Chapter 165: A Slap Is Meant to Be Given!

"This is my family's sacred artifact. Although it cannot compare to the holy spear in your hands, in my hands, it is far more powerful than a holy spear whose true potential you cannot unlock!" Dick said proudly.

"You're very confident." Ye Tian smiled, then his expression shifted. "Was it you and your people who broke Rolora's leg?"

"Oh, you mean that girl." Dick glanced at Rolora nearby. "Who told her to touch me with her filthy hands? Breaking her leg was getting off easy."

"Is that so? Well, that's just wonderful." Ye Tian smiled a wicked smile. "Do you know what I hate the most? Hitting girls, and I especially hate people who hit my friends. Quite a coincidence, you've managed to do both. So, how would you like to die today?"

"Wanting me to die—you're not qualified!" Dick sneered, thrusting his long sword straight at Ye Tian.

Clang! Ye Tian didn't budge; the holy cross spear directly deflected the long sword away. With a spin of his body, Dick redirected the sword toward Ye Tian's neck.

With a flick of the spear tip, Ye Tian thrust directly at Dick's neck. The latter sneered, discarded the long sword, and rapidly retreated. Clang! The flying sword was deflected once more by Ye Tian. With a movement, Ye Tian pursued him.

"Ah!" Alansa startled, instantly covering her mouth. Ye Tian had already closed the distance against Dick, who suddenly flashed a strange smile. A whistling sound rang by their ears as Dick's long sword suddenly flew toward Ye Tian's chest!

"Vine of Entanglement!" A vine suddenly burst from the ground, instantly wrapping around Ye Tian's ankles. His momentum halted, and the long sword materialized instantly behind Ye Tian's back. Yet Ye Tian's feet remained rooted, his body seemingly weightless as it fluttered with the wind. Dick's fatal strike was thus effortlessly evaded, leaving the onlookers astonished once again.

"Brother Dick, kill him!" Gigi's voice rang out, instantly provoking Alansa's dissatisfaction.

"Hmph!" Gigi glanced sidelong at Alansa and the others. "Brother Dick, vent my anger!"

"Go for it, Dick!" The arena instantly grew lively. The preceding spectacle had been too thrilling; many were witnessing such an exquisite duel for the first time and couldn't help bursting into cheers. Naturally, the majority cheered for Dick, while those rooting for Ye Tian kept their support subdued.

"Is this Elder Marton's sacred artifact?" Suddenly, a woman appeared beside Dick's father.

"Queen, you've arrived." Marton glanced at the graceful and poised woman beside him, his heart skipping a beat.

"Rest assured, I won't ask to take it from you. As long as the Elven sacred artifact remains within the Elven race, that is enough," the Elven Queen said calmly. Marton let out a sigh of relief, though indignation immediately flared in his heart—*by what right should my family's property belong to you?!* Naturally, such sentiments could never be voiced aloud.

The surrounding elves had all their attention focused on the two combatants, completely failing to notice the Elven Queen's arrival. The Queen didn't mind, however, watching the pair in the arena with rapt interest.

Clang! Ye Tian batted away the sword controlled by Dick, shifting his gaze to keep track of the errant blade as it circled, calculating from which direction it would strike next.

"What's wrong? Falling apart already?" Dick laughed. "Just kneel and beg for mercy, and hand over the holy spear, and I'll spare your life. Otherwise—" Dick flicked his fingers, and the long sword danced through the air once more.

"Quite a strange sword, actually capable of obeying your will. But this isn't Sword Control magic, because you are simply too pathetic at it," Ye Tian shook his head.

"I'm too pathetic? And you? You seem even worse off than me!" Dick sneered.

"You know, actually, I don't care about this sword of yours at all. What I care about is you," a smile bloomed on Ye Tian's face. "Know why? Because I'm going to beat you. I'm going to beat you thoroughly, and every injury you inflicted on my companion, I'll extract back, piece by piece."

"Extract it back? With what will you extract it!" Dick laughed wildly. "I think your brain is broken."

"Is that so?" Ye Tian's smile grew even more brilliant. He tossed the long spear onto the ground, then slowly, leisurely, began walking toward Dick.

