Chapter 529: Trapping a Turtle in a Jar

"No need for formalities among our own people," Ye Chen said casually, then scanned the vast mountain range around him.

The mountains were majestic and imposing, shrouded in mist that concealed hidden mysteries.

Ye Chen subtly activated his Xian Lun Yan and surveyed the mountains. This glance truly shocked him, as the range hid numerous deadly traps—over a hundred killing formations alone—and he could sense several powerful Ling Qi concealed in the void.

At that moment, the Yan Huang experts were mostly in position, waiting for the Shi Xue Dian and Xuan Huang forces to enter before activating the Yan Huang barrier to trap them inside. Once that happened, the hundreds of killing formations would unleash their full power, making for a devastating scene.

"Let's split up and move out!" Ye Chen said, stepping into the void first.

The others—Zhong Jiang, Hong Chen Xue, Su Family Ancestor, and Gu San Tong—each followed their prearranged plans and headed to their hidden spots.

Soon, the figures in the sky vanished completely, their auras fully concealed, plunging the entire Xuan Long Shan into a deathly silence.

No one made a sound; they all lay in wait, hidden in the shadows, ready for the Shi Xue Dian and Xuan Huang armies to arrive.

Time passed, and the stars in the sky grew sparse.

In the void, Ye Chen sat on the ground, gripping his Da Shen Bian. Occasionally, he would huff on it and wipe it with his sleeve until it shone brightly, then he looked toward a particular direction.

Quickly, his eyes narrowed, fixing intently on that spot.

There, clouds churned and thunder rumbled, as if thousands of troops were charging forward, their killing intent piercing the heavens.

They moved at incredible speed—some on flying swords, others on spirit beasts, some soaring through the clouds, and others in war chariots. Their momentum was overwhelmingly grand, crushing the entire void as they advanced.

"What a grand display!" Ye Chen sneered, even from that distance spotting their twisted, terrifying faces.

"Listen to my command—no one makes a move prematurely," Ye Chen's ethereal voice echoed across Xuan Long Shan, relaying orders to all.

"The ones controlling the Yan Huang barrier, prepare it. First, separate out the Di Huang forces to avoid any mistakes, then divide the Shi Xue Dian and Xuan Huang people and take them down one by one."

"Those in charge of the killing formations, be ready. Once they're separated, activate the slaughter arrays."

"For any Xuan Huang members who surrender, hold back—don't kill them. But for those who resist, eliminate them on the spot."

"Understood."

As Ye Chen issued his commands, the three armies had already arrived.

At the center were the Shi Xue Dian forces, with Di Huang on the left and Xuan Huang on the right.

From afar, Ye Chen spotted the leader of the Shi Xue Dian army—a purple-robed elder with an aura that dominated the heavens, a genuine Zhun Tian Jing expert. Beside him, a blood-robed elder was also at Zhun Tian Jing, though slightly weaker than the purple-robed one.

On the Xuan Huang side, Ye Chen saw Zhong Mu, a slender and stern-faced elder with a powerful presence, clearly at Zhun Tian Jing. Standing next to him was a white-clothed youth lightly fanning himself with a folding fan, also a true Zhun Tian Jing expert.

Thus, Shi Xue Dian had two Zhun Tian Jing masters, Xuan Huang had two, and Di Huang had one, making a total of five Zhun Tian Jing experts—an enormous force clearly intent on swallowing Yan Huang whole in one go.

But neither Shi Xue Dian nor Xuan Huang realized that the Di Huang forces weren't on their side.

In reality, they only had four Zhun Tian Jing experts.

In contrast, Yan Huang had Zhong Jiang, Gu San Tong, Hong Chen Xue, Su Family Ancestor, and Zhong Li from Di Huang—five Zhun Tian Jing experts—not counting the unpredictable factor of Ye Chen.

More importantly, Yan Huang knew their enemies well and had set up terrifying ambushes, including exceptionally powerful killing formations. If all were activated together, even Zhun Tian Jing experts would struggle.

"Hurry up, don't dawdle," Zhong Li from Di Huang said impatiently, leading the Di Huang experts to charge ahead, quickly pulling thousands of meters ahead of the Shi Xue Dian and Xuan Huang armies.

Seeing this, the purple-robed elder from Shi Xue Dian and Zhong Mu from Xuan Huang exchanged glances and smirked.

"Since Di Huang is so eager to take the front, we'll enjoy the break," they said.

As they spoke, the Shi Xue Dian and Xuan Huang armies entered Xuan Long Shan.

"Leader, does something feel off?" a black-robed elder from Shi Xue Dian asked the purple-robed elder. "This Xuan Long Shan is eerily quiet."

The purple-robed elder furrowed his brow and scanned the surroundings, his eyes narrowing further. "This does feel strange."

"I have a bad feeling too," Zhong Mu from Xuan Huang said, frowning deeply.

"No way—Di Huang's people are almost across Xuan Long Shan. We should follow," someone replied.

"No, it's not right." The purple-robed elder's eyes narrowed even more. "This sensation is making my heart race."

He suddenly halted and shouted, "Retreat! Get out of Xuan Long Shan!"

Retreat?

From the void, Ye Chen's cold laugh echoed. "Too late."

Hearing this, the purple-robed elder and Zhong Mu's faces changed drastically as they tried to pull back—but it was indeed too late.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Nine massive light pillars shot into the sky, piercing the earth and forming two enormous barriers. The Shi Xue Dian and Xuan Huang armies, just realizing what was happening, were instantly split apart, each trapped in their own section.

"Damn it, there's an ambush!"

The purple-robed elder from Shi Xue Dian roared, "Break out!"

On the other side, Zhong Mu's face twisted in anger. "Attack the barrier!"

But as soon as they spoke, the heavens erupted with wind and thunder, and a terrifying, chilling killing intent surged forth.

Then, every peak of Xuan Long Shan glowed brilliantly, and massive array diagrams spread across the void. The powerful killing formations and arrays awakened simultaneously, their energies merging into one overwhelming force that made the sky tremble.

The dark night instantly turned dazzling, with colorful divine lights illuminating everything.

"Kill!"

With that icy command echoing through the skies, the Yan Huang experts charged out.

From the east, the Su Family experts led the assault, controlling a terrifying killing formation that swept through a swath of enemies.

From the west, the Yan Huang experts maneuvered a massive array diagram in the void, radiating waves of heart-pounding killing intent. Each wave felt like a massive mountain, featuring dancing azure dragons and phoenixes, raging thunder and flames, along with blade lights, sword arrays, and blood seas that devoured the essence of heaven and earth, unleashing unparalleled power.

From the north, the Ren Huang experts jointly activated a precious lotus lamp, which expanded massively and emitted waves of silver light that formed an ocean, engulfing lives in its path.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The battle had barely begun, and the Shi Xue Dian army was already in chaos, their ranks crumbling as figures exploded into bursts of blood flowers. Even Ming Jing realm experts couldn't escape.

"Charge south!" the purple-robed elder roared, noticing armies blocking the east, west, and north, with the south still open—he saw the opportunity clearly.

"Charge south!" Zhong Mu bellowed, blasting toward that direction.

But as they moved, the Di Huang experts, led by Zhong Li, activated a bronze furnace and swept back in a massive counterattack, catching the two armies off guard.

"You—"

The purple-robed elder and Zhong Mu's expressions changed in shock.