Chapter 568: Five Consecutive Wins

Prince Zhong, seated in the center of the eastern stands, suddenly rose, his face contorted with extreme shock. He actually approved of Duke Yuanque resorting to a forbidden art. Because if Duke Yuanque, as the young prince of the Zhong King's Estate, were to lose, it would be a major defeat for the entire estate. If he could use the bloodline forbidden art to utterly crush Yun Che, the side effect of three months of weakness, though severe, would still be far better than the consequences of defeat.

Duke Yuanque, whose profound energy was raging, had still failed to crush Yun Che, which already made Prince Zhong uneasy. But now, Yun Che's power aura suddenly surged dramatically, startling him so much he nearly spat blood on the spot.

The sudden surge of power hit the agitated Duke Yuanque, making him gasp and even slowing his spear's momentum. Facing Duke Yuanque's full-force attack, Yun Che no longer defended cautiously; he met it head-on, striking down fiercely with "Falling Moon Sinking Star."

Boom!! The force of Yun Che's strike was far, far more powerful than before. The profound energy storm generated by Duke Yuanque's twin spears was like thousand-foot waves encountering colossal tsunamis, instantly suppressed and swallowed. An unbelievably immense and powerful force slammed into his twin spears, then into his body.

Amidst a thunderous crash, his arms instantly went completely numb. He was flung backward like a tattered leaf in a storm, slamming violently into the roof of the Demon Imperial Hall. With the entire hall trembling fiercely, he bounced hard onto the ground, causing the hall to shake once more.

However, because he was thrown upwards rather than horizontally, he did not exit the arena boundaries when his body finally came to a halt.

Duke Yuanque, supporting himself with his twin spears, struggled to his feet from the shattered debris, his body in complete disarray, blood and qi churning as if boiling. The webbing between the thumb and forefinger of his spear-gripping hands was torn and bleeding. Despite his powerful protective profound energy, he hadn't sustained truly severe physical injuries from that strike, but his already wavering conviction was shattered for the most part.

In his "Purgatory" state, Yun Che was constantly enduring immense consumption and strain, so he naturally wouldn't waste even half a breath. As soon as Duke Yuanque stood up, Yun Che swiftly charged forward, striking down with his sword.

Duke Yuanque's veins bulged and threatened to burst, and a mad, fierce glint suddenly flashed in his eyes. Every one of his dragon scales lifted dramatically, spraying startling blood blossoms...

"I... will have you die!!" Duke Yuanque's eyes were bloodshot, his teeth nearly shattering. He raised his arms, and with a low, pained roar, poured all the power from his body unreservedly into his twin spears. The dragon shadow behind him shattered, and on the spears themselves, the shadows of a black and a silver fierce dragon appeared.

"It's Prince Zhong's Estate's ultimate technique, Demonic Dragon Slaughtering the World!" several people exclaimed on the spot.

"Che'er, be careful!" Yun Qinghong swiftly called out.

As one of Prince Zhong's Estate's ultimate techniques, Duke Yuanque typically found it exceptionally strenuous to use Demonic Dragon Slaughtering the World. Using it forcibly in his current state, the strain he suffered was immense and obvious. But at this moment, with his conviction on the verge of collapse, Duke Yuanque no longer cared about any consequences.

After this move, if anything went wrong, he could even suffer severe damage to his profound veins. However, its power was also incredibly terrifying.

"Yun Che... die!! Demonic Dragon Slaughtering the World!" A black and a silver fierce dragon shot forth from his twin spears, fiercely piercing through space in a winding, intertwined dance. Before the two dragons even got close, Yun Che was already unable to advance due to the shockwave. His clothes rapidly tore into fine strips, and he could barely keep his eyes open.

What a powerful move... But for this guy to unleash such power while enduring prolonged strain and with his profound energy nearing depletion... Was he tired of living?!

"Cloud-Sealing Sun-Locking!" The moment the Evil God Barrier appeared, the two fierce dragons completely engulfed Yun Che. Destructive power surged and erupted, and the sounds of violent impacts and cutting filled Yun Che's ears. After three breaths, the Evil God Barrier finally shattered, but over ninety percent of Demonic Dragon Slaughtering the World's power had been neutralized. The remaining force merely flung Yun Che dozens of feet away, barely causing him a slight injury.

"It can end now..." Yun Che wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, his figure flickering. He dashed through the swirling dust and debris, slamming his sword down onto the completely stunned Duke Yuanque.

