Chapter 2596: Protecting the Emperor

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The Upper Immortal Realm was in turmoil, with deafening explosions echoing endlessly before the Heavenly Prison. The Four Seas and Eight Wastes were also filled with rumbling sounds.

The great demons and great devils being hunted were scattered multiple times, relentlessly pursued by Heavenly Court experts. They fled in all directions, their bodies covered in blood and wounds, each one more wretched than the last. They could handle one-on-one fights, but group attacks were another story altogether.

After all, this was the Heavenly Court's territory.

Eventually, the rumbles from all sides gradually faded away.

The Heavenly Court experts chasing the great demons and great devils suddenly halted, like streaks of divine light racing toward the Heavenly Prison. Their withdrawal was abrupt, likely due to some summons calling them back for battle.

It was all because Ye Chen was far too ferocious.

"Why are they retreating?"

"There's rumbling from Tian Lao's direction. Could it be that Ye Chen has returned using some borrowed power?"

"But the commotion is way too big."

"Or maybe his Hua Shan lineage has come to rescue him."

"Sounds plausible."

On a remote, desolate mountain, Niu Mo Wang and Jiao Long Wang gathered, staring in astonishment at that direction.

More great demons and great devils arrived, most limping along, perching on various small peaks as they gazed into the distance. Their expressions mirrored those of Niu Mo Wang and the others—full of confusion—as they exchanged words.

After glancing at one another, they all turned their attention toward the Heavenly Prison.

When they saw the scene before the Heavenly Prison, everyone was stunned, their mouths agape and eyes wide with disbelief as they stared into the distance. It was a bloody spectacle, with rivers of blood flowing everywhere.

At first glance, not a single person from Hua Shan was in sight.

The one rampaging through the battlefield was Ye Chen, like a war god charging through an army of several hundred thousand. He swung wildly, getting swallowed by the crowd only to burst out again, mowing down swaths of enemies with every charge. No one could withstand a single strike from his staff.

In fact, the several hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals were being slaughtered into utter disarray.

"What's going on here?"

Jiao Long Wang looked completely baffled, unsure of what had happened.

Niu Mo Wang and the others wore similar expressions. They remembered leaving Ye Chen severely injured, barely clinging to life and unable to stand steadily. Yet, after one borrowed power return, he had become this fierce, fierce enough to make them question reality.

"Did he get some heaven-defying fortune?"

Niu Mo Wang stroked his chin, deducing that such a transformation must have come from an opportunity during the borrowed power. Not only had he recovered from his injuries, but he was also fully equipped. The iron staff in his hand looked like the Dinghai God Needle, but it was actually a domineering divine weapon.

"Stop him! Stop him!"

Shouts pierced the air, interrupting their thoughts.

"Anyone who blocks me dies."

Then came Ye Chen's roar. He charged forward, killing as he went, not caring who stood in his way—whether immortal monarchs or immortal venerables, he struck them all down without hesitation.

From above, the several hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals retreated like a receding tide, forced back by Ye Chen alone. They discarded their armor and wailed in chorus.

Eventually, the battle cries died down.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The only sound left in the world was Ye Chen's footsteps.

He was like a god of slaughter, gripping his blood-stained iron staff, each step making the heavens and earth tremble. With every advance he made, the Heavenly Court army retreated a step. No one dared to approach, their hands shaking as they held their weapons, their faces filled with terror. Many stumbled backward, even falling as they tried to flee.

As they retreated, the massive jade carriage also pulled back.

On the jade carriage, Yin Ming was retreating too, not stopping until he reached the edge. His face was pale, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

He was too strong—Ye Chen was overwhelmingly powerful, striking fear deep into his soul.

This was the might of the Great Chu Emperor.

"How do you like this grand game?"

Ye Chen kept advancing, smirking at Yin Ming.

The moment he spoke, Yin Ming sprang up like a mad dog, howling hysterically,

"Kill him! Kill him for me! No mercy!"

And his orders were effective.

Some heavenly soldiers and generals charged forward, none at the Great Saint level—all were Quasi-Emperor grade, including immortal monarchs, ancient immortal monarchs, immortal venerables, and ancient immortal venerables. Their lineup was immense, their momentum surging and aura towering.

"Come on!"

Ye Chen laughed wildly, shattering the skies with a single step. His iron staff hummed, and the Emperor Sword Xuanyuan, having drunk the blood of countless lives, now carried a hint of savagery.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

The vast heavens were stained red with blood.

Ye Chen swatted them away like flies; every swing of his staff exploded bodies. Blossoms of blood flowers bloomed one after another, each more vibrant than the last, filling the entire sky and leaving onlookers dazed.

Gulp!

The great demons and great devils swallowed hard. That guy wasn't just cheating—he was using a god-level cheat. One staff strike per enemy, sending Heavenly Court experts flying everywhere. How insanely powerful was he? They were nowhere near his level.

"He's running! That guy is running!"

It wasn't just anyone shouting; a wolf howled the words.

The one he meant was Yin Ming, who had already urged the jade carriage onward, fleeing eastward under the protection of the experts. The carriage was enormous, arriving with great fanfare and escaping with equally domineering force, making the skies rumble.

That was the Jade Emperor's ride, a genuine Quasi-Emperor artifact.

Not exaggerating, it could smash an ordinary Quasi-Emperor into a puddle of blood on impact, thanks to the countless divine laws and array patterns engraved on it, enhancing its power to showcase the Heavenly Court's supreme authority.

