Chapter 3107: First Encounter

Boom! Rumbling!

Accompanied by thunderous booms, the night's tranquility was shattered. The Gui Yu Mo Zong arrived with an overwhelming force, their figures blotting out the sky and making the people of Hao Miao Zong turn pale with fear. Ever since their founding ancestor vanished from the world, few had ventured out, precisely to avoid being tracked by old enemies.

Now, they had been found. The ruthlessness of Gui Yu Mo Zong was well-known to them. Back in the day, they had been crippled by the founding ancestor, with the remnants fleeing to distant realms. Who would have thought that after so many years, they would return for revenge?

Ye Chen remained completely unfazed, as steady as ever. In the eyes of a Zhun Huang Di, anyone who wasn't a Zhi Zun was merely an ant, no matter how many came. If not for his current suboptimal state, he would have long gone to wander in the Shen Realm, instead of wasting time bantering with these minor foes.

However, it was indeed unwise for his Xiao Jiu to leave behind her inheritance. As a mere passerby in this universe, he would eventually have to leave. Once she was gone, Hao Miao Zong would be left unprotected, eventually becoming a sitting target.

The current Gui Yu Mo Zong served as a perfect example—they had risen from the ashes and come back for vengeance.

"Xue Yang."

Zi Xin, usually silent and reserved, had her eyes turn blood-red in an instant, sharp glints flashing as she stared at a purple-haired young man lounging in a jade carriage. He was her enemy, one of the perpetrators who had slaughtered her family years ago, and the one who had sold her into the Qing Lou.

"San Yan Lao Guai."

Chi Yan Xiong Shi's face was ice-cold as he glared at an elder. In the memories passed down from his ancestors, he had seen this very elder, who had beheaded one of his clan's old lions.

"Today is quite the lively affair."

Ye Chen muttered to himself. All the enemies had gathered in one place. Gui Yu Mo Zong wasn't foolish; after being decimated by Ji Ning Shuang, they had lingered on in hiding for years and knew to seek allies. The ones they found were indeed formidable, including experts on par with Sheng Ren. Wiping out Hao Miao Zong would be child's play for them.

Unfortunately, their timing couldn't have been worse.

As he spoke, Gui Yu Mo Zong had already closed in, their dark masses surrounding the four directions of the high heavens. Their collective aura caused the sky to rumble, and their faces were all twisted and terrifying. The world, once bathed in starlight and moonlight, had turned dim and oppressive because of this bunch.

"I only want the female cultivators."

Before the battle even began, Xue Yang let out a sinister laugh, reclining in his jade carriage without so much as glancing at Hao Miao Zong. He casually toyed with a small green snake in his hand, his eyes gleaming with lewd intent.

"The treasures will be mine."

San Yan Lao Guai spoke indifferently, leaning on his dragon-headed staff as he stood in the eastern haze. He looked incredibly aged, but his vital energy was robust, enough to sustain him for another thousand years at least. The third eye on his forehead shimmered with eerie bloodlight, likely innate, and his withered voice was chilling and cold.

"The rest will belong to me."

The third speaker was an old hag, the very expert Ye Chen had mentioned who rivaled a Sheng Ren. She appeared even more ancient than San Yan Lao Guai, with a fang protruding from the left corner of her mouth, clearly marking her as a Yao Mang rather than a human cultivator. Just looking into her aged eyes was enough to send shivers down one's spine.

"Agreed."

The Gui Yu Zongzhu grinned maliciously. He didn't care about the treasures or wealth; as long as Hao Miao Zong was destroyed, that was enough. As the sect leader, he had sealed himself away for who knows how many years while clinging to life, and now he had finally returned. The grudges from back then were still fresh in his mind—all for this very day.

The people of Hao Miao Zong looked utterly despairing, one by one. Their opponents' lineup was overwhelmingly powerful, even making the Hao Miao Zhangjiao feel a sense of helplessness.

"Boss, can you handle this?"

Chi Yan Xiong Shi scratched his mane, his eyes fixed on San Yan Lao Guai. He wouldn't be satisfied until he had that old freak pinned down and ground into the dirt ten thousand times over.

Ye Chen said nothing, not bothering to reply.

"Kill! Kill them all for me."

"Not a single one left alive."

The Gui Yu Zongzhu suddenly drew his sword, pointing it straight at Hao Miao Zong.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than his head was severed.

That's right, severed. One moment he was full of swagger, the next his massive head was rolling through the void, blood spraying skyward like a waterfall. In his eyes, there was still a look of bewilderment: What in the world was happening?

Not only the people of Gui Yu Mo Zong, but even those of Hao Miao Zong were stunned. This move was quite the spectacle.

The one who struck was, of course, Ye Chen.

He was truly the impatient type, sitting casually on top of Chi Yan Xiong Shi's head with his legs crossed and hands tucked away, not making any visible motions. He used Zhou Tian, an immortal technique of deduction and domain that could also be used for attack. He didn't dare use full force, lest he turn all of them to ash.

"How is this possible?"

In the outside world, Xue Yang stepped out of his jade carriage, San Yan Lao Guai narrowed his three eyes slightly, and even the old hag on par with a Sheng Ren felt a sudden chill run down her spine.

Clearly, Hao Miao Zong harbored a hidden master. Could it be their founding ancestor? But no—that woman was supposed to be dead!

Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew.

In the next instant, Xue Yang lifted his foot, as did San Yan Lao Guai and the old hag. They stepped through the void, one by one, heading toward the Hao Miao Zong's spiritual mountain. To outsiders, it looked like they were charging into battle.

