Chapter 1860

Wu Gen exerted all his strength, indeed managing to block this strike, but the tremendous force still shocked his interior, causing a surge of qi and blood.

He spat out a large mouthful of fresh blood.

But it wasn't over yet; before he could recover, Ye Zhangqing kicked him hard in the chest.

With a cracking sound of breaking bones, Wu Gen, kneeling on one knee, had no time to react; his whole body flew backward like a snapped kite.

He crashed straight into a room in the courtyard, which instantly collapsed and buried him inside.

In just a few breaths, seeing Wu Gen almost unable to fight back, all the disciples present were utterly stunned.

If one were to speak of the previous match against Zhao Qinglin, what Ye Zhangqing displayed to the many disciples was his skill in the culinary way.

Now, what Ye Zhangqing reveals is his terrifying combat power.

Before this, Wu Gen was absolutely the Heaven-Earth Fire Hall's recognized number one, whether in culinary way, cultivation, or combat power—he was first in all.

But now, Wu Gen had no spirit left after being beaten; he was trampled on the ground and ruthlessly rubbed.

Under the gaze of the many disciples, Ye Zhangqing did not stop.

Instead, he launched a slaughter against Wu Gen's retinue.

Those who followed Wu Gen this time numbered roughly more than ten.

For these people, Ye Zhangqing showed no mercy whatsoever and gave them no chance.

With a swing of the blade, in an instant those who had been fierce and wanted to surround and kill him were all frightened and fled in panic.

Unfortunately, they didn't even get a chance to escape.

More than ten people were slain to the last by Ye Zhangqing in a short while.

At that moment, Wu Gen also crawled up from the rubble; seeing the corpses strewn on the ground, his eyes turned red.

Disheveled and hair flying, he resembled a man‑eating beast, but Ye Zhangqing paid no heed to it.

Gripping the blood‑dripping dragon‑head cleaver, he stepped toward Wu Gen, unhurried and steady.

In merely that brief span, all of his own followers were completely slain by Ye Zhangqing.

Faced with this outcome, Wu Gen could not accept it, nor could he bear it.

This was the foundation he had accumulated over many years.

"Surname Ye, I will kill you.............."

He clenched his teeth and shouted in a low voice, then Wu Gen, as if mad, charged at Ye Zhangqing.

But facing his attack, Ye Zhangqing subtly sidestepped with exquisite ease and dodged it.

The next second, fresh blood appeared on Wu Gen's back, a deep wound surfacing there.

Yet at this moment Wu Gen seemed to feel no pain, continuing his frantic assault on Ye Zhangqing.

However, each of Wu Gen's attacks missed by a hair, all easily neutralized by Ye Zhangqing.

At this moment the gap in their strength was plainly visible to the naked eye.

Although they were of the same cultivation realm, as previously said, Wu Gen, being a spirit chef, necessarily devoted much of his time to culinary cultivation.

The time left for him to train was not much.

Therefore, even with the same realm, Wu Gen's combat power at the entry level of the Emperor Sovereign Realm could only be considered the lowest.

Compared to Ye Zhangqing, there is simply no basis for comparison; the difference is far too great.

His wounds kept increasing, his whole body dyed red with blood, yet the more injured he became, the more frenzied Wu Gen grew.

Perhaps knowing he had no chance of victory today, Wu Gen could only make a final struggle.

Meanwhile, the surrounding disciples, watching Wu Gen being utterly crushed one‑sidedly, each saw their expressions flip completely.

Although they remained silent, their gazes toward Ye Zhangqing had completely changed.

They became fearful, wary, and complex.

Finally, under the gaze of all the Heaven-Earth Fire Hall disciples, Ye Zhangqing ended Wu Gen's life with a single blade.

As that head flew high, blood spurted like a pillar, and Wu Gen fell straight to the ground.

With Wu Gen's death, the courtyard fell utterly silent, so quiet that a falling pin could be heard.

The many disciples no longer bore their former appearance; each, looking at Ye Zhangqing, stood dazed as if struck by lightning.

They did not regain their senses until Ye Zhangqing spoke.

"I have let you junior brothers see a joke; today Wu Gen innocently harmed our fellow disciples, intending to surround and kill me, I was forced to retaliate in self‑defense, and you junior brothers all witnessed it."

Upon hearing this, everyone first stood stunned, until someone spoke first, after which the others gradually echoed.

"Yes, Wu Gen attacked our fellow disciples; Elder Brother Ye indeed acted out of self‑defense."

"I am willing to bear witness for Elder Brother Ye."

"I am willing too."

"Wu Gen intended to harm our fellow disciples; his death is no loss."

"We support Elder Brother Ye."

The disciples present are not fools; they can clearly see the situation.

Wu Gen and his group have all been slain, their bodies still warm; now the disciples dare not test their blades, instead they all speak fawningly.

To this, Ye Zhangqing gave a slight smile, lightly shook the blood from his cleaver, and then spoke gently.

"Then thank you, junior brothers; tidy up and prepare to begin the feast."

This time, as soon as Ye Zhangqing's words fell, the disciples had no hesitation and immediately sprang into action.

Some carried corpses, some cleaned bloodstains, some tidied the surrounding tables and chairs.

Under the disciples' cleanup, the courtyard quickly returned to its original state, leaving only a faint scent of blood in the air that let everyone know what had just happened was real, not an illusion.

And after everyone finished cleaning and took their seats, they sat upright with proper posture.

Without Ye Zhangqing's permission, the disciples dared not even move a muscle.

As for Ye Zhangqing, he naturally took the main seat without yielding.

This time, no one dared to oppose.

Ye Zhangqing glanced over all the disciples, smiled, and ordered the feast to begin.

The food had of course been prepared beforehand; Ye Zhangqing didn't need to order it, as more than ten quick-witted disciples had already volunteered to serve the dishes.

As dish after dish of tempting, fragrant food was brought to the table, the expressions of many disciples grew ever more complicated.

The aroma of the food was very tempting; some disciples even forgot their fear and couldn't help but start swallowing their saliva.

Some even muttered.

"This food..................."

All the disciples were spirit chefs, so they naturally knew what this aroma signified; even without eating, they could already tell the quality of these dishes was absolutely fine.

And Ye Zhangqing likewise took in every expression of the disciples.

Wu Gen and the others had to be killed to establish authority, but Ye Zhangqing never harbored any killing intent toward anyone else from start to finish.

After all, what he wanted was to control the Heaven-Earth Fire Hall like Zhang Wuyue and his fellows, not to slaughter everyone in the hall and then become a lone commander.

If he really killed all the disciples, even Ma Qiankun would probably not agree.

So, the big stick is done; now it's time for the sweet date.