Chapter 2600: Battle of the Bloodstained Pill God

Boom!

The ground collapsed, pressed into a five-finger imprint by Dan Shen.

In the opposite void, Ye Chen had already reached out and grabbed his iron rod, blood still spilling from his mouth. His injuries had not yet fully healed, the killing intent raged within him, and his aura was weak and unstable, greatly diminishing his combat power.

"Tonight, you have no path to heaven and no door to earth."

Dan Shen let out a sinister laugh, waving his hand to summon nine ancient array flags. They were planted in the nine directions of the void, connected by Di Dao array patterns, forming a grand array to seal Ye Chen.

"If it's a fight you want, then come."

Ye Chen snorted coldly and swung his rod, blasting open a gap before soaring into the sky.

Zing!

Dan Shen’s movements were illusory and strange as he instantly closed in, thrusting a sword straight through.

However, his sword struck empty air.

Or rather, in that instant, Ye Chen's body turned ethereal, evading the fatal strike, and with one rod, he forced Dan Shen back.

Dan Shen abruptly steadied himself and shot straight into the nine heavens, delivering a palm strike from above that made Ye Chen stagger. Even the Di Dao armor on his back cracked; it wasn't that the emperor essence was insufficient, but Ye Chen was still in a weakened state.

This time, he was forcing himself to fight.

Seal!

Dan Shen's hand seals changed, and that strange illusory bronze furnace appeared again, trapping Ye Chen inside. It contained the power of dissolution and annihilation, intent on refining him back into a Di Dao divine pill.

Ye Chen roared inwardly and tried to use Di Dao Miao Miao again.

Unfortunately, Di Dao Miao Miao was ineffective. He took a step forward and slammed into it, leaving his forehead throbbing with pain.

Break!

Ye Chen burned his vital blood and swung his rod with all his might.

Clang!

The sound of metal colliding rang out clearly. His dominant strike failed to shatter the furnace; without his peak combat power, it was impossible to force open the seal.

"Turn into a pill, become a pill for me."

Dan Shen grinned ferociously, continuously casting spells to enhance the sealing power. Flames blazed within the furnace, lightning flashed and thunder roared, relentlessly dissolving Ye Chen's essence.

Clang! Clang! Bang! Clang!

Inside the furnace, Ye Chen rampaged wildly, swinging his rod repeatedly in a frenzy to strike the furnace. As Xiu Luo Tian Zun had said, Dan Shen's furnace seal was extremely overbearing; if it couldn't be broken at the start, the longer it dragged on, the more solid it became, and the harder it was to escape.

Ye Chen gritted his teeth, enduring the powerful backlash as he used his origin to activate the emperor sword.

Buzz!

The iron rod hummed and stood upright, shooting straight into the sky.

No wonder it was an emperor artifact—it had to work. It pierced a massive hole in the illusory furnace, and Dan Shen was forced to stagger back a step.

Boom!

Ye Chen burst out and flipped his hand to swing the rod, shattering the furnace.

"Damn it."

Dan Shen roared in fury, his brow exploding with a Yuan Shen sword that slashed through the sky toward Ye Chen, as fast as a startling beam.

One Thought Eternity!

Knowing he couldn't dodge, Ye Chen instantly cast the immortal technique.

Unfortunately, his Di Dao immortal technique failed at the critical moment, losing its effectiveness.

Without the other shore flower blooming, there was no moment of stillness.

Pfft!

Blood sprayed as Ye Chen was hit by the Yuan Shen sword, sent flying. If not for the Di Dao armor, his Yuan Shen would have been split apart.

"It's over."

Dan Shen's laughter was sinister and cruel. Order chains shot out from his body, like writhing serpents, another sealing secret technique that bound Ye Chen, dissolving his essence and sealing his powers.

Ye Chen couldn't resist and was forcefully pulled toward Dan Shen.

It seemed Dan Shen intended to drag him into his own body, using it as a furnace to refine him into a pill internally.

