Halftime break? What is that?
Yun Yi stared at the barrier that had appeared before him, clearly frustrated. If not for that barrier, his flying shield would have definitely hit Emperor Lin.
Although it wouldn't have been enough to kill him, it could have severely injured him, setting Yun Yi up for a sure victory in the next strike. After all, Emperor Lin hadn't fully recovered from his injuries, and such an opportunity wouldn't come around often.
Emperor Lin looked at the barrier before him and exhaled softly. A red mist hovered in front of him, blood that he had just expelled from his body.
The injuries he had sustained back then were severe, and it had taken him a long time to stabilize them. Even now, he wasn't fully recovered. Because of that, he wasn't confident he could defeat the Yun family experts on his own.
But seeing the confident look in his son's eyes, Emperor Lin had chosen to fight the Yun family once again, trusting his child after all these years.
In truth, the sudden appearance of the barrier and the so-called halftime break greatly alleviated the pressure on him.
"Yun Yi is not easy to deal with," Emperor Lin thought to himself, taking a deep breath.
Yun Yi had been in the Transcendence Realm for over a thousand years. The long years of cultivation put Emperor Lin, still quite young in comparison, at a disadvantage. But the fact that he could fight on equal terms with Yun Yi was proof of his extraordinary talent.
It was precisely because of this talent that the Yun family patriarch wanted him eliminated, fearing he would grow into a future threat.
"Yun Yi's martial soul has a reflection ability, capable of bouncing back the force of attacks," Yun Yunyan said worriedly from the platform, watching the elder on the metallic road below. "Your father hasn't fully recovered. If he keeps trading blows like this, he'll only wear himself out in the end."
Lin Qian nodded in agreement with his mother. "I understand, Mother. Father is trying to use the reverberation force from his attacks to injure Yun Yi. But with Yun Yi's strong defense, the weakened force bouncing back at Father is almost as strong as the original attack."
"Yun Yi is indeed formidable. Just by maintaining this defensive stance, he's able to equalize the damage both sides take. Impressive," Lin Qian admitted.
"Qian'er, how can you still praise your enemy at a time like this?" Yun Yunyan sighed, her worry evident.
While Yun Yunyan was concerned, the expressions of the Yun family members on their platform were also turning grim.
Things were not as simple as they had hoped.
Being abruptly transported to this place, the so-called Joy Arena, forced them to fight according to the rules dictated by the ethereal female voice.
Once they entered, they were given standardized soul artifacts, core components, and Yuan components. None of their original possessions could be used.
The ethereal voice had made it clear: only items purchased from something called the "shop" could be used here.
At first, they didn't think much of it.
But just now, the "bastard" from the Lin family seemed to have used one of those designated items to forcibly stop the battle and create a break for both sides.
"Our storage rings have been completely sealed. We can't access them." One of the Yun family's elders looked over at Lin Qian on the other platform, worry filling his eyes. "If that bastard has more items that can be used here, what will we do?"
"Is that possible?" another elder asked, frowning deeply at his elder brother's words.
"I fear we've fallen into a trap. This place is likely their doing. Look at Lin Qian on the other platform—he shows no fear, only amusement as he looks at us," the eldest of the Yun family's ten elders said grimly, his sharp eyesight fixated on Lin Qian in the distance.
"Furthermore, not all the Yun family members in the Valley of Myriad Herbs and Trees were pulled into this strange place. Only those who killed those lurking figures and took the tokens from their disintegrating bodies are here now."
The eldest Yun family elder's face grew darker. "We were set up. They purposely sent people to die, knowing we'd collect the tokens. Those tokens were the medium that dragged us into this strange place, forcing us into one-on-one battles with Lin's forces."
"They want to use this Joy Arena to negate their numerical disadvantage. The ten of us can't fight together."
"Impressive. You've seen through my plan, but it's too late now," a young voice suddenly echoed across the Yun family's platform.
Yun Yunyan quickly realized her son wasn't talking to himself. Judging by the shocked expressions on the faces of the Yun family members, it was clear Lin Qian was speaking directly to them.
"Qian'er, can you hear them talking over there?" Yun Yunyan asked, surprised.
The eldest Yun family elder's face turned as dark as a storm cloud. Things were quickly spiraling out of his control.
"You! You can hear our conversation?" he shouted, his voice deep and menacing.
"Of course. This arena belongs to me, so I have certain privileges. It's perfectly normal. No need to be tense—this is merely a game, a place for my parents to release some stress. You're nothing more than sparring partners or perhaps punching bags."
"You bastard!" the Yun family elder, Yun Menghai, roared angrily. "I am of the same generation as the Yun family patriarch. Even your grandfather would call me 'Uncle.' Who do you think you are, to speak to me like this?"
After his outburst, Yun Menghai saw Lin Qian's expression turn cold. "Old fool, don't think too highly of yourself."
"What... What did you just say?" Yun Menghai's voice trembled with disbelief. It had been many years since anyone had dared speak to him in such a way.
"I didn't come to the Central Region just as a child searching for his parents," Lin Qian said, his tone calm but sharp. "By the way, my Huaxia Empire intends to establish a foothold in the Central Region, and I've set my sights on the Yun family's territory."
"I will declare to all of the Central Region that the Yun family is a vassal of the ancient Huaxia Empire. For your rebellion in the past, I, as the new ruler of Huaxia, have come to punish the traitors."
"Traitors? Since when was the Yun family a vassal of this so-called Huaxia Empire? You think your words alone can make it so? Who do you think you are?" Yun Menghai spat angrily.
"I am an Emperor!" Lin Qian replied coolly. "I declare that the Yun family is a group of traitors, and they will be punished as such. When the time comes, I will ask Grand Elder Yuan Supreme to bear witness and prove that punishing the Yun family is justified."