Chapter 16: Uproot the Weeds

Ye Liuyun saw everyone's eager gazes and realized his carelessness had exposed his wealth, fearing it would cause trouble.

"Hand over the Storage Ring, and I can spare your life!" From his advantageous perch, Ye Wanjian was the first to threaten.

Ye Liuyun hadn't expected that the first to target his Storage Ring would be Ye Wanjian.

He looked at Ye Wanjian as if at a fool, then laughed, "You? Ha! A trash who can be blinded by beauty and wealth doesn't deserve to have such a thing!"

"Fine! You are indeed arrogant!" Ye Wanjian's expression unchanged, "Since you are seeking death, I'll kill you first! Everything of yours will naturally belong to me!"

Ye Liuyun, too lazy for idle talk, swung his great hammer and struck forward.

For someone accustomed to arrogance, talking to him is useless; showing strength is the most effective.

Ye Wanjian was also enraged by Ye Liuyun. Today, in front of everyone, Ye Liuyun repeatedly despised him; unless he kills Ye Liuyun, his hatred cannot be soothed.

Immediately, he drew his sword and unleashed the Ten Thousand Swords Return, thrusting at the hammer coming his way.

"Ye Wanjian is furious! He comes up with his strongest move!" Many Outer Residence disciples below were sweating for Ye Liuyun.

A "dang" sound rang.

To everyone's surprise, Ye Liuyun's hammer broke Ye Wanjian's strongest technique and forced Ye Wanjian to dodge and retreat.

Ye Wanjian was shocked in his heart at this moment.

"I didn't expect this trash to have such strength. It not only blocked my strongest move, but also hammered my long sword almost out of my hand."

He glanced at the yellow-tier supreme long sword in his hand; its blade had been cracked open by the impact.

Ye Wanjian's eyes instantly reddened! He roared at Ye Liuyun, "Ah! You trash, how dare you destroy my long sword!"

Ye Liuyun thought bitterly, "Is there really a rule that you can't destroy an opponent's weapon in battle?"

He spat, "Idiot!" and kept swinging his hammer again.

"You…" Ye Wanjian was speechless with anger. His weapon had just been countered, leaving only evasion.

Yet his footwork was no better than Ye Liuyun's. After a few dodges, he could only block with his long sword.

The "dang, dang" sounds rang, each time cracking a notch in Ye Wanjian's long sword.

"Ye Liuyun!" Ye Wanjian snarled, "Do you dare to fight me bare‑handed?"

"Fool!" Ye Liuyun shouted again.

"They're fighting for their lives, and this fool thinks it's sparring? Turns out Ye Wanjian is not only arrogant but also stupid! No wonder he fell under Ye Xinyu's manipulation. Such people hold grudges, so when the chance arises they must uproot the weeds, leaving no aftermath."

Ye Liuyun resolved in his heart to show no mercy when he struck.

Ye Wanjian was now in a sorry state, chased across the arena by Ye Liuyun, his earlier lofty aura completely gone.

He finally realized Ye Liuyun's power. With each hammer strike he had to grip his long sword tightly to keep it from slipping. Even the gust from the hammer made his skin ache.

Now his hand holding the sword was almost numb from the shock. He feared he could no longer withstand a few more blows.

So he simply stopped fleeing and snarled at Ye Liuyun, "Are you trying to force me to fight you to the death?"

Ye Liuyun seized the chance, swinging a hammer horizontally, too lazy to bother with such a fool! He's on the brink of death yet still dares to threaten me!

Ye Wanjian, with no escape, had to unleash his full-force Ten Thousand Swords Return to block.

At this point, he has no means to fight desperately; merely surviving is good enough.

But he didn't expect Ye Liuyun's power to increase again.

Ye Liuyun knew he couldn't dodge, so this hammer's force mobilized all his True Qi, True Qi Seeds, and even his bloodline power; even the Peak Eightfold Body Refinement couldn't withstand it.

