45: The ultimate showdown, the trump card explodes

The playful look on Ye Chen's face instantly froze.

He slowly turned his head.

Those cold, peach blossom eyes, once surveying all living beings, were now fixed intently on Lin Gou.

A wave of Killing Intent, ten times more terrifying than before, like an invisible storm of ice, swept through the entire cavern.

Crack—

A layer of visible white frost condensed on the rock walls.

The four black-armored guards, brimming with Killing Intent, also halted their movements due to this bone-chilling Killing Intent, looking with surprise and uncertainty at their Young Master, then at the Qingyun Sect Disciple who didn't know his place.

"You are courting death."

Ye Chen's voice was no longer clear but deep and hoarse, as if squeezed from the depths of the Nine Netherworlds.

He was completely enraged.

An ant.

An ant he had thought he could crush with a single breath.

Yet, he dared to provoke him so brazenly, in front of everyone.

This was the ultimate humiliation to his identity, his strength, and his very existence!

Lin Gou did not respond.

He just stood there quietly.

He even voluntarily dispelled all his defenses, stopping the circulation of spiritual Qi within his body.

He bared his chest, bared his glabella, exposing every vital point on his body without reservation before Ye Chen.

This action was more provocative than any words.

It seemed to silently declare:

I am standing right here.

Do you dare to kill me?

Zhao Linger's heart was fiercely gripped by an invisible hand, hurting so much she couldn't breathe.

She wanted to rush over, to stand in front of Lin Gou.

But Lin Gou's resolute voice transmission still echoed in her Divine Soul.

"Senior Sister, trust me one last time!"

"At the first opportunity, snatch that foundation establishment grass!"

Her body trembled violently, reason and emotion tearing at her madly.

Zhao Linger bit her lower lip hard, a salty, bloody taste spreading in her mouth.

She chose to believe.

Ye Chen took a step.

He no longer let his guards act.

He wanted to personally, in the most cruel and thorough way, crush this ant's dignity and life together, to let all living beings in heaven and earth know the consequences of provoking him, Ye Chen!

He walked towards Lin Gou, one step at a time.

With each step, the Aura on his body climbed a notch.

Golden spiritual Qi flames began to burn wildly on his body's surface; that was the Heavenly Flame of the Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique remnant, the "Heavenly Flame Profound Art," that he cultivated!

The air was scorched and twisted, letting out a "sizzling" lament.

The entire cavern transformed into a terrifying furnace.

The other Qingyun Sect Disciples retreated repeatedly under this world-destroying pressure, everyone's face pale, their Divine Souls trembling.

They watched in horror the lone figure facing the abyss.

Junior Brother Lin... has he gone mad?!

Ye Chen stopped three zhang away from Lin Gou.

This distance was perfect.

It allowed him to clearly appreciate the ant's despair before death, and also to demonstrate his crushing power.

He slowly raised his right hand and extended his index finger.

A wisp of golden flame danced wildly and condensed at his fingertip.

The light gathered, growing brighter and brighter, finally transforming into an extremely brilliant golden speck of light, the destructive Qi contained within it causing space itself to tremble.

"To die under my 'Heavenly Flame Finger.'"

"You, this ant, can be considered to have died a worthy death."

Ye Chen's lips curved into an extremely cruel arc, his Killing Intent boiling to its peak.

The next instant.

That golden finger-light, imbued with destructive Qi, shot out from his finger!

It was silent, yet it seemed to pierce through space, ignoring distance.

Under everyone's horrified gaze, it went straight for Lin Gou's glabella!

It's over.

This was the thought that simultaneously appeared in the minds of all Qingyun Sect Disciples.

Zhao Linger despairingly closed her eyes, a line of hot tears, no longer controllable, streamed down.

However.

The expected fear and despair did not appear on Lin Gou's face.

Just as the golden finger-light was about to touch his glabella.

The corners of his mouth actually curved slightly upward.

Forming a strange and satisfied smile.

"Come on."

"The true worth of a Prodigy... is this all?"

Boom!

The golden finger-light instantly pierced through his head.

Without any obstruction.

Lin Gou's entire head, along with the smile on his face that Ye Chen would never forget, was instantly annihilated by that destructive power, turning into countless specks of light!

His headless body remained standing, stiffly pausing for a moment.

Then, it slowly fell backward.

Dead.

Just like that... dead?

The cruel smile on Ye Chen's face had not completely faded.

The shock and sorrow of the Qingyun Sect members were still frozen on their faces.

The whole world seemed to stand still.

But, in the next thousandth of a second!

A sudden change occurred!

From Lin Gou's headless "corpse"!

A terrifying energy, twice as violent, chaotic, and powerful than Ye Chen's "Heavenly Flame Finger," suddenly erupted!

It was not a single golden color.

