Days later, the final battle commenced.
The Crown Prince and his entourage arrived at the battleground.
"Strange, where is everyone?"
The Crown Prince wore a puzzled expression. By all rights, Ye Qingcheng and Yun Fan should have been engaged in a fight to the death by now.
Even if outsiders didn't know the location, they had inside information that the two were to duel here.
At this moment, Ouyang Mingyue said, "Let's assess the situation first!"
Following that, the group walked over.
The area was desolate, with woods on the periphery, a lawn inside, and a lone pavilion standing at the center.
Upon reaching the center, the group was dumbfounded. Yun Fan and Ye Qingcheng were there, chatting and drinking tea amicably.
There was no hint of a death match. The first thought of the group was that they had been tricked.
"Retreat!"
Ouyang Mingyue immediately gave the order.
However, the Crown Prince shot him a disdainful glance. With so many experts on their side, why was this man being so cautious?
Truly, he was worrying about things that might never happen.
But just then, they felt experts entering from the rear.
The group immediately turned around. Indeed, a figure stood behind them. This person was none other than Leng Ningshuang.
Leng Ningshuang said, "Everyone, since you've come, you don't need to leave!"
As she finished speaking, Yun Fan and Ye Qingcheng, at some unknown time, had also appeared behind them, trapping them front and back.
Ouyang Mingyue said, "Everyone, this is just a misunderstanding. We've only come to observe the fight!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Qingcheng sneered, "Does observing a fight require so many experts? The three family heads!"
"This..."
Just then, Yun Fan glanced at the Crown Prince. "Your Highness, long time no see!"
"Hmph!"
The Crown Prince cast a cold look at Yun Fan. Having already broken through to the Innate realm, he was not panicked at all.
His main objective for coming today was to eliminate Yun Fan.
"There's no need to hide it anymore. We set this trap precisely to lure you in!"
Leng Ningshuang stated directly.
"Indeed, how ruthless!"
Ouyang Mingyue's face turned cold. He hadn't expected to be fooled in the end.
Ye Qingcheng then said, "You are the ruthless ones. The three great families, my Ye family has treated you well enough over the years, and yet you repay kindness with enmity, constantly seeking to overthrow my Ye family!"
"A wise bird chooses its tree. Your Ye family acts arbitrarily and never considers the feelings of our three families. It is understandable that our three families want to replace your Ye family!"
The Xie family head said coldly.
"Well said, 'a wise bird chooses its tree'!"
Ye Qingcheng said indifferently, "With that idiot Crown Prince, you are not convinced. I suspect there is a hidden conspiracy behind you!"
Upon hearing Ye Qingcheng call him an idiot, the Crown Prince flew into a rage. He had never been so humiliated in his life.
Therefore, he said coldly to Ye Qingcheng, "Bitch, you'll know despair soon enough!"
Ye Qingcheng paid no attention to the Crown Prince, instead saying, "You are truly pathetic. As the Son of the Heavenly Emperor, you are willing to be a pawn for others to use. You are truly a disgrace to royalty!"
"You..."
Just as the Crown Prince was about to explode, Ouyang Mingyue quickly said, "Your Highness, don't listen to her instigation. We genuinely pledge our allegiance to you. Even if this is a scheme, we still have the strength to suppress them!"
Although this was the other side's scheme, there were only three of them now, and only Leng Ningshuang was an Innate expert.
On their side, both he and the Crown Prince were Innate, so overwhelming the opposition should not be an issue.
The Crown Prince suppressed his anger and said, "Resolve this quickly. I don't want to waste any more time!"
With that, both sides entered a standoff.
Leng Ningshuang said to Ouyang Mingyue, "Ouyang Mingyue, you have been in the Innate realm for years, yet you have made no progress. Your existence is a waste of resources. Today, I will eliminate you, you good-for-nothing!"
"Good, very good!"
Ouyang Mingyue sneered, "As you wish!"
Immediately, he lunged rapidly towards Leng Ningshuang.
