Chapter 136: Hatred Sky-High

This was, from the start, a battle of vastly mismatched strength. Even the people of the Heavenly Martial Empire never imagined Ye Feng could defeat Yang Yi; at best, they hoped he might merely pin him down.

By now, the experts on the side of the Holy Land were teetering on the brink of collapse. The two cardinals battling Tang Hen and the others were in no better shape than Ye Feng, reduced entirely to passive defense.

Yang Yi ignored the others, his expression unsettled. A monumental achievement was beckoning to him, filling his heart with abnormal excitement.

"Do you know? If I kill you, I will gain boundless power; even the Elders of the Holy Land would not dare show me disrespect. I shall become the second most powerful man in the Holy Land, second only to the Holy Master! Hahahaha..." Yang Yi’s face was flushed, his mania bordering on the pathological.

Ye Feng’s feet felt as if they had taken root, firmly shackled. Unable to dodge the incoming assault, he could only passively brace himself for Yang Yi’s attack.

"Fire Cloud Annihilates the Heavens!"

Great flames scorched the horizon, shimmering with a blinding red radiance as if to incinerate everything in the world. The attack swept down like a tidal wave, engulfing Ye Feng completely.

Yang Yi would not grant him any chance! Even when a lion hunts a rabbit, it uses its full strength. He would not let this glorious achievement slip through his fingers.

Ye Feng was furious. To others, contending with a Spirit Emperor was an affirmation of strength, an honor—but to him, it was a humiliation!

He did not want to lose, and he refused to accept defeat! Yang Yi’s rampant laughter was like a sharp blade, viciously carving into his heart.

"Damn it, I’ve paid... I’ve paid a heavy price... I want ten Soul-Condensing Fruits!" Within the Demon King Domain, the Dragon-Flood Demon King was wreathed in scorching flames, pouring his strength frantically into his own internal demon core.

*Boom...*

In an instant, Ye Feng felt explosive power flooding his entire body. It was not mere spiritual energy; it was as if his very cultivation realm had been inexplicably multiplied. Faintly, he could even perceive the ethereal traces of the Great Dao across the heavens and earth.

"Ah, break for me!"

He stomped down heavily, sending tangible shockwaves rippling outward. The restraints binding him shattered instantly.

Something seemed to flow through Ye Feng’s soul, and with his rage, it bloomed into a brilliant golden light, unleashing a surge of overwhelming power.

"Get lost!"

He threw a punch. An invisible aura permeated the air, pulverizing all tangible matter.

The overwhelming flames were shattered by this single blow into streaks of light that pierced the sky, shining like falling meteors. In that moment, the heavens were incomparably magnificent, filled with firelight and falling embers.

An unparalleled force surged, and an immense pressure swept across the entire capital.

Yang Yi stumbled back several steps, his eyes filled with disbelief. His *Fire Cloud Annihilates the Heavens* had been blocked, and the rebounding force had even sent him reeling. What kind of strength was this?

Such a scene caught everyone by surprise. Ye Feng had been critically wounded and had vomited blood from Yang Yi’s strikes; how could he suddenly erupt with such terrifying power?

As the light faded, Ye Feng stood motionless in the arena, a brilliant divine glow erupting from his body. Like a raging fire, it knit his broken bones back together.

Golden flames roared outside his body, enveloping him. Meanwhile, an incredibly potent force aggressively occupied his limbs and veins. Although his spiritual energy remained as golden as before, its essence had been fundamentally transformed.

Ye Feng’s body cracked and popped like roasting beans. Amidst the violent tremors, it felt as though some internal shackle had been shattered.

He heard the sound of internal ruptures—the consequence of the violent influx of spiritual energy damaging his meridians.

His joints clicked and his body shook violently. Ye Feng’s skin turned a blood-red, with tiny veins clearly visible, as if they might burst at any moment.

At this moment, immense power surged within him like a rushing Yangtze River, like a torrential flood, threatening to burst out of his body. Every inch of his skin contained terrifying energy, like a volcano on the verge of eruption, searching for a vent.

The moment Ye Feng had been blasted back, Yang Yi realized the situation was dire. He rushed forward like a streak of light, refusing to give Ye Feng any chance, determined to extinguish any variable in its infancy.

However, what had just occurred happened in a mere instant. It was already impossible to stop.

Yang Yi swung his right fist, gathering vast amounts of milky-white spiritual energy. He unleashed a fierce, divine martial technique—a punch that seemed capable of tearing the void itself.

But Ye Feng had already completed his transformation.

*Bang...*

Ye Feng reached out a single hand and caught the fist, which was imbued with endless terror.

*Whoosh...*

Like a flicker of light, the violent, surging energy dissipated and vanished into the air.

When the light cleared, Ye Feng stood silently in place, clutching Yang Yi’s fist.

Silence—deadly silence. No one spoke; even their breathing had become labored.

This was a shocking reversal. One moment he was on the verge of death, and the next he had erupted with such might, neutralizing a terrifying divine technique with a single grasp.

"Is... is this real? Am I dreaming? Ye Feng... Ye Feng is actually holding a Spirit Emperor?"

"Am I dead? Is everything before me an illusion? But why does it feel so real?"

Everyone was stunned, muttering to themselves.

"Hahaha..." The deafening laughter cut through the sky, its rolling sonic waves shaking the distant ruins. Ye Feng’s wild hair whipped about, his gaze sharp and brilliant as lightning.

"Yang Yi, did you ever think you would see this day?" Ye Feng gritted his teeth, his other hand throwing a vicious punch.

It was a simple punch, but one thrown without reservation—a blow containing immense power—striking Yang Yi’s shoulder with brutal force.

*Boom...*

Flesh and bone exploded. Under Ye Feng’s blow, Yang Yi’s left shoulder and his entire arm disintegrated, scattering into a mist of gore.

"Fifteen years. Fifteen whole years. You led men to ambush my home, hurt my father, and kill my mother. Yang Yi... did you ever think you would see this day!"

Amidst his roars, Ye Feng moved like lightning, appearing before Yang Yi—who had been sent flying dozens of yards away—and delivered another terrifying punch.

*Boom...*

This time, it was the right shoulder. The invisible shockwave invaded Yang Yi’s entire body before exploding like a bomb, shattering his right shoulder and hand into fragments of flesh.

Blood gushed like a fountain. Yang Yi was sent flying once more, his body trembling violently—perhaps from the agony of losing both arms, or perhaps from sheer terror.

But at this moment, no one cared about his reaction. All eyes were fixed on the youth filled with overwhelming murderous intent, all of them struck with profound shock.

Ye Feng walked forward step by step. The earth beneath his feet seemed unable to bear the weight of his heaven-shaking resentment, cracking and crumbling.

Each time his foot fell, it was as if a mountain were trembling. After five steps, he stopped.