Chapter 2636: Power Shifts

Pū!

At the Shi Men, Ye Chen spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered back, almost falling to the ground. His attempt to probe the Zhou Tian had triggered a backlash from unseen forces, instantly draining the color from his face.

He immediately sat down cross-legged and used his emperor essence to protect his primordial spirit.

The supreme emperor weapons of Tianjie were still incredibly formidable, even under the suppression of the Scattered Immortal Realm. There were some aspects of their emperor aura that could not be contained. As the personal artifacts of emperors, they carried an inherent majesty, and unauthorized scrutiny would be met with retribution.

It was a while before he opened his eyes again.

When he looked back at the Shi Men, his expression was filled with wariness, and his gaze had grown deeper. Tianjie possessed more than one supreme emperor weapon, much like Mingjie, and these were not among the 130 emperors' artifacts—they likely originated from the ancient Tian Ting.

He was unsure if Jiang Taigong knew about the ancestors, but he knew that the old fisherman was extraordinarily terrifying, especially with three supreme emperor weapons at his disposal. If he joined the conflict between the upper and lower realms, the Scattered Immortal Realm would surely be defeated.

After all, the gods of Tian Ting were all appointed by Jiang Taigong, forming a direct lineage. If that old man decided to protect his own, it would spell disaster for the lower realm.

Ye Chen cast one last glance before turning and leaving.

Not long after, a hidden sect fell victim. The newly appointed sect leader, who had barely settled in, was dragged out of their immortal mountain by Ye Chen. This one had been skeptical until now, and only after being captured did they truly believe. No matter how sturdy their defensive barriers were, they were mere decorations against Ye Chen.

His clones appeared and carried off the sect leader.

What followed were howls like those of wolves, drawing attention from all sides. Everyone Ye Chen abducted was no small fry—they were prominent figures in the Scattered Immortal Realm and even across Tianjie, leaders of major powers.

Ye Chen was thoroughly dedicated, traveling from place to place and leaving a trail of devastation. The sects he visited knew no end to their misery—there was always a worse fate. Countless powers suffered from these kidnappings.

More than eighty percent of those abducted were unlikely to return alive. The Scattered Immortal Realm had its Five Peaks factions vying for influence, and other sects had their own internal struggles.

When power was at stake, people often went mad. Allies on the surface might turn to murder in the shadows. Many sect leaders met their end at the hands of their own people.

Such incidents were all too common. Numerous holy lords, freshly ransomed, met with calamities—some were assassinated, others suddenly dropped dead. The methods were endlessly cruel, each more tragic than the last.

"With Ye Chen stirring things up like this, the lower realm's powers are bound to undergo earth-shattering changes."

Few disputed these words.

All those kidnapped by Ye Chen were enemies of Huashan. Having suffered massive losses, they would learn their lesson. To survive in the Scattered Immortal Realm, they would have to align with Huashan. Even if they didn't fully ally, they should steer clear of getting too close to Tian Ting, lest Ye Chen pay them a visit.

Thanks to Young Master Ye, Huashan had become a towering tree. The shifts in power would naturally lean toward Huashan—in other words, forming alliances with them. The scattered forces would unite to counter Tian Ting from the upper realm.

At that point, Huashan would reach unprecedented strength. Tian Ting might be a mighty dragon, but Huashan was the local serpent. Extinguishing Huashan in the Scattered Immortal Realm would come at a heavy price.

"Compared to Tian Ting unifying Tianjie, I believe Huashan is more likely to unify the Scattered Immortal Realm." The elders gathered, each a master of schemes, all ancient immortals with the air of seasoned mystics.

These words were like seeds, taking root in people's hearts. If Huashan's future leader had ambition, this prediction would likely become reality.

"Poison King Sect, hurry and come ransom your people."

"Heaven Wolf Clan, bring your family's wealth to Mangdang Mountain."

"Miaomiao City, come collect your city lord."

The demands for ransom echoed loudly from Ye Chen's clones, turning once-forgotten mountain peaks into bustling hubs.

Gazing down from the sky, shadows moved like ocean tides or winding streams—some were forces withdrawing troops, others mere spectators rushing to watch the spectacle.

It had been years since the Scattered Immortal Realm was this lively. In just three to five days, over a thousand sect leaders from various powers had been kidnapped for ransom.

This level of chaos was unprecedented in history, even surpassing the uproar of the Five Peaks battles. Many elders in seclusion emerged just to witness the show.

All of this was thanks to Young Master Ye and his habits honed in Da Chu. Even in Tianjie, he brought this disruptive energy, kidnapping wherever he went.

If the ancestors of Da Chu knew, they would be proud. After all, Da Chu's sovereign was unmatched at holding the fort—you had to admire it.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

As night fell again, the sounds of battle continued, though not as intense as before. Listening closely, the roars and cries had notably diminished.

Just a few days earlier, the war had shaken the four seas and eight wastelands, with allies of Huashan and those loyal to Tian Ting clashing fiercely.

Now, fighting had ceased on all fronts. The main reason was that too many powers had withdrawn from the battlefield, no longer daring to challenge Huashan or having no time for it. After all, so many sect leaders had been eliminated midway, leading to constant power struggles within their sects. Everyone was busy seizing control—who had the mind for war? Securing the sect leader position was the priority.

