41: A slap shattered the Dao Heart

On the podium, Sect Master Yun Yun sat upright on her throne. Her face betrayed no expression, but her deep phoenix eyes were locked onto Lin Chen as if they were two of the sharpest blades.

Beside her, all the Elders held their breath. They were all waiting.

Waiting for Xiao Qingxue to ruthlessly tear away this man's "disguise," layer by layer!

"Lin Chen," Xiao Qingxue finally spoke on the Arena Platform.

Her voice, like her person, was icy and filled with a sense of lofty superiority.

"Last night, the Sect Master issued a decree to me."

"Today, if you are willing to obediently kneel, cripple your own cultivation, and hand over all the secrets you possess, I can, for the sake of our shared Sect, leave you with… a complete corpse."

Her words were filled with condescension and an unquestionable air of judgment!

It was as if she were a god!

However, Lin Chen laughed after hearing this.

"Xiao Qingxue," he looked at the self-righteous "Goddess" before him and slowly shook his head.

"Do you know?"

"This… high-and-mighty, self-righteous appearance of yours is truly… very annoying."

"You're courting death!"

Murderous intent instantly erupted in Xiao Qingxue's eyes!

She would have no more nonsense!

"Sword Domain—Frozen Thousand Miles!"

Accompanied by Xiao Qingxue's cold, sharp cry, a terrifying cold current, more than a hundred times stronger than Liu Ruxu's [Ice Age] from before, instantly erupted with her at its center!

The entire Arena Platform, along with the hundred meters of space around it, was completely frozen at this moment by a thick layer of ice emitting a deep blue light!

Countless ice crystal chains composed of extremely cold Sword Qi, like living poisonous snakes, twisted and killed towards Lin Chen from all directions!

In this absolute Domain, she was the only Dominator!

"It… it's Senior Sister Xiao's [Sword Domain]!"

"Heavens! This is my first time seeing Senior Sister Xiao go all out with my own eyes!"

A burst of terrified yet frenzied exclamations erupted instantly from the audience!

On the podium, a knowledgeable Grand Elder suddenly stood up from her seat. Looking at the completely frozen space, her eyes filled with shock and approval, she explained loudly:

"Good! A fine [Frozen Thousand Miles]!"

"This is no longer an ordinary Domain! This child, Qingxue, has actually perfectly fused her Ice Phoenix Bloodline with her Sword Intent, touching the threshold of the 'Law'!"

"In this Domain, she is the Incarnation of ice and snow! Within the same rank, no one can stop her! Even a true Early Nascent Soul Stage sovereign, if trapped within, would be drained to death! This battle… is no longer in suspense!"

Her words were like a final judgment, sentencing Lin Chen to death in the eyes of everyone present!

Everyone's face wore a gloating smile, waiting to watch Lin Chen be slowly tortured to death amidst endless freezing and despair!

And Sect Master Yun Yun, who was in the main seat, nodded with satisfaction, a cold arc curling at the corner of her lips.

(Not bad, Qingxue, well done. Use your strongest power to crush all his secrets out for me, bit by bit!)

However.

Just at the moment when everyone thought the outcome was decided.

And just as a sneer unique to a victor appeared on Xiao Qingxue's cold, pretty face.

The man trapped in the center of the Domain, whom everyone considered a "lamb for the slaughter," moved.

He did not use any Divine Ability.

He did not bring out any Magic Treasure.

He simply, slowly, raised his right hand.

Then, he gently pushed forward towards that world of ice and snow capable of freezing a Nascent Soul.

From his mouth, he uttered two words that everyone would never forget for the rest of their lives.

"Too weak."

Boom—rumble—!!!

An indescribable, terrifying power, as if from the ancient primordial wilderness, capable of crushing stars, descended with a roar!

Thirty thousand dragon elephant particles!

At this moment, they erupted simultaneously!

There was no brilliant light!

No earth-shattering explosion!

Only… the most pure, the most savage, the most unreasonable… power!

