688: Chapter 688 I'm standing right here, do you dare come up?

Some were shocked!

Some were furious!

Some even felt it was absurd, while others found it laughable.

But more people felt offended.

Damn!

This was a blatant insult.

You, Ye Chen, are strong; you are the Chief Instructor of the Dragon Group and a Golden Core Stage powerhouse.

But no matter how strong you are, you can't be this arrogant, can you?

Deciding the champion directly today?

What do you take the Martial Arts Tournament for?

On the high platform, Master Huineng's expression changed completely.

“Young Friend Ye!”

“The Martial Arts Tournament has a heritage of hundreds of years, with rules passed down through generations. How can they be changed just like that?”

“You say we decide the champion directly, and we just do it? Where does that leave the Martial Arts Alliance?”

Perfected Person Qingxuan's brow also furrowed tightly as he flicked his whisk.

“Instructor Ye, this poor Daoist knows you are angry. The matter of replacing contestants was indeed an oversight by the Martial Arts Alliance.”

“But to overturn the entire tournament format because of that is perhaps a bit much.”

Abbess Juechen didn't speak, only slightly frowning.

“Rules?”

Ye Chen looked at Master Huineng and smiled faintly.

“Old monk, now you want to talk to me about rules and order?”

“Then why didn't you talk about rules when you replaced the contestant without permission earlier?”

“Why didn't you talk about order when your subordinate scum almost crippled my person?”

Master Huineng's face turned pale and then flushed red.

Damn!

Didn't I say I would give an explanation?

This guy...

He's never going to let it go!

Going in circles and coming back to the same thing...

Ye Chen continued.

“I'll say it again.”

“Today, we decide the champion directly.”

“Otherwise...”

He paused, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly into a smile that carried a hint of coldness.

“You might as well stop holding this event.”

Arrogant!

So damn arrogant!

This is completely disregarding everyone...

Though they were weak, they were all people of status.

This guy was simply too condescending.

“On what grounds?!”

A sharp voice exploded from the crowd.

Vice Sect Leader Wu Shan's face was flushed, veins bulging on his forehead as he pointed at Ye Chen's nose and questioned angrily.

“Ye Chen! On what grounds do you say it changes and it changes?”

“On what grounds do you say we don't hold it and we don't hold it?”

“Who do you think you are? Are you the Martial Arts Alliance Leader? Are you the Emperor of the cultivation world?”

He became more excited as he spoke, spittle flying everywhere.

“The Martial Arts Tournament has a heritage of hundreds of years, with rules passed down through generations. It is a grand event for the martial arts world!”

“You say don't hold it and we don't? Who do you think you are?!”

Many people around him nodded along, their eyes full of indignation.

Wu Shan's words spoke to their hearts.

You, Ye Chen, are strong, but on what grounds do you make decisions for the entire martial arts world?

True, the Martial Arts Alliance was wrong to manipulate things behind the scenes.

But one thing is one thing!

Even if there was manipulation, it was only against one person; they just wanted the competition to proceed to the end.

Even if they couldn't take first place, if some high-level figures from the Kunlun Ruins saw their skills...

Maybe they would get in?

And Ye Chen's approach was undoubtedly going to cut off their future prospects.

Cutting off someone's future is like killing their parents!

Ye Chen turned his head, looked at Wu Shan, and couldn't help but laugh.

“On what grounds?”

“On the grounds that this right here is the state-owned land of the Dragon Kingdom.”

“You can hold your Martial Arts Tournament here, fine.”

“But you must abide by the laws and regulations of the Dragon Kingdom.”

“If it's legal and compliant, I won't interfere.”

“But if there is favoritism, fraud, manipulation, and malicious injury...”

He paused, then grinned, “Then it's quite reasonable for me to stop you from continuing, isn't it?”

The entire audience: “...”

Tens of thousands of people looked at each other.

Good grief.

This one sentence left everyone speechless.

This place was indeed the territory of the Dragon Kingdom, not a lawless land.

The Martial Arts Tournament could be held here because the Dragon Kingdom allowed it, not because you could hold it whenever you wanted.

If you hold it fairly, justly, legally, and compliantly, then there's no problem.

But you engage in manipulation, replace contestants without permission, and arrange for experts to maliciously target others...

This is no longer a matter of martial arts rules; it's a matter of breaking the law.

As the Chief Instructor of the Dragon Group, Ye Chen has the power and the duty to manage this.

Wu Shan's face turned the color of pig liver: “You... you are just using twisted logic!”

“Twisted logic?”

Ye Chen glanced at him and shook his head.

“I am stating facts.”

“If your Mount Tai Sect feels dissatisfied, you can go ahead and sue me.”

“The doors of the Dragon Kingdom's courts are open to you at any time.”

Wu Shan: “...”

Sue the Chief Instructor of the Dragon Group?

He wasn't that stupid.

The martial artists around all lowered their heads, not daring to meet Ye Chen's gaze.

There was simply no way to refute it...

