Chapter 1256: Free Muscle

Bang!

The black-robed elder forcefully halted his body, causing the virtual heaven beneath his feet to collapse on the spot.

He was actually this strong!

The black-robed elder's eyes were filled with shock, never imagining that an emperor realm cultivator could repel him with a single strike, completely shattering his baseline of astonishment.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

As the black-robed elder was still in shock, the three Yin Ming Si Jiang surrounded him once more, trapping him in that section of virtual heaven.

Long Yi, Si Tu Nan, and Liu Neng also appeared, watching the black-robed elder with great interest. "Old fellow, there are some things you need to know. The people of our Tian Ting are quite fierce. Once you come, you might not leave."

"As if you can stop me?" the black-robed elder roared, striding across the virtual heaven to break free. This Tian Ting was too strange—it had an emperor realm expert who could rival a saint, plus three puppet saints. Such a lineup was beyond what he could handle alone. All he wanted was to escape this cursed place as quickly as possible; he didn't want to stay a moment longer.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ye Chen sneered, blocking his path again with the Ba Huang Quan, striking with overwhelming dominance and precision.

The black-robed elder's face darkened as he unleashed his peak power, yet he was still forced to stagger backward.

The Yin Ming Si Jiang, including the one resembling Hua Long Lao Zu, lunged forward. Though expressionless, their attacks were terrifying—one finger of divine light pierced straight through the black-robed elder's back and out his chest.

"Damn it!" the black-robed elder shouted in fury, flipping his hand to strike back and repel Hua Long Lao Zu.

But he paid a heavy price for it, getting struck by another Yin Ming Si Jiang, the Shi Xue Lao Mo, with a sword that nearly split him in two on the spot.

The black-robed elder spat blood, retreating with his injured body, only for the Yin Ming Si Jiang in silver robes to close in. Gripping a red killing sword, he executed the Feng Shen Jue, a sword strike carrying devastating force that could pierce through anything in the world. Caught off guard, the black-robed elder was hit again, his body pierced and blood spilling everywhere, each drop strikingly vivid.

"Let's go!" Ye Chen howled, pulling out a wolf-tooth club forged from the Hun Dun Shen Ding.

The three Yin Ming Si Jiang also advanced, stepping on the virtual heaven and wielding their ferocious weapons.

The black-robed elder dared not face them head-on and fled desperately, wanting only to escape this immortal mountain.

However, Ye Chen and his group wouldn't give him the chance. Although the Yin Ming Si Jiang weren't as strong as living saints, together with Ye Chen, they equaled three saints in power.

More importantly, this was within the Tian Ting sacred mountain, where they had twenty-seven quasi-saint level Yin Ming Si Jiang and numerous attack formations centered around the Nine Dragons Arching the Sky. With such a setup, there was no reason they couldn't take down the black-robed elder.

Boom! Bang!

The battle erupted instantly, creating a massive commotion.

Long Yi set up a small barrier, enveloping every peak and palace of the immortal mountain to prevent damage from the fight.

"Ah!" the black-robed elder roared, beaten so badly he couldn't even lift his head, resorting to secret techniques to call for help from the white-robed elder outside the mountain.

But his cries, though loud, couldn't escape the immortal mountain—the barrier blocked them entirely.

The black-robed elder was driven to the brink of madness. As a dignified saint, transcending the mundane world, he was now trapped by three puppets and an emperor realm expert, unable even to escape. If word of this got out, his reputation would be utterly ruined.

Outside the mountain, the white-robed elder had already arrived in the virtual heaven beyond.

Why hasn't he come out?

The white-robed elder narrowed his eyes, staring at the Tian Ting immortal mountain, but all he saw was hazy mist. The intense battle inside was completely inaudible from his side.

Helpless, the white-robed elder tried sending a divine sense transmission, but it yielded no response.

He realized the situation was gravely wrong—a saint had entered, yet not a single sound emerged. This was far too bizarre.

