Chapter Twenty-Four: Awakening

  This strike of Furious Sword Howl was absolutely earth-shattering, compared to the same move launched by Peng Yue'er, Peng Cheng's Furious Sword Howl could be described as shocking heaven and earth. The dark blade's edge was overwhelmingly powerful, causing the sky and earth to lose color, the Lion Head's energy roared and dove towards the ground, with a momentum that seemed to tear everything apart!

  Ye Yang was fearless, looking up at the raging sword energy that came from the sky. He suddenly raised his Broken Flame Sword and urged the true energy of the Fire God's remaining scrolls in his body to transform continuously. It actually condensed into a giant Tai Xu diagram under his feet, with the azure Dry Kun shield contrasting strongly with the golden light of the Raging Sword!

  "Brush!"

  Qian Kun shield rose along the guiding trajectory, appearing at the tip of the Po Yan sword's blade, energy surging violently, Ye Yang almost exhausted his full strength to urge the Valley Power to meet the opponent's full-strength blow!

  Time seemed to stand still, the crowd below was stunned, no one had expected that this year's new star martial arts conference would actually have a battle of this level. Although Ye Yang was only a Grand Earth Fifth Level junior, the sharp moves he made were in no way inferior to those used by Peng Cheng at the Grand Earth Seventh Level boundary!

  "Boom!"

  The earth shook violently, the angry sword's energy finally collided with the Qian Kun shield, and a loud roar was emitted instantly. The surroundings of the Fire God Altar seemed to be cracking like the sky and the earth, and many low-ranking family ministers were frightened pale, for they had never seen such an intense energy collision?

  A large amount of fierce flames gathered in the air, lingering for a long time without dispersing.

  At last, after a good half-hour had passed, the martial stage regained its brief tranquility.

  "Huh? Tsubasa..."

  Ye Nan's mouth was slightly open, his heart aching as he stared at the scene before him.

  The martial stage had been blasted into a thousand holes, and in the ruins, Ye Yang knelt on one knee, propping himself up with his broken Flame Sword. His upper body's blue shirt was torn to shreds by the energy impact, revealing patches of golden, powerful muscles.

  "Hmmph..."

  Suddenly spewing out a mouthful of blood, Ye Yang's sword eyebrows stood on end, unable to believe that the opponent's strength had reached such an extent. Even his strongest power, the Dry Heaven Shield, was unable to withstand the opponent's angry sword howl. The difference between Earth Level 5 and Earth Level 7 was indeed insurmountable. Even with his cultivation of the more profound and mysterious Fire God's Remnant Volume and Dry Heaven Shield, it was all for naught.

  In mid-air, a slender figure floated down to several meters in front of Ye Yang. It was Peng Cheng. Compared to Ye Yang's disheveled state, Peng Cheng seemed much more composed, his eyes gleaming with sharp light as he glared at Ye Yang and snarled: "You little brat, if you're out of tricks, then prepare to meet your maker!"

  Ye Yang propped himself up with his sword, suddenly standing up, a pair of clear eyes staring straight at the other person. Although he was swaying unsteadily, he still said calmly: "Before you kill me, spare the insults."

  "Hmmph!"

  Peng Cheng let out a cold hum, raised his long knife forward, and the Fire God's power burst forth, preparing to launch another fierce move.

  ……

  At this moment, a group of people in luxurious clothes came from outside the Fire God Temple martial arts arena.

  At once, Peng Feng stood up and went personally to welcome him.

  The little official who was leading the way shouted loudly several times

  "General of the Great Qin Empire, Governor of the Eastern Province, General Wang Dian has arrived!"

  "The Lord of Liangcheng, Grandmaster Pong Jing has arrived!"

  "Good young master, son of Pang Jing, Young Master Pang Nan has arrived!"

  ……

  It's true that what is rare is precious; no wonder Peng Feng would personally come to welcome him.

  On the stage, Peng Cheng frowned at the newcomer and temporarily stopped his momentum.

