Chapter 1747: Taotie

A thunderous roar echoed through the stars: "The Qiong Qi clan will not let you go." It came from the last Qiong Qi.

Indeed, only one remained; the rest had all been wiped out by Ye Chen. Numbers meant nothing—every one of them was doomed to fall.

Ye Chen raised his hand, his body and horse moving as one, and hurled his war spear through the air.

Blood sprayed out as the fleeing Qiong Qi was nailed in place among the stars, its primordial spirit utterly destroyed, scattering into nothingness.

Only then did the starry sky fall into a deathly silence, terrifying in its stillness.

The entire expanse was stained red with blood, the Qiong Qi's flesh and bones shattered and floating in the void, the air thick with a metallic stench.

All the cultivators stood in mute awe, their eyes fixed on Ye Chen.

He stood like a god of war, his aura dominating the eight directions, or like a Asura demon, with blood streaming from his hair, body, arms, and feet—every visible part drenched and starkly vivid.

Under the gaze of thousands, Ye Chen began to move, striding forward with resolute steps.

Centered on him, black vortices appeared, devouring everything in sight. The Qiong Qi's essence bones, fresh blood, and vital energy were all pulled into the whirlpools and absorbed by him, nourishing his own body.

What he was using was the Swallowing Heaven Devil Art of the Swallowing Heaven Devil Venerable.

The Qiong Qi bloodline was ancient and powerful, a treasure even in death. His path of chaos encompassed all things, and his primordial sacred body could accommodate bloodlines from across the heavens.

After so many ages, today had been the most exhilarating slaughter.

But this was only the beginning. His raging fury needed an ocean of blood to extinguish, and his journey required a path paved with bones.

The cultivators around him remained motionless, still watching him quietly.

Unfortunately, Ye Chen wore a mask, so no one could discern his true face, and his bloodline was concealed by a mysterious force. They only knew he was incredibly strong; otherwise, he wouldn't be so domineering.

Once the vortices dissipated, Ye Chen stepped away, his rolling killing intent retracting into his body. He breathed in deeply and stretched his neck contentedly.

The white-haired elder hurried forward and bowed. "Thank you for your aid, young friend. This great kindness will never be forgotten by Qian Kun Men."

His descendants followed suit, all bowing respectfully.

Their escape had been filled with endless hardship and tears, marked by repeated sieges. Of those who survived, fewer than one in ten remained.

They were fortunate to have been saved by Ye Chen; otherwise, Qian Kun Men would likely have been destroyed, and they would have perished in the stars.

"It was just a simple act." Ye Chen smiled and waved it off, then turned and left, heading steadily toward the northeast.

Behind him, the cultivators watched him depart, their eyes filled with reverence. In this person from the heavens, they saw a glimmer of hope.

"Quickly, let's leave." Only after Ye Chen had vanished did the white-haired elder stir. This was a dangerous place; they couldn't stay long.

The people of Qian Kun Men supported one another, wiping away tears as they fled to another region.

The onlookers from earlier followed suit, traveling together for mutual protection—those without great powers could at least watch each other's backs, all as fellow wanderers in exile.

Some time later, a figure streaked through the sky.

It was a young man in python robes, his eyes blood-red and his vital energy surging. His origins were infused with primordial aura, vast and turbulent.

His identity was no ordinary one—he was the Ninth Prince of the Qiong Qi clan, a prominent figure among the younger generation of the heavens.

The Ninth Prince of Qiong Qi narrowed his eyes, staring at this stretch of stars. With his keen vision, he could see that a battle had taken place here and easily detect the scent of blood from his own clan.

"Ninth Prince, I have checked—there are no survivors left." A golden-robed elder descended, a great saint of the Qiong Qi.

"Do you know who did this?" The Ninth Prince of Qiong Qi snorted coldly, his eyes cruel and bloodthirsty, his face twisted in a grimace.

"No clues at all." The great saint Qiong Qi shook his head thoughtfully. "Could it be a joint attack by hidden ancient sects?"

"If so, that would be perfect." The Ninth Prince of Qiong Qi grinned menacingly, baring his white teeth in a sinister smile. "If the heavens break the truce first, then let the war begin."

With that, he turned and vanished in a series of illusory steps, the great saint Qiong Qi following like a shadow.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen was flying onward, crossing vast expanses of stars.

He looked quite content, mainly because the Qiong Qi blood contained so much essence, all of which had become nourishment for his sacred body.

As the first beings of the world, their bloodlines were heaven-defying, innately fused with the essence of the Dao. This battle had been a stroke of fortune.

"I'll give you some." Ye Chen waved his hand, drawing out a strand and channeling it into the bronze furnace, merging it into Li Changsheng's body.

The boy had decent talent and had passed his most difficult phase. His vital energy was recovering, and he had overcome most of his own tribulations.

"Can you escape?" As he watched, a mocking laugh rang out, full of playful taunts, drawing his gaze to one side.

There, a young man stumbled through the stars, likely fleeing from pursuers and badly injured, his body covered in blood.

Behind him, a silver-robed elder gave chase—a Saint King, moving leisurely without haste, occasionally flicking out a few dark, sinister beams of light.

"Tao Wu clan." Ye Chen's eyes narrowed as he focused on the silver-robed elder, instantly recognizing his true form.

