Chapter 1567: Capture

As the words fell, over a thousand figures rushed toward the transmission gate.

They were all experts from Tian Ting: the Five Kings of Da Chu, descendants of emperors, Chu Ling Yu, Long Yi, Long Wu, Xie Yun, and many others, forming an overwhelmingly large force.

This was absolute suppression of combat power, Tian Ting's signature strategy.

In addition to Tian Ting's experts, there were also Nan Di and Bei Sheng. Having been badly defeated not long ago, they had now found their enemies and were determined to settle the scores one by one.

At the summit of Yu Nu Peak, Ye Chen stood like a statue, quietly gazing into the distance, his murky eyes dull and lifeless. Though he did not go, he had contributed all his treasures, such as the Da Ding, Chi Xiao, and the Zhun Di Jian Fen Ji.

"How about it, not used to it?" Hong Chen Xue asked with a light smile.

"What?" Ye Chen was startled awake and responded with confusion.

"In the past, whenever there was a battle, you always led the charge personally, as the holy master of Tian Ting, always at the forefront. Now, you're almost like a cripple. Going would just be a burden. You're perfectly illustrating what it means for a hero to fade into twilight." Hong Chen Xue chuckled lightly, with a touch of sigh.

"I have to admit it!" Ye Chen shook his head and smiled wryly.

"Fortunately, Tian Ting has more than enough talent." Hong Chen Xue tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "If one Ye Chen falls, a million more will rise strongly, endlessly."

Ye Chen smiled but said no more, his expression one of contentment. Da Chu was full of talented people. After reincarnation, they were all in their prime, geniuses emerging like bamboo shoots after rain. Without Ye Chen, they could still uphold Tian Ting, and Da Chu's constellation of stars would shine just as brightly.

"Time to rest." Hong Chen Xue pressed Ye Chen into a chair made of clouds, holding a wooden comb in her hand as she combed his white hair.

"In my master's later years, I combed his hair like this," Hong Chen Xue murmured softly while combing.

"You're seeing the shadow of Hong Chen in me again." Ye Chen smiled slightly but did not resist.

Hong Chen Xue smiled faintly, combing over and over, her beautiful eyes somewhat misty, as if Ye Chen were Hong Chen.

Yu Nu Peak fell into silence, occasionally broken by a cough.

Meanwhile, the experts from Tian Ting had already left and were advancing along predetermined routes, splitting up to encircle that ancient city. The ancient city was located at the border between Zhongzhou and Ximo. It was called Xi Zhou Ancient City, not particularly large or famous, far from the bustling areas, and rarely visited.

As dawn broke, Xi Zhou Ancient City gradually came alive. Shouts and calls filled the air, including ordinary people and ascetic monks from Ximo who had come to preach.

In the city, a small estate was covered by a mysterious barrier. Inside that estate were Tai Qing Shen Zi and his companions.

"Over ten days have passed, and we haven't seen any major moves from Da Chu's Tian Ting," Tai Qing Shen Zi murmured.

"They've probably been scared into hiding," Yu Hua Shen Zi smirked. "Without even a Zhun Sheng Wang, what good is numbers? A strong dragon still can't suppress a local snake."

"When the great clans return, they'll pay for this."

"Speaking of which, the women of Tian Ting are all stunningly beautiful." Zhi Zun Shen Zi had a lecherous glint in his eyes.

"Especially Ye Chen's wives—I quite like them." Tai Qing Shen Zi bared his white teeth, looking ferocious and sinister.

"Who set up this barrier? It's pathetic." As the three spoke, two bald men walked into the small estate, ignoring the barrier as if it were nothing. These two were undoubtedly Long Yi and Long Wu. The Tai Xu Ancient Dragon clan's mastery of space surpassed any other race, making such barriers child's play.

"Who are you?" Tai Qing Shen Zi and the others stood up abruptly, narrowing their eyes and staring intently at the two bald men. The fact that they could ignore the barrier meant these intruders were no ordinary foes.

"The one on the left must be the idiot Shen Zi from Tai Qing Palace."

"The one on the right is probably from Yu Hua Shen Chao."

"The one in the middle—hmm, the Shen Zi from Zhi Zun Cheng."

Long Yi and Long Wu ignored the trio's shouts. The two of them casually held stacks of paper scrolls, examining them one by one as if nothing were amiss.

"Take them down!" Tai Qing Shen Zi roared in fury.

As he spoke, over a dozen figures charged from behind him, wielding magical tools and bearing down on Long Yi and Long Wu.

But at that moment, a massive cauldron crashed in from outside, shattering the magical tools. The cauldron was ancient and unadorned, surging with Hun Dun Qi, inscribed with the Escaping Armor Heavenly Characters, and echoing with the sounds of the Great Dao.

"Hun Dun Ding." Tai Qing Shen Zi and his group paled at the sight, recognizing Ye Chen's life-bound treasure.

"Run!" The three of them, along with their followers, turned and fled en masse. The appearance of the Hun Dun Ding meant they had guessed who was coming—it had to be people from Da Chu's Tian Ting.

"Run?" A cold voice echoed as over a thousand figures materialized, filling the skies in all directions. Each wore armor, with magical weapons hovering above their heads and peerless killing tools in their hands.

"You..." The three Shen Zi turned ghastly pale, huddling together, their faces instantly drained of color. For among these people, they saw Nan Di and Bei Sheng, and every other individual exuded an aura no weaker than theirs. A force of over a thousand—was this not massive?

"You three have made us search so hard!" Xie Yun stretched his neck comfortably, his eyes flashing with cold light.

