Chapter 293: Chapter 293: Celestial Net Circle

THUD!

Before Li He could pounce on Xia Qixi, the sound of something tearing through the air suddenly reached him. Then, he saw the heads of the two disciples who had previously withdrawn roll to his feet like balls.

The two disciples’ eyes were wide with shock, as if they had seen something unbelievable just before they died.

"Who is it? Get out here!"

The lust in Li He’s heart vanished in an instant. He stared at a nearby patch of forest with a look of shock and rage, his body radiating killing intent as he roared.

"Scum!"

From the forest, a figure slowly walked out, his face filled with endless fury and killing intent, his voice cold as ice. It was none other than Ye Xuan, who had rushed to the scene.

"So it was you! Haha..." Li He, who had been incredibly tense, burst out laughing upon seeing that the newcomer was Ye Xuan. The heart that had been caught in his throat finally settled.

"I was wondering who it was, but it’s just you. What, are you trying to be the hero saving the damsel in distress?" Li He’s face was full of scorn, clearly mocking a mere disciple like Ye Xuan for daring to interrupt his fun.

"Ye Xuan, you... you’re not dead? What are you doing here? Run!" Xia Qixi had been in so much pain she wished for death, but upon seeing Ye Xuan, a look of shame and indignation appeared on her face as she spoke anxiously.

Li He was the Vice President of the Dongsheng Kingdom’s Soul Master Tower, a Tier Five First Layer Martial Sect. His strength was immense. Xia Qixi didn’t know how Ye Xuan had escaped the Armored Dragon, but encountering Li He was like escaping the wolf’s den only to enter the tiger’s mouth.

"Hm? You seem quite worried about him, don’t you? One is a genius disciple from the Liuyun Kingdom, and the other from the Celestial Gold Kingdom? What, have you taken a liking to this brat?" Li He glanced at Xia Qixi in surprise. Suddenly, as if he’d had a brilliant idea, he let out a sinister laugh. "How about this? Since you care so much about this kid, I’ll break all four of his limbs and make him watch a live show of you and me. What do you think? Hahaha."

Apparently pleased with his own idea, Li He’s expression grew more and more satisfied the more he thought about it.

Xia Qixi’s face flushed red with shame and anger. "Li He, you will die a miserable death."

"I may die a miserable death, but in a little while, I’ll make you ********." Li He wasn’t the least bit offended by Xia Qixi’s words; instead, he looked smugly triumphant.

Ye Xuan never would have imagined that Li He could be this shameless. At the Floating Light Assembly, the Vice President of the Dongsheng Kingdom had appeared so prim and proper, yet in private, he was this vile and disgusting. It was sickening.

What Ye Xuan despised most was exactly this kind of hypocritical scum. A sharp killing intent rose from the depths of his heart, and he slowly stepped forward.

"Scum like you shouldn’t have been allowed to live this long. It’s your bad luck to have run into me. Today, your life is mine," Ye Xuan said coldly as he walked.

When Ye Xuan spoke, both Li He and Xia Qixi were stunned. A moment later, Li He burst into laughter. If Xia Qixi weren’t in such a perilous situation, she might have found it funny herself.

A mere genius disciple dared to tell the Vice President of a Soul Master Tower from one of the five great kingdoms that he was going to take his life.

"I was planning on dealing with you later and letting you enjoy the live show, but you just had to court death. Brat, this old man will see just how you plan to take my life. I’ll settle the score with you right now for killing two of my Dongsheng Kingdom’s disciples."

As Li He spoke, the battle saber at his waist flew from its sheath, transforming into a hazy blur of blade shadows that enveloped Ye Xuan.

The light from his saber targeted Ye Xuan’s limbs and Dantian, clearly intending to cripple his limbs and cultivation before slowly torturing him. Moreover, Li He was also very interested in Ye Xuan’s Blue Star Grass martial soul.

Seeing Li He attack Ye Xuan, Xia Qixi grew frantic and wanted to help, but no matter how hard she tried, she didn’t even have the strength to lift a finger.

After being heavily injured, she was not only exhausted, but the Profound Qi in her body was also in chaos, leaving her completely immobile.

The instant Li He made his move, Ye Xuan also drew the Dragon Pattern Sword from his waist and slashed out heavily with it.

Li He was enraged. ’How dare a mere disciple fight back against me?’ He immediately unleashed the full force of his Tier Five Profound Power, his saber slashing down even faster, determined to teach Ye Xuan a lesson.

But to his astonishment, after his saber suddenly accelerated, Ye Xuan’s longsword—he didn’t even see how it moved—struck his saber precisely, blocking the blow.

CLANG! The sword and saber collided. The two streams of Profound Power crashed against each other, and they were evenly matched.

This outcome left Li He utterly shocked.

"This Profound Power... you’re actually a Tier Four Celestial Martial Artist! No, even if you are a Tier Four Celestial Martial Artist, how did you block my attack?" Li He muttered in astonishment.

