Chapter 1731: Unwarranted Abyss

The night was exceptionally quiet. The Ling Domain was shrouded in a darkness deeper than usual, with no stars or moon in sight. Even the wind felt chilling.

In the blackness, shadows moved like ghosts, crossing rivers and desolate plains, converging from all directions toward the heart of the Ling Domain.

Their numbers were immense, like a dark curtain blotting out the remaining light.

Upon seeing Qin Guang Wang and the powerful warriors of the Ming Realm, the various ancestral figures of the Ling Domain were astonished. "Where did so many Zhun Di come from?"

"That group of ten—I’ve seen them before," an elder pointed at the Ten Kings of Hell. "They were the ones who defeated five Zhun Di on the Cang Sea."

"Then, does that mean Ye Chen invited them?" the crowd exclaimed in surprise.

"What kind of force do they belong to? This lineup is simply too massive."

"What are you all staring at?" Tai Shan Wang snapped, his temper flaring as he stroked his large beard, looking utterly fierce and imposing.

The Ling Domain ancestors coughed awkwardly and stopped their peering, continuing on their way.

At the very center of the Ling Domain stood a vast, majestic mountain range. Within it lay a pitch-black abyss. The mouth of the abyss was over ten thousand zhang wide, appearing like a gateway to hell no matter how you looked at it.

This was Wuwang Youyuan, an ancient site said to be bottomless.

Legend had it that a Zhun Di once entered but never returned, marking it as a forbidden zone where few dared to venture. If a Zhun Di had vanished, let alone lesser cultivators.

The forces of the Ling Domain swarmed in, tightly surrounding Wuwang Youyuan, filling the skies and covering the earth.

"There's an Emperor Dao formation concealing the aura," Qin Guang Wang said calmly.

"It must be a sealed army of Heavenly Demons, isolated from the world. Otherwise, such a massive operation wouldn’t have gone unnoticed."

"Should we attack directly?" Song Di Wang glanced at Ye Chen.

"Arrange the troops," Ye Chen’s voice echoed through the heavens.

As he spoke, divine lights shot up from all sides, forming thousands of massive formations, including many Xu Tian Absolute Killing Arrays, all controlled by powerful Saint Kings.

Remarkably, just as the Kings of Hell had said, the Heavenly Demons were likely in deep slumber. They were right at their doorstep, yet there was no reaction at all.

"Send messages to the strong warriors in the major ancient cities to immediately purge the Heavenly Demons outside," Ye Chen ordered, the timing now ripe.

The various ancestors quickly took out their transmission stones, sending messages far and wide.

At the same time, thunderous booms erupted in the ancient cities of the Ling Domain, catching countless Heavenly Demons off guard. The cultivators’ absolute suppression in power left them unable to fight back, and one after another, they were destroyed.

The Heavenly Demons were baffled, clueless about where the leak had come from even as they died, after lying in wait for countless years, only to be wiped out in one fell swoop.

Yet, at the center of the Ling Domain, everything remained still. The bottomless Wuwang Youyuan was eerily silent, shrouded in an ominous, chilling atmosphere.

"Attack," Ye Chen suddenly drew his sword, pointing it straight at Wuwang Youyuan.

With his command, the thousands of killing arrays activated in unison, unleashing beams of devastating divine light that bombarded the abyss, shaking the heavens and earth with roaring thunder.

Instantly, waves of demonic and murderous energy surged from the abyss. The slumber had been disturbed, awakening the Heavenly Demons, who roared in savage fury.

"Where did this army of cultivators come from?" a cold snort echoed from the abyss.

They had been asleep and unaware of the outside world, but now awake, they could see through the darkness the enormous forces arrayed against them. Clearly, this was a premeditated plan to eradicate them all—a rude awakening indeed.

"Come out here," Ming Jue stood in the sky, bellowing at the top of his lungs, his voice amplified by the divine power of an imperial artifact directed at Wuwang Youyuan.

"If you’ve got the guts, come in," a mocking voice from a Heavenly Demon replied.

"Won’t come out? Then we’ll blast you out. Keep firing," Tai Shan Wang shouted, his temper as explosive as ever.

Without needing his urging, the killing arrays continued their assault, colorful divine lights illuminating the sky, each beam carrying utter destruction.

The Heavenly Demons in the abyss were enraged and deployed their own arrays, firing back from the depths with chilling black demonic beams.

In response, the Ling Domain forces had already prepared barriers to hold them off.

"Kill!" The Heavenly Demons charged out, surging like a tidal wave, their demonic eyes blood-red and their murderous aura overwhelming, filled with violent bloodlust.