Duke Yuanque had recklessly unleashed all the power in his body, leaving barely a trace of protective profound energy on him. With just twenty percent of Yun Che's power behind the sword strike, Duke Yuanque's body was flung far away like a pile of rotten flesh.

Duke Yuanque's body landed heavily, covered in blood. However, the injuries Yun Che inflicted were internal: shattered bones and torn muscles. The blood on his body was due to large areas bursting open from the unbearable strain he had subjected himself to.

A large amount of fresh blood flowed from Duke Yuanque's forehead, torso, and the back of his hands. He lay there rigidly, his dazed and blank eyes staring at the blurred ceiling of the hall, as if experiencing an utterly illusory dream. He opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't make a sound before his consciousness completely faded, his head tilted, and he fell into a deep unconsciousness.

Duke Yuanque, defeated!

The entire hall was plunged into a deathly silence, where you could hear a pin drop.

Even the people from Prince Zhong's Estate remained motionless for a long time, staring at the blood-soaked, unconscious Duke Yuanque on the ground... they were all completely stunned.

"Big Brother... you're too amazing! Big Brother, you're truly incredible!!" An excited roar erupted in the hall, and Xiao Yun was already gesticulating wildly, screaming uncontrollably.

Xiao Yun's cries were like a lit fuse, and the Demon Imperial Hall instantly erupted into a massive wave of sound.

"Yun Che won again... Yun Che actually won again!! Oh my god! This is simply... simply... simply unbelievable!"

"Duke Yuanque used his full power, unleashed all his ultimate techniques, and even resorted to a forbidden art, while Yun Che had already fought four matches, and all four opponents were top figures renowned throughout the Illusory Demon Realm. Yet, Yun Che still won... He's simply a monster!"

"I'm witnessing a peerless genius rise like the sun! To come to Demon Imperial City and witness such a mythical genius, such a match... it's enough to make my life complete!"

"The previous matches guaranteed Yun Che's fame throughout the world. But this match is enough to cement his name forever in the annals of Illusory Demon history! Defeating five mid-stage Tyrant Sovereigns consecutively from the Sky Profound Realm has never happened in the history of Illusory Demon, and it's almost impossible that it ever will!"

"Good... good!" Yun Qinghong and Mu Yurou clasped hands, almost too excited to speak.

The young disciples present were all dumbfounded. Every single one of them was a top-tier existence among their peers, normally incredibly proud and arrogant. But the fierce and tragic battle they had just witnessed, and Yun Che's terrifying power, left them all trembling with fear, their hearts nearly bursting. In the face of such power, and before someone so close in age to themselves, they felt their own strength wasn't even qualified to be shown off.

When Su Zhizhan was defeated, there were still six people remaining in the eastern stands, while the western stands had only one. On the eastern side were the most powerful: Hui Ye, Yuanque, and Hui Ran, all capable of completely defeating Su Zhizhan. On the western side, Yun Che, the last to fight, had a profound energy level so low it was almost hard to look at.

The people from the western stands had originally expected this duel to unfold as predicted... a defeat even more miserable and humiliating than imagined. But not a single one of them had ever thought that Yun Che would actually defeat Jiufang Yu, defeat Xiao Donglai, defeat Chi Yang Yanwu...

...defeat Duke Hui Ye, ranked third among the Seven Illusory Demon Children, possessing the Demon Emperor's bloodline and the strongest profound art... And then defeat Duke Yuanque, ranked second among the Seven Illusory Demon Children, who even resorted to using a forbidden profound art!

Five consecutive victories!! And each victory shook everyone's souls, a five-game winning streak that subverted all common understanding!

These were five duels significant enough to cause a sensation throughout the entire Illusory Demon Realm. In the face of such a record, all previous defeats by either side became insignificant, and all victories not worth mentioning. This competition, ostensibly just a surface-level match, but actually an underlying gambit, a confrontation between two major factions, a struggle between ambition and loyalty, had made Yun Che the sole protagonist, capturing everyone's attention and focus.

At this moment, everyone in the western stands looked at Yun Che with unprecedented admiration. The elders of the Yun Family were either too excited to speak or simply incoherent. Regarding Yun Qinghong's "foster son," everyone had originally been dismissive, even filled with disdain due to his low profound energy. Only now did they realize what an enormous treasure the Yun Family had found!!

The unconscious Duke Yuanque was carried away by Prince Zhong's Estate members and quickly escorted out of the Demon Imperial Hall; if he wasn't treated quickly, he might well be crippled. Prince Zhong did not leave with them. Both his and Prince Huai's expressions were solemn and grim... After each of Yun Che's five battles, they found they had severely underestimated him. This time, it was no different!

