Chapter 724 - 725: Qualified or Not

The defensive armor Jiu Hong wore was from Slaughter Hall. It was high-grade, at the Seventh-level Peak, capable of withstanding a full-power blow from a Tier Eight First Layer Martial Emperor. It also possessed some Defense Power against Martial Emperors of even higher Tiers.

But under the poison mist spat out by Erhei, holes rapidly appeared on his defensive armor. The toxin began to seep through the armor and into Jiu Hong’s flesh, causing his entire body to start melting.

The excruciating pain instantly robbed Jiu Hong of his ability to think. In the face of death, he completely lost his composure, crying out in terror, "I surrender! Spare me! I’ll give up on this Restriction Array..."

He had actually started begging for his life.

Ye Xuan sneered. ’This man thinks he can come and go as he pleases? Things aren’t that simple.’

Erhei, for its part, paid no mind to his pleas. Its long, lizard-like tongue shot out with a SWISH, wrapping around Jiu Hong before gulping him down into its belly.

GULP!

Erhei’s belly bulged for a moment, as if it had swallowed something. It then spat out a Storage Ring that landed in Ye Xuan’s hand. Its portly body then sat down obediently beside Ye Xuan.

With a CLANG, Ye Xuan retrieved Jiu Hong’s Universe Fire Dragon Ring and calmly placed it in his own Storage Ring. "Am I qualified to occupy this Restriction Array now?" he asked lightly.

The surrounding Martial Artists stared blankly at the black toad beside Ye Xuan and at Ye Xuan’s own placid expression. The area fell completely silent.

Their eyes were filled with utter horror. ’How much time has passed? A Tier Eight Second Layer Martial Emperor is dead, just like that?’

’What in the world is this black toad Demon Beast?’

Even Zhan Shang’s eyes flashed with surprise.

At this moment, Ye Xuan seemed like a deity. A long moment passed, yet not a single Martial Artist stepped forward to challenge him.

While there were several Martial Emperors present stronger than Jiu Hong, the scene of Erhei swallowing him whole had been far too shocking.

No method of death was more terrifying than that.

"Hmph. Such cruel methods. Jiu Hong had clearly already surrendered, yet you still struck a fatal blow. Don’t you think that’s going a bit too far?"

Amidst the silence, a cold snort suddenly echoed, accompanied by an incomparably terrifying pressure.

The one who spoke was none other than Diao Minghuang, who had already claimed one of the Restriction Arrays.

Ye Xuan shot Diao Minghuang a cold glance and scoffed, "You have the nerve to call me cruel? A moment ago, that Martial Emperor merely expressed some doubt about you, and you, Diao Minghuang, cut him down with a single slash. Just now, Jiu Hong tried to kill my Spirit Pet and was killed by it in return. And that’s cruel? Compared to you, I’m not even in the same league."

Others might fear Diao Minghuang, but Ye Xuan was not the least bit intimidated.

"You..." Diao Minghuang’s gaze turned frigid. He never expected Ye Xuan would dare speak to him this way. A thick killing intent radiated from his eyes. "Brat," he said icily, "believe it or not, I’ll cut you down and chop you into paste to feed the dogs."

"You’re more than welcome to come up here and try. We’ll see who ends up dead. But don’t worry, I won’t let my Spirit Pet eat you. I’m afraid it would get sick to its stomach and throw up."

"You’re courting death!"

Diao Minghuang roared, seemingly unable to control his temper. No longer holding back, he unleashed a ferocious slash.

WHOOSH!

A brilliant flash of blade light tore through the air. Countless dazzling, rainbow-hued lights materialized upon it, packed densely together. Each ray contained a terrifying blade intent and a powerful spatial energy that locked down the void around Ye Xuan.

"Young Master Ye, look out!" Xu Zhen’s face was instantly etched with horror.

A Tier Eight Third Layer Martial Emperor was on a completely different level than a Tier Eight Second Layer one. Even a Martial Emperor at the Peak of Tier Eight Second Layer would be virtually powerless before them.

In Xu Zhen’s eyes, no matter how strong Ye Xuan’s black toad Spirit Pet was, it was no match for Diao Minghuang.

Ye Xuan’s gaze hardened, his heart pounding. With a CLANG, he drew the Sword of Judgment, preparing to make his move.

After Erhei devoured all those blood-black demonic shadows, Ye Xuan had clearly sensed a significant increase in its cultivation. Even so, he was still doubtful that Erhei could take on a Tier Eight Third Layer Martial Emperor.

BOOM!

But just as Ye Xuan prepared to strike, a terrifying fist shadow materialized in front of him. Rippling halos of light flickered across the hazy, black image of the fist, instantly intercepting Diao Minghuang’s slash. The entire hall seemed to tremble from the violent explosion that followed.

"Brother Guanglin, what is the meaning of this? Didn’t you say this kid’s actions were his own and had nothing to do with the Xu family?" Diao Minghuang demanded furiously, glaring at Xu Guanglin, the one who had just intervened.

The one who had made the sudden move was none other than the Xu family’s patriarch, Xu Guanglin.

