Chapter Seventy-Five: A Handshake for Peace

Chen Yiyan followed the direction of the voice, and when he saw a small dragon head poking out from Ye Zihan’s arms, he was utterly astounded. In an instant, he recognized it as the famous Thousand-Shadow Blood Phantom Dragon—now serving as Ye Zihan’s pet? No, it should be called a summoned beast! This realization sent a tremor through Chen Yiyan’s heart.

Staring dumbfounded at Ye Zihan, Chen Yiyan exclaimed, “I never expected you to be so extravagant, Brother Ye! Carrying around a Thousand-Shadow Blood Phantom Dragon!” Even with all his arrogance, Chen Yiyan couldn’t help but feel profound admiration for Ye Zihan upon seeing the dragon. It was no wonder Ye Zihan dared to challenge him, a Five Elements master, while only at the Four Symbols stage.

Ye Zihan patted Mo You’s head and smiled, “Don’t let his nonsense distract you. Let’s continue our duel. Give it everything you’ve got—I’ll be just fine.” At this moment, Ye Zihan was full of confidence. With all five elements at his command, he could completely bridge the gap between himself and Chen Yiyan.

Chen Yiyan grinned, glanced at Mo You, and offered an apologetic nod before striking swiftly. With a wave of his hand, searing waves of heat surged toward Ye Zihan, overwhelming and relentless—this was a full-force attack from a Five Elements cultivator.

“Well done!” Ye Zihan shouted, quickly drawing his Red Lotus Dagger. Energy surged from his body into the blade, power coursing through his arm—an awe-inspiring sight.

Simultaneously, the “Phantom God Art” within Ye Zihan began to operate of its own accord. Torrents of energy rushed toward him from all directions, a scene that would have stunned the world. Dust and sand whirled in the raging wind, even broken limbs were swept into the sky, prompting cries of alarm from the onlookers.

“Blade Spirit?” Chen Yiyan was rooted to the spot in shock. He truly saw the legendary Blade Spirit on Ye Zihan—a revelation that rocked him to his core.

To possess a Blade Spirit was to hold a divine weapon—an extraordinary fortune. Yet, the one to seize this fortune was not Chen Yiyan, but the lofty Ye Zihan. And just as his name suggested, Ye Zihan remained calm and unyielding, even in the direst of circumstances.

“Haha, it’s only luck. Please, brother, keep my secret.” Ye Zihan had no intention of revealing that he possessed a Blade Spirit, and ordinarily, no one would notice. That Chen Yiyan had seen through it startled him, for this was his trump card.

Chen Yiyan nodded, “Rest assured, Brother Ye. I may be a butcher, but I am a man of principle. I despise traitors and would never betray a friend. Your secret is safe with me.” Their conversation was conducted through spiritual sense, so none of the others knew what was said.

“I’m coming!” Chen Yiyan roared and swung his axe, charging forward. For him, meeting a young master like Ye Zihan in Xuanwu City was the greatest reward of his journey to Xuanwu Marsh.

As expected, the moment Chen Yiyan finished speaking, he unleashed a cascade of fiery sparks upon Ye Zihan, holding nothing back. As a fire attribute cultivator, reaching his level was already quite a feat.

Watching Chen Yiyan swing his massive axe, Ye Zihan began to counterattack. He decided to use his own fire attribute Shadow Warrior skills to face Chen Yiyan; only this would make the duel fair. To use a water-type shikigami against him would be taking undue advantage.

Although Chen Yiyan’s outward strength far surpassed Ye Zihan’s, Ye Zihan now felt almost overbearing—he was the only one on the entire Phantom God Continent with all five elements awakened.

Through Red Flame and Blue Rain, Ye Zihan had learned much of the Phantom God Continent. He was especially wary of powers like the Phantom God Hall, whose strength was formidable and required caution.

“Shadow Warrior—Blade Break!” Ye Zihan shouted at the oncoming wall of fire, raising his Red Lotus Dagger. A blade-shaped wave of fire shot toward Chen Yiyan.

Thunder rumbled as the ground shook violently once more. Though neither was a supreme master, the sheer scale of their battle was evidence enough of its extraordinary nature.

Ye Zihan and Chen Yiyan clashed, then quickly separated, leaving only twin flashes of fire between them. The commotion on the ground was caused by these bursts impacting the earth.

