Chapter 1644: Breaking Ten Thousand

As the two spoke, the dragon's roar from Nie Hai had already subsided. Ye Chen had slain one dragon, and Zhao Yun had blasted another to pieces. Both of their merit books showed an extra hundred merits, along with a line of text slowly etching itself: Nie Hai, one evil dragon killed.

"This merit gaining is pretty good!" Zhao Yun laughed, waving his hand and transferring the merits from his book to Ye Chen.

"Thanks." Ye Chen chuckled, then hurried back to the Nie Hai beach, scattering a handful of Zhao Long San to lure out another evil dragon.

Zhao Yun stretched his neck and raised his hand to summon his own Zhao Long San. The powder stirred Nie Hai into turmoil, and a massive evil dragon roared out, twice as large as the one they had killed before.

"This one looks impressive." Zhao Yun stepped into the void, leading the evil dragon away from Nie Hai to a vast, open area for battle.

Ye Chen glanced over. Though the evil dragon looked fierce, Zhao Yun's strength was more than enough to handle it. Turning his attention back, Ye Chen focused on his own opponent. This evil dragon was aggressive, relentlessly spitting lightning bolts since emerging.

But who was Ye Chen? With his dominant Saint Body, he withstood the lightning strikes head-on, pummeling the evil dragon until it couldn't lift its head.

Nie Hai was in chaos, with sand and dust rolling across the beach, mingling with thunderclaps. One evil dragon after another was lured out, and one after another was cut down. With Zhao Yun's help, their efficiency doubled, and Ye Chen's merits soared rapidly, pushing him toward the Shen Jiang divine position.

In Yan Luo Dian, the judge grew restless again, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Ye Chen's merit count. The rapid increase was alarming. In all his years as a judge, he'd never seen merits accumulate like this—so quickly, racking up seven or eight thousand.

Glancing at the merit book, the judge then looked down below. Niu Tou and Ma Mian stood nearby. If he mentioned this to them, they'd likely be shocked speechless. The judge stroked his chin, his eyes darting around plotting, clearly up to no good.

From Nie Hai, two more evil dragons turned to ash, never once raising their heads. From the moment they emerged, they were utterly suppressed.

"How many more?" Zhao Yun pulled out his wine flask and looked at Ye Chen.

"Five hundred short." Ye Chen hugged his own flask, gulping it down. His mood was great—with help, things were moving fast.

"How about we take a break?" Zhao Yun said with a smile, looking at Ye Chen.

"Take a break? No way. Hurry up, and once we're done, I'll treat you to drinks." Ye Chen tossed aside his flask and stepped onto the Nie Hai beach. But before he could scatter the Zhao Long San, a colossal beast lunged out from Nie Hai, its roar shaking the heavens and earth.

"Whoa." Ye Chen didn't hesitate and turned to run.

"Wow." Zhao Yun tilted his head back, clicking his tongue as he stared at the evil dragon. The creature was enormous, like a mountain or a massive peak, larger than any they'd slain before. Its scales were pitch black, gleaming with a eerie light, and its thick whiskers were wrapped in lightning. Its dragon eyes were as big as wine jars, filled with savage bloodlust. Strands of dragon energy cascaded down, shattering the void, while its roar carried a hypnotic power, disrupting the mind.

Ye Chen retreated to Zhao Yun's side, his expression a mix of surprise and caution.

"Saint level," Zhao Yun murmured. "It's on the brink of Saint King level—far stronger than any Quasi-Saint level evil dragon."

"Probably because we've killed so many," Ye Chen sighed. "That's drawn out this big one. It's here for revenge."

"Take it down, and your merits will definitely hit the mark."

"A Saint level evil dragon should give at least five hundred."

"Same as always—we'll cover each other." Zhao Yun summoned a killing sword, its blade humming with destructive energy.

"Got to be in sync." Ye Chen drew his black broken sword.

Then, he leaped into the void, swinging his sword to unleash a celestial river that crashed down from the sky. The evil dragon was hit, its massive body carved open with a bloody gash, exposing dark bones and splattering fresh blood.

The evil dragon roared, spitting thunder to obliterate Ye Chen. Zhao Yun charged in, leaping over the dragon's body and delivering a dominating sword strike that severed one of its claws, before swiftly retreating.

The evil dragon was enraged, its towering form thrashing wildly in the void, collapsing space and forcing Ye Chen to fall back. A Saint level evil dragon was vastly superior to a Quasi-Saint level one—not even in the same league, and far harder to kill than expected.

"Again." Ye Chen led the attack, his sword strike infused with secret techniques that merged various divine abilities in an instant. Zhao Yun wasn't idle either, forming seals with one hand to cast a binding spell. Their coordination was perfect, everything happening in unison.

The evil dragon was momentarily immobilized, and Ye Chen's palm strike landed, shattering its skull and sending dragon bones and blood flying. The evil dragon howled, coiling its body and spewing lightning.

Ye Chen took a direct hit, flung back by the dragon's tail. But mid-flight, he formed seals for the Tai Xu Long Jin, an supreme secret art of the Tai Xu ancient dragon clan. The evil dragon stalled again, allowing Zhao Yun to thrust forward and destroy one of its eyes, blood gushing out in a thick stream.

