Chapter 863: Passing the Test

Chapter 863: Overcoming Passes and Slaying Generals

Night fell on the mortal world, bringing with it peace and quiet.

High in the endless sky, Ye Chen and his companions continued their rapid flight.

Even in the mortal world, they chose remote routes with sparse populations for their journey, as cultivators still existed there.

"I've never been to the mortal world before." Hao Tian Shi Yu and Hao Tian Shi Xue looked down with curiosity. "Aside from the lack of spiritual energy, it doesn't seem much different from the cultivation realm."

"Quiet down and stay close." Ahead, Hao Tian Shi Yue cast them a stern glance.

"At this speed, without any hiccups, we should reach Xi Yuan Guo in three days," Hao Tian Xuan Hai said from the front, glancing at the unfolded map. "What we're short on is time!"

"As long as we get to Xi Yuan Guo, we'll be safe," Ye Chen said from beside him. "I've already instructed Yan Huang to set up teleportation arrays along the way. From the mortal world, we can go to the Yan Huang headquarters in Bei Chu Xi Ling, and from there, use their great void array to reach Nan Chu."

"This time, it was fortunate you came. Otherwise..."

Pfft!

Before Hao Tian Xuan Hai could finish, Ye Chen suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and nearly fell from the sky.

"Chen Ye!"

Hao Tian Xuan Zhen quickly rushed forward, supporting the staggering Ye Chen.

Instantly, Ye Chen's face turned deathly pale, as if he had been struck by an invisible, devastating blow.

"Were you seriously injured in the earlier battle?" Hao Tian Jing Shan and the others followed closely behind.

"Don't come near me." Ye Chen pushed Hao Tian Xuan Zhen away and hurriedly sat down cross-legged on the ground, his expression contorted in pain.

"This injury is severe." Seeing Ye Chen in such agony, the experts of the Hao Tian family all frowned. Although they wanted to help, they didn't know what was wrong and hesitated.

"Dao Shen—who destroyed my Dao Shen?" Ye Chen's body trembled uncontrollably, his aura becoming extremely chaotic.

No one understood his condition better than he did. An invisible force was wreaking havoc in his body. It was because his Dao Shen was destroyed, affecting his true self.

His Dao Shen was born from him. In the past, even when it was destroyed, it didn't have much impact on his true self, which could simply manifest a new one when the time was right. But this time was different. The destruction of his Dao Shen had damaged the root of his true self, and a mysterious, powerful force had spilled over, causing him severe injury.

What puzzled him most was that he had no idea what had happened to his Dao Shen. As its true self, he should be able to access its memories, yet even those had been cut off.

"What kind of divine ability is this? Who could it be?" Ye Chen's eyes narrowed.

"Chen Ye?" Hao Tian Xuan Zhen called out tentatively, his face full of concern.

"I'm fine." Ye Chen collected his thoughts and forcefully suppressed the mysterious force, completely eradicating it with his Sheng Ti essence. His pale face gradually regained some color.

Only then did Hao Tian Xuan Zhen and the others breathe a sigh of relief.

"Let's go!"

Ye Chen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and took the lead, flying towards Xi Yuan Guo.

From that point on, he remained unusually silent, his eyes occasionally flashing with a cryptic light.

The events of today were too bizarre. As the true self, he couldn't understand it. All he could do was wait until the time was right to manifest a new Dao Shen, and then everything that had happened would become clear.

In the Xing Tian mountain range, the heavens rumbled as a vast army, like a black tide, surged in—it was the forces of Shi Xue Dian's eighth branch.

Upon seeing the Xing Tian mountain range dyed crimson with blood, the hall master of the eighth branch erupted in fury. Over ninety percent of the blood belonged to his own forces, yet despite such heavy casualties, the Hao Tian family had still escaped.

"Hall master, it's the third commander." Someone brought back the commander's body, still impaled in the sky.

"He was likely killed with a single sword strike," a commander speculated.

