Chapter 1440: Settling Old Scores

“Damn you,” Yaozu Shenzi roared in fury, glaring viciously at Ye Chen. His demonic eyes blazed with divine light, attempting to pierce through Ye Chen’s true form, but he failed completely, unable even to discern the bloodline.

“It’s time to settle old scores,” Ye Chen said, gripping his wolf-tooth club and twisting his neck fiercely.

“Who the hell are you?” Yaozu Shenzi shouted, his voice booming. He had too many enemies and couldn’t figure out which one this was.

“You, take your Linglong Xiaota and get out of here quickly,” Ye Chen said, glancing at Wuzu Shenzi before charging directly at Yaozu Shenzi. It was time to address those past grudges.

“Though it’s essentially a freebie, it’s still pretty awkward, isn’t it?” Wuzu Shenzi coughed awkwardly, but he still put the Linglong Xiaota away without hesitation. After all, why refuse a gift?

He backed away sensibly, watching the distant battle from afar with a mix of awe and disbelief as he retreated.

He didn’t know Ye Chen’s true identity, but he could see how ferocious the guy was, completely ignoring Yaozu Shenzi’s illusions and dominating the fight. Yaozu Shenzi couldn’t even lift his head, his powerful demonic body cracking repeatedly under the assault.

Yaozu Shenzi felt it most acutely—despite his array of supreme secret techniques, they were useless against Ye Chen. Whether palm strikes or sword shadows, none could withstand a single sweep of Ye Chen’s club.

“Damn it all.” Yaozu Shenzi gritted his teeth, realizing he was outmatched, and turned to flee.

“Not so fast.” Ye Chen snarled, crossing the void in an instant. His club descended like a mountain, slamming into Yaozu Shenzi and making him stagger. The demon’s newly healed body split open again.

“Do you really want to fight to the death?” Yaozu Shenzi roared, his blood essence surging as he pushed back the wolf-tooth club with a world-shaking strike. Then, burning his vital energy, he fled once more.

Ye Chen didn’t bother replying. He caught up and swung again, sending the unfortunate Yaozu Shenzi flying a second time. The demon crashed through vast swathes of void space, his body drenched in blood and shattered bones.

Driven to madness, Yaozu Shenzi activated his forbidden arts, but instead of turning to fight, he used them to escape faster. Ye Chen’s strength far exceeded his expectations—he couldn’t handle it.

Ye Chen sneered, repeatedly using Shudi Chengcun to close the gap, chasing and striking relentlessly.

The Wuzu Shenzi, who hadn’t gone far, grinned again. Ye Chen’s ferocity kept pushing the limits of his shock. From the start of the fight, Ye Chen hadn’t even used a single secret technique.

“Only around two hundred years old, definitely from the younger generation.” Wuzu Shenzi stroked his chin thoughtfully. “There are only a few who could utterly crush Yaozu Shenzi in combat. Who could it be?”

“You big oaf from the Wu clan, why are you avoiding me?” As he pondered, an irritated voice came from behind him. It was the Guzu Shenni, cloaked in black robes.

“Nonsense, I’m not avoiding you,” Wuzu Shenzi replied, then vanished in a flash.

“You…” Guzu Shenni stamped her foot in frustration and chased after him, sticking to him like glue. Wherever Wuzu Shenzi went, she followed, as if her only purpose in entering the Yiji was to track him down.

Meanwhile, Yaozu Shenzi was still fleeing, with mountains collapsing one after another in his wake.

Ye Chen pursued without mercy, unleashing a barrage whenever he caught up. Yaozu Shenzi was in a pitiful state, nearly getting obliterated several times, the once-mighty demon god lacking even the courage to fight back properly.

“Who’s hunting Yaozu Shenzi?” Treasure seekers nearby looked up curiously, activating their Tongtian Eye to peer at Ye Chen, but all were blocked by Zhoutian Mifa, unable to discern his identity.

“It has to be one of them: Dong Shen, Xi Zun, Nan Di, Bei Sheng, or Zhong Huang,” someone mused. “Yaozu Shenzi’s power is immense, so only those five could pull this off.”

“Not necessarily.” Others shook their heads. “There’s Di Jia Jiu Xian, the Shenzi of the Xian clan, and that mad woman with the Xianling Xuemai, who can match Nan Di blow for blow. The Xuan Huang world is vast, and plenty in the younger generation surpass Yaozu Shenzi.”

As the discussions continued, Yaozu Shenzi fled deeper into the area, with Ye Chen hot on his heels, showing no signs of mercy.

No one followed to watch the spectacle. In the past two days, they’d seen enough fights—chasing every brawl would leave no time for treasure hunting. Let them fight; we’ll keep searching.

