Chapter 2443: Retreat

The boundless sky instantly collapsed, unable to withstand the oppressive pressure of the mysterious Sheng Ti's palm.

Ye Chen was not one to simply take a beating. He shattered the heavens with a single step and unleashed a heaven-defying sword strike, carving out a magnificent river of stars that split the world and shattered the universe.

Boom!

The river of stars collided with the palm print, producing a thunderous roar that shook the nine heavens. The ruined ancient city turned to dust on the spot, and the resentful spirits and souls within it wailed as they vanished into nothingness.

Ye Chen staggered backward, crushing layers of void beneath his feet.

"This..." Kui Niu and Xiao Yuan Huang were stunned, finding it hard to believe.

Upon entering this Burial God Ancient Ground, everyone's cultivation had been suppressed to the Quasi-Emperor first level, and the opponent was no exception. Yet, with just a casual palm, he had forced Ye Chen back. Just how powerful was he?

Bei Sheng's expression grew serious as she watched Ye Chen. If what Ye Chen had told her was true, the black-robed figure opposite them was a Sheng Ti, and one that had activated its Xue Ji Xian Jie at that.

One was in a normal state, the other in Xue Ji Xian Jie state—it was no surprise he was outmatched.

Ye Chen steadied himself without a word. His sword strike had been a probe, but it revealed nothing about the mysterious Sheng Ti's true strength—it was unfathomably deep. As the first type of Archaic Sheng Ti, it truly dominated the heavens and earth. In a real fight, he was no match, unless he too entered the Xue Ji Xian Jie state.

The mysterious Sheng Ti said with a sinister laugh:"Give you an opportunity, submit to me."

His laughter echoed eerily through the nine heavens, carrying a demonic allure, especially his eyes, which manifested destructive visions and flickered with enchanting dark light.

Ye Chen smiled and said:"I'm afraid I'll disappoint you, senior."

The corners of the mysterious Sheng Ti's mouth curved up slightly as he vanished in an instant.

When he reappeared, he was right in front of Ye Chen. With one finger brimming with void light and laden with destruction, he struck directly at the primordial spirit—a lethal technique capable of instantly killing an emperor-level figure.

Ye Chen reacted sharply, instantly using Fei Lei Shen to evade the kill and ascend to the nine heavens. With a flip of his hand, he summoned the Di Dao Fu Xi eighty-one formations, attempting to seal the mysterious Sheng Ti.

Unfortunately, he had underestimated his opponent, who completely ignored the Di Dao Fu Xi.

The mysterious Sheng Ti said:"You fall far short."

He advanced through the air, each step infused with the essence of the Great Dao. His movements were illusory and elusive, leaving trails of afterimages that made his true form impossible to pinpoint. Beneath his feet, a pitch-black sea of thunder formed, with lightning bolts tearing through it, carrying destructive power. The ancient universe was thrown into chaos because of it, and the so-called laws and yin-yang became meaningless within that thunder sea.

Boom! Rumble!

The space that had just healed began to shatter inch by inch, unable to bear the thunder sea's pressure. It swallowed the heavens and destroyed the earth, like a vast black ocean, making anyone in its presence seem as insignificant as a grain of rice.

Amid the rumbling, Ye Chen was engulfed.

Only upon entering the thunder sea did he realize its terror—it not only sealed but also dissolved. Much of his Sheng Ti's vital blood was dissolved, and even his Sheng Ti's origin struggled against the devouring force. In such a strange thunder sea, lingering too long would reduce him to ashes.

"Open!"

Ye Chen snorted coldly, slashing through the thunder sea with his sword like a leaping dragon emerging. He collided head-on with the mysterious Sheng Ti, who appeared like a ghost, his form indistinct.

Roar!

A dragon's roar echoed as Ye Chen's Ba Bu Tian Long manifested, radiating golden light for miles.

Roar!

A second, even mightier roar followed, shaking the heavens—this was the mysterious Sheng Ti's Ba Bu Tian Long. Unlike Ye Chen's, these eight colossal dragons were pitch-black, making for a striking contrast of gold and black against the vast sky.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Both sets of Ba Bu Tian Long clashed, each with eight divine dragon tails swinging furiously.

Pfft!

Ye Chen spat blood as his sacred body cracked and holy blood sprayed out. His Ba Bu Tian Long shattered completely, no match for the mysterious Sheng Ti's. It was as if the opponent's was the true original—larger and more powerful in every way, nearly shattering Ye Chen's sacred body entirely.

"This is way too strong," Xiao Yuan Huang muttered, swallowing hard.

