Chapter 774: The King

The night was pitch black, the wind bitterly cold. In the ethereal void above, Ye Chen streaked through like a golden divine rainbow, his speed incredibly fast.

His expression was grim, not because of Ji Ning Shuang, but because of Zhengyang Zong's Wang—that was the ruthless figure from years past who had driven Zhan Wang to flee to the remote borders of Da Chu. Now hidden within Zhengyang Zong, this was far from good news.

"Yin Ming Si Jiang alone is headache enough, and now there's something even more sinister like Kui." Ye Chen furrowed his brow, unsure how many Yin Ming Si Jiang Wang controlled, let alone the full extent of his Kui army.

"It looks like we'll need a long-term plan." Ye Chen murmured to himself, "I really underestimated Zhengyang Zong."

"From what I can tell, your long-term plan will take at least three to five years." The Taixu Gulong eyed Ye Chen's avatar with annoyance. "You've been dragging your feet for half a year, and now one Wang has you scared out of your wits?"

"Stop talking big without any real stake in it." Ye Chen shot back. "At least let me figure out Zhengyang Zong's true strength first! If I charge in blindly, who knows how many people will die."

"Don't give me that nonsense. Three days—that's all you get to handle Zhengyang Zong."

"I—" Ye Chen started to retort, but his brow suddenly furrowed, and he came to an abrupt halt, staring intently at the void ahead.

There, a surge of yin sha energy roiled like an ocean, unnaturally cold and oppressive, making the void hum and tremble. Even from a distance, Ye Chen felt a pressure like a mountain bearing down.

Instinctively, Ye Chen narrowed his eyes and summoned his xian huo to shield his body.

Soon, within the yin sha sea, two points of purple light emerged. Upon closer inspection, they were a pair of eyes—bottomlessly deep, deathly still, sending chills to the soul.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The void shook violently again, with rhythmic booming sounds. Listening carefully, it was the sound of footsteps, each one so heavy that it made the void rumble.

"What immense pressure." Ye Chen's brow knitted tightly as he gazed gravely at the scene before him.

There, a vague figure emerged, slowly taking shape, shrouded in a purple gold robe and enveloped in chilling yin sha energy. Though maskless, its face was obscured, revealing only those purple gold eyes glowing with an eerie light.

This person was unmistakably the one from Zhengyang Zong known as the Pharaoh—or more accurately, Wang.

"Stronger than Dan Mo and that old senior." Ye Chen instinctively stepped back, his face turning pale.

"Lost a Xuan Ling Zhi Ti, gained an Huang Gu Sheng Ti—today will be a great harvest." Wang continued his unhurried approach, his voice ethereal and desolate, soft yet thunderous.

"You're Wang?" Ye Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.

"What's the point of asking when you already know?" Wang gave a faint smile, his voice still ethereal, carrying an undeniable authority, as if he were a sovereign of the world, demanding reverence.

"You're still alive—quite the surprise for this junior!" Ye Chen retreated another step, his vigilance at its peak. Facing a powerhouse like Wang, one misstep could mean instant defeat. After all, Wang had once been at the peak of quasi-emperor level.

"Come with this Wang willingly, and you'll suffer less." Wang paused, his purple gold eyes fixed remotely on Ye Chen.

"Dream on." Ye Chen snorted coldly and swung the Chi Xiao Jian, unleashing the Wan Jian Gui Yi divine ability.

Without another word, he turned and fled. This was a genuine king in peak condition—he had no desire to fight.

Boom!

Behind him came a crisp sound as Wang flicked a finger, shattering Ye Chen's sword light. Then, Wang raised his hand slightly, extending his five fingers toward Ye Chen's escape path.

Instantly, the void quaked, and the purple gold robe expanded endlessly, like a dark curtain blanketing the sky, turning day into night wherever it passed.

Seeing this, Ye Chen's expression turned sharp.

He knew he couldn't let that expanding purple gold robe engulf him—it would likely mean being sealed or suppressed.

With that thought, he pushed his footwork to its limit, executing the Taixu Shen Xing technique to its fullest for escape.

"You're more capable than I thought." Wang's voice echoed from behind. As he spoke, he stepped forward thousands of zhang in an instant, firing a divine light from his finger that pierced the void straight toward Ye Chen.

Feeling a chilling sting on his back, Ye Chen halted abruptly, activating his left eye's Xian Lun Yan.

Heavenly Dao!

With a light shout, a Heavenly Dao vortex materialized before him.

However, Wang's divine light was even more bizarre than Dan Mo's from the previous night. Dan Mo's could bend, but Wang's split into two paths, each skirting around the Heavenly Dao vortex.

Damn!

Ye Chen cursed inwardly, drawing the Tian Que Jian to block in front of him.

Boom! Boom!

Wang's two divine lights struck the Tian Que Jian in quick succession, sparking brilliant flames.

Puff!

