Chapter 123: A Whistling Arrow Piercing the Clouds

Ye Feng struck first, leaping into the air, his feet treading upon a dragon as he soared through the void. His body moved like a streak of dark golden light, tracing strange, twisting paths as he spiraled upward.

At the apex of his ascent, he plummeted like a meteor breaking through the sky, gathering spiritual energy in both feet as he aimed to stomp on Nebula’s head.

This was an insult—an unmistakable insult. “You act so high and mighty? Then I shall trample your pitiful pride with an even loftier attitude.”

Nebula’s fury erupted as he swung a fist upward, aiming to strike Ye Feng’s descending feet.

Ye Feng neither dodged nor retreated; instead, he intensified his force. Dark golden flames blazed fiercely along his legs, stirring the space around him into a violent tremor.

Before fist and foot could meet, the fierce winds they generated collided with tremendous force, causing the entire void to roar.

Boom!

In the next moment, with an even louder explosion, fist and foot finally clashed. A burst of milky white and golden lightning erupted in the void, a dazzling storm of spiritual energy surging outward in all directions. Within a radius of several dozen yards, the space was instantly cleared.

Harnessing the momentum of the heavens, Ye Feng poured all his raging spiritual power into his legs and stomped down once more.

Nebula, already on the defensive, felt his body begin to descend the moment their blows connected. When Ye Feng struck again, Nebula’s body lost all control, involuntarily falling downward.

In the void, Nebula’s fist pressed against Ye Feng’s stomping foot as his form rapidly plummeted. From the outside, it appeared as though Ye Feng was pressing Nebula down with a single step, driving him into the empty air.

Boom...

A heavy impact shook the ground, causing cracks to spiderweb outward and dust to billow into the sky.

When the dust settled, everyone was horrified to find that the powerful Nebula was buried up to his knees in the earth.

Meanwhile, Ye Feng’s figure somersaulted through the air for over ten yards before landing firmly on the ground.

“How is this possible?” Nebula did not show any joy despite having the upper hand; instead, his expression was one of shock. He stared at the cracked earth around him, muttering, “I am the seventh son of the Star Palace, considered a prodigy even within its ranks. Coming to this lower realm, I should be invincible. How could I be bullied by a mere local? This can’t be... Perhaps the fifth brother and the others must come together to kill this local.”

Ye Feng looked at him coldly, his mood darkening. The information Nebula had unwittingly revealed indicated he was not alone here.

Nebula ranked seventh among the younger generation, already possessing the cultivation of a Half-step Spirit Emperor. If so, what level of power had the six above him reached?

The situation was complicated. A sacred ground was already enough to make Ye Feng look up in awe—and now the Star Palace suddenly appeared. This was difficult for Ye Feng to accept.

“Honestly, you’re still a bit lacking. I won’t bully you. Let your leader come out and fight! If he can beat me, I’ll spare your life today,” Ye Feng forced himself to calm down and began to play the provocateur, probing Nebula’s words.

“Nonsense. We don’t need the leader to deal with you. You’re too arrogant. If it weren’t for the sixth brother’s disdain for entering the ruins, you wouldn’t have escaped death today,” Nebula snapped angrily. For a lowly local from the lower realm, Ye Feng’s bold words were outrageous.

Unknowingly, this prodigy had already revealed many astonishing details.

“Disdain? I think he’s simply unqualified to enter. Since the sixth brother isn’t coming, what about the fifth and fourth? They wouldn’t all be dead, would they?” Ye Feng taunted with thick contempt, baiting his opponent.

He needed more information; only by enraging Nebula could he extract further secrets.

“You...” Nebula’s face flushed red as he pointed at Ye Feng, but after a moment, he recovered and sneered, “I know you’re deliberately provoking me, and I’m not afraid to tell you—only the sixth brother and I came down this time. I’m here to kill you. I reckon the sixth brother has already arrived at your Heavenly Martial Imperial City. Hmph... they say the Illusion Clan has appeared. The sixth brother is displeased with their assassination skills and wants to challenge them.”

Madness flickered in Nebula’s eyes as he spoke.

Ye Feng’s heart sank. He had considered the possibility of trouble in the Imperial City but reasoned that with so many experts there, the sacred ground would not act rashly.

In fact, if it weren’t for the Star Palace’s intervention, the sacred ground would not have so quickly launched an attack on the Illusion Clan. Although the sacred ground’s overall strength surpassed that of the Ye and Tang families, they still feared the madman Ye Zhantian. Without absolute certainty, the sacred ground would never act hastily.

“Do you really think your sixth brother alone could threaten the Imperial City? What a pipe dream!” Though turmoil churned within, Ye Feng’s face remained calm, betraying no hint of alarm.

“Haha... do you think the Illusion Clan’s amateurs can withstand the sixth brother’s assassination arts? Add to that the three red-clad stewards dispatched by the sacred ground—do you think the Ye and Tang families dare act? Hahaha...” Nebula’s wild, near-crazed boasting enraged Ye Feng deeply.

He recalled that when entering the ruins, Light Dance was nowhere to be seen amidst the crowd.

At first, Ye Feng worried about Light Dance, but after the sacred ground’s ambush, he had no time to care and pushed the thought aside. Nebula’s sudden mention today deeply troubled Ye Feng.

“Hmph! Arrogant fool! Do you think everyone in the Heavenly Martial Empire is as worthless as you? Even if there are only three red-clad stewards, if their sacred lord came, they would never return alive! Maybe your sixth brother has already descended to the underworld. Fine, to keep him company, you can join him!” Ye Feng’s anxiety grew as he sparred verbally with Nebula. Unnoticed, he nodded sharply toward the ruins entrance, signaling Galo and the others to begin breaking the formation.

At this moment, both Ye Feng and Nebula’s hearts churned with wild turbulence. With Ye Feng’s formidable power alone, could the hidden talents in the Heavenly Martial Imperial City truly be so easy to uncover?

Nebula fixed his gaze on Ye Feng and grinned, “Hey... if you hadn’t reminded me, I would have forgotten. I’ll capture you. If the sixth brother truly encounters trouble, having you as a hostage will make the Ye family hesitate to act.”

Suddenly, Nebula’s hand produced a short bamboo tube. Before Ye Feng could react, Nebula hurled it into the sky.

Squeak...

A sharp, crackling sound filled Ye Feng’s ears. Above, a brilliantly colored firework exploded with a loud bang.