Chapter 1778: Acting Heavenly Dao Palace

In the pitch-black night, Xi Mo was filled with curses, rising and falling without end.

These were the quasi-emperors who had infiltrated Xi Mo in search of Ye Chen. They arrived at one ancient city after another, only to find no transmission arrays, driving them mad with rage and leaving them stewing in their injuries.

Some of the quasi-emperors were more resourceful, carrying their own domain gates.

However, using a transmission domain gate came at a steep cost, with tens of thousands of source stones burned each time—it was no small expense.

Even for quasi-emperors, it was a painful outlay. If they caught Chen Ye, it might be worth it, but if not, they'd be taking a massive loss.

It wasn't just them cursing; the people of the eight desolate clans were cursing too. They had domain gates, but the consumption was heart-wrenching.

"It's not mine, so I don't feel the pain." Ye Chen emerged from a transmission passage again, linked with his clone, and shattered the transmission array.

He had been doing this all along, traveling from one ancient city to the next, destroying transmission arrays one by one, and occasionally capturing a few members of the desolate clans.

In the dead of night, he evaded pursuit and sneaked into another ancient city, entering the transmission passage and leaving a life clone behind.

"At this rate, we should be out of Xi Mo before dawn." Xi Zun said, holding a wine flask, while also using secret techniques to observe the outside world. Gazing at the blood-red heavens, he couldn't help but sigh.

Once, Xi Mo had been a pure land, even at night shrouded in harmonious light, with Buddhist incense wafting everywhere.

But now, this land was overshadowed by desolate energy, cloaked in bloody darkness like a hellish realm.

Though no longer a Buddhist, Xi Zun still felt a karmic attachment to it. Seeing the former holy land of Buddhism in such ruins pained him deeply, though he blamed only the bloody laws for it.

"Have you ever hated me? Because of me, the Buddhist spirit mountains were destroyed." Ye Chen smiled, drinking his wine, his expression nostalgic as vivid memories of past glorious days flashed before him.

"Buddhism emphasizes karma, but we interfered in others' karma and reaped our own calamity. How could we blame you, Brother Ye?" Xi Zun replied with a faint smile, his voice hoarse and his demeanor world-weary.

"Since you've left the monastic life, eat meat in big chunks and drink wine in big gulps." Kui Niu grinned, handing over a basin of hot meat soup.

"Wine and meat pass through the guts, but the Buddha remains in the heart. Life is for living freely." That rascal Li Changsheng laughed heartily, ever the optimist, carefree to a fault.

"I like hearing that." Xi Zun smiled and didn't refuse, taking the meat soup. Now, compared to his former self, he carried a touch of recklessness, having seen through life and death. Even Buddhists had their emotions and desires.

Ye Chen smiled quietly, just sipping his wine. The absence of Buddhas in Xi Mo didn't mean Buddhas were gone from the world. The Buddha Emperor's legacy spread across the heavens, and the incense of faith would reignite.

The return journey was filled with lively chatter, perhaps from spending so much time with Ye Chen, as everyone, including Xi Zun, seemed to gain more vitality.

As Ye Chen had once said in the human path, his greatest pride in life wasn't slaughtering emperors, but bringing such vibrancy to the people of this land.

As they spoke, they reached the passage exit. Beyond this sky, they would be closer to Zhongzhou, where most of his old friends were.

"Homeward!" Ye Chen laughed and stepped out of the passage.

But the moment he emerged, before he could even catch his breath, a chill ran down his spine—a piercing pain. Someone had ambushed him, and the attacker was a quasi-emperor level expert.

"Watch out!" Kui Niu roared, his face turning pale as he saw a divine light shooting toward them.

Ye Chen reacted without needing the warning, stepping away in an instant and soaring into the sky, dodging the destructive divine light.

Yet, before he could steady himself, a sword beam suddenly manifested from the side, dark and icy, slashing toward him.

It was a killing strike, and the assailant was also at quasi-emperor level. The timing and position were precisely calculated, anticipating Ye Chen's escape route before unleashing the fatal blow.

Ye Chen's expression turned grave. In that split second, he used Tai Xu teleportation to avoid the vital points, but he still took a hit.

Blood splattered vividly. One of his arms was severed, and at the wound, a black ethereal light flickered, dissipating his essence. The injury not only failed to heal but even began to spread, with killing intent invading his body, rampaging through his meridians and cultivation roots.

That wasn't the end. A third quasi-emperor hidden in the shadows struck, firing a red killing arrow.

The arrow was like a ghostly flash, carrying immense power, piercing Ye Chen's sacred body and severely wounding his primordial spirit, nearly killing him on the spot.

Ye Chen fled upward into the sky, and when he finally stopped, he vomited blood wildly. The three quasi-emperors' combined kills had landed two hits on him. Without his quasi-emperor weapon's protection, he would likely have been obliterated.

Everything had happened without warning, and the ambushers were quasi-emperor level. Even Ye Chen was caught off guard.

"Old Seven!" Kui Niu's eyes turned blood-red with worry, and Xi Zun and Li Changsheng wore equally grim expressions.

"I'm not done for yet." Ye Chen staggered but bit down and steadied himself, clutching his bleeding right arm. His pair of dazzling golden eyes shone brightly as he coldly stared at the three directions in the void.

"Even three killing strikes couldn't finish you—I've underestimated you." From the eastern sky, a ethereal laugh echoed, and a golden-robed elder materialized, baring his white teeth. He was the one who had fired the first divine light.

"Shang Yang Zhenren." Kui Niu and Xi Zun said in unison, recognizing the golden-robed elder as a formidable foe.