Instead, it was an energy torrent composed of lightning's wild purple, fire's crimson, Divine Soul power's deep blue, and the destructive golden light of the Heavenly Flame Finger itself!

"Resurrection Counterattack"!

Activated!

This energy torrent, in a way that completely defied logic, surged out from the position where Lin Gou's head had disappeared!

Its target was only one!

Ye Chen, who was close at hand, his face still showing surprise and confusion!

"Wh...?!"

Ye Chen's pupils, in an instant, contracted into the most dangerous pinpricks!

A death threat, enough to obliterate his Divine Soul, enveloped him!

He wanted to dodge!

He wanted to retreat!

But it was too close! Too fast!

The speed of the energy torrent surpassed sound, surpassing his reaction limit!

He could only watch, wide-eyed, as that world-destroying power, with the speed of lightning, instantly slammed into his chest!

Rumble—!

A deafening roar swept through the entire cavern.

Blinding light engulfed everything!

The three High Grade protective Magical Artifacts on Ye Chen's body instantly activated three light barriers.

But those light barriers, in front of that violent energy torrent, were as fragile as paper.

The first layer shattered!

The second layer collapsed!

The third layer was annihilated!

Pfft!

Ye Chen was like a mountain had struck him, he vomited blood wildly and flew backward.

A terrifying charred black hole appeared in his chest.

His luxurious moon-white robe instantly turned to ashes.

Half of his body was charred black, bloody and mangled, with stark white bones clearly visible!

The Qi on his body, like a punctured balloon, instantly withered from the profound and majestic Qi Refining Ninth Layer Perfection, becoming even weaker than a candle in the wind.

A near-fatal injury!

The light dissipated.

Inside the cavern, it was a mess.

And Lin Gou's figure had completely disappeared, as if he had never existed in this world.

Dead silence.

A silence like death.

Everyone's minds were blank, stunned by this shocking reversal.

Just in this moment of absolute silence.

A small figure moved!

It was Zhao Linger!

The moment the energy erupted and light engulfed everything, she endured the intense pain in her heart and carried out Lin Gou's last command!

She transformed into a white afterimage, rushing desperately towards the pool in the center of the cavern!

Her eyes were filled with tears.

But her movements showed no hesitation.

This was an opportunity Lin Gou had exchanged with his life!

She could not, and would never allow herself, to waste it!

Her slender fingers, in the center of the pool, precisely grasped the foundation establishment grass, which was crystal clear and emitted a soft glow!

It's in hand!

"Young Master!"

Ye family's four black-armored guards finally recovered from their shock, letting out terrified screams, and quickly rushed over to help up Ye Chen, who had already fainted.

When they saw their Young Master's utterly miserable state, fear and panic filled each of their faces.

They wanted to snatch back the foundation establishment grass.

But when their gaze swept over the Qingyun Sect members opposite, a chill involuntarily rose in their hearts.

The surviving Qingyun Sect Disciples had now reacted from their shock.

They looked at the foundation establishment grass in Zhao Linger's hand, and then at the place where Lin Gou had disappeared.

Sorrow, anger, admiration, and a hint of post-disaster madness intertwined in their eyes.

They spontaneously protected Zhao Linger behind them, and each of them exuded a desperate Aura of shared hatred against a common enemy, determined to fight to the death.

The Ye family guards dared not fight anymore.

One guard quickly pulled out a life-saving Medicinal Pill and stuffed it into Ye Chen's mouth.

Ye Chen slowly regained consciousness, giving Zhao Linger and the foundation establishment grass in her hand a venomous look, and finally, his gaze fixed intently on the place where Lin Gou had disappeared.

The hatred in his eyes seemed to burn through the Void Realm.

"Qingyun Sect..."

"Lin... Gou..."

He used his last ounce of strength to squeeze out a few hoarse words from his throat.

"I, Ye Chen, have taken note!"

"Let's... go!"

The four black-armored guards felt as if they had been granted a great pardon; they supported the gravely injured and dying Ye Chen, fleeing in a sorry state from this cavern that they would never forget.

A bitter victory.

Although the Qingyun Sect members had saved the foundation establishment grass, Lin Gou had "completely sacrificed" himself for it.

Everyone was immersed in a complex mix of sorrow and admiration.

No one noticed.

A thousand li away from the Qingyun Sect, deep within an extremely hidden mountain cave.

A phantom human figure, composed of countless specks of light, was slowly reorganizing itself.

A tired yet endlessly excited mechanical voice boomed deep within his mind.

"Ding! Epic death!"

"Defeating the strong with the weak, severely wounding a Prodigy across realms!"

"Overall rating: SS-class!"

"Reward settlement in progress..."

"Detected that the core medicinal power of the foundation establishment grass was affected by the aftershock of 'Resurrection Counterattack' and is being absorbed..."