Chapter 2709: Entering Chaos (IV)

“Where are you going?”

Seeing the crowd of Xianjun fleeing, Ye Chen let out a cold laugh and charged after them with his Sha Jian in hand. Once he caught up, he wasted no time with words and simply raised his sword to strike.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Blood flowers bloomed one after another, each more vivid than the last. With every flower that blossomed, a Zhundi met their end, their body destroyed and soul obliterated.

This scene made the escaping Xianjun turn pale with fear, convinced that a god of death was pursuing them. Too many fell along the way, stepping into the gates of the underworld without any warning.

Thump!

Ye Chen swung his sword again, extinguishing another Xianjun.

“Hiding in the shadows? Come out!” That Xianzun roared, suddenly turning and slamming his palm down to cover a thousand zhang of sky, hoping to force out the hidden attacker.

Ye Chen moved like a startled swan, dodging the palm strike, and thrust his sword forward.

The Xianzun’s face changed in alarm. Though he couldn’t see anyone, he could sense the devastating attack approaching, filled with chilling killing intent and locked onto him.

In a flash, he retreated desperately.

But he was too slow. Unable to see Ye Chen or defend against the unseen, he took a solid hit from Ye Chen’s sword, flipping through the air and crashing through several towering peaks. A gaping bloody wound marred his chest.

Amid the chaos, he finally steadied himself and dared not turn back to fight. After all, how could he battle someone he couldn’t even find?

“You won’t escape.” Ye Chen’s words came as a transmission, audible only to that Xianzun. His tone was icy and desolate, laced with a demonic power, like a king’s decree that brooked no defiance.

A hint of terror etched itself into the Xianzun’s eyes. He didn’t dare look back and fled for his life. Ye Chen’s words were too bewitching, making his heart tremble. He couldn’t stop, knowing he could be killed at any moment.

Ye Chen sneered inwardly and pursued like a startled swan, chasing the Xianzun into a dense forest. With a sword strike as fierce as a gale, he pierced straight through the Xianzun from behind.

“Who are you? Exactly who?” The Xianzun lowered his gaze to the bloody hole in his chest, gushing with crimson blood, yet he saw no blade.

Ye Chen’s sword was incredibly powerful, forming seals that not only pierced the Xianzun but also bound him, restricting his powers and sealing his primordial spirit.

“The one you’ve been hunting across the heavens—who do you think I am?”

“You... Ye Chen?”

“You guessed right.” Ye Chen chuckled leisurely, his hand already delving into the Xianzun’s inner world. With a swift wave, he seized all the Xianzun’s treasures, leaving nothing behind in his thorough looting.

“Impossible... no...” The Xianzun’s eyes bulged in disbelief, shock and horror overwhelming him as he finally realized the identity of his killer.

“Safe travels.” Ye Chen said indifferently, suddenly withdrawing his Sha Jian and destroying the Xianzun’s primordial spirit, along with his physical body. Thus, a peak Zhundi was utterly annihilated.

After finishing off that Xianzun, Ye Chen targeted another area, his divine-level buff turning the entire Buzhou Shan into a field of mobile treasures. He had no intention of letting any pass.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Soon, blood light flashed, adding a splash of red to the dark mist and agitating the evil spirits lurking in the shadows, who crawled out from the ground one by one.

Ah...!

Ah...!

Piercing screams echoed relentlessly, not from a single source but rising and falling in waves—the cries of Heavenly Court experts. No one knew how many had been slain, how many had met a sudden end with their bodies torn apart and souls scattered.

“What horrific screams.”

“Buzhou Shan’s forbidden ground is truly a place of great calamity.”

“Must be a lot of deaths in there.”

The Tian Bing and Tian Jiang outside the mountain remained on high alert, seeing no one emerge and hearing only the wails. Each scream made their hearts shudder and their bodies grow cold.

“It must be quite lively inside.”

Xiu Luo Tian Zun stroked his chin, his eyes narrowing slightly. From the Xiu Luo realm, he was seeing Buzhou Shan for the first time and felt curious. If not for the inappropriate circumstances, he might have gone in for a look.

Not just him, but Si Ming and the others also watched with gleaming eyes. So many Xianjun and Xianzun had entered, yet none had returned—something must have gone wrong.

And that something was likely Ye Chen. Having walked out of Buzhou Shan alive and full of energy, he must have some mysterious advantage.

“Kill!”

“Destroy Ye Chen and be granted kingship on the spot.”

“We must see him alive or his corpse.”

“Attack!”

The Heavenly Court’s ruler howled with increasing frenzy from the edge of the Yu Qiao, like a mad dog, his roars shaking the heavens as he issued one decree after another.

At his command, more experts charged in, the weakest being Zhundi at the eighth heaven. They advanced in dark waves, wave after wave.

As for the Tian Bing and Tian Jiang, they didn’t dare move recklessly. Their cultivation was insufficient, and their combat power too weak to seek such thrills. Ye Chen’s fearsome reputation surpassed even Buzhou Shan’s.

“The more, the better.”

Sensing the influx of more experts, Ye Chen grinned wickedly. With his divine-level buff, he’d slaughter as many as came—it was just a matter of time. Why not collect the spoils from these offerings?

“He’s injured—capture him dead or alive.”

From an eastern mountain peak, a ethereal voice rang out, infused with primordial spirit power and spreading in all directions.

Ye Chen turned his gaze toward it.

There, he saw a purple-robed elder standing on the peak, overlooking the surroundings and issuing commands without descending. He waited only to spot Ye Chen and strike immediately.