Ye Wanjian was like a small boat tossed in stormy seas, unable to hold on. After his long sword snapped and flew from his hand, he was struck by the hammer's residual force; the "crack—crack" of bones shattering echoed, making anyone who heard it feel sick.

Yet Ye Liuyun didn't stop; he lunged forward in a single step, swinging both hands with the hammer, ready to strike again.

"Stop!" the Grand Elder shouted, hurriedly ordering them to cease.

Ye Wanjian was also a junior he had carefully cultivated. If Ye Liuyun killed him, his control over the younger generation would weaken even more! Hence he couldn't help but speak up.

But Ye Liuyun gave him no respect; the hammer came down directly, splattering blood everywhere.

Seeing Ye Liuyun ignore his command, the Grand Elder roared, "I told you to stop; didn't you hear?"

"So what if I heard?" Ye Liuyun retorted, "Who gave you the right to interfere with the competition? Which rule says you can't kill your opponent during a Clan Competition?"

Ye Liuyun asked fearlessly, leaving the Grand Elder momentarily speechless.

"You…"

The battle lasted nearly a quarter of an hour, and many watched with their mouths agape! No one had expected Ye Liuyun to be this fierce.

The crowd only then barely reacted, shouting in surprise.

"He's no waste! If he's a trash, then what are we!"

"Damn, this is exhilarating! Chasing Ye Wanjian and hammering him!"

"What a ruthless guy! He even dares to defy the Grand Elder! Don't ever provoke him again!"

The Grand Elder only then realized. He hadn't expected a trash to challenge him, tarnishing his face.

"You little brute! How dare you disregard your elders; see if I won't kill you!"

Saying that, he slammed the table and rose, intending to use the chance to kill Ye Liuyun.

"Sit down!" the Clan Chief, having now witnessed Ye Liuyun's potential, could not let the Grand Elder run amok.

In a few years, Ye Liuyun could surpass the Grand Elder. How could he abandon a rising talent for an old man?

"Clan Chief! This kid strikes ruthlessly and disregards elders…"

"Enough!" the Clan Chief waved his hand, cutting off the Grand Elder, "Ye Liuyun wins, ranking third. The competition continues!"

The Clan Chief, on behalf of the Steward Elder, announced Ye Liuyun's result.

Ye Liuyun bowed in thanks, about to step down from the arena.

But the Grand Elder let out a "hmph", a surge of Divine Soul Power surged into Ye Liuyun's Sea of Consciousness.

Clearly the Grand Elder was unwilling to lose, attempting to destroy Ye Liuyun with a Spiritual Soul Attack.

He is a True Origin Triple master, his Divine Soul Power immense. This attack could either render Ye Liuyun a fool or kill him outright.

He doesn't believe the Clan Chief will, at that time, hold a grudge against him because of a worthless person or a dead person.

"You dare!" the Clan Chief felt the Grand Elder's Soul fluctuation, and instantly became furious! This guy actually dared to defy his order.

At the same time, a terrifying Divine Sense pressure from afar erupted with a boom and surged straight toward the Grand Elder's Sea of Consciousness, intimidating the other Elders and the Clan Chief into staying still.

But Ye Liuyun had already resolved the crisis at this point.

The Ten Thousand Gods Command in his Sea of Consciousness suddenly flared, seized the Divine Sense that rushed into his Sea of Consciousness, and turned it into nourishment for Ye Liuyun's Soul.

In an instant, his Soul grew considerably. The range the Divine Sense could probe instantly expanded to nearly twenty meters! That's far faster than his own cultivation.

The Grand Elder, however, turned ashen, coughed up blood repeatedly, and collapsed to the ground.

On one hand, part of his Divine Sense was forcibly taken by the Ten Thousand Gods Command, backfiring on him; on the other hand, the Divine Sense that surged into his Sea of Consciousness delivered a fatal blow while his Divine Sense was weakened, completely erasing his Soul.

Yet the Divine Sense pressure still lingered, hovering above the viewing platform, making none of the Elders dare to act rashly.