Soon after, Yaozu Shenzi stumbled into a sea of blood, battered and bleeding profusely. His vitality had waned, and the demonic light around him had dimmed significantly.

“Run! Why stop now?” Ye Chen charged in, brandishing his bloodstained wolf-tooth club.

“Who are you, really?” Yaozu Shenzi’s eyes burned red. He’d been chased relentlessly and still didn’t know his pursuer’s identity. Even in death, he wanted to know.

“Guess,” Ye Chen chuckled, lunging forward with a club strike aimed at Yaozu Shenzi.

But before the blow landed, a devastating divine beam shot toward him from the side.

Ye Chen frowned, pulling back instantly and retreating while raising his wolf-tooth club to block.

The beam struck the club with a sharp, metallic clang, sparking flames. The club was sent flying, and Ye Chen was knocked back with it.

Once he steadied himself, Ye Chen spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his eyes narrowing as he stared into the blood sea. He could sense, deep within, the presence of a blood-robed elder.

“Quandi.” Ye Chen furrowed his brow. Though the blood-robed elder’s cultivation was suppressed to Zhunsheng level, his true realm outside the Yiji was that of a genuine Quandi—terrifyingly powerful.

“Even as a Quandi with suppressed cultivation, he shouldn’t be this strong.” Ye Chen muttered to himself.

Back in Da Chu, he had slain emperors at the Zhuntian perfection stage, and this Yiji was similar in its suppression of realms. A Quandi should be no match, yet the blood-robed elder in the sea was extraordinarily formidable, forcing Ye Chen to spit blood from a single strike.

Eventually, he noticed something off—it was the blood sea beneath his feet. At its bottom lay an ancient formation, still active and channeling power, with the blood-robed elder seated at its center.

In other words, the suppressed blood-robed elder wielded the might of a Shengwang.

Ye Chen chose to retreat. Outside the blood sea, he wouldn’t fear the elder, but with the formation’s mysterious boost, he couldn’t win.

“One day, I’ll rip off your mask.” Seeing Ye Chen withdraw, Yaozu Shenzi grinned menacingly, as if he knew the blood-robed elder’s identity. With such a backer, Ye Chen couldn’t touch him—the Shengwang-level power was too much to handle.

“One day, I’ll cut you down myself.” Ye Chen snorted coldly and left the blood sea, casting a final glance at the blood-robed elder. The man clearly had deep ties to the Yaozu.

After leaving, Ye Chen lingered nearby for a long time, unwilling to let the grudge go unaddressed. If Yaozu Shenzi and the blood-robed elder emerged, he’d strike without hesitation.

But after waiting ages, neither showed. Yaozu Shenzi had hidden in the blood sea, and the blood-robed elder stayed put, leaving Ye Chen with no choice but to depart.

As dawn approached, the numbers in the Yiji hadn’t decreased—in fact, they’d grown. Ye Chen passed many along the way, spotting no fewer than ten Quandi-level figures, not to mention the Dasheng ones.

These newcomers had caused plenty of bloodshed since entering, relying on their strength to rampage unchecked and victimizing many juniors.

Yet, they weren’t invincible. Everyone in this Yiji was exceptionally fierce; in the same realm, many veterans had been slain by upstarts. The most shocking case was a Quandi who thought himself superior, only to be beaten to death by a group of so-called “beasts.”

Ye Chen was one of those “beasts.” He’d chased that old Quandi across the Yiji, though the elder eventually escaped. Still, the incident made the other Quandi think twice.

That group of “beasts” proved with force that in this place, don’t act so high and mighty. We don’t care if you’re a Dasheng or Quandi outside—here, you’d better stay low and behave.

Night fell once more as Ye Chen crossed the forests and stepped into a vast, barren land.

The land was pitch-black, with even the mountains and rivers shrouded in darkness. It was a sprawling Motu, devoid of any vegetation, radiating an ancient, primordial aura that felt oppressive and heavy.

Ye Chen stood quietly at the edge of the scorched earth, his brow furrowed. He was certain he’d seen this Motu before—in the visions from the five small magic cauldrons.

His intuition proved correct, as the five small magic cauldrons sealed in his storage bag began to hum violently, their demonic light flaring as they battered against their confines, desperate to break free.

In the end, the cauldrons shattered their seals and burst from the bag, streaking through the void like five demonic beams, racing toward the depths at incredible speed.

Ye Chen followed swiftly, only stopping at the heart of the Motu. There stood an ancient altar, surrounded by five weathered copper pillars. The small magic cauldrons hovered above each pillar, their demonic light activating the engraved Moten on the pillars.

The altar trembled violently, revealing an ancient formation—or rather, a massive black vortex with immense suction. As soon as Ye Chen landed, he was pulled into its depths.