“You truly are a prodigy—a dual-element cultivator, just as you claimed. There’s no need for us to continue fighting.” Chen Yiyan had just fought with all his might, but the result was clear: though Ye Zihan was only a youth at the Four Symbols stage, his fire attribute Shadow Warrior was in no way inferior to Chen Yiyan’s. If Ye Zihan had used his water-type shikigami, Chen Yiyan likely could not have withstood him.

Ye Zihan nodded, “That’s right, I practice multiple elements. You too are a genius—reaching the Four Symbols stage at such a young age. There are few on this continent who can match your achievement.” Ye Zihan chose humility, hoping to forge a friendship with Chen Yiyan. If they could settle things amicably, why not?

“Haha! Then let’s go have a drink. I’m done fighting—if we continue, neither of us will win, and one of us would surely be injured. I’ve no wish to harm a friend. Let’s go.” Chen Yiyan had already forgotten about his challenge. The real purpose was to find a like-minded young master, and now he had found one in Ye Zihan.

Ye Zihan laughed, “You’re too kind, but you’re right. There’s no need for us to keep fighting. I may not be able to defeat you, but I won’t lose easily either—it’s a draw.” With that, he strode over and took Chen Yiyan’s hand, leading him off the training grounds.

Chen Yiyan was well aware of his standing—just a beginner in the Five Elements stage. Defeating Ye Zihan, who was at the mid-Four Symbols stage, would not be easy. More importantly, Ye Zihan possessed the water attribute, countering Chen Yiyan’s fire, ensuring he could not be defeated.

With cheerful spirits, Chen Yiyan clasped Ye Zihan’s hand as they left the arena. Sharing a drink was far preferable to more bloodshed. Besides, Chen Yiyan was weary of challengers seeking death. Meeting a master like Ye Zihan was a rare joy.

“Hey, did that youth just call it a draw with Chen Yiyan? What kind of power is the Heaven-Defying Pavilion to produce such a formidable young master? Why have we never heard of them?”

“Nonsense. The Heaven-Defying Pavilion must be like some hidden clan—how else could they have such an outstanding disciple?”

“I think Chen Yiyan was just afraid this time, making peace with his rival so quickly.”

At that moment, the speaker was struck by Chen Yiyan’s axe and sent flying like a ball, blood raining down upon the crowd.

“Brother Chen Yiyan, don’t stoop to the level of ordinary folk. We should be more understanding of them.” Ye Zihan hadn’t expected Chen Yiyan’s penchant for slaughter—killing on a whim with such speed that even he couldn’t have intervened.

Chen Yiyan nodded, “That’s just who I am, but hearing you say this today, brother, I’ll try to restrain my impulses. Perhaps I shouldn’t make enemies of everyone.” Ye Zihan was the first person Chen Yiyan admired—a dual-element cultivator and a Four Symbols master at that. Given time, Chen Yiyan believed Ye Zihan would surely surpass him in strength.

If Ye Zihan didn’t have the dual-element advantage, Chen Yiyan’s nature would never allow him to concede defeat. He would fight to the bitter end. Yet, Ye Zihan’s greatest weapon remained his Blade Spirit.

But now, with Ye Zihan’s dual attributes and countering water element, Chen Yiyan had no choice but to make peace. In truth, the strong only befriend the strong, and that was precisely the kind of person Chen Yiyan was.

Soon, the extraneous spectators scattered from the training ground, eager to distance themselves from the fearsome “Butcher” Chen Yiyan. As a Four-Winged Phoenix of Burning Heaven, Chen Yiyan was supremely proud, showing no mercy to insignificant commoners—such was the nature of his beastly form.

“Brother Yiyan, let’s go have a drink at the inn. We’re staying there now—would you care to join us?” Yan Chen approached, overjoyed to see Chen Yiyan and Ye Zihan make peace, feeling that the Heaven-Defying Pavilion had gained another friend.

Yan Chen was confident that they could draw Chen Yiyan into their ranks. His disdain for others was the root of his rebelliousness, but now that he had befriended Ye Zihan, they stood a real chance.

Chen Yiyan smiled at Yan Chen, “Thank you. We fought before we became friends, but from now on, we’re brothers. Let’s forget the past.” He no longer wished to dwell on old conflicts—now that they were friends, there was no sense in remembering grievances.

Ye Zihan laughed and said to Yan Chen, “Brother Yan, Brother Chen is right—history moves forward. Let’s put the past behind us.” Ye Zihan, too, was in high spirits, already hatching a small scheme of his own.