That was Si Mie Xianzun, holding an Xian Jian with an air of authority. His once turbid eyes were now deep and clear, flashing with cold, bone-chilling light.

“I’ve been looking for you.” Ye Chen sneered and headed straight for that mountain peak. Earlier, when surrounded, he’d taken a sword strike from this one, and the memory was fresh. If not for timely borrowed power, he might have been destroyed.

The emperors of Da Chu were all vengeful.

Tian Ting’s Si Mie Xianzun was no ordinary Xianzun—he was truly formidable. Back in the day, he’d dared to venture alone into the demon lands to assassinate the Mo Jun, showcasing his terror. His assassination techniques were unparalleled.

Ye Chen arrived and climbed the peak.

Hm?

Si Mie Xianzun, scanning the surroundings, frowned and suddenly glanced back. He felt as if a pair of eyes were fixed on him, but after sweeping the area, he saw no one.

Ye Chen approached with his sword, sighing in admiration.

No wonder he was Si Mie Xianzun—his perception was exceptional. Even with the Bi Shi Xian Pao concealing him completely, the Xianzun had detected something amiss.

Ye Chen stopped and positioned himself for the perfect kill. From this angle, a single thrust could pierce Si Mie Xianzun’s skull—a one-strike finish.

“You in the shadows, stop hiding. I’ve already seen you.” Si Mie Xianzun said calmly, though he was bluffing, not entirely sure if anyone was there. Better to test the waters.

“Those who live by the shadows must pay the price.” Ye Chen struck with his sword, using the Feng Shen Jue as his response. No figure appeared, only the sound of the sword’s hum.

“Who is it?” Si Mie Xianzun’s expression changed abruptly. He spun around and leaped back, toes touching the ground as he retreated. He’d caught a whiff of the hidden killing intent, icy and lethal.

Awkwardly, he couldn’t fly here. His retreat sent him tumbling off the peak, smashing a massive boulder.

“Who?” Once he steadied himself, Si Mie Xianzun roared again. As an expert in assassination, he knew how to counter it—never stay still, keep moving. It was easier to kill a stationary target than a mobile one.

Ye Chen descended the peak, clicking his tongue in surprise as he stood watching. His eyes darted left and right, following Si Mie Xianzun’s every move.

This old fellow was more impressive than expected. Though he couldn’t see Ye Chen, he’d dodged the fatal strike. The one who’d slain the Mo Jun was no ordinary man—he had extraordinary skills.

At Si Mie Xianzun’s roar, the Xianjun searching nearby gathered, their expressions strange. Since arriving, they’d seen him darting about like a frantic mouse, full of unease.

“Seal off this entire area.”

Si Mie Xianzun ordered, certain that someone lurked in the shadows, still waiting to strike. He didn’t know who, but he knew they were strong.

At his command, the Xianjun cast spells, erecting copper pillars that formed a massive cage, enclosing a radius of ten thousand zhang.

Ye Chen ignored it, focusing solely on Si Mie Xianzun. As the Xianzun jumped and darted, Ye Chen mirrored his movements, staying on his trail and seeking the perfect moment for a kill, aiming to end him in one blow.

“Come out!” Si Mie Xianzun snorted coldly, his words sharp, but his feet never stopped—he wouldn’t linger in one spot for even a second, knowing a single moment could mean his death. He was well-versed in a assassin’s tactics.

Sadly, there was no response from the shadows.

His shouts left the surrounding Xianjun baffled, each wearing a dumbfounded expression. Don’t scare us—what do you mean? There’s no one here; it’s just you yelling.

“Reinforce the barrier.” Si Mie Xianzun commanded, while secretly sending divine sense messages to summon more Xianzun. He was convinced this place held some strangeness.

“You’re quite the talent.” During the pursuit, Ye Chen gave a thumbs-up. No wonder he was the one who’d assassinated the Mo Jun—it was tougher than expected to kill a assassin like Si Mie Xianzun.

Hearing the transmission, more experts converged.

Witnessing the scene inside the barrier, they all looked stunned, unsure why Si Mie Xianzun was scampering around like a mouse.

“Those who live by the shadows must pay the price.” Ye Chen suddenly spoke again, those same words, and unleashed another Feng Shen Jue strike.

Si Mie Xianzun snorted and tried to flee.

But before he could lift his foot, a powerful seal enveloped him, causing his body to stall for a brief instant—just long enough.

Thump!

Blood sprayed out, vivid and shocking. Ye Chen’s sword had pierced straight through Si Mie Xianzun’s brow. Even the quickest mouse had fallen to the cat’s paw.

Si Mie Xianzun’s eyes bulged, still unable to see his attacker, only feeling a cold hand plunge into his inner world, like a bandit ransacking his treasures. Nothing of his lifelong collection was spared.

“This...” The surrounding Xianjun were horrified, their expressions frozen in shock, clueless as to what had happened.

It was all because Ye Chen was too fast—piercing the brow, sealing the primordial spirit, and looting the treasures, all in the blink of an eye.

A breeze blew, and Si Mie Xianzun collapsed, his deep eyes fading completely. In his final moment before hitting the ground, he finally glimpsed his hidden assailant—it was Ye Chen.

In the throes of death, a wave of horror engulfed his mind. He couldn’t be wrong—that was Zi Wei Xing Jun, who had evaded his senses and slain him with one strike. The legendary assassin who once killed the Mo Jun had now fallen to a mere Zhundi.

In that moment, even if he felt unresigned, it was futile. Death was beckoning, dragging his last trace of consciousness into the cold depths of Jiu You.