword Qi!
For a time, flesh and blood flew everywhere!
However, Ye Qiubai was protected by a layer of spiritual energy around his body, preventing any blood or flesh from staining him in the slightest.
Yet.
Whenever Ye Qiubai cut down those faceless figures, others would immediately step forward to fill the void!
They rushed forward endlessly, showing no fear, like moths flying into a flame!
Ye Qiubai's wooden sword danced ceaselessly!
His sword Qi turned into a river, harvesting life after life amidst the faceless crowd!
At this moment, Ye Qiubai seemed transformed into the God of Death!
Before long, half a day had passed in the outside world.
An expression of grave concentration had already surfaced on Ye Qiubai's face.
Because he discovered that this crowd had not diminished in the slightest.
It was still a sea of people, a black, endless mass stretching as far as the eye could see!
Seeing this, Ye Qiubai couldn't help thinking: is this testing whether I can be worn to death by exhaustion?