Chapter 857: Slaughter

The night was pitch-black, and the wind howled fiercely.

Beneath the dark veil of night, the army of Shixue Dian's Ninth Branch Hall split into over a hundred groups, surging into the nearby hundred ancient cities. They used the teleportation arrays in these cities to head toward the Huangquan Mountains.

Gazing into the distant sky, Xue Qiong personally drove an ancient war chariot, exuding the aura of a true commander.

However, it was clear from his expression that his face was twisted in ferocity, and his eyes flashed with savage light. The pent-up frustration from the past few days had turned into uncontrollable rage, which he intended to extinguish with the blood of the Haotian Family.

"Ninth Branch Hall." High above a mountain range, Ye Chen, who was flying rapidly, spotted the army of Shixue Dian's Ninth Branch Hall from afar. His brows furrowed deeply.

"Toward the Huangquan Mountains." Ye Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. "Could it be that the Haotian Family's whereabouts have been exposed?"

In an instant, his expression turned gravely serious.

He knew that the Ninth Branch Hall's army could use the teleportation arrays without restraint, making them much faster than the Haotian Family. At this rate, the Haotian Family was likely to be surrounded in the Huangquan Mountains.

"Xue Qiong, I underestimated you." Ye Chen snorted coldly and burned his true yuan, suddenly increasing his speed to a new level.

In less than a moment, he shot like a divine light into a modest ancient city. To prevent tragedy, he had to reach the Haotian Family before Xue Qiong and his forces, so he needed to use the city's teleportation array.

"Halt!"

As soon as Ye Chen approached the teleportation array, a stern shout rang out.

Looking up, he narrowed his eyes again. The massive teleportation array, over twenty zhang in diameter, was surrounded by over a hundred figures in black robes, forming an impenetrable barrier.

Moreover, these black-robed individuals were all highly skilled; the weakest were at the third level of Kongming Realm, and among them was one at Zhuntian Realm.

"Shixue Shenying." Ye Chen frowned, recalling more information about Shixue Shenying from Yan Zun's memories. This organization consisted of cold-blooded killers, unwavering weapons of death.

"If you value your life, stay away from the teleportation array."

While Ye Chen was furrowing his brow, a cold and authoritative voice echoed. It came from the only Zhuntian Realm expert there.

"Cang Zhen, you're quite the authority."

Ye Chen threw off his black robe, revealing Yan Zun's face, attempting the same trick again.

"You are... Yan Zun?"

Seeing Ye Chen's true appearance, the Zhuntian Realm expert, Cang Zhen, abruptly stood up, his eyes instinctively narrowing.

"It's surprising you still remember me."

Ye Chen spoke as he slowly stepped onto the massive altar.

"I seem to have heard that Elder Yan is in seclusion. How do you have the leisure to come to this small Xueyang City?"

Cang Zhen remarked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Do I need to report my whereabouts to you?"

Ye Chen huffed coldly.

"Elder Yan, you're too kind."

Cang Zhen slowly advanced, blocking the way to the teleportation array.

"But even you, Elder Yan, cannot use this teleportation array today. Please understand."

Hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Ye Chen's eyes.

Today, he had witnessed the dominance of Shixue Shenying. They answered only to the Shixue Dian Lord and followed no one else's orders, not even the supreme elders of Shixue Dian.

"Unless you have the Shixue Dian Lord's command token."

Cang Zhen spoke again, standing firmly in front of the teleportation array without any intention of yielding.

"Cang Zhen, you've truly impressed me!"

Ye Chen sneered.

"You're the first in all these years to dare block my path."

"Elder Yan, you're too modest. It's simply my duty."

Cang Zhen smiled faintly.

"As I said, to use this teleportation array, you need either the command token of Fengying Grand Commander, the Shixue Dian Lord, or even Xue Qiong's, since we're under his command now."

"I understand the rules."

Ye Chen's voice was icy as he reached into his robe.

But to Cang Zhen's surprise, what Ye Chen pulled out was not a command token, but a crimson killing sword, which he slashed at him with incredible speed.

"You—"

Everything happened in a flash. Cang Zhen's face changed drastically, and even he couldn't react in time.

Clang!

With the sword's resonant ring and a spray of blood, the unprepared Cang Zhen had his head severed by Ye Chen's sword. Even as his head hit the ground, he still hadn't comprehended how a Zhuntian Realm expert like himself could die so absurdly.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Seeing Cang Zhen fall, the other hundred or so Shixue Shenying experts drew their killing swords simultaneously. Though they didn't know why Ye Chen had killed him, they knew that regardless of the reason, they had to take him down—even if he was Yan Zun.

"With just you?"

Ye Chen snorted coldly, summoning the Chaos Divine Cauldron and the Jiuzhou Divine Diagram, along with over a hundred terrifying spiritual artifacts, including Yan Zun's nine blood-red killing swords.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Immediately, over a hundred figures knelt down in unison, unable to withstand the pressure of the spiritual artifacts.

"Quick victory!"

Ye Chen's voice was frigid as he called forth his three Dao bodies, plus the Dan Ancestor Dragon Soul and the puppet Zixuan.

What followed was a one-sided slaughter. Though the Shixue Shenying experts were numerous, they were caught off guard by Ye Chen, suppressed and unable to move, let alone fight back.

In less than ten seconds, all hundred or so Shixue Shenying figures were exterminated.

"Clean up the battlefield!"

Ye Chen ordered his Dao bodies, while he stepped into the teleportation array, as he had no time to linger.

Shortly after he left, one of the groups from Shixue Dian's Ninth Branch Hall arrived.

"Where are the Shixue Shenying people?"

A commander frowned as he scanned the area around the teleportation array.

"Weren't all the ancient city teleportation arrays supposed to be sealed by Shixue Shenying?"

"It's possible a couple of cities were overlooked, given how many there are. Commander, we should hurry to the Huangquan Mountains!"

"In that case, it's careless. If the Haotian Family escapes this time, Shixue Shenying will bear the blame."

The commander snorted coldly, flicked his war robe, and stepped into the teleportation array.

Following him, the rest of the group flooded in like a tide. Though numerous, the array could barely support them.

However, just as they entered, a thunderous boom echoed.

The entire teleportation array channel collapsed.

"Dammit!"

The commander roared in fury, but it was too late to react, as the army was swept into spatial rifts in droves.

"Enjoy it slowly!"

At the other end of the teleportation array, Ye Chen's Dao body sneered.

Indeed, it was Ye Chen's Dao body that had destroyed the array channel, following his instructions before leaving—to trap and eliminate this group from Shixue Dian.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen himself sped like a streak of light toward the next ancient city.

Though he wanted to destroy all the teleportation arrays leading to the Huangquan Mountains, he didn't have the time. There were too many ancient cities, and he couldn't cover them all. His priority was to find the Haotian Family as quickly as possible.

Boom! Boom! Rumble! Rumble!

The world did not calm down after Ye Chen had trapped one group of Shixue Dian's army.

By now, the other dozens of groups from the Ninth Branch Hall had arrived at various ancient cities and were queuing up at the teleportation arrays, preparing to rush ahead and set up ambushes in the Huangquan Mountains.

A vast net had already been cast open.