The Crown Prince smiled mockingly. "Yun Fan, without your Senior Sister's help, you are merely an ant before me!"
Although he and Yun Fan had clashed before, they had never truly fought.
Therefore, his objective now was Yun Fan.
Yun Fan said, "Since you want to play, I'll play with you!"
With that, he walked towards the Crown Prince.
"Can you handle him?"
Ye Qingcheng asked Yun Fan.
She had a feeling that the Crown Prince was so confident because he surely had a surefire way to win.
"It's fine. This time, I won't let him off!"
Yun Fan said calmly. Originally, the Crown Prince should have died last time, but he had spared his life due to the intervention of the Heavenly Emperor.
This time, he would not hold back.
At this moment, Ye Qingcheng and the two family heads remained.
"Miss Ye, although you have extraordinary talent, you are no match for the two of us alone. Surrender now!"
The two said to Ye Qingcheng. They had both reached the Half-step Innate realm long ago and naturally did not view Ye Qingcheng, a junior, as a threat.
"Elders, you have truly lived your years in vain!"
Ye Qingcheng warned, "Do you know the consequences of offending my Ye family?"
"In the past, we wouldn't dare to offend the Ye family, but things are different now."
The Huang family head said, "If we are not mistaken, Madam Ye Ji is on her deathbed, isn't she!"
The reason they dared to challenge the Ye family was solely based on their belief that Ye Ji was in her final throes.
"My mother is doing very well, you don't need to worry about her. However, after tonight, there will only be the Ye family among the four great families!"
Ye Qingcheng declared, and immediately unleashed her power.
The pressure of peak Half-step Innate emanated from her. The two family heads were greatly shocked. The intelligence they had indicated Ye Qingcheng was merely Half-step Innate.
They never expected Ye Qingcheng to have reached the peak, and she would likely break through to the Innate realm soon.
On the other side, Yun Fan and the Crown Prince had already begun their engagement.
"Kid, so what if you are the Sect Master of Ghost Valley? Being my enemy is the biggest mistake of your life!"
He sneered at Yun Fan.
Yun Fan said calmly, "Look at you bragging. Aren't you still my defeated foe?"
"You're courting death!"
The Crown Prince was enraged. He had never experienced defeat in his life. Not only was he the high and mighty Crown Prince, but among the younger generation, he had never lost.
However, being repeatedly defeated by Yun Fan had become a mental obstacle. Only by killing Yun Fan could this obstacle be removed.
"Boom!"
After an exchange of palm strikes, both were pushed back. However, both were determined to kill the other, so they unleashed their full strength.
It had to be said that at the Half-step Innate level, even someone as strong as the Crown Prince was no match for Yun Fan.
After less than ten exchanges, he was repelled by Yun Fan with a single move.
"With your strength, you think you can kill me?"
Yun Fan sneered dismissively.
"Hmph!"
The Crown Prince snorted, "No matter how monstrous you are, you are still only Half-step Innate. Regrettably, I have already broken through to the Innate realm. You will surely die today!"
In an instant, the Crown Prince unleashed his full power. Waves of potent energy surged forward. He wasted no words, aiming to instantly kill Yun Fan.
Who would have thought that after more than ten exchanges, he still couldn't defeat Yun Fan?
"How is this possible?"
The Crown Prince was shocked. In his opinion, as an Innate expert, killing the Half-step Innate Yun Fan should be as easy as killing a chicken.
But Yun Fan could repeatedly evade his killing moves, which was what puzzled him.
Yun Fan said, "Do you think only you have broken through to the Innate realm?"
Instantly, Yun Fan unleashed his true power.
"Innate! You are actually Innate!"
The Crown Prince looked at Yun Fan in disbelief. How could such a coincidence happen in the world? From Half-step Innate, without even experiencing the peak, he directly broke through to Innate.
Could Yun Fan truly be a monstrous prodigy?
He was filled with resentment.
