At that moment, as she watched the young man in the arena, Luo Qingshan knew that probably not a single Demon Race disciple in the stands was his match.
It seemed she could only have one of the Demon Race prodigies cultivating in the ancestral land take the stage. Just as Luo Qingshan was about to speak, a commanding voice rang out:
"I was the one who agreed to this. I shall enter the arena and compete personally!"
Ye Xingchen, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly stood and declared imperiously.
At his words, excitement appeared on the faces of all the Demon Race disciples, while the members of the Mysterious Heaven Sect looked shocked and delighted.
Nie Zhenbei also froze briefly at Ye Xingchen's words and looked toward him.
Only now did Nie Zhenbei find Ye Xingchen so pleasing to the eye. He could not help saying:
"Of course the Imperial Consort may compete as well. After all, this is a spar between young people. However, since the Imperial Consort is in the Innate Realm, I can have Yebai suppress his cultivation to the Innate Realm as well. That would be fair!"
Ye Xingchen remained perfectly calm at Nie Zhenbei's words and did not even glance at him. Nie Zhenbei secretly rejoiced, though he put on a displeased expression.
After all, anyone treated this way would hardly be happy.
Though secretly delighted, he still had to keep up appearances.
This was precisely what he hoped to see. It was bad enough that the husband of the exalted Demon Empress was a weak human, but he was even a young man who knew neither the heights of heaven nor the depths of the earth. And it seemed Empress Luo Qingshan actually valued his opinions greatly.
With an Imperial Consort like this, the Demon Race's future was easy to imagine. So what if the Great Dao had personally come to offer congratulations? At this thought, Nie Zhenbei actually failed to hold back his laughter.
Realizing he had lost his composure, Nie Zhenbei immediately stopped laughing and replaced it with a displeased expression.
Yet Nie Zhenbei did not know that Ye Xingchen had seen through all his thoughts, including his scheme, from the very beginning.
Having lived two lives, Ye Xingchen watched Nie Zhenbei, who was just like a clown, with amusement filling his eyes. He finally understood why clowns could always make people happy.
Giving Luo Qingshan a reassuring look, Ye Xingchen took a single step and instantly arrived in the arena.
He moved so quickly that neither Luo Qingshan nor Nie Zhenbei noticed, as though Ye Xingchen had been in the Cloud Summit Arena all along.
At that moment, Nie Zhenbei's brows furrowed slightly. Shock filled his heart, and that bad feeling surfaced again. He hurriedly said:
"Mu Yebai, since the Imperial Consort has said nothing, he must be extremely confident in his strength. Spar with him using your Immortal Realm strength, then. Mind your limits!"
At that moment, Nie Zhenbei no longer cared about the contemptuous gazes of the Demon Race members around him. The fourth-grade pill recipe and one hundred million supreme-grade spirit stones absolutely could not be lost.
Ever since Ye Xingchen had broken through his own limits and resolved to stand at the pinnacle, the seed of invincibility in his heart had sprouted, and a bold idea had taken root in his mind.
In this life, I shall lead the Demon Race to the pinnacle and look down upon all the lesser peaks.
Watching Ye Xingchen suddenly appear in the arena, Mu Yebai also frowned inwardly as he studied the man who possessed only Immortal Realm strength.
Mu Yebai had to admit that the man before him possessed an unparalleled bearing and handsome features. Even he felt somewhat jealous. No wonder the Demon Empress, such an exquisitely beautiful woman, had taken a liking to him.
But on the Divine Desolation Continent, strength ultimately spoke loudest. Someone with Innate Realm strength was ultimately nothing but an ant.
Looking at Ye Xingchen, Mu Yebai said contemptuously:
"Though you are the Demon Race Emperor Lord, once you enter a match, status and standing mean nothing in the arena. An Innate Realm cultivator barely stronger than an ant—who gave you the courage to face me, an Immortal Realm cultivator?"
As Mu Yebai finished speaking, an immense surge of Immortal Spirit Qi gushed from his body, forming a huge ring of Qi that rippled outward in every direction, stirring clouds of dust across the arena.
