Chapter 2784: Retreat

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Blood splattered as the demonic claws reaching into the void were all shattered into mist by Ye Chen. One by one, the Qiong Qi experts fell from the sky.

"Ye Chen?"

The supreme Qiong Qi suddenly went pale with fright. He stumbled back a step and, without a second thought, turned and fled. His previously fierce face instantly turned ashen.

This scene was truly ironic.

He was a supreme peak expert, yet the mere sight of Ye Chen made him want to escape without even attempting an attack. This revealed how deeply terrified he was of Ye Chen—a fear that had seeped into his bones.

If he was like this, the other Qiong Qi were even more so. They scrambled to get up, their expressions filled with dread, their bodies trembling with soul-deep terror.

"Run?"

Ye Chen snorted coldly and vanished in an instant, reappearing to pursue him.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

The supreme Qiong Qi roared, spinning around with a divine pattern etched on his forehead. He opened his third eye—a unique divine eye radiating an aura of annihilation. It unleashed thunderbolts that bypassed physical defenses, aimed directly at Ye Chen's yuan shen.

"Why this desperation now? Where was this when the heavenly demons invaded?"

Ye Chen said calmly, using his Shen Long Shield to block the thunderbolts. He extended a hand and grabbed the supreme Qiong Qi by the throat, lifting him into the air.

Ugh!

The supreme Qiong Qi's eyes bulged, his pupils constricted. He struggled to break free but was powerless, like a drowning man flailing his arms and legs.

Puff!

Ye Chen tightened his grip, crushing the Qiong Qi's physical body and eradicating his yuan shen. A supreme peak expert was instantly reduced to nothing, his soul scattered to the underworld.

After destroying him, Ye Chen vanished once more.

Ah!

Screams followed from the other Qiong Qi experts, who fled desperately. But as they ran, their heads were severed from their necks one after another. Their bodies exploded, and their yuan shen were not spared.

It was a horrific scene, drenched in blood. Flowers of blood bloomed like fiery red flames wherever Ye Chen went, leaving a path of destruction—cold and brutal.

In just a few moments, the supreme Qiong Qi and hundreds of other Qiong Qi experts were all slain. They wouldn't be alone on the road to the Yellow Springs—at least they'd have company.

Puff!

A gentle breeze blew, and Chu Ling and the others all spat blood. Their elegant figures swayed, unable to hold on any longer, and they collapsed one by one.

Whoosh!

Ye Chen shot forward like a rainbow, catching his wives and pouring his jing yuan into them. His sheng ti essence surged forth. Seeing their bodies covered in bloody wounds made his heart ache repeatedly.

Chu Ling smiled weakly, while Nan Ming Yu Shu and the others had tears in their eyes. If Ye Chen had arrived even a second later, they would have been beyond saving, heading straight to the Nai He Bridge.

"Mother."

Ye Ling ran out of the small world, her face streaked with tears.

"It's fine."

Chu Ling's smile was pale. With Ye Chen's essence flowing into her, the killing intent in her body was completely eradicated, and a hint of color returned to her cheeks. Recovery would still take time.

"Better late than never."

Nan Ming Yu Shu was exhausted, leaning against a rock. Her beautiful eyes fluttered with her lashes, not just from severe injuries but also from sheer fatigue after the grueling battles.

"Having a husband who can fight is truly wonderful."

Liu Ru Yan and the others smiled faintly but could barely stand, collapsing near the rocks with Ye Ling's help. Fresh blood still trickled from their lips.

"I'm the one who arrived late."

Ye Chen smiled warmly, though laced with guilt.

Chu Ling waved her hand, revealing Chu Xuan. Compared to the others, Chu Xuan's injuries were far more serious.

Ye Chen didn't hesitate. He reached out, placing his hand on Chu Xuan's forehead, and poured in his sheng ti essence to forcefully clear the killing intent. Then, he used his yuan shen power to nurture hers, wrapping her true body in heavenly thunder. An ominous crack ran across her form—it was a dao injury, an extremely dreadful one.

"Mother, I hate Hong Huang."

At his side, Ye Ling's small body trembled involuntarily, her little fists clenched tight. Her tear-filled eyes were full of cold light. Along this journey, she had witnessed too much tragedy.

Chu Ling simply reached out, gently stroking Ye Ling's head.

Hatred—they felt it too.

Ye Chen fell silent, his guilt deepening. He hadn't protected his wives and child well, nor had he created a peaceful world for all living beings. They had been scorched by war time and again.

He didn't know when he finally stopped.

As for Chu Xuan, she still hadn't awakened. Though her injuries were grave, her life was no longer in danger. The days ahead might all be spent in slumber.

"Let's go home."

Ye Chen raised his hand, drawing Chu Ling and the others into his small world. With one step, he ascended into the sky and vanished.

Not long after he left, the blood-soaked heavens twisted in space, and a faint shadow materialized—it was the supreme Qiong Qi who had been slain, or rather, a remnant of his yuan shen that had escaped Ye Chen's killing blow.

"One day, I'll make you wish you were dead."

The Qiong Qi gritted his teeth, his yuan shen twisted and grotesque, his face as deformed as a demon crawling from hell, terrifyingly sinister.

Accompanied by dim starlight, he too disappeared.

Perhaps he hadn't noticed, but deep in his soul lay a faint mark—Ye Chen's wheel of reincarnation mark. It wasn't that he had truly escaped; Ye Chen had let him go on purpose, casting a long line to catch a big fish. If he returned to his ancestral land, Ye Chen could use that mark to track the Qiong Qi clan's lair.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen had already opened a domain gate.

