The bronze war chariot thrummed with an almost sentient vitality. Sensing Ye Chen's massive hand reaching for it, the chariot surged toward the Champion King with desperate speed.

But in the face of Ye Chen, its spirited nature was futile. With a single grasp, Ye Chen seized the chariot and refined it in an instant. Then, stepping onto the chariot, he cast a cold, commanding gaze down at the Champion King.

The entire city fell silent, stunned by the spectacle. The arena battle had barely begun, and the Champion King's chariot had already been stolen?

...

Earlier, the crowd had been awestruck by the Champion King's ferocious presence. When word spread that he bore the inheritance of the Northern Emperor, even Li Feihuang's face had paled. The Wang family, too, felt the shadow of doom looming over them—annihilation seemed imminent. Who could stand against such a Champion King?

Yet, in the next moment, under the gaze of countless onlookers, the Champion King was sent flying. His armor shattered, a bloody gash torn into his chest, narrowly escaping death itself. And now, his chariot had been seized. In the blink of an eye, victory and defeat had been decided.

The unbelievable scene left everyone staring at Ye Chen with disbelief. Li Feihuang, in particular, was shaken to her core. She had always believed Ye Chen was slightly beneath her in skill. Yet now, he had defeated the Champion King with a single blow?

...

"That's the True Dragon Treasure Technique—the Dragon Fist!" exclaimed a guest from the Great Chu Empire, one of many well-informed representatives from various factions. Their shocked realization sent a ripple of gasps through the city. The Ten Vicious Treasure Techniques were among the world's most supreme divine arts. Even mastering a single form could elevate a cultivator's combat prowess to extraordinary heights.

To think Ye Chen possessed the True Dragon Treasure Technique! No wonder his offensive power was so terrifying. The crowd erupted in waves of astonishment. Seeing the Northern Emperor's inheritance was already a marvel, but now witnessing the True Dragon Treasure Technique—even just one form—was an eye-opening experience.

...

But the focus soon shifted back to the Champion King. His shattered armor and bloodied chest were now wreathed in the ethereal form of a Moon Phoenix, its wings scattering radiant moonlight. Flames surged across his body, and in the blink of an eye, his wounds healed completely.

Li Feihuang's pupils constricted in shock. The Champion King possessed the Moon Phoenix Body? His rapid recovery was the work of its Nirvana power. But how could this be?

Ye Chen was far stronger than she had ever imagined, and the Champion King was proving to be exponentially more powerful than she had thought.

The realization hit her like a thunderbolt: The weakest one here… has always been me? Her eyes dimmed, her spirit reeling from an unprecedented blow.

"Steal my chariot? You deserve death!" the Champion King roared. Despite being blasted away and having his chariot refined by another, his expression remained cold and indifferent. His eyes flickered, countless stars seeming to rise and fall within them as he stared at Ye Chen, intent on piercing through his every secret.

The onlookers gasped at the sight. "That's the Martial Truth Eye!" one exclaimed. "It can suppress enemies, see through their every weakness, and dismantle them with ease."

"It's one of the Northern Emperor's most fearsome techniques. To think the Champion King has mastered it!"

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"With the Moon Phoenix Body and the Martial Truth Eye, the Champion King is terrifying. This battle's outcome is far from decided!"

"These are the heights of true prodigies? We're all at the Golden Core stage, yet I feel I couldn't withstand a single move from either of them."

But the crowd's awe lasted only a moment. In the next instant, the Champion King's eyes, fixed on Ye Chen, burst apart, dissolving into a mist of blood.

The Martial Truth Eye—destroyed? Had the Champion King practiced it incorrectly? The spectators were dumbfounded.

Yet the power of the Moon Phoenix surged around the Champion King, and his eyes swiftly regenerated. For the first time, however, his stoic face betrayed a flicker of shock.