Ye Xuan, on the other hand, looked calm and unconcerned, as if blocking Li He’s attack was nothing special.

This was the second time Ye Xuan had faced a Tier Five Martial Sect expert. The first was Zhang Kui, the leader of the Shadow Killing Sect. Back then, Ye Xuan was only a Tier Three Earth Martial Artist and had to use all his strength just to block a single palm strike from Zhang Kui. Even so, his fourth-grade Profound Armor had shattered, and he had been injured.

But times had changed. After his recent period of arduous training, Ye Xuan had broken through from a First Layer Earth Martial Artist to a First Heaven Celestial Martial Artist. His strength had increased by more than tenfold. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Therefore, when facing Li He, a First Layer Martial Sect, Ye Xuan felt no pressure at all.

"Your attack is over. Now, it’s my turn."

After blocking Li He’s saber strike, Ye Xuan spoke with a cold expression and suddenly thrust his sword forward.

The thrust seemed ordinary, but it contained a supreme and profound mystery. All Li He could see was a hazy blur of sword shadows, and he felt as if the weight of the entire world was pressing down on him.

Li He broke out in a cold sweat. Without a second thought, he released his martial soul and simultaneously summoned a green shield.

A giant water buffalo appeared above Li He’s head. With a long bellow, the green shield rapidly expanded, transforming into a massive shield wall in front of him.

BOOM!

A massive impact resounded against the shield. The huge shield rippled with green waves, its light flickering. Li He’s face turned pale, and he staggered back two steps, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

Although the shield had blocked the vast majority of the power in Ye Xuan’s strike, the aftershock still passed through it and into Li He’s body, injuring him instantly.

Li He was both shocked and furious. He was shocked that Ye Xuan’s strength far exceeded his imagination, and furious that he, the dignified Vice President of the Dongsheng Kingdom’s Soul Master Tower, had actually been injured by a junior.

At this moment, he could no longer afford to hold back. A black ring suddenly appeared in his hand, and he cast it toward Ye Xuan. As soon as the black ring was in the air, it immediately expanded. The originally fist-sized ring swelled to the size of a round table and shot down to envelop Ye Xuan’s body.

At the same time, rays of black light bloomed from the black ring. These rays were layered, dense, and incredibly sharp, like a curtain that completely enveloped Ye Xuan.

Although Xia Qixi lay there powerlessly, she was utterly horrified when she saw Ye Xuan injure Li He.

She simply couldn’t imagine that a young disciple, even younger than herself, could actually injure the dignified Vice President of the Dongsheng Kingdom’s Soul Master Tower, who was also a Tier Five Martial Sect.

Although she was also a Tier Four Celestial Martial Artist, she clearly knew the gap between a Celestial Martial Artist and a Martial Sect—it was the difference between heaven and earth. If it were her, forget injuring Li He; she would be considered incredible just to last a few moments against him.

Thus, she was utterly shocked to see Ye Xuan injure Li He. But when she saw Li He release the black iron ring, she immediately grew anxious.

She had heard of this black iron ring’s origin. It was an incredibly powerful Profound Treasure from the Dongsheng Kingdom, a Fourth Grade item known as the Celestial Net Circle. It could bind the space around a Martial Artist and release deadly black light rays.

Even a Tier Five Martial Sect would be in grave danger if caught by this Celestial Net Circle, facing either death or serious injury.

Even if a genius disciple like Ye Xuan had some skill, encountering the Celestial Net Circle meant his chances of survival were slim. At this thought, Xia Qixi couldn’t bear to watch any longer.

"Oh? Another Profound Treasure. Not bad. It seems I’ll be adding another prize to my collection of spoils."

Who would have thought that upon seeing the Celestial Net Circle, Ye Xuan wouldn’t show a hint of fear? Instead, a trace of delight appeared on his face, which only made Li He even more furious.

"Brat, talking about spoils? This next move will be your last!"

Li He roared, simultaneously releasing his Third Grade Soul Power to its absolute limit, madly channeling it to unleash the Celestial Net Circle’s terrifying power.

Under Li He’s control, the Celestial Net Circle instantly grew even larger, and a sense of danger rose in Ye Xuan’s heart.

Ye Xuan, intending to test his own strength, didn’t take any special measures. His longsword quivered, and the Dragon Pattern Sword suddenly erupted with a brilliant, rainbow-colored light. The sound of dragon roars echoed between heaven and earth.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Ye Xuan’s longsword moved like a dream-like shadow. Countless sword gleams shot out in all directions like blossoming flowers. These flashes of light seemed to have no pattern, yet they perfectly blocked every single ray of black light from the Celestial Net Circle.

From a distance, the light released by the table-sized Celestial Net Circle looked like a vast, surging ocean. Ye Xuan, below it, was like a small boat. But no matter how fiercely the black light swelled and raged, Ye Xuan’s small boat remained upright, refusing to capsize.

Xia Qixi, who initially couldn’t bear to watch, was completely stunned by the scene. The shock in her heart was like a raging storm, refusing to calm down.