Yun Fan said, "I did not break through to the Innate realm before not because of insufficient talent, but because I deliberately suppressed it!"
"Why did you suppress your strength?"
The Crown Prince found it hard to believe that everything Yun Fan said was true.
Yun Fan said calmly, "You don't understand. You thought I was on the third level, but in reality, I was already on the seventh."
"Die!"
Instantly, Yun Fan made a decisive move, charging straight at the Crown Prince. He had not fought anyone after breaking through to the Innate realm.
This first battle was against the Crown Prince.
As for when he broke through to the Innate realm, in fact, he had only broken through recently. Before reaching that certain level, he dared not rashly step into the Innate realm.
However, with the aid of the Pearl Curtain Quenching Body Pill, the negative influence of that level was no longer a concern, and he naturally stepped into the Innate realm.
"So what if you've broken through to the Innate realm? I, the Crown Prince, will still kill you!"
At this moment, the Crown Prince had become frenzied, his eyes bloodshot, as he charged at Yun Fan.
As both were Innate experts, their battle, while not world-shattering, was certainly awe-inspiring to the surroundings.
"He's broken through to Innate?"
Ye Qingcheng felt a pang in her heart. She and Yun Fan were rivals, and also competitors.
She had always felt superior to Yun Fan in terms of realm, always ahead of him. She never expected Yun Fan to break through to the Innate realm.
She still needed several months of settling period. Her mother had always told her that her talent was already rare among humans.
But she was inferior to Ghost Valley's Yun Fan.
Her unyielding heart drove her to cultivate diligently, aiming to prove her mother wrong.
But from the current situation, it seemed everything her mother had said was true. Was she unable to escape her mother's shadow?
At this moment, the two family heads were in dire straits, as Ye Qingcheng directly unleashed her fury upon them.
Those who were barely evenly matched with Ye Qingcheng were now completely suppressed.
Similarly, the battle between Leng Ningshuang and Ouyang Mingyue was even more brutal.
Ouyang Mingyue bore several wounds. Even he hadn't expected a girl in her early twenties to be so ferocious.
Even he, a seasoned veteran, showed signs of fear.
Leng Ningshuang said, "Old man, why do you keep retreating? Are you scared?"
Ouyang Mingyue's face was filled with anger. Yes, he was indeed scared.
"Young lady, don't just rely on your sharp tongue!"
At this moment, no matter how scared Ouyang Mingyue was, he could only face the challenge.
The battles of the three factions had become the focal point, though there was no one to spectate.
"Star Chessboard!"
As the Crown Prince unleashed a power, everything around him seemed to fall silent. This time, he had used a killing move.
He charged directly at Yun Fan.
Who would have thought that at this very moment, Yun Fan let out a shout: "One Fist Piercing the Heavens!"
His exceptionally sharp fist technique directly dispelled the illusion created by the Crown Prince and struck the Crown Prince.
"Pfft!"
The Crown Prince coughed up a mouthful of blood and looked at Yun Fan in shock. He had never imagined that as fellow Innate experts, the gap between him and Yun Fan would be so vast.
However, this couldn't be blamed on him being too weak; rather, Yun Fan was proficient in a hundred different martial arts. No matter what moves the Crown Prince used, Yun Fan could dispel them and counterattack directly.
In this back and forth, he was naturally no match for Yun Fan. Suzhou Novel Network
At this point, the disheveled Crown Prince asked Yun Fan, "Yun Fan, you are already the transcendent Sect Master of Ghost Valley. Why do you continue to oppose me?"
This was what the Crown Prince couldn't understand. If it weren't for Yun Fan, his plan would have succeeded long ago, and he wouldn't have ended up in this predicament.
"Your question is incredibly foolish!"
Yun Fan sneered, "Originally, I had no quarrel with you, but you repeatedly tried to kill me. And now you have the nerve to ask why I am targeting you?"
He even suspected if the Crown Prince's brain had been addled by his blows, to ask such an idiotic question.
