Chapter 2734: Weird Monster

The sudden scene caused everyone's expressions to change drastically. No one knew where that massive hand had come from; there had been no prior detection. It appeared and vanished in a mere instant.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Ye Chen snorted coldly and, following a faint trace in the void, pursued the mysterious figure into the ethereal realm.

"Seal."

Donghuang Taiyi formed seals with one hand, controlling three imperial artifacts to lock down that entire region of heaven and earth.

"Seal."

The group of Quasi-Emperors looked on with cold eyes, not remaining idle. Some set up formations, others activated imperial weapons, sealing off the universe. That Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Pill had been obtained at the cost of the Evil Demon's life, and they absolutely would not allow it to be stolen.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Over a dozen imperial artifacts hovered in the sky, radiating supreme imperial power as imperial laws cascaded down, sealing the vast void. Everything was frozen. If the mysterious person was still there, they would surely be trapped by the imperial artifacts.

"What audacity, daring to seize the pill here."

Long Ye snorted coldly. One must know that today's Dan City had gathered over sixty percent of the peak experts from all the heavens, guarded by supreme imperial artifacts and a half-step fully accomplished Holy Body. Even if the Heavenly Demon Emperor arrived, he would have to kneel. Where did this person get the nerve to cause trouble?

"A ghost?"

Di Ji murmured softly, her delicate brows furrowed. Even with her perception, she hadn't detected the slightest aura.

The world fell silent as everyone gazed into the void.

Since the massive hand disappeared and Ye Chen chased after it, there had been no further movement, nor any trace to follow. This abrupt turn of events cast a shadow over everyone's hearts. What kind of situation was this? They had painstakingly refined the pill, and an Evil Demon had even sacrificed himself—only for it to be snatched away?

Bang!

The prolonged silence was shattered by a sudden boom, not from the void, but from the direction of the Nan Chu city walls. The shockwave was immense, rippling across the four seas and eight wastelands.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

What followed were rumbling sounds, clearly the fluctuations of a great battle.

Evidently, the mysterious person had escaped the imperial seal, and Ye Chen had caught up to them.

At once, all the Quasi-Emperors moved, streaking like divine lights towards the Nan Chu city walls.

Indeed, Ye Chen had caught up, his eyes slightly narrowed as he stared at the figure opposite him. To be precise, it wasn't a person, but a monster. It had an enormous head with only one terrifying eye, a massive mouth with exposed fangs, and its entire body was covered in black scales. It had six arms, claw-like feet, and a long tail dragging behind it, resembling a dragon's tail at first glance.

Such a monster was something even he, with his vast experience, had never seen before, and he couldn't identify what it was.

More importantly, this monster was in a state of Bloodline Limit, its body surging with dark demonic energy that rolled like an ocean, crushing the universe. Its combat power was extraordinarily strong, harboring some mysterious force within.

"What a pure pill."

The monster chuckled eerily, pinching the Soul-Returning Pill between two fingers and savoring its fragrance leisurely. The pill had a spirit and loathed the monster intensely, desperately trying to escape, but it was firmly restrained.

Bang!

Ye Chen shattered the void with a step and thrust a divine ray straight at the monster's head.

The monster's lips curled slightly, matching Ye Chen's speed as it dodged in an instant and circled behind him in a flash, wielding a black war spear to strike.

Blood light flashed.

However, the one wounded wasn't Ye Chen, but the monster. Though it was fast, it couldn't outpace the Flying Thunder God technique. In the previous moment, Ye Chen had circled behind it, his Holy Body palm striking like a divine blade, overwhelmingly powerful and nearly splitting it in two. Black blood splattered, carrying a foul stench.

The monster roared in fury, spinning around and swinging its tail, causing the air to hum with force. The power was domineering; even a peak Quasi-Emperor hit by it would likely explode.

Yet, Ye Chen wasn't an ordinary peak Quasi-Emperor. He caught the tail squarely and tore it off on the spot. However, the monster neither died nor was truly injured, regenerating its tail instantly and spewing thunder from its mouth, aimed at Ye Chen's primordial spirit with destructive force capable of severing one's true form.

Ye Chen resisted with his primordial spirit and slapped it away with a palm.

Bang!

A thousand zhang away, the monster crashed down, stomping the void into collapse. Before it could steady itself, blooming flowers appeared, arrogantly unfurling as the world's laws froze in an instant.

It was the Eternal Thought, a heaven-defying imperial immortal technique.

In a flash of lightning, Ye Chen arrived, severing the monster's hand that held the pill and reclaiming the Nine-Turn Soul-Returning Pill in an instant, sealing it into his inner world.

In that same moment, the monster regained its mobility, fleeing a myriad zhang in a step and abruptly turning back, firing a black killing sword from its massive eye across the vast distance.

Ye Chen's expression remained indifferent as he evaded with an imperial ethereal step and countered with a punch.

Pfft!

The monster spat blood on the spot, half its body exploding, but it regenerated instantly.

Ye Chen pressed the attack, unwilling to prolong the fight, and cast Eternal Thought again.

Unfortunately, the flowers of the other shore didn't bloom this time, for a black halo spread around the monster, suppressing Eternal Thought. Even Ye Chen's momentary imperial ethereal step was forced back to reality—it wasn't the monster itself that was strange, but that black halo.

"Interesting."