Ye Chen smirked coldly. Such divine vision techniques, meant to pierce through illusions, grew costlier the stronger the opponent. And Ye Chen? His Heavy Pupil alone was beyond the Champion King's ability to fathom, let alone his other assets—his Innate Supreme Heart or Chaos Core. To peer at him with a mere Martial Truth Eye was tantamount to suicide.

With a flicker of thought, Ye Chen's body radiated chaotic energy, his presence both divine and demonic, unshakable and impossible to meet head-on. The bronze chariot blazed with divine fire once more, streaking through the sky like a falling star, hurtling toward the Champion King with crushing force.

Its aura was utterly terrifying. In Ye Chen's hands, the chariot was even more fearsome than when the Champion King had wielded it.

The Champion King's face darkened as he stared at the ancient chariot bearing down on him. That's mine! Gripping his long halberd, he thrust it skyward, its killing intent so fierce it seemed capable of piercing the heavens, intent on bringing the chariot down.

But Ye Chen merely pointed a finger. A massive dragon roared forth, surging toward the halberd. That weapon, forged in ancient battlefields, shattered into countless fragments upon impact.

In the instant the halberd broke, Ye Chen's chariot thundered forward. The chariot, imbued with extraordinary power, struck the Champion King's towering frame, cleaving his body in two. Blood and flesh sprayed across the arena.

Silence gripped the crowd once more. No one had expected the Champion King to fall so utterly. Stripped of his chariot, his body broken by his own weapon, this scene was nothing short of gruesome.

The onlookers gazed at Ye Chen with profound awe. The Champion King had been terrifying enough, yet in Ye Chen's presence, he seemed like a mere plaything. Who was this prodigy? Only at the mid-Golden Core stage, yet already invincible?

Ye Chen stood atop the chariot, high above the firmament, his cold gaze fixed downward. The Champion King, remarkably, was still alive. His Moon Phoenix Body activated, knitting his sundered body back together, on the verge of full recovery.

But Ye Chen let out a chilling laugh. The chariot, like a blazing meteor, roared down once more. In the blink of an eye, the Champion King's body was shattered again, cleaved in two.

Ye Chen guided the chariot back to the heavens, his icy stare unwavering. The crowd erupted in shock. It was clear to all: Ye Chen wasn't rushing to defeat the Champion King—he was tormenting him.

The Champion King's face darkened to a grim extreme, his eyes burning with murderous intent as he glared at Ye Chen. He could sense the vast chasm between them. The Nirvana power of his Moon Phoenix Body wasn't infinite; it was nearly depleted. At most, he could regenerate once or twice more. There was no chance for a comeback.

The Champion King, who had never known defeat, now faced his first loss so abruptly. Frustration gnawed at him, the reality unbearable. But with no other choice, he spoke decisively: "I surrender."

Those three words sent a wave of gasps through the arena. The Champion King had yielded. The throne of the Great Chu Empire was decided.

The Wang family erupted in ecstatic relief. Not only had the looming threat of annihilation vanished, but they now stood to gain immense favor for their loyalty. Among the four great families, only the Wangs had stood by Li Feihuang. With her ascension, their rise to prominence was assured.

Li Feihuang herself, however, was stunned. Her exquisite face clouded with disbelief. She hadn't even stepped into the arena, yet the throne was hers? The suddenness of it all was overwhelming.

And it was all because of Ye Chen. Her gaze drifted toward him, but her expression shifted as she noticed his next move. A furious shout from the royal clan elders rang out: "Stop!"

The crowd gasped in unison. Only Su Yuxuan, watching from the Wang residence, broke into a radiant smile.

For even after the Champion King's surrender, Ye Chen showed no sign of stopping. Like a falling star, he drove the chariot downward once more with thunderous force.

The Champion King's face twisted in shock. He hadn't expected Ye Chen to strike again after his surrender. This was the Great Chu Empire—did Ye Chen have a death wish? But Ye Chen's killing intent was unmistakable.

With no other recourse, the Champion King roared in desperation: "Ancestor, save me!"

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