On the Ark.

Then Ying Jie charged forward again. It was clear that he was either a strong advocate of offense or completely disregarded Lin Ye, directly slashing at him. This kind of attack, which completely disregarded the possibility of retreat, was something Ya Dao frequently used when he first started practicing with Lin Ye a year ago. However, after Lin Ye mastered the Leaping Wave Strike, Ya Dao rarely used such wide-ranging attacks.

Lin Ye still fondly remembered Ying Jie's attack style, except that Ying Jie's speed was clearly a level above Yato's. To be on the safe side, Lin Ye didn't choose to risk parrying, but instead raised Chixiao to block. Thus, Mikochi and Chixiao clashed once again, but this time, Lin Ye clearly felt that Ying Jie's strength had increased several times, to the point that he was forced to unleash his Leaping Wave Strike in an instant.

Only with the immense power of the Leaping Wave Strike was Lin Ye able to avoid being broken through by this simple, direct attack. However, the increased power from this exchange caused Lin Ye, who hadn't fought in a long time, to feel a numbness in his arms, making his subsequent movements much slower. Therefore, he was even less able to counter the attack and could only barely parry.

Thus, beneath the statue of the First Emperor, the crisp sound of hammering iron resonated continuously, accompanied by the thunderous roar.

Finally, after struggling to withstand the tenth attack, Lin Ye could no longer hold on. Ying Jie seized an opening, and with a flash of light, a bloody wound appeared on his shoulder. Then, Ying Jie delivered a side kick, striking Lin Ye in the chest and sending him flying five meters away to a corner of the wall.

At this point, if the pursuit continues, Ying Jie has a high probability of ending the battle.

But he did not choose to pursue; instead, he stood there and sneered.

“You’ve managed to withstand so many of my attacks, so you’re not the same trash you used to be,” Ying Jie said. “It’s just a pity that you’re still far from being able to cause me trouble. I haven’t even used my full strength yet. That’s why I’ve been saying that you’re too arrogant. Since you’ve barely survived, why did you come back? But it’s fine this way. Let me kill you with my own hands in front of Ying Li. Maybe that will make her a little more obedient.”

Lin Ye did not reply immediately, but instead used Chi Xiao to support his body as he stood up.

"To be honest, your nagging is really annoying," Lin Ye said slowly. "And..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Ye suddenly raised his hand and slammed it hard against the glass behind him.

The glass shattered with a sharp crack, and a gust of wind mixed with rain rushed in, soaking Lin Ye completely in an instant.

In the torrential rain, Lin Ye raised Chixiao once again; the blade of Chixiao was as red as blood.

"I haven't even used my full strength yet."

Chapter 586 isn't over yet.

Lin Ye had to admit that the Second Prince Ying Jie was much stronger than he had imagined. At least in terms of the explosive power of that combo attack, it far surpassed that of Yato. Of course, the level of swordsmanship was another matter, but in terms of racial advantage alone, Yato, being a demon, simply couldn't compare to Ying Jie, who was a dragon.

Moreover, Ying Jie is a member of the Yan Kingdom's royal family, meaning he possesses the authentic bloodline of the dragon race.

If the fight had continued normally, Lin Ye would have had absolutely no chance of defeating Ying Jie.

Fortunately, Ying Jie has his racial advantages, and Lin Ye also has his own favorable timing... no, it shouldn't be called favorable timing, but rather Skadi's power, whether it's Leap Strike or the torrential rain brought by this natural disaster. Leap Strike's power is greatly amplified in the rain, and its duration is also extended, as Lin Ye had already proven in his battle with Jin Gui several months ago.

So Lin Ye smashed the window and let the rain in. At that moment, he felt his strength rapidly increasing, and the fatigue from his fight with Ying Jie was quickly fading away, just like a fish returning to its ocean.

On another note, Skadi once told Lin Ye that Leap Strike itself was a power belonging to the original humans.

In that case, this battle wasn't just a fight between Lin Ye and Ying Jie, but could also be seen as a battle between ancient humans and the dragon race. Thinking of this, Lin Ye felt a strong sense of destiny surrounding him, but he quickly swept this feeling away from his mind. After all, such a melodramatic element as destiny was best left to private contemplation; the most important thing now was to defeat Ying Jie before the Leaping Wave Strike disappeared.

Ying Jie also keenly noticed Lin Ye's sudden increase in power, and his brows furrowed tightly: "What kind of unorthodox method is that?"

Lin Ye said, "This is the right path."

Then he suddenly charged at Ying Jie, marking the first time he had launched a preemptive attack on Ying Jie.

Even though he sensed a significant increase in Lin Ye's power, Ying Jie still didn't take Lin Ye seriously. He sneered twice, then swung his sword to meet him, and the white blade and the red knife clashed once again.

Ying Jie, on the other hand, seemed to be in a more relaxed position, after all, he had received meticulous instruction from various sword styles in the Eastern Kingdom. Although his mastery of all sword techniques was somewhat exaggerated, it wasn't far off. Therefore, Lin Ye, who had only improved in strength and speed but hadn't learned much swordsmanship, found it difficult to gain the upper hand against Ying Jie. Even when he took the initiative to attack, he struggled to find any weaknesses in Ying Jie's defenses, while simultaneously having to defend against Ying Jie's attacks.

