Villain : After Slacking Off, The Protagonist Collapse - Chapter 252

Chapter 252

At these words, the surrounding atmosphere solidified. The young prodigies of the ancient clans were left speechless, their hearts conflicted. They didn’t know what to say.

Whether it was Jiang Chen’s audacious strategy or Yan Ruyu’s unparalleled poise, both were enough to leave them lost for words.

“The followers of the Holy Son of Primordial Holy Land are reaching such heights—this generation of Primordial Holy Land is truly overwhelming.”

Jin Changhe’s expression shifted, filled with an indescribable mix of emotions.

It wasn’t quite despair, but there was certainly a sense of helplessness. The Holy Son of Primordial Holy Land had already become an existence they could only look up to, yet now even his followers had reached such monstrous levels.

How could they possibly keep up?

“Even the Saintess of the Supreme Dao Sect is a follower of Jiang Chen, and that Saintess is no simple character either!”

“Most likely, she’s not much weaker than Yan Ruyu!”

Bai Chen recalled Jiang Chen’s followers, who numbered three in total. One of them was still young and posed no immediate threat. The first was Yan Ruyu, whose formidable strength was now clear to all, inciting fear and caution among the others.

The last was Zi Qingyan, the Saintess of the Supreme Dao Sect, who had already stunned everyone at the Supreme Palace in her early years. She had been away from the public eye for years, and no one knew her current strength, but they believed she couldn’t be much weaker than Yan Ruyu.

As these thoughts crossed their minds, complex emotions surged within the crowd—

feelings of despair mingled with helplessness. The Holy Son of Primordial Holy Land was already an insurmountable mountain, and now even his followers displayed such monstrous potential. How were the rest of them supposed to cope?

They could already foresee a future where their era would be utterly dominated by Primordial Holy Land.

“Perhaps it’s better to retreat into seclusion!” The thought flashed through Jin Changhe’s mind. He was considering sealing his divine source and entering a deep sleep, waiting out this era until the next.

By that time, the monstrous figures from Primordial Holy Land would be gone, as would Huang Qingtian, leaving the Nine Heavens Realm as his stage.

Boom!

A series of violent explosions echoed. The void continually fractured, creating a never-ending cycle of destruction and rebirth, an endless loop of rupture.

“Die!” Ye Qing’s face turned ashen, unleashing his secret techniques without restraint, sending torrents of power sweeping outward toward Yan Ruyu.

He was growing increasingly anxious with each clash, noticing that Yan Ruyu’s strength and combat techniques were becoming more refined and powerful as the fight continued. Gone was the earlier hesitation in her movements.

Sensing this, he understood instantly: this woman was using him as a sparring partner. Perhaps even the Holy Son himself shared this intent. The realization filled Ye Qing with a fury as intense as a volcanic eruption, as if someone had trampled over his pride.

For a prodigy striving to conquer the world, this approach was more painful than death itself. He could tolerate losing to someone stronger, as there was always a higher mountain to climb and stronger people to meet.

Winning or losing was part of life. But he couldn’t bear being treated with such contempt, viewed as merely a sparring tool. It was a complete disregard for his worth.

“Three Thousand Sword Rivers!” Ye Qing spread his arms, a gleam of cold light cutting across the sky, sweeping forth in a mighty torrent.

The river of sword energy expanded with the wind, transforming into three thousand streams of swords, all surging with unstoppable might. Each strand of sword energy held terrifying power, capable of splitting heaven and earth, annihilating everything in its path.

As the Three Thousand Sword Rivers surged forward, the surrounding void could no longer endure, shattering instantly. This rupture caused sword energy to spill out, descending as chilling beams into the ancient city below.

Crack.

Fortunately, a Saint-level expert intervened, waving a hand to dissipate the scattered sword energy completely.

At that moment, a silver brilliance shot out from the All Heaven Mirror, casting a radiant glow. Countless voids sprang into existence with unimaginable speed, spreading to encircle the area.

Against the boundless sword energy, the voids continuously formed and collapsed, but this time, they did not completely rupture and fall into the Nine Heavens Realm below.

Seeing the divine power of the All Heaven Mirror, the surrounding experts couldn’t help but look on with envy. This was an Emperor Weapon, an ultimate artifact aligned with the Dao of Space.

