Chapter 435: Slap in the Face

"These guys from Canglan Nation are truly going too far!" Ling Jie clenched his fists, his face filled with indignation. "Just you wait! Soon, you won't be smiling at all."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly saw Yan Xiaohua gritting his teeth, pounding his head, and stomping his feet, looking as if he was having an epileptic seizure. Ling Jie's eyes widened, and he quickly asked, "Brother Hua, what's wrong?"

"I… hate… ahhh!!" Hua Minghai furiously pulled at his hair. "If I had known this pervert... oh no, if Boss Yun was participating in the ranking tournament, I shouldn't have come in here. I should have set up a betting booth outside... offering odds of 1.2 to 1 for Canglan Nation to win, and 10 to 1 for Azure Wind Nation to win. Everyone would have thought I was an idiot and bet heavily on Canglan Nation... and then I would have gotten rich... rich! But now there's no chance! My perfect opportunity to become the richest man in the Profound Sky Continent!!!"

"..." Ling Jie looked at him with disdain.

As the Profound Practitioners from Canglan Nation kept pushing each other forward, the previously silent "Gentleman of Pitying Flowers," Han Ruyu, finally spoke. He smiled faintly and said with a tone of disdain and pity, "He's just a pathetic clown, not even worth our effort... No one needs to make a move; just let him concede directly."

Han Ruyu was the top young practitioner in Canglan Nation, the strongest and core member among the ten. His words were naturally immediately agreed upon by the other nine. "Young Master Han is right. Let that guy roll off the stage himself. I bet he's hoping for it too."

Just then, Yun Che's voice suddenly came from behind them. "Have you decided yet? Please hurry, I'm in a rush."

Yun Che's voice was blunt, with a hint of arrogance... For a "trash-level" individual, whom they considered beneath their notice and not worth attacking, to speak to them in such a tone, they, as powerful individuals standing at the peak, naturally felt extreme displeasure. The Canglan Profound Practitioner standing at the very front turned around and sneered at Yun Che, "What, are you in a hurry to get off the stage?"

"You're half right," Yun Che chuckled. "I'm in a hurry to send you all off the stage."

"You're asking for death!" The Canglan Profound Practitioner who spoke immediately erupted in rage... How dare a worthless person he considered beneath his notice be so arrogant in front of him!

"It seems you idiots can't come up with a decision either."

The word "idiots," clearly insulting, made all ten members of Canglan Nation's team change their expressions... They could insult and mock others wantonly because they saw themselves as superior powerhouses; insulting a weaker person was natural to them. But to be called "idiots" by a weak individual was an intolerable, blood-deep insult.

Just as they were about to burst into curses, Yun Che's figure suddenly flickered in their sight and vanished from his spot... Not one of the ten could clearly see how he disappeared. Before they could even turn around, a catastrophic gust of wind suddenly erupted from behind them.

Boom!!On the Phoenix Arena, a colossal sound, like profound lightning shaking the world, echoed. Four Profound Practitioners standing together, who hadn't even seen what happened, felt as if they had been struck by a mighty, ten-thousand-pound hammer. Their minds went blank with a roar, and they were sent flying far away like bundles of straw.

Yun Che already had the Dragon Fault in hand, and with one swing, he blasted four people away. Then, with a flicker of Star God's Broken Shadow, two consecutive Overlord's Wraths slammed down with explosive force.

Boom!!Boom!!"Aaaahhhh!!!"

Finally, one Canglan Profound Practitioner reacted, but all he could do... was let out a miserable scream.

In just two breaths of time, Yun Che unleashed three sword strikes. Under these three strikes, nine figures, accompanied by streams of blood, were sent flying far in different directions... All of them were launched off the Phoenix Arena, with the furthest one flying over two hundred zhang and crashing heavily into the spectator stands.

In the third breath, Yun Che charged towards the last remaining Canglan Profound Practitioner... Han Ruyu.

This sudden turn of events made Han Ruyu's pupils constrict to pinpricks. The terrifying surge of air approaching him instantly tightened every nerve in his body. In utter terror and disarray, he had no time to counterattack or evade; he could only instinctively erect a profound energy defense.

Bang!!!Under the Dragon Fault's wild power, his profound energy defense was completely shattered like fragile glass. Han Ruyu's entire body shuddered, his chest felt as if struck by a mountain, and a mouthful of blood gushed out. His body was directly blasted high into the air, but Yun Che's movements didn't stop there. He suddenly leaped up, instantly catching up to Han Ruyu's height, and a cruel sneer appeared on his face...

"You kept calling me a 'pathetic clown' earlier? Then what are you? Heh... Gentleman of Pitying Flowers? I think from now on, you'd better be a... 'Crippled Flower Gentleman'!!"

With a low growl, Yun Che swung the Dragon Fault downwards... smashing it hard onto Han Ruyu's... face!

