Chapter 1469: One Kill, One Protect

The heavens rumbled, and all eyes were fixed on the scene. That stretch of the void had turned into chaos, with no one daring to set foot in it.

The Ling Tian Sun clashed fiercely with the Ni Tian Sheng Ti in mutual destruction. The Jinwu Sun was crushing his holy body, while he, in turn, was annihilating the Jinwu Sun. The two forces were evenly matched, neither gaining the upper hand.

Jinwu Taizi's face twisted into a grotesque mask of fury. This was his trump card, one that had slain more than one Zhun Sheng Wang before, yet it was being held off by a mere Zhun Sheng. For the mighty Jinwu, this was an utter humiliation.

But even greater shame was yet to come. His Jinwu Sun was visibly shrinking at an alarming rate, its brilliant radiance being extinguished strand by strand.

The spectators rose to their feet, gazing up at the void in disbelief. Ye Chen had truly held his ground. The massive Jinwu Sun, as enormous as a mountain, was rapidly diminishing amid the destruction.

"Take this back." Ye Chen roared, raising his hands to the sky and forcefully shoving the sun back.

The Jinwu Sun soared against the heavens, relentlessly crushing through the void. It was a grand spectacle, like a true sun rising slowly in the world.

"Damn it." Jinwu Taizi gritted his teeth, swinging the Jinwu Divine Sword. With one strike, he cleaved out an immortal river, splitting the oncoming Jinwu Sun in half.

He suffered backlash and immediately spat out blood. Before he could steady himself, Ye Chen charged up from below, gripping a crimson killing sword. His strike was like a gale, devastating everything in its path and piercing through Jinwu Taizi's divine body.

Jinwu Taizi let out a furious roar and struck back with a palm, sending Ye Chen flying. Then, he staggered back a step.

But before he could even spit out the blood in his mouth, a small flying dagger shot toward him—it was thrown by Ye Chen in the instant he was sent flying. Its purpose was clear without needing to guess.

Sure enough, the flying dagger transformed into Ye Chen, or rather, swapped their positions.

Without a word, Ye Chen delivered a crushing palm strike. Jinwu Taizi suffered the same trick again, stumbling back as blood and bones flew, his divine body cracking open.

The tactic succeeded, and Ye Chen closed in on Jinwu Taizi once more. What followed was a bloody scene. Once the Sheng Ti got close, even someone as powerful as Jinwu Taizi couldn't hold his ground.

"That Yi Tian Huan Di technique from the Sheng Ti is incredibly slick!" Voices of admiration rose from below, with everyone clicking their tongues in awe. "Even while being sent flying by a palm, he didn't forget to hurl that small flying dagger to strike back."

"You know, it's really on par with the Fei Lei Shen Jue." Many stroked their chins in thought.

"What makes me want to laugh is that he fell for the same trick twice—Jinwu Taizi's head doesn't seem to be screwed on right!" Some people burst into laughter, mostly those who had beef with the Jinwu, chuckling heartily.

"Look, Jinwu's lost another arm." Someone tutted in shock, watching as Jinwu Taizi's arm plummeted into the void, bloody and gruesome.

Just like the first time, Jinwu endured the loss of an arm and finally found a moment to catch his breath.

This time, he had learned his lesson. He invoked a supreme secret art, sealing off the space within a thousand zhang around him. This seal was meant to counter Ye Chen's Yi Tian Huan Di and prevent further losses.

"You've truly angered me." Jinwu Taizi staggered, his golden eyes turning blood-red, fierce as a demon. He stared deadly at Ye Chen opposite him. With his dominant recovery ability, he healed his wounds across his body, and the severed arm regrew instantly. His scattered vital energy surged back in an instant.

"You should be grateful that I'm only a Zhun Sheng." Ye Chen said calmly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. If they were at the same level, he would have wiped out Jinwu Taizi eight hundred times over by now—there was no need for all this chatter.

As things stood, he was half a level below, so Jinwu Taizi was stronger than him but couldn't destroy him, just as he couldn't slay Jinwu Taizi. This battle, if it came down to life and death, would end in mutual destruction.

The two barely maintained a fragile balance, neither able to overcome the other. To break this delicate stalemate, a third party would need to intervene.

