Chapter 2836: A Mess

"Hurry, hurry, hurry."

In the starry sky, figures swarmed about as various races and factions sent their elders into action, converging like streams toward the Tian Zun ruins. The Zhu Xian Jian was still active, a dire threat. If it entered the ruins, the new generation would face utter catastrophe.

Indeed, it was catastrophic, far beyond ordinary misery.

Overlooking the entire ruins, a bloody mist shrouded everything, with corpses scattered everywhere—mostly young cultivators, all killed outright without any visible wounds, their yuan shen destroyed.

"Entering the ruins was a mistake."

On the mountain peak, the Taiyang zhi Ti took a deep breath. If they had known the ruins were this terrifying and that a killing god was rampaging, only a fool would have come seeking excitement.

"Have you heard any sounds?"

The Dadi zhi Zi slightly closed his eyes, focusing his senses. For a moment, he had caught a rumble, like the fluctuations of a great battle, and now that sound faintly lingered, as if obscured by some mysterious force.

"The east."

The Taiyin zhi Ti spoke softly, her tone absolutely certain. In terms of combat power, she might be the weakest, but when it came to perception, even the Dadi zhi Zi, Taiyang zhi Ti, and Ye Fan couldn't match her—this was her innate divine ability.

"Let's go."

With the direction confirmed, the three of them left the peak together, following the Taiyin zhi Ti's guidance and locking onto the eastern void, where the battle fluctuations could occasionally be heard.

"There's a battle."

"Why haven't I heard it?"

"Keep up."

Elsewhere, the Xiantian Dao Ti shot forward like a divine rainbow, with the Jiuyou Mo Ti at his side—the two formed a formidable pair. The Xiantian Dao Ti also possessed an innate divine ability for perception, not inferior to the Taiyin zhi Ti.

"Quick, to the east."

In the western sea, the Zifu Xian Ti soared into the sky, vaguely sensing the aura of slaughter. Upon carefully using his immortal arts, he realized it was a major battle.

"I have to see who this divine being is."

Xiao Man Wang charged forward without hesitation, gripping his bone club, his aura fierce and domineering. He had a quick temper and was determined to take down the hidden killer.

"What a familiar aura."

Also heading there were Ye Fan and Yang Lan. Yang Lan was relatively composed, but Ye Fan's deep eyes flickered with uncertainty. Though he didn't know who was fighting, his bloodline stirred restlessly. As Ye Ling's half-sibling from the same father, their blood connection created an inexplicable sense.

Pfft! Pfft!

In the eastern heavens, blood light erupted continuously.

Zhang Zi Fan and the Zhan Ti were gravely injured, their combined efforts no match for their opponent. One staggered unsteadily, the other stumbled, both vomiting blood wildly.

In contrast, Ye Ling showed no signs of injury.

She moved like a ghost, her body sometimes illusory and sometimes solid, making her true form hard to grasp. Despite the strength of Zhan Ti and Zhang Zi Fan, they struggled to land a hit on her.

"Looks like we're done for."

The Liehuo Zhan Ti gasped heavily, his expression grim.

Zhang Zi Fan felt the same. Without reinforcements, they were doomed. They might want to flee, but the surroundings were in chaos, enveloped in dark mist, giving them a slim chance in direct combat. Attempting to escape would expose their flaws, leading to a quicker death. In terms of speed, they were far outclassed.

"Ye Ling?"

"Zhu Xian Jian?"

As they staggered, a surprised voice rang out.

From beyond the mist, a figure tore through space and charged in—it was the Dadi zhi Zi, arriving first, with the Taiyin zhi Ti and Taiyang zhi Ti at his side. Seeing Ye Ling and the Zhu Xian Jian, they were momentarily stunned.

"How is this possible?"

Space ruptured again as the Dao Ti and Jiuyou arrived, their expressions similar. They confirmed it was Ye Ling and the Zhu Xian Jian, but according to what they knew, the Zhu Xian Jian had long been destroyed, as their elders had said.

"Is that the Zhu Xian Jian?"

Xiao Man Wang and the Zifu Xian Ti also arrived, recognizing the sword at a glance, along with the Sheng Ti's daughter. How had they ended up together?

"So it's the Zhu Xian Jian. What a surprise."

"No wonder the Tian Zun ruins were sealed and so many were killed—it has the means."

"When did it take control of Ye Ling?"

The group of emperor-level figures gathered, blocking off all directions with cold gazes and grim expressions. They all knew Ye Ling's terror. In single combat, aside from Ye Fan, few in the ruins could match her.

"Tonight is quite lively."

Ye Ling laughed eerily, her tone mocking and playful.

Fight!