But this escape had utterly shattered that authority.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

On the jade carriage, Yin Ming's face was twisted in rage. Ever since he became the Heavenly Court's ruler, this was his first time in such a pathetic state. With several hundred thousand troops and numerous experts guarding him, he was still forced to flee in panic by Ye Chen alone, without even the courage to fight.

"Your Majesty."

"Send orders to the Four Seas and Eight Wastes—spare no expense, use full force to suppress Ye Chen."

Yin Ming's howls carried the full weight of his royal authority.

The ruler of the Heavenly Court was truly enraged. If several hundred thousand troops weren't enough, then bring in several million. He was determined to play this game to the end with Ye Chen, even if it meant exhausting the entire Heavenly Court's forces to eliminate his opponent.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Seeing Yin Ming escape, Ye Chen swung his staff to clear a path and chased after the massive jade carriage.

"Stop him!"

Jue Mie Xian Zun snorted coldly, blocking Ye Chen's way and unleashing a heaven-defying divine ability—a vast sea of annihilating thunder that rolled and engulfed him.

The sight of him only fueled Ye Chen's anger.

Earlier, it was this old foe who had struck him down with a sword, nearly killing him outright. If not for Jue Mie Xian Zun, he would have escaped long ago and avoided such torment. As the tenth emperor of Great Chu, his combat prowess was unmatched, but he was also one to hold a grudge.

"Break!"

Ye Chen roared, leaping like a dragon, raising his staff to strike.

Splash!

Jue Mie Xian Zun spat blood, half his divine body torn apart in a spray of blood and bones, sent flying sideways. He collided with swaths of heavenly soldiers and generals, causing their bodies to explode and scattering many souls, turning the void into another sea of blood.

After felling Jue Mie Xian Zun, Ye Chen didn't press the attack and continued pursuing Yin Ming.

Compared to Jue Mie Xian Zun, the Heavenly Court's ruler was the real prize. Once he captured Yin Ming, he'd settle scores with everyone else one by one.

"Stop him!"

With Jue Mie Xian Zun defeated, the three great immortal venerables moved to block him, their killing intent ice-cold.

Ye Chen sneered, showing no attachment to the fight. With an Emperor Dao Mirage, he evaded the fatal strikes, then used a Heaven-Swapping Earth-Moving technique to switch places with an ancient immortal monarch.

"Damn it! Chase him!"

"Chase your sister!"

Ye Chen cursed loudly, retreating smoothly, but suddenly executed a bold counterattack, sweeping his staff across the eight directions and sending Dao Mie Xian Zun flying, flipping Xu Mie Xian Zun through the air, and launching Tian Mie Xian Zun into the ninth heaven.

In addition, countless heavenly soldiers and generals were killed or wounded.

By the time the Heavenly Court experts steadied themselves, Ye Chen had already vanished.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Soon, rumbling echoed from the eastern horizon.

It was likely Ye Chen had caught up to Yin Ming and was unleashing his full might, determined not to stop until Yin Ming was dead.

"Quickly, protect the ruler!"

The Heavenly Court's soldiers were loyal, their shouts unending.

Yin Ming was fleeing, Ye Chen was chasing, and they were rushing to rescue, a massive swarm from all sides.

Of course, not everyone was truly loyal—more than half were just going through the motions. Though they shouted fiercely, if they actually caught up to Ye Chen, few would dare to engage. Life was precious, after all.

"Follow me!"

Dan Shen bellowed, one of those in pursuit.

This guy was restless, harboring some hope of reclaiming the Emperor Dao Divine Pill when Ye Chen was weakened.

Unfortunately, the experts from Dan Shen Hall following him were few.

Only now did he realize that those behind him had dwindled to almost nothing, while the others had likely slipped away unnoticed. Ironically, he hadn't even realized it.

Thankfully, not all had left, or he'd be completely alone.

"Good, very good."

Dan Shen's eyes were bloodshot, grinding his teeth like a demon.

When had he, the majestic lord of Dan Shen Hall, ever faced such betrayal?

It was all because of Ye Chen.

"Faster! Faster!"

The spectators from all sides were busy too, diligently chasing from behind.

Everyone wanted to see if Ye Chen could truly kill Yin Ming. If he did, things would get interesting—the entire Heavenly Court would descend into chaos.

Because of Yin Ming's flight, Ye Chen's pursuit, and the soldiers' rescue efforts, the area before the Heavenly Prison was suddenly empty.

Looking up, that stretch of sky was left with only blood, a landscape of devastation with mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. The surging crimson mist filled the air, having buried countless lives and staining the very fabric of the universe red.

"This old bull calculates that the Heavenly Prison guards are few."

Niu Mo Wang emerged, not rushing to the spectacle but gripping his battle axe and heading straight for the Heavenly Prison. Behind him, a crowd of great demons and great devils followed, laughing eagerly.

It was rare for the Heavenly Court to be in such disarray and the prison so poorly defended.

This once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity couldn't be missed. There were people from the Scattered Immortal Realm locked inside, including many great demons and great devils—they had to be freed to plot more chaos against the Heavenly Court.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Soon, rumbling came from the Heavenly Prison.

From afar, one divine tower after another collapsed as Niu Mo Wang and his group rampaged through. The remaining guards couldn't hold them back; some heavenly soldiers and generals simply pretended to be asleep to avoid being killed.

Before long, all the prisoners in the Heavenly Prison—guilty or wrongfully accused—were released without exception.

Then, the entire Heavenly Prison collapsed, reduced to rubble.

"You all owe us a favor."

"Sure thing."

"Want to cause more trouble for the Heavenly Court?"

"Absolutely."