"Break, break for me."

Ye Chen growled lowly, his eyes filled with blood-red veins as he struggled to free himself, but to no avail. The order chains' seal was too strong; once pulled into Dan Shen's body, there would be no chance of turning the tables.

"Break for me."

Xiu Luo Tian Zun descended from the heavens, sacrificing a source divine sword that slashed through the sky, cutting the order chains.

"Get lost."

Dan Shen howled in anger and flipped his palm, sending Xiu Luo Tian Zun flying.

The Tian Zun was gravely injured, his body nearly collapsing as he fell again, smashing another majestic peak to rubble.

However, his sacrifice saved Ye Chen.

With the order chains severed, Ye Chen instantly teleported away.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Dan Shen's face twisted ferociously as he pursued relentlessly, more order chains emerging from his body—not just one, but three—shooting toward Ye Chen to entwine him.

Having learned from his mistake, Ye Chen wouldn't fall for it twice.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

He swung his iron rod frantically, blocking each chain as it approached and sparking bright flames.

Dan Shen gnashed his teeth, retracted the order chains, and charged forward alone.

Ye Chen's mouth continued to spill blood as he dragged his blood-soaked body, fleeing into the sky.

"Kill."

Dan Shen chased right behind.

The two moved like divine rays, one like immortal light, one ahead and one behind, shooting straight into the vast nine heavens.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Soon, booming sounds echoed from the misty void.

No need to look; it was clear they were battling in the emptiness. Immortal rivers flowed, blood seas raged, silent immortal lights crisscrossed, and destructive visions intertwined, collapsing vast swaths of space as fresh blood rained down like a storm.

"What a fall from grace!"

Xiu Luo Tian Zun struggled to his feet, staggering step by step, his words laced with sorrow—for himself and for Ye Chen.

He was Xiu Luo Tian Zun, a near-invincible existence in his realm.

In the past, he had terrified the Heavenly Court, making them flee at the mere mention of his name. Sealed for a hundred years, he had fallen from his peak, losing his dominating power.

Ye Chen was the same.

He was a war god who, over three days and nights, had routed the Heavenly Court's armies. Millions of heavenly soldiers and generals couldn't stop him as he charged and killed relentlessly, fighting until he was left with half a life.

Yet, in this situation, they faced Dan Shen.

In other words, whether it was him or Ye Chen, as long as one of them was at their peak, Dan Shen wouldn't dare act so recklessly.

But now, he was in a bloodied state, and Ye Chen was barely clinging to life. Neither was a match for Dan Shen.

Withdrawing his gaze from the void, he knelt before a pile of rubble, his blood-stained hands digging through the blood-soaked stones. Finally, beneath the debris, he found Yue Xin, who had fainted. Though severely injured, she was not in mortal danger.

In other areas, Si Ming, Tai Yi, and Tai Bai had all pushed aside the rubble and crawled out, their bodies covered in blood, a horrific sight.

As for the Ji Yuan King and Ying Jie Tian Qing, they were the most wretched, both unconscious and buried under the stones. Si Ming and the others were desperately clearing the debris to pull them out, their injuries beyond description.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The battle in the void grew even more ferocious. Though the two figures were invisible, the intensity was clear from the rain of blood staining the heavens.

Amid the rumbling, only Dan Shen's roars could be heard.

"A mere alchemist, how can he fight like this?"

Tai Bai cursed, shoving handfuls of pills into his mouth to restore his powers as much as possible.

"It's not that he's so strong; it's that Ye Chen and the Tian Zun aren't at their peaks."

Tai Yi said, swallowing pills while also sacrificing his true essence through blood offerings, ready for another fight at any moment.

"If we fall here, that would be absurd."

Si Ming gripped a stalk of immortal grass, stuffing it into his mouth desperately—it was for healing.

His words resonated with everyone.

They had fought their way out of encirclement by thousands of troops; if they were taken down by Dan Shen tonight, they would die with regrets.