Ye Chen spat out blood on the spot, his body sent flying backward.

Seal!

Wang uttered a single word softly, yet it made the heavens rumble.

Before Ye Chen could steady himself, he was immobilized in the void.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Soon, the sound of chains clashing rang out. Upon closer look, they were chains formed of fu wen, slithering like serpents toward Ye Chen.

As the fu wen chains approached, Ye Chen gritted his teeth and forcibly drew his true essence from his dantian—he knew that once they bound him, escape would be impossible.

Break for me!

With a roar, his Chaos Shen Ding burst from his brow, buzzing and trembling, echoing with the sounds of the Great Dao, its chaos qi flowing like heavy mist.

Immediately, Wang's seal was forcefully shattered, and Ye Chen regained his mobility.

Demonic Path, activate!

Without hesitation, Ye Chen activated the Demonic Path and instantly drew the Chi Xiao Jian, wildly swinging it.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sounds echoed as he slashed through the approaching fu wen chains one by one.

"Not bad at all." Wang's voice was ethereal and desolate. He stepped forward, closing the distance to within a hundred zhang of Ye Chen in an instant, and thrust out a palm that unleashed a sea of yin sha, vast and overwhelming, surging toward Ye Chen.

In response, Ye Chen's body erupted in golden light as his Chaos Sea and golden star sea of the sacred body manifested, merging in the void and rolling forward to crush the yin sha sea.

Boom!

The two seas collided with a thunderous roar. Vaguely, Ye Chen's Chaos Sea and golden star sea were at a disadvantage, rapidly being devoured by the yin sha sea—not because they were weak, but because they were limited by Ye Chen's cultivation and strength, unable to unleash their full power.

Demonic Path,

Eight Desolate Fists!

Ye Chen shouted, combining nine Eight Desolate Fists into one and slamming them into the yin sha sea.

Yet, his peak strike only stirred up ripples in the yin sha sea, causing no real damage.

Wan Jian Gui Zong!

Taixu Long Jin!

Eight Desolate Slash!

Heavenly Sword Divine Punishment!

Ye Chen's blood surged as he frenziedly unleashed secret techniques and divine abilities, blasting them into the yin sha sea.

However, the yin sha sea was all-encompassing and terrifying, devouring his heavenly-defying attacks one after another, leaving him powerless to resist.

"You're an idiot—run while you can; you can't beat him." The Taixu Gulong's voice urged gravely, as if witnessing the scene. "I told you he's no ordinary powerhouse."

"No kidding?" Ye Chen snapped back, throwing another punch and slash before abruptly turning to flee.

Xian Lun Heavenly Dao, activate!

With a light command, he vanished into a spatial black hole.

Hmm?

Seeing Ye Chen disappear completely, Wang narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing into the ethereal void. "A spatial black hole—this boy can enter that unknown realm at will."

But no sooner had he spoken than Ye Chen emerged from the spatial black hole the next instant.

He looked utterly battered, with a bloody hole in his chest, a deep gash on his back, and countless wounds across his body, some exposing his gleaming bones.

"Collided with something terrifying in the spatial black hole again?" The Taixu Gulong asked hastily, seeing Ye Chen's dire state.

"No shit." Ye Chen staggered, spitting out fresh blood, still shaken as he recalled the horrors of the spatial black hole. If not for his quick reaction, he might have been lost in its endless desolation.

"The ability to enter and exit the spatial black hole at will—Ye Chen, you've truly surprised me!" Wang advanced step by step, his dead eyes gleaming with intense light.

"There's plenty more to surprise you." Ye Chen stepped forward, thrusting the Feng Shen Jian enveloped in thunder and xian huo straight toward Wang's brow.

"Overestimating yourself." Wang smiled faintly, raising his palm to clamp the Chi Xiao Jian's tip precisely, shattering the Feng Shen Jue's power.

"Not so fast—there's more." Ye Chen chuckled coldly, his brow erupting in golden light as a sharp divine ray shot out—his Shen Shang secret technique.

Immediately, Wang's brow furrowed slightly. At such close range and with such speed, even he couldn't evade it, taking the full force of Ye Chen's Shen Shang.

To Ye Chen's shock, however, his dominant soul attack seemed to have no effect on Wang.

In a flash, Ye Chen hastily retreated, realizing that even the Feng Shen Jue was easily blocked and the Shen Shang couldn't harm him—he couldn't fathom how strong Wang truly was.

Think you can escape?

Wang moved even faster, appearing like a ghost in front of Ye Chen, his finger of dark light thrusting toward Ye Chen's brow.

Taixu Shifting!

Ye Chen gritted his teeth and used the Taixu secret technique, transferring the damage from Wang's dark light to his shoulder. A bloody hole punched through, the wound flickering with dark light that dispersed his vital energy, preventing it from healing.

"I underestimated your combat skills." Wang smirked mockingly and flipped his hand, slapping Ye Chen flying sideways.