Moreover, every word Ye Chen said stood on the high ground of law and reason; there was nothing they could do to him.

Ye Chen withdrew his gaze and checked his watch.

“Alright, I'll give you one minute to consider two options.”

“First, decide the champion directly right now.”

“Second, my Ancient Tomb Sect takes first place.”

“Choose.”

The entire audience: “...”

Wait...

Is there any difference between these two options?

The first one is to have everyone go up together, have a fight, and decide the champion, but the result certainly wouldn't be them winning, but Ye Chen winning.

The second one is for the Ancient Tomb Sect to directly take first place, with no one else even getting a chance to fight.

Whichever one they chose, the result was the same...

The championship belonged to the Ancient Tomb Sect.

The only difference was whether the others had a chance to get beaten up on stage.

At this moment.

Master Huineng's expression was as ugly as if he had eaten a pound of bitter herbs.

He had never seen such a thing.

One person, one sentence, and the entire tournament format was overturned.

Yet he couldn't even refute it.

Because the matter of replacing the person was indeed something he had tacitly allowed.

If it were really investigated, he would be the first one unable to escape.

Wang Tianlong stood to the side, his grin almost reaching his ears.

Daoist Priest Qingfeng raised an eyebrow and didn't say a word.

After all...

They had personally witnessed Ye Chen's 'domineering' behavior before!

Perfected Person Qingxuan and Abbess Juechen exchanged a glance, a touch of solemnity appearing in their eyes.

This young man was too domineering.

But they had to admit, he had the capital to be domineering.

Time passed second by second.

Just as the one-minute countdown was about to end...

Suddenly!

“Ye Chen, what big talk!”

A loud voice came from the back of the crowd, exploding like thunder throughout the valley.

Everyone was startled.

They all turned their heads in unison toward the direction the voice came from.

The crowd automatically parted to form a path.

An old man walked through the path.

He wore a black robe, and a cold, eerie aura permeated his body.

The feeling he gave off was...

A ghost.

But not quite a ghost.

Behind him followed four others also wearing black robes, each with a gloomy aura.

Everywhere the five passed, the martial artists nearby instinctively retreated, their faces pale and eyes full of fear.

It wasn't because they were ugly, but because that cold aura made everyone feel uncomfortable, like a cold snake crawling down their backs.

“It's... it's the people from the Ghost Sect!”

In the crowd, someone was the first to recognize the identity of the newcomers, their voice trembling.

“Ghost Sect? The Ghost Sect of the Kunlun Ruins' Five Clans, Eight Sects, and Thirteen Gates?”

“That's right! That old man... I had the honor of seeing him once! He is the Vice Sect Leader of the Ghost Sect, Li Jiutian!”

“What? The Vice Sect Leader of the Ghost Sect? That's a Golden Core Stage old monster! Why is he here?”

...

Discussion spread through the crowd like a plague, rapidly diffusing.

Golden Core Stage.

These three words were an insurmountable mountain for the vast majority of people present.

For Cultivators in the Secular World, the Heaven Realm was already considered an expert, the Celestial Master Realm was as rare as phoenix feathers or unicorn horns, and the Tianyi Realm was almost the ceiling.

And the Golden Core Stage?

That was a level they didn't even dare to dream of.

Now, a Golden Core Stage powerhouse was standing right before them in the flesh.

And they came with ill intent, clearly looking for trouble with Ye Chen.

And who was Ye Chen?

The Chief Instructor of the Dragon Group, and also a Golden Core Stage powerhouse!

This...

There was likely going to be a good show to watch!

Li Jiutian stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen also looked at him, sized him up, and spoke faintly.

“Whether my talk is big or not, haven't you people from the Nine Great Forces experienced it already?”

In the valley of tens of thousands, even the sound of breathing seemed to have stopped.

Wow!

As expected of Ye Chen!

He had this kind of attitude toward anyone.

They just didn't know...

Was he really that powerful, or was it just a bluff?

Li Jiutian's face darkened instantly.

“You're looking for death!”

He barked, his voice containing thick true qi that spread out like a physical force.

Those martial artists close to him felt their eardrums sting and their hearts contract; a few with weak cultivation even slumped to the ground, their faces deathly pale.

The pressure of the Golden Core Stage was terrifyingly immense.

However.

Ye Chen only let out a yawn.

Then.

He extended his right hand and beckoned with his finger toward Li Jiutian.

“Come.”

“I'm standing right here, waiting for you to come kill me.”

“Do you dare come up?”

The entire audience: “???”

Wasn't this a blatant provocation?

Holy cow!

This Ye Chen is too arrogant!

Although he has the Dragon Group behind him, Li Jiutian is the Vice Sect Leader of the Ghost Sect, with the entire Ghost Sect behind him!

For a moment.

Everyone looked at Li Jiutian in unison.

They wanted to see...

How would this big shot strike back?

After all.

For such a large sect to be provoked this way, they surely wouldn't just swallow their pride, right???