"Hmph! Bluffing!" Dick flicked his finger, sending the sword flying toward Ye Tian. Ye Tian neither dodged nor parried, meeting it head-on.

"Idiot!" Dick was ecstatic, pressing his fingers down to guide the sword in an arc toward Ye Tian's arm.

"Go for it!" Gigi roared excitedly from the sidelines.

The long sword passed right through Ye Tian, and Dick's expression shifted drastically—he could feel no sensation of flesh being pierced by the sword he was controlling. A gasp echoed from the crowd. Sweeping his gaze across the scene, Dick saw that Ye Tian had somehow shifted position and was continuing his steady advance toward him!

"Impossible!" Dick was deeply shocked. When did this guy change positions? Mirror magic? No, there were no fluctuations of magical energy! Seeing Ye Tian closing in, Dick flicked his finger, sending the sword flying at him once more!

Without suspense, the sword passed straight through empty air again, and Ye Tian's figure vanished in a flash. Another wave of gasps erupted as the crowd's gaze shifted; Ye Tian had materialized in yet another direction!

"Impossible!" Controlling the sword with a sweep of his hand, Dick unleashed a surge of battle qi that kicked up a cloud of dust. The corners of Dick's mouth curled upward. As the dust settled, however, he realized Ye Tian had appeared right in front of him, raising his hand high to deliver a vicious slap across his face.

Crack!

Dick was sent flying through the air, skidding a long distance across the grass.

"Feels pretty good," Ye Tian smiled wickedly. "Just like that!"

"I'm going to kill you!" Dick was furious! This detestable fellow had used some strange sorcery so that he couldn't land a single hit, only to be slapped viciously across the face!

"I'll kill you! I'm going to crush every bone in your body to pieces!" Dick reached out, recalling the sword to his hand, gripped the hilt tightly, and leaped toward Ye Tian! "Whirlwind Slash!"

Ye Tian completely ignored the whistling blade, stepping backward. As Dick's sword slashed toward him, he lashed out with a kick to Dick's stomach, sending him soaring high into the air.

Puff! Dick spat a mouthful of blood mid-air, causing Marton's expression to tense instantly.

"Brother Dick!" Gigi covered her face in shock. How could her invincible brother be defeated so easily by a human? It was simply unbelievable!

"Do you know what palms are for?" Ye Tian below raised his head, flashing a wicked smile at the airborne Dick.

Slap, slap, slap, slap!

Countless slaps landed on Dick's face while he was still suspended in the air. His originally handsome features swelled instantly until he looked like a oversized pig's head, before a final blow sent him spinning away.

"I'm gonna kill you!" An enraged Dick scrambled back to his feet, his voice sounding somewhat distorted.

"Haha, a pig's head! A giant pig's head!" Alansa laughed heartlessly. Rolora clenched her fists, strange ripples stirring within her heart.

Scanning his surroundings, Dick noticed most of the elves were covering their mouths to hide their laughter, and his fury soared to its peak. Although he had taken quite a few hits, aside from his face swelling several times over, he hadn't suffered any severe physical damage. Compared to that kick, however, the public humiliation felt utterly intolerable to him!

"O Great Goddess of Nature, grant your pious servant the power of nature!" A grim smile twisted Dick's face, causing Ye Tian to frown.

Suddenly, a jade-green vine burst from the turf, instantly whipping toward Ye Tian's ankles.

"Careful, that's Toxic Rot-Vine!" Maru's expression changed as he called out a warning.

"Hmph, kid, it's too late. I'll make you wish you were dead!" Before the words faded, Ye Tian's long spear cleanly sliced the vine in half.

"Is that so? Then bring it on. Remember, make it fierce!"

"Kid, let's see how long you keep that mouth of yours hard!" All trace of elegance had vanished from Dick's features, replaced by a terrifying expression. He no longer looked like an elegant elf, but rather like a brutalized savage!

The Elven Queen frowned slightly. Marton, standing nearby, hurriedly chimed in, "Rest assured, Your Majesty, Dick knows his limits. He won't kill this human; after all, they are guests of our elves."

The Elven Queen turned to glance at Marton, who was wearing a sycophantic smile, but remained silent.

