Chapter 3486

Ye Liuyun’s Spatial Force consisted of merging into the void, so even if he wanted to approach Hou Yuanqing, he still had to merge into the void around him again.

In the split second when he switched through space, Hou Yuanqing actually seized the back of the Demon-Slaying Blade. Moreover, Hou Yuanqing had infused his grip with true essence. With the strength of the seventh realm, he left Ye Liuyun unable to break free no matter how hard he struggled.

That was only because Hou Yuanqing wanted to capture him alive. If he had attacked Ye Liuyun directly with a punch instead of grabbing the blade, Ye Liuyun would have been sent flying by now.

However, Hou Yuanqing was also suffering the bitter consequences of his carelessness. Both of Ye Liuyun’s soul sources had charged into his sea of consciousness.

At first, he did not take them seriously, assuming they were merely two divine souls. But when he realized that what had entered his sea of consciousness were actually two exceptionally condensed soul sources, he began to panic as well.

Not only were Ye Liuyun’s two soul sources solid and condensed, they could also transform. The moment they entered Hou Yuanqing’s sea of consciousness, they both turned into soul blades and hacked toward his two divine souls.

Both of his divine souls had cultivated in a relatively balanced manner and were currently being compressed and refined as they transformed toward soul sources. Thus, they were far weaker than Ye Liuyun’s. A single slash from Ye Liuyun’s soul blades split them both in two.

The Netherworld Ghostfire and the deadly poison of the divine soul then spread along the wounds, seeping into Hou Yuanqing’s divine souls and preventing them from recovering.

The two soul blades immediately transformed into enormous fists and, empowered by the force of heaven and earth, smashed toward his two divided divine souls. Their attacks arrived the instant they were launched, and they even contained Spatial Force.

Hou Yuanqing’s divine souls had originally also been capable of attacking with the force of heaven and earth and Spatial Force, and their offensive power was no weaker than Ye Liuyun’s. But after being split in two by a single slash, they had little strength left to fight back.

“You really intend to kill me?”

Only then did Hou Yuanqing realize that Ye Liuyun truly intended to kill him and had no intention of holding back.

“What else? Wait for you to take revenge on me? A prideful disciple like you—after being defeated by a mere guard like me, would you really not seek revenge? It’s better to finish you off in one go and avoid trouble later!”

As Ye Liuyun’s soul sources transmitted these words to him, the two fists had already slammed into him. Several explosive sounds rang out in succession, scattering all four halves of Hou Yuanqing’s divine souls.

The soul sources then transformed into the form of a Heaven-Devouring Beast once more and absorbed the fragments of Hou Yuanqing’s divine souls. After returning to Ye Liuyun’s sea of consciousness, they were all thrown into the Soul Refining Cauldron to be refined into soul sources.

The spectators outside still had no idea what had happened. They thought Ye Liuyun’s blade had been seized by Hou Yuanqing, that his most advantageous attack had been neutralized, and that he was about to be in trouble.

Only Chen Yueying noticed that Ye Liuyun had released two soul sources and knew that Hou Yuanqing was finished. Her red eyes could perceive the strength of divine souls, and she knew that Hou Yuanqing was no match for Ye Liuyun.

The others still thought Ye Liuyun had been forced into a desperate situation and could only release his divine souls to attack Hou Yuanqing. They had not noticed that Ye Liuyun’s two were condensed soul sources, not divine souls. No one had imagined that Ye Liuyun’s soul power could be so formidable.

At that moment, Ye Liuyun suddenly moved. He reached out and pried open the fingers with which Hou Yuanqing was gripping the Demon-Slaying Blade, then removed the Interspatial Ring from his hand.

A golden-red flame then ignited on the Demon-Slaying Blade and burned toward Hou Yuanqing’s physical body.

“What is going on? Could it be that Hou Yuanqing...”

The disciples watching were all bewildered.

“Cousin?” Yuan Sheng called out as well.

But Hou Yuanqing still did not react, allowing the Golden Crow Sacred Flame to burn his body. It first scorched the surface black, then gradually reduced it to ashes.

Throughout the entire process, the whole arena was utterly silent, with everyone watching quietly. Some even expected Hou Yuanqing to suddenly counterattack and kill Ye Liuyun instead.

But in the end, all they saw was Hou Yuanqing being burned to ashes by the flames, without a trace left behind.

By then, Ye Liuyun had already taken all the resources Hou Yuanqing had been carrying. He threw the rest of the items, including the Interspatial Ring, back.

There were actually four seventh-grade treasures in Hou Yuanqing’s Interspatial Ring: a suit of armor, a long sword, a long spear, and a metal puppet. He simply had not had time to use any of them.

Ye Liuyun immediately distributed these treasures. He gave the armor and long spear to Meng Qingyin, the long sword to Qin Mengxi, and the puppet beast to Yueying.

There were also quite a few high-grade cultivation resources, but Ye Liuyun had no time to inspect them one by one and could only deal with them later.

Only then did the spectators react. Hou Yuanqing had truly been killed by Ye Liuyun in a single blow!

“You... killed my cousin?” Yuan Sheng cried out at Ye Liuyun in disbelief.

“That’s right. You gave me the opportunity! But now it’s your turn. Do you remember what you just said?”

Ye Liuyun looked at Yuan Sheng with a malicious grin, frightening him into backing away.

“You... don’t come any closer!”

Yuan Sheng hid behind the other disciples. By now, even Ye Liuyun’s smile seemed terrifying to him, as though he were a devil.

Those people also came to their senses. Ye Liuyun had truly killed Hou Yuanqing. That meant Ye Liuyun had the ability to kill them as well. Thus, they all retreated, not daring to stand in his way.

“No wonder this kid is so arrogant. He really does have some ability!”

“Even Hou Yuanqing was no match for him. He’s going to make a killing this time—all these people’s resources and points will belong to him again!”

“Hou Yuanqing’s background is no simple matter. This kid has caused himself enormous trouble! He’ll have plenty of trouble in the future!”

The spectators discussed the matter animatedly. Some praised Ye Liuyun’s strength, while others worried that the Marquis of the Heavenly Domain would not let him off.

But Ye Liuyun calmly faced the people Hou Yuanqing had brought with him and asked directly, “Are you going to fight first and then hand over your points and resources, or will you hand them over directly and skip the fighting? Your realms are all quite high. I can’t guarantee that I won’t use too much force and accidentally kill you once we start fighting—just like Hou Yuanqing!”

Although he spoke casually, everyone who heard him felt their hearts jolt. Ye Liuyun was obviously threatening them, yet none of them had the courage to fight him.

“I have points. I’m willing to hand them over directly!” At last, one disciple could not bear it any longer and surrendered on the spot.

Ye Liuyun once again used his red-eye illusion technique to make him hand over all his points and resources, after which he let the man go.

Once there was an example, one person after another surrendered. Since even Hou Yuanqing had died, there was no point in stubbornly staying behind.

In the end, only Yuan Sheng remained, standing there foolishly. Ye Liuyun had already stripped him of everything the last time, and his injuries had yet to fully recover. Where could he possibly find enough points and resources to buy his life?

“It seems you don’t have any points or resources?”

Ye Liuyun approached him with a smile and asked again, “Do you remember what you said before? What was it you intended to do to me in revenge?”

“I...” Yuan Sheng moved his lips but could not say anything.

He had previously said that he would skin Ye Liuyun alive and rip out his tendons to vent his rage, never imagining that things would turn out this way. Thus, he was so distraught he could have cried. With a thump, he fell to his knees and begged Ye Liuyun for mercy.