Xiao Man Wang roared and attacked first, with the Dadi zhi Zi, Taiyin and Taiyang, Xiantian Dao Ti, Jiuyou Mo Ti, and Zifu Xian Ti joining in. Even the heavily wounded Zhang Zi Fan and Liehuo Zhan Ti leaped into the fray—it was a group assault.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The battle erupted, vast swathes of the sky collapsing, silent immortal light streaking across, and destructive visions appearing everywhere. Fresh blood rained down, staining the heavens red once more.

It was clear that even with the emperor-level figures teaming up, they were no match for Ye Ling and the Zhu Xian Jian. One after another, they were wounded and bled out. Someone like the Taiyin zhi Ti, with slightly weaker foundations, was covered in blood, while others bore multiple gashes. Each wound glowed with a colorful, eerie light that drained their vital energy, causing the injuries to expand rather than heal.

"So strong."

The emperor-level figures were deeply shaken, feeling a sense of powerlessness. Not only was defeating Ye Ling difficult, but even hitting her was a challenge. The rare times they succeeded felt like mere scratches. But Ye Ling was different—her attacks were devastating, and any strike from her sword caused serious damage. In terms of power, they were clearly on different levels.

"Ants."

The Zhu Xian Jian hummed ominously, its grotesque face manifesting on Ye Ling's own, like a sinister ghost. Every sword strike was pure destruction. Even powerhouses like the Zifu Xian Ti and Xiao Man Wang couldn't withstand it, but thanks to the number of new-generation emperor-level figures and their coordinated efforts, they held on. In a one-on-one fight, none could stand against her—they were all insignificant ants. If Ye Fan were here, he might hold his own, but unfortunately, he wasn't, or rather, the Zhu Xian Jian had used a heaven-defying immortal art to seal off this realm, isolating all auras, seemingly intent on defeating them one by one.

"Seal it for me."

The Xiantian Dao Ti snorted coldly, pressing down with a palm that bore array patterns, summoning a massive formation in the air. Every pattern was laced with demonic power.

"With you?"

Ye Ling sneered, stepping on the array and shattering it with one foot, then flipping her sword to strike down the Xiantian Dao Ti. Only his dao essence protected him, or he would have been cleaved in two.

"Suppress!"

The Taiyin zhi Ti and Taiyang zhi Ti attacked from left and right, one manifesting a blazing sun and the other a silver wheel, combining yin and yang into a Taiji divine wheel, enhanced by nine palaces and eight trigrams—a technique for both attack and sealing.

Ye Ling didn't even glance at it, slashing her sword to rend the heavens and earth. The newly formed Taiji wheel shattered instantly, and both Taiyin and Taiyang suffered backlash, flipping away east and west. If not for Xiao Man Wang and Dadi zhi Zi rushing in at the critical moment to force Ye Ling back, they would have fallen to her sword.

"Get out here!"

The Liehuo Zhan Ti roared, summoning golden flames that turned into a sea of fire engulfing Ye Ling. Strands of fire waves wove into flaming chains, binding her body in an attempt to yank the Zhu Xian Jian from her grasp. Since the Zhu Xian Jian controlled Ye Ling, they hesitated to harm her—it wasn't her true intent. Eliminating the sword would allow them to fight freely.

"Overestimating yourself."

Ye Ling laughed sinisterly, instantly shattering the fire chains and nearly blasting the Liehuo Zhan Ti apart with a palm. The arriving Dadi zhi Zi was also struck down by a sword, while the Jiuyou Mo Ti and Zhang Zi Fan fared no better—one was nearly killed by her finger, the other gravely wounded.

"Exterminate!"

The Zifu Xian Ti snorted coldly, summoning Zifu immortal energy to form an immortal sword that slashed down with destructive might—his strongest strike to date.

Ye Ling showed utter contempt, not even using her sword. With a light flick of her jade finger, she shattered the Zifu immortal sword and sent the Zifu Xian Ti flying with a spray of blood. Before he could steady himself, a beam of silent divine light pierced his immortal body, severely damaging his yuan shen.

"All beings are ants."

Ye Ling laughed wildly, sweeping her sword across the eight directions.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

They collided head-on, some sent flying sideways, others tumbling backward, each plummeting from the void and crashing into the ground, forming deep craters. The gravely wounded like the Liehuo Zhan Ti couldn't even reform his body—the terrifying killing intent overwhelmed his yuan shen, putting him on the brink of destruction.

The emperor-level figures were utterly defeated.

"Damn it."

The Jiuyou Mo Ti struggled to his feet but collapsed to one knee. The others were in no better shape, wounded and crippled. Forget fighting; even standing was a struggle, and those who managed lasted only a couple of instants before collapsing again. Ye Ling herself wasn't the real threat—it was the accursed Zhu Xian Jian. Its killing intent carried destructive power, and without dispelling it from their bodies, their wounds and gashes wouldn't heal.

"The road to the underworld is pleasant."

Ye Ling plucked a wisp of immortal light in her palm, transforming it into a colorful lotus that floated down, carrying destructive force. If it exploded, all the new-generation emperor-level figures present would be dragged into the gates of hell.

