Chapter 128: Fierce Battle in the Palace Hall

"How dare you be so disrespectful to the Heavenly Venerate!"

The bearded leader, having just had his attack blocked by Ye Zihan, felt humiliated. As a formidable Seven-Star realm expert, he found it intolerable that he could not best a mere novice at the early Star-Spirit realm, especially in front of his peers and the Heavenly Venerate. Driven by a mix of shame and rage, he saw Ye Zihan and his companions daring to strike at the Heavenly Venerate. Without hesitation, he shook his long spear, his figure blurring into a phantom as he charged toward Ye Zihan. The other Seven-Star experts and the armored guards of the Star-Spirit realm followed suit, not daring to lag behind, intent on capturing these brash youths who dared to offend the Heavenly Venerate within the great hall.

"Gold-Type Hunt: Ice-Soul God-Needles!"

Facing the Heavenly Venerate’s own assault, Ye Zihan did not retreat. Instead, he took the initiative, unleashing a powerful hunter’s technique. Countless needles radiating a bone-chilling cold tore through space, aimed directly at the Heavenly Venerate seated on the dais, hoping to force him to release Mo You.

"Boy, you do have some skill. But if you think this is enough to challenge me, you are still too naive. Break!"

The Heavenly Venerate regarded Ye Zihan as one might look at an ant. With a casual wave of his sleeve, a powerful surge of Origin Power whipped up a violent gale, instantly halting the Ice-Soul God-Needles in mid-air. With another flick of his energy, he sent the needles spiraling back toward Ye Zihan.

"Earth-Type Seal: Seal and Shut!"

Boom!

Ye Zihan’s hands moved in a rapid blur, forming seals. Two translucent, glowing spheres materialized—one enveloped the returning needles, sealing them away, while the other braced against the Heavenly Venerate’s three streams of crystalline Origin Power.

Ye Zihan reached out to retrieve his precious needles, but at that moment, a powerful wave of energy swept toward him. It was the bearded leader, his long spear displaying immense might as he sought to repay the humiliation Ye Zihan had dealt him earlier.

"If you want to touch the Heavenly Venerate, you must first get past me. Die!"

"Fire-Type Shadow Martial Art: Thousand Burning Strikes!"

Ye Zihan threw his body backward, narrowly dodging the sweeping spear. The bearded leader retracted his weapon and flashed in front of him, channeling rolling waves of Origin Power into the shaft. The spear transformed into a myriad of phantoms, unleashing countless strikes accompanied by a scorching heat that threatened to incinerate Ye Zihan.

Bang!

At that same moment, the seal Ye Zihan had used to block the Heavenly Venerate’s crystalline attack shattered. The three streams of power, seemingly undiminished, continued their onslaught toward him.

"Red Lotus Bloom!"

Facing the attack of a powerhouse like the Heavenly Venerate, Ye Zihan dared not show the slightest negligence. He flipped his hand, drawing the Red Lotus Dagger. Combining his inner Origin Power with the martial technique, he danced the blade, creating a vision like a blooming red lotus that firmly blocked the three incoming streams of energy.

Bang, bang, bang!

Under the force of three consecutive impacts, Ye Zihan was sent reeling. He had little power to counter the two experts who far surpassed him in cultivation. The bearded leader’s "Thousand Burning Strikes" also landed squarely on his body.

"Pfft!"

The combined force was too overwhelming. Even if it was only the Heavenly Venerate’s casual strike, it was far beyond what a Star-Spirit realm novice could withstand. The disparity in their cultivation was simply too vast, and to make matters worse, Ye Zihan had only just emerged from the Demon Abyss, his energy depleted and his wounds still fresh.

"Big brother, don't worry about me!" Mo You had been jolted from his unconscious state. His depletion was even more severe than during his previous battle with the Heavenly Demon, as he had exhausted his soul power—the very foundation of his cultivation.

"You old bastard, I’ll fight you to the death! When dragons have no leader, I shall be king! Corrosive Dragon Fluid!"

Mo You unleashed his hidden potential. Executing a secret technique of the Thousand-Ghost Blood-Phantom Dragon clan, his body swelled from two zhang to four zhang in height, and a mystical sound erupted from his throat.

