Chapter 2458: Intercepting the Two

In the dim and ancient burial ground, mournful cries echoed through the skies. Looking down from high above, the vast expanse was filled with dark and menacing Xie Ling, swarming like a tidal wave. Their forms were all grotesque and terrifying, determined to drag all living beings into the depths of the Nine Underworlds.

Even as they surged, more Xie Ling crawled out from the ground, clawing and writhing with piercing wails, carrying waves of malevolence like demons escaped from hell. Their numbers were so overwhelming that it made one’s scalp tingle—those who knew called them Xie Ling, but the unaware might have mistaken them for a swarm of ants.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Countless Xie Ling pressed forward, while the cultivators of the various heavens fought back fiercely, explosions ringing out one after another.

Gazing into the distance, battles raged everywhere—across the skies, the earth, the vast seas, and the mountain peaks. As far as the eye could see, figures clashed: cultivators from the heavens and swarms of dark Xie Ling, locked in a brutal struggle. Some bled out in the void, while others charged into the heavens.

The dim ancient land was shrouded in a layer of blood, drenched and gruesome.

"I say, haven't those two sorted it out yet?"

Xiao Yuan Huang shouted boisterously, standing atop a peak and wielding a broken iron staff with sweeping force. Any Xie Ling that climbed up was smashed to pieces.

The "those two" he referred to were Tianxu Dizi and Ye Chen. They were all fighting desperately to buy time for them, but after so long, the Xie Ling only multiplied, while the cultivators of the heavens dwindled, the losses catastrophic.

"Stop with all the nonsense and just fight!"

Kui Niu roared, even more ferocious than Xiao Yuan Huang. Each strike of his carried the essence of thunderous imperial power, obliterating wave after wave of Xie Ling.

"Something must have gone wrong."

The Forbidden Zone Young Emperor's eyes flickered with light and shadow as he gazed into the depths from time to time. He had long heard the rumbling sounds, signaling a great battle within. Now, an even stronger sense of unease gripped him—a trembling in his soul, as if a demonic god was awakening in the darkness and heading their way.

Sure enough, under their watchful eyes, two blood-soaked figures—one man and one woman—were sent flying out from the murky depths, crashing through countless mountains and peaks along the way.

Upon closer inspection, they were Tianxu Dizi and Ji Ningshuang.

"Is Yaochi also in the ancient land?"

"What about Ye Chen?"

"And the mysterious Shengti?"

Various voices intertwined, filled with confusion and surprise.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Amid the bewilderment, a series of rhythmic booms echoed slowly. Listening carefully, it was the sound of footsteps hitting the ground, perhaps because the figure was so immensely heavy that each step made the heavens rumble and the forces of yin and yang tremble.

Ye Chen had arrived, striding through a sea of demonic blood with the Zhuxian Sword in hand. He was like a supreme demonic god, treading the paths of the universe, his blood-red hair whipping wildly as his demonic aura surged like a storm.

"Magicalized again?"

Seeing his form, whether it was the Forbidden Zone Young Emperor or the various heavenly Dizi-level figures, they were all stunned.

The heavenly Dizi-level experts were especially baffled.

How many times was this now? Once in Da Chu, he had thoroughly beaten their brothers and sisters; once in the burial ground, he had boldly thrashed the mysterious Shengti. And now, he had transformed into a demon once more.

They wondered where his demonic nature came from. In Da Chu, it had been erased by the quasi-emperors; in the burial ground, it had been purged by the purifying immortal force. How had it returned?

"The demonic nature hasn't been fully eliminated."

Bei Sheng murmured softly, her jade hand clenched tightly and her teeth gently biting her lip. In that moment she saw Ye Chen, a look of determination flashed in her eyes, as if she had made a difficult decision.

"Retreat! Withdraw from the ancient burial ground!"

As everyone puzzled over this, Tianxu Dizi shouted hoarsely, grabbing Ji Ningshuang and fleeing backward. He wielded his radiant immortal sword, slashing and cutting a bloody path through the enemies.

As for Ji Ningshuang, her condition was poor.

Backlashed by the Dao of Dreams, she teetered on the edge of slipping into a state of confusion. The light in her beautiful eyes had dimmed, her clarity being overshadowed by haze. If things continued, she would truly fall into oblivion.

Retreat!

At the command, the Forbidden Zone Young Emperor, the various heavenly Dizi-level experts, and the treasure-seeking cultivators all pulled back, no longer engaging in battle as they raced toward the ancient land's exit. Ye Chen had magicalized again, even more powerfully than before. Even with Tianxu Dizi and Dong Shen teaming up, they had been defeated miserably—what chance did the others have?

The situation had spiraled out of control. Suppressing Ye Chen in the ancient burial ground was no longer possible. They needed to get out; the heavens still had two Dacheng Shengti on their side, didn't they?

Unfortunately, the world remained unaware that Di Huang and Hongyan had already left.

Woo woo woo!

As the people of the heavens retreated, the swarms of dark Xie Ling pounced forward, their howls merging into a cacophony, laden with demonic energy that disrupted minds. Those who moved too slowly were swallowed up.

Ye Chen laughed mockingly, pursuing them at a leisurely pace, as if strolling through a garden.

Notably, wherever he passed, any Xie Ling tainted by his demonic aura was devoured. Waves of them were extinguished, their essence merging into his body as nourishment. With each Xie Ling he absorbed, his demonic might grew stronger.

Boom! Boom!

The heavens and earth shook incessantly, unable to withstand his pressure. As endless Xie Ling were consumed, his demonic power reached unprecedented heights, infused with even more destructive force.

The vast starry sky, typically desolate, was now teeming with people like a surging tide.

