Chapter 533: Success or Failure

Chapter 533: The Victor is King, the Loser is a Bandit

"Senior Brother, are you willing to turn back?" Looking at Zhong Mu in his pitiful state, Zhong Jiang's voice still carried a hint of hope.

It wasn't just him; beside him, Zhong Li and Hong Chen Xue both had a glimmer of hope in their eyes, wishing that this fellow disciple could, at the final moment, set aside all past grudges and return to Yan Huang.

The scene fell into a brief silence. Ye Chen and the others did not step forward; they simply watched quietly, knowing that this former group of disciples needed to reach a conclusion today. Although they were all from Yan Huang, it was not their place to intervene.

Under the watchful eyes of all, Zhong Mu staggered, and on his bloodied face, tears of blood streamed down.

Perhaps only now did he truly understand how precious the bond of brotherhood from hundreds of years ago had been.

But sins required someone to bear them, and it seemed destined that this person would be Zhong Mu. His hands were stained with the blood of Yan Huang's people, so even if he wanted to turn back, he had no face to meet the ancestors of Yan Huang.

"The victor is king, the loser is a bandit—what's the big deal?" Zhong Mu laughed strangely as he thrust his sword into his own chest, choosing this way to go to the underworld and atone to his master.

At that moment, a gentle breeze blew, and his staggering body toppled over.

In an instant, too many people turned away.

It was only after some time that Zhong Jiang was the first to move his heavy steps, followed by Hong Chen Xue and Zhong Li, all with solemn and grief-stricken expressions, as they came to Zhong Mu's side.

"Any last wishes?" Zhong Jiang asked, bending down quietly toward the dying Zhong Mu, his back appearing somewhat hunched.

"Take me... home." Zhong Mu laughed wearily and aged, his fading eyes losing their final light as he spoke those words.

A generation of Zhun Tian Jing expert, the holy lord of Xuan Huang, the sixth disciple of Hong Chen, and the golden venerable of Yan Huang, had now completely departed this world, taking his regrets with him but leaving behind lingering regrets.

Meanwhile, the people of Yan Huang had quickly cleared the battlefield.

After a bloody battle and a complete victory, the invading army of Shi Xue Dian was utterly wiped out. As for the Xuan Huang forces, aside from Holy Lord Zhong Mu and a few others, all had surrendered and returned to Yan Huang.

The journey home was filled with joy.

Not only Xuan Huang, but the people of Di Huang had also come home.

On the massive flying sword, many of the old veterans had brought out their murky wine, sitting back to back and recounting the glorious days of the past. The hundreds of years of conflict, driven by differences in stance, had kept them apart for far too long.

This time, Ye Chen did not join Zhong Jiang and the others on the same flying sword.

From a distance, that massive flying sword held three figures standing: Zhong Jiang, Zhong Li, and the fallen Zhong Mu lying on it.

Now, of Hong Chen's seven disciples, three were dead. Although Zhong Mu was hateful, with his passing, they would still take his body back to Yan Huang, fulfilling his final wish.

.

"Damned fools!" In the great hall of Shi Xue Dian, when Yan Luo of Shi Xue heard of the army's disastrous defeat, he erupted in fury.

He had every right to be angry; he had no choice but to be angry.

For years, Shi Xue Dian had dominated the northern region of Da Chu, its power unmatched by any other force.

But in just these days, they had suffered repeated setbacks.

Their attack on Tian Zong World Family ended in defeat; their siege of Ren Huang ended in defeat; their assault on Yan Huang ended in defeat. So many experts lost, including four Zhun Tian Jing powerhouses—Shi Xue Dian's foundations were deep, but after these three battles, they were severely weakened.

.

Boom! Boom!

Three days later, around the Yan Huang Spirit Mountains, two more spirit mountains were jointly created to serve as the new homes for Xuan Huang and Di Huang.

This time, since the split hundreds of years ago, Yan Huang's strength had reached an unprecedented peak. The addition of Ren Huang, Xuan Huang, Di Huang, the Su family, and various smaller families had multiplied Yan Huang's power several times over.