Ye Tian brandished his long spear like a shield; no matter how the vines lashed out from the ground, they were effortlessly sliced away by his blade.

"As expected of a holy spear!" Greed flashed across Dick's face. With a twitch of his fingers, his own long sword silently looped around behind Ye Tian, lunging forward swiftly.

Clang! As if eyes grew on the back of his head, Ye Tian swept his spear backward, deflecting the insidious strike. A smile returned to Dick's face as he thrust both palms outward; countless vines erupted from the ground, instantly enclosing Ye Tian within a cage of foliage!

"Hahaha!" Dick burst into raucous laughter. "Human, you can't escape now! I'm going to watch you sprout pustules and slowly rot away!"

"Gel!" Alansa instantly moved to charge forward, but Rolora grabbed her arm. "Trust Gel."

"But—" Alansa turned to look at Rolora, whose lips were bitten so hard a trail of blood slipped down.

"It's useless. Wounds scratched by Toxic Rot-Vine rot and lead to death. Your friend is completely surrounded; even if the cuts are few, there is no saving him now, unless the Queen and the elders join forces to purge the poison," Maru shook his head.

"How is it? The feeling inside isn't very pleasant, is it?" Dick grinned malevolently as he approached. "Human, now you know the consequences of provoking me!"

Crack!

The tightly sealed wall of vines suddenly burst open. An arm reached out, delivering a vicious slap right across Dick's already swollen face.

Slap!

"I'll make you die!" Dick hadn't expected Ye Tian to still manage to strike him at a time like this. Rage flooded his heart; gripping his sword tightly, he thrust it into the mass of vines toward Ye Tian.

Clang! The sword was batted away by the long spear, and the thicket of vines collapsed entirely, revealing Ye Tian standing amidst the debris, his clothes somewhat tattered.

"Wanting me to die—you're not qualified!" With those words, Ye Tian lunged right in front of Dick, grabbed both of Dick's arms, and exerted sudden leverage.

"Ah!" Dick shrieked in agony. The long sword slipped from his paralyzed grip and clattered to the ground. As Ye Tian bent down to grab it, Dick's eyes turned cold, and he lashed out with a kick toward Ye Tian's chest.

Bang! Dick's instep was caught squarely in Ye Tian's grip.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" A smile appeared on Ye Tian's face, but Dick felt as though his foot was trapped in an iron vise, pain shooting straight through his bones!

"You know, the very first moment I laid eyes on you, I wanted to cripple you into a disability. I really have to thank you for walking right into this trap." Ye Tian took a deep breath, his tone trembling slightly. "Ah, ah, does it hurt? Does it hurt? If it hurts, just say it! Say it!"

With a sudden heave, Dick's body was hoisted directly into the air!

Hoo, hoo! Ye Tian took a deep breath, looking up at Dick suspended above. Catching sight of Ye Tian's smile, a sense of deep terror gripped Dick.

"I..." Before Dick could finish, a sudden numbness seized his throat, choking off any further words.

"How many times did you hit Rolora? I'm going to make you pay back every single one!" Ye Tian roared, sending Dick flying with a palm strike, before flashing forward to shadow the retreating elf, his hands moving like wind as blows rained down relentlessly upon Dick's body!

"Stop!" Seeing his son beaten back and forth like a sandbag, Marton panicked. "Dick! Dick!"

Having been beaten into a daze resembling a fool, Dick's mind spun in a blur. He wanted to call for help, but his mouth opened and closed without managing to squeeze out a single sound.

"Stop!" Marton grew frantic. "Shield of Flying Blossoms!"

A flurry of flowers materialized around Dick, wrapping him tightly in a protective barrier while simultaneously blocking Ye Tian's onslaught.

"Hmph, you think you can stop me?" Ye Tian's arm shot out like lightning, piercing through the flower shield in front of Marton's astonished gaze and clamping a hand around Dick's throat.

"Save me!" Finally, Dick wheezed out two words, discarding any remaining pride as he began begging his father for rescue, ignoring the stunned gazes of the onlookers.

"Young man, let go of my son, and we can discuss anything!" Marton ground his teeth in rage, utterly powerless.

"Fine. But since your son lost the duel, shouldn't he honor his promise?" Ye Tian said earnestly, raising his head.