Chapter 1759: Mutual Slaughter

The vast starry sky was filled with endless wails of agony. Looking out, a massive stone platform stood in the cosmos, eighty thousand zhang across. Along every meter of the platform, there were towering copper pillars, each one chaining a human cultivator. These prisoners were disheveled and emaciated, their bodies covered in blood and wounds, reduced to the status of lowly criminals, as insignificant as ants.

Surrounding the stone platform, large groups of Qiong Qi stood guard, clutching spears. These human cultivators had all been captured, their vital essence drained, their cultivations crippled, and their tendons severed. They were enduring brutal torment, all in an attempt to force Chen Ye to show himself.

The scene was drenched in blood, with nearly a hundred thousand human cultivators bleeding profusely, staining the eighty-thousand-zhang platform a vivid red that was shocking to behold.

"Kill a hundred people, and you can live." A Qiong Qi sneered maliciously, its fangs gleaming. It thrust a killing sword into the hands of one cultivator and shoved him onto the platform.

The victim was a young cultivator, his clothes in tatters and his steps unsteady. His face was pale and bloodless as he dragged his broken body to a copper pillar. Chained there was an elderly cultivator, white-haired and unrecognizable from his injuries, his flesh mangled beyond recognition.

The elderly cultivator struggled to lift his head, his eyes dim and cloudy, yet he smiled kindly. "Go ahead, child. Kill me."

"Senior, I'm sorry. I want to live." The young cultivator wept bitterly, his voice hoarse and choked with sobs. Gripping the sword with trembling hands, he raised it and struck down hard.

Blood sprayed as the elderly cultivator's head rolled away. Already a broken man, he was sent to the underworld with that single blow, his life's ups and downs ending in dust.

"If you want to live, keep killing." The Qiong Qi bared its sharp, white teeth, licking its crimson tongue with a savage, terrifying grin.

"Ah!" The young cultivator roared in anguish, as if his mind had shattered into madness. Clutching the killing sword, he slashed left and right, felling a cultivator with every swing. Among them were his master, fellow disciples, family, and brothers, but to survive, he had no choice but to wield the blade of slaughter.

"The taste of blood is truly delightful." The Qiong Qi watched with amusement, inhaling the scent with evident pleasure.

"How entertaining." In a massive jade carriage, a young man in a python robe lounged casually, his lips curved in a smirk as he toyed with his ring. His pair of purple eyes gleamed with an eerie light that deterred any direct gaze.

He was the Ninth Prince of the Qiong Qi clan, possessing a pure imperial bloodline and an exceedingly noble status, yet he was also incredibly cruel and violent.

Scattered across the jade carriage were numerous naked female human cultivators, ravaged to death by the Ninth Prince of the Qiong Qi. They lay in disarray, their faces still twisted in pain even in death.

This was the world of the strong: the weak were destined for oppression. The rules were brutally harsh, soaked in blood, and devoid of any light.

On the stone platform, the young cultivator had slain exactly a hundred people, his hands stained with the blood of his kin. Like a dog, he crawled on the ground, sobbing desperately, begging only to leave alive.

"Come on, bark like a dog." A Qiong Qi stepped on his back, laughing wildly and sadistically.

Tears of humiliation streamed down the young cultivator's face, but he forced a smile and barked "woof woof," the sounds echoing through the starry sky.

The Qiong Qi laughed even harder, unrestrained. "Scram, you ant."

Grateful for the reprieve, the young cultivator slunk away like a true dog, crawling off the stone platform instead of standing.

"Next one." The Qiong Qi pointed at an elder cultivator, chuckling darkly. "Kill, and you can live."

Tears of blood streaming down his face, the elder cultivator gripped the killing sword and staggered onto the stone platform. He swung it at his fellow humans, each strike splattering him with fresh blood, leaving bloody footprints in his wake.

The human cultivators wailed in pain while the Qiong Qi roared with laughter. To them, this spectacle of self-mutual slaughter was a feast for the eyes.

Hell—this place was hell, drenched in the blood of ants, with demons baring their grotesque faces, striking terror into the heart.

"How boring." The Ninth Prince of the Qiong Qi propped up his cheek with one hand, listening to the cultivators' screams as he drifted into a doze. Strands of thick Hong Huang aura wove around him.

"Your Highness, will Chen Ye come?" An elder Qiong Qi glanced at the starry sky and then at the Ninth Prince.

"Whether he comes or not doesn't matter. What matters is that my Hong Huang clans can use this as an excuse to wage war on the myriad heavens again." The Ninth Prince's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"Is that so? Hmm?" The elder Qiong Qi trailed off mid-sentence, tilting his head toward one side.

Booming thuds rang out, rhythmic and steady, like the sound of heavy footsteps. It seemed the person's body was as weighty as a mountain, causing the starry sky to tremble with each step.

Ye Chen appeared, striding through the void. His entire body radiated golden light, his sacred body forged like molten gold, surging with overwhelming killing intent. From afar, he resembled a dazzling sun.

His arrival made the Qiong Qi's eyes flash with greed, as if they could sense the purity of his vital energy.

"Such presence—you're no ordinary figure." The Ninth Prince of the Qiong Qi opened his eyes, still lounging casually, his interest piqued.

"My name is Chen Ye." Ye Chen spoke calmly.

"Is he Chen Ye?" The human cultivators all lifted their heads.

