Chapter 1511: Unrelenting Spirits

Chapter 1511: Lingering Souls

Block him!

Across the land, such roars echoed incessantly as the myriad clans pursued and intercepted him relentlessly.

Nan Yu was in chaos, the heavens turned upside down and the earth torn apart.

Ye Chen fled with extraordinary speed, darting from one teleportation array platform to another, desperately making his way toward the northwest.

Behind him, the sky was filled with pursuers, some also using array platforms to give chase.

However, array platforms were incredibly precious; each use consumed one, and they quickly ran out, much to the frustration of the pursuers. How in the world did Ye Chen acquire so many of them?

Without array platforms, they had to rely on their own speed—some flew through the air, others rode swords, summoned spirit beasts, drove war chariots, or soared on clouds, forming a vast and mighty procession.

But their speeds, though not slow, couldn't compare to the array platforms; the gap only widened with each passing moment.

Meanwhile, those who used ancient city teleportation arrays to pursue him had caught up several times, blocking his path repeatedly, only to be broken through each time by Ye Chen's beast companion.

Witnessing this audacious spectacle, the cultivators who had come to watch couldn't help but sigh in admiration. "The Sacred Body is truly extraordinary! To break through encirclements so many times—a peerless figure indeed."

"Who would have thought that over five thousand clans and hundreds of thousands of cultivators would mobilize such a massive force, all just to hunt down a Sacred Body expert who has possessed a Great Saint body? And with Emperor Weapons and Quasi-Emperors involved."

"Seeing a junior escape so effortlessly warms my heart." There were always those eccentric old-timers who found a comfortable spot and started philosophizing before they even caught their breath.

"Look at that—pile up enough array platforms, and you can achieve the effect of a teleportation array." On one side of the crowd, a figure cloaked in black robes spoke meaningfully. His true face was hidden, but his eyes blazed like flames, revealing him to be Xiao Yuan Huang.

"Among our brothers, he's the one who truly shines." Kui Niu had also arrived, sighing in amazement.

"We snuck out here; we should get to the real business." Da Di Wu Xiong scratched his nose.

"Stop dawdling—hurry up and pick a spot. It's not every day we find a brother who's such a fighter; we can't just let him get wiped out." Xian Wang He, Chuan Shan Jia, and Lao Liu Bei Ming Yu were also there, all cloaked in black robes. The six brothers had gathered, though no one knew exactly what they were planning.

With that, the six vanished into the crowd and headed for the nearest ancient city. They couldn't catch up to Ye Chen directly, so they'd have to rely on teleportation arrays—who else had as many array platforms as that guy?

Meanwhile, Ye Chen had teleported ninety thousand li and emerged, casually tossing out another array platform.

Looking back, his decision to sweep up all those array platforms along the way had been incredibly wise.

It was precisely because he had so many that he hadn't been blasted to ashes yet. The forces hunting him were overwhelming—over five thousand clans, each sending a Great Saint, making for a terrifying number.

Fortunately, not all the experts from those five thousand clans were present; many were still en route. If they all arrived, it would be an endless sea of people, dark and oppressive.

Yan Long lounged on the cauldron's rim and said,"You have plenty of array platforms, true, but to teleport out of Nan Yu, you're still far short. At this rate, you won't last long."

"What else can I do?" Ye Chen shook his head. "I don't dare stop—with pursuers ahead and blockades behind, if I get surrounded, I might just end up as a pile of meat paste."

"How about we find a place to hide for a bit?" Yan Long stroked his chin tentatively.

"Don't joke around—nine Emperor Weapons are locked onto me. As long as I'm in Nan Yu, hiding anywhere is useless." As Ye Chen spoke, he activated another array platform, and at the same time, sacrificed yet another one.

Seeing this, his pursuers in the rear were nearly in tears, including several Great Saints and Saint Kings among them.

Damn it, how does he have so many array platforms? A Great Saint like me might not be slow on foot, but I can't compete with those things. We've chased all this way without even touching him, and now he's even farther ahead.

Useless! The nine Quasi-Emperors in the Nan Yu underground palace grew impatient and dispatched several Great Saints to take their places, while they themselves charged out, their divine might shaking the heavens and making the void rumble.

The speed of Quasi-Emperors defied all norms; their great shifts were even more domineering than teleportation arrays.

However, fast as they were, they still fell short compared to the Zhutian Sword God—way short.

Back in the day, the Zhutian Sword God could use a mere wisp of his sword intent as a medium to dash from the Xuan Huang Continent to the Bei Dou Star Domain in an instant—that was the ultimate divine ability, truly earth-shattering.

That's why they call it the myth of the heavens. Among Quasi-Emperors, the differences were just that vast.

Another array platform was expended, and Ye Chen moved at top speed, sacrificing yet another. Just as he entered the teleportation channel, he heard an ethereal voice echo in his ear: "Nine Quasi-Emperors are closing in."

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, recognizing the voice—it was from the Kong Que Zu Da Ming Wang.

As he glanced at his left arm, he saw a rune there, likely left by Da Ming Wang. To his surprise, he hadn't even noticed when it was placed.

The rune quickly dissipated—it was a one-time use—but it had been a huge help to Ye Chen.

Thank you, senior! Ye Chen said sincerely, though he didn't expect Da Ming Wang to come to his rescue.

In the end, this was his own mess, having stirred up a wanted order from the myriad clans. The scale was too massive for one or two clans to overturn, and involving more could spark a war.

