To Huang Sha, challenging Ye Xuan and being challenged by Ye Xuan were two entirely different things.
When he challenged Ye Xuan, he was showing Ye Xuan regard, and he intended to kill him.
Ye Xuan had not dared accept his challenge earlier, which meant Ye Xuan dreaded him and feared him.
Thus, despite having a higher cultivation than Ye Xuan, he was still very proud.
Now, Ye Xuan had actually taken the initiative to challenge him, even ordering him to get his ass up there. This was contempt for him, humiliation!
Under everyone's eyes, he, a dignified Golden Core cultivator, had been singled out for a challenge by an Essence Condensation ant. What an enormous disgrace!
"I'll show you what it means to wish you were dead!"
Huang Sha's voice was icy, his killing intent surging to the heavens.
He walked toward the martial platform step by step, neither particularly fast nor slow.
Every step landed with a heavy footfall, and with each footfall, his murderous presence grew stronger.
He had forged this murderous presence from countless severed heads on the Asura Battlefield!
Everyone's hearts trembled as they felt that murderous presence.
The stronger ones fared somewhat better and could still withstand it, but the weaker ones were already losing their mental footing beneath that murderous presence, their faces deathly pale.
Thud, thud, thud-
The footsteps continued, resounding in everyone's ears like exploding war drums, making their hearts tremble.
On the martial platform, however, Ye Xuan's expression was exceedingly calm.
He simply watched Huang Sha approach the martial platform, his expression indifferent as he looked down from above, as though looking down upon an ant.
In truth, all one hundred and eight meridians in his body had already opened, the Spiritual Qi within his dantian had begun to roar, and every muscle cell in his body had begun gathering strength.
Facing Huang Sha, he had no certainty of victory either.
Thus, he had to stand ready and give it everything he had!
"Has this boy been a little too rash? Can he really match Huang Sha? If he can't, should we intervene?"
On the raised dais, the Ninth Ancestor was already growing anxious and sent a voice transmission to Han Bingning and the other ancestors.
Huang Sha truly was no ordinary opponent. He was very strong.
"Intervene? How? Everyone's watching, including all the other factions. How can we intervene?" The Eighth Ancestor was also scratching his ears and head.
"That little bastard really deserves a beating! A mere Essence Condensation cultivator, and he dares challenge Huang Sha? Does he think Huang Sha is Zhu Pi?" The Fifth Ancestor's face was also filled with worry and anger.
Han Bingning listened to the ancestors exchanging voice transmissions but did not join in.
Her beautiful eyes shifted toward that incomparably magnificent figure on the martial platform, a cold gleam stirring within them.
Regardless of what anyone else chose, regardless of whether the ancestors would intervene.
As long as Ye Xuan was in danger, she would spare no cost to save him.
He was her disciple, her only disciple. He could not die!
On the Carefree Holy Land's side, the elders and leading figures were also exchanging words.
However, they were rather gleeful at his misfortune.
"This time, he ought to die at last."
"Hmph, challenging Huang Sha. He truly doesn't know how high the heavens are or how deep the earth is!"
"I thought we'd have no chance today, but to think he'd deliver himself right to our door!"
As the Carefree Holy Land's elders and leading figures conversed, they had also joined forces with the leading figures of the other thirty-six factions, subtly locking onto Han Bingning and the Ancient Desolate Holy Land's ancestors.
Ye Xuan was courting death himself, so he deserved what he got.
If Han Bingning and the others dared intervene later, they would certainly move to stop them.
Meanwhile, Huang Sha's presence had climbed to its peak, and he stepped onto the martial platform.
His burly body seemed filled with explosive strength. Spiritual Qi roared madly within him, surging in and out, and had already poured out of his body entirely.
The powerful presence of the Golden Core First Level surged forth as well, enveloping the entire martial platform while pressing madly toward Ye Xuan.
He raised his head, looked at Ye Xuan, and said with a savage grin, "Challenging me, Huang Sha, was the most foolish decision you've ever made! I'll show you the price of challenging me!"
Boom!
Yet the instant his words fell, Ye Xuan vanished from in front of him.
"You talk too much!"
An indifferent voice rang out. Lightning faintly stirred between heaven and earth, and the next second, Ye Xuan shot forward, appearing before Huang Sha.
Surging Spiritual Qi rushed through his one hundred and eight spiritual meridians like ocean tides. His fists tore through the air with explosive cracks, raining blows on Huang Sha without leaving a gap.
Sensing Ye Xuan's fierce attack, Huang Sha's eyes narrowed. He stamped a foot hard against the ground and, instead of retreating, lunged toward Ye Xuan to kill him.
Bang, bang, bang!
A series of explosions rang out. Like two streaks of lightning, their figures met at the center of the martial platform, clashing again and again.
Those with weaker strength could not even make out their movements and could only hear the repeated explosions.
In the blink of an eye, the two figures abruptly separated.
Ye Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, his expression as composed as ever.
Huang Sha's gaze was ferocious, countless fist marks covering his body, and he seemed somewhat bedraggled.
"What? Huang Sha actually fell into a disadvantage?"
"What incredible strength! Could the Holy Son really defeat Huang Sha from a lower realm?"
"How is this possible?!!"
Cries of astonishment rose from below at the sight.
Only the disciples with discerning eyes and the leading figures on the raised dais sneered inwardly.
On the surface, Ye Xuan had held the upper hand in that exchange, but in truth, he had been utterly suppressed.
For the hands Ye Xuan held behind his back were trembling slightly despite himself as he discharged the violent force that had poured into his arms.
"Worthy of the Chaos Sacred Body. You do have some ability! But if that's all the strength you have, I'm afraid you won't escape death today!"
Huang Sha stared at Ye Xuan and charged at him again as he finished speaking.
He was a madman who had grown through slaughter, so naturally, he would not give Ye Xuan any chance to catch his breath.
Coupled with his formidable Golden Core Realm cultivation, his Spiritual Qi was inherently more abundant than Ye Xuan's, so he naturally intended to finish Ye Xuan off in one push.
Ye Xuan remained indifferent and composed. "Oh, is that so? Then let this Holy Son see how you'll kill me!"
As his indifferent words fell, Ye Xuan vanished from the spot like a phantom.
With a boom, Huang Sha leaped down through the air and stamped one foot onto the spot where Ye Xuan had just stood.
The entire martial platform began shaking violently.
The moment his attack missed, Huang Sha knew something was wrong. Almost simultaneously, he sensed a fierce blast of force attacking him from behind. Without thinking, he turned sideways and delivered a flying kick.
With a bang, he kicked a long saber to pieces, but just then, a fierce streak of Sword Qi came at him.
Huang Sha's heart lurched. Countless battles of life and death made him realize that he was in absolute peril.
Without the slightest hesitation, he pushed his speed to the limit and began retreating frantically, Spiritual Qi swirling around his body.
He had to retreat, had to dodge. Only by escaping the danger before him would he have a chance to turn things around!
Yet after retreating several steps, he felt a chill at his throat.
Turning his head to look, he saw a sharp sword aimed straight at him, its icy edge already pointed at his throat.
At this sight, the entire crowd erupted. Countless people rose to their feet, their hearts trembling beyond measure.
Yet Huang Sha showed no fear. Instead, the savage grin on his lips grew even wider.
Though the sword was pointed at his throat, it was not enough to take his life, because Ye Xuan was not as fast as him and could not drive the sword into his throat at all!