  Ye Yang's eyes were calm, but the remaining True Qi of Huo Shen Zhen was surging and churning within his body. He gritted his teeth to hold on for another second, while at the same time, Qin Fang's voice echoed from the bottom of his heart: "Zi Yu, if it really doesn't work out, then don't force it. This Peng Cheng kid has an extremely high innate talent, and you've only been cultivating for a short period of time. This competition is fundamentally unfair!"

  Ye Yang said calmly: "Qin Fang, you also saw it, I have no way to retreat. The Ye family has been bullied to this extent. If I'm a coward, who will clear the shame for the Ye family? All lives are equal, but the Peng family is so arrogant and bullying, disregarding the same roots. What kind of world is this? If the sky really falls and evil prevails, I am willing to prove the truth with my life!"

  "Alright, good child..."

  By the side, Zhen Xuan stood up, her fists clenched, and the power of the starry sky circulated faintly. After a while, she sighed and sat back in her seat, with a pair of extremely beautiful eyes shining with light.

  ……

  On the long stairs, a warrior stood with his hand on the hilt of his sword, his gaze scanning the surroundings with an air of superiority. This was Wang Dian, one of the imperial generals, whose profound cultivation had earned him great fame in Qi, Chu, Wei, and Han territories.

  Peng Feng stepped forward, bowed and saluted, smiling: "What wind has blown General Wang over here?"

  Wang Yun smiled and said: "Peng Zongzhu, this is a grand occasion for the Huo Shen clan. How can I miss it?"

  On the side, City Master Pang Jing smiled and explained: "General Wang Duan led a large army to Da Ze Township to quell the rebellion of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang. On their way, they heard that Mr. Peng Cheng, known as 'Outstanding National Scholar', would participate in today's martial arts competition, so General Wang Duan came to observe the style of national scholars!"

  Wang Yidao said: "The competition among national scholars, has Xiao Jiang not missed it?"

  Peng Feng shook his head repeatedly, laughing: "General, you've come at just the right time. Peng Cheng is currently engaging in a friendly match with a younger member of our clan and they haven't yet determined a winner. Please, take a seat!"

  "Good! Good!"

  Wang Xian laughed loudly and sat in Peng Feng's original position, with Pang Jing and Peng Feng sitting on either side of him, in order of seniority.

  Looking up at the stage, two young men glared at each other. Peng Cheng was naturally relaxed and elegant, while his opponent, Ye Yang, who was covered in tattered clothes, did not look disheveled either. The Broken Flame Sword in his hand emitted a faint glow, with flames swirling around him, and his eyes were filled with unyielding anger.

  Wang Yun sank into thought for a moment, then smiled and said: "It seems that Guoshi has already entered the seventh level of the Grandmaster realm. His opponent, that young man, didn't instantly fall to defeat - what kind of person is he?"

  Peng Feng respectfully said: "Ye Yang, courtesy name Zi Yu, is a direct descendant of the Ye family, the fire god clan."

  "Oh, I see..."

  Wang Dian nodded and suddenly shouted in a deep voice: "Guo Shi, Ye Yang, your competition can begin now, until the winner is decided!"

  ……

  Peng Cheng looked at Ye Yang and suddenly sneered: "No one can save you, your time is up!"

  Ye Yang coldly snorted, the Broken Flame Sword flew out with flames, instantly entering a state of combat.

  "Die!"

  Peng Cheng suddenly launched an attack, his body like a ghost, his sharp sword flashing towards Ye Yang's waist. At the same time, his left fist, which was as fierce as a raging fire, heavily bombarded Ye Yang's retreat route, seemingly determined to cut Ye Yang down at the waist on the stage.

  In an instant, Ye Yang's eyes blazed with anger, unexpectedly not dodging, the Broken Flame Sword was imbued with the True Qi of the Fire God's residual volume, his left fist condensed into a Qian Kun shield, and he met the opponent's fist head-on.

  Swords clashed with iron, extremely intense!

  "Ding!"