But whether they were truly raging was something only they knew. Each of them wore expressions of terror; it wasn't their own will driving them. Some strange force in the shadows was controlling their movements, like puppets unable to resist their master's commands.

The one casting the technique was still Ye Chen.

As a Zhun Huang Di, even with his powers sealed, he didn't need to lift a finger. These beings, not even reaching Zhi Zun level, dared to cause trouble here.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the three entered Hao Miao Zong.

And then, that was it.

Chi Yan Xiong Shi pounced on San Yan Lao Guai, truly pinning him down and grinding him into the dirt. Zi Xin swung her killing sword, hacking at Xue Yang one strike after another, her tears of blood flying as her suppressed hatred erupted in an instant.

"This is impossible. This can't be happening."

Their wails were utterly pitiful, both still completely baffled, unaware of what had transpired. They had come with an absolutely superior force—how had it come to this? Who had made the first move?

The old hag on par with a Sheng Ren also looked ghastly pale, her so-called realm and foundation rendered useless; she couldn't even move.

"Which senior is here? Please show yourself. My master is the Wu Tian Xue Zun."

She wasn't foolish; she knew to invoke her backer.

But alas, it was no use whom she invoked.

Ye Chen didn't even bother listening. With a single Zhou Tian immortal sword, he obliterated her on the spot.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Under the moonlight, a gruesome scene unfolded. The experts surrounding Hao Miao Zong didn't know what hit them before exploding into blood flowers one after another, blooming across the sky.

"This..."

The people of Hao Miao Zong were shocked, their souls trembling. Outsiders didn't know what was happening, and neither did they. These foes had come from afar only to collectively self-destruct here?

"Who? Who is it?"

The Hao Miao Zhangjiao was utterly confused, and the elders were equally baffled, shaking their heads like rattles as they scanned left and right.

In the end, their gazes all fell on Ye Chen. How could they have forgotten that great figure? The founding ancestor had once shaken the realm, so her husband couldn't be weak. Though he looked like a small fry, he was unfathomably deep, his expression unchanging throughout—such composure could only come from him.

One could say Gui Yu Mo Zong was truly unfortunate. Thousands of years ago, they were slaughtered in a mountain of corpses and sea of blood by the founding ancestor; thousands of years later, staging a comeback, they were wiped out entirely by the founding ancestor's husband.

Ye Chen remained indifferent, capturing the Gui Yu Zongzhu. Earlier, he had only severed his head, leaving him alive for study. He had no interest in that one; what intrigued him was the blood-haired youth, who was a Zhi Zun.

"What kind of divine being is he?"

Ye Chen murmured, gently waving his hand to extract a strand of blood from the Gui Yu Zongzhu, using it as a base to reverse-deduce the blood-haired youth.

In the shadows, layers of mist were peeled away by the power of Zhou Tian, tracing back to the source.

Once again, he glimpsed the blood-haired youth, seated in a grand hall, his form still vague, his floating blood hair strikingly red.

"Sneaky."

In just an instant, the blood-haired youth opened his eyes, demonic light flashing in them as he manifested a demonic sword, slashing along the path of deduction.

Ye Chen's expression didn't change; he deployed Zhou Tian, transforming it into a sword to test the opponent's strength.

Clang!

The two swords clashed in the shadows, the sound of metal echoing unseen, with destructive halos spreading across the eight directions.

In that moment, the Shen Realm shook.

In that moment, the Xian Realm trembled as well. The void flashed with lightning and thunder, and terrifying visions unfolded one after another, shrouded in apocalyptic glow. All who witnessed it felt their hearts quake, as if two gods were clashing. Even this mere aftermath was frightening enough—beneath the gods, all beings were ants.

Pfft!

Ye Chen spat blood, his divine sea buzzing.

He had come out on the losing end of that sword clash, not because he was weaker, but due to his non-peak state. Though he used Zhou Tian, the seals greatly limited its power.

The blood-haired youth, however, was unscathed, his demonic laugh growing more playful. Seeing Ye Chen retreat, he struck again with another sword, even more powerful than the first, following the deduction path.

"Not bad, kid."

Ye Chen sneered, instantly severing the connection.

The opponent was strong, but not at the Huang Di level—likely at the Zhun Huang Di peak. In terms of cultivation and realm, he surpassed Ye Chen. If Ye Chen were at his peak, the outcome would be uncertain.

"Senior."

The Hao Miao Zhangjiao hurried over in panic.

"It's nothing."

Ye Chen stood up, using his power of evolution to erase the traces in the shadows, preventing the blood-haired youth from tracing back.

If they truly fought, in his current state, he was no match; annihilation was a real possibility.

Now, he understood why the other had deduced him. As a Zhun Huang Di peak among Zhi Zun, the blood-haired youth could sense outsiders entering this universe. If not for the concealment of Zhou Tian, he might have been found long ago. This was also thanks to the female emperor—both he and Yao Chi bore her marks of obfuscation. Under such conditions, the blood-haired youth had still managed to detect him, showing his profound dao. Even a Shen Zun might not be his equal; that one was indeed extraordinarily powerful.

Meanwhile, San Yan Lao Guai had been completely slaughtered, with Chi Yan Xiong Shi, though cowardly, proving vicious enough to devour the old freak clean. The sight made the people of Hao Miao Zong, especially the female disciples and elders, retch.

"Blood debts paid in blood."

Zi Xin's face was streaked with bloody tears, like a madwoman, as she hacked Xue Yang into a mangled mess of flesh and blood. She showed no sign of stopping, sword after sword, until she had flayed him alive to quench her hatred.

Ah!

Xue Yang howled in agony, his earlier playful demeanor gone, his eyes bulging with fear. He had recognized Zi Xin and regretted not eradicating her back then.