"The Huang Gu Sheng Ti lives up to its reputation." A leisurely voice echoed as someone stepped into the void. His vital energy surged like a torrent, with purple-golden divine light radiating everywhere, piercing the hearts of all who beheld it.

"Kunpeng?" The people below were startled, not expecting Kunpeng to join the fight.

"It's over— the Sheng Ti is really done for this time." Many broke into a cold sweat for Ye Chen. "One Jinwu Taizi is trouble enough, let alone adding a stronger Kunpeng to the mix."

"Kunpeng, you bastard, have you no shame?" Kuinu raged, his vital energy burning like fire. He swung his axe with overwhelming force, splitting the heavens and earth as he flung Baqi Dashe aside, intent on rushing to aid Ye Chen.

But as soon as he ascended, he was struck back by a river of immortal swords. The attacker was a massive peng with nine wings— the legendary Nine-Winged Shenpeng, a powerful bloodline.

This was a dominant bloodline among the peng clan, closely related to the Kunpeng race. Its appearance was clearly at Kunpeng's behest, to stop Kuinu from rescuing Ye Chen.

"What a grand scheme." Kuinu sneered, glaring at the Nine-Winged Shenpeng. Even with his thick skull, he could see the plot— this was an all-out assassination targeting the Sheng Ti.

"Stay out of it, and we'll have no beef. Don't go looking for trouble." The Nine-Winged Shenpeng said with a sinister laugh.

"As if I'm scared of you." Kuinu snorted coldly, his eyes gleaming with divine light as his aura intensified.

"Two against one— what makes you think you stand a chance?" Baqi Dashe stepped up from behind, laughing mockingly as he and the Nine-Winged Shenpeng blocked Kuinu from both sides.

"Then let's find out." Kuinu bellowed, transforming into his true form— a massive, mountain-like ox with thunder ripping through the air and dark light radiating everywhere. His domineering aura made the heavens tremble.

Both Baqi Dashe and the Nine-Winged Shenpeng sneered and shifted into their true forms. The shenpeng spread its wings, blotting out the sky, while Baqi Dashe was eerie with its eight massive heads, eyes glowing with malice.

The battle erupted in full force, with Kuinu taking on two opponents. Every time he tried to break through, he was forced back by the pair.

In a one-on-one, neither the Nine-Winged Shenpeng nor Baqi Dashe could match him, but against two Zhun Sheng with bloodlines not inferior to his own, even his strength was suppressed.

Over on another front, Xiao Yuan Huang and Di Mu Wu Xiong were locked in a brutal fight.

Roars shook the heavens as the group desperately tried to cut down their foes and rush to Ye Chen's aid. But their enemies were tenacious and numerous, blocking them every time they attempted to advance.

"The mighty Kunpeng clan prince, stooping to such opportunism— aren't you afraid of being mocked by future generations?" A cold female voice rang through the skies as Qian Shang Yue soared into the void. She had already helped Man Shan restore his Dao roots, saving his life, and now sealed him away in a artifact.

She made her move, and the Kong Que clan's great princess followed suit, stepping across the void to block her in a section of the sky. The princess smiled at Qian Shang Yue. "Saying that about my husband— are you ignoring me, your elder sister?"

"Get out of my way." Qian Shang Yue said icily, manifesting an immortal sword in her hand, its resonant hum piercing the ears.

"You're quite the disobedient one— I'll teach you some manners, little sister." The Kong Que great princess chuckled coldly, summoning her own life-bound immortal sword. With a wave of her jade arm, she slashed out a dazzling immortal river.

The two clashed directly, leaving the spectators below stunned. "What the hell is this about?"

"What else? They're duking it out!" Someone nudged their companion, sighing endlessly. "For the sake of the Huang Gu Sheng Ti, the two Kong Que princesses are fighting each other— that's something fresh, all right."

"If I'm not mistaken, we're just the sideshow today. With a Sheng Ti showing up, it's turned into a full-on brawl. One side wants to kill, the other to protect— who knows how many more will jump in."

"Clearly, the Huang Gu Sheng Ti is in grave danger today." Someone spoke up, drawing everyone's gaze to another part of the void where Ye Chen, Jinwu, and Kunpeng were gathered.

The atmosphere there was the most oppressive. Even before the fight began, the heavens rumbled. Ye Chen stood on one side, with Jinwu and Kunpeng flanking him, trapping him in the middle.