Seeing the contempt in Ye Mubai's eyes, Ye Xingchen curled his lips slightly. Looking at Mu Yebai as though he were an idiot, he said:
"Oh? The Innate Realm? Have you ever seen the true Innate Realm?"
Seeing Ye Xingchen looking at him as though he were an idiot, Mu Yebai could hardly bear it. When had he ever suffered such contempt?
Within the Mysterious Heaven Sect, he ranked second only to the Holy Son. Everywhere he went, he was admired. Now that Ye Xingchen was treating him with such contempt, how could he endure it?
"You court death! I'll let you experience the might of the Immortal Realm first."
With that, Mu Yebai unleashed his terrifying Immortal Realm presence, pressing it straight toward Ye Xingchen. He intended to force Ye Xingchen flat onto the ground through sheer overwhelming pressure.
If the exalted Demon Race Emperor Lord was forced flat onto the ground by a disciple, it would be tantamount to Mu Yebai pressing the entire Demon Race's face into the dirt and grinding it there. If word spread, the Demon Race would probably have no face left to stand on the Divine Desolation Continent.
Mu Yebai's move was sinister indeed.
He very much wanted to see the reactions of the Demon Race disciples in the surrounding stands. Their furious yet helpless expressions would give him immense enjoyment.
At that moment, Mu Yebai seemed to already see those expressions on the Demon Race disciples' faces, and he looked happily toward the disciples around the arena.
To his surprise, however, he discovered that every Demon Race disciple was looking at him as though he were an idiot, leaving him briefly stunned.
He instantly turned toward Ye Xingchen, only to find him standing there quietly, seemingly utterly unaffected by his Immortal Realm presence.
"Impossible! How could someone in the Innate Realm withstand the oppressive presence of an Immortal Realm expert? This is impossible!" Mu Yebai could scarcely believe his eyes and cried out in shock.
At Mu Yebai's words, Ye Xingchen remained standing there with the same calm expression, and the same words rang out:
"Have you ever seen the true Innate Realm? With me, anything is possible!"
Hearing Ye Xingchen's words, Mu Yebai actually burst into laughter. A divine gleam flashed, and a spirit sword of no low grade appeared in his hand.
With the spirit sword in hand, Mu Yebai instantly grew much calmer. He snorted softly, and immense Immortal Spirit Qi rose from his body.
The spirit sword in his hand transformed into countless streaks of divine light, bearing supreme might as they slashed toward Ye Xingchen as though they could cleave the void apart.
"Sword Shatters the Firmament!"
What Mu Yebai had unleashed was actually the Mysterious Heaven Sect's defining martial technique-the Mysterious Heaven Sword Art.
Watching Mu Yebai's terrifying sword strike slash toward him with supreme might, Ye Xingchen actually remained calmly in place, his expression utterly composed.
Yet Luo Qingshan looked worried as she watched that terrifying strike. Although she believed her husband was certainly not merely in the Innate Realm as he appeared to be, she had never witnessed it with her own eyes, and worry still involuntarily appeared on her face.
Nie Zhenbei, seated nearby, was equally tense. Inwardly, he cursed Mu Yebai for being so accustomed to arrogance that he had unleashed such a terrifying sword strike without regard for his opponent's identity.
Although life and death were left to fate in the arena, if he truly killed the Demon Race Emperor Lord with a single strike, none of them could hope to leave alive.
Thus, he sat there tensely, ready to intervene at any moment to stop Mu Yebai's strike.
Yet at that moment, Ye Xingchen's lips curled slightly, his eyes filled with mockery.
Seeing the mockery in Ye Xingchen's eyes, Mu Yebai grew even angrier. He poured out the Immortal Spirit power within his body frantically, making the sword strike even more terrifying.
At that moment, however, Ye Xingchen's voice rang out, laden with boundless mockery.
"You actually dare wield a sword before me? It seems you truly know nothing about the sword!"
The next instant, just as Ye Xingchen's words fell, a scene that shocked everyone unfolded!