Indeed, it was a massive army of cultivators, with an extraordinarily grand scale.

The Kings of Hell, Chu Ling, Ming Jue, Bai Zhi, and the Ming Realm warriors, who had encountered Heavenly Demons before, remained composed, their expressions unchanged.

However, the cultivators of the Ling Domain were growing uneasy, especially the weaker ones, who trembled at the sight of the Heavenly Demons’ ferocity and bloodthirsty aura.

Even the veteran cultivators felt their minds unsettled.

Was this the enemy they had faced in the two Heavenly Demon invasions? And how had the great emperors and the heavens endured it?

In that moment, the people of the Ling Domain’s reverence for Ye Chen soared to new heights. This junior had been tempered by two Heavenly Demon wars, making even the elders feel ashamed, while the younger generation couldn’t compare.

Slaying two emperors in one lifetime—such a heaven-defying feat was unprecedented and would likely remain unmatched, cementing a legendary myth for eternity.

"Kill!" Ye Chen’s voice rang out firmly as he led the charge, the commander at the forefront. With one swing of his sword, he split a Great Saint Heavenly Demon in two, then swept out a palm that cleared a swath of enemies.

His rage toward the Heavenly Demons was etched into his soul—the blood debt of the Great Chu heroes was something he would never forget, driving him to kill with frenzied madness.

Following him, Qing Luan, Bai Zhi, and Chu Ling joined the assault without hesitation.

Each of them wielded an ultimate Dao imperial weapon, capable of clashing with Zhun Di-level foes.

Chu Ling, in particular, had reached the Quasi-Saint King level, and with her imperial weapon, she could take on nine ordinary Zhun Di single-handedly.

The Ten Kings of Hell were equally ferocious. Though they lacked imperial weapons to boost their power, they were already at the Zhun Di level, each one a force of nature as they advanced in a crushing line, unstoppable.

The ancestors of the various forces also charged ahead, with elders like Qing Luan’s ancestor, whose lifespan was nearing its end, fighting with wild abandon.

This might be their final battle before death, and having seen through life and death, they were content to meet their end in this near-transcendent state.

The great battle erupted, like two oceans colliding, with entire swaths turning into blood mist upon contact.

Casualties mounted as warriors fell from the skies and others pressed forward relentlessly. In war, there was no pity.

Blood stained the heavens and earth, a gruesome scene of severed limbs, shattered artifacts, and broken bones scattered everywhere.

From Wuwang Youyuan, more Heavenly Demon soldiers poured out, like a vast ocean, clad in icy armor and wielding ancient war spears.

"Impossible! This is impossible!" A roar thundered from one side of the battlefield, like lightning shaking the skies, obliterating nearby Heavenly Demons and cultivators.

It came from a blood-haired Heavenly Demon at the Zhun Di level, even stronger than the former Silver Robe Zhun Di, currently locked in combat with Ye Chen.

Yet, his eyes were filled with utter disbelief, for he detected the aura of an emperor’s slaughter from Ye Chen—an aura belonging to a Heavenly Demon emperor, possessed only by those who had slain one.

But Ye Chen was clearly just a Saint! How could he have slain an emperor? Even with an imperial weapon, he couldn’t withstand a single emperor’s strike.

Had they slumbered too long, oblivious to the outside world’s events, where even emperors had fallen without their knowledge?

"Still daydreaming?" Ye Chen snorted coldly and lunged forward.

The blood-haired Heavenly Demon’s face changed, and he retreated instantly, summoning an ancient shield to block his path.

Without a word, Ye Chen struck with his sword, shattering the shield and sending the demon flying.

Before the demon could steady himself, Ye Chen’s sword arrived again—a strike of the Ten Thousand Swords Divine Wind, an absolute kill that obliterated all in its path.

The blood-haired Heavenly Demon’s primordial spirit escaped immediately, but his physical form was pierced through. Terrified, he fled in panic.

"Where do you think you’re going?" Ye Chen pursued relentlessly, his imperial sword radiating majestic power, turning swarms of Heavenly Demons to ash in his wake.

"Protect me! Protect your lord!" The blood-haired Heavenly Demon shouted as he retreated, shoving his own kind toward Ye Chen while making his escape.

Clearly, he was a high-ranking demon lord, of noble status.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be calling for protection—it was unclear which Heavenly Demon emperor he served, but he was proving to be utterly cowardly.

"Can you escape?" Ye Chen gripped his blood-stained imperial sword, chasing and slashing all the way, mowing down any Heavenly Demon that dared approach.