Dragon Language!

It was the incredibly powerful secret technique of the dragon clan: the Dragon Language Incantation!

The Corrosive Dragon Fluid was already a forbidden art of his clan, and its destructive power was immense. Driven by desperation and humiliation, Mo You had unleashed both the fluid and the incantation.

"Haha, if you were at the Seven-Star realm, perhaps your Dragon Language and Corrosive Dragon Fluid might harm me. Unfortunately, your cultivation is far too weak. However, to be able to use such arts at your current level shows your talent is truly top-tier among your kind. It seems I must capture you even more!" With his subordinates holding off Ye Zihan, the Heavenly Venerate shifted his focus to Mo You, his desire to subdue the dragon growing with the discovery of such talent.

"Dream on!" Mo You managed to choke out the words, but he was too exhausted and weak to speak further, lacking even the strength to struggle.

"Death to those who block me! Red Lotus Thousand Illusions, Tribulation Fire Cremation!"

The bearded leader’s spear had pierced a bloody hole in Ye Zihan, and the violent fire-type Origin Power flooded his body, seeking to extinguish his life force. Ye Zihan, in his weakened state, had been unable to block it.

However, as the fire-type energy entered his body, it was suddenly caught by his own internal power and absorbed. Moments later, an even more intense fire erupted from Ye Zihan, surging into the Red Lotus Dagger in his hand. A massive, concentrated flame engulfed his palm and half his arm.

Ye Zihan swung the dagger in a mysterious arc, and the flames condensed into a beautiful, bewitching red lotus, so mesmerizing it seemed to pull the soul of anyone who looked upon it.

Boom!

The attack was launched with devastating force. The bearded leader was too close to evade in time. Struck by the terrifying fire lotus, he vomited blood, slammed into a pillar behind him, and collapsed, unable to rise for a long time.

Ye Zihan fared no better, his body soaked in his own blood. Yet, as if he no longer felt the pain, he glared at the Heavenly Venerate with bloodshot eyes. He pulled the spear from his own abdomen and hurled it at the man on the throne.

His gaze fell upon the weak, flickering presence of Mo You. Mo You, too, looked at Ye Zihan, his eyes filled with concern, sorrow, and grief.

Their minds were linked; they could feel each other’s thoughts. He knew Mo You did not want him to sacrifice himself, but Mo You was his brother—his true brother.

Since he was born, there were very few people Ye Zihan truly valued. Even his own father, a man of blood relation, could not compare to Mo You.

"Zihan!"

"Zihan!"

The situation for Chen Yiyan and Yan Chen was equally dire. Though their injuries were lighter than those of Ye Zihan and Mo You, they were not yet of the Star-Spirit realm and stood little chance against the experts attacking them.

Chen Yiyan’s Night-rank giant axe was battered and chipped from the collisions, stripped of its former glory. He looked disheveled, his body riddled with dozens of lacerations, blood streaming down until he looked like a man made of gore.

Like a berserker who had forgotten the meaning of pain, Chen Yiyan fought with a manic intensity. The Star-Spirit realm experts, despite their higher cultivation, were intimidated by his sheer madness. Even though they were barely injured, they dared not approach him as he swung his axe wildly.

Yan Chen’s hair was a wild, tangled mess. His Qingfeng sword was reduced to a jagged fragment, and his left arm hung limply at his side, clearly broken.

Seeing his brothers in such a state, Ye Zihan felt a crushing wave of guilt. As the Pavilion Master of the Heaven-Defying Pavilion, he was their pillar of strength. They followed his lead out of trust, and he had led them into a death trap.

If he had known it would come to this, he would have fought the Seven-Star experts alone rather than bringing everyone with him. Facing the terrifyingly powerful Heavenly Venerate, Ye Zihan felt a profound sense of helplessness.

He had once been so confident in his own strength, being one of the few in the Three Realms to reach the early Star-Spirit realm before the age of twenty. But it was that very pride that had led to this catastrophe.

"Where is Lin Dong?" Suddenly, Ye Zihan realized that Lin Dong was nowhere to be seen.