  At the first touch, Ye Yang was in a sorry state and retreated repeatedly. The blood and energy inside his body surged upwards. His own strength was fundamentally not on the same level as his opponent's. Even using the Qian Kun shield to deflect the force, he still found it hard to bear.

  On the other hand, Peng Cheng was a different sight, though not disheveled, his face was ashen pale, coldly staring at his beloved Dark Blade, on which a crack had suddenly appeared!

  "How...how is this possible?" Peng Cheng was shocked beyond measure, his eyes fixed on the broken Flame Sword in Ye Yang's hand, and he shouted loudly: "Your sword, isn't it...a Seventh-Rank Blade?"

  Ye Yang wiped away the bloodstains from the corner of his mouth and chuckled: "You figured it out?"

  Peng Cheng suddenly let out a cold laugh: "This sword, its master is me now!"

  "Is it? Then come and take it!"

  In an instant, Peng Cheng launched a fierce attack again, his dark blade flashing in the air, and in a flash of lightning, he unleashed a sharp and fierce sword cry!

  "Hmm!"

  The Qian Kun shield's energy appeared on the blade of the Broken Flame Sword, Ye Yang saw it clearly, his body suddenly spinning around, using the vast spiral force to rotate in place, perfectly shedding off the tyrannical energy of Nu Jianhou!

  The people below were shocked, and there was a burst of cold air being inhaled.

  Wang Yun's expression changed: "Well done! Good clever kid..."

  But in the next moment, Ye Yang suddenly couldn't move, his right arm holding the sword had been grasped by a huge iron-like hand. Unbeknownst to him, Peng Cheng had somehow appeared behind Ye Yang and grabbed his arm.

  "Haha, I told you, this sword belongs to Young Master Ben!"

  Peng Cheng burst out laughing, and the dark blade transformed into a knife light that chopped towards Ye Yang's right arm. How vicious! He was not only trying to snatch the sword but also wanted to disable Ye Yang's arm!

  "Daydreaming!"

  Ye Yang let out a loud shout, and suddenly his body sank down. His knee heavily crashed into Peng Cheng's chest, while his arm rotated the Taiji Shield's profound meaning, and he slipped out like a mud eel.

  Peng Cheng naturally didn't let up, and his dark blade flew out, slashing across Ye Yang's back.

  "Hmph!"

  The protective aura around him was instantly torn apart, and a long knife wound appeared on Ye Yang's back. Fortunately, it was only a flesh wound and did not affect his tendons or bones; otherwise, Ye Yang would have already lost the capital to fight again.

  Wiping the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth, Peng Cheng's face wore a ferocious smile: "You useless thing, you actually let me get hurt. It seems that Yue Er wasn't wronged after all!"

  Ye Yang stopped the bleeding from the wound on his back, coldly staring at his opponent without saying a word. At this moment, Ye Yang was very clear in his mind that every word would waste precious true energy, why bother wasting words with Peng Cheng?

  Peng Cheng smiled, once again condensing his energy, and countless lights flew up from the dark blade. Another Furious Sword Cry was unleashed. Peng Yue'er would have almost exhausted her entire body's energy with just one Furious Sword Cry at the 6th level of the Earth Realm, but Peng Cheng's Furious Sword Cry seemed so effortless and carefree.

  However, a more shocking scene appeared. At the same time that the dark blade gathered the angry sword's roar, Peng Cheng raised his left arm, and in the center of his palm, a golden lion head energy halo also appeared, actually gathering the energy of two seventh-grade martial arts at the same time!

  The people under the stage were completely stunned.

  The lord of Liangcheng, Pang Jing, had a calm expression, but his heart was turbulent. He said in a low voice: "What a national scholar! Indeed, he is worthy of being an extraordinary talent!"

  Wang Dian nodded and said: "To have such achievements before the age of thirty, Peng Cheng is indeed worthy of the reputation as a national scholar!"

  Pang Jingwei smiled slightly: "This time, let's see how Ye Yang can withstand it!"

  Wang Xian sneered: "In my eyes, he is already a dead man."