"It's because of you—it's all because of you." Many cultivators roared, their eyes bloodshot and veins bulging with rage. "If not for your reckless killings, how would we human cultivators have ended up like this?"

"To hell with that." From within a bronze furnace, Kui Niu leaped three zhang high, its temper flaring as it nearly charged out.

"How chilling." Li Changsheng couldn't help but curse. Ye Chen had been fighting for justice for the human cultivators, yet he was met with such infamy—it was infuriating, leaving one feeling suffocated on his behalf.

Ye Chen remained silent, his expression unchanging, his eyes calm as still water.

From the day he set foot on the path of cultivation, he had prepared himself for bearing such curses. This bloody journey would be even more brutal than imagined, cruel enough to freeze the heart.

"It's all your fault—it's all because of you." The cultivators continued to shout, their roars merging into a thunderous wave that shook the stars.

"Chen Ye, it seems the people of the myriad heavens don't think much of you!" The Ninth Prince of the Qiong Qi chuckled mockingly, clicking his tongue. "How tragic. Even I feel sorry for you."

"I've come. Release the human cultivators." Ye Chen said flatly.

"A Saint-level cultivator, carrying three Zhun Di weapons— no wonder you have the power to slay Great Saints." The Ninth Prince rose slightly, sighing in admiration. As a member of the Qiong Qi imperial bloodline, his insight was keen, seeing through Ye Chen's secrets in an instant.

"Release them." Ye Chen spoke slowly, repeating his demand.

"A bunch of worthless trash—let them die. I quite enjoy the sight of blood flowers." The Ninth Prince grinned viciously and casually flicked a strand of divine light, striking a cultivator and exploding him into a spray of brilliant blood.

"What is there to fear in death for cultivators like us?" Not all the chained cultivators hurled abuse at Ye Chen; many stood firm with unyielding resolve, laughing freely. From the moment they were captured, they had accepted their fate and no longer feared death.

"We don't blame you. The myriad heavens of the Wanyujie are not without heroes."

"Go—flee as far as you can. Return only when your cultivation is complete, and wipe out the nine clans of the Qiong Qi." An elderly cultivator bellowed with his last ounce of strength, his voice roaring with defiance.

"Noisy." The Ninth Prince stretched his neck leisurely and waved his hand dismissively. "Silence them."

At his command, the Qiong Qi guarding the stone platform bared their fangs and raised their bloodstained blades, decapitating the cultivators one by one. Heads rolled, each one a stark sight.

Ye Chen said nothing. Gripping his battle spear, he charged straight at the Ninth Prince, intent on settling this blood debt with the Qiong Qi clan.

"Catch him alive for me." The Ninth Prince smirked playfully and reclined back in his jade carriage, utterly at ease.

As he spoke, the starry sky erupted in thunder. The Qiong Qi activated their war chariots, transforming into their true forms and surging forward like a dark ocean. Their Hong Huang aura rolled out, engulfing swaths of the cosmos.

Their eyes burned with bloodlust, filled with greedy hunger, their auras savage and bloodthirsty, like fearsome demons.

With nearly ten thousand Qiong Qi attacking in unison, the scene was magnificent. Their Hong Huang aura alone shattered the space of the starry sky, their powerful bloodlines defying the natural order.

"Any who block me will die." Ye Chen roared, swinging his spear like a staff in a sweeping arc, obliterating the Qiong Qi in the vanguard by the dozens. Not even a scream escaped them as their bodies and souls were utterly destroyed.

"Suppress him!" A Great Saint-level Qiong Qi descended from the heavens, its left palm forming a Qian Kun Seal and its right wielding a Yin Yang Array. Qian Kun merged into Wuji, Yin Yang fused into Taiji, and Taiji Wuji birthed chaos, slamming down from above to annihilate Ye Chen in one strike.

"Get back!" Ye Chen shouted coldly, countering with Nine Paths Eight Desolations Fist that soared skyward. He blasted the attacker apart with one punch, then flipped his spear to shatter the Great Saint Qiong Qi's skull, destroying even its primordial spirit.

"Exterminate!" A second Great Saint Qiong Qi struck, its finger beam aimed straight at Ye Chen's brow, targeting his primordial spirit.

Ye Chen stepped through space in an instant, dodging the attack, and teleported to the Great Saint's side. He returned the favor with Nine Paths divine light, severely wounding its primordial spirit, then finished it with a spear thrust.

This Great Saint Qiong Qi proved fragile, nailed into the starry sky by the spear, its body exploding in a rain of blood.

The third Great Saint Qiong Qi fared worst of all, not even managing to unleash its natal artifact before being driven back. Its divine sea collapsed, ripping apart its primordial spirit and scattering its soul in an instant.

In less than ten exchanges, Ye Chen had slain three Great Saint-level opponents. Not only the chained cultivators were stunned—the Qiong Qi themselves were shocked.

"Activate the grand array and seal him!" The fourth Great Saint Qiong Qi wised up, refusing to charge ahead, and ordered the array's activation. Sealing Ye Chen would make the rest straightforward.

Numerous grand arrays awakened, controlled by Saint Kings, locking down the cosmos and sealing the laws. This vast stretch of starry sky was instantly restrained.

Yet, reality proved farcical compared to their hopes. Though the arrays were deployed, they were mere decorations before Ye Chen.

His Tai Xu Shen Xing had reached its peak, specifically countering sealing arrays. The Qiong Qi's restraints were completely ignored as he moved freely through the array patterns, like a ghost in an empty realm.