Xiu Luo Tian Zun said nothing, activating some forbidden law to forcibly gather his combat power. With one step, he shattered the sky and charged into the void.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

After he joined, the already thunderous booms grew louder, with even more blood rain falling, drenching the world in red.

One was the emperor of Da Chu, the other Xiu Luo Tian Zun;

One in a bloodied state, the other half-dead and gravely injured.

Now, teaming up against the Dan Shen Hall master, they were far from his match, their battle unimaginably brutal.

No one knew when the booms finally faded.

Gazing into the sky, three blood-drenched figures plummeted like meteorites.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

In their wake, the earth shook as three peaks in different directions collapsed spectacularly.

For a long time, there was no movement from any of them.

Ha ha ha!

Only after a while did a twisted laugh echo.

From the rubble, Dan Shen was the first to rise, his hair disheveled and face mutilated with blood. His blood-red eyes still burned with violent menace as he gripped his blood-stained immortal sword and headed straight for Ye Chen.

Compared to him, Ye Chen and Xiu Luo Tian Zun were in worse shape.

The two managed to stand but swayed and knelt again, coughing up large mouthfuls of blood. After this fight, they had no power left; they were truly at the end of their strength.

"This gamble is mine to win."

Dan Shen laughed ferociously, ignoring everyone else and focusing only on Ye Chen.

"Even if you win, you won't become an emperor."

Ye Chen's breath was faint, his voice hoarse as he knelt on the ground, fresh blood pouring from his mouth and his messy hair covering his face.

"I can become an emperor, I can become an emperor."

Dan Shen's grin turned into a shriek, his steps quickening. Though he was also severely injured and staggered as he walked, he was still in better condition than Ye Chen and the others.

"You old dog, come and die."

Tai Yi roared, and Tai Bai howled, charging one after the other.

"Ants, how dare you attack me?"

Dan Shen didn't even glance their way, swinging his sword to send them flying. Even wounded, as the Dan Shen Hall master, he wouldn't tolerate such an affront from their level.

Zing!

Though Tai Yi and Tai Bai were knocked back, Si Ming's sword struck true, piercing from Dan Shen's back to his chest in one thrust.

"Good, very good."

Dan Shen laughed wildly, ignoring the wound as his aged body trembled. His Dao principles and origin resonated, weaving a force that sent Si Ming flying, crashing into a rock wall and shattering it.

Now, everyone except him was down.

"Di Dao divine pill."

His laughter was manic with delight as he discarded his sword and stumbled forward. As long as he swallowed Ye Chen, his mission would be complete.

"Emperor my ass."

Xiu Luo Tian Zun cursed loudly, suddenly leaping up and charging, head-butting Dan Shen in the chest and making him stagger.

"Get lost."

Dan Shen grabbed Xiu Luo Tian Zun and casually threw him aside.

Zing!

Before he could steady himself, Ye Chen's sword was already there, using his remaining strength to execute Feng Shen Jue, thrusting it into Dan Shen's chest.

"You can't kill me."

Dan Shen's face contorted viciously as he clenched the sword blade with both hands.

"Then let's try."

Ye Chen went berserk, gripping the hilt with both hands and pouring all his energy into it, step by step forcing Dan Shen back as the sword inched deeper into his body until the tip protruded from his back.

Dan Shen gritted his teeth and halted his retreat.

For the first time, they were this close, their faces only four fingers apart—one with twisted eyes, the other with blood-red pupils; one striving to become an emperor, the other fighting for survival, neither willing to fall.

"Hold on."

Tai Yi staggered to his feet, glanced around, rolled up his sleeves, and tried to lift a stone to smash into Dan Shen's head.

Awkwardly, he couldn't lift it.

Helpless, he picked up a smaller one, which fit nicely in his hand—square and flat, like a brick.

"Go to hell."

Tai Yi limped over, swaying unsteadily, his roar full of dominance as he swung the brick down on the back of Dan Shen's head.