29: Chapter 29 Clan Sacrifice Ceremony

Time flew by amidst frantic Cultivation.

On this day, Ye Tian woke from his meditation and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

The sharp light in his eyes retracted, and his aura was rounded and full.

He walked into the courtyard, faced a thick bluestone in the corner used for practicing punches, sank his waist into a horse stance, and slowly pulled his right fist back to his waist.

There was no buildup of momentum, no shouting.

Just a simple, straightforward punch.

The punch did not seem fast, yet it left an afterimage in the air!

Three muffled sounds, almost overlapping, suddenly erupted from inside the bluestone!

The first sound was the impact of his fist against the stone surface.

The second sound was the cracking noise as the hidden force penetrated into the stone.

The third sound was the roar of the stone body failing to withstand the overlapping force and exploding from the inside out!

Crack!

The thick bluestone, taller than a person, first developed spiderweb-like cracks on its surface, then collapsed with a boom, shattering into countless pieces!

Ye Tian retracted his fist and stood still, looking at the rubble on the ground with an expressionless face.

Overlapping Wave Fist, Threefold Force, finally achieved.

Currently, his cultivation was at the Late Stage of the Qi Gathering Fifth Level, his Overlapping Wave Fist Threefold Force had reached Major Achievement, and his Body Refining was at the Peak of the Third Layer.

His comprehensive combat strength was enough to look down upon the vast majority of the disciples.

"Ye Long…" Ye Tian looked towards the direction of the core area, his eyes calm.

Tomorrow was the Clan Sacrifice Ceremony.

Everything would be revealed then.

The Clan Sacrifice Ceremony arrived as scheduled.

On this day, the Ye Family residence was decorated with lanterns and streamers, and the voices were deafening.

The massive Martial Arts Arena was newly decorated. On the high platform, the Ye Family Clan Chief Ye Qingtian sat with the Elders.

Below the platform, the Ye Family disciples were arranged neatly according to seniority and status, each of them craning their necks in anticipation.

Even more eye-catching was the large number of Martial Artists and commoners from Luo City who had flooded into the perimeter of the Martial Arts Arena to join the excitement.

And the most notable ones were naturally the two groups sitting in the VIP seats.

The Lin Family and the Chen Family!

The Lin Family Patriarch Lin Batian had a burly figure and a rugged face, with sharp, tiger-like eyes. His body faintly exuded the powerful aura of the Ningyuan Realm Second Stage, carrying a sense of oppression that was imposing without anger.

Behind him stood several core disciples of the Lin Family. One of them had a gloomy complexion, his eyes scanning the direction of the Ye Family disciples like a poisonous snake; it was Lin Feng, the Elder brother of Lin Hao, who had been crippled by Ye Tian!

His aura had impressively reached the Fifth Stage Peak of Qi Gathering, not inferior to Ye Long.

When Ye Qingtian saw Lin Batian, his expression remained calm as he rose to welcome him. Their gazes met in the air, and sparks flew.

The air instantly became stagnant, and even the surrounding clamor quieted down a bit.

Although the auras of the two Ningyuan Realm experts were not fully released, the faint collision already made some low-level Martial Artists near the VIP seats feel breathless.

"Patriarch Lin, having come from afar, I apologize for not meeting you sooner." Ye Qingtian's voice was calm but carried authority.

"Patriarch Ye is too polite. How could I, Lin, not come to observe the Ye Family's grand Clan Sacrifice Ceremony?"

Lin Batian laughed heartily, his voice loud, but the smile did not reach his eyes. "It is also a good opportunity to see what kind of remarkable talents the younger generation of the Ye Family has produced."

His gaze swept over the crowd below intentionally or unintentionally, as if searching for something.

Ye Qingtian naturally understood the deep meaning in his words and said indifferently, "The juniors still need to be tempered. I hope Patriarch Lin will forgive any shortcomings."

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, seemingly polite but actually hiding barbs.

Finally, Lin Batian took the Lin Family members and sat in the VIP seats on the right.

By comparison, the arrival of the Chen Family was much more low-key.

The Chen Family Patriarch, Chen Xuan, was a middle-aged scholar with a gaunt face and an elegant temperament. He also possessed the cultivation of the Ningyuan Realm, but his aura was restrained and deep.

