Chapter 1571: Failing to Achieve Victory

Facing the provocative gaze, Ye Chen remained silent.

Beneath his feet, however, the earth rumbled and cracked open.

Then, a massive stone stele over a thousand zhang tall emerged from the ground, piercing straight into the sky. It was formed by Yan Fei's power.

He stood quietly atop it.

On the stele, numerous bloodied figures were impaled by war spears, all with disheveled hair.

These were undoubtedly Jin Wu, Kun Peng, and their companions, captured without exception.

The scene was gruesome; the blood flowing from Jin Wu and Kun Peng's bodies stained the stele red, a sight of utter carnage.

"At least there are over a thousand people here, each a prodigious talent, yet they're nailed to this stele like this." Cultivators from all sides sighed in dismay, their hearts pounding with shock.

"Retribution, instant karma." No one pitied them; their unrestrained killings had finally caught up with them.

"Feng Xian, it's all because of Feng Xian; she manipulated us." The many princes and divine sons nailed to the stele screamed madly, their eyes filled with terror.

"What a bunch of useless fools." Feng Xian glanced over, her compassionate expression now tinged with a faint, sinister smile.

"Feng Xian, you've doomed us all." The roars echoed through the heavens as Jin Wu, Kun Peng, and the others rapidly lost their life force.

In their final moments, they were consumed by regret—regret for provoking Ye Chen and resentment toward Feng Xian for dragging them into this bloody disaster.

But in this world, there was no medicine for regret; the sins they committed had to be repaid with their lives.

The screams eventually faded, and nearly a thousand princes and divine sons lay dead, their bodies mangled and covered in blood and bones.

They were truly comrades in misfortune; years ago, they had collectively harmed Ye Chen, and now, they met their end together on the road to the underworld.

"Feng Xian, you're the only one left." Ye Chen spoke calmly, gazing quietly toward the peak of Ling Shan, his eyes fixed on her.

"I have entered the Buddhist path and devoted myself to cultivating the Buddha Dharma, no longer concerning myself with worldly affairs. Benefactor, please leave." Feng Xian performed a Buddhist salute, her eyes full of feigned compassion, adding another layer to her impeccable act.

Her words amused the cultivators from all sides.

You speak so convincingly; we almost believed it. Entering the Buddhist path? Aren't you ashamed to say that?

What a grand spectacle this is today, and how many of Ye Chen's kin have you harmed? Do you think a simple claim of entering the Buddhist path will settle it?

"The princess of the Feng Huang clan, you've truly broadened our horizons today." Kui Niu laughed in anger, his temper flaring like a raging bull.

"I've decided; once we catch her, we'll beat her to death on the spot." Da Di Wu Xiong snarled viciously, his body radiating wild fury.

"Count me in." Xiao Yuan Huang's eyes blazed with golden flames, his killing intent toward Feng Xian impossible to contain.

"These two beasts—stay away from them." The Wu Clan divine son quickly stepped aside.

In contrast, the Heavenly Court cultivators were much quieter, all waiting for Ye Chen's command. With just one word from him, the forty million cultivators would launch a full assault.

The tension reached its peak, the killing intent from the Heavenly Court turning the air as cold as ice.

However, at that moment, a sigh suddenly echoed.

Under the watchful eyes of all, a Buddha manifested in front of Ling Shan, his entire body radiating brilliant Buddha light, every strand dazzling as if the Buddha ancestor had returned to the mortal world.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Shijia.

His appearance left the cultivators from all sides stunned.

A hundred years ago, Shijia had been forced into the mortal world by Ye Chen to face his tribulations.

Unexpectedly, after a century, Shijia had returned to his position.

Unfortunately, the current Shijia no longer possessed the cultivation of a Zhun Di; he was merely at the level of a Zhun Sheng.

"Venerable one, I hope you have been well." Ye Chen said indifferently, his expression as calm as still water, as if he had anticipated this scene.

"Even after a hundred years, the benefactor still cannot let go of his hatred." Shijia spoke, his Buddha voice resonating through the four directions.

"The elder is the same; even after a hundred years, you still protect her. We both cling to our obsessions, two of a kind."

"My Buddha is compassionate; saving a life is worth more than building a seven-level pagoda."

"You faced tribulation because of me, and I was suppressed because of the Buddha. After a hundred years of worldly cultivation, is this the insight the elder has gained? Your so-called compassion, by interfering in others' karma, only creates karma for the Buddha." Ye Chen gazed quietly at Shijia, his eyes serene, his words even more so. "Whether obsession or karma, it is what it is."

"This humble monk will not allow you to disturb the pure land of the Buddha again." Shijia said.

"The venerable one's mind is still clouded with distractions; how can you speak of purity?" Ye Chen drew his resounding killing sword, pointing it directly at Ling Shan.

