Chapter 1947: Ruthless

The Black-Clad Great Saint trembled violently, staggering backward with a look of utter disbelief.

Everyone from the Yao Ming Clan was the same, their bodies shaking and faces pale. The fury in their eyes had turned to terror because of the appearance of the Chaos Cauldron. They weren't afraid of the cauldron itself, but of its owner—a god of slaughter, a terrifying killer.

Boom!

As all were stunned, the Chaos Cauldron unleashed its full power. Its body quaked and expanded instantly to the size of a mountain, crushing the hundreds of magical artifacts that the Black-Clad Great Saint had summoned, one after another.

Pfft!

The Black-Clad Great Saint suffered backlash again, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood and plummeting from the sky for the second time.

In that moment, the heavens and earth fell eerily silent.

All eyes were fixed on Ye Chen. Though he wore a bamboo hat and used secret techniques to conceal his true appearance, everyone from the Yao Ming Clan knew it was the Sacred Body Ye Chen.

Ye Chen, the holy lord of the Heavenly Court, the emperor of Great Chu, the undefeated war god. He had slaughtered emperors more than once and forged legends time and again. He was a living myth in this world.

"Ye Chen, he's actually the Sacred Body Ye Chen." The Yao Ming Holy Lord’s eyes dimmed. The killing sword he gripped slipped from his hand unintentionally. He seemed to lose all vitality, collapsing to the ground. His laughter was self-mocking, pale, and feeble.

"Ye Chen, he's actually the Sacred Body Ye Chen." The people of the Yao Ming Clan were like their holy lord, stripped of all support. The so-called flames of hope were completely extinguished because of that name.

"Ye Chen, he's actually the Sacred Body Ye Chen." The Black-Clad Great Saint, who had fallen from the sky, stumbled unsteadily on the ground. Though he was at the Great Saint level, he couldn't help but tilt his head back to gaze at that war god.

"Impossible, this is impossible." The red-haired youth, who was restrained, found this the hardest to accept. If not for seeing the Chaos Cauldron, he wouldn't have realized what kind of existence he had provoked. Just the name Ye Chen alone struck fear across the entire starry sky—it was a symbol.

In the heavens and earth, only his roar echoed, loud and piercing.

Looking at the Yao Ming Clan members, from the Great Saints down to the juniors, they had all fallen into despair. Now that they knew it was the Sacred Body, there was no point in fighting. Even a clan as powerful as the Hong Huang Clan had been wiped out. The Yao Ming Clan was no match at all. In fact, if Great Chu wanted to destroy the Yao Ming Clan, it could do so in a single breath.

Yet, Ye Chen did not stop his slaughter because of this. His killing sword still rang out sharply.

Under the moonlight, one figure after another was extinguished, including juniors, the holy lord, and the Black-Clad Great Saint. Without exception, all died under his sword. The god of slaughter in the night showed no mercy whatsoever.

When Ye Chen walked away, the Yao Ming Immortal Mountain behind him collapsed with a tremendous boom, turning a paradise into ruins and burying countless lives. Every fragment of stone and debris was stained with the blood of the Yao Ming Clan.

Ye Chen left, wearing his cloak and carrying the bloodstained killing sword. His murderous aura soared, making his cloak flutter wildly.

Beneath the cloak, his face showed no emotion, calm as still water. His eyes were deep and devoid of light, as if exterminating an entire clan had caused no significant ripple in his state of mind.

This was the god of slaughter—his heart had grown cold, devoid of emotion.

Perhaps from all the trials and tribulations he had endured, witnessing endless killing, he had become ruthless. His long journey was paved with fresh blood and trodden on bones. His path would forever be accompanied by mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"Impossible, this is impossible." Gazing at the ruins of the Yao Ming Clan, the red-haired youth seemed possessed, muttering incoherently. His mind had shattered, breaking apart inch by inch and dissipating into wisps of ethereal mist.

He died with regret, never understanding the connection between Ye Chen and those two from the Star Sea. For their sake, the Archaic Sacred Body had wiped out his entire clan.

Ye Chen said nothing, walking slowly onward under the moonlight, gradually fading into the distance. His silhouette was desolate.

Once he left the ancient star, he saw a figure approaching through the void. It seemed to have traveled a long distance, covered in dust.

It was the Human King, who had finally emerged from his dream, resolving his karma with Yue Hua. Yet, he had sensed the upheaval and hurried here. Ye Chen had taken ten years to travel that path, but the Human King arrived in just one day.