Inside the mountain, the battle had come to an end. The once arrogant black-robed elder had been thoroughly defeated under the assault from Ye Chen and the three Yin Ming Si Jiang, his body sealed with dozens of restraints—all the work of Long Yi, using the Tai Xu lineage's sealing divine arts.

Tsk tsk tsk!

The group gathered around, eyeing the black-robed elder with a mix of curiosity and pity.

The black-robed elder was immobilized by the seals but remained defiant, roaring furiously, "Do you even know who I am?"

"Who cares who you are?" Si Tu Nan stepped forward and slapped him across the face, leaving it stinging. "We already told you our Tian Ting folk are tough, but you just wouldn't listen."

"Ah...!"

The black-robed elder was stunned by the slap, and once he recovered, he let out a thunderous roar.

"Refine him into a Yin Ming Si Jiang?" Long Yi glanced at Ye Chen.

"He's different from Hua Long Lao Zu—killing him would be a waste." Ye Chen smiled leisurely. "Compared to a Yin Ming Si Jiang, I value a living saint more."

"I get what you mean." Long Yi immediately performed a secret technique, imprinting an ancient rune into the black-robed elder's sea of consciousness.

"What have you done to me?" the black-robed elder raged, glaring fiercely at Long Yi.

"Not much." Long Yi smoothed his hair. "Just something to keep you in line. If you piss me off, one thought from me and you'll vanish into thin air. That's the gist of it—if you want to stay alive, behave."

"How dare you...!"

"Still not behaving?" Long Yi snorted coldly, activating the ancient rune in the black-robed elder's sea of consciousness.

Ugh!

The black-robed elder grunted in pain, his face turning pale, with a hint of terror. In that instant, he clearly felt the breath of death—as Long Yi had said, a single thought could erase him.

This time, the black-robed elder finally submitted.

Only now did he regret ignoring the white-robed elder's advice and charging in with his saintly pride, leading to his current predicament.

Not bad!

Seeing the black-robed elder comply, Long Yi and Ye Chen exchanged smiles. With the secret technique controlling him, the black-robed elder would have to obey Long Yi's commands unconditionally if he wanted to live. This was a free hitman—and a saint-level one at that.

This was what Ye Chen meant by valuing a living saint over a Yin Ming Si Jiang; a living one was far stronger.

Si Tu Nan glanced at the black-robed elder, then toward the outside of the mountain. "There's still one more out there."

"Let him come in and join us." Ye Chen smiled casually.

"We definitely need to invite him in." Long Yi said, turning to the black-robed elder. "Send a message to your companion and get him to come inside."

"As if!" the black-robed elder roared defiantly.

"Looks like you're still not behaving!" Long Yi smirked playfully, triggering the rune in the black-robed elder's sea of consciousness again.

Ugh!

The black-robed elder grunted once more, his face even paler.

"Are you going to call or not?" Long Yi watched him with interest. "Don't test my patience, senior. One wrong move and you could be gone for good."

"I'll call, I'll call." The black-robed elder caved in. He had no doubt Long Yi would kill him, so for the sake of his own life, he decided to betray his ally.

"That's more like it!" Long Yi chuckled, opening a gap in the barrier.

The black-robed elder gritted his teeth and sent a transmission outside the mountain. "We've taken this immortal mountain. Come in and talk."

"You come out first." The white-robed elder replied calmly, clearly more astute than the black-robed elder. As fellow saints, his caution far surpassed his companion's. This place was too suspicious, and he feared a trap, so he insisted the black-robed elder exit first.

But this didn't stump Ye Chen and Long Yi.

"Just go out like I told you." Long Yi released the black-robed elder's restraints with a grin. "Don't try any tricks, or you know the consequences."

"I can lure him in, but you have to promise to let me go," the black-robed elder said coldly, staring at Long Yi.

"You don't have the right to negotiate."

"You...!"

"Are you going or not?" Long Yi's tone turned icy, his eyes flashing with menace.

"I... I'll go." Though he knew it was a threat, the black-robed elder had no choice. He took a deep breath, steeled himself, and stepped out of the immortal mountain.