Crack! Crack! Crack—!!!

That [Sword Domain], which the Grand Elder boasted was "invincible within the same rank" and "could drain a Nascent Soul to death," was like the most fragile eggshell in the face of this absolute power!

Starting from the center, it shattered inch by inch!

Those hideous ice crystal chains couldn't even touch the corner of Lin Chen's clothes before they were ground into the most primitive powder by that invisible force field!

In just one breath!

"Pfft—!!!"

With the Domain broken, Xiao Qingxue was struck as if by lightning and violently spewed a large mouthful of blood!

For the first time, her cold and arrogant pretty face revealed… a look of shock and disbelief!

How… could it be?!

My strongest Sword Domain… was actually… forcibly burst by him using pure strength?!

And this was only the beginning!

Having broken the Domain, Lin Chen took a step out, instantly crossing the distance of space, and appeared before the already mentally shattered Xiao Qingxue.

Then, amidst the instantly frozen, terrified gazes of everyone in the audience.

He slapped her beautiful cheek, which was hailed as that of a "Goddess," hard!

"Slap—!!!"

The crisp sound of the slap resounded throughout heaven and earth!

It also completely shattered the last myth of the Purple Cloud Holy Land's younger generation!

"No… impossible…"

The Grand Elder, who had been holding forth and boasting that "this battle is no longer in suspense," was now sitting slumped in her chair like a toad struck by lightning, her eyes vacant, constantly muttering to herself.

Her face burned with pain!

It was as if Lin Chen's slap had landed on her own face!

Her deep, majestic phoenix eyes were now locked onto Lin Chen on the Arena Platform.

For the first time, all color had drained from her graceful, luxurious, and beautiful face, which had always maintained an air of being in control of everything, leaving it deathly pale!

Her dignified demeanor had vanished.

Her queenly aura had collapsed.

Her slender hands, adorned with luxurious jade rings, were uncontrollably… trembling violently!

Shock?

No!

This was no longer shock!

This was a… fear and bewilderment that arose after one's worldview had been smashed to pieces by an irresistible brute force!

(Fake…)

(Everything, it must all be fake!)

(How could he… break Qingxue's Sword Domain with pure strength?!)

(Isn't he a man?! How could a man possess such… a terrifying Physical Body that transcends common sense and transcends the Law?!)

(What… what kind of monster is he?!)

Her city-like composure, which she was so proud of, had collapsed.

Her confidence in her strategic planning was shattered.

All her previous "probing," "suppression," and "open schemes" against Lin Chen… in the face of this slap, all seemed so… childish, ridiculous, and stupid!

She felt like a self-righteous Mortal, attempting to use a rope to bind a… True Dragon from above the Nine Heavens!

In the end, she was blown to ashes by the other party with a single sneeze!

"Sect… Sect Master…"

Beside her, an executive Elder, seeing the Sect Master's loss of composure, tremblingly reminded her in a low voice.

This reminder finally pulled a sliver of sanity back to Yun Yun from that endless shock and fear.

She shuddered violently!

She realized that she had actually… lost her composure in front of the entire Sect!

She had lost her composure because of a man!

A sense of… shame and anger, even stronger than fear, instantly surged into her heart!

She sat back on her throne violently, forcibly suppressing the turbulent waves in her heart, attempting to regain her majesty as a queen.

But her slightly trembling body and her pretty face, which could not regain its color, were still silently telling of the… collapse within her heart!

She no longer dared to look at the man on the Arena Platform with that "scrutinizing" and "condescending" gaze from before.

Her eyes became incomparably complex.

There was wariness, fear, unwillingness, regret… and even a trace, which she herself had not noticed… of the most primitive… female submission that arises when facing absolute, irresistible male power!

As for Lin Chen, it was as if he had done a trivial thing.

He slowly withdrew his hand, looking at the world before him that had fallen into absolute silence because of his one slap.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

This was the true face-slapping!

Not only to smash your face.

But more importantly… to shatter your world! To collapse your Dao Heart!