Chapter 1544: One by One

Chapter 1544: One by One

As the words fell, Ye Chen pulled out a black robe, covering his entire body, and summoned the Gui Ming mask to conceal his face.

In silence, he stepped out of Tian Xu and entered the new realm.

“Tian Tian! Someone is actually coming out of the forbidden zone.” Ye Chen had just landed when he heard cries of astonishment.

Outside Tian Xu, groups of three or five cultivators gathered, most of them there to catch a glimpse of the forbidden zone’s true appearance.

Just as with the Forgotten River in the past, outsiders always wanted to sneak a peek at the notorious forbidden zones, so they came in groups.

What a coincidence—it was exactly when they were looking that Ye Chen emerged, startling the surrounding cultivators into retreating one after another.

“This is too shocking—someone is actually alive and coming out of the forbidden zone.” Voices of amazement rose up everywhere, one after another.

“Is this a supreme being from the forbidden zone? They’ve actually come out.”

“Wearing a black robe and a mask, we can’t see their face.” Many cultivators had already fled.

It was all because Ye Chen had walked out of the forbidden zone himself, carrying an aura of mystery that made people afraid to linger.

And then there was his oppressive presence, strong enough to make hearts tremble with fear.

Ye Chen completely ignored the discussions around him, stepping directly into the void and heading in one direction, his speed as fast as a fleeting shadow.

However, the news of someone emerging from the forbidden zone spread like wings, quickly flying to all corners of Zhongzhou.

“The forbidden zone has people coming out? Is this real or fake?” Zhongzhou was shaken, and everyone who heard it felt a tremor in their hearts.

That was Tian Xu, a place with a notorious reputation, a forbidden zone where entry meant no exit and death was almost certain—a nightmare for cultivators.

“Back in the day, the Seven Sons of Donghua attacked and were nearly wiped out; that legend still makes people gasp in horror.”

“Through endless ages, we’ve never seen anyone voluntarily leave the forbidden zone. Could this be a terrifying omen?”

The quiet night turned restless, shrouded in a layer of gloom darker than the night itself, keeping people awake.

At the foot of Zhu Tian Shan, Ye Chen stood still, like a stone-carved statue, unmoved by the raging winds.

Though nine days had passed, this land was still shrouded in bloody mist, and the howling winds carried mournful wails.

The scenes of hundreds of reincarnated people dying tragically flashed vividly before his eyes, each blooming blood flower like a sharp knife carving into his heart and etching into his bones.

Tears welled in Ye Chen’s eyes, blurring his sharp vision.

In the haze, he seemed to see the Zhen Yue Zhen Ren and the others, waving and smiling at him before they set off on their journey.

They had gone, to the Yellow Springs, not to their homeland.

“May you rest in peace.” Ye Chen took out a wine flask and poured it onto the ground, his voice hoarse and aged.

He left as well, slowly vanishing into the night.

Not long after, he appeared in Kunlun Gucheng.

Kunlun Gucheng at night was even more prosperous than during the day.

Discussions were everywhere, mostly coming from teahouses and taverns—wherever people gathered, gossip followed.

They were talking about recent events: the bloody catastrophe at Zhu Tian Shan, the destruction of the Huang Gu Sheng Ti.

Ye Chen walked lightly by, and when passing the tavern where the Kunlun Banquet had once been held, he couldn’t help but glance sideways—many of the proud talents from back then had been eliminated by him.

Retracting his gaze, he turned and entered a street, finding a small miscellaneous goods shop in a corner.

This was an intelligence pavilion, specializing in buying and selling information.

The shop owner was a handsome young man with Quasi-Saint level cultivation, sitting there reading an ancient book.

Seeing Ye Chen approach, he immediately put down the book and smiled warmly. “Fellow Daoist, what can I get for you?”

“Nine days ago, do you know what happened at the foot of Zhu Tian Shan?” Ye Chen said flatly, his voice old and hoarse.

“Of course I do.” The young man couldn’t help but smile.