"That guy is also a Sheng Ti, and one that's activated its Xue Ji Xian Jie?" Kui Niu's face darkened. He had witnessed the might of Ba Bu Tian Long before, but this was the first time he'd seen it defeated so utterly—in fact, completely crushed by the opponent's Ba Bu Tian Long.

Zing!

A sword's hum rang out as Bei Sheng charged into the heavens, wielding a battered emperor sword and unleashing numerous secret techniques. A fairy mark etched her brow, her full combat power activated as she launched a heaven-defying sword strike.

The mysterious Sheng Ti sneered disdainfully and swept out with a palm, obliterating the universe.

Pfft!

Bei Sheng of the Xuan Huang realm was drenched in fresh blood, defeated in utter disarray, unable to block even a single palm.

Hey!

Xiao Yuan Huang snorted coldly, transforming into a colossal ape form. Every hair on his body was like a golden steel needle entwined with thunder essence, as if the Dou Zhan Sheng Huang had descended, his aura fiercely dominant. Gripping his black gold iron staff, he smashed down from the sky—this was his peak strike, capable of shattering a hundred thousand mountains.

The mysterious Sheng Ti didn't even glance his way, simply raising a palm.

Pfft!

Xiao Yuan Huang coughed up blood as his massive ape body exploded on the spot. Fresh blood poured down like a torrential rain, and the flying blood and bones shattered mid-fall. Even the black gold iron staff in his hand broke, crashing to the ground and creating a bloody crater.

"Take this from me, old cow!"

Kui Niu charged in, his axe inscribed with seal scripts and fused with endless secret arts, enhanced by Dao principles and domineering thunder emperor essence. Before it even landed, the heavens had already split.

The mysterious Sheng Ti ignored it entirely, activating his Wai Xiang Ba Ti.

Clang!

Kui Niu's axe struck like it had hit steel, failing to breach the Wai Xiang Ba Ti or harm the mysterious Sheng Ti at all. Instead, Kui Niu was flung back, his axe shattering and the hand holding it exploding into a mist of blood. He flew farther than Xiao Yuan Huang and was injured worse than Bei Sheng.

"Retreat."

Ye Chen steadied himself and sent a message to the three of them. This Sheng Ti was no ordinary one—it belonged to the first type, with bloodline and origin far purer than his, and it was in the Xue Ji Xian Jie state. Even he couldn't handle it, let alone emperor-level figures.

Though he didn't know the grudge between the first type of Sheng Ti and his second type, this one clearly intended to destroy him. The raw killing intent was unmistakable.

The mysterious Sheng Ti said with a sinister laugh:"A bunch of ants."

Ye Chen said calmly:"As fellow Archaic Sheng Ti, why such hatred?"

The mysterious Sheng Ti smirked and said:"You lot don't even deserve to be called Sheng Ti?"

He advanced step by step through the sky, his body as heavy as a mountain, each footfall collapsing the vast expanse.

Ye Chen fell silent, no longer holding back. He instantly pushed his combat power to its peak, activating Da Lun Hui Tian Zang, Sheng Dao Xian Zang, and numerous other secret techniques to boost his strength, all in a single moment.

In the darkness, he shone even brighter, his golden sacred body enveloped in dazzling divine glory. Dao principles manifested around him, weaving into profound laws, and the sounds of the Great Dao echoed—this was his path, the chaotic Dao of all things.

The mysterious Sheng Ti sneered:"Overestimating yourself."

He threw a punch that pierced through the universe.

Ye Chen showed no fear, advancing instead of retreating, merging his Nine Dao Ba Huang into one.

Boom!

Their fists collided, collapsing the heavens and earth. A layer of silent destructive halo spread infinitely, shattering space wherever it went. Even Bei Sheng and the others had to summon protective immortal light.

In this head-on clash, fresh blood sprayed like a rain of light.

Ye Chen was forced back again, his fist bones exploding. Though he had activated various forbidden arts to enhance his power, the mysterious Sheng Ti was no pushover, bolstered by his own secret techniques. The opponent's combat power still surpassed his, with origin and bloodline suppressing him, and the most troublesome aspect being the Xue Ji Xian Jie state.

The mysterious Sheng Ti said flatly:"How dull."

Before Ye Chen could steady himself, the mysterious Sheng Ti appeared like a ghost again, unleashing a silent finger strike wreathed in black seal scripts, aiming to destroy Ye Chen's primordial spirit and physical form.

In a flash of lightning, Ye Chen activated Di Dao Miao Miao, attempting to etherealize his body.

To his shock, this emperor-level immortal art was useless against the mysterious Sheng Ti—his body couldn't etherealize, as if he had been locked in place by that finger.

Pfft!

Golden blood spurted out as Ye Chen's shoulder was pierced. This was still under the condition that he had used Tai Xu Shifting; otherwise, it would have been his skull.