However, before the colorful lotus could detonate, a figure burst in from outside, deploying the Di Dao Hei An, instantly swallowing the lotus.

That person was Tang San Shao, his eyes hollow, black hair whipping about, demonic aura surging around him, black blood flowing through his veins—he was in the state of Xue Ji Xian Jie. He had caught the scent from somewhere and rushed over. Seeing Ye Ling, his body trembled violently. Was this still the Ye Ling he remembered? Her beautiful face was twisted and grotesque, her clear eyes filled with evil and cruelty, devoid of any trace of the Sheng Ling zhi Ti's grace. She was like a pure demon.

"How... how could this be?"

Tang San Shao's lips quivered, his face paling. He knew a cold killer had been slaughtering beings these past days, but he hadn't realized it was Ye Ling—or more precisely, the damned Zhu Xian Jian controlling her.

"Serve me, kill them."

"Then you and I will be together forever."

Ye Ling laughed, casually tossing her hair, her smile demonic and laced with supreme dark power. The Zhu Xian Jian echoed in Tang San Shao's mind—it valued talent. Besides the first lineage of Sheng Ti, this little black fatty was the only one who could freely activate Xue Ji Xian Jie, making him a rare asset.

Tang San Shao fell silent, his mind blurring. If those words came from the real Ye Ling, how wonderful it would be. He had waited centuries for them.

But she wasn't Ye Ling—the words were from her mouth, yet not her own. It was the damned Zhu Xian Jian toying with worldly emotions.

"Is that alright?"

Ye Ling's smile carried that supreme dark power.

"Get out of her body."

Tang San Shao roared to the heavens, a hint of blood in his hollow eyes. The one he loved was controlled, truly touching his reverse scale. To him, Ye Ling was everything, and no one could profane her.

"You refuse the path to heaven and walk into hell."

Ye Ling snapped coldly, pressing down with a palm. Her crystalline jade hand was etched with colorful seal scripts, turning everything to ash in its path, collapsing vast swathes of void and upending the cosmos, reversing yin and yang.

Bang!

Tang San Shao shattered the sky with a step, raising both hands to forcefully block the palm, though his legs bent under the pressure. He could activate Xue Ji Xian Jie for immortality, but this wasn't the real Ye Ling—it was the Zhu Xian Jian controlling her, its power utterly crushing him.

Pfft!

Blood sprayed as his arms exploded instantly, bones dyed in fresh blood scattering through the void. Thanks to Xue Ji Xian Jie's regeneration, they reformed immediately.

"Get out of her body."

Tang San Shao howled in fury, charging upward, clenching his fists in the Ba Huang Quan, infused with invincible battle intent, punching through the vast cosmos.

"You're far from it."

Ye Ling struck down with another palm, even more domineering.

Pfft!

Tang San Shao's fist bones shattered, blood spurting as he plummeted from the sky, smashing a mountain peak to rubble. Amid the flying debris, he shot upward again, only to collide with Ye Ling's third palm and bleed once more.

"Do you really think immortality makes you unbeatable?"

Ye Ling raised her slender jade finger, sending out another colorful immortal beam that pierced Tang San Shao, forcibly ejecting him from Xue Ji Xian Jie.

Pfft!

Tang San Shao fell from the heavens, not only expelled from Xue Ji Xian Jie but also unable to reactivate it for a while—the Zhu Xian Jian's divine abilities were too terrifying.

"Your Xue Ji power is mine now."

Ye Ling stood gracefully, like a supreme queen, extending her jade hand with greedy eyes, intent on seizing Tang San Shao's Xue Ji power.

Tang San Shao lay powerless on the ground, coughing blood continuously, his injuries too severe. Without Xue Ji Xian Jie, his power was even weaker, pinned down by the oppressive force.

"Wan Jian Gui Yi."

In a flash, a cold voice rang out, accompanied by a brilliant sword light wreathed in dark lightning and infused with heavenly tribulation force. It struck back Ye Ling's jade hand, forcing even her to retreat a step.

Indeed, Ye Fan had arrived, using the immortal art created by Ye Chen—Wan Jian Gui Yi, a supreme single-attack technique that dominated heaven and earth in his hands.

At his side was Tian Sha Gu Xing Yang Lan. Like Tang San Shao, upon seeing Ye Ling, their hearts ached fiercely. Their sister had been controlled by the Zhu Xian Jian, turned into a puppet and a tool for slaughter.

"Ye Fan, I've been waiting for you."

Ye Ling stretched her neck leisurely, her words still carrying that demonic tone—it was actually the Zhu Xian Jian speaking. She ignored the Tian Sha Gu Xing and focused only on the Tian Ze zhi Ti. In this suppressed realm, Ye Fan was the only one who caught its eye—a youthful emperor-level figure barely worthy as an opponent. As for the others, and those new-generation emperor-level ants, they were all beneath contempt.