Chapter 1117: The Enemy Approaches

Boom! Rumble! The thunder roared incessantly.

As the masses gazed in awe and reverence, the ethereal void appeared with thick, rolling clouds like a vast ocean, covering the sky and blotting out the sun. Amid the dark clouds, lightning flashed and thunder boomed, with bolts of thunder snaking like serpents, carrying the power of utter destruction.

Mu Xuan'gong had already soared into the sky like a divine ray, streaking across the heavens and flying out of the Mu family city.

He needed to undergo the Zhun Sheng tribulation in a deserted place to avoid bringing calamity to innocent lives. The thunder punishment of a Zhun Sheng was incredibly fierce, and he did not want his descendants to suffer disaster from being caught in it.

Hurry! Hurry!

The people of the Mu family followed, all of them Huang Jing experts.

Like the Mu family, the ancestors of the other eight great families had also rushed to the scene, each bringing many powerful followers. They were not there to cause trouble but to stand guard and prevent any interference from Qinglong Star.

Although the nine great families of Youdu engaged in open and covert struggles, they were ultimately united against external threats.

Now that Mu Xuan'gong was advancing to Zhun Sheng, the other old timers felt discontent in their hearts, but they still had to fulfill their duties. After all, having one more Zhun Sheng expert would greatly boost Zhuque Star's power, making them unafraid of Qinglong Star stirring up chaos and ensuring a stable home for their descendants.

From Youdu's main city, the Zhuque family also sent out many experts, all of them Huang Jing cultivators, including some at the Huang Jing peak.

Let's go take a look!

From all directions of Zhuque Star, figures rose into the sky. A Zhun Sheng appearance was rare in a millennium, and the Zhun Sheng tribulation was sure to be a spectacle for the ages.

This is getting quite noisy!

In the Mu family bamboo grove, Ye Chen looked up at the figures streaking across the sky and couldn't help but cough lightly.

With that, he put on his Gui Ming mask and stepped into the air, flying toward the realm where Mu Xuan'gong was undergoing his tribulation. He had never seen a Zhun Sheng tribulation before and wanted to witness that world-shattering scene.

From afar, Ye Chen could see a sea of thunder. Even at a great distance, it still made his heart palpitate.

The place where Mu Xuan'gong was crossing his tribulation was a stretch of rugged mountains, but under the Zhun Sheng heavenly tribulation, those majestic peaks seemed fragile and had already been reduced to ashes by the thunder sea.

The Mu family arrived and set up array patterns.

The other eight great families arrived one after another, positioning themselves around the thunder sea and also inscribing array patterns.

The Zhuque family from Youdu's main city came as well, bringing a Jue Sha array to handle any sudden changes.

There were also many cultivators who came to watch the tribulation, including numerous experts, filling the surrounding heavens. The ground was packed like a dark tide, an enormously grand sight.

Ye Chen arrived, cloaked in black robes and wearing his Gui Ming mask, blending into the crowd.

In the thunder sea, Mu Xuan'gong was already covered in blood and mangled bones. Every bolt of thunder carried world-ending power, and each strike left him torn and battered. This bloody spectacle made onlookers' hearts tremble with fear.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats, afraid that Mu Xuan'gong might be crushed by the thunder if he wasn't careful.

"Fight!"

Mu Xuan'gong roared to the heavens, his aged and weary body radiating a momentum that could swallow mountains and rivers. Time and again, he was engulfed by the thunder, yet he rose against the heavens each time, striving to break the invisible shackles.

At his level of cultivation, he knew exactly what the heavenly tribulation entailed. To be reborn in the thunder punishment, he had only one choice: to fight. If he succeeded, he would soar like a dragon in the nine heavens; if not, he would fall into the nine underworlds.

Under the watchful eyes of all, the thunder's roar gradually weakened, and the thunder sea's range shrank rapidly.

"Fight!"

Already at his limit, Mu Xuan'gong unleashed a heaven-defying divine ability. With one sword, he severed the invisible shackles, and with a palm strike, he shattered the entire thunder sea.

The heavenly tribulation's thunder punishment dissipated, and Mu Xuan'gong's battered body fell from the void before everyone's eyes. He had survived the tribulation and was now a true Zhun Sheng cultivator.

"He succeeded! He succeeded!"

The Mu family was overjoyed, and the nine great families and Zhuque family rushed forward.

However, at that moment, from a patch of dark void, a beam of destructive divine light suddenly shot out, carrying overwhelming power that pierced through the vast cosmos, aimed straight at Mu Xuan'gong.

A Zhun Sheng strike!

