Chapter 1944: Saint King Fights Great Sage

As he spoke, the red-haired youth released the restraints on Yao Chi Xian Mu and flicked his finger, sending a second beam of immortal light into Jiu Jian Xian's body. Jiu Jian Xian, already in a state worse than death, was plunged into even greater agony, teetering on the edge of complete breakdown.

"Do not even think about ending your own life, because in my presence, you do not even have the right to die." The red-haired youth's laugh was like that of a demon, or perhaps a mad demon, for his greatest pleasure lay in toying with mortals, and to achieve this, he spared no effort in employing every evil method at his disposal.

"Go away!" Jiu Jian Xian's roar came from the depths of his soul.

"Noisy." The red-haired youth snorted coldly and waved his hand, sending a third beam of immortal light into Jiu Jian Xian's body.

"Urgh." Jiu Jian Xian clutched his head and collapsed to the ground.

"I'll do it, I'll strip." Yao Chi Xian Mu choked back sobs, realizing what the red-haired youth wanted—it was simply to humiliate others. As long as she could save her beloved, she did not mind setting aside her dignity as a woman.

"That's more like it!" The red-haired youth laughed.

"You bastard." No sooner had the red-haired youth finished speaking than a furious shout echoed from the depths of the Xing Hai, infused with cultivation power like ancient thunder, causing massive waves to surge through the Xing Hai.

"Who is it?" The red-haired youth's laughter stopped abruptly as he narrowed his eyes and stared ahead, his brows furrowing, for he sensed pressure from that shout—the speaker was incredibly strong.

Bang!

With a tremendous boom, the Xing Hai trembled, and towering waves rose. Amid the brilliant starlight, a blurry figure materialized, stepping out slowly, one firm step at a time, as heavy as a mountain. Rolling killing intent intertwined with chilling murderous aura, causing the surging Xing He to freeze inch by inch, while visions of destruction took shape, as if the one emerging from the depths of the Xing Hai were a supreme demon god.

The newcomer was none other than Ye Chen, the Huang Gu Sheng Ti.

He had originally left but turned back upon seeing the red-haired youth, witnessing everything from start to finish.

There were several moments when he had nearly intervened.

However, he knew that acting rashly would disrupt the destined tribulation, potentially leading to the destruction of the two. Yet now, he had no choice but to step in.

The red-haired youth was clearly intent on tormenting them, and if Ye Chen did not intervene, Yao Chi Xian Mu would suffer great humiliation and possibly die. Even if the red-haired youth spared Jiu Jian Xian and he survived the tribulation, he would be plagued by guilt for life—a mental torment worse than death.

As he spoke, Ye Chen came to a stop.

He ignored the red-haired youth entirely, waving his hand to send a strand of divine light into Jiu Jian Xian's body, erasing the poison curse within, and then guiding him to Yao Chi Xian Mu's side.

"You can actually break my poison curse." The red-haired youth chuckled eerily.

"So what?" Ye Chen's words were calm.

"So, I will make you wish you were dead." The red-haired youth laughed and suddenly raised his hand, reaching through the void toward Ye Chen. Even before it fully landed, it crushed the space of the Xing Yu—a strike from a Da Sheng level, terrifying enough to instantly annihilate a Sheng Wang at the peak.

Ye Chen said nothing, responding only with his most powerful attack. He clenched his golden fist, etched with seal scripts that fused hundreds of divine abilities and were enhanced by Hun Dun Dao Ze, making his punch utterly dominant.

Boom!

Fist met palm with a thunderous crash, shaking the Xing Hai.

Ye Chen stood like an eternal monument, unmoving, his cloak billowing and his long hair fluttering. Perched on the Xing Hai, he embodied a legend, an eternal myth.

As for the red-haired youth, he staggered back dozens of steps before barely halting, spitting out fresh blood, his palm and fingers mangled and bloody.

"How is it possible for a Sheng Wang?" The red-haired youth's eyes were bloodshot, filled with shock. He was a Da Sheng, able to crush a Sheng Wang with a casual wave, yet here he was, utterly defeated by one in a single blow.

Not only was he shocked, but Jiu Jian Xian and Yao Chi Xian Mu, supporting each other nearby, were stunned into stillness. A Da Sheng and a Sheng Wang were separated by just one realm, yet the difference was like heaven and earth—their combat levels were not even comparable. How could a Sheng Wang force a Da Sheng to spit blood? It was inconceivable.

Little did they know, this Sheng Wang was no ordinary one. He was the Huang Gu Sheng Ti, invincible in his realm, who had slain great emperors and forged immortal myths. Every one of his legends was heaven-defying, and at the peak of Sheng Wang, he could stand against a Da Sheng.

"Who exactly are you?" The red-haired youth roared, glaring at Ye Chen with a ferocious, terrifying expression.

Unfortunately, Ye Chen wore a cloak and used secret techniques to conceal his true appearance, making it impossible for even a Da Sheng's eyes to penetrate. All the red-haired youth could sense was a terrifying power lurking within Ye Chen.

"You do not need to know who I am. You only need to understand that you will pay a heavy price for your actions today." Ye Chen's words remained calm, his expression as still as an ancient well, devoid of emotion.

Those who knew him understood that the calmer he was, the more dangerous he became—like a primordial beast that had slumbered for eons, on the verge of awakening. His anger would bring blood and destruction.

