Chapter 446: The Overlord Awakens

"Who's there?!"

At the Seven Nations Ranking Tournament venue, within the Divine Phoenix Empire's Phoenix Realm, someone actually dared to force their way in.

Feng Hengkong calmly looked up, glancing at the intruder in mid-air... But in the very next instant, his calm expression vanished, replaced by a flicker of shock in his eyes.

The closest person, Feng Feiyan, frowned deeply. He was about to act directly, but his profound energy, halfway through its surge, abruptly halted. His face showed the same astonished expression as Feng Hengkong's as he watched the tall, imposing figure descend with an incredibly fierce momentum, landing heavily behind Yun Che.

*Boom!!!*

The ground beneath his feet instantly shattered. A crack rapidly spread from where he landed, extending three hundred meters in an instant, cutting a nation's seating area directly in half and terrifying the profound practitioners seated there into pallor.

The nine genius Phoenix disciples surrounding Yun Che all felt a tsunami-like wave of energy surge towards them the moment he landed. They simultaneously let out a muffled groan, pushed back more than ten meters by the force. A look of terror appeared on each of their faces... Just the sheer power of his landing had forced all nine of them back! How terrifying must this person's strength be!

"Oh?" Gu Cang Zhenren looked at the descending figure, thoughtfully recalling the loud roar that had reverberated through the entire venue moments ago.

The person who descended from the sky was incredibly tall and robust, built like a monster. Every muscle on their body was prominently bulging and shone with a metallic luster, making it easy to imagine the astonishing power contained within them just by looking.

Observing this individual, many powerful figures from the Divine Phoenix Sect wore expressions of shock... because the profound energy aura emanating from him was clearly that of the Overlord Profound Realm!!

However, merely being an Overlord was not enough to shock them to this extent. On the face of this astonishingly tall and sturdy person, they clearly saw a trace of youthfulness. While powerful profound energy could slow aging and conceal one's true age, it couldn't maintain the youthful innocence unique to adolescents. This meant that this person's age, at most... could not exceed twenty years old!!

An Overlord under twenty years old!!Moreover, his aura was distinctly that of the Mid-stage Overlord Profound Realm... capable of suppressing seventy percent of the Divine Phoenix Sect's elder-level powerhouses!

Peerless experts at the absolute pinnacle of the Sky Profound Realm, like Feng Feiyan and Feng Hengkong, experienced a momentary daze upon realizing this fact. Given Feng Feiyan's fiery temperament, he didn't dare to act rashly against this intruder who had burst through the wall.

A Mid-stage Overlord Profound Realm practitioner under twenty... This was a truly terrifying concept.

The nine Phoenix disciples, who had been forcefully pushed back by his mere presence, gazed at him with extreme fear, not daring to take a single step forward for a moment.

However, Yun Che, who was closest to his landing point, was not affected by the energy wave in the slightest, clearly indicating that the newcomer had intentionally suppressed his aura in Yun Che's direction. Yun Che slowly turned around, staring blankly at the incredibly familiar, yet completely foreign and unbelievably strong aura of the back in his sight...

"Yuan... Yuanba?"

Yun Che's call made the tall figure tremble violently. Slowly, he began to turn around... The turning motion was incredibly slow, and his entire body shook like a sieve throughout the process, whether from overwhelming excitement or fear that the person he saw after turning wouldn't be the one he most wished to see.

Finally, his body completely turned, revealing a face contorted with emotion.

Xia Yuanba!!Unseen for over two years, Xia Yuanba's already remarkable physique had grown nearly half a chi taller, making him an absolute giant in front of Yun Che. His appearance had matured somewhat; his eyes and brows completely lacked their former simple-mindedness and weakness, replaced instead by a resolve and determination never before seen in him, along with a heart-pounding sense of oppression. The overwhelming power of his aura was a world apart from his former weakness.