Everyone's expressions changed drastically. That destructive light was too powerful; the protective arrays guarding Mu Xuan'gong were easily breached. It was a fatal blow, and with Mu Xuan'gong in his weakened state, how could he withstand a Zhun Sheng attack?

"Ancestor!"

The Mu family members' eyes turned bloodshot as they charged forward madly, with the nine great families and Zhuque following suit.

But the scene of Mu Xuan'gong being killed did not unfold. The destructive light was crushed by a crystalline jade hand descending from the heavens.

In the void above, a graceful figure appeared, dressed in snow-white robes, radiating unmatched elegance. It was Ruotian Zhuque.

"A dignified Zhun Sheng, resorting to a sneak attack—aren't you afraid of being shamed by future generations?"

Ruotian Zhuque's voice was ethereal, carrying supreme authority, cold and unyielding as she stared indifferently at that dark expanse.

"So what?"

A faint laughter echoed, and from the darkness emerged two elders, one in blood robes and one in black robes. Upon closer inspection, they were Tianlong Wang and Dilong Wang from Qinglong Star.

Behind them, clouds rolled tumultuously, carrying countless experts—some riding flying swords, others on spirit beasts, and still others soaring through the mists. Their formation was overwhelmingly formidable, pressing down from the heavens.

At this sight, not only the Youdu experts but even Ruotian Zhuque frowned.

"Kill!"

Tianlong Wang snorted coldly and charged forward with Dilong Wang, the two of them jointly summoning a Qinglong ancient seal. The seal glowed brilliantly, unleashing a sea of light that turned everything in its path to ash.

A Sheng Ren weapon!

In the crowd, Ye Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, recognizing that the Qinglong ancient seal was a weapon of Sheng Ren level.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

The Qinglong ancient seal's power was devastating, its sea of light obliterating swaths of figures. Even Huang Jing cultivators struggled to resist the might of a Sheng Ren weapon.

Ruotian Zhuque let out a cold shout and ascended in a single step, wielding a crimson divine sword. With one strike, she cleaved through the sea of light from the Qinglong ancient seal.

The Zhuque sacred weapon!

In the crowd, Ye Chen fixed his gaze on the crimson divine sword in Ruotian Zhuque's hand, having heard of its legendary fame in Youdu—it was a divine sword passed down in the Zhuque family, unmatched in power.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

Tianlong Wang and Dilong Wang rushed straight at Ruotian Zhuque.

Undaunted, she faced the two alone. The battle among the three Zhun Sheng experts was magnificent, shattering the heavens and splitting the earth. Each clash of the two Sheng Ren weapons sent shockwaves that left others powerless to resist.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

The experts from Zhuque Star clashed with those from Qinglong Star. Figures continuously soared into the sky, and just as many plummeted down. This was war, a scene of bloody carnage that shocked the soul.

Ye Chen drew his Ba Long knife and charged into the enemy ranks.

"A mere Tian Jing cultivator, seeking death!"

A Zhun Huang from Qinglong Star sneered and struck with a palm.

Ye Chen ignored it completely, slashing with his knife to send the attacker flying. That Zhun Huang's eyes were full of disbelief, and before he could hit the ground, Ye Chen punched him into oblivion, his spirit utterly destroyed.

At this, another Zhun Huang from Qinglong Star charged through the air, unleashing a peerless sword strike aimed at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen chuckled coldly and used Suo Di Cheng Cun to dodge the sword, instantly appearing before the Zhun Huang. Without a word, he swung his knife, decapitating him, and tore his spirit to shreds.

This scene left the battling cultivators from both Zhuque Star and Qinglong Star in utter shock. A Tian Jing expert directly slaying a Huang Jing one?

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Amid the exclamations, Ye Chen swung his knife again, leaving a trail of blood in his wake, astonishing the Zhuque Star experts. When had Tian Jing cultivators become so monstrous, killing Zhun Huang and Huang Jing foes like chopping melons?

"Hmm?"

In the midst of the slaughter, Ye Chen suddenly looked up toward a dark void. "Another Zhun Sheng."

No sooner had Ye Chen spoken than a ethereal laughter echoed through the heavens, seeming to come from the nine underworlds, sending chills down spines. It was followed by an immense pressure, the aura unique to a Zhun Sheng.

A Zhun Sheng!

The Zhuque Star experts in battle instinctively looked up, seeing a blood-robed figure approaching through the sky, stirring a torrential blood sea. Within the blood sea, countless vengeful spirits wailed, making one's entire body shudder.

"Yinshi Wang."

At the sight of the newcomer, Ruotian Zhuque's expression turned grim.

"Zhuque, I hope you've been well."

Yinshi Wang smiled sinisterly, baring his pale teeth.