Chapter 1777: The Primordial Hunt

“Find him, find him for me, dead or alive.”

“Regardless of life or death, skin him, drink his blood, and devour his flesh.”

In the skies above Xi Mo, the furious roars of Teng She and Qiu Yu Zhundi echoed through heaven and earth, like a pair of mad dogs gone berserk.

As fellow Zhundi-level experts, both carrying supreme Dao Emperor weapons, they appeared far more disheveled than the Zhundi from the other clans.

The war among the eight clans began with their two clans and resulted in the heaviest casualties for them, with uncountable powerful warriors falling in battle.

As the ancient ancestors of their clans, how could they endure this? Their killing intent was unstoppable, their rage pushing them to the brink of madness.

“Find him, find him for me, skin him, drink his blood, and devour his flesh.”

The Zhundi from the other six clans also bellowed in fury, their bloodshot eyes gleaming red, teeth gritted, and fangs flashing with a sinister light.

With the order given, the eight clans mobilized once more, spreading out in all directions for a blanket search, combing through every inch.

However, unfortunate events were common, and today they were especially plentiful.

Many of them headed to the ancient cities, intending to search for Chen Ye in other regions, but to their frustration, the teleportation arrays in the ancient cities had been destroyed—not just one, but hundreds or even thousands.

The eight clans were so enraged they nearly spat blood, unsure if it was from injury or sheer anger.

Clearly, while they were busy with their internal war, Chen Ye had not been idle, secretly sabotaging the teleportation arrays to hinder them.

“Damn it.” The eight clans’ Zhundi exploded in rage again, their bodies trembling with fury, and even the Emperor weapons in their hands hummed and vibrated.

“He carries more than one Zhundi weapon; only a Zhundi can suppress him. Honghuang needs assistance,” Shang Shan said quietly.

“Don’t beat around the bush,” Qiong Qi Zhundi snorted coldly.

“Issue a wanted order,” Shang Shan replied with a faint smile. “By then, my master will also emerge from seclusion to help Honghuang capture Chen Ye.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the eight clans’ Zhundi narrowed their eyes.

Though the Honghuang clan wasn’t the sharpest, they could discern the meaning in Shang Shan’s words—he wanted to use the opportunity of capturing Chen Ye to gain some benefits for himself.

However, even though they saw through it, they chose not to expose it.

Honghuang was incredibly wealthy, and the bounty for the wanted order was no issue. As long as they could catch him, they were willing to pay any price.

The eight clans ceased their battle, and the rumbling sounds stopped. At the edge of Xi Mo, the human cultivators couldn’t help but scratch their heads in confusion. “What’s going on here?”

“Has another clan mediated to stop the chaos temporarily?”

“They’re probably just tired from fighting and need a break.” An unreliable old man stroked his beard, speaking with a meaningful expression.

The others present dismissed his words as nonsense.

The eight clans’ sudden halt to the war must have some hidden reason, and for the various heavens, this was not a good omen.

“Whoever captures Chen Ye will be rewarded by Honghuang with a full Emperor Path Immortal Law.”

Amid the discussions, a voice boomed from Xi Mo, originating from the Honghuang great clan, carrying supreme authority.

“Heavens! An Emperor Path Immortal Law.” The human cultivators erupted in excitement.

“Is this Honghuang’s wanted order? Offering an entire Emperor Path Immortal Law—what audacity!” Many people smacked their lips in amazement.

“Compared to this, the multi-clan wanted order in the southern domain of Xuan Huang back in the day was child’s play; these two are on completely different levels.”

“Why don’t we go in and take a look?” An old Zhundi tucked his hands into his sleeves. “I’m quite fond of Emperor Path Immortal Laws myself.”

“You old fool.” Xiao Jiu Xian stepped forward, grabbing his beard with both little hands and pulling with all her might. “Still thinking of becoming a Honghuang lapdog?”

“Easy, easy, that hurts!” The old Zhundi grimaced in pain.

“Girl, step aside—we’ll handle this.” Chi Yang Zi and Jiu Xiao Zhen Ren approached, each wielding an iron rod.

What followed was a chorus of miserable screams. No wonder it was a Zhundi-level cry—domineering and resounding, shaking the surroundings.

“An Emperor Path Immortal Law, and my life is worth that much now.”

In a mountain forest in Xi Mo, Ye Chen emerged from a spatial passage and couldn’t help but sneer upon hearing the Honghuang wanted order.

