Chapter 1360: Integrity

In the midst of discussions, three figures fell one after another, drenched in blood, like meteors plummeting into the ethereal void sky.

Clearly, it was Taiqing Shenzi, Zhizun Shenzi, and Miaomiao Shenzi who had smashed three deep pits into the ground. They were now unrecognizable, bloodied forms. The three had joined forces but were ultimately defeated.

Looking up at the nine heavens above, only Ye Chen remained standing, like a war god overlooking the heavens and earth.

Ah!

Roars of anger echoed through the heavens. It was Taiqing Shenzi and the others, lying powerlessly in the deep pits, their eyes blood-red and filled with unwillingness. They wanted to rise and fight again but lacked the strength.

They had lost. Even combining their efforts, they were utterly defeated. These proud individuals could not accept such a crushing defeat, and this loss destined them to never reach the highest peak of the Dao in their lifetimes.

I told you not to provoke me!

Ye Chen glanced below and instantly teleported away, as Taiqing Gong's Xutian Absolute Killing Array blasted toward him, covering the sky in a massive formation powerful enough to instantly annihilate a Zhun Sheng Wang.

However, although Taiqing Gong's attack was formidable, it missed Ye Chen entirely and instead collapsed the void sky. Space cracks reappeared, turning the once-stable world into chaos.

Bastard!

The sages of Taiqing Gong led the charge, surrounding from all sides, followed by countless Zhun Sheng-level and Huang Jing-level experts. The crowd surged like a tidal wave, engulfing the heavens and earth in an attempt to swallow Ye Chen whole.

Ye Chen let out a cold sneer and instantly escaped, slashing open a bloody path with one palm. He rampaged through the throng as if no one could stop him, exterminating anyone who blocked his way and dyeing the sky red with blood.

His target was clear: the black-clothed sage from Taiqing Gong who mastered the art of shifting heaven and earth.

That was a talented individual. If taken back for thorough study, it might yield one or two secret techniques, such as that heaven-defying divine ability of shifting heaven and earth, which he found quite appealing.

The shifting heaven and earth secret technique was known to Long Ye and Zi Xuan. Back in the days of Da Chu, he had wanted to learn it, but before he could, the heavenly demons arrived, delaying it for two hundred years.

Like the technique of shrinking the ground into an inch, this secret art could not be replicated by the immortal eye. Such high-level methods were simply too profound, requiring years of comprehension, and at least a guide to lead the way.

Now, that black-clothed sage was the guide. It was rare to catch one, so he absolutely would not let him go.

As he spoke, nine sages pounced, jointly controlling a bronze mirror—a Sheng Wang soldier with immense power. Once activated, it crushed the nine heavens, its force utterly destructive.

Ye Chen said nothing and dared not confront it directly. He used shrinking the ground into an inch to narrowly evade the fatal strike.

The nine sages were nearly driven to vomit blood in rage. Their attack was meant to be a sure kill, yet it couldn't touch Ye Chen. He was like a elusive rat, darting everywhere and impossible to hit.

The other sage-level experts of Taiqing Gong were equally furious, driven to the brink of madness and wanting to spit blood.

What good was having so many people? One moment of distraction and he vanished. Finally catching up, they hadn't even launched an attack before he fled again—and not just quickly, but extraordinarily fast, impossible to pursue.

Thus, the scene in this stretch of heaven and earth became strangely absurd: amid the dense crowd, Ye Chen moved like a streak of light, darting back and forth and slipping through any gap.

The cultivators from all sides watched with wide-eyed astonishment. The Ancient Holy Body's combat prowess was domineering, and its escape speed was no joke. Taiqing Gong had nearly two hundred thousand people, yet they couldn't capture him.

Where are you running!

While the cultivators from all sides smacked their lips in amazement, Ye Chen's shouts echoed through the heaven and earth.

The fierce Ye Chen charged and darted all the way, finally closing in on the black-clothed sage. His divine eyes blazed like torches, radiating immortal light as he locked onto the black-clothed sage.

Seeing this, the black-clothed sage furrowed his brows, his eyes narrowing slightly. His vigilance was high; he knew Ye Chen's target was him. Otherwise, why pursue him amid so many in Taiqing Gong?

Knowing Ye Chen's intent, how could he dare stay? He immediately fled, weaving into the crowd.

Although his realm surpassed Ye Chen's, his combat strength fell far short. Once caught, his fate would be dire. Coupled with his cowardice, he dared not fight Ye Chen and focused solely on escape.

Stay!

Ye Chen stepped on the Taixu and gave chase.

Stop him!

The black-clothed sage roared in anger, only concerned with his own retreat while ordering others to charge forward.

The sages' commands were not to be disobeyed. Batches of Taiqing Gong experts lunged in, with palm strikes, fist shadows, magic tools, or killing arrays converging into a tidal wave that swept across the sky.

