“Young Master Ye, please, don’t kill me! I can tell you about Nangong Baixue. Surely you’re dying to know what happened to her?”
Ye Chen’s face remained impassive. He wasn’t interested. Not in the slightest.
Ye Chen moved directly in front of Quasi-Emperor Qianyang and unleashed a single, devastating punch! Boom! Qianyang’s head exploded like a ripe watermelon, spraying gore. An instant kill!
The next instant, a wave of dizziness washed over Ye Chen. His body swayed precariously, almost sending him toppling.
“Old Ancestor Yao Yan, what’s happening to me?”
Yao Yan’s voice resonated from the jade pendant, urgent yet calm. “Chen’er, quickly regulate your aura! You’ve been fighting Quasi-Emperors all day, pushing your body to its absolute limit. During the battle, a powerful ‘Stance’ manifested within you, sustaining your tireless combat! But now that the fight is over, your Divine Soul, your Meridians, and your Dao Foundation are all at their breaking point! You must stabilize your aura! This state is incredibly dangerous, but it’s also a monumental Opportunity!”
Ye Chen immediately sat cross-legged, his hands forming intricate Spirit Art seals. He swallowed a Healing Pill and began to probe his Internal World.
To his shock, his Meridians were riddled with hairline fractures, like a parched earth on the verge of splitting open. An agonizing pain, as if countless insects were gnawing at his flesh, erupted throughout his entire body! Ye Chen gritted his teeth, refusing to yield.
“Hold on, Chen’er!” Yao Yan urged. “The medicinal power is now nourishing your Internal World. Endure this, and your body will undergo a profound transformation! This is a rare Opportunity! In the crucible of life and death, there is great terror, but also immense opportunity!”
Ye Chen nodded, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles were white. Sweat poured from him with every ragged breath.
As time stretched on, a sweet dew seemed to condense within his Internal World. His ravaged Meridians and Divine Soul surged with renewed vitality, like dead wood meeting spring. An incense stick’s time passed. An hour. It wasn’t until three days and three nights later that Ye Chen finally recovered!
His body now felt as if it had been forged anew. The Dao rhyme that had accumulated within him had, like a nourishing rain, completely integrated into his Meridians and Dao Foundation, leaving him utterly reborn!
Ye Chen sighed with a touch of melancholy. “Dao rhyme… you never realize how little you have until you need it.”
Beyond that, his cultivation foundation had vastly improved, bringing him a step closer to the Half-step Emperor Realm! This intense battle had deepened his comprehension of the Desolate Heaven Art. We cultivators must view life and death with indifference; a concentrated martial will can shatter even the hardest stone!
Not long after, Ye Chen slowly rose and made his way deeper into the Sea of Spirit Fire. There, the aura of the Bone-Chilling Ghost Flame was gradually stabilizing. It had directly broken through to Emperor-tier!
The next instant, a torrent of cultivation feedback surged through Ye Chen’s body, elevating his cultivation foundation once more! Breaking through to Half-Emperor was now within reach!
The Bone-Chilling Ghost Flame emitted a faint call. Having entered the Emperor-tier, it had birthed a weak consciousness. Ye Chen quickly understood its intent. Beneath this endless sea of flames lay a fragmented Heaven and Earth Strange Fire! The Bone-Chilling Ghost Flame wanted to devour it!
Yao Yan flew out from the jade pendant on Ye Chen’s chest. He extended his Divine Sense, probing deep underground. Moments later, he frowned slightly. “That strange fire beneath us, though fragmented, is still Emperor-tier.”
Ye Chen smiled. “No matter. I still have my Array Disks and Talismans. The Bone-Chilling Ghost Flame is already under my control; its continuous growth will only feed my cultivation foundation!”
With that, Ye Chen made up his mind. He led the Bone-Chilling Ghost Flame directly into the heart of the earth. There, a fragmented strange fire, having endured countless ages, was long past its peak, yet still terrifying, radiating the lingering might of a High-star Emperor-tier entity. Ye Chen immediately unleashed a barrage of High-star Emperor Weapons, Emperor-tier Talismans, and Array Disks, sealing off the fragmented strange fire. The strange fire pulsed and thrashed wildly, summoning the entire Sea of Spirit Fire to engulf Ye Chen. But it was useless! Ye Chen was enveloped by a protective barrier of Emperor Weapons and defensive Array Disks, rendering him impervious to the flames! He activated the Talismans, continuously slicing the ancient, fragmented strange fire into countless pieces, which the Bone-Chilling Ghost Flame began to ravenously devour.
Three days later, the Bone-Chilling Ghost Flame’s aura surged, directly reaching Five-star Emperor-tier! Meanwhile, Ye Chen continuously comprehended the power of spirit fire, and with the Bone-Chilling Ghost Flame’s feedback, his cultivation also skyrocketed! He directly broke through to the Half-Emperor Realm! And it didn’t stop there, ultimately bringing him just a step away from the Quasi-Emperor Realm!
Ye Chen’s heart swelled with joy. He murmured, “Master will surely be pleased!”
He slowly rose, retracted the Bone-Chilling Ghost Flame, and, in high spirits, stepped out from the earth’s core. Deprived of the ancient, fragmented strange fire, the surrounding spirit flames had devolved into ordinary fire. It wouldn’t be long before they completely extinguished.
Ye Chen ascended into the air, his gaze distant. “Time to find Senior Sister and the others. I wonder where they are now?”