Prince Huai had conceived murderous intent towards Yun Che after his third match ended. Now, for the first time in his life, he wished so intensely for someone to disappear from the world immediately!

He had felt too much shock from Yun Che, and accompanying that shock was an extremely heavy sense of danger.

He knew nothing of Yun Che's true origins, only that Yun Che was merely twenty-two years old... What did twenty-two mean? His most favored son, Hui Ran, widely recognized as the future number one in the Illusory Demon Realm, certainly didn't possess such strength at twenty-two!

If he continued to grow like this, it wouldn't be long before he surpassed Hui Ran! Once he fully matured in the future, he would far overshadow him.

And such a person was also Yun Family's foster son! Standing on his enemy's side!

Prince Zhong and Prince Huai exchanged glances, both seeing an extremely strong murderous intent in the other's eyes.

Thump... In the center of the arena, on the pockmarked ground, Yun Che slowly knelt, leaning on his heavy sword, his body trembling slightly. He panted heavily and continuously, each breath extremely labored. His previous four battles, especially the one with Hui Ye, had drained him significantly, and just now he had exchanged hundreds of sword strikes with Yuanque. Finally, activating the Purgatory Realm, and even deploying "Cloud-Sealing Sun-Locking" while in Purgatory, had led to even more immense consumption. Now, with his nerves slightly relaxed, a mountain-like pressure enveloped his entire body, making even standing exceptionally difficult for him.

"Ah? Big Brother!" Seeing Yun Che kneeling, Xiao Yun's heart tightened. He quickly said, "Father, quickly let Big Brother withdraw! Big Brother has already fought five consecutive matches; it's impossible for him to fight again... Besides, the one who hasn't appeared for the opponent is the most terrifying Hui Ran!"

Hui Ran, the head of the Seven Illusory Demon Children, a Level Eight Tyrant Profound Realm practitioner, had completely surpassed the level of the younger generation. He was described by the people of Demon Imperial City as "abnormally strong," the undisputed number one among his peers!

Although he was ranked among the top three with Hui Ye and Yuanque, his strength was not just a little bit greater than theirs. Even combined, Hui Ye and Yuanque's strength was far inferior to his.

Yun Che's five consecutive victories and the power he displayed had shocked everyone, but even so, with the strength he had shown, anyone who knew Hui Ran's power would never consider Yun Che his match. This was especially true for Yun Che, who had fought five consecutive battles and had almost no strength left.

"Patriarch, quickly... quickly make him leave the arena immediately!" Yun Waitian, the Yun Family's Grand Elder, urged anxiously, "If Hui Ran steps into the arena, given Prince Huai's disposition, he will surely have Hui Ran directly kill him."

"Yes, Patriarch! Yun Che has achieved this much; our Yun Family has already secured a great victory! He's clearly exhausted now and must leave the arena immediately, or it might be too late. With Hui Ran's strength, killing Yun Che in his current state would only take a single breath! We wouldn't even have time to intervene and save him." The Second Elder also quickly urged, "Given the power Yun Che has displayed and his status as Yun Family's foster son, we now clearly see that Yun Che's life and death are very likely linked to the Yun Family's major affairs in the future."

Yun Qinghong naturally worried more about Yun Che's safety than anyone else. He quickly sent a sound transmission to Yun Che: "Che'er, let your father forfeit this last match for you."

For him to step forward and forfeit the match against Hui Ran would naturally preserve Yun Che's dignity to the greatest extent. As soon as he finished transmitting the message, he saw Yun Che turn his face to look at him, and then... slowly shake his head. His face was covered in sweat, flushed red like fire, but his eyes were as resolute as steel.

Yun Qinghong's heart felt as if it had been heavily struck by something. He didn't stand up or speak, and remained unmoved even as the elders urgently tried to persuade him, and even as the patriarchs and dukes from the western stands continuously gestured and sent him sound transmissions.

"Husband..." Mu Yurou grasped Yun Qinghong's arm, her palm icy cold.

Yun Qinghong clasped her hand in return, and said in a low, resolute voice: "Yurou, this is Che'er's own resolve. We have no right to presumptuously make decisions for him... But rest assured, he is our son. Even if I have to bet my life, I will absolutely not let any harm come to him."

As he spoke, his other hand was already tightly clenched, a small orb of lightning, terrifyingly dense, silently forming in his palm... If Hui Ran truly intended to strike Yun Che with malicious intent while Yun Che was unable to resist, even if it meant ruining his own reputation, he would personally kill Hui Ran without hesitation!