Ye Chen said calmly, his expression unchanged. He had intended to end it quickly, but the monster proved exceptional. If it wanted a fight, then so be it. If he didn't beat it senseless, he'd take its name.

Bang!

Another stretch of void shattered as Ye Chen advanced amid chaotic energy.

Roar!

The monster howled shrilly, its voice laden with demonic power. With the pill stolen, it raged into a frenzy, demonic energy surging as its six arms gripped weapons, a vortex forming in its mouth to devour heaven and earth.

This was a rather ambitious monster, intent on reclaiming the pill and destroying Ye Chen in the process. Its Bloodline Limit of indestructibility was its greatest asset.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The battle erupted, collapsing the universe once more with destructive visions unfolding.

Clearly, Ye Chen held the absolute upper hand.

Though the monster was strong and possessed an undying form, its combat power was utterly suppressed by Ye Chen. Its black body reformed repeatedly, only to be blasted apart again. From the moment Ye Chen attacked, it never gained stable footing, hammered by the Holy Body until it doubted its own existence, nearly perishing several times.

Outside, the immortals had arrived at the Nan Chu city walls, crowding the ground, the skies, and even the surrounding mountains, all craning their necks to watch the ethereal void.

The rumbling was still intense, with patches of the sky collapsing one after another.

Beyond that, roars filled with supreme demonic power echoed from the void, causing many to feel a momentary daze. Those with weaker cultivation plummeted from the air.

"Is the opponent that strong? Ye Chen hasn't taken them down immediately."

Listening to the booms, the Quasi-Emperors were all astonished.

No one could believe that in this era, someone could rival a half-step fully accomplished Holy Body. The scale of this battle was extraordinary, clearly fierce and unrelenting!

"I told you, anyone daring to snatch the pill from Ye Chen's hands must have some skill."

Long Yi clicked his tongue, his eyes gleaming as he tried to peer through the void for the fight, but all he saw were destructive visions—one humanoid silhouette and one that was neither human nor beast.

"The aura of Bloodline Limit."

The First Divine General murmured, detecting that trace and showing surprise. It wasn't hard to guess that the one battling Ye Chen was in an indestructible state. Even so, enduring the Holy Body's assault was something for the mysterious person to boast about—that was absolute suppression of power!

Boom!

Under everyone's gaze, the sky collapsed with a crash, and a blood-soaked figure plummeted out—it was struck down by Ye Chen's palm, smashing a towering mountain to rubble.

"Seal!"

The Quasi-Emperors shouted coldly, activating their imperial artifacts in unison.

Amid the flying debris, the monster had just risen when it was suppressed by over a dozen imperial artifacts combined.

"What on earth is this?"

Sheng Zun was the quickest, stepping forward to size it up. Ye Chen had never seen it before, and neither had he. It was pitch black, covered in scales, with an unusually large head, no nose, just one massive eye, and an enormous mouth.

"It's truly Bloodline Limit."

Di Lao sighed, recognizing the monster's state at a glance. No wonder Ye Chen, with his power, took so long to bring it out—it was a monster, and an outstanding one at that.

"Do you know its origins?"

Donghuang Taiyi glanced at the monster and then at Ren Wang.

Ren Wang shook his head lightly. The know-it-all couldn't make sense of it. If it were an evil spirit, it wasn't; if a puppet, it had flesh and blood. It seemed to be some kind of mutated being.

The Dimension Traveler stepped forward, placing a palm on the monster's crown. Since they couldn't figure it out, soul-searching was the most direct method. This monster had appeared out of nowhere, evading everyone's senses—they were eager to know its background, which might involve a powerful force.

What made him frown was that the monster had no memories, or rather, they were a chaotic mess.

After searching for a while, Xi Chen withdrew his hand, shaking his head helplessly. He found no clues, only that this thing was extraordinarily powerful, with mysterious and terrifying forces hidden within, even making the Sword God furrow his brow.

"Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and face severe consequences."

"Who sent you?"

"Why did you steal the Soul-Returning Pill?"

A crowd of veteran Quasi-Emperors surrounded the monster in layers, hurling abuse nonstop. We painstakingly refined that pill, and you just grabbed it? How thick is your face! Daring to rob treasures in Grand Chu—your confidence is off the charts!

Meanwhile, Ye Chen had dispelled the dark energy from the pill and sealed the Soul-Returning Pill away.

Fortunately, it was just a false alarm; the pill had been recovered. If that monster had gotten away with it, the entire heavens would have cursed in outrage. It was a pill obtained at the cost of lives, incredibly precious!

"Dad, what is that thing?"

Ye Ling tugged at Ye Chen's sleeve, not approaching. Even the mischievous little devil of the heavens was frightened by how terrifying the monster looked.

"I can't tell."

Ye Chen shook his head lightly. A monster with Bloodline Limit was truly unexpected. Its memories were murky, leaving him unsure if it acted on its own or was directed by someone.

"Imperial Dao: Nether Passage."

"Universe: Borrow Law."

Ming Jue and Hun Luan Body cast their divine abilities simultaneously. If they couldn't see through it, that didn't mean the Heavenly Nether Emperors couldn't. They needed to ask, but both the heavenly and nether realms had barriers, and the two emperors were sealed away, isolated from the human world, completely unaware of this matter.

"Take it back for study."

Donghuang Taiyi waved her hand, summoning a bronze furnace to contain the monster, and headed straight for Tianxuan Gate.