Chapter 838: Building Momentum

Ye Chen was actually in Bei Chu?

Everyone’s faces instantly turned pale, devoid of any color.

They never imagined that the holy lord of Tian Ting would venture alone into a dangerous place like Bei Chu, let alone appear in this very tavern.

At that moment, some couldn't help but tremble. Although they didn't know when Ye Chen had arrived, they were certain that he had heard every single word of their earlier conversation.

Indeed, one could eat carelessly, but one couldn't speak carelessly—saying things that shouldn’t be said came at a bloody price.

"Ye Chen, you have quite the nerve." In the suffocating silence, the extremely fearful Cang Ming suddenly stood up. It was precisely the fear in his heart that he masked with a roar.

He was afraid, truly afraid. The pressure Ye Chen exerted on him was like a mountain. The holy lord of Tian Ting, a genuine Zhun Tian Jing cultivator—whether in status or cultivation, he completely overshadowed Cang Ming.

"You don't seem very welcoming." Ye Chen continued walking forward, a smile on his face the entire time. To Cang Ming, that smile was like the grim reaper beckoning him.

"A year ago, I let you escape, but today, you won't be leaving." Whether it was overconfidence or fear reaching its peak, Cang Ming charged forward with his sword.

"Kong Ming Jing eighth level—who gave you that confidence?" Ye Chen sneered, raising his hand to grab Cang Ming's killing sword. No matter how hard Cang Ming struggled, he couldn't advance it even an inch.

At this sight, everyone in the tavern was too scared to make a sound. The mighty Kong Ming Jing eighth-level Cang Ming had been defeated so swiftly and decisively at his peak strike. Ye Chen's strength far exceeded their expectations.

Die!

Cang Ming roared in anger, thrusting out a palm.

Ye Chen smiled playfully and responded with a casual palm strike.

Boom!

In the next moment, the tavern collapsed, and Cang Ming, covered in blood and broken bones, was sent flying. The already bustling street became even more chaotic because of this.

"Isn't that Cang Ming from Shi Xue Dian?" Someone recognized him and froze.

"On Shi Xue Dian's territory, someone actually dared to attack him?"

"Who's that bold?" Immediately, everyone's gaze converged on one spot, where they saw Ye Chen slowly emerging.

Damn!

When they saw Ye Chen's true face, a collective curse erupted, as if they had witnessed something unbelievable.

"I must be seeing things!" After a second or two, someone subconsciously rubbed their forehead.

"You're not—it's the holy lord of Tian Ting."

"Old ancestor, save me!" Amid the discussions, Cang Ming staggered up into the sky from the ruins, burning his lifespan as he fled frantically in one direction.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen followed unhurriedly behind Cang Ming, occasionally firing off a few rays of divine light, but showing no real intent to kill him.

This scene left the people below stunned.

Holy lord of Tian Ting, what are you up to? You're being way too reckless—this is Bei Chu, not your Nan Chu.

But they had no idea what Ye Chen was thinking.

Killing Cang Ming would take just one sword strike. The reason he was following at a leisurely pace wasn't to torment him—it was to build momentum, to let all of Bei Chu know: I, Ye Chen, the holy lord of Tian Ting, have arrived.

Boom! Bang! Rumbling!

The heavens and earth grew restless.

Ahead, Cang Ming was fleeing, but the mountains behind him were collapsing one after another.

Behind, Ye Chen carried the blood-stained killing sword, walking as if strolling through a garden, yet each move he made created massive disturbances.

Further back came the cultivators from the ancient city, surging like a black tide, but they didn't dare get too close—they just watched from afar, afraid Ye Chen might turn and slaughter them.

What? Ye Chen is in Bei Chu?

What? Ye Chen is chasing and killing Cang Ming?

The commotion Ye Chen caused was enormous, drawing more and more attention. News like this spread across all of Bei Chu like wings on the wind.

Bastard!

An earth-shattering roar echoed from the grand hall of Shi Xue Dian. "Ye Chen, now that you've come, you won't be leaving."

Soon, the sky rumbled with thunderous sounds as Shi Xue Dian's experts charged in from all directions. The weakest among them was at Kong Ming Jing third level, forming a veritable army of cultivators.

This lineup shocked the people of Bei Chu.

But thinking about it, it made sense.

Who was Ye Chen? A killing god, an unkillable cockroach. Even before he had fully grown, he had stirred up massive waves in Bei Chu. Now that he had reached Zhun Tian Jing, eliminating him would require nothing less than an army of cultivators.

Bang! Boom! Rumbling!

As the onlookers watched from all sides, the heavens continued to roar.

In the sky above, Ye Chen, sword in hand, still walked as if in a leisurely courtyard.

Cang Ming kept stumbling along in his escape.

Ye Chen's pursuit without killing him drove Cang Ming to the brink of madness. This step-by-step torment had pushed his spirit to the edge of collapse.