  Pang Jing: *silence*

  Not far away, Zhen Xuan glanced at Wang Dian and Peng Jing, hummed coldly, and disapproved.

  ……

  Peng Cheng was triumphantly gathering his strength to unleash a dual Dragon's Fury when he suddenly took an old fist to the chest, the attacker being Ye Yang. He never gave his opponents too much time to build up their strength, this was the law of battle. Peng Cheng had simultaneously accumulated two Dragon's Furies, taking too long, and that was his opening!

  "Pffft!"

  Peng Cheng spat out another mouthful of blood, and a patch of charred flesh appeared on his chest, but the protective aura around him still didn't disperse. Ye Yang's attack was far from enough!

  Time is running out, if Ye Yang doesn't inflict heavy damage on Peng Cheng within three seconds, he will definitely not escape his opponent's two furious sword strikes!

  With this in mind, Ye Yang disregarded everything and urged the power of the valley, the Flame Sword was surrounded by fierce flames. The next moment, Ye Yang opened his left hand, the aura condensed, and he shouted: "Cut off the void and cut down the wood!"

  "Boom!"

  The sword energy fell on Peng Cheng's chest, a wall of air condensed behind Peng Cheng, two completely different moves collided with each other, and Peng Cheng became the point of maximum impact!

  "Hmmph..."

  This time, Peng Cheng was finally severely injured, with blood spraying wildly, but still maintained his powerful strength. His eyes suddenly opened wide and he laughed loudly: "Ye Yang, go to hell!"

  In an instant, Ye Yang was unable to move, and that was the pressure released by his opponent!

  Magnitude 7 earthquake, too terrifying!

  At this time, Ye Yang's breath was weak, and he was easily locked down by the opponent's pressure. If his true energy was full and abundant, the earth-level seven pressure might not be effective against Ye Yang. However, at this moment, it was enough to make Ye Yang unable to move for as long as 3 seconds!

  Angry Sword Roar! Double!

  Suddenly bursting out, two angry sword roars' vast energy collided with Ye Yang's chest at the same time. How could Ye Yang withstand such a majestic force?

  "Boom!"

  Dust flew everywhere, and with a fierce strike, Peng Cheng knocked Ye Yang into the ground from his high vantage point.

  "Brush!"

  He pulled out the Broken Flame Sword from the mud and gravel, Peng Cheng's posture was proudly arrogant, and he laughed loudly: "This seventh-grade divine soldier is mine! Haha, Ye Yang, in front of this young master, you will always be a waste, a useless waste!"

  ……

  The Fire God's altar was quiet and still.

  It wasn't just one person who led the applause, but soon the applause became a wave!

  "National Hero! Peng Cheng!"

  "Too strong, Peng Cheng, pride of the Huo Shen clan!"

  "From today on, the Huo Shen clan will rise again in the Central Plains, Peng Cheng is divine and martial!"

  ……

  In a burst of applause, Ye Nan Tian suddenly stood up, but only took a few steps before being forced back by a strong gust of wind. Peng Feng was standing tall in front of him, coldly saying: "Younger brother, what do you think you're doing?"

  Ye Nantian's face turned iron-green, his veins bulging with rage, as he bellowed: "Peng Cheng! This beast killed my son, this beast!"

  "How dare you insult our national hero?"

  Peng Feng's eyebrows rose, and with a sudden movement, he pushed out his palm, sending Ye Nantian flying backward with an overwhelming force, crashing into the chair.

  The descendants of the Ye family could only glare at each other in anger, but no one dared to argue, at this moment, the status of the Ye family in the Huo Shen clan had almost fallen to an all-time low!

  Wang Yun sneered: "How is that, even if that kid has a special talent, he will still be placed under the sword of Guo Shi. Hmph, challenging Guo Shi, it's clear that he doesn't know how to live!"

  Pang Jing nodded respectfully: "The general's words are extremely correct. That Ye Yang is indeed a mantis trying to stop a chariot, he doesn't know what's good for him."

  Peng Yue'er gazed at the ruins on stage, her beautiful eyes filled with a daze, for a moment she didn't even know whether to laugh or cry, and stood there stupidly.

