CHAPTER 608: CHAPTER 0526: DRAGON ENERGY COMES TO ME

"Clang!"

His fist had already struck the chest of the copper statue.

"Hmm?"

He was surprised in his heart. At the moment of contact, he felt his fist power was decomposed and transformed by twenty-four different forces.

"Boom!"

The floor behind the copper man shattered inch by inch. The huge stone was pulverized by the powerful punch, and Ye Qingfeng’s fist power was actually dissipated behind this copper statue.

"Whoosh!"

A gleam of light flickered, and a long spear thrust from Ye Qingfeng’s side, aiming directly at his left ribs.

"Humph!"

Ye Qingfeng snorted coldly. His figure floated, and with just a slight side turn, the long spear barely skimmed past his chest.

At this moment, the copper statue that he had struck earlier suddenly moved. Its two hands, like adamantine iron claws, grasped at Ye Qingfeng’s abdomen at a speed invisible to the naked eye.

Ye Qingfeng retracted his abdomen and retreated, swinging his arms fiercely, and in an instant, exchanged more than a dozen strikes with its hands.

"Rumble!"

The floor behind the copper man burst open again. Ye Qingfeng’s power was completely diverted by the twenty-four spiritual energies to its rear, leaving him unharmed.

"What?"

Ye Qingfeng’s gaze sharpened. Before he could think, the remaining twenty figures attacked from various directions, each wielding one of the eighteen weapons, all targeting his vital points, their ferocity relentless.

His movement technique was like the wind, weaving between the twenty-four figures without being hit once. Instead, each of the twenty-four copper statues was more or less struck heavily by Ye Qingfeng.

But each time he hit a copper statue, the spiritual power was immediately decomposed and dispersed, all acting upon the floor. The entire plaza was riddled with holes by him, yet the twenty-four copper statues still stood firm, radiating might.

"The Twenty-four Earth Punishments, so this is what it means!"

Ye Qingfeng’s eyes were deep. These twenty-four copper statues weren’t particularly strong. In terms of cultivation, they were only on par with the likes of Long Yuntian or Cold Smiling Buddha, adversaries he could easily crush.

However, these twenty-four copper statues were endowed with an esoteric power. Each time he struck one, the twenty-four different spiritual energies didn’t counter him but transformed and dispersed his power, leaving the statues undamaged and ever battle-ready.

It was as if a swarm of ants were fighting against you. Although their combat power was inferior, you couldn’t kill them no matter what, only helplessly worn down by this array.

Several hundred years ago, when the demon beasts invaded, that Emperor Beast was probably worn to death in this very place.

"Looks like you’ve already discovered it!"

The middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back, looking inscrutable.

"Though your strength is formidable, breaking through this Twenty-four Earth Punishments is nearly impossible. Each of the twenty-four copper statues was once infused with strange energies by the ancestors of my Gu family, transforming the twenty-four solar terms into twenty-four different spiritual energies. They attack offensively and protect defensively, and they are inexhaustible battle machines."

"Young man, I advised you not to enter the array earlier, but alas, greed has doomed you!"

The middle-aged man sighed softly. Once the Twenty-four Earth Punishments are activated, it never stops without taking a life. Ye Qingfeng now has only death as his end.

He wasn’t an extremely malicious person, and he didn’t wish to see such an unparalleled young talent like Ye Qingfeng die here, but once the arrow is released, how can it be taken back?

Though the Earth Dragon could not speak, having lived nearly a hundred years, it had already developed a spirit, and its eyes revealed a schadenfreude look.

Ye Qingfeng wanted to take its dragon energy, something it greatly resented, and seeing him die in the array was the best outcome.

"Bang!"

Ye Qingfeng once again collided head-on with a copper statue. His punch was again deflected, striking heavily against the mountain wall, instantly creating a huge hollow, but the statue remained unscathed.

Twelve of the twenty-four copper statues attacked, with twelve blocking the way, surrounding Ye Qingfeng completely, their eyes flashing green, their aura focused as one.

Ye Qingfeng glanced around and suddenly dropped his fists.

"Have you given up resisting?"

The middle-aged man’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he lightly shook his head. No matter how powerful the prodigy, they will eventually fall in this array.

"The Gu family’s Twenty-four Earth Punishments indeed possess some skill!"

Ye Qingfeng spoke slowly.

"The twenty-four copper statues indeed possess the mysterious ability of twenty-four different spiritual energies capable of deflecting external forces without injuring the main body."

He grinned, his eyes filled with immense confidence. "But thinking you can trap Ye Jiujie with just these, that’s a pipe dream!"

"These twenty-four copper statues have been here for some years. Since they’re antiques, let me handle them for you!"

The middle-aged man’s lips curved in disdain. "Arrogant and ignorant. You already know you can’t harm the true form of the twenty-four copper statues, yet you boast about solving them?"

"Heh, who says I can’t harm their true form?"

Ye Qingfeng’s gaze turned sharp, and he suddenly shouted savagely.

"Today, I, Ye Jiujie, will break through the Gu family’s Twenty-four Earth Punishments here!"

He shouted explosively, then his figure suddenly flickered and vanished in an instant. Even the middle-aged man couldn’t see where Ye Qingfeng was at that moment, only a whirlwind rising on the plaza.

"All of you, get up there!"

With indescribable speed, Ye Qingfeng swiftly approached one of the copper statues, then with a pull and a toss, sent the statue flying skyward.

Then he dashed around, throwing all the remaining twenty-three copper statues into the air.

Almost simultaneously, twenty-four copper statues were all suspended in mid-air.

"Hmph, it’s useless. No matter where these copper statues are, you can’t harm them with external force."

The middle-aged man’s expression remained unchanged, viewing Ye Qingfeng’s actions as futile.

"Humph!"

Seeing the twenty-four copper statues almost colliding into one another in the sky, Ye Qingfeng clenched one hand, then stretched it skyward.

"Leaving Fire Golden Eyes, Destructive Red Lotus!"

An intense crimson flame condensed within Ye Qingfeng’s eyes, a pillar of fire soared skyward in an instant, engulfing and consuming all twenty-four copper statues.

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion echoed from within the mountain belly. Half of the mountainside was directly shattered, lifted, and shattered again, dissolved by the overwhelming fire of the Burning Sky.

The pillar of fire reached out from the mountain belly, as if to rend the heavens asunder.

This astonishing scene was witnessed by many from afar. They thought they must be hallucinating, having encountered an immortal.

For a long time, the pillar of fire gradually dissipated, and the twenty-four copper statues had long vanished, turned to ash and scattered between heaven and earth.

"Although external forces can’t harm, unfortunately, they can’t withstand fire!"

Ye Qingfeng’s voice was indifferent, retracting his palm, still as dashing and unrestrained.

The middle-aged man was dumbstruck, speechless, completely stupefied.

Ye Qingfeng turned around, his gaze serene.

"The Twenty-four Earth Punishments, I have completely broken through!"

"The dragon energy, it’s mine!"

Luoyang Slope once again became the topic of news reports; some onlookers sent photos of that massive pillar of flame to the media, shocking countless people.

Especially since half of the mountainside behind Luoyang Slope had been overturned. This was godlike means; many commented that there were divine beings in Huaxia, and Luoyang Slope was destroyed by them.

Some said it was an automatic landslide of Luoyang Slope, and the pillar of flame was just an illusion of the clouds; speculations ran wild for a while.