Ye Chen activated his vision defense and swung the Chixiao, slashing through a swath as he pursued the black-clothed sage.

Stop him!

The black-clothed sage continued retreating, like a stray dog, drawing sighs from the cultivators around.

You're at least a sage. Even if the Holy Body is powerful, it's just a Zhun Sheng. You don't even have the courage for a single exchange? Let alone with nearly two hundred thousand cultivators from your Taiqing Gong.

The black-clothed sage ignored the contempt from the surrounding cultivators. He was truly like a stray dog, not daring to turn and fight, scared witless by Ye Chen's strength and fearing for his life.

Behind him, batches of Taiqing Gong experts charged forward, only to turn into blood mist in batches. Many sages were exterminated, and none could halt the Holy Body's advance.

The black-clothed sage grew even more terrified, retreating further and pushing those beside him into the path.

Rat!

Ye Chen took one step to shrink the ground into an inch and caught up, wasting no words as he raised his hand to cover that section of the void sky.

However, he had underestimated the black-clothed sage. That individual used the heaven-defying secret technique of shifting heaven and earth, swapping spaces with a Taiqing Gong Zhun Sheng and instantly dodging his devastating palm.

Although the black-clothed sage escaped, the Zhun Sheng who was swapped in met a tragic end. Before he could comprehend what happened, he took Ye Chen's palm, his body exploding and his primordial spirit perishing.

You've got some nerve!

Ye Chen cursed inwardly and sped onward, using three or five shrinks of the ground into an inch to catch up again, delivering another devastating palm.

The black-clothed sage wasn't incompetent; he once more used shifting heaven and earth to evade Ye Chen's fatal strike, instantly fleeing far away and continuously swapping spaces, running at an astonishing speed.

Hey!

Ye Chen was fired up, pouring on full speed to close in, with the determination not to stop until he caught him—even vowing to take his surname if necessary.

As a result, this stretch of heaven and earth became extraordinarily lively due to their chase and escape.

Ye Chen's speed was unparalleled, and the black-clothed sage's evasion skills were equally top-notch. The two darted through the dense crowd, one ahead and one behind, leaving onlookers dizzy.

What annoyed the Taiqing Gong experts most was that the black-clothed sage was utterly unscrupulous. To save himself, he swapped spaces multiple times, sending one Taiqing Gong member after another toward Ye Chen—including sages—who were beaten senseless without warning.

Cursing voices soon erupted, all from Taiqing Gong experts. Due to the black-clothed sage's despicable maneuvers, many suffered losses, and for a moment, they felt an impulse to join Ye Chen in hunting him down. Once caught, they'd kick him to death without a word.

Save me!

The black-clothed sage roared hoarsely, madly deploying shifting heaven and earth, his qi and blood already depleted and unable to hold out.

Can you escape?

Ye Chen arrived, catching up to the black-clothed sage before he could flee again. With a heaven-reaching palm knife, he struck the black-clothed sage to his knees in the void, causing blood to spurt wildly.

I'll fight you to the death!

The black-clothed sage roared in fury, blood sacrificing his origin and thrusting a finger with unmatched penetrating power.

Ye Chen didn't dodge, block, or defend; he took the finger head-on and followed with another palm. Even a sage couldn't withstand it, his body cracking and blood spraying forth.

The black-clothed sage knelt. In a single exchange, he was done for, sealed by Ye Chen using a secret method into a great cauldron.

Surround him!

Taiqing Gong experts surged forward. Though the black-clothed sage's character left much to be desired, he was still a Taiqing Gong elder. If he were captured, they would face punishment upon return.

Most importantly, Ye Chen was a wanted fugitive of Taiqing Gong. If he escaped, where would their face be? Nearly two hundred thousand cultivators unable to take down one Zhun Sheng would be truly humiliating.

Get lost!

Ye Chen went on a rampage, one hand wielding the Ba Long Dao and the other the Chixiao Sword, slashing wildly. He carved a bloody path through the surging crowd, forcefully breaking free.

See you later!

Once out of the encirclement, he slipped away at an extraordinary speed, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Chase!

The sages of Taiqing Gong roared in anger, leading the charge with a sky-covering crowd in pursuit, each with a ferocious expression and towering aura, shaking the heavens and earth.

As for the cultivators from all sides, they didn't follow to watch the spectacle, knowing full well that Taiqing Gong couldn't catch Ye Chen. They had already seen his escape skills—ordinary people couldn't keep up.

Facts proved they were right: Taiqing Gong indeed failed to catch Ye Chen.

Or rather, in the midst of the chase, they lost sight of him entirely, as if he had vanished from the world.

Damn it!

Waves of furious shouts overlapped, and most of the Taiqing Gong sages vomited blood—not just from injuries, but from sheer rage. In such a grand effort, not only had they failed to capture Ye Chen, but they had also lost a sage.