Chapter 122: Star Palace

Milky white and dark golden energies raged incessantly, obliterating nearly every tree within a radius of several hundred meters in an instant. Shockwaves rippled outward like tidal waves, causing even the members of the Heavenly King Alliance below to lose their footing and tumble in disarray.

High in the void, Ye Feng stared unmoving at the young man across from him. Though his face remained calm, his heart was profoundly shaken. He was now certain that this youth was a master who had one foot across the threshold of the Spirit Emperor realm. While the Spirit Emperor level seemed only a single tier above the Spirit Sovereign, the gap in power between them was as vast as the distance between heaven and earth. To attain the level of Spirit Emperor was to truly view all living beings as mere ants. Some peerlessly gifted Spirit Kings might overcome an ordinary Spirit Sovereign, but no Spirit Sovereign had ever defeated a Spirit Emperor. Regardless of how heaven-defying one’s talent might be, merely surviving an encounter with a Spirit Emperor was already a feat of immense strength.

"Who exactly are you? I have never heard of anyone in the Holy Lands who has stepped halfway into the Spirit Emperor realm," Ye Feng remarked, watching his opponent with an expressionless gaze.

The young man gradually grew calm. "Who I am is unimportant; what matters is whether you are truly that seed." His eyes flashed with a soul-piercing chill as he bore down on Ye Feng. "In the ancient era, the Guardians possessed peerless combat power. If you are truly that heaven-defying seed, how can you be so pathetic?"

A tempest of shock surged through Ye Feng’s heart. He was utterly stunned. This monumental secret, known only to a few ancient monsters, should have been completely unknown to any peer, yet this man had spoken of it as if it were common knowledge. He nearly cried out in surprise. Ye Feng stared coldly at him, realizing he was at a total disadvantage, and not just in terms of raw power. This youth seemed to know his past, while he remained completely ignorant of his adversary.

The young man watched Ye Feng’s reaction coolly. "Are you truly that heaven-defying seed?"

Ye Feng’s heart pounded violently, cold sweat soaking his robes. A possibility suddenly occurred to him. It was impossible for the Holy Lands to harbor such a monstrously talented youth. If so, then this person... With this thought, Ye Feng slowly raised his head, staring toward the Nine Heavens.

Observing Ye Feng’s reaction, the youth’s expression grew complex; he gazed at Ye Feng for a long time without speaking. Finally, two rays of icy light shot from his eyes, a grim chill enveloping Ye Feng as an invisible killing intent permeated the air.

"You are clever to have guessed my origins so quickly. This only confirms that you are indeed that heaven-defying seed." The young man regained his haughty demeanor and declared arrogantly, "Remember, the one who kills you is Xing Yun, the seventh son of the Star Palace."

Though he had suspected as much, hearing the man confirm his origin made Ye Feng’s heart contract sharply. The Star Palace of the Celestial Realm—a presence that stood high above, a force whose words were law and whose conduct defined the norm. It was a pinnacle existence atop the pyramid of the Martial Soul Continent, a power comparable to the ancient Guardians.

"The Star Palace, which has not appeared in the mortal world for thousands of years, has actually taken action. Can it be that the Star Palace had a hand in the Great Cataclysm of the ancient era?" Ye Feng asked, looking coldly at Xing Yun.

"No matter how silver-tongued you are, you will not escape death today. I will tell you the truth: I descended to this realm specifically to kill you. The structure of this continent has been maintained for ten thousand years and must not be disrupted." Xing Yun spoke with immense arrogance, his tone dripping with condescension.

Ye Feng noted the man’s attitude, yet he could not fathom how the Ye family could have offended such a formidable enemy. Even if the Ye family were powerful, they were at most equal to the Holy Lands—or perhaps even inferior. How could they have provoked the Star Palace, a legendary force that had long vanished from the mortal coil?

From his initial crushing defeat to the stalemate following the reversal of the Heavenly King Art, Ye Feng felt deep suspicion; the man was simply unfathomable. He was a truly terrifying youth. Since the beginning of his journey, Ye Feng had never encountered a peer who had reached the threshold of the Spirit Emperor realm—not even the top expert of the previous generation in the Heavenly Martial Empire possessed such cultivation. If such a youth had suddenly appeared from the Holy Lands, the Heavenly Martial Empire was in grave danger.

"A fine Star Palace, a fine Arbiter! Today, I shall test just what kind of experts the Star Palace, which prides itself as a divine land, can produce!"

Ye Feng ceased his words and lashed out with a palm strike. A massive dark purple hand manifested, kicking up sand and dust from the earth while the void trembled. The surging power roared like a raging river as it surged forward. The pure "Dragon-Capturing Hand" technique, empowered by the reversal of the Heavenly King Art and the borrowed strength of the Dragon-蛟 Demon King, gave Ye Feng the confidence to contend with this man.

The trees and rocks on the ground between them were instantly swept into the sky, hurtling toward Xing Yun with overwhelming force.

"The Heaven-Destroying Hand of the Guardians? It seems incomplete! Let me show you what a true divine technique of the Star Palace looks like."

Across from him, Xing Yun stood with his sword sheathed and formed a seal with one hand. A moment later, a sacred palm energy filled the heavens and earth. The wild, tyrannical palm force collided with the sacred energy, and amidst a deafening roar, the dark purple and milky white lights gradually dissipated.

In the clash, Ye Feng staggered back several steps, while Xing Yun remained as steady as a mountain.

"If you were a few years older, you might have been able to fight me. But as it stands, there is only a dead end for you. Rest assured, you will not be lonely on the path to the underworld!" Xing Yun sneered, casting a glance at the members of the Heavenly King Alliance below.

"You seek death?" Ye Feng’s expression turned icy. If the man had come only for him, he would not be so enraged—it would simply be a matter of serving different masters. But now, Xing Yun was using the Heavenly King Alliance as leverage, igniting a murderous intent in Ye Feng that could not be quenched.

"Arrogant! If I am not mistaken, your current cultivation is merely the early stage of the Spirit Sovereign, achieved only through the forced boost of your reversed technique. As for the rest of your power, you must have borrowed it from elsewhere, no? Heh... I shall now show you the difference between borrowed power and one's own!" Xing Yun shook his head, looking utterly conceited, though he appeared far more serious than he had at the start.

Ye Feng was truly incensed, yet he did not lose his reason. The youth before him was terrifyingly knowledgeable, even revealing secrets about the Heavenly King Art that Ye Feng had not understood until today. To be outplayed so thoroughly put him at a massive disadvantage.

However, it would be naive to think Ye Feng would surrender. In the next heartbeat, he launched his attack.

"If you dare touch my brothers, even if you are the heavens themselves, I will defy the firmament and slay you today!"