There was a moment when he nearly stopped, hoping Ye Chen would give him a quick end and spare him from this endless agony at death's door—it was worse than dying.

Boom!

Just as he despaired, the sky ahead exploded, and a dark mass of figures surged out like a tide—the experts from Shi Xue Dian had arrived.

Old ancestor, save me!

Cang Ming screamed wildly, as if seeing a glimmer of hope.

But as soon as he took a step, a black spear shot from behind.

Thud!

Blood splattered as the cold, black spear pierced straight through Cang Ming's body. The Kong Ming Jing eighth-level expert was nailed to the sky, his eyes filled with terror even in death.

Ye Chen, you deserve to die!

Witnessing Ye Chen slay Cang Ming right in front of the Shi Xue Dian army, the experts from Shi Xue Dian erupted in fury.

"Then you'll have to kill me first!" Ye Chen snorted coldly and suddenly turned, charging toward the rear. Shi Xue Dian experts were closing in from all sides, but the forces behind him were the smallest—he needed to break through and carve a bloody path before being surrounded.

Kill him!

The Shi Xue Dian experts roared in unison, their four black tides converging rapidly toward the center.

Anyone who blocks me dies!

Ye Chen's voice boomed like thunder. Clad in the Hun Tian battle armor, with the Hun Dun divine cauldron hovering above his head, the Ba Long saber in his left hand, and the Chi Xiao sword in his right, his entire body erupted in golden light, dazzling and majestic, like a force that could swallow mountains and rivers.

Thud!

Under everyone's gaze, Ye Chen swung his saber, sweeping away a swath of enemies. He was truly like a war god—beneath Zhun Tian Jing, no one could withstand even one of his strikes.

It was a terrifying scene: the Shi Xue Dian army like a black ocean, surging with waves, while Ye Chen stood alone, his golden light radiant and eye-catching.

This sight made the spectators' hearts pound.

What an lineup—that was an army of cultivators! Yet here they were, routed by a single person.

At the same time, the atmosphere in the grand hall of Heng Yue Zong in Nan Chu was oppressively heavy, with everyone's faces dark.

"Intelligence confirms that Shi Xue Dian is rallying forces from all sides, preparing to invade our Tian Ting from the south." Finally, the silence in the hall was broken by Hong Chen Xue's soft words.

"They sure know how to pick their moment!" Zhong Kui snorted coldly.

"With them causing trouble, we'll never finish building those walls in Nan Chu." Tian Zong old ancestor took a deep breath. "An open attack is easy to defend, but a sneak attack without warning is the real headache."

"Report!" As they spoke, a person rushed into the hall and knelt on one knee.

"Speak."

"The holy lord has sent word: continue building the walls with peace of mind. He'll handle Bei Chu."

"Nonsense." Zhong Jiang said sternly, "Bei Chu is a den of wolves and tigers."

"Send a message back to the holy lord at once—under no circumstances should he reveal his identity. As for Nan Chu's matters, we..."

"Report!" Before Hong Chen Xue could finish, she was interrupted by a shout from outside the hall. "News just came in: the holy lord is pursuing and killing Cang Ming from Shi Xue Dian, and it's making a huge stir. Shi Xue Dian's experts have already mobilized."

"Did he reveal his identity on purpose?" Hong Chen Xue stared intently at the messenger.

"The reports say exactly that."

With that, the entire hall fell silent.

It was that young man again, their commander-in-chief, risking his life to draw the attention of Bei Chu's forces and buy time for Nan Chu.

In that moment, everyone began to question Ye Chen's true motive for going to Bei Chu. Was he really just searching for Chu Xuan? Or had he anticipated this turn of events and gone to Bei Chu to hold them off alone?

~~

I've noticed some readers mentioning that the version on Ta Du is different from the web version.

Let me explain: "Xianwu Emperor" is serialized on Ta Du Literature website (the Ta Du web and app versions are synchronized). As for where else you can find "Xianwu Emperor," it generally falls into two categories.

First: Platforms like Shu Qi, Mi Gu, and Wang Yi, which have official collaborations with Ta Du and obtain the content through legitimate channels.

Second: The web versions some readers mentioned—these are not from official sources; simply put, they're pirated.

Here's how I distinguish between official and pirated: If you're paying to read, it's official; if not, it's pirated. I'm not sure if that's the right way, but...

Whether it's these officially partnered platforms or pirated sites, the content might differ from what's on Ta Du, especially on pirated sites—changes we make here might not update there.

I don't completely oppose people reading pirated versions, because I went through that phase myself. Back when I was in school with no allowance, I read pirated books too. But once I started writing, I realized how tough it is for authors. Before I got married, I was working myself to the bone, barely human.

So, if you can, I hope you'll support the official version. It's a way to encourage the author's hard work.