This was the order to attack; no more words were needed.

As his sword fell, over ten thousand attack formations in the Heavenly Court activated simultaneously, their devastating divine power swirling as they unleashed beams of light.

The Heavenly Court cultivators also moved in unison, deploying divine abilities, secret arts, or magical tools and arrays, all bearing down on Ling Shan from the skies.

Shijia sighed again, his Buddha form turning illusory as he returned to Ling Shan, sitting cross-legged in the void above it and chanting the Great Compassion Mantra.

The onslaught rained down, striking the ten-thousand-zhang golden Buddha guarding Ling Shan, yet it did not budge in the slightest.

The onlookers from all sides were astonished; the combined force of forty million cultivators could not shake the golden Buddha. How incredibly powerful was Ling Shan's barrier?

"Dammit." Xie Yun cursed loudly, raising his hands to the sky.

The forty million Heavenly Court cultivators did the same, spreading their arms with fingers pointed upward, channeling their origin essence with a single thought.

The spectators immediately realized what the Heavenly Court was attempting—they were summoning the Jimi Sun once more to break the barrier.

In the past, they had used this method to shatter the seal of the Five Finger Mountain; now, they intended to do the same to Ling Shan.

Soon, the heavens darkened again, and high in the ethereal nine heavens, a radiant sun condensed, dazzling and brilliant.

"Fire!" With another command from Xie Yun, the sun plummeted from the sky, its overbearing destructive force crushing the void along the way. The world fell silent, and the cosmos inverted.

However, the anticipated scene of the golden Buddha being shattered did not occur; the Buddhist guardian barrier remained intact.

Or rather, an supreme existence had blocked the sun.

That supreme existence was the Buddhist emperor weapon, Jiang Mo Chu, its pressure intertwining with nian force, exuding a powerful emperor aura.

"Emperor weapon Jiang Mo Chu." The cultivators from all sides exclaimed in shock.

Amid the cries of alarm, Jiang Mo Chu hummed and nearly fully awakened, annihilating the sun and making it vanish completely.

The Heavenly Court cultivators collectively spat blood, suffering from terrifying backlash.

Their attack was strong enough to rival a strike from an emperor weapon.

But before a true emperor weapon, that sun was like a mere decoration, unable to breach its defense.

"Again." Xie Yun roared hoarsely, ready to sacrifice his lifespan with blood essence.

"The forty million cultivators of Great Chu refuse to believe we can't break it." The Heavenly Court cultivators howled in fury, their eyes bloodshot and filled with madness.

"Stop." Ye Chen intervened, halting the strike.

"Why stop? The Great Chu Heavenly Court fears no battle."

"Withdraw." Ye Chen's words were firm; he turned and stepped onto a cloud of immortal fire, retreating from the area.

That was an ultimate emperor weapon; even with forty million cultivators, they could never break through. It was an inherent limitation.

Moreover, an emperor's weapon could unleash world-ending destruction; if it truly enraged Ling Shan, a single strike could wipe out ten million of them, leading to total annihilation.

They were not in the Heavenly Court immortal mountain, so they lacked a defensive barrier. If the emperor weapon struck, no one could withstand it.

As the lord of the Heavenly Court, Ye Chen understood this danger all too well.

His only miscalculation was that the emperor weapon Jiang Mo Chu, which had flown away a hundred years ago, had returned.

If he had known, he would never have ordered the assault on Ling Shan—it would be tantamount to sending the Heavenly Court to its death.

"Quickly, retreat." Seeing the Heavenly Court army hesitate, Ye Chen shouted sternly, perhaps exerting too much force, as a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed from his lips.

At the sight, the Heavenly Court cultivators frowned and hastily withdrew.

"Kill them! Kill them!" On the peak of Ling Shan, Feng Xian gritted her teeth, though she dared not say it outright, fearing it would ruin her compassionate demeanor.

She had known all along that the ultimate emperor weapon had returned, which was why she had hidden here. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; if the emperor weapon struck, the Great Chu Heavenly Court would be doomed.

Yet, her silent plea did not move Jiang Mo Chu, leaving her so anxious she nearly activated the emperor weapon herself.

The Buddhists still upheld compassion; though they spared the Heavenly Court, they had interfered in others' karma by wielding the ultimate emperor weapon.

The Heavenly Court retreated swiftly through the skies.

Ye Chen's condition was poor; his face was pale and bloodless, with streaks of fresh blood trickling from his mouth.

In that final moment, he glanced back at Ling Shan, his gaze landing on Feng Xian.

He had failed again, but this was not the end.

The Heavenly Court might not overcome the emperor weapon, but Great Chu could. When Great Chu returned, they would settle the score.