Chapter 1721: You Feel Sorry for Me?

The silent night, disturbed by Chu Ling's Tian Jie, became anything but peaceful. Although that stretch of heaven and earth was rarely visited by people, it still drew attention from all directions, all because the divine punishment of the Tian Jie was extraordinarily grand in scale.

After the black-robed Zhun Di appeared, shadows of figures emerged from every side. Among them were many Da Sheng and Zhun Di, followed by groups of cultivators in threes and fives, all rushing over to witness the Tian Jie. Their numbers were considerable.

"This Tian Jie is making quite the commotion—it's genuinely frightening." An old man stroked his beard, his aged eyes filled with wariness.

"What kind of background does that woman have? Her talent is downright monstrous!"

"She must be a princess from some clan; her bloodline is exceptionally extraordinary."

"The Ling Realm is truly teeming with talents! Advancing to Quasi-Saint King and actually drawing divine punishment like this." The group of old fellows broke into a sweat, feeling rather embarrassed.

Discussions erupted one after another. While they were shocked by the Tian Jie, they were also speculating about Chu Ling's identity—her background was undoubtedly no simple matter.

Seeing this scene, Ye Chen drew his Di Jian. If anyone dared to cause trouble, he would not hesitate to unleash a lethal strike.

It's fine to watch the spectacle, but if you try to stir up chaos, you'll be sent straight to the Yellow Springs.

Indeed, among the onlookers from all sides, there were those with ulterior motives. Since Chu Ling could summon such a divine punishment, she was surely a prodigy of her generation. If someone like her were allowed to grow, she would become a major threat.

Their plan was to nip her in the bud.

Under the watchful eyes of the masses, the Tian Jie intensified. Lightning gathered into a sea, engulfing Chu Ling, its annihilating power enough to make anyone pale.

Chu Ling's expression was icy cold as a divine pattern manifested on her forehead. Her aura surged dramatically, surrounded by holy divine radiance, even her strands of hair dyed with brilliant godly light.

With her full combat power unleashed, she cleaved through the sea of lightning with a single palm, soaring straight into the heavens.

Her heaven-defying attacks left even her stained with blood. Yet, bathing in the thunder, she was undergoing a transformation, a nirvana under the Tian Jie. Visions of the Dao appeared, astonishing all who beheld them.

Looking up, within the sea of lightning, a magnificent lotus flower bloomed, fused with Chu Ling's Dao and as holy as she was.

The divine punishment of the Tian Jie gradually dissipated, revealing the shattered heavens and earth. At the sight, those with ill intentions moved to strike, but they were held back.

Any discerning person could see that the Tian Jie was not over; the true divine punishment was just beginning. To step in recklessly would be suicide.

Chu Ling knew the heavenly punishment was not finished and remained standing in the void.

Sure enough, lightning reappeared, intertwining and merging to form a thunder Phoenix. It spread its wings and let out a piercing cry, soaring through the nine heavens.

"Damn, this is getting intense!" Ye Chen muttered to himself, watching even more closely. Besides the thunder Phoenix, there were others.

No sooner had he spoken than a thunder Shen Long materialized, followed by a thunder Xuanwu and a thunder Bai Hu.

The Shen Long, Phoenix, Bai Hu, and Xuanwu guarded the four directions, their massive forms like mountains. Just looking at them made one's heart tremble.

"This is the Four Divine Beasts heavenly punishment."

"How high must her talent be to earn such hatred from the heavens? A prodigy, absolutely a prodigy. The Ling Realm is indeed full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers."

"This is bad; one misstep, and she'll be crushed by the thunder tribulation."

Sighs and exclamations of amazement spread like ocean waves, one overlapping the next, as figures retreated, fearing the aftermath of the Tian Jie.

"Don't be afraid of it." Ye Chen sent a voice transmission, his eyes still laced with worry.

He had experienced the Four Divine Beasts heavenly punishment before, even in the Zhutian, where he had dragged people from the three sects into it to save himself.

His ordeal was even worse than Chu Ling's, as it included an extra Sheng Shou Qilin. Five thunderous beasts had nearly wiped him out.

Only after truly facing it did he understand how terrifying this Tian Jie was. If she weren't careful, Chu Ling could truly turn to ashes under the tribulation.

"With you here, I'm not afraid." Chu Ling smiled charmingly.

As she spoke, another divine pattern appeared on her forehead, her combat power soaring once more. Her three thousand strands of hair turned a fiery red.

This was her peak combat strength, used for the first time.

She truly wasn't afraid—or rather, she absolutely could not lose to the heavens. In her womb, there was a child, and she had to protect it.

Never underestimate the resolve of a mother; it was absolutely formidable.

The four divine beasts launched their assault, spitting thunder from their mouths and shooting lightning from their eyes, embodying the will of the heavens to obliterate Chu Ling.