  In the field, there was only one person who remained calm, and it was Zhen Xuan!

  Zong Xuan's face turned gloomy, his blood-red eyes staring at the martial arena in shock, muttering: "How is this possible? Ye Yang's aura hasn't disappeared, but instead has grown even stronger... How can this be?"

  In the ruins, Ye Yang was a piece of silence, his body almost completely unable to move.

  Extreme anger and unwillingness engulfed him, the remaining true energy of the Fire God surged back, and the blood in his body was almost boiling. Ye Yang wailed in pain, feeling that a burning flame came from the darkness, burning every inch of his skin.

  The next moment, the blood vessels were completely boiling, and a strong new force surged into the body!

  ……

  Peng Cheng stood proudly on the stage, holding the Broken Flame Sword high in his hand, laughing wildly and majestically.

  But just then, a strange change occurred!

  "Bang!"

  One arm grasped onto the stone slab of the martial arena, and in the next instant, a shocking scene unfolded.

  Hurray!

  Ye Yang surprisingly didn't die, and the whole person's temperament has completely changed. His expression is cold and stern, his clothes are tattered, but the most shocking thing is one of his arms!

  The sleeve on his right arm was completely incinerated, with the entire arm wrapped in a thick layer of flames. Moreover, there were strips of mysterious runes floating around his arm, which seemed to be an ancient and long-lost Oracle bone script, yet not quite similar. The runes shone brightly, making Ye Yang look like a god descending from heaven at this moment!

  ……

  "This...!" Wang Dian was shocked: "What's going on, the properties of this kid's internal energy seem to have been completely transformed, so powerful..."

  Pang Jing was equally shocked.

  At this moment, anyone can feel that Ye Yang's powerful aura is absolutely domineering and unparalleled!

  ……

  Opening his eyes, Ye Yang's pair of eyes turned golden, emotionlessly staring at Peng Cheng, his voice deep and sonorous, yet every word was like a knife: "Peng Cheng, you will definitely die today!"

  "What?"

  Peng Cheng was astonished, but with the broken flame sword in his hand, he laughed loudly and said: "Ye Yang, no matter what kind of martial arts you have cultivated, you can actually change the color of your eyes. However, you are still not a match for this young master, haha..."

  "Really?"

  Ye Yang smiled faintly, suddenly greatly increasing his energy intensity, charging straight at Peng Cheng with a speed as swift as lightning, raising his right arm and heavily punching downwards!

  "Boom!"

  In the midst of a loud crash, Peng Cheng's left hand held up his dark blade to block Ye Yang's path, but unexpectedly, the dark blade was unable to withstand Ye Yang's fist and shattered with a crisp sound. A powerful punch from Ye Yang heavily imprinted on Peng Cheng's chest!

  A loud cracking sound of broken ribs, Peng Cheng stared at his own chest in disbelief, deeply sunken, and couldn't even block the opponent's blow!

  Ye Yang let out a loud roar and swung his right fist in a powerful downward blow!

  "Boom!"

  This time, Peng Cheng fell into the ground, his life or death unknown!

  ……

  Looking at the blood-red arm of Ye Yang on stage, finally, Cao De, the head of the Cao family, stood up and muttered: "This... this... is this the legendary... awakening of the Fire God's Bloodline? Heaven..."

  However, at this moment, the patriarch of the Fire God clan, Peng Feng, disappeared on the spot. The next moment, he appeared on the stage, his fists bursting out, and a thunderous momentum struck Ye Yang's back!

  "Boom!"

  His mind was a complete blank, Ye Yang had already been battered and bruised all over, even after his blood vessels were awakened he couldn't withstand the full force of a Ninth Grade Grandmaster's attack, and he actually fainted.

  Peng Feng lifted Ye Yang's body with one hand, standing tall on the Fire God Altar, and shouted loudly: "Ye Yang, a descendant of the Ye family, has cultivated the Walk of Flames and entered demonic possession, he has become a demon!"

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