Chapter 861: Brothers in Arms, Father and Son on the Battlefield

Ah!

Watching Ye Chen's retreating figure, the crowd all sighed inwardly.

In particular, Haotian Xuan Zhen clenched his fists tightly inside his sleeves. Although Ye Chen had spoken casually, he could easily imagine the hardships his child had endured over the years.

By now, Ye Chen had paused and sat down on a stone step, quietly sipping strong liquor.

Not far away, Haotian Shiyue took a step forward but ultimately bit her lip and didn't approach.

However, even though she stayed back, her two younger sisters, Haotian Shiyu and Haotian Shixue, grinned and scampered over to Ye Chen. Compared to her, they were much more playful.

"Here, for you."Haotian Shiyu handed a triangular spirit talisman on a red string to Ye Chen. "A safety charm, to keep you safe."

"Thank you."Ye Chen was taken aback for a moment but still reached out to take it.

"You're not like this before."Haotian Shixue plopped down next to Ye Chen, resting her chin on her hands and blinking her big eyes at him. "When I first met you, you were so approachable. Now, you're so cold."

"That's because you don't know me."

"But I heard you even peeked at our sister while she was bathing."

"Cough, cough..."The remark made Ye Chen choke on the liquor he had just swallowed.

"There's that story?"Haotian Shiyu froze for a second, giving Ye Chen a strange look.

"Shixue, don't talk nonsense."Haotian Shiyue suddenly appeared, her cheeks flushed red. Without another word, she dragged Haotian Shixue away, and even the curious Haotian Shiyu got pulled along with them.

As for Hua Xu and the others, their expressions turned extraordinarily colorful. They hadn't known about this episode until Haotian Shixue mentioned it.

Under all those gazes, even Ye Chen felt a bit embarrassed, lucky that he was wearing a mask, or it would have been awkward.

It was a misunderstanding, absolutely a misunderstanding!

Ye Chen rubbed his brow hard. He wasn't one to care much about face, but he still understood basic ethics and morals. As for why that absurd incident happened that night, well, that was a long story.

The night was pitch-black, the wind biting cold.

A gust of icy wind swept into the grand hall of the Shixue Dian, transforming into a black-clad figure. Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Feng Ying.

"Greetings, Hall Master!"

"Do you know why I called you back?"Shixue Yan Luo asked leisurely.

"I've heard some things; Shen Ying is already investigating."

"What about Xue Qiong's side? I heard you all cornered the Haotian Shijia in the Huangquan Mountains?"

"The information leaked."Feng Ying replied flatly. "At this moment, Xue Qiong Hall Master should be on his way pursuing the Haotian Shijia."

"I really overestimated Xue Qiong."Shixue Yan Luo's face darkened instantly. "Dragging out such a simple matter for so long, I'm starting to doubt if he's fit to be the ninth branch hall master."

"There are many variables involved; it's not entirely Xue Qiong Hall Master's fault."

"Enough, focus on your investigation."Shixue Yan Luo waved his hand lightly. "As for Xue Qiong's side, I'll send troops to assist."

"Hurry, hurry!"With urgent shouts, the entire Haotian Shijia that had been teleported arrived and flew out in droves from Nanyang Ancient City.

It had to be said, even though the Haotian Shijia was on the run, they still had a massive cultivator army. Their formation was extraordinarily grand, looking like a black ocean that rumbled through the sky as it advanced.

"Be ready for battle at any moment."Ye Chen's voice echoed throughout the Haotian Shijia as he flew at the forefront.

"Be ready."Haotian Xuan Hai's eyes flickered, his aura rising steadily even as he flew.

It wasn't just him—the momentum of everyone in the Haotian Shijia was surging rapidly. These past days, they'd been like rats scurrying through the streets, unable to fight and only able to flee. Their blood had long been boiling.

After some time, they finally spotted a vast, sprawling mountain range in the distance—that was the Xingtian Mountains.

Like the Huangquan Mountains, the Xingtian Mountains formed a barrier between the cultivator world and the mortal world. The difference was that the Xingtian Mountains were even larger, stretching over ninety thousand li from north to south.

"Cross this mountain range, and we'll reach the mortal world."Haotian Xuan Hai took a deep breath.

Boom! Bang!

No sooner had Haotian Xuan Hai spoken than thunderous booms erupted from the Xingtian Mountains. The void was torn open, and swarms of dark figures poured out—it was the army from the eighth branch of the Shixue Dian.

"Haotian Shijia, where do you think you're escaping to?"Immediately, a man in blood-red armor from the army roared, his voice booming like thunder across the heavens.

"Charge through them!"

"Charge through them!"

Ye Chen and Haotian Xuan Zhen's voices rang out simultaneously.

Zheng! Zheng!

As the killing swords hummed, Ye Chen and Haotian Xuan Zhen drew their weapons at the same time, like two brilliant stars lighting the way for the Haotian Shijia in the dark night.