While it might lack the overwhelming destructive power of other ultimate weapons, its capabilities were on par, if not superior. Its ability to create voids alone was enough to inspire awe among those present.

Buzz.

The vast river of swords swept across the sky, yet Yan Ruyu remained calm, her expression undisturbed. She extended her hand gracefully, her slender fingers piercing through the endless void, erasing everything in her path.

The torrent of sword energy, formidable and destructive, parted before her touch as gently as a small stream, losing all power as it dissipated, leaving no mark upon her.

Witnessing this, the onlookers were stunned.

Ye Qing, in particular, was deeply shaken. The Three Thousand Sword Rivers technique was his ultimate skill, a culmination of all his insights into the way of the sword. Its destructive power was boundless, capable of decimating Saints with ease.

Yet, he hadn’t anticipated that it would be completely ineffective against Yan Ruyu’s physical body.

“She possesses a Minor Completion Physique!” The realization struck Ye Qing, darkening his expression.

Yan Ruyu’s physique was extraordinary, nearly equivalent to a Sacred Body, her flesh unmatched and indestructible. Having reached the Minor Completion stage, she could sweep through nearly anything with sheer physical strength alone.

Bang!

Yan Ruyu’s hand descended upon Ye Qing’s head with a resounding slap, crushing it like a watermelon, his head and body exploding into fragments, scattering blood across the sky and filling the void.

Buzz.

In the next moment, Ye Qing’s divine soul emerged, his eyes flashing with an unwavering light. Instead of retreating, he counterattacked, wielding a small, pitch-black sword that cut through the void like a flash of cold light, aiming directly at Yan Ruyu’s soul.

The boundless sword energy carried his divine soul’s intent, targeting her spirit with an unstoppable force.

Especially noteworthy was the black sword, dull and unremarkable at first glance, yet emanating a subtle edge that seemed capable of severing anything. Infused with the overwhelming power of Ye Qing’s divine soul, it could annihilate any soul it struck, making it a deadly Saint Weapon for soul attacks.

Without adequate preparation, even the slightest miscalculation could result in an instant soul erasure.

It had to be acknowledged that Ye Qing’s arsenal of techniques and hidden cards was both vast and lethal. Even with his physical body shattered, he still had a final, fatal strike prepared. This soul attack was undoubtedly Ye Qing’s ultimate trump card, his most lethal maneuver.

“Dangerous!” Seeing this unfold, the Pure Yang Holy Son couldn’t help but exclaim in alarm. His brows furrowed with worry as he muttered, “Truly devious! To think he had a technique like this up his sleeve!”

Ye Qing’s reclusive nature meant that few knew the full extent of his abilities or hidden cards. The lack of forewarning made his methods hard to guard against, rendering even the Pure Yang Holy Son speechless at the sheer cunning of such an attack. He admitted to himself that even he might have struggled to fend off this assault.

“Holy Son of Primordial Holy Land! You will regret your decision!“

Ye Tian, watching this with confidence, sneered at Jiang Chen. “I’ll admit that your follower has great talent and strength in every way, but she’s unfortunate to face my clan’s divine child!”

In Ye Tian’s mind, victory was assured. Yan Ruyu would be unable to withstand this attack, as it was Ye Qing’s ultimate trump card—a move that could catch even a Saint King unprepared.

“Your god son does indeed make for an excellent whetstone,” Jiang Chen responded calmly, contrasting the panic of those around him. “It’s unfortunate, however, that he’s about to die.”

“Stubborn!” Ye Tian sneered, thinking Jiang Chen’s words mere bravado, and dismissed them without concern.

But soon enough, Ye Tian fell into a heavy silence.

Buzz.

Faced with the sudden attack, Yan Ruyu remained unflustered. A black seal flew out from her, transforming into an invisible barrier that enveloped her. It was the Jiuyou Soul Suppressing Seal, a Saint Weapon Jiang Chen had once obtained from a divine stone, which he had given to Yan Ruyu. It now proved invaluable.

The seal hovered in the air, blocking Ye Qing’s soul attack. Following this, the Yin-Yang Vessel suspended above her head, releasing streams of Yin-Yang energy that completely repelled Ye Qing.

Then, Yan Ruyu’s hand extended, reaching out directly toward Ye Qing’s soul.

In that moment, the world fell silent, and everything around them grew still.