"Today will be a great harvest." In the western sky, a second quasi-emperor appeared, a silver-robed elder, the very one who had severed Ye Chen's arm. A true quasi-emperor, his old eyes gleamed like a viper's, radiating a sinister light that made anyone he stared at feel a chill run through their body.

"Shang Yin Zhenren." Once again, Kui Niu and Xi Zun spoke together, their fists clenching with a crack.

"A mere saint—quite the surprise." From the northern void, a yin笑 emerged, and a fourth quasi-emperor revealed himself, a white-robed elder whose form shifted between illusion and solidity. He was the one who had shot the arrow through Ye Chen.

"Shang E Zhenren." Unsurprisingly, Kui Niu and Xi Zun knew him too, their faces growing even colder, eyes flashing with killing intent.

"Shang Shan, you old dog, stop hiding—show yourself!" Ye Chen said flatly, glancing toward the southern sky.

As he spoke, the void there twisted, and a black-robed elder materialized, his lips curved in a mocking smile. His quasi-emperor aura surged; it was indeed Shang Shan.

"This grand gift—do you like it?" Shang Shan chuckled darkly, his voice eerie and terrifying. "To catch you, my Yan Tian Dao Gong mobilized five quasi-emperors. It took quite the effort."

"What a Yan Tian Dao Gong—such grand style from you seniors." Ye Chen sneered, having heard of this lineage. It was a reclusive sect, little known to the world, an absolute titan, mysterious, fearsome, and powerful.

"You managed to evade my divination—you're the first saint to do so." Another figure appeared, shrouded entirely in black robes, his true face hidden. Only his eyes glowed with an abyssal light, and merely glancing at them made one feel their mind being swallowed.

This was Yan Tian Lao Zu, the master of Shang Shan, Shang E, Shang Yang, and Shang Yin—a peerless powerhouse.

"To receive praise from a senior like you, this junior is truly honored." Ye Chen's expression was calm, though his eyes narrowed slightly. From Yan Tian Lao Zu, he sensed a vibe similar to Da Chu's Nine Emperors, meaning his combat prowess was no less than theirs, far surpassing the four Shang quasi-emperors. As a quasi-emperor master, his terror was unimaginable.

"Remove your mask." Yan Tian Lao Zu said, standing still, his voice ethereal and desolate. "Such brilliance means you're no obscure figure. I'm quite curious about your identity."

"I'm surprised that a powerhouse of your caliber would stoop to being a desolate clan's lapdog." Ye Chen wiped the blood from his mouth, showing no fear despite being surrounded by five quasi-emperors.

"I'm not interested in the grievances between the heavens and the desolate clans." Yan Tian Lao Zu replied, unfazed by the insult, his eerie laugh growing stronger, a sound that could disrupt one's mind.

"The world is truly bleak. I survived the desolate clans only to fall to fellow cultivators of the heavens." Ye Chen staggered and vomited blood again, his laughter laced with sarcasm.

No sooner had he spoken than the heavens of Xi Mo rumbled and shook.

Looking out, imperial immortal lights shot up from all directions—eight supreme emperor weapons sealing the entire realm, each wisp of their aura capable of collapsing the eternal blue sky.

Then came the surging desolate energy, rolling in waves.

The desolate great clans arrived, pouring out from transmission domain gates like a vast sea of people—some flying on swords, some soaring through the air, some driving ancient war chariots. They blanketed the skies and covered the vast earth.

The eight clans' formation was so massive it eclipsed the starlight.

Gazing out, their faces were savage and terrifying, twisted in ferocity, with fangs gleaming under the moon and eyes burning with violent, bloodthirsty red.

This heaven and earth couldn't withstand the desolate pressure, crumbling inch by inch, all laws turning illusory.

"Run! Keep running!" The quasi-emperors of the Qiong Qi clan, Tao Wu clan, Tao Tie clan, Jin Ni clan, Gui Jian clan, Teng She clan, Qiu Niu clan, and Tian Xie clan arrived one after another, sweeping in with overwhelming killing intent, as savage as demons.

"I'm tired—let's rest a bit." Ye Chen coughed up blood, his face pale. The earlier consecutive wounds still had killing forces rampaging inside him, making it unbearable.

"Old Seven, use Hua Yu Wei Chen." Kui Niu urged hastily. "We're not ones to fight losing battles. Heal first, then regroup and strike back one by one."

"It's no use." Ye Chen replied via divine sense. "With eight emperor weapons sealing the heavens, even the strongest divine concealment can't escape the illusion."

"Damn it." Li Changsheng cursed under his breath. "We've survived great waves, only to capsize in a ditch. That damned Yan Tian Dao Gong—a bunch of desolate lapdogs, they deserve to be torn to pieces."

"Eight emperor weapons, nearly ten million cultivators, over twenty quasi-emperors—is this a dead end?" Xi Zun's fists bled from clenching.

"Die!" The desolate clan members trapped in the bronze furnace all grinned hideously, content to see Ye Chen surrounded even in death. The sight was immensely satisfying.

"So happy?" Ye Chen glanced at them.

"Submit to execution!" That old dog Shang Shan roared, striking a self-righteous pose, as if Ye Chen had committed some unforgivable crime against him.

"What's the rush?" Ye Chen chuckled leisurely, wiping the blood from his mouth. "Since you've all shown me such face, let's make it lively."

With that, he stirred his intent, releasing his cultivation seal. It was just as well—his heavenly tribulation and divine punishment could no longer be suppressed.