“Brother Ye, it’s best to leave quickly. The temptation of an Emperor Path Immortal Law is too great; most Zhundi in the various heavens won’t be able to resist,” Xi Zun said. “The Xuan Huang of today is not the Xuan Huang of the past. Too many have aligned themselves with Honghuang, including many Zhundi. This is Honghuang’s strategy: using the various heavens to fight among themselves while they watch from the sidelines.”

“A form of indirect mutual destruction?” Li Changsheng raised an eyebrow.

“Exactly.” Xi Zun took a deep breath. “With the slaughter of the Xi Mo Buddhas, there are too many human cultivator shadows. In the past two years, I’ve seen it clearly—Honghuang has far too many lapdogs. I was captured by human cultivators precisely because of a Honghuang wanted order’s reward of a Zhundi weapon. More than one Zhundi hunted me down and handed me over to the Jin Ni clan.”

“Then we’ll kill them,” Ye Chen sneered, cracking his neck. “Since they want my life so badly, let’s play big. Bullying the various heavens as if no one is here—the consequences will be severe.”

With that, he vanished into the void space, heading straight for the next ancient city. Even though the eight clans had ceased their war, he still intended to destroy the arrays. Anything that could cause trouble for Honghuang, he didn’t mind doing.

The journey was much calmer now that the eight clans had stopped their internal fighting. One could see Honghuang clan members darting across the skies and the ground, their faces twisted in ferocity after suffering such a major loss.

However, the tension among the clans remained thick, especially for the heavily damaged ones like the Teng She and Qiu Yu clans, who harbored deep-seated grudges and were waiting for an opportunity to retaliate.

Ye Chen was astute and could see through the intentions of these two clans, so he acted considerately. On his way to the ancient city, he took the time to stir up trouble, such as disguising himself as a Qiu Yu clan member to attack the Teng She clan.

This sparked small-scale skirmishes again, but they were mere minor conflicts. Provoking a full-scale war among the eight clans was no longer possible.

Having been tricked once and fooled twice, by the third time, even they had wised up. Fools had their own intelligence, after all.

Half an hour later, he arrived at another ancient city, sneaked into the teleportation array, and left a clone nearby.

Under the moonlight, at the border where the southern domain, northern Yue, central state, and Xi Mo met, shadows could be seen slipping into Xi Mo one after another.

Their auras were extremely concealed, like ghosts. Upon closer sensing, one would discover they were all Zhundi, and from the various heavens at that, with a staggeringly large number.

As Xi Zun had said, even Zhundi couldn’t resist the lure of an Emperor Path Immortal Law. They had all sneaked into Xi Mo to secretly search for Ye Chen, intending to capture him and claim the reward from Honghuang.

“Causing trouble right under the Honghuang great clan’s nose—talk about thrilling,” Kui Niu remarked from inside the copper furnace, busy stewing meat soup.

“Following the boss means not just soup, but meat too,” Li Changsheng added the seasonings, grinning shamelessly.

The two were bustling about happily, but Ye Chen remained silent, his brow furrowed slightly. Through the passage, he gazed into the hazy void outside, his divine eyes narrowing with a sharp, cold glint.

“What’s wrong?” The three of them asked upon noticing.

“Someone with great divine abilities is divining me,” Ye Chen said flatly. “It’s a Zhundi-level expert, and not an ordinary one. The divine technique they’re using is profound and defies the heavens.”

“A human cultivator?” Xi Zun frowned, asking tentatively.

“More precisely, a human cultivator skilled in divination,” Ye Chen replied coldly. “The eight clans’ ceasefire is likely related to him.”

“Another lapdog—that means we have to hide well and not let him divine our location,” Li Changsheng cursed.

“If he wants to find me, he’ll need to see if he has the capability,” Ye Chen snorted coldly, enveloping himself in another layer of mysterious light—it was the power of Zhou Tian, concealing his origin.

“Zhou Tian evolution.” On a towering mountain peak in Xi Mo, a black-robed elder exclaimed in surprise, “A mere saint actually possesses such a divine ability. This is truly unexpected for me.”

This elder was no ordinary figure; he was Shang Shan’s master, known as Yan Tian Laozu. Though he kept a low profile in Xuan Huang, he was extremely powerful, with divination secrets that were masterful and profound.

“Can you divine his exact location?” The eight clans’ Zhundi were also present, asking one after another, their tones much calmer now. At least toward Yan Tian Laozu, they showed more respect than to Shang Shan. Honghuang was fearsome, but they still revered the strong.

“It will take some time,” Yan Tian Laozu said with a faint smile, his old eyes flickering with a sinister light. “He won’t escape.”