Chu Ling snorted coldly and swung her sword, carving out a splendid Xian He that split the skies. The thunder Shen Long barely escaped being cleaved in two.

She darted through the nine heavens, dodging the lightning, and with a palm strike, repelled the thunder Phoenix. She followed up with another sword thrust.

The thunder Phoenix fared worse than the thunder Shen Long, nearly being obliterated.

In return, Chu Ling suffered heavy injuries, struck successively by the Xuanwu and Bai Hu, spilling blood into the void, her brilliant blood striking to the eye.

Ye Chen watched with bloodshot eyes, wishing he could help Chu Ling cross the tribulation.

In that moment, he regretted it a bit. He should have sealed Chu Ling's cultivation until after the child was born, then let her face the Tian Jie.

"Feeling sorry for me?" Chu Ling quipped while fighting, even winking at him as if nothing were wrong.

"Focus on the tribulation! Can you take this seriously?" Ye Chen scolded.

"Focus, I will." Chu Ling chuckled playfully, full of liveliness, like a mischievous young girl.

With that focus, she became truly formidable, slashing the thunder Xuanwu in half with a single sword, shocking the onlookers into swallowing hard.

Next, she obliterated the thunder Bai Hu with a palm strike.

The thunder Shen Long lunged, opening its maw to swallow Chu Ling.

But in mere moments, she burst out, flipping the Shen Long with a palm and beheading it with a swing of her sword.

"My worries were unnecessary." Ye Chen grinned and clicked his tongue. This woman was fierce when riled up—don't underestimate her.

Now, only the thunder Phoenix remained in the void above.

Chu Ling formed seals with one hand, summoning a vision. The blooming magnificent lotus enveloped the thunder Phoenix, grinding it to dust.

At last, the heavens truly calmed. Everyone gazed upward.

So beautiful, yet so ferocious. The Four Divine Beasts Tian Jie was incredibly domineering, yet she had slain them all clean.

However, Chu Ling was injured too, swaying unsteadily in the void.

Though she had advanced, her aura plummeted dramatically. It was clear that to cross this Tian Jie, she had paid a heavy price.

Just then, a Shen Jian shot toward her from one direction.

The Shen Jian was like a dark beam, cold and annihilating, piercing through the void on a path of absolute killing, leaving Chu Ling no way out.

The surroundings trembled in shock. In her current state, she couldn't possibly block it.

But the imagined scene of bloodshed did not occur.

As the Shen Jian was about to hit Chu Ling, a golden hand materialized, domineeringly crushing it to pieces.

The one who struck was, of course, Ye Chen. With him there, how could he let Chu Ling be killed? He was Ye Chen, a peerless force to be reckoned with.

"Didn't let you down, did I?" Chu Ling smiled radiantly.

"My wife could never be weak." Ye Chen chuckled, gently waving his hand to draw Chu Ling into his magical artifact.

What followed would be a bit bloody; better to keep her out of it.

The heavens fell silent, and all around, everyone stared at Ye Chen. The ability to extinguish that sword with one palm spoke volumes of his fearsome power.

Many wanted to glimpse Ye Chen's true appearance, but none succeeded.

The concealment secret technique he had set up was enhanced by an ultimate Dao Di Bing; it wasn't something just anyone could pierce.

"Most likely her husband—a whole family of prodigies!"

"In my view, he's even more of a prodigy than the woman."

"What a shame we can't see his real face. One thing's for sure: he's probably a prince from some clan, with a background that's terrifying."

"A 堂堂 Zhun Di, resorting to ambushing a junior—aren't you afraid of being laughed at by future generations?" Amid the discussions, Ye Chen spoke up.

His words were cold and desolate, his divine eyes scanning the vast crowd and locking onto one person—a purple-robed elder.

It was he who had ambushed Chu Ling earlier, a genuine Zhun Di level expert, whose power even surpassed that of Qing Luan Lao Zu.

However, he wasn't on the level of the Jian Shen, so in Ye Chen's eyes, he was merely a pawn. Zhun Di or not, he could still be destroyed.

Realizing whom Ye Chen was targeting, those standing near the purple-robed elder froze for a moment before scrambling to get away.

This was clearly a settling of scores—they had to dodge to avoid the fallout.

The purple-robed elder, however, remained composed, confident in his Zhun Di cultivation. Why should he fear Ye Chen? His old eyes were deep and coldly sinister.

As a Zhun Di, ambushing juniors was something he did often.

In the Ling Realm, the number of talents who had died by his hand was countless. Nipping geniuses in the cradle was his specialty.

"Why provoke my wife if you didn't have to?"

"What of it? A mere Sheng Ren— what can you do to me?" The purple-robed Zhun Di sneered, his gaze turning sinister.