"I did say that," Xu Guanglin replied calmly. "However, Diao Minghuang, for a distinguished Tier Eight Third Layer Martial Emperor such as yourself to attack a junior... isn’t that a bit much? Besides, you’ve already claimed a Restriction Array. Attacking again would be a breach of etiquette, would it not?"

Though his tone was mild, it carried an authority that could not be questioned.

"You..." Diao Minghuang’s face contorted with rage, but all he could do was snort coldly.

Xu Guanglin was right. Since he had already claimed a Restriction Array, he had no justification for making another move.

He had only attacked by feigning a loss of emotional control.

But now that Xu Guanglin had stopped him, he knew his ploy had failed.

"Young Master Ye, just remain where you are. I will not interfere if others make a move, but if any expert who has already claimed a Restriction Array dares to attack you, I, Xu Guanglin, will not let you face them alone."

Xu Guanglin said to Ye Xuan with a smile.

Ye Xuan was secretly surprised.

’I never expected Xu Guanglin to step in for me.’

’According to our contract,’ he thought, ’the Xu family has to give me thirty percent of anything they gain in this mysterious place. Patriarch Xu Guanglin should be wishing I’d just die.’

But his actions were the complete opposite of what Ye Xuan had expected.

Since the man was showing such goodwill, Ye Xuan, not being an unreasonable person himself, cupped his hands and smiled faintly. "Then I must thank you, Brother Guanglin."

"Haha, Young Master Ye, you are too kind."

Xu Guanglin smiled faintly, clearly pleased.

In truth, he had his own selfish reasons for saving Ye Xuan.

The more he interacted with Ye Xuan, the more puzzled and curious he became about the young man’s origins.

Others present might not have known Ye Xuan, but he was well aware of everything the young man had done in Celestial Capital Prefecture.

A genius this young not only possessed astonishing talent in Soul Refining, Alchemy, and Array Refining, but was also terrifyingly skilled in the art of beast taming.

Xu Guanglin couldn’t imagine what kind of great power could have nurtured such a prodigy.

Letting Ye Xuan live did indeed mean giving up thirty percent of the profits, which was no small sum for the Xu family.

But if he could use that thirty percent to build a good relationship with a genius who had limitless potential, Xu Guanglin felt the trade was absolutely worth it.

Besides, judging from Ye Xuan’s actions in Celestial Capital Prefecture, the fact that he dared to claim a Restriction Array meant he must have his own assurances and methods. Xu Guanglin believed that even if he hadn’t intervened, Ye Xuan wouldn’t necessarily have been killed by Diao Minghuang.

Taking all these factors into account, he had made his earlier decision.

With Xu Guanglin having made his move, the crowd once again fell silent.

The silence lasted for some time, but soon, another person stepped forward.

This time, it was a man with long, gray hair named Cheng Tianqiao. The aura surging from his body was terrifying, in no way inferior to that of You Yuanming from Ghost Origin Valley.

Although Erhei had just killed Jiu Hong, this Martial Emperor at the Peak of Tier Eight Second Layer felt that there was a world of difference between the Peak of Tier Eight Second Layer and the initial Tier Eight Second Layer.

Jiu Hong’s cultivation level was only average among those at the Tier Eight Second Layer, whereas he had reached the Peak of Tier Eight Second Layer, just one step away from the Third Layer.

In terms of strength, he too could have dealt with Jiu Hong in just a few moves. Therefore, while he was somewhat wary of Ye Xuan’s black toad, he was not afraid.

However, the reason he stepped forward was not to challenge Ye Xuan.

Cheng Tianqiao walked up to Ye Xuan and cupped his hands. "I am Cheng Tianqiao, a Loose Cultivator from the Profound Domain’s Second Heaven. I have not come to challenge you, but to make a proposal. With your strength, you were able to kill Jiu Hong. But to be frank, Jiu Hong was not considered strong among the Tier Eight Second Layer Martial Emperors present. Therefore, I would like to occupy this Restriction Array with you. If you agree, not only will I refrain from attacking you, but I will also help you defend this spot and break the Array. In return, I only require sixty percent of the treasures found inside once it is opened."

The other Martial Artists immediately understood his intentions and inwardly cursed his cunning. ’The man is a pure opportunist,’ they thought. ’He knows the kid might not be able to defend the Restriction Array alone, so he’s trying to use his own strength to force a partnership.’

As long as the kid wasn’t an idiot, he would have to accept Cheng Tianqiao’s offer. That way, Cheng Tianqiao would get sixty percent of the treasure for practically nothing.

’Why didn’t I think of that?’ Many of them were fuming with frustration.

"Scram," Ye Xuan said, looking at the smug Cheng Tianqiao. He spoke only a single word.

To everyone’s surprise, Cheng Tianqiao didn’t get angry. He simply cupped his hands again. "You have indeed earned the right to be arrogant. With that terrifying Demon Beast by your side, none of the remaining Tier Eight Second Layer Martial Emperors would be completely confident of defeating you in a one-on-one fight."

"But don’t forget," Cheng Tianqiao added coolly, "there are still quite a few Tier Eight Second Layer Martial Emperors here. If some of them were to join forces, do you think you would stand a chance?"

"However, if you choose to ally with me, I am confident that with our combined strength and my reputation, no one will dare to challenge us again."