The Crown Prince said angrily, "Are you so narrow-minded? Even if I tried to kill you repeatedly, it was just a misunderstanding!"
"Misunderstanding?"
Yun Fan sneered, "How dare you say that!"
"Enough of this nonsense. If I don't kill you today, Yun Fan vows not to be human!"
"You dare!"
The Crown Prince leaped up, attempting a surprise attack.
But alas, Yun Fan was prepared and would not let him succeed.
Following that, Yun Fan leaped in front of the Crown Prince and unleashed a flurry of combos and critical hits, all landing on the Crown Prince.
"Ah!"
The Crown Prince let out a scream of pain and flew backward, crashing into a row of large trees.
Witnessing this, Ouyang Mingyue became unsettled. The key to victory in this battle was the Crown Prince.
With the Crown Prince's Innate strength, he could deal with the Half-step Innate Yun Fan and then assist him in dealing with Leng Ningshuang. This battle would have been a sure victory.
Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince was the first to falter.
However, just then, two more screams echoed.
Ouyang Mingyue looked and saw that the Xie and Huang family heads had met their demise.
At this point, how could he dare to linger? He immediately broke away from Leng Ningshuang and fled. After all, if he continued to fight, he would also perish here.
Even though he was unwilling, what could he do at this moment?
Leng Ningshuang was furious, but it was impossible for her to catch up to the desperately fleeing Ouyang Mingyue.
At this moment, Yun Fan said to the Crown Prince, "Your men are either dead or have fled. You are merely at the end of your rope now!"
Seeing the two women approaching, the unconvinced expression on the Crown Prince's face completely vanished. He never expected to be defeated so thoroughly tonight.
"Do you have any last words?"
Facing Yun Fan's inquiry, the Crown Prince immediately said, "Last words? That's not necessarily true. I am the Crown Prince, do you dare to kill me?"
Even at this point, he still invoked his identity. The Crown Prince, as the son of the Heavenly Emperor, could make many mistakes and live, whereas others would lose their lives over one mistake. This was the identity he prided himself upon.
"Bang!"
The next moment, Yun Fan stomped on him.
"Ugh!"
The Crown Prince let out a muffled groan, feeling as if his internal organs had shattered.
"You crippled me! You dare to cripple me!"
The Crown Prince looked at Yun Fan in rage, astonished that Yun Fan dared to cripple him.
Yun Fan said, "Even now, you haven't come to your senses? Not only will I cripple you, but I will also kill you!"
The Crown Prince sobered up, and he was also terrified.
"You cannot kill me. If you kill me, my father, the Heavenly Emperor, will not let you go!"
He pleaded while threatening.
"Have you forgotten the agreement between me and the Heavenly Emperor?"
Hearing this, the Crown Prince's heart sank. That's right, Yun Fan and the Heavenly Emperor had agreed that if there was a next time, he would not hold back.
Therefore, even if Yun Fan killed him, the Heavenly Emperor might not pursue the matter.
"So what?"
The Crown Prince quickly said, "Even if my father doesn't kill you, my mother will. She is from a hidden sect!"
"Even if your Ghost Valley is strong, do you dare to face a hidden sect?"
Yun Fan couldn't help but find it amusing. It was Ghost Valley's methods back then that caused the hidden sects to withdraw from the world. Now, he was being asked if he feared them?
"You can die now!"
Yun Fan couldn't be bothered to explain and prepared to send the Crown Prince on his way.
However, the Crown Prince was still struggling. "Yun Fan, do you think you are the ultimate victor? No, you are merely a pawn yourself!"
"Oh?"
Yun Fan looked at the nearly deranged Crown Prince with confusion.
The Crown Prince quickly said, "Do you think the assassins who tried to kill your woman were sent by me and the three great families?"
"Were they not?"
When this matter was brought up, Yun Fan felt infuriated. Besides killing the Crown Prince, a stumbling block, today, he also wanted revenge for Jiang Xueyan.