"Kill!" the young man roared, sacrificing his essence and pouring it into his killing sword, slashing at the silver-robed elder in a final desperate strike.

But how could a Quasi-Saint stand against a Saint King?

Though his sword was not weak, it didn't harm the silver-robed elder at all. Instead, the young man was sent flying, his hand bones shattering.

"Any more tricks up your sleeve?" The silver-robed elder sneered mockingly.

The young man gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet, his eyes blood-red. He clasped his bloody hands together, rapidly forming seals—it was a spirit summoning technique, clear at a glance.

Suddenly, a beam of light descended from the sky, transforming into a person.

The one summoned was broad-shouldered and muscular, surrounded by divine light and crackling thunder, with wild hair waving in the wind.

The young man stared in confusion, not understanding what was happening.

To be honest, this wasn't his summoned beast. His was a red-flame fierce tiger, but this was clearly a person.

Ye Chen, who was approaching, also froze, his expression one of utter surprise.

The person summoned was none other than his old brother, Kui Niu. Even from the back, he could tell.

For a moment, Ye Chen was stunned—how had Kui Niu become a summoned beast?

A second later, he figured it out. Clearly, after reincarnating from the underworld, Kui Niu hadn't been reborn in the heavens but in some other realm.

As for why he became a summoned beast, it was probably like Ye Chen's own situation—the only way to return to the heavens.

What shocked him, though, was that Kui Niu had reincarnated just a year or two ago, yet he had grown so quickly. He looked like a full-grown young man, not a toddler.

"The heavens! This is the heavens—I'm back! Damn, I'm finally back!" Kui Niu shouted excitedly on his end, nearly bursting into tears of joy.

Just as Ye Chen had guessed, Kui Niu hadn't reincarnated into the myriad realms of the heavens but had ended up in the fire realm by mistake. He returned as a summoned beast, almost identical to Ye Chen's path.

"You... who are you?" The young host stared at Kui Niu in bewilderment, much like Li Changsheng had once done.

"Who I am doesn't matter—what matters is that I'm back!" Kui Niu's voice was rough and hearty, his laughter full of delight.

"Summoning a Quasi-Saint? You're still just ants." The silver-robed elder chuckled darkly, his teeth gleaming menacingly.

"A Saint King?" Kui Niu raised an eyebrow, glancing at his host and suddenly feeling cowardly. "Did you set me up?"

"I don't even know who you are—where did you come from?"

"Never mind where I came from. You're picking a fight with a Saint King and using a summoning technique? Aren't you just screwing over your summoned beast?"

"I..." The host young man was at a loss for words.

"Hold on." Kui Niu seemed to realize something, narrowing his bull-like eyes and staring at the silver-robed elder. "You're from the Tao Wu clan."

"You should feel honored." The silver-robed elder smiled sinisterly.

"Run!" Kui Niu spun around and grabbed the young man, fleeing at once. A Saint King from the Tao Wu clan was not something they could handle.

But as soon as they turned, they collided with someone.

It was Ye Chen, his sacred body as hard as steel plate, sending them crashing with a loud clang.

"Ow!" Both winced in pain, their heads splitting open and buzzing, their minds reeling.

"In a fight, you can't back down. Even if you can't win, you have to throw everything at it—that's what our author says." Ye Chen smoothed his hair, his presence growing more imposing.

"Who the hell are you?" Kui Niu clutched his forehead and cursed, but with Ye Chen wearing the ghost mask, he couldn't recognize him. He just knew this guy was ridiculously good at posturing.

"With me here, how many more chapters do you think you'll live?" Ye Chen patted Kui Niu's shoulder meaningfully, his aura intensifying.

"Today's quite the haul." The silver-robed elder laughed softly, eyeing them with interest and licking his lips. He ignored Kui Niu and the young host, focusing on Ye Chen, sensing the purity of his bloodline even if he couldn't identify it.

"Is the entire Tao Wu clan this arrogant?" Ye Chen scoffed, stepping forward and vanishing in an instant, his golden palm striking like a divine blade.

The silver-robed elder's expression changed drastically—Ye Chen's movement was too mysterious for a Saint King like him to track.

In a flash, he tried to retreat, but it was too late. Ye Chen's palm, empowered by a Quasi-Emperor weapon, cleaved through him like tofu, leaving only his primordial spirit to escape.

"Who exactly are you?" The silver-robed elder's eyes were filled with terror.

"Curious? Too bad I won't tell you." Ye Chen pursued like a shadow, unleashing nine divine afflictions and one final strike, obliterating him on the spot.

Gulp! Behind him, Kui Niu and the young man swallowed hard.

That was a Saint King from the Tao Wu clan—did you have to be this overpowered? It was like he had a god-tier cheat code.

"Here, take this Saint King sword as a reward." Ye Chen returned and tossed the silver-robed elder's life weapon to the young man.

This was his way of saying thanks for summoning Kui Niu.

The young host was stunned and grateful—this savior had not only rescued him but also given him a Saint King weapon. The surprise came so suddenly.

"You gave him one, so give me something too! Nothing fancy, just a Saint King weapon will do." Kui Niu rubbed his hands and grinned.

"Here, have a surprise." Ye Chen casually stored the young host in the bronze furnace, then removed his ghost mask.