Before entering, a sharp glint flashed in Ye Chen's eyes as he confirmed the Qiong Qi had left. If the Qiong Qi hadn't detected the wheel of reincarnation mark, the next steps would be straightforward.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

In the shattered starry sky, explosions echoed relentlessly.

Not all Hong Huang forces had gone to attack Da Chu, Xuan Huang, and You Ming—many more were causing chaos across the stars, committing atrocities.

While cultivators were being killed, Hong Huang experts were also being eliminated.

That day, a female god of slaughter rampaged through the universe, killing as she went.

It was Dong Shen Yao Chi, who had overcome the backlash of her dream dao and could once again use dream return to ancient times. No one in the heavens could catch her. She moved like a ghost through the stars, executing thunderous kills on any Hong Huang clan members she encountered, whether supreme peak experts or mere soldiers.

Because of her, countless lives were saved.

"Incredible."

Tian Zhi, inside Ji Ning Frost's body, murmured more than once. The most stunning female young emperor of the heavens was in no way inferior to the ancient sheng ti in elegance.

Even as a female immortal herself, she paled in comparison.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The rumbling in the stars grew even more frequent.

Ye Chen encountered Hong Huang forces causing trouble and burst out of the domain gate, wielding his dao sword like a demon god. He slaughtered them mercilessly, sending countless Hong Huang members to their graves.

"I told you, our lives aren't meant to end yet."

In the Eastern Star Domain, Ye Chen found Xiao Yuan Huang, along with Kui Niu and Dong Zhou Wu Wang. They hadn't returned in time and had been relentlessly pursued by Hong Huang, suffering severe injuries. Without Ye Chen's arrival, they likely would have already wandered to the Yellow Springs, heading for the Nai He Bridge.

"Just you wait! Once we recover, we'll hammer you all."

In Ye Chen's small world, Kui Niu grumbled nonstop, spitting blood with every curse. Strands of ghostly light, all killing intent, lingered in the blood.

As fellow brothers, Xiao Yuan Huang was more proactive. Even though he could barely stand, he crawled to the longevity fruit tree and started picking fruits to eat.

With him was Dong Zhou Wu Wang, who from a young age had been self-aware. Not knowing what he was missing, he entered and exclaimed, "Oh? So many treasures."

"You have no shame!"

The Hun Dun Ding scolded loudly, buzzing violently.

"Get lost."

"Hey."

The Hun Dun Ding shouted again, buzzing once more, with Hun Dun Fire joining in. In their weakened state, Xiao Yuan Huang and the others dropped to their knees without warning.

Since the three were so unruly, Ye Chen waved his hand and sealed them into artifacts. His carefully maintained small world couldn't be wrecked by them.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Deep in the starry sky, Ye Chen paused again.

What followed was ruthless slaughter.

The Hong Huang suffered greatly, with over a hundred quasi-emperors wiped out and even more lesser members falling.

Those he saved this time were the Sun and Moon Divine Children, in worse shape than Kui Niu and the others—in an illusory yuan shen state. Following them, the Qing Di Child, Xuan Yuan Di Child, Wu Ji Di Child, Tian Que Di Child, and You Ming Di Child were also rescued in succession, narrowly escaping a total wipeout by the Hong Huang clan.

Ye Chen wasn't the only one making gains—Ji Ning Frost was too.

Along her bloody path, she saved many cultivators, including Long Jie, who was badly injured but wide-eyed, stunned by a slap from the Southern Emperor.

The booming didn't stop, continuing unabated.

There was one thing Ye Chen and the others were all doing, intentionally or not—they let some Hong Huang members escape, leaving marks on them.

In the future, once the heavens' cultivators recovered, they would settle accounts one by one. The blood debts owed would be repaid in blood—it was only a matter of time.

The rumbling in the stars gradually faded from some point onward. Everyone knew two gods of slaughter were roaming about, so the Hong Huang members were terrified and retreated to their ancestral lands.

The Hong Huang armies besieging Da Chu, Xuan Huang, and You Ming were equally afraid.

Ye Chen had emerged!

The various Hong Huang clan emperors, upon hearing this news, felt more fear than anger. They had been utterly terrified by Ye Chen, a nightmare that would haunt Hong Huang forever.

Retreat!

In the end, they issued the order to withdraw.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Whether besieging Da Chu, Xuan Huang, or You Ming, they activated massive emperor dao domain gates. They had arrived with fierce momentum but fled in utter disarray. If they didn't leave now, they might not get the chance.

"Let them go. We'll settle everything another day."

On the Xuan Huang Star Sea, the ancient clan emperors stood with swords in hand, their eyes flashing with cold light. In the past, they would have pursued, but not today.

"Just wait—one of you won't escape."

Above the You Ling Continent, the old underworld generals, heavenly realm immortal venerables, and various heavens' elders clenched their fists, their killing intent rising from their souls.

"If this grudge isn't avenged, we're not human."

At the peak of Da Chu, Niu Mo Wang bellowed loudly. Among the crowds, he was the one shouting the loudest, spitting blood as he roared at the top of his lungs.

Many cultivators who heard this opened their eyes, giving Niu Mo Wang sidelong glances. If we remember correctly, you're a bull—maybe don't try to fit into the human circle. As the saying goes, the human world has no place for a great one like you.

"They've retreated."

Dong Huang Tai Xin stood up, gazing into the distance at the stars.

The many supreme peak experts also rose, silent as ice. An overwhelming killing intent, etched into their bones, was directed at the damned Hong Huang clan.

Time—they needed time.

Once the heavens recovered, even if they didn't deal with the heavenly demons and evil demons first, they would cleanse the Hong Huang. Their hatred and rage toward the Hong Huang great clans had already surpassed that for the heavenly demons and evil demons.