“The identities, affiliated forces, and families of those who ambushed the Sheng Ti—I want all that information.” Ye Chen’s tone carried an air of authority.

Hearing this, the young man raised an eyebrow and subconsciously sized up Ye Chen, thinking to himself, “What does this person intend to do?”

“I’m very busy—hurry up.” Ye Chen snorted coldly.

“Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment.” The young man smiled awkwardly and hurriedly went inside to fetch the information.

His efficiency was high; in less than two or three minutes, he came out carrying a storage bag.

“Fifteen million Yuan Shi—this shop doesn’t bargain.”

Ye Chen said nothing, flicked his hand to send out a storage bag, then reached out and took the information from the young man’s hand.

He left quickly, arriving and departing in a rush.

Behind him, the handsome young man subconsciously wiped away some cold sweat. “This person’s oppressive presence is incredibly domineering.”

Ye Chen had already opened the storage bag, which contained jade slips, each sealed with information.

He crushed them directly, imprinting the intelligence into his divine sea.

The intelligence from the pavilion was always accurate and detailed.

That day, nearly ten thousand cultivators had ambushed him.

The information listed details about each one, including their identities, cultivation levels, and affiliated forces.

Naturally, it also included those he had already slain, such as the Mo Zu Shen Zi and Shen Zu Shen Zi.

It was fortunate that the Mo Zu and Shen Zu had sealed themselves back in their ancient lands; if they knew their crown princes had been destroyed, it would surely lead to another massive manhunt by all races, with a grand spectacle.

“Don’t rush—one by one.” Ye Chen’s words were ice-cold, and in his divine sea, images of many figures flashed: Feng Xian Er, Xian Zu Shen Zi, Ji Mie Shen Ti, Zang Tian Shen Zi, Tian Can, and that Zhi Yang Dao Ren.

As he spoke, he silently turned and entered a Qing Lou. In this Qing Lou, there was someone from that day’s ambush.

“Oh! Why are you so late, sir!” As soon as he entered, the madam of the Qing Lou swayed over with a silk scarf, her face full of flattery and obsequiousness.

Ye Chen didn’t respond, stepping straight up to the third floor and accurately finding an elegant room, then kicking the door open.

Inside, a man and a woman were in the midst of passion, both naked, the male cultivator with a look full of wickedness.

“You bastard, who let you in?” the male cultivator roared in anger, his good time interrupted, and he instantly summoned his killing sword.

Ye Chen flashed forward and pointed, destroying the man’s Dantian.

A scream rang out immediately, startling the woman into hurriedly covering herself with a silk sheet, her eyes full of terror as she looked at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen ignored her—or rather, he hadn’t said a word from the beginning. He grabbed the male cultivator and turned to leave the room.

He didn’t kill the male cultivator because he wanted him to kneel and die at the foot of Zhu Tian Shan, using his blood to pay tribute to the reincarnated people.

Outside the door, a purple-robed elder blocked Ye Chen’s path, the guardian of the Qing Lou, with Saint King level cultivation.

“Fellow Daoist, causing trouble here—give me an explanation.” The purple-robed elder snorted coldly, his old eyes flashing with a cold light.

Ye Chen didn’t slow his pace, his eyes showing no emotion.

“Arrogant!” The purple-robed elder shouted furiously and struck with a palm.

Ye Chen didn’t even glance sideways, casually throwing out a palm of his own.

On the spot, the Saint King level purple-robed elder was sent flying, his body exploding mid-air and crashing into the opposite tavern, causing it to collapse with a thunderous boom—the scene was bloody.

Gulp!

Everyone in the Qing Lou, whether drinking, frolicking, or flirting, swallowed hard.

A Saint King—that was a Saint King! And he was casually swatted away like that. Was the attacker at Quasi-Emperor level?

Under the watchful and fearful eyes of the crowd, Ye Chen walked out of the Qing Lou, still holding the bloodied male cultivator.

“Fellow Daoist, private fights are prohibited in Kunlun City.” Just as he stepped out, an aged and ethereal voice rang out.

