Chapter 190: Utter Loss of Face

Too fast!

It came too quickly!

Jiang Die's eyes turned icy.

This matter probably wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment idea from this Jiang family prodigy, was it?

It seemed others in the Jiang family also wanted to see just how strong Jiang Die truly was.

After all, she had previously transformed into a Gu insect, so they could see how severe her injuries were.

If Jiang Die remained invincible, unstoppable as ever,

then there was nothing more to say—the Jiang family would always be her greatest support.

But what if she wasn't?

The cruelty of great families often surpassed even that of sects.

In sects, members lacked blood ties, so if someone acted too excessively, it was easy to sow discord and resentment.

But in great families, blood relations existed. Even if some actions were utterly excessive, they could still be smoothed over with the excuse that "blood is thicker than water."

"Elder, this wasn't what you told me when you asked me to come out," Jiang Die said with a faint smile, glancing at Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan gave an awkward chuckle. "I didn’t expect this kid to be so impulsive. No matter, I’ll reprimand him!"

Jiang Yuan was already preparing to stand up.

Jiang Die understood clearly—if she avoided this challenge again, the next one would be an unprecedented trial for her.

This time, she had to win!

And she had to win spectacularly!

Jiang Die rose, her figure drifting gracefully onto the training grounds, her demeanor relaxed—truly a sight to behold.

"Jiang Yu challenges you—please enlighten me!"

Jiang Yu, one of the Jiang family’s top five young prodigies, had ascended from the Second Heaven. His younger brother, however, had failed to ascend and died in the lower realm.

It was easy to imagine the resentment he harbored toward Jiang Die.

Jiang Die nodded.

"What is the divine ability you excel in the most?" Jiang Die asked.

Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow.

"Are you saying you’ll defeat me using the same divine ability as mine?"

Jiang Die gave a slight nod.

"Fine! Then I’ll tell you—my strongest divine ability is called the Burial Void Art. I’d love to see just how powerful your version of it is!"

Jiang Die secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The Burial Void Art—she knew it too.

The path she cultivated was the Void Avenue. Even after being reborn, she had already reached the True Human Realm by then, so naturally, there was no question of changing her path.

But the void encompasses all things, so she filled it with Lu Ye's path.

Now the void was truly empty, yet the void remained.

She had been slightly worried earlier—what if this guy named a technique she didn’t know? That would have been awkward.

Luckily, she gambled right.

"Void Burial Art!"

"Void Burial Art!"

Both cast the technique simultaneously, and it was clear that Jiang Die's casting speed was significantly faster than Jiang Yu's.

By the time her Void Burial Art took form, Jiang Yu's was only halfway complete.

After all, she had once been an Emperor in her past life. Though she had Lu Ye's help, she still had some skills of her own—unlike that fool Shangguan.

Jiang Die deliberately waited a moment.

Many were shocked by her incredible casting speed. It seemed that as the foremost Heavenly God Realm cultivator, Jiang Die still had some tricks up her sleeve.

Jiang Yu's Void Burial Art was finally complete.

"Go!"

"Go!"

In an instant, the void trembled and collapsed.

This technique was one of the Jiang family's signature arts, known for its immense power.

The two Void Burial Arts collided, clashing for less than a second before Jiang Yu's shattered. Jiang Die's technique dimmed slightly but still surged toward Jiang Yu.

"Boom!"

Jiang Yu spat out a mouthful of blood as the void quaked violently.

It was as if a heavy hammer had struck his chest, forcing him back off the stage. His feet skidded across the ground before he finally steadied himself.

The Jiang family disciples were stunned.

So strong!

Jiang Die stood proudly on the stage and spoke calmly.

"Your Void Burial Art clearly fails to resonate deeply with the void due to insufficient rune inscription and spatial harmony. You need to refine it further—otherwise, it will never be your strongest technique, merely one of your tools." Her tone was indifferent as she pointed out Jiang Yu's flaw.

After speaking, she soared into the air and returned to her seat, sitting down quietly.

Jiang Yu's expression darkened.

They were of the same generation, yet she acted like an elder—what was the meaning of this?

No, in terms of seniority, Jiang Die was even his junior.

However, defeating Jiang Yu so cleanly and decisively, especially with the very technique he excelled at—the Burial Void Art—did alleviate some of the resentment in everyone's hearts.

It must be said, Jiang Die does have her methods.

But Jiang Yu wasn’t entirely convinced.

Though he lost, he had still ascended from the Second Heaven. He knew the weight of being ranked first on the Celestial Ranking.

The Burial Void Art Jiang Die had just displayed was indeed powerful, but not to the point of making him despair.

Was she holding back on purpose?

Or was that really all she had?

Still, Jiang Yu felt this matter wasn’t over yet.

He would find another chance to test this woman!

……

"Gurgle…"

Lu Ye helplessly opened his eyes and looked at the Human Emperor Banner before him.

The Human Emperor Banner trembled incessantly, each tremor releasing thick plumes of black mist. The mist churned, with souls occasionally darting out as if trying to escape, only to be yanked back in an instant.

"Look at you, so useless. How can you not handle just this many souls?" Lu Ye scolded, exasperated.

The Human Emperor Banner quivered, faintly conveying a sense of grievance.

Its rank was too low, and now, after devouring so many souls all at once, it was even more stuffed than last time.

Oh heavens, it was going to burst!

Nearby, the Dao Enlightenment Tree swayed gently.

It could empathize with the Human Emperor Banner’s plight. Previously, when it had devoured Lu Ye’s Avenue—once the Guardian Avenue, and another time the Avenue from that insect—it had been stuffed to the brim…

Seemed like their master always loved feeding those around him to the point of bursting.

The same went for the Stone Sword. While it was said that a treasured sword needed to drink its fill of blood, the Stone Sword had done more than just drink—its blade was still stained crimson.

Honestly, it was embarrassing. A sword, a natural-born weapon of heaven and earth, couldn’t even achieve the level of being bloodless. The entire thing was drenched in gore.

Lu Ye sighed and grabbed the Human Emperor Banner, helping it rapidly ascend in rank.

From an Innate Supreme Treasure to a Post-Heaven Dao Treasure.

At last, the Human Emperor Banner quieted down a little.

Truth be told, all the banner wanted now was for its current master to take a break—stop the killing, just rest for a while.

Let the banner catch its breath!

Other banners might have many souls, but they were all weaklings.

And what about it?

Every soul it held was stronger than the last, making it look utterly pathetic in comparison.

Unknowingly, Lu Ye had already cultivated to the ninth level of Earth Immortal.

The Second Heaven had undergone a massive reshuffling, leading to a significant shift in the current power dynamics.

He, too, felt restless after prolonged stillness.

He found a Celestial Secrets Pavilion in a city.

"Help me investigate the recent activities of the Qingyang Sect, the Yuling Sect, the Eight Desolations Sword Sect... and these other sects."

Lu Ye listed the names of the sects that had fled earlier.

The attendant of the Celestial Secrets Pavilion couldn't help but glance at Lu Ye before hurriedly lowering his head.

"A payment of one spirit stone is required."

Lu Ye was taken aback.

No wonder the Celestial Secrets Pavilion could stand unshaken across the Nine Heavens for so long.