178: Chapter 178 Nine Moves to Shock the Heavens

Ye Tian returned from the medicinal garden. Just as he stepped into the Immortal Cave area, he sensed a heavy atmosphere.

In the open space in front of the Immortal Cave, there were many figures.

Lei Zhen, Luo Qiushui, Shi Gandang, Lie Yang, Mo Ling, Liu Jingtao, and Han Bing—the seven newly promoted fellow Disciples—were all there. However, each of them wore a grave expression and their breath was unstable, as if they had been injured.

Surrounding them in the center was a group of inner sect veterans led by Xiao Chen, Wang Meng, and Zhao Wuyou. There were over ten of them, and most of their auras were at the True Martial Realm Second or Third Level.

What made Ye Tian's gaze narrow further was that in a pavilion on the hillside in the distance, several Elders with profound auras stood scattered about. They looked like they were strolling leisurely, but their gazes were intentionally or unintentionally fixed on this place.

"Junior Brother Ye!" Lei Zhen saw Ye Tian and spoke in a deep voice, his eyes filled with gravity.

His shoulder was still wrapped in bandages, and his aura was weaker than usual, but his eyes remained sharp.

Luo Qiushui also looked at Ye Tian and nodded slightly.

Shi Gandang and the others looked indignant.

Ye Tian understood instantly.

This was because the intimidation attempt from a few days ago had failed to completely subdue the newcomers. The other side had returned, targeting him—the champion—to make an example of him.

He nodded to Lei Zhen and the others, then stepped into the arena.

Wherever he passed, gazes gathered on him.

The newly promoted Disciples wore expressions of worry.

Although Ye Tian had won first place in the Outer Sect Grand Competition and performed stunningly, he was, after all, only at the True Martial Realm First Level, while these inner sect veterans were at least at the True Martial Realm Second Level, and Xiao Chen and the others were even at the True Martial Realm Third Level. The gap was significant.

The veterans were mostly gloating; in their eyes, Ye Tian and his group were just fledglings who had just been promoted from the outer sect.

Even if some had good talent, in the elite-gathered inner sect, they were nothing special.

Especially the three—Xiao Chen, Wang Meng, and Zhao Wuyou—whose hostility was undisguised.

"Ye Tian, you've finally shown your face."

Xiao Chen stepped out from the crowd, a Goose-Quill Saber with a dull scabbard slung at his waist. His eyes were sharp, devoid of the pretentious casualness of the previous days, replaced by the cold severity of a saber user.

"Hiding for a few days, are you afraid?"

Wang Meng crossed his muscular arms and mocked: "Outer Sect First Place? I think it's 'Coward First Place'! If you don't dare to fight, get back to the outer sect early. The inner sect is not a place for greenhouse flowers like you!"

Zhao Wuyou gave a feminine smile, toying with a few needles in his hand: "Junior Brother Ye, I heard you gained quite a fortune at the Liuxin Pool. But I wonder, is your Foundation solid? Don't be a silver-like pewter spear—good looking but useless."

The three used their words to corner Ye Tian. If he avoided the fight, his reputation would be destroyed, and the newly promoted Disciples would never have peace.

If he accepted, he would fall right into their trap.

Ye Tian's gaze swept across the three, finally landing on Xiao Chen's face. His tone was calm and waveless: "The three Senior Brothers went to great lengths to wait here, isn't it just to instruct this Junior Brother in a few moves? Why beat around the bush? Lay down your terms."

Seeing Ye Tian so direct, a cold light flashed in Xiao Chen's eyes, and he sneered: "Good! Straightforward! Since that's the case, I won't waste words. The three of us will take turns sparring with you. Each of us will only use three moves, nine moves in total. If you can take them, we will not only leave immediately and never seek trouble with you again, but we will also offer three hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones as an apology!"

He paused, his tone turning severe: "If you can't take them... you only need to publicly state that the so-called Outer Sect Heaven Ranking is just a group of trash, and break one of your own arms, then get out of the core area of the mountain range! Do you dare?"

The conditions were extremely harsh and vicious!

Taking nine moves sounded simple, but the opponent would definitely use killing moves.

And that admission of defeat was a heart-piercing statement.

Breaking an arm was meant to ruin someone's Dao path!

There was an uproar all around. Many veterans felt Xiao Chen and the others had gone too far, but no one dared to speak up.

The newly promoted Disciples were all filled with righteous indignation but dared not resist.

Lei Zhen roared: "Xiao Chen! You are bullying us too much!"

Ye Tian raised his hand to stop Lei Zhen. He looked at Xiao Chen and smiled faintly, but that smile carried a hint of mockery.

"Senior Brother's proposal is quite direct. However, just taking moves is too boring. How about adding a stake? If I can not only take the nine moves but also make the three Senior Brothers move their feet within those nine moves, how about that?"

The words stunned everyone!

Not only taking the moves, but also forcing the opponent to move?