However, while his swordsmanship was inferior, Lin Ye possessed other skills.

He had been looking for an opportunity.

Finally, when he deliberately revealed a flaw and was discovered by Ying Jie, he desperately mobilized the source stone power within his body, and then a rectangular orange magic circle descended from the sky.

The Lock of Time!

The power to control time and space is like countless invisible hands, binding Ying Jie from all angles.

Lin Ye seized the opportunity and swung his sword fiercely towards Ying Jie's neck.

That's it.

This is what Lin Ye was thinking as the blade was about to reach Ying Jie's neck.

However, the next second, something unexpected happened.

Lin Ye saw Ying Jie's frozen expression suddenly turn ferocious, and the blood vessels hidden under his skin instantly turn red.

Then, Lin Ye heard an angry dragon roar.

"Unorthodox methods!" Ying Jie roared, breaking free from the Lock of Desolate Time. He then kicked Lin Ye in the chest, using the force to stagger backward. Even though Lin Ye had tried his best to move faster, Chi Xiao still couldn't keep up with Ying Jie, leaving only a faint bloodstain on his neck.

The two stepped back again, Lin Ye clutching his chest and Ying Jie clutching his neck.

Lin Ye was genuinely hurt, while Ying Jie was only hurt out of fear.

"What kind of power is that?!" Ying Jie roared at Lin Ye.

Lin Ye didn't reply because he didn't know what to say.

Is this what a purebred dragon looks like? The Lock of Desolate Time couldn't even hold Ying Jie for a second, even though Nian held him for more than a second back then.

This is way too buggy!

Lin Ye thought Ying Jie was a bug, and Ying Jie also found Lin Ye troublesome for the first time. Although his injury was not as serious as Lin Ye's, or rather, the faint bloodstain was not even a proper injury, it was still on his neck. If he had been a fraction slower, even just 0.1 seconds slower, he would most likely have been killed here.

This is too dangerous. I don't know where this guy learned these strange skills from, it's really too dangerous.

We must go all out.

Ying Jie gripped the Divine Sword tightly in his hand, dragon blood boiling within him, his dragon-like pupils burning like flames.

"It seems I have no way to bring you to Ying Li and then kill you." Ying Jie's voice changed, becoming like a true dragon's roar. "You did very well, so I've decided... to kill you here."

Lin Ye immediately sensed something was wrong. The pressure from the pure-blooded dragon race surged from all directions like a tidal wave, making it hard for him to breathe. Ying Jie seized this opportunity and charged at Lin Ye again. Lin Ye tried to raise his Crimson Sky sword to block, but he didn't expect Ying Jie's swordsmanship to have completely changed. What was previously orthodox Eastern swordsmanship now resembled a wild, unorthodox style.

The white blade of the sword seemed to transform into the claws of a dragon, swiftly and fiercely grabbing at Lin Ye.

This time, Lin Ye was unable to stop them, only managing to barely prevent a fatal blow to his vital areas. However, under Ying Jie's fierce onslaught, he quickly succumbed, sustaining dozens of bloody wounds. He even lost his grip on Chi Xiao, which was knocked from his hand. But at the last moment, Lin Ye still managed to kick Ying Jie hard. Although he couldn't move Ying Jie at all, he used the force to bounce away, avoiding further injury.

Finally, he collapsed at the foot of the First Emperor's statue, covered in blood and panting heavily.

"Have you used up all your trump cards?" Ying Jie slowly walked towards Lin Ye. "Have you seen the difference between pure-blooded dragons and lowly humans now? Actually, there is a part of dragon-sealing power in Chi Xiao's sword, but unfortunately, you can't use it."

Lin Ye looked up at Ying Jie, then glanced at Chi Xiao, who was stuck upside down in the ground five meters away.

It was clearly impossible to retrieve Chixiao from Yingjie.

Lin Ye narrowed his eyes.

That being the case...

“It’s over.” Ying Jie raised the Mikami-giri in his hand, his pupils reflecting the cold light of the Mikami-giri blade.

Seeing this, Lin Ye gritted his teeth and then used all his strength to slam into the First Emperor statue behind him.

Lin Ye, a mere mortal, crashed headlong into the rock. He felt as if his body was about to fall apart, but with the added power of the Leaping Wave Strike, the immense impact shattered the statue. Seeing this, Ying Jie revealed a mocking smile: "What, trying to commit suicide now..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly realized something, a look of terror flashed in his eyes, and then he slashed at Lin Ye's head.

It just didn't work out.

An ancient sword stood between the two, its scabbard, so old it looked as if it might fall apart at any moment, forcefully blocking the blade of the sword.

Ying Jie's pupils narrowed slightly.

Then Lin Ye suddenly exerted his strength.

The ancient sword, thousands of years old, was drawn from its sheath with a peculiar hum, like the high-pitched cry of a mythical bird soaring into the sky after breaking free from its confinement.

The ancient scabbard fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The ancient sword, now finally unsheathed and encased in its simple scabbard, was so sharp it looked as if it had just been polished. The two sides of the blade reflected the completely different expressions of the man and the dragon.