CRACK!!!!The crisp sound of the strike and bone shattering clearly reached everyone's ears. Han Ruyu's right jawbone was fractured, his teeth instantly pulverized into powder, and half of his face completely caved in. He let out a shriek as his entire body, like a top forcefully spun away, shot downwards in a rapid spin, crashing with a loud "bang" into the Canglan Nation's seating area.

"Ugh..." Han Ruyu's eyes bulged, his face was covered in blood, and his once perfect features were now ruined and hideous... If he had ever been to Azure Wind Nation and heard about Yun Che's strength and the ruthlessness of his attacks, he probably wouldn't have dared to mock Yun Che as a "clown" even with ten times the courage. He looked at the blood before his eyes, let out an excruciating groan, and then collapsed, unconscious.

The vast stadium instantly fell into a deathly silence. Everyone stared wide-eyed, as if they had all suddenly fallen into a dream.

Everything happened too quickly. From Yun Che's sudden attack to the nine Profound Practitioners from Canglan Nation being blasted off the Phoenix Arena, only two breaths of time passed!! In the next two breaths, the top young practitioner of Canglan Nation was sent crashing back into the Canglan seats by two of Yun Che's sword strikes.

Four breaths of time... In just four breaths of time, one person... blasted all the participating Profound Practitioners from Canglan Nation off the Phoenix Arena! And the strongest among them, Han Ruyu, known as Canglan Nation's miracle, was severely injured and fell unconscious on the spot!!

Everyone... those who had previously mocked, laughed, scorned, jeered, ignored, or paid no attention... at this moment, they were all stunned. Even Feng Hengkong's expression froze for a moment.

Bang!!Yun Che landed from the air. He didn't deliberately control his descent; his body, carrying the over twenty-thousand-pound Dragon Fault, crashed down, producing a deafening thud. This resounding impact also jolted everyone awake from their complete stupor... Looking at Yun Che, who stood proudly alone on the Phoenix Arena, holding his heavy sword with calm, unwavering eyes, they could all hear their own hearts convulsing and trembling.

"H-h-h-how is this possible... What just happened?" A Profound Practitioner's eyes were wide open; even now, he couldn't believe what he had just witnessed.

"He's just... Earth Profound Realm? Really just Earth Profound Realm... One person... instantly defeated Canglan?" The speaker's voice trembled, his eyes wide and fixed, looking at Yun Che as if he were a ghost or deity from another world.

"An illusion... It must be... fake, right..."

The Canglan Profound Practitioners, whose voices had previously been so boisterous, were now all silent. They watched wide-eyed as the Azure Wind Profound Practitioner, whom they had scorned, mocked, and treated as a joke, single-handedly blasted away all the Canglan geniuses they were so proud of, like autumn winds sweeping fallen leaves. Han Ruyu, the miraculous genius they thought unrivalled, was left in a horrendous state by just two simple sword strikes from his opponent...

They felt as if their entire world had almost collapsed.

"Yun Che!! Yun Che!! This is our Yun Che of Azure Wind Nation!! Did you see that? This is my Yun Che of Azure Wind Nation!!"

The Profound Practitioners of Azure Wind Nation also woke from their stupor at this moment. Almost all of them stood up, unable to contain their excitement. What had their eyes just witnessed...? Four breaths, only four breaths! He alone blasted all ten top geniuses from Canglan Nation off the Phoenix Arena... And Canglan Nation, remember, was ranked second in the last tournament! Under Yun Che's sword, they couldn't even fight back, let alone defend themselves!

What prestige! What dominance... What glory!! All the mockery, sneers, and humiliation they had endured were now repaid a thousandfold. Pride and arrogance filled every corner of their bodies and minds. Indeed, in their entire lives, they had never felt as proud to be a person of Azure Wind Nation as they did at this very moment.

"Boss!! You, you, you, you, you... you're too cool!!" Ling Jie stood up, his entire face flushed crimson like blood, too excited to find words to describe his feelings. Back during the Azure Wind Ranking Tournament, Yun Che was magnificent, claiming the top spot. But the splendor of these four breaths now surpassed that by tens of millions of times! Because he was on the highest stage of the Seven Nations, sweeping aside Canglan Nation's absolute top Profound Practitioners right in front of all the powerful figures of the Profound Sky Continent!!

"Hiss..." Hua Minghai sharply inhaled, not out of fear, but excitement. "Nicely done... Hiss! That's a resounding slap in the face! In all my years, I've never seen such a loud, satisfying slap. Those Canglan Nation people must be feeling as miserable as if they'd swallowed excrement right now, oh ha ha ha ha..."

All nine Canglan Profound Practitioners blasted away by Yun Che had now gotten back up. They stood frozen in place, staring blankly at Yun Che on the stage, their faces pale, their bodies trembling, as if their souls had left their bodies...