If not for the Medicine King Valley, Jiang Xueyan's fate would be uncertain.
At this moment, the Crown Prince shook his head. "No, I had this intention, but someone acted before me!"
"You wouldn't think it was my Ye family, would you?"
Ye Qingcheng disdainfully looked at the Crown Prince. Even at this point, he was still trying to smear the Ye family.
"Whether it's your Ye family, I don't know. But I can tell you that there is a mysterious force lurking in the shadows, and they have the same plan as me!"
The Crown Prince guessed. After that incident, he had been sending people to investigate this mysterious force, but unfortunately, they found no clues at all.
Yun Fan and Ye Qingcheng's expressions changed simultaneously. It seemed the situation was far more complex than they had imagined.
They never expected the opponent's scheme to be so grand. Not only were they and Ye Qingcheng pawns, but the Crown Prince was also a pawn. Truly audacious.
"Given the situation, letting me go is your only correct choice. Only I can help you find that mysterious force!"
The Crown Prince stated directly.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Leng Ningshuang plucked a leaf and directly pierced his neck.
"You..."
To his death, the Crown Prince could not believe that someone would dare to kill him, relying on his identity as the Crown Prince.
"How could you be so reckless?"
Ye Qingcheng looked at Leng Ningshuang speechlessly. Although the Crown Prince was useless, he still had some value to exploit.
Leng Ningshuang responded unceremoniously, "If he had the ability, he would have found out by now. Why wait until now!"
"Hmph!"
Ye Qingcheng sneered, "I even suspect you are part of that mysterious force. Not only did you let Ouyang Mingyue escape, but you also killed the Crown Prince in such a hurry. I think you're just guilty and trying to cover it up!"
"Are you looking for death?"
Leng Ningshuang instantly unleashed a killing intent, locking onto Ye Qingcheng.
At this moment, Yun Fan intervened, "Miss Ye, I believe in my Senior Sister's character. Please don't judge a gentleman with a villain's heart!"
"Alright, alright!"
Ye Qingcheng said angrily, "I'm a villain, alright!"
Leng Ningshuang then retracted her killing intent.
...
In the dead of night, Ouyang Mingyue ran frantically and finally saw the luxury car they had parked on the roadside.
However, as he approached, he sensed a subtle danger and quickly retreated.
"Bang!"
The next moment, the luxury car exploded on the spot. Ouyang Mingyue gasped. If he had gotten into the car, while the explosion wouldn't kill an Innate expert, it would certainly have made him a mess.
Just then, a dark figure appeared. Concealed by the night, he couldn't see the opponent's face.
"Who are you?"
Ouyang Mingyue asked coldly.
The figure said, "It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that when a pawn has lost its use, it should die!"
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Mingyue's heart was filled with complex emotions. He could almost instantly determine who the other party was.
"If I'm not mistaken, you are from that hidden force, aren't you!"
"That's right!"
The other party readily admitted.
"I underestimated you. I didn't expect you to be able to hide so deeply!"
Ouyang Mingyue looked at the other party coldly. Previously, the Crown Prince had speculated that the other party was hiding because they were too weak.
But from this perspective, it might not be the case. If they could draw everyone into their game, how could they be too weak?
"It's not that you underestimated us, it's that you are too foolish, easily defeated by a few juniors. I am very disappointed in you!"
The other party said dismissively.
"Hmph!"
Ouyang Mingyue said coldly, "I admit we were careless and underestimated the enemy, but today, I will definitely expose you, this rat hiding in the shadows!"
"You don't have that ability yet!"
Instantly, the two sides clashed. Ouyang Mingyue directly unleashed the power of an Innate expert.
However, as his attack landed, the other party left behind only an afterimage.
"Such speed!"
Before he could even be shocked, the dark figure had already appeared behind him and delivered a punch.
"Crack!"
With a crisp sound, Ouyang Mingyue fell to the ground, his spine instantly fractured. Even though his physical body had been trained to be indestructible, it was easily shattered by the opponent.