As the ancestor of his clan, Da Ming Wang had to think of his people; jumping into the fray rashly could lead to unpredictable consequences.

The approach of the nine Quasi-Emperors was both a great honor and immense pressure for Ye Chen.

He didn't dare delay, flying through the teleportation array for less than ten seconds and covering fifty thousand li more.

Unaware of when, night had fallen, and his array platforms were depleted. When he emerged, he was met with rolling clouds and mists, teeming with countless experts blanketing the sky, their killing intent piercing the heavens.

"No more array platforms, eh?" A thunderous shout rang out, led by a Great Saint from the Jin Wu Zu, flanked by five Great Saints from the Kun Peng Zu, with even more powerhouses behind them, including Saint Kings.

"Persistent ghosts." Ye Chen muttered a curse and bolted in another direction, not daring to face them head-on.

But after just a few thousand zhang, he saw more experts blocking his path ahead, their forces substantial.

Without thinking, Ye Chen performed a great shift, heading north—but to his frustration, there were experts there too, all with fierce expressions, having circled around via teleportation arrays.

As for the rear, it went without saying—it was packed with cultivators, led by a Great Saint from the Ba Qi Zu.

Desperate, Ye Chen gritted his teeth and charged northwest anyway, summoning a Great Saint-level Yin Ming Si Jiang, ready to have it block attacks or even self-destruct to harm the enemy.

The Jin Wu Zu Great Saint struck first, forming a massive seal with his hand, avoiding any primordial spirit attacks since orders were to capture Ye Chen alive—if a soul sword hit, it might kill him outright.

The Yin Ming Si Jiang lunged forward, clenching a fist to clash with the Jin Wu Zu Great Saint, but was sent reeling and its body cracked. Compared to a living Great Saint, its combat power was far inferior.

In that instant, Ye Chen executed Shifting Heavens and Earth, leaping over the Jin Wu Zu Great Saint. But as he tried to do it again, he realized the space had been sealed by several Kun Peng Zu Great Saints.

"Seal him!" The Great Saints charged together, each wielding sealing artifacts.

"Seal me?" Ye Chen's eyes went wild as the Yin Ming Si Jiang soared into the sky and self-destructed on the spot, shattering the spatial seal. Ye Chen then used Shifting Heavens and Earth to evade and escape once more.

"I'll see how many times you can blow them up." The Great Saints snorted coldly and resealed the space.

"Then keep blowing them up." Ye Chen summoned all his remaining Yin Ming Si Jiang at once.

One self-destructed, breaking the seal, and he used Shifting Heavens and Earth; when space was sealed again, another self-destructed. The two sides clashed fiercely, a scene of intense bloodshed.

Clearly, Ye Chen couldn't hold out forever. Once all the Great Saint-level Yin Ming Si Jiang were gone, the self-destructs of the Saint King-level, Quasi-Saint King-level, and Saint-level ones were far less effective.

"You can't escape." A Kun Peng Zu Great Saint sneered, striding through the void and thrusting a palm.

Ye Chen said nothing, suddenly swinging his sword. The Fen Ji Zhun Di Sword awakened its divine power, cleaving through the palm strike.

The Kun Peng Zu Great Saint was forced back, but Ye Chen himself took heavy damage, pierced through the body by a finger from the Ba Qi Zu Great Saint. Before he could steady himself, the Jin Wu Zu Great Saint arrived, delivering a devastating palm that nearly split him in two.

Ye Chen's blood and bones scattered as he fought on without hesitation, using his Great Saint body to withstand the assaults and break through.

"Old Seven, over here!" At the critical moment, a roar came from ahead—it was Xiao Yuan Huang and Kui Niu, who had joined forces to open a teleportation domain gate to aid Ye Chen.

"What fine brothers!" Ye Chen laughed, enduring a sword strike from the Jin Wu Zu Great Saint and a palm from the Kun Peng Zu Great Saint. He cleaved a bloody path with his sword, used Shrinking Earth into Inches twice, and darted toward the domain gate.

However, just as he was about to enter, a tremendously powerful palm strike came from afar, spanning over ten thousand zhang with overwhelming force and Quasi-Emperor pressure.

Ye Chen was hit directly, sent flying as his Great Saint body turned to blood mist on the spot.

The attacker was the Kun Peng Lao Zu, who had arrived first, his aura shaking the heavens. He had held back; that palm wasn't at full strength, or Ye Chen would have been obliterated soul and all.

"Damn it!" Xiao Yuan Huang and Kui Niu retracted the domain gate and fled inside, vanishing. They had been so close, but now they had no choice but to escape and find another way to rescue Ye Chen later.

Ye Chen's situation was dire; he hurtled through the air, smashing through over a dozen mountain peaks and flying hundreds of li before crashing into a pitch-black expanse of land.

The Kun Peng Lao Zu pursued, his eyes icy and murderous intent rampant. He intended to suppress Ye Chen with a palm but halted abruptly upon seeing the black land, his brow furrowing.

The Jin Wu Lao Zu, Ba Qi Lao Zu, and others arrived soon after, stopping like the Kun Peng Lao Zu, their expressions wary as they gazed at the black land. Even as Quasi-Emperors, they dared not advance.

Experts from the myriad clans swarmed from all directions, blanketing the sky and earth like a vast ocean, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. They filled the void and covered the vast ground, their presence making the heavens tremble.

Yet, even with their numbers, upon seeing the black land, they all stopped, some instinctively retreating, their faces etched with fear and paling.

The spectators arrived and paled at the sight. "Ming Tu? A forbidden zone?"