However, Yun Che had grown up with him. No matter how much they had changed, even if they hadn't seen each other for over a decade, a single glance was enough for them to instantly recognize each other.

"Brother... brother-in-law..."The words 'brother-in-law' barely left Xia Yuanba's lips before tears instantly streamed down his face. His voice became incredibly hoarse with sobs: "Brother-in-law... Brother-in-law!!"

Xia Yuanba cried out tremblingly, then lunged forward. His massive body surged towards Yun Che, and his thick arms wrapped tightly around him. He then burst into heart-wrenching sobs right in front of millions of people. Despite being such a huge man, his cries were utterly soul-piercing, echoing through every corner of the arena.

"Yuanba, it really is you." Yun Che's hand rested on Xia Yuanba's arm. He smiled slightly, his shock and disbelief quickly fading, replaced by a feeling of warmth and comfort.

Xia Yuanba had changed. His strength had undergone a monumental transformation; his eyes, demeanor, and aura were completely different. But the way he called out to him, the feeling of his embrace, and the tears that only fell in front of him... none of that had changed. He was still the Xia Yuanba Yun Che had known and been close to since childhood.

"Brother-in-law... it really is you..." Xia Yuanba repeated Yun Che's words, his shoulders shaking, tears flowing unstoppably. No matter how much a person changed, the most cherished and precious emotions within their heart and soul remained constant through the ages. Moreover, all the changes he had undergone in the past two years were because of Yun Che.

Although he had learned from his father that Yun Che hadn't died over two years ago, he was still completely unable to control his emotions when he saw Yun Che alive and well with his own eyes.

"Uh... Ahhhhh!!" Ling Jie stared at the giant embracing Yun Che. After a long moment of stunned silence, he suddenly let out a strange cry of alarm.

"What's wrong? Who is that person? Do you know him?" Hua Minghai quickly asked.

"I... I know him. B-b-but... but..." Ling Jie took a sharp breath, too astonished to speak coherently. Of course, he had seen Xia Yuanba before, as he had accompanied Yun Che to the Seven Nations Ranking Tournament at Heavenly Sword Villa. His two main characteristics—his massive physique and his incredibly weak profound energy—made him unforgettable to Ling Jie. Later, Yun Che being sealed in the Sword Discarding Platform was also because of him.

However, back then, Xia Yuanba's profound energy was clearly only at the Elementary Profound Realm; he was arguably the most untalented person Ling Jie had ever met. But now, with his single leap, his aura was enough to shatter mountains and crack the earth. The nine genius Phoenix Throne disciples of the Divine Phoenix Sect were forced back over ten meters by his mere presence... The contrast was simply too enormous... so vast that Ling Jie couldn't believe it.

What is happening in this world... Big Brother defeating Feng Xiluo was already terrifying enough!! And this former trash among trash, actually... actually...

"This person..." Ling Kun's face showed profound astonishment—many times greater than his surprise at Yun Che defeating Feng Xiluo. He, too, had seen Xia Yuanba before, and Yun Che had risked his own life to save Xia Yuanba right before his eyes. If not for the words he had spoken to Yun Che and his uncontrolled emotions, even with such similar appearances, Ling Kun would never have believed they were the same person.

"An Overlord!?" Even the usually nonchalant Ye Xinghan suddenly furrowed his brows. Clearly, an Overlord who seemed to be under twenty years old commanded his serious attention.

"Young Palace Master," Ling Kun began, "Would you believe me if I told you that this person's profound energy was only at the Elementary Profound Realm two years ago?"

"So, Elder Ling also tells such unamusing jokes," Ye Xinghan said with a wry smile.

"Heh heh." Ling Kun chuckled, saying no more.

"Who exactly are you?! How dare you trespass into my Phoenix Realm!!" Feng Feiyan descended above Xia Yuanba, his brows furrowed, speaking sternly. Yet, he still didn't dare to act rashly. For such a young Overlord, the only origin he could conceive of was a Sacred Ground!