"Ugh!"
Ouyang Mingyue let out a muffled groan.
"Aren't you too weak?"
The other party said in an indistinguishable voice.
At this moment, Ouyang Mingyue was filled with fear. He was an Innate expert, albeit at the early stage, he was still the peak of worldly combat power.
He never expected to be defeated in one blow. Aside from his carelessness and being injured by Leng Ningshuang, he was still an Innate expert.
How could the opponent's strength be so terrifying?
"Can... can I see who you are before I die?"
Ouyang Mingyue asked weakly.
"You're already dying and still so curious? However, satisfying your curiosity is not impossible!"
With that, the other party removed his mask.
"It's you..."
Ouyang Mingyue's eyes showed disbelief.
"I never thought that even someone like you would harbor wicked intentions!"
Ouyang Mingyue mocked.
The other party said calmly, "In this life, who doesn't want to be the one who controls the world!"
"Can you rest in peace now?"
"Losing to you, I lost unjustly!"
Ouyang Mingyue was filled with resentment.
"You didn't lose to me, you lost to those few juniors!"
With that, the other party unhesitatingly dealt with Ouyang Mingyue.
After confirming that Ouyang Mingyue was dead, he put his mask back on. However, as he put on the mask, his expression suddenly tensed.
"Expert!"
Instantly, several embroidery needles flew towards him. He quickly dodged, evading the attack.
The next moment, Ye Ji appeared, looking at him coldly. "So you are the culprit who framed my Ye family. No matter what, you cannot be allowed to live today!"
"I knew such a lively scene wouldn't be complete without the Madam's presence?"
The other party said with a sneer. "Although these pawns have failed, tonight, I can finally take care of the Madam as well!"
"Who gave you the courage to do so?"
Then, Ye Ji attacked, unleashing her powerful strength. Every move seemed to shift the stars and move the heavens.
The black-robed figure was greatly alarmed. Everyone said Ye Ji was on her deathbed, but judging from Ye Ji's current movements, she showed no signs of weakness.
"Bang!"
Unexpectedly, Ye Ji struck him with a move.
However, his defense was strong, and he was unharmed. In a blink of an eye, he counterattacked Ye Ji.
In the blink of an eye, the two Innate experts had exchanged more than ten moves. However, the black-robed figure was at a disadvantage.
"Your strength is indeed terrifying. If you weren't injured, you would have already stepped into the Innate realm!"
His eyes were filled with shock as he looked at Ye Ji.
If one were to talk about the martial arts prodigy in the secular world, besides the Dragon Ao Tian of the past, it would likely be the Ye Ji before him.
Even if she was injured and couldn't ascend, she could still stabilize her realm and prevent it from collapsing. The reason he deduced that Ye Ji was injured was that with Ye Ji's talent, if she were not injured, she could have defeated him in three moves.
"You are not weak either, Innate mid-stage!"
Ye Ji sneered, "Today, I want to see how you managed to break through under my nose!"
Clearly, Ye Ji was also curious about the other party's identity. The other party's identity must not be simple.
He said calmly, "Then Madam may be disappointed. In your current state, you won't be able to keep me!"
At this moment, a look of disappointment and unwillingness flashed in the black-robed figure's eyes. He had initially thought that since Ye Ji's injury was not healed, he could defeat her in one go and then close the net. But he only realized now that even though Ye Ji was injured, she was still not someone he could handle. It seemed closing the net would still take some time.
If the foremost martial artist in the secular world, Ye Ji, was not eliminated, he would never succeed.
"Is that so?"
Ye Ji decisively attacked. Numerous embroidery needles transformed into sharp blades, attacking the black-robed figure from all directions.
"Shua!"
As the flying needles fell, the black-robed figure took out his black robe, blocking the embroidery needles, and then used this opening to disappear into the darkness.
Ye Ji's face remained unperturbed. She picked up the black robe on the ground and disappeared before Yun Fan and the others arrived.