One was the master of the Haotian Shijia, the other its young master. They led the charge, igniting the battle spirit of the Haotian Shijia army behind them, surging forward like a tidal wave.

At the sight, the man in blood-red armor paled.

He was merely a vanguard commander for the eighth branch of the Shixue Dian, leading just one of their armies. Compared to the Haotian Shijia, their forces were far inferior.

Moreover, they had only just arrived and hadn't had time to set up killing formations or traps. They hadn't even stabilized their position before the Haotian Shijia came crashing in like a flood—how could they hold them off?

Ye Chen and Haotian Xuan Zhen saw this even more clearly.

If the enemy had been the full army of a branch, they would have had to think twice. But this was just one army from the eighth branch, and the Haotian Shijia had the absolute advantage in strength. Besides, the enemy hadn't even settled in, so they launched a thunderous assault.

"Fire the arrows!"In the crisis, the blood-red armored commander instinctively raised his killing sword, pointing it at the opposition.

At once, arrows rained down like a storm, each one infused with spiritual power, shooting through the sky.

Seeing this, Ye Chen focused his mind, and the Chaos Divine Cauldron and Jiuzhou Divine Diagram flew out from his forehead simultaneously.

Along with them, he summoned over a hundred spiritual artifacts, each radiating powerful might and glowing with various divine lights, like shining stars illuminating the dark world.

Outer Dao Dharma Phase, activate!

With a light shout from Ye Chen, his entire body erupted in brilliant golden light.

Centered on his body, a vast illusory world expanded, spanning over a hundred zhang. This was his outer dao dharma phase, a realm that seemed utterly real, containing blazing suns and waning moons, vast cosmic spaces, great rivers, and mountains.

"What is that?"The Shixue Dian army collectively froze at the sight.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

While they were stunned, the arrow rain turned to ash in droves, all shattered by the Chaos Divine Cauldron, Jiuzhou Divine Diagram, the various spiritual artifacts, and Ye Chen's outer dao dharma phase.

"Kill!"Blocking the first wave of attacks, the Haotian Shijia army surged forward en masse.

"Quick battle!"Ye Chen, treading on the sea of chaos, charged at the front. With a single step, he teleported into the enemy ranks, swinging his sword to cleave the sky. In an instant, a large swath of the Shixue Dian army vanished, leaving only scattered blood mist.

Behind him, the Haotian Shijia army followed, charging in as well.

The great battle erupted in full.

As for the Shixue Dian commander, seeing the Haotian Shijia's momentum, his face turned deathly pale. He was the vanguard, tasked with holding them back to buy time for the eighth branch's main army.

What he hadn't expected was how swiftly the Haotian Shijia had acted, catching them off guard the moment they arrived.

"Hold them! Hold them for me!"Even so, he kept roaring, hoping to last until reinforcements came.

However, his shouts drew Ye Chen's attention abruptly.

Capture the leader to demoralize the followers!

Ye Chen carved a bloody path with his sword, charging straight for the Shixue Dian commander. Clad in the Huntian Battle Armor, he was like an unstoppable war god, no one able to withstand even a single move from him.

"Who is that?"The Shixue Dian commander spotted Ye Chen from afar. Seeing his overwhelming power, even with his quasi-heaven realm cultivation, he felt intimidated. "The Haotian Shijia actually has such a strong expert."

"Anyone who blocks me dies!"As Ye Chen thundered, his voice carried the force of his cultivation and divine abilities, turning swaths of the Shixue Dian army to ash in his wake.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Perhaps sensing his intent, the Shixue Dian army hastily activated their killing formation, all targeted at Ye Chen.

Soon, the formation's power awakened, and nine divine lights shot toward him.

Even Ye Chen, with his strength, didn't dare take it head-on—that was a killing formation powered by an army of cultivators; one misstep, and he'd be obliterated.

Heavenly Dao, activate!

Just as the formation's divine lights were about to pierce his body, he vanished into a spatial black hole.

But the nine divine lights didn't stop because of his disappearance.

Thus, the Shixue Dian army suffered the backlash, with ranks upon ranks turning to ash under the formation's might.

Is he dead?

The Shixue Dian commander stared fixedly at that patch of sky, more concerned about Ye Chen's fate than his own losses.

"What do you think?"A cold voice rang out. Ten zhang away, a black vortex appeared, and Ye Chen emerged from the spatial black hole, sword in hand.

"You..."The Shixue Dian commander's eyes bulged, and he instinctively stepped back.

Wind God Art!

Ye Chen moved like the wind, incredibly fast and shadowless. His sword strike was utterly dominant, and even the commander's guards couldn't react in time—they couldn't keep up with Ye Chen's speed at all.

Pfft!

As blood sprayed, the Shixue Dian commander, still in a state of shock, had his forehead pierced by Ye Chen's sword.

To his dying moment, his eyes were filled with disbelief. A high-ranking commander of a branch, a genuine quasi-heaven realm cultivator with many experts guarding him, had been killed outright. He might not have been the strongest commander in the branch, but he was certainly the most bizarrely slain one.