“Scram.” Ye Chen said lightly, channeling the power of his Sheng Gu, his voice soft but like ancient thunder, targeted at that person, carrying supreme oppression and authority.

This time, the voice fell silent, the aged tone wilting away.

It wasn’t until Ye Chen had left Kunlun Gucheng that an old man with white hair in the city’s palace wiped away cold sweat. “What a ghost—this Quasi-Emperor level figure came out of nowhere.”

Once out of Kunlun City, Ye Chen stepped into the sky and headed in one direction.

Not long after, he stopped in front of an immortal mountain.

This was the family of one of the people who had ambushed him that day—in the Xuan Huang Continent, it wasn’t even considered a third-rate force.

The immortal mountain had a barrier, but he bypassed it directly, hovering in the void.

“Who is it?” A loud shout rang out immediately, and two figures soared into the sky: a black-robed elder and a white-robed elder, both at Saint level cultivation, one of whom had already touched the bottleneck.

“Bring him out.” Ye Chen spoke flatly, holding a scroll in his hand depicting a purple-haired youth with a fair face and a playful smile at the corner of his mouth.

“How dare you!” The black-robed elder scolded coldly and lunged forward, forming a great seal with his hands and striking down with a palm toward Ye Chen.

Ye Chen’s expression was calm, showing no joy or worry, only slightly raising his hand—he didn’t even look at the black-robed elder.

Instantly, the black-robed elder turned into a spray of blood, his body and divine soul both obliterated.

“This…” The white-robed elder’s face changed, and he staggered back a step, his eyes bulging with fear.

Not just him—the entire immortal mountain was terrified.

To destroy a Saint with a casual wave—what kind of power was that? What was his cultivation level? They couldn’t guess and didn’t dare to.

“Senior, forgive us—did our Wang family offend you somewhere?” The white-robed elder knelt down, his old body trembling uncontrollably.

“Bring him out.” Ye Chen repeated the same words.

“Yes, yes, yes.” The white-robed elder hurriedly got up and went to a mountain peak, bringing back the purple-haired youth.

Ye Chen raised his hand, and a finger of divine light destroyed the youth’s cultivation.

A miserable scream echoed as the purple-haired youth became a complete cripple.

The white-robed elder and everyone in the Wang family trembled, their faces deathly pale, not a single one daring to step forward.

This was the world of the strong, watching their own people being destroyed right before their eyes, yet not even daring to breathe.

Ye Chen left again, vanishing like a ghost in an instant.

After he departed, the immortal mountain fell into a deathly silence, with people collapsing one after another, their cold sweat soaking their clothes.

“Old… Old Ancestor.” Everyone looked at the white-robed elder.

“It must be that wretched grandson who provoked that person.” The white-robed elder roared, his voice like thunder. “He deserved to die.”

In an ancient city, Ye Chen descended and entered a mansion.

“Who dares to trespass?” Shouts erupted as three Quasi-Saint Kings jumped out, surrounding Ye Chen in the center.

This time, Ye Chen didn’t bother asking for anyone; he headed straight to a separate courtyard in the mansion— the person he wanted was there.

“Seeking death!” One Quasi-Saint King roared in fury and stepped forward to block him, a bronze furnace hovering above his head, his aura overpowering.

Ye Chen waved his hand and slapped the Quasi-Saint King away.

With a puff and a crack, the Quasi-Saint King met a gruesome end, his body turning to blood mist and his divine soul dissipating, the bronze furnace above his head exploding as well.

“This…” The remaining two Quasi-Saint Kings were so frightened they shuddered, standing frozen in the void, not daring to move.

Not just them—the entire mansion’s people didn’t dare move, their eyes full of fear, not daring to look directly at Ye Chen.

Ah!

From deep in the mansion, a scream rang out from the courtyard—it was a red-haired youth, beaten into a cripple.

Ye Chen grabbed him with one hand and walked out, acting as if no one else was there.

The entire mansion fell silent, with some people too afraid and kneeling on the ground, fearing they might suffer the same bloody fate.