He took the Chen Family members and sat quietly in the VIP seats on the left. After a simple nod to Ye Qingtian, he closed his eyes to rest.

But the several young disciples behind him all had steady auras and bright eyes, clearly not mediocre.

In particular, a young girl dressed in a light green dress with a beautiful appearance had an aura that had also reached the Fifth Stage Peak of Qi Gathering, drawing attention.

Ye Tian stood in the crowd of Ye Family disciples, taking all of this in.

He could clearly feel the cold hostility from the Lin Family's direction, especially Lin Feng's gaze, which wished to slice him into pieces.

As for the Chen Family, although they were low-key, their foundation and strength could not be underestimated either.

"The three major families of Luo City are indeed well-deserved of their reputation."

Ye Tian thought to himself.

The core disciples of these families had excellent talent and resources, and their cultivation was generally at the Qi Gathering Fourth or Fifth Level.

People like Ye Long, Lin Feng, and the girl from the Chen Family were the outstanding ones among them.

For him to stand out in the Clan Sacrifice martial competition and enter the top five to obtain the qualification for the Secret Realm was by no means easy.

His gaze finally landed on Ye Long, who was not far ahead.

Today, Ye Long was dressed in white brocade martial attire, his posture tall and straight, and his aura was deeper and more refined than a month ago, faintly touching the threshold of the Qi Gathering Level 6.

Sensing Ye Tian's gaze, he turned his head slightly, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold and arrogant arc, his eyes filled with disdain and provocation.

Ye Tian calmly withdrew his gaze, his heart as still as an ancient well.

The stronger the opponent, the more worth it was to defeat them!

At this moment, Clan Chief Ye Qingtian stood up, walked to the front of the high platform, scanned the entire venue, and his loud voice spread throughout the entire Martial Arts Arena:

"The auspicious time has arrived! The Ye Family Clan Sacrifice officially begins!"

"Sacrifice to the ancestors!"

The solemn sound of horns echoed, and the cumbersome and grand ancestor sacrifice ceremony proceeded in order.

Incense smoke curled, bells and drums rang in unison, and all Ye Family disciples bowed solemnly to express their respect for their ancestors.

The ceremony lasted for about an hour.

When the final ceremony was completed, Ye Qingtian spoke again, his voice carrying a hint of passion:

"The ancestor sacrifice ceremony is concluded! Next is the time for our Ye Family's younger generation to display their cultivation and spar with Martial Skills! The martial competition segment begins!"

"All disciples who have registered for the martial competition, come forward to draw lots!"

The atmosphere was instantly ignited!

Everyone's gaze was focused on the Martial Arts Arena.

After the drawing of lots, matches unfolded one after another on the ring.

The young Ye Family disciples displayed their abilities, their fists and feet creating wind, their Qi colliding, drawing bursts of cheers from below the stage.

However, everyone's gaze was focused on one person for the vast majority of the time.

Ye Long!

As the recognized number one of the Ye Family's younger generation, Ye Long displayed overwhelming strength the moment he appeared on stage.

His opponents, whether they were at the Qi Gathering Stage 4 or just entering the Fifth Level, almost no one could last a single move under his hands!

Whether it was a fierce and unparalleled "Stone-Splitting Palm," wherever the palm wind passed, the opponent's weapon would be knocked out of their hand, and they would vomit blood and fly backward.

Or a sharp and swift "Gale Sword Finger," the finger force penetrating defenses and pointing directly at vital points, forcing the opponent to admit defeat in a wretched state.

He won cleanly and neatly, and his posture was high and mighty. Every time he defeated an opponent, he stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes looking down on others, enjoying the thunderous cheers from below the stage and the fanatical gazes of his followers.

"Brother Long is mighty!"

"The Ye Family's number one! Well-deserved!"

"In my opinion, this Clan Sacrifice top spot belongs to Brother Long!"

Ye Ming and others were even more eager to flatter him, as if Ye Long's victory was their own victory.

Ye Long's mouth curled into a faint, smug smile, his gaze occasionally sweeping over Ye Tian in the crowd, carrying undisguised contempt.