"Arrogant!" The red-haired youth bellowed, his surging Qi Xue erupting as he unleashed his peak power in an instant. He thrust out a palm, summoning a vast sea of blood that roared with blood dragons within it. Anyone swallowed by it would be doomed to eternal unrest—this blood sea had claimed countless lives over the centuries.

Ye Chen did not advance but retreated, slashing out with a palm like a divine blade, cleaving the blood sea in two.

The red-haired youth suffered backlash, spitting blood as he retreated.

Before he could steady himself, Ye Chen struck like a ghost, his finger of divine light piercing through the youth's chest, creating a gruesome bloody hole from front to back, with scarlet blood gushing out.

The red-haired youth gritted his teeth and instantly fled backward, dodging the fatal blow.

From his body, beams of divine light shot out continuously.

Upon closer inspection, those beams were ancient war banners, arrayed in all directions to form a killing formation that trapped Ye Chen within. Silent thunder rampaged through the array.

"Die!" The red-haired youth grinned viciously, full of confidence in this formation.

However, he had chosen the wrong opponent.

If this had been thirty years ago, he might have had a chance to kill Ye Chen with such a formation.

But things were different now. In the past thirty years, Ye Chen had thoroughly comprehended the Di Dao Fu Xi's ninety-nine formations. His mastery in breaking and creating arrays surpassed the red-haired youth's—such a mere formation could not contain a supreme war god.

In an instant, Ye Chen shattered the array and burst out like a soaring dragon.

The red-haired youth's face changed drastically. Before he could recover from his shock, he retreated while firing thunderbolts from his eyes, targeting Ye Chen's Yuan Shen directly. With this Yuan Shen secret technique, he had slain many foes before.

Ye Chen's expression remained unchanged as he countered with Shen Shang, neutralizing the thunderbolts, then struck with a palm from midair, shattering the youth's body and turning the flying blood and bones to ash.

"I don't believe it." The red-haired youth howled.

Suddenly, a buzzing sound erupted as a beam of immortal light shot from his brow, transforming into a divine mirror. It was entirely red, engraved with divine patterns and emitting a demonic glow that could disrupt one's mind—this was his natal Dharma artifact, now a Da Sheng level treasure, crushing the Xing Tian inch by inch.

Ye Chen was overwhelmingly dominant, wielding no weapons, only his golden fist. His Huang Gu Sheng Ti was the ultimate divine weapon, having once clashed bare-handed with ultimate emperor artifacts—how could he fear a mere Da Sheng treasure?

Boom!

With a massive explosion, the red-haired youth's natal divine mirror was shattered by Ye Chen's fist, its fragments scattering like radiant stars.

Pfft!

The destruction of his natal artifact backfired on him, sending the red-haired youth tumbling through the air, his body exploding in several places from the rebound, with his Yuan Shen and Dao Gen also affected.

It was a devastating blow, crushing his spirit. All previous defeats paled in comparison—his painstakingly refined natal artifact had been like a mere toy, destroyed in an instant. Even a Da Sheng's mindset was on the brink of collapse.

"Who are you, exactly?" The youth roared again, his eyes blood-red, as if bleeding. In just a few exchanges, he, a mighty Da Sheng, had been defeated more miserably each time.

In response, Ye Chen struck with a palm that blocked out the sky, as heavy as an eight-thousand-zhang mountain, turning the brilliant starlight to nothingness.

Pfft!

The red-haired youth vomited blood and was forced to his knees, his body nearly pulverized into pulp.

Ah!

With a earth-shattering scream, he forcibly withstood Ye Chen's palm and escaped a thousand zhang away, resorting to forbidden techniques. Divine patterns etched across his brow, his red hair turned even more scarlet, and lightning tore through his body, intertwining with Dao Ze to form mysterious visions.

In that moment, his aura surged to a new level, surpassing Ye Chen's, and his body fully regenerated.

The overwhelming pressure spread across the Xing Hai, forcing Jiu Jian Xian and Yao Chi Xian Mu to nearly kneel—once again, this was due to their destined tribulation, where they were merely in the Huang realm, not Quasi-Emperors.

"You brought this upon yourself—all of it!" From the other side, the red-haired youth, empowered by his forbidden technique, charged at Ye Chen with torrents of demonic killing intent. His demonic eyes were laced with blood vessels, turning blood-red, his face twisted and hideous, more terrifying than any ghost or demon.

"You are far from enough." Ye Chen's words were cold and majestic, echoing through the nine heavens.

The battle erupted, with the Xing Hai churning and the sky fracturing.

The red-haired youth, boosted by his forbidden technique, was indeed formidable, unleashing secret techniques relentlessly and turning the heavens into a wasteland. His rage made him fight like a madman, heedless of the cost, intent on crippling Ye Chen and planting an evil curse to make him kneel forever.

Yet, he underestimated Ye Chen once more.

Ye Chen had his own forbidden techniques, and they were even more overbearing. His body radiated golden light, dazzling with divine glory, his Sheng Ti forged like pure gold, each strike a peerless secret method.

This was Ye Chen's first time battling a Da Sheng without external aid, and he held the absolute upper hand.

Though the red-haired youth was a Da Sheng with superior cultivation, he could not compare in one key aspect: mental state. Ye Chen had slain great emperors, gaining insights beyond the youth's comprehension. In the essence of combat, he lagged light-years behind the Huang Gu Sheng Ti.

Thus, he suffered defeat after defeat, beaten by Ye Chen until he could not lift his head, his body shattering repeatedly and his Yuan Shen severely damaged multiple times, nearly perishing several times over.