On Huashan's side, the battles raged on fiercely, remaining the central theater. Their allied forces were in high spirits, advancing from all directions toward the Tian Ting army.

Tian Ting was no pushover either. The madman Yin Ming kept sending reinforcements nonstop. With Tian Ting's vast resources, they could take on Huashan and its allies single-handedly, even without outside help.

Under the dark moon and high winds, Ye Chen captured another sect leader. Carrying his wine flask, he ascended a vast mountain peak and quietly gazed into the void.

Only then did his kidnapping spree come to an end. The forces attacking Huashan had mostly withdrawn from the battlefield. With people retreating, it wouldn't be right to keep raiding their sects.

Before he could finish his wine, a chill wind swept through the heavens and earth, carrying a murderous intent that froze the air into icy shards.

Buzz!

A buzzing sound echoed, and copper pillars erupted from the ground in all directions, soaring straight to the sky. Each pillar was inscribed with seal scripts and connected by mysterious law chains, forming a massive cage.

The sky darkened instantly. Lightning flashed and thunder roared within the cage, with black clouds roiling and carrying destructive power. A wave of clouds crashed down, instantly extinguishing Ye Chen's vital energy and nearly grinding him to dust.

Ye Chen sneered, summoning his emperor essence to envelop his body, forming armor that gleamed with divine light. It repelled the clouds and neutralized their destructive force.

He then unleashed his emperor dao darkness, devouring the incoming black clouds. With a single strike, he shattered a huge hole in the massive cage and leaped out like a dragon, slamming down a palm that covered the sky.

Pū! Pū!

Grunts and spits of blood followed. Space collapsed, and black-clad figures tumbled out, disheveled and in disarray.

"You seniors are truly persistent," Ye Chen said with a laugh, looking down. It was the same group, led by the black-robed figure. He was exceptionally elusive, involved in three assassinations yet always slipping away with remarkable speed.

The black-robed figure said nothing, standing silently.

This time, he showed no sign of fleeing, and the surrounding void twisted as more figures emerged.

Ye Chen smiled upon seeing them, realizing the source of the black-robed figure's confidence. Tonight's ambush wasn't just the assassins—it included over a thousand Tian Ting experts, all at quasi-emperor peak, with several immortal venerables among them.

His smile was meant for Yin Ming—how desperately foolish to keep sending forces against him. If they couldn't take him in the upper realm, what chance did they have in the suppressed Scattered Immortal Realm?

"Scoundrel, submit to judgment!" An immortal venerable snorted coldly and charged across the void, his palm like a divine blade slashing down with overwhelming dominance.

Ye Chen sneered and stepped forward.

But before he could strike, a mysterious force attacked him from the unseen—a formless killing sword, or rather, many of them, all striking him at once.

The heavy blows made him unsteady, nearly sending him plummeting from the sky. His once-flushed face turned deathly pale in an instant.

In that moment, the immortal venerable's blade reached him, slicing through his flesh and nearly splitting him in two, blood spraying everywhere.

"Get back!" Ye Chen roared, swinging his staff to send the immortal venerable flying. He then vanished in a flash, evading the assassins' kills, soared upward to escape other seals, but collided head-on with the black-robed leader. A sword pierced straight through his brow.

"Get back!" He shouted again, staff thrusting to knock the black-robed figure away. He activated his emperor dao darkness for defense, steadying himself.

The sudden emperor dao darkness swallowed many assassins and Tian Ting experts whole, leaving them vanished—likely never to return.

Once stabilized, he silently rebuked the force, using his emperor essence and origin to erase the killing intent and heal his body, popping pills into his mouth.

"If you want to play, I'll indulge you." A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he summoned the Zhou Tian power, sending several formless swords slashing into the void.

Indeed, the earlier unseen attack had come from divination forces—not just one person, but over a dozen, none of them immortal venerables of Hao Miao.

Pū! Pū!

Cries of blood echoed from the void as Ye Chen's strikes hit their marks. Those with weaker cultivation were obliterated on the spot, while the survivors fared little better.

This was the principle of reciprocity—they had gravely wounded Ye Chen, and his counterattack was just as ruthless. Not everyone's divination matched that of a Hao Miao immortal venerable, let alone these amateurs.

They fell silent, the hidden attackers now subdued. Besides those destroyed, the rest were coughing up blood, each more violently than the last.

Divination attacks were hard to defend against, but their backlash was equally severe. In this era of emperor dao anomalies, with unseen forces suppressing them, using such techniques meant harming oneself first.

"Exterminate!"

With them quieted, Ye Chen's Zhou Tian formless swords struck again, risking the backlash to finish off those vile foes. He couldn't let them recover and cause more trouble.

His sword was domineering. Those still spitting blood needed no more—each soul scattered, joining the path to the underworld as a group.

Pū!

From this strike, Ye Chen himself spat blood—not from injury, but from the backlash. Truly, harming others first harmed oneself, and the retribution was fierce.

Suddenly, another cold wind arrived.

Black flames ignited on his head—more accurately, a mysterious force manifesting as flames.

These black flames were eerie, gradually dissolving his skull. Strangely, he felt no pain.

"Tian Zhao?"

Ye Chen frowned and sharply looked toward a certain direction.

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