"What happened?" The Human King frowned, staring at Ye Chen. Seeing Ye Chen covered in blood and radiating murderous aura, he could easily guess that Ye Chen had unleashed a great slaughter on this ancient star.

"I disturbed the heavenly tribulation." Ye Chen sighed, waving his hand to send out a jade slip. It contained the full details of the events, including the Wine Sword Immortal and the Jade Lake Immortal Mother, as well as the recently destroyed Yao Ming Clan.

The Human King crushed the jade slip and read the divine sense within.

Instantly, his face turned extremely grim. Icy killing intent spread from him as the center, causing the vast starry sky to freeze inch by inch.

Ye Chen felt hate and anger—how could the Human King not? If it had been him, he would have exterminated the clan nine times over.

"Is there a way to reverse it?" Ye Chen asked.

"None." The Human King's answer was blunt, his face growing even darker. "This goes beyond disturbing the tribulation—it's also creating karma. This was originally a mix of calamity and opportunity, but now the calamity will completely overshadow the opportunity. Whether they can survive the tribulation depends on the fate of the Wine Sword Immortal and the Immortal Mother."

As he spoke, the Human King clenched his fists, his eyes full of guilt.

He blamed himself—how could he not? If he hadn't been so enamored with the mortal world and unwilling to leave that dream, Ye Chen wouldn't have set out alone. If he had been there earlier, he might have used great divine powers to alter fate against the heavens. But now, it was too late; the tribulation had been disturbed.

"Is this the decree of fate?" Ye Chen murmured, uttering the words he hated most. He didn't believe in fate's decree, only in human effort overcoming destiny. Yet today, the heavens were toying with them again.

For a long time, neither moved.

Ye Chen stood still, waiting for the Human King—perhaps in the next moment, the Human King would deliver that devastating news.

The Human King remained still, calculating. The more he calculated, the deeper his brows furrowed, because the life force of the Wine Sword Immortal and the Jade Lake Immortal Mother was gradually weakening, like a candle flame that could extinguish at any time.

"Are you out of your mind? What did I ever do to you?" As the two fell silent, a loud shout echoed through the starry sky, shattering the calm.

Looking into the distance, they saw a young man in purple robes. His hair was wildly disheveled, a wine flask at his waist, and an immortal sword on his back. He seemed to be fleeing from pursuit, scrambling through the stars with awkward rolls and tumbles. As a Saint King, he was running at a speed that rivaled a Great Saint's, like a gust of wind with lightning.

Behind him was a plump old man—more precisely, a bald, plump old man with a remarkably dark face and fiery eyes. He wielded a club and was chasing the purple-robed youth with all his might. This old man was no ordinary foe; he was a peak Great Saint.

"You brat, give me back my divine pearl!" The old man shouted as he chased, his voice booming.

"What divine pearl? I found it!" The purple-robed youth retorted with a pout, not slowing down at all. A peak Great Saint was being left thousands of zhang behind by him.

The two raced on, both at top speed. As they passed the Human King and Ye Chen, they glanced over briefly—nothing more—before streaking across the starry sky, one ahead and one behind.

Perhaps too focused, Ye Chen and the Human King didn't even look their way, still preoccupied with the Immortal Mother and the Wine Sword Immortal.

It wasn't until some time later that the Human King sighed and shook his head. "It's hopeless!"

With that one word, Ye Chen's heart sank. They were two quasi-emperors who had shown him great kindness. If they died, the regret would be immense.

The most troubling part wasn't even that—it was that his interference would affect everyone involved in the tribulation. Who knew how many would fail because of this? The consequences were severe.

"We'll have to see how fate unfolds." The Human King sighed again and started walking.

"I hope no calamity befalls them." Ye Chen murmured softly and followed.

"Hmm?" The Human King, who had only taken a couple of steps ahead, suddenly stopped and turned to Ye Chen. "Earlier, did a plump old man and a purple-robed youth fly past?"

"Yes."

"This feeling..." The Human King muttered, calculating while instinctively looking back.

As he calculated, he suddenly sprang into action, his tone urgent. "Quick, chase them!"

Ye Chen was stunned, bewildered, and followed. "Is there a problem?"

"He's alive—he's actually still alive." The Human King's expression was incredibly excited.

"You're referring to...?" Seeing the Human King like this, Ye Chen grew even more puzzled. It was the first time he'd seen him so agitated.

"Lin Xing, the Fate-Creating God King." The Human King said excitedly, his voice trembling.

With that, his speed surged to its absolute peak in an instant.

For this, he even drew upon the power of the Human Emperor's soul.