In a wheel battle situation?

This was no longer confidence; it was almost arrogant provocation!

The three—Xiao Chen, Wang Meng, and Zhao Wuyou—were stunned at first, then laughed out of extreme anger!

Wang Meng roared: "Arrogant brat! If you can really do it, I'll add another one hundred Spirit Stones, and every time I see you, I'll call you Senior Brother!"

Zhao Wuyou said sinisterly: "You don't know the immensity of heaven and earth! If you can do it, I, Zhao Wuyou, will yield my Immortal Cave to you!"

Xiao Chen's Goose-Quill Saber unsheathed half an inch with a clang, the cold light biting: "Good! It's a deal! If you can't do it, not only must you fulfill the previous promise, but you must also kneel and kowtow to admit your mistake! Do you dare?"

The conditions added more humiliation!

The atmosphere instantly froze, and Killing Intent filled the air!

Ye Tian's expression remained unchanged, and he spat out the words calmly: "Why wouldn't I dare?"

The word, firm and decisive, set the tone for this battle of establishing prestige!

"Good! Then I'll be the first to teach you!"

Xiao Chen stopped wasting words, his Goose-Quill Saber fully unsheathed, the cold light blinding.

He unfolded his figure, saber light rising, and intersecting, crisscrossing wind-net saber strikes enveloped Ye Tian's entire body!

First move, Wind Net Strangulation!

Ye Tian stood in place. Only when the saber net reached his body did he slowly raise his right hand, five fingers slightly spread, five-colored brilliance flowing in his palm, and pressed forward gently!

A slowly rotating five-colored vortex appeared out of thin air!

"Chi!"

The sharp Saber Qi slashed into the vortex, was layered and divided by the mysterious rotating force, and finally dissipated into nothingness!

Five Elements rotating, dissolving force in the subtle!

"Hmm?"

Xiao Chen's pupils constricted. Although he hadn't used his full strength in this move, the density of the saber net was such that an ordinary True Martial Realm Second Level expert would struggle to escape unscathed. Yet the opponent had resolved it so effortlessly?

"Second move! Mountain Breaker!"

Xiao Chen's saber momentum changed, from complex to simple. He held the Goose-Quill Saber high above his head, True Essence infused, the blade humming—a strike to split mountains!

Before the saber arrived, the sharp saber wind had already plowed a shallow trench in the ground!

Ye Tian's gaze focused, and instead of retreating, he advanced. Jade light flashed on his right fist, Dragon-Elephant Power secretly contained, and he threw a straight punch at the side of the blade! Fist shakes the mountain!

"Clang!"

Xiao Chen felt a massive force coming, his tiger's mouth numb, and the saber momentum was forcibly knocked askew!

And Ye Tian's figure was as steady as a rock!

"Third move! Gale Sky-Splitting Slash!"

Xiao Chen shouted sharply, his body spinning rapidly, man and saber as one, turning into a violent saber gale that tore through the sky, sweeping toward Ye Tian!

The momentum was terrifying!

Ye Tian took a deep breath and finally moved!

He stepped forward with his left foot, his blood and Qi roaring, and a wisp of Chaos sword light from his fingertip arrived first, pointing at that violent saber gale!

Five Elements Void-Breaking Finger!

"Puff!"

A slight, strange sound!

That seemingly indestructible violent saber gale, the moment it touched the finger light, instantly collapsed!

Xiao Chen groaned, suffered a backlash from the Qi, his figure staggered, and he couldn't help but retreat two steps before stabilizing!

His face was full of shock!

Three moves had passed. Xiao Chen not only failed to force Ye Tian back, but he himself was shaken back two steps!

The entire place was so quiet you could hear a pin drop!

Everyone's eyes were wide open!

"You're welcome."

Ye Tian withdrew his finger, his breath steady.

"You bas..."

Xiao Chen's face was ashen, ashamed and angry, but he had nothing to say.

"Damn it, my turn!"

Wang Meng roared, a wild elephant charge, his fists glowing with intense earth-colored light, carrying the terrifying power to crush everything, driving straight for Ye Tian's chest!

Mountain-Crushing Shock!

Ye Tian met him with a punch, the five-colored brilliance on his fist restrained!

Hard against hard!

"Boom!"

The fists collided, air waves rolling!

Wang Meng felt as if his fist had smashed into a ten-thousand-foot mountain wall. The counter-shock force made his arm bones ache and his blood and Qi churn, and he actually slid back three feet!

"First move, strength defeated!"

"Roar!"

Wang Meng's eyes were blood-red, his muscles bulging like rock, unleashing his trump card, Earth Pulsation!

Fists bombarded continuously, each punch drawing upon the power of the earth, the momentum like a collapsing mountain and a tsunami!