"It's not over yet," Lin Ye said slowly.

Chapter 587 Slaying the Dragon

The way Lin Ye drew his sword made Ying Jie feel as if he had returned to more than ten years ago.

At that time, Ying Zhen, who was only three years old, drew the Lulu Sword in front of everyone. This ancient sword, which had accompanied the First Emperor in unifying the Yan Kingdom a thousand years ago and contained the First Emperor's unparalleled power, shone with its unique brilliance in the hands of a small child.

At that moment, Ying Jie knew that even if his eldest brother Ying Ren could not inherit the throne, as long as his youngest brother lived, he would have absolutely no chance of becoming the emperor. That's why he painstakingly eliminated his brother five years ago. But at the time, he never imagined that five years later, Ying Zhen would return to Yan Kingdom and once again draw the ancient sword Lulu, which symbolized the imperial way, in front of him.

The ancient sword's inherent power, and the imposing aura it exuded when drawn, like a mythical bird soaring into the sky, made Ying Jie grip the Divine Sword tightly in his hand. Just like more than ten years ago, an emotion called jealousy spread wildly through his heart.

We absolutely cannot let him leave alive.

We absolutely cannot let him leave alive!

Ying Jie roared and pounced on Lin Ye like a raging dragon. In stark contrast, Lin Ye, after drawing the Lu Lu Sword, was unusually calm. Before drawing the sword, his heart had already undergone violent turmoil, because he was gambling—gambling on whether the Lu Lu Sword was an ancient sword with more symbolic than practical significance, or an ancient sword with more practical significance than symbolic.

The stakes were his life.

Fortunately, when Lin Ye drew the Deer-Lu Sword and looked at the bronze blade that showed no signs of rust even after a thousand years, and felt the immense power contained within the sword, he knew that he had made the right bet.

So when Ying Jie charged at him hysterically, Lin Ye remained calm. He simply flicked his wrist, and the Deer-like Sword collided with Ying Jie's Divine Slayer Sword. Then, with a crisp sound, the Divine Slayer Sword slipped from Ying Jie's hand, twirled more than ten times in the air, and finally embedded itself upside down in the floor.

The precious sword, forged by a master blacksmith of national treasure rank from the East, already had a not-so-small nick on its blade.

Ying Jie retreated repeatedly, and Lin Ye, due to his back injury, did not choose to pursue. As a result, Ying Jie retreated more than ten meters in one breath. After he stopped, he looked down at his hands that were holding the knife and found that his hands were covered with blood.

Lin Ye couldn't help but be surprised when he saw this.

Since it has reached this point, and he didn't even exert much force to achieve this effect, it's as if the sword's own power is emanating out... Could this be the Dragon Sealing Power that Ying Jie mentioned? Was this the kind of power that allowed the First Emperor to suppress the Dragon Clan and unify the Yan Kingdom? If so, Lin Ye can probably understand why the current emperor is so wary of this sword.

Like the Crimson Sky Sword, this is a true dragon-slaying sword. However, unlike the Crimson Sky Sword, it has been well preserved, and thus the dragon-sealing power within it has been completely inherited.

That being the case...

Lin Ye gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, while staring at Ying Jie, who was also looking at him. Then, the two of them turned their gaze to the nearby Mikami-giri.

Lin Ye was no gentleman; he wouldn't have asked Ying Jie to pick up the knife and then have a fair duel. He thought that was utterly idiotic. He believed that one should never show mercy or be a gentleman to someone who wanted and could kill him. Therefore, after a moment of silence, the two moved almost simultaneously.

Ying Jie charged toward Mikami Kirito, while Lin Ye charged toward Ying Jie.

For a dragon's physique, a distance of less than ten meters is covered in an instant. However, due to injuries to his back and legs, Lin Ye was naturally no match for Ying Jie in terms of speed. Therefore, he could only watch helplessly as Ying Jie picked up the Divine Slayer again, but he was also prepared to clash with Ying Jie's sword once more.

However, when Ying Jie picked up the knife again, a moment of hesitation flashed through his mind.

Ying Jie turned to look at the Deer-Lu Sword in Lin Ye's hand, and a sense of fear welled up in his heart. He felt that he had no power to contend with the First Emperor. So he gritted his teeth and threw the Divine Sword at Lin Ye.

Lin Ye was completely taken aback by Ying Jie's actions, and was slightly startled. Fortunately, the buff from Leaping Wave Strike hadn't worn off yet, and his reaction wasn't too slow, allowing him to barely dodge the thrown Divine Slayer. However, when he looked up, he discovered that Ying Jie was holding a Guardian Gun.

"You bastard!" Ying Jie roared, a wild smile on his face. "Die!"

Ying Jie pulled the trigger.

At that distance, Lin Ye had no way to avoid it. But in that instant, the floor beneath their feet suddenly shook violently. After about twenty minutes of silence, Luo City was once again hit by a fierce aftershock. This aftershock directly caused a corner of the venue to collapse, and Ying Jie and Lin Ye, who were on the top floor of the venue, were the hardest hit.