***
Below the Emperor Realm area. Within an Ancient Canyon, the river had long since dried up, its craggy bed littered with bleached bones. Spirit trees grew wild and untamed, and the very air of the place exuded a malevolent aura, sending shivers down one’s spine.
Deep within a cave in the canyon, Fang Yan, Luo Lingkong, Liu Xuan, and the others had set up a Sealing Restriction at the entrance, masking their auras. Their faces were grim.
Fang Yan, Luo Lingkong, and the rest were all stained with blood, bearing severe injuries.
Ever since entering the Bronze Ancient Palace, they had barely stumbled upon an Opportunity before being relentlessly hunted by Half-Emperors and Quasi-Emperors from the Demon Race. They scattered, only to then encounter elders from Dark Shadow Island, who also joined the chase! Several Grand Dao Sect prodigies had already fallen! They had split into multiple groups, fleeing all the way to this canyon.
Fang Yan gritted his teeth, slamming a fist onto a nearby rock, which instantly pulverized into dust. “Damn these Demon Race and Dark Shadow Island bastards! They have no honor! A whole pack of Half-Emperors and Quasi-Emperors ganging up on us? Have they no shame?!”
Luo Lingkong’s face was pale. He swallowed a Healing Pill to recover from his injuries, his Sword Qi somewhat chaotic. Though they had all reached the Profound Saint Realm, the gap between them and Half-Emperors or Quasi-Emperors was immense. And the crucial point was, there wasn’t just one Half-Emperor!
Fang Yan asked, “Luo Lingkong, have you reached your master? Is he coming?”
Luo Lingkong replied, “He’s on his way.”
Liu Xuan’s beautiful eyes furrowed slightly. She shook her head, a worried expression on her face. “This time, it’s not just the Demon Race and Dark Shadow Island. The Alien Races are also hunting our Grand Dao Sect. I fear even the elders are being pursued.”
Fang Yan’s face flushed crimson with rage. “Are all these bastards trying to pick a fight with our Grand Dao Sect?!”
Liu Xuan sighed softly. “Senior White Robe has provoked many major powers recently. Now that we’re in the Bronze Ancient Palace, they naturally won’t let us off the hook.”
Just then, the Transmission Jade Slip on Luo Lingkong’s person vibrated faintly. His face lit up with joy. “My master is coming!”
He extended his Divine Sense into it and quickly heard the Sword Peak Peak Master’s coughing, laced with blood. “Cough, cough, cough… Lingkong, you all hide for a while.”
Luo Lingkong asked, shocked, “Master, what happened to you?”
The Sword Peak Peak Master coughed again, “I’m being hunted by over a dozen Quasi-Emperors! These Alien Races, Demon Race, Dark Shadow Island, and even the Silent Destruction Sect are all targeting us now.”
Hearing this, Luo Lingkong’s expression turned incredibly grim. He hadn’t expected even his master to be on the run! And from the sound of it, the Grand Dao Sect had become a common enemy, a target for everyone. With that thought, Luo Lingkong said, “Master, don’t worry about us for now. We’ll hide for a bit.”
The Sword Peak Peak Master coughed again, “Alright. Once I shake them off, I’ll come find you!”
Moments later, Luo Lingkong dejectedly put away his Transmission Jade Slip. He turned to Liu Xuan and the others. “My apologies, my master won’t be able to make it. We’ll have to keep hiding for a while longer.”
Liu Xuan nodded gently, her eyes filled with worry. Who could have imagined that this journey into the Bronze Ancient Palace would turn into a desperate flight for their lives?!
Just then. Boom! Crack! The void tore open, space twisted violently! A terrifying, peerless Quasi-Emperor Might permeated the sky, and the surging blood energy of Great Demons pulsed like crashing waves, roaring through heaven and earth. No less than five Quasi-Emperors and over a dozen Half-Emperors had arrived!
A Giant Lizard Race Quasi-Emperor, his hands forming Spirit Art seals, surveyed the land from above, probing the surroundings. Moments later, a faint, almost invisible thread shot out from his hand, finally stopping at Luo Lingkong and the others’ hiding spot.
Seeing this, the Giant Lizard Race Quasi-Emperor sneered. “A few mere Profound Saint ants. If they escaped our grasp, wouldn’t we become the laughingstock of the world?!”
In an instant, the Giant Lizard Race Quasi-Emperor strode hundreds of feet, appearing directly above the Ancient Canyon. With a flick of his sleeve, Quasi-Emperor Might, deep as an abyss and vast as a sea, erupted. His massive hand slammed down! Boom! Boom! Boom! Surging spiritual energy gathered like a storm, and a colossal handprint, spanning hundreds of feet, descended!
Inside the canyon cave, Luo Lingkong, Liu Xuan, and the others’ faces turned ashen. They felt an overwhelming despair. Before a Quasi-Emperor, Profound Saints were simply too weak! There was no escaping a Quasi-Emperor’s grasp!
Fang Yan roared, looking up at the sky, and immediately stood. “This old man’s going out there to fight them to the death!”
Luo Lingkong also drew his Spirit Sword, death glinting in his eyes. “We Sword Cultivators view life and death with indifference. Fight!”
All the Grand Dao Sect disciples stood. Faced with death, they chose to fight! Luo Lingkong, Fang Yan, and Liu Xuan all charged out!
Suddenly, an anomaly occurred! Boom! Crack! The void tore open, space twisted violently! From within the spatial rift, a figure in a fiery red dress emerged!