Ye Tian utilized the Void Star Shifting footwork, walking as if strolling in a courtyard amidst the sky-filling fist shadows, sometimes using the edge of his palm to cut his wrists, sometimes using finger wind to point at his joints, dissolving the opponent's violent offensive one by one!

"Second move, technique exhausted!"

"Third move! Earth-Shaking Strike!"

Wang Meng shouted violently, leaping high, all his True Essence gathered in his right fist, like a falling meteor, smashing toward the top of Ye Tian's head!

He was determined to smash Ye Tian and the earth together!

Ye Tian's eyes flashed with sharp light. His left palm supported the sky, the five-colored vortex reappeared in his palm, and his right palm secretly contained Heart-Piercing Palm power, slapping toward Wang Meng's open abdomen!

"Bang!"

Wang Meng's heavy fist had most of its force removed by the five-colored vortex, while Ye Tian's Heart-Piercing Palm landed solidly on his abdomen!

Wang Meng screamed, flew backward, and landed. Although he didn't retreat due to his tough Physique, he spat out a mouthful of blood, his internal organs already injured!

Third move, crushing defeat!

The crowd was in an uproar again!

Wang Meng, known for his fierce strength, had been completely defeated in a head-on collision!

Finally, Zhao Wuyou's face was as gloomy as water. He stopped talking, his figure flickering as he raised his hands repeatedly, countless poison-tipped shadow needles shooting toward Ye Tian's vital points like a storm!

Even more insidious was that mixed within the needle shadows were several silent and invisible dark forces!

Thousand Shadow Attack!

Ye Tian pushed his movement technique to the limit, leaving behind trails of afterimages, his fingers and palms flying, knocking down the poison needles one by one, while using Five Elements True Essence to protect his body, blocking the dark forces.

Zhao Wuyou's offensive was insidious and vicious, yet it was always dodged or resolved by Ye Tian!

The first eight moves were all taken!

"Ninth move! Shadow Extinction • Chaos!"

Zhao Wuyou shrieked, his figure suddenly disappearing!

The next moment, nine figures, indistinguishable from real or fake, attacked Ye Tian from all directions simultaneously!

Every figure attacked vital points!

Just at this critical moment, Ye Tian closed his eyes!

His Divine Sense spread out with full force!

In the next instant, he opened his eyes suddenly, gathered Qi with his fingers, and his Chaos finger light pierced directly at a shadow in the right rear that looked the most illusory!

"Chi!"

Where the finger light passed, Zhao Wuyou's true body was revealed, a blood hole pierced through his shoulder!

He cried out in pain, all illusions dissipated, and he staggered back five or six steps before barely stabilizing, his face turning paper-white in an instant, looking at Ye Tian in sheer horror!

His strongest killing move had been seen through with a single glance!

Nine moves had passed!

Xiao Chen retreated two steps, Wang Meng suffered internal injuries, and Zhao Wuyou was heavily wounded!

And Ye Tian, from beginning to end, had not moved his feet a single inch!

Not only had he taken the nine moves, but he had also fulfilled the promise of "forcing" the three of them back!

The whole place was silent for a long time, and then, the newly promoted Disciples erupted into earth-shaking cheers!

Lei Zhen slowly unclenched his tightly held fists, a heat never seen before erupting in his eyes!

"It seems his cultivation has improved again!"

Luo Qiushui's eyes also flashed with a rare ripple, looking at the figure in green robes in the arena, nodding slightly.

Shi Gandang, Lie Yang, and the others were so excited they couldn't control themselves, as if they were the ones who had won!

As for those inner sect veterans, they each had ugly expressions, feeling like they had to swallow their broken teeth.

Xiao Chen, Wang Meng, and Zhao Wuyou were ashen-faced and dejected, especially Zhao Wuyou, whose shoulder was bleeding continuously, his eyes filled with frustration.

On the hillside pavilion, the Elders looked at each other in shock!

"Five Elements rotating, hardness and softness combined, Divine Sense as vast as the heavens... truly a prodigy!"

An Elder in charge of teaching sighed in admiration, his eyes full of appreciation.

"With True Martial Realm First Level cultivation, fighting three Third Level experts, and doing so with ease! Such talent is rare even in the inner sect! Our Liuli Xuan Sect has gained another Qilin!"

Another Elder with an ancient face had sharp eyes, his tone filled with excitement.

"The most important thing is his Heart-Nature! Steady as a mountain, planning before acting, decisive in striking, yet not lacking in measure! His future is limitless!"

A female Elder who had been silent spoke slowly; she was a good friend of Elder Shuiyue.

And just as everyone was shocked and discussing, in the crowd, several figures quietly retreated, heading toward the heights of several main peaks such as Tianxuan Peak, Yuheng Peak, and Kaiyang Peak.

Ye Tian slowly withdrew his finger, his gaze sweeping over the ashen-faced Xiao Chen and the others, saying lightly: "Three Senior Brothers, you are welcome. As for the Spirit Stones and the promise, I will collect them later."