"Senior, save us! Senior, save us!" Tai Qing Shen Zi and the others howled desperately. Clearly, they couldn't win against their opponents, so all they could do was beg for help. This fight was hopeless.

"Young ones, it's best to show mercy when you can." Surprisingly, their cries for help were answered by a ethereal voice from someone who had also arrived in the ancient city.

"Say another word, and I'll wipe out your entire clan," Xie Yun said coldly.

"If you won't heed good advice, don't blame this old man." The ethereal voice returned, now icy and authoritative. Before the words finished, a purple-robed elder descended from the sky. This man exuded tremendous pressure—he was a Sheng Wang level expert, already touching the threshold of Da Sheng. A Sheng Wang of this caliber was no ordinary one, and his daring to intervene gave him ample leverage.

Nan Di frowned, not expecting such a formidable presence hidden in this small Xi Zhou Ancient City.

"Kill them! Why don't you kill them?" Seeing the purple-haired elder arrive, Tai Qing Shen Zi and his group laughed menacingly, like mad dogs barking wildly without restraint.

"Waste your cultivation, and you can all leave alive." The purple-robed elder stopped, stroking his beard lightly, his expression cold and commanding as he surveyed the skies.

"Waste your cultivation, and we won't wipe out your entire clan." It was still Xie Yun, speaking casually.

"You're asking for death." The purple-robed elder erupted in rage, raising his hand to unleash a palm strike infused with secret techniques, aimed straight at Xie Yun.

Xie Yun said nothing, sending the Hun Dun Ding soaring upward. The experts of Tian Ting channeled their vital energy together to drive the cauldron. The cauldron was heavy and ancient, yet fiercely dominant, smashing through the palm strike in one go. Even the purple-robed elder was forced to stagger back, his palm exploding and his hand bones splattered with blood across the sky.

"Good, very good." The purple-robed elder roared in fury, his Sheng Wang pressure suddenly erupting and making the heavens rumble. But before he could move, over a thousand seals manifested in the air, one after another, all profound and intricate, even causing this Sheng Wang to stall. In that instant, Chu Ling Yu ascended to the high heavens, her Fen Ji trembling as she slashed out a sword that formed a galaxy.

The purple-robed elder was wounded. He had just broken through the seals when he took the full force of the sword, nearly being split in two. As soon as he steadied himself, magical weapons rained down from the sky—killing swords, bronze furnaces, divine mirrors, treasure seals—each a Da Sheng weapon, their Da Sheng might swirling wildly.

The purple-robed elder's face changed drastically, his eyes bulging. Even with a Sheng Wang's composure, the sight of so many Da Sheng weapons shocked him. He never imagined that a group of Sheng level juniors would each possess Da Sheng weapons—over a thousand of them!

The skies collapsed, unable to bear the pressure of so many Da Sheng weapons. On the spot, the purple-robed elder knelt with a thud, his divine body shattering as blood and bones flew everywhere.

"Forget it, forget it. This old man is done with this matter," the purple-robed elder howled, scrambling up to flee, his earlier Sheng Wang aura completely gone. He was terrified—of both the Zhun Di weapon and the over a thousand Da Sheng weapons, enough to destroy a Sheng Wang.

He wanted to escape, but Tian Ting's experts had no intention of letting him go. Another wave of a thousand Da Sheng weapons descended, shaking the heavens and earth. The purple-robed elder, who hadn't gotten far, knelt again. This time, he didn't get up—Chu Ling Yu's sword severed his Dao roots, and the Sheng Wang cultivator was instantly ruined.

Gulp!

Nan Di and the others all swallowed hard in secret. The talents of Tian Ting were each more ruthless than the last. That was a Sheng Wang, with one foot already in Da Sheng, yet he was crippled in less than three rounds. Facts proved that numbers were power. What could a Sheng Wang do? Without reaching Da Sheng, he was still beaten to a pulp.

Ah!

The purple-robed elder roared, his hair disheveled, screaming hysterically as his Sheng Wang cultivation turned to nothing in an instant.

As for Tai Qing Shen Zi and his group, their bodies trembled uncontrollably as they backed away until they reached the wall. Just moments ago, they had been laughing wildly without restraint. They had thought a Sheng Wang's intervention would keep them safe. But who could have imagined that in less than a minute, a Sheng Wang would be crippled? Without protection, they could envision their fate would be even worse than his.

"Only cripple, don't kill. Quick and decisive." Cold words echoed through the nine heavens as over a thousand people swarmed forward.

The encirclement was inevitable, and so was the outcome. In less than a minute, Tai Qing Shen Zi and his group were all crippled, each one in a pitiful state, bound with iron chains.

"Spare us, spare us! It was Feng Xian—she manipulated us," Nearly a hundred people knelt and wailed desperately.

The experts from Tian Ting ignored them, turning instead to Nan Di and the others. "We'll trouble you to take them back to Da Chu's Tian Ting."

"You're not going yourselves?" Nan Di asked tentatively.

"The people of Tian Ting keep their word." Xie Yun was the first to turn and leave, dragging the purple-robed elder with one hand. The reincarnated ones followed, each wearing a Gui Ming mask, like a horde of asuras with overwhelming killing intent.

"Even after crippling them, you're really going to wipe out their clans?" Seeing this scene, Nan Di, Bei Sheng, and the others felt a chill in their hearts.

"Each one is a madman," Long Jie grimaced.

"Ye Chen's tragedy has frozen their hearts." Xiao Jiu Xian, for once, lost her playfulness.

"Let's go." Bei Sheng waved his hand, storing the crippled Tai Qing Shen Zi and his group into a massive magical tool. The group took one last look before turning and vanishing.