Looking up, the entrance to the ancient burial ground—before that chaotic sea of clouds—was packed with figures, and the surrounding desolate stars were crowded with onlookers.

Earlier, too many had fled from the ancient burial ground, spreading word of the events inside, especially regarding the mysterious Shengti, which had sparked a massive stir across the stars and drawn crowds to witness.

"What a surprise—turns out the heavens have a fourth Huanggu Shengti."

"And those five Young Emperors—what's their background? Never heard of them before!"

"This era is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers."

Discussions buzzed everywhere, mixed with sighs of amazement. If not for their age preventing entry into the ancient burial ground, they would have gone in to see the spectacle for themselves.

Boom! Boom!

As they spoke, the rumbling grew louder, the battle fluctuations from within the ancient land clearly intense. Word from those who had escaped described countless terrifying Xie Ling inside, with the heavens' cultivators suffering heavy losses. Sadly, despite their desire to help, they couldn't enter.

"Things look bad in there, old friend!"

On one side of the crowd, Tianzhu stood with a piece of Yuanshen jade in hand—it belonged to Tianxu Dizi, and its immortal light was fading rapidly.

"That's the first type of Shengti—they didn't think it would be that easy to destroy, did they?"

Dimie shrugged, unfazed by the jade's dimming. He knew the mission assigned by the heavenly kings: to eliminate the first type of Shengti. The difficulty was immense, as expected.

"Ye Chen is in there too, so he should be fine."

Tianzhu put away the jade, reassuring himself. With the five Young Emperors unable to handle it, adding Ye Chen meant they had to make it work.

That guy was quite capable, after all.

Indeed, he was. Ye Chen was wielding the Zhuxian Sword, chasing the heavens' cultivators and slaughtering them in waves, unmatched by anyone. The dim ancient land was stained red with blood.

Boom! Boom!

The starry sky trembled as even more people arrived: forces from Yaochi Holy Land, Jiuli Clan, the Five Great Royal Clans of the Southern Domain, ancient races, imperial Dao inheritances, and the Great Zhou Imperial Clan. Too many powers had sent their people inside, like Xiao Yuan Huang and Kui Niu—they were the prized hopes of their clans, meant to inherit their legacies, and nothing could go wrong.

"Where did this fourth Shengti come from? The holy monarch never mentioned it!"

The White Tiger Emperor scratched his head, still in disbelief. If he could enter, he would go in to check.

"The two Dacheng Shengti probably don't know about it either."

The Qilin Emperor pondered.

"Reports say Ye Chen has magicalized, and the mysterious Shengti is being hunted. There must be many secrets hidden in the Huanggu Shengti lineage."

The Azure Dragon Emperor took a deep breath, his eyes full of worry—his precious son and daughter-in-law were in there, and he hoped they wouldn't be destroyed.

"And those five Young Emperors that suddenly appeared."

"Still no sign of the Da Chu group—they're really holding back."

The Witch Emperor scanned the area, unable to hide his astonishment.

He had barely spoken when, sure enough, people from Da Chu appeared. But upon seeing who it was, the various clan emperors all frowned—it was Hongchen and Liudao.

"Have they gone mad? Releasing those two."

Tianzhu and Dimie couldn't help but twitch their mouths.

"Who broke the seal? Are they out of their minds?"

The Kui Niu Emperor cursed.

"Look at their foreheads—cursed?"

The Vermilion Bird Emperor had sharp eyes and spotted it from afar. It was indeed Hongchen and Liudao, but both were cursed.

The quasi-emperors narrowed their eyes, and many drew their imperial weapons.

"Intercept those two!"

After Hongchen and Liudao, two massive domain gates opened, and figures like the Divine Generals and Sovereigns stepped out, their shouts echoing through the stars, as if they had been pursuing all along.

The clan emperors didn't ask questions—they all charged forward en masse.

Clearly, something had gone wrong in Da Chu. Hongchen and Liudao had been unsealed and were both cursed. The situation reeked of strangeness, so there was no need for words—capture them first and ask later.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

In an instant, dozens of imperial artifacts rose into the sky, forming a seal.

However, Hongchen and Liudao moved with mysterious agility, ignoring the supreme imperial might. They stepped through illusory paths, evading the imperial artifacts' seals entirely. Instead of fleeing, they darted about freely in the sky.

"Can't we talk this out? But no, you force my hand."

The Holy Sovereign snorted coldly and charged at Hongchen, while the Emperor's Consort rushed toward Liudao.

Boom! Bang!

Soon, two loud booms rang out. The Holy Sovereign was sent stumbling back by Hongchen's palm strike.

The Emperor's Consort fared no better, spitting blood from a hit. Liudao, lost in his haze, showed no mercy to kin—if he had a child, he would still attack.

"Join forces to suppress them!"

The Nine Emperors united, all targeting Hongchen, while the Divine Generals coordinated against Liudao. Other quasi-emperors joined the fray, each radiating immense power, many wielding imperial artifacts. They knew these two were extraordinarily strong freaks and needed to be ganged up on.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The starry sky erupted into chaos, with over a hundred peak quasi-emperors divided into two groups: one assaulting Hongchen, the other subduing Liudao, the battle raging fiercely.

As for the onlookers from all sides, they had already retreated far away. The war's fluctuations were too devastating, capable of destroying heavens and earth—even quasi-emperors dared not approach recklessly, let alone them.

The battlefield was awkward.

Even with the quasi-emperors teaming up, they couldn't overpower Hongchen and Liudao, who sent them flying in all directions.

"How is this possible?"

Tianzhu and Dimie watched quietly, their brows furrowed as they stared at the ancient curses on Hongchen and Liudao. The curses were obscure, their origins unclear, but they clearly boosted their combat strength.

In that moment, they all felt an ominous premonition.