Naturally, amid the joy, Yan Huang returned to its usual bustle.

The Su family continued to reach out to smaller families, drawing them into Yan Huang.

The intelligence network under Hong Chen Xue's control kept sending in information, providing useful data for the Su family.

As for Zhong Li, the assassination organization he commanded was dispatched to establish Yan Huang branch halls.

The elders stationed at Yan Huang's main base were not idle either.

As the headquarters, it had to be impregnable. Their task was to set up killing arrays and defensive barriers, so that if Shi Xue Dian ever launched a full-scale attack in a fit of madness, they would have the means to hold their ground.

As Yan Huang's holy lord, Ye Chen had, since returning from the great battle, secluded himself in his spatial small world.

Perhaps because his soul had advanced to the Tian Jing level, this time refining the Yin Ming Dead General took him only three days.

Now, the newly refined Yin Ming Dead General stood before him, made from Xue Tu's body. Compared to the Yin Ming Dead General Lei Yan, this one refined from Xue Tu's body was even slightly stronger.

"That one is called Lei Yan, so you'll be Feng Yi," Ye Chen said, patting the Yin Ming Dead General's shoulder. The more he looked, the more satisfied he was.

In high spirits, Ye Chen put away Feng Yi and then brought out Ji Zhong's body.

Unlike Xue Tu's body, Ji Zhong's was not intact and would require some effort to repair.

Without delay, Ye Chen summoned his golden immortal fire, enveloping Ji Zhong's body. In his mind, he recited the Man Huang Lian Ti technique while infusing spiritual power to help form a circulation in the body.

And so, a day passed quietly.

At night, all was silent, and Ye Chen still had not left his spatial small world.

He summoned nine elders at Kong Ming Jing eighth heaven.

"Holy Lord." The nine elders bowed respectfully.

"According to what's listed, find as many as you can—the more, the better." Ye Chen handed each of the nine elders a scroll.

The scrolls contained the materials needed for refining Yin Ming Dead Generals and pills. With Huang Da Shan in seclusion attempting to break through to Kong Ming Jing ninth heaven, Ye Chen had to ask others to handle this.

Moreover, he asked nine at once.

As the saying goes, many hands make light work. Now that he was the holy lord of Yan Huang, with so many under his command and such authority, he might as well make use of it.

The nine elders accepted their orders and left. Ye Chen then rubbed his brow, pillowed his head on his hands, and lay back comfortably under a spirit tree.

Soon enough, Gu San Tong burst in.

This guy looked spirited and full of vigor—probably because, after three days, the vital energy he had expended using his forbidden technique had fully recovered. Ye Chen knew exactly why he was here.

"Kid, let's go! Don't drag your feet." Gu San Tong shouted, "I've met your conditions, so come with me to wipe out that evil thing. This time, I'll make sure to finish it off."

"After all these years, do you even know where that evil thing is?" Ye Chen sat up slightly and looked at Gu San Tong.

"Hun Ling Ancient Ground."

"Hun Ling Ancient Ground?" Hearing those four words, Ye Chen's eyes lit up.

Earlier, Huang Da Shan had mentioned that the mysterious group searching for Hun Ling Si Yu was also in Hun Ling Ancient Ground. Ye Chen had already planned to go investigate and perhaps acquire some Hun Ling Si Yu. Now, with Gu San Tong saying the evil thing was there too, it was more than convenient.

"During our great battle back then, I left a soul imprint on it, just to settle the score later," Gu San Tong continued. "I've used a secret method to check—it's in Hun Ling Ancient Ground."

"Alright, I'll go with you." Ye Chen jumped to his feet.

Gu San Tong hadn't expected Ye Chen to agree so readily and was a bit surprised, but he grabbed Ye Chen and headed out of the spatial small world.

"Once we take care of that evil thing for you, you might as well join Yan Huang." Ye Chen chuckled, looking at Gu San Tong.

"In your dreams."