Chapter 98 A Rival in Love

Their sparring match with Garo ended in a narrow victory for Ye Feng.

Near afternoon, all who had lost their qualification voluntarily handed their talismans to others and were teleported away.

When the defeated had all departed, and only fifty people remained within the Domain of Chaos, every person present was enveloped in white light and sent out as well.

It was clear that the final fifty places had, without any surprise, all been taken by the Sky King Alliance.

Once again, the grand hall gleamed with gold and splendor.

Yet by the time Ye Feng and the others were teleported back, the hall was already in an uproar.

“Great Majesty, this mission to the Martial Heaven Empire was agreed upon jointly by our two nations. Why should our empire be subjected to such unfair treatment?” In the great hall, one of the people from the Bilister Empire spoke with indignation, heatedly denouncing the injustice they had suffered within the Domain of Chaos.

The moment Ye Feng and the others appeared in the hall, every gaze turned toward them with evident interest.

“Why did you strike our people in the Domain of Chaos?” From among the Bilister delegation, a black-haired, green-eyed youth stepped forward, gave a slight bow toward Emperor Tang Hen above, then turned and addressed Ye Feng.

At first glance, Ye Feng’s brow knotted tightly.

This young man gave off an unsettling impression, at times enchanting and dreamlike, at times fierce and overwhelming. If Ye Feng had not misjudged him, this was likely one of the seeded candidates who could enter the ancient ruins directly.

When the ancient ruins opened, aside from the fifty who had advanced through the Domain of Chaos, there would also be ten additional places that required no selection at all and allowed direct entry. These were the so-called seeded candidates.

“Your crown prince should still be alive. Why not have him come out and tell everyone the reason?” Ye Feng looked at him and casually waved a hand.

“Exactly. If you hadn’t attacked Lady Illusion Light first, why would we have gone looking for trouble with you?”

“That’s right—villains always cry foul first!”

No sooner had Ye Feng spoken than Xiao Chong and the others behind him echoed his words one after another.

“Besides, apart from the dozen or so who pursued Qingwu, we did not kill a single person from the Bilister Empire. Your crown prince should have told you all this already, shouldn’t he?” Ye Feng tilted his head, speaking with easy composure.

Seeing the situation turn against them, the delegation dared not linger. One after another, they slunk away like defeated hounds with their tails between their legs.

Though Ye Feng and the others had indeed seized their talismans, the ones who had actually struck them were the beasts within the Domain of Chaos. Those who had fled in panic from the encirclement of the beasts had all been slain by the crowd already; the dead could not testify.

With no proof and no witnesses, they naturally could not do anything to Ye Feng and the others.

After the delegation left in disgrace, Emperor Tang Hen upon the throne cast Ye Feng an intrigued glance, said nothing, and gradually faded away as well.

Yet Ye Feng remained standing there, the image of that youth still lingering in his mind. This was a formidable opponent. He could not afford to ignore him.

Only after that did they return to the front of the Qi residence, all of them giving Ye Feng emphatic thumbs-up.

“Well done! That’s the perfect example of taking advantage of someone and still acting innocent,” Xiao Chong said, clapping a hand hard against Ye Feng’s shoulder.

“Did any of you notice the youth who was speaking just now?” Ye Feng still frowned, asking with a thoughtful tone.

“He’s very strong. Stronger than that mysterious youth in the Domain of Chaos.” Before Xiao Chong could answer, Xiao Ye slowly stepped forward. His expression, like Ye Feng’s, was deeply furrowed with concern.

“During this period, everyone must be especially careful. After suffering such a huge loss, they definitely won’t let this go!” Glancing at the others with heavy thoughts in his heart, Ye Feng led Illusion Light Dance and turned with the rest toward the palace gates.

“Spread the word about the Sky King Alliance during this time. It would be best if we could attract a few genuine experts to join us,” Ye Feng said as they stepped out of the imperial palace, walking as he spoke to the people beside him.

“Exactly. Hopefully we can draw out one or two of the top ten experts from the previous generation...” Suddenly, the bald Aoyun’s expression froze, his eyes fixed intently on what was behind them.

The next instant, everyone’s faces changed, each one stranger than the last.

Sensing the oddness behind them, Ye Feng also stopped and turned back in confusion.

A youth of about sixteen or seventeen, with black hair and green eyes, stood quietly behind them, gazing at Illusion Light Dance with a dazed, entranced look.

Suowu’s eyes truly were somewhat clouded, yet even the most beautiful women of the Bilister Empire had never been able to captivate him.

The illusion arts he cultivated were unrivaled beneath the heavens, easily stirring the wild adoration of many women. Yet he felt nothing at all for any of them.

But after seeing Illusion Light Dance in the great hall, he had felt as if he were looking upon a goddess. That fiery red dress, those playful gestures—every detail of her had drawn him irresistibly in.

He had originally come here to seek trouble with Ye Feng together with his elder brother, but his brother had changed his mind at the last moment and gone ahead alone.

Still, he had not obeyed his brother’s order to leave. Instead, he had waited here by himself. Since Ye Feng had brought humiliation upon the delegation, he intended to make him pay it back.

Of course, what he intended to take back had gained one more thing after seeing Illusion Light Dance: the most beautiful woman belonged only to the strongest man.

In their country, women were not qualified to stand and speak with men, so whenever they went out, they carried kneeling pads on their backs and had to kneel when speaking to a man. That was the rule.

The way Suowu looked at Illusion Light Dance sent Ye Feng into instant fury. A violet radiance burst in his eyes, though it quickly cleared again. There was no retreat in his vocabulary.

That fleeting change made Suowu’s eyes light up. “I challenge you to a duel. Your courage is worthy of admiration by the warriors of the Bilister Empire, but the dignity of our empire cannot be challenged!”

Boom.

Ye Feng’s aura erupted without reservation, his gaze locked tightly on Suowu.

“Death match. Until one of us is dead!”

“Beautiful lady, may I ask whether you would honor me by having dinner with me?” Suowu ignored Ye Feng entirely, elegantly extending one hand and slightly bowing as he invited Illusion Light Dance.

Swoosh.

A flash of cold light.

Ye Feng struck in wrath, his dagger slashing swiftly toward the hand Suowu had extended.

Ye Feng was truly enraged. “What is this nonsense? Trying to steal my woman right in front of me? You’re courting death.”

As the saying goes, every dragon has a reverse scale, and Ye Feng’s reverse scale was Illusion Light Dance. He did not know why, nor did he need to know why. It was simply this feeling: Illusion Light Dance was someone he had to protect with his life.

Yet that slash had missed its mark. Suowu now stood there smiling at him.

“The Ye clan has truly disappointed me. Do you people have no warrior’s spirit at all? All you know is ambush?” he said.

“Get lost. I accept your challenge! Tomorrow, at the imperial capital’s martial arena, I hope you won’t disappoint me!”

Ye Feng had lost his composure. His opponent had easily found his weak point and successfully provoked him.