Gu Cang Zhenren rose from his seat, leaning on his whisk, and smiled peacefully: "This young man is my last disciple. My unruly apprentice is impulsive by nature, and having suddenly seen a close relative, his emotions became uncontrollable, disturbing you all. I hope your esteemed sect will not take offense."

Feng Hengkong also quickly stood up, his face full of surprise. "So he is Gu Zhenren's disciple! No wonder he possesses such astonishing cultivation at such a young age... May I ask your disciple's age?"

Gu Cang Zhenren smiled faintly: "My humble apprentice is already eighteen this year."

The moment the words "eighteen years old" were uttered, those whose cultivation was below the Overlord Profound Realm and couldn't perceive the true strength of Xia Yuanba's profound energy didn't react much. However, Feng Hengkong, Feng Feiyan, and the various Grand Elders of the Divine Phoenix Sect all changed color in astonishment. Even Ye Xinghan's eyebrows twitched violently.

Feng Hengkong exclaimed in surprise, "As expected of Gu Cang Zhenren's personal last disciple! At only eighteen years of age, he's already at the Overlord Profound Realm! His future achievements are immeasurable! Congratulations to Gu Cang Zhenren for acquiring such an outstanding disciple."

Feng Hengkong did not intentionally lower his voice, and with his profound profound energy, his words naturally spread easily throughout the entire venue. When the phrases "eighteen years old" and "Overlord" came from his mouth, all the profound practitioners present were stunned speechless.

*Pfft...*Ling Jie, who had been holding his breath, suddenly let it all out in a gasp: "An O... O... Overlord!?"

"Holy crap... you don't see an Overlord for a hundred years in other places, so why are they suddenly so common today... Eighteen years old... an Overlord... Are you freaking kidding me?" Hua Minghai gasped, then his expression relaxed as he muttered, "But seeing how close he is with Big Brother Yun, and he's also the last disciple of the Supreme Elder of this Absolute Monarch Sanctuary... it seems Big Brother Yun is suddenly out of danger!!"

"Heh heh," Gu Cang Zhenren chuckled at Feng Hengkong, then turned his gaze to Xia Yuanba and said lightly, "Yuanba, as a disciple of the Sacred Ground, even if you couldn't help yourself, such sobbing is highly inappropriate. Control your emotions and come greet the Phoenix Sect Master."

Xia Yuanba's emotions finally stabilized at this moment. He turned around, but not towards Gu Cang Zhenren. His gaze sharply swept over the Phoenix disciples in the air: "Just now, was it you who said my Azure Cloud was devoid of talent?! And you want all nine of you to gang up on my brother-in-law?! Then come up and fight me... Come on!!"

Earlier, Xia Yuanba had been sobbing like a child, and the nine Phoenix disciples found it amusing. But the moment Xia Yuanba's gaze swept over them, the intimidating power in his eyes caused their hearts to violently spasm simultaneously. Every word of his roar was like thunder from beyond the heavens, shaking their entire bodies until their blood boiled, almost making them vomit blood on the spot.

Yun Che re-examined Xia Yuanba, his heart filled with shock. The Xia Yuanba he knew was simple-minded and weak, but the current Xia Yuanba, on the Divine Phoenix Sect's territory, facing its powerful figures and disciples, exuded an aura, gaze, and voice so domineering and mighty. The feeling... was like a peerless emperor looking down on the world, overseeing all beings, with everything appearing insignificant in his eyes!

"His Emperor Overlord Divine Veins have actually awakened," Jasmine's voice was also full of surprise. Although she had long ago informed Yun Che that Xia Yuanba's profound veins were the extremely rare Emperor Overlord Divine Veins, she had also stated that, given his personality, these veins could never awaken. Instead, they would become a huge hindrance on his path of profound cultivation, limiting him to at most the Elementary Profound Realm.

But the truth before them was that Xia Yuanba's Emperor Overlord Divine Veins had truly awakened!