Zhao Yun wasn't thrown off but was swallowed whole by the evil dragon. Hey, Ye Chen wasn't having that. He stepped into the Tai Xu void and combined his Nine Paths Eight Desolations Fist, blasting half the dragon's head apart with one punch.

Golden blood energy surged from Ye Chen, vast and overwhelming, as he unleashed attacks relentlessly, targeting only the dragon's head. He wasn't worried about Zhao Yun—in fact, he felt a bit sorry for the dragon. Swallowing someone like that was asking for trouble if you couldn't digest them.

Sure enough, Zhao Yun was wreaking havoc inside the dragon's belly, wielding his killing sword and slashing wildly in every direction. Ye Chen hammered away from outside, and together they tore into it.

The evil dragon suffered terribly. Despite its size, its body exploded with wounds, blood gushing from countless holes. What good was being Saint level? Against these two mad fighters, even in the imperial realm, they had the edge to overpower it.

The battle was one-sided—the evil dragon fell, its massive body bursting apart. Ye Chen and Zhao Yun wisely retreated, keeping their distance from Nie Hai to avoid provoking something even worse. A Saint level was manageable, but a Saint King level would be too much.

Once they were far enough, they finally stopped.

"You're pretty fierce!" Ye Chen said cheerfully, looking at Zhao Yun.

"We're about the same." Zhao Yun ripped off his soiled robe.

"Come on, check the merits." Ye Chen pulled out his merit book. Zhao Yun leaned in, curious to see how many merits a Saint level evil dragon would yield—it had to be a lot.

The merit book didn't disappoint, granting nearly seven hundred merits and pushing Ye Chen's total straight to ten thousand.

"Not bad at all." Ye Chen grinned shamelessly.

"Hey, you owe me one." Zhao Yun patted Ye Chen on the shoulder.

"I'll remember that." Ye Chen laughed and set off toward Yan Luo Dian. Behind him, his laughter echoed:

"Wait for me in Gui Cheng—I'll buy you a proper drink."

Zhao Yun shrugged it off, took a swig of wine, and turned to leave.

The vast Zhutian Wandu was boundless and full of endless possibilities. At Yu Nu Feng, all was silent, with starlight and moonlight casting a radiant veil over this earthly paradise.

Ye Chen's grave was covered in fallen leaves, the inscription on the tombstone stark under the moon, evoking a deep ache.

"He always loved wandering in life—now he can finally rest," Shangguan Yu'er murmured softly, brushing away the leaves. Her eyes brimmed with mist, turning to frost in the moonlight as it traced her sorrowful, haggard cheeks.

"You never even married me," Xi Yan sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

It wasn't just them—other women were there too. In front of the grave stood a row of bamboo huts, their homes where they would watch over him until the end of time.

"Damn, even after all this time, I still miss him a bit," Xie Yun sighed from the opposite peak, holding his wine flask.

"He just up and left," Xiong Er slurred, drunk and hazy-eyed.

"The spirit of Da Chu is on us to carry forward now," Situ Nan said meaningfully. "It's a heavy responsibility."

"You've really stepped up your game," Xie Yun began, but he suddenly stood up, gazing into the distant void.

"What's with the sudden fuss?" Xiong Er grumbled.

"There's an incredibly oppressive aura," Situ Nan said, also looking up, his brows furrowed and eyes narrowed.

No sooner had he spoken than a thunderous boom echoed across the vast cosmos, shaking even Da Chu. The stars trembled, lightning tore through the sky, and a primal energy surged from the edge of the universe, spreading across Zhutian Wandu.

This was true primal energy, like a vast ocean with towering waves, surging and sweeping through star after star. Faint roars could be heard, like ancient thunder, shattering stars and stirring the soul.

"What's happening? Why such a massive disturbance?"

"Could it be another Tian Mo invasion? Another great war?"

"This aura doesn't feel right—it seems like some terrifying being is awakening."

Across the heavens, everyone looked up in astonishment, their faces a mix of shock. Some turned pale, their bodies trembling involuntarily. It was a pressure from their bloodlines, making even breathing difficult, no matter what lineage they carried.

"It's finally here," Donghuang Tai Xin murmured from the void above Tian Xuan Men, her expression full of worry.

"At least a dozen ancient primal clans have unsealed," Tian Lao said, taking a deep breath. "This is no small matter."

"Out of the 130 emperors in Xuan Huang, sixty percent achieved emperor status in the primal era. The first beings of the world—immensely powerful."

"We can negotiate with them, but don't let them cause chaos."

"They didn't lift a finger during the Tian Mo invasion."

"Fear we won't even get the chance to talk—the primal giants see themselves as kings."

That statement left Zhutian Jian Shen, Donghuang Tai Xin, and Da Chu's Nine Emperors all silent, their eyes clouded with concern. As peak Quasi-Emperors, they knew far more than the masses and understood the terror of the primal clans all too well.

The first creatures of the world, nearly touching chaos itself. Every bloodline in Zhutian Wandu today, including the Huang Gu Sheng Ti, had evolved from theirs. These were the ancient ancestors, sealed for eons and now awakening in this age.

If Zhutian Wandu's power was ten parts, the primal clans held six—absolute dominance over all forces. Their return might usher in a golden age, or it could spark a catastrophic calamity.