"I never imagined the Hao Tian family had such a powerful expert."

"What about Xue Qiong? Where is he?"

"We just received word—he's still in Tian Zang Ancient City."

"Damn it!" The eighth hall master roared in anger. "You crafty Xue Qiong! My eighth branch suffered such devastating losses blocking the Hao Tian family, and you're just sitting back in Tian Zang Ancient City watching the show?"

"Hall master, what should we do next?"

"The mission belongs to his ninth branch. If he's not pursuing them, why should I be the fool who does? Issue the order: clean up the battlefield and return to the eighth branch."

"This..." The other commanders exchanged glances with the eighth hall master. "If we pull back like this, how will we explain it to the Shi Xue Dian leader?"

"He's openly scheming against me, so what do I have to fear?" The eighth hall master snorted coldly and stepped into the sky.

In a vast mountain range in the mortal world, the Hao Tian family came to a halt.

"Three minutes to recover your spiritual energy," Hao Tian Xuan Zhen's voice echoed throughout the group.

"Intelligence from our scouts." Hao Tian Xuan Hai approached, handing over a jade slip.

Hao Tian Xuan Zhen took it, crushed it lightly, and absorbed the information inside.

Immediately, his brows furrowed. "They're not pursuing us. That doesn't make sense!"

"The nine hall masters of Shi Xue Dian are always plotting against each other. It's possible the eighth branch is just going through the motions," Ye Chen mused. "The task was assigned to the ninth branch, so if it fails, Xue Qiong will bear the blame. Now that the eighth branch has suffered heavy losses, they won't put in any more effort."

"In that case, this works in our favor," Hao Tian Xuan Hai couldn't help but smile.

"There may be no pursuers, but we'll still face blockades ahead," Ye Chen said, taking a deep breath. "Even in the mortal world, unexpected dangers could arise at any moment."

"Very well, let's move out." Hao Tian Xuan Zhen immediately issued the order.

As Ye Chen had predicted, the eighth branch didn't pursue them.

However, as he had also foreseen, there were indeed blockades along the way, mostly from families affiliated with Shi Xue Dian. None of the branch halls got involved—no one was foolish enough to risk their core forces in a direct clash with the Hao Tian family.

Without any forces that could truly match the Hao Tian family, Ye Chen felt less pressure.

They fought their way through, overcoming passes and slaying generals, leaving a trail of bloodshed in the otherwise peaceful mortal world.

That night, after breaking through another blockade, the Hao Tian family stopped again in a cluster of mountains. Everyone looked exhausted, their clothes stained with blood, and many were missing limbs, testament to the ferocity of the battles.

On a mountain peak, Ye Chen tore off his blood-soaked robes and quickly circulated the secret techniques of Xian Lun Tian Gong.

Throughout the journey, he had played a crucial role, single-handedly eliminating enemy commanders. In several battles, he had slain six Quasi-Tian Jing experts from Shi Xue Dian, an impressive feat. But it had taken a toll, leaving even his abundant Sheng Ti vitality weakened.

From then on, their path became remarkably smooth.

It wasn't until the second night that they encountered resistance again, but it was still just from some affiliated minor families of Shi Xue Dian—essentially cannon fodder.

Subsequent encounters were sporadic and insignificant; some of these minor families didn't even fight and simply fled.

"Once we cross that mountain, we'll be close to Xi Yuan Guo," Hao Tian Xuan Hai unfolded the map again.

Ye Chen paid no attention to Hao Tian Xuan Hai's words. He had already stepped ahead of the Hao Tian family's group, stopping a few hundred zhang away, his gaze fixed straight ahead at the mountain opposite.

With his Xian Lun eyes, he could detect presences that Hao Tian Xuan Zhen and the others could not. The mountain ahead hid numerous subtle auras, and there were quite a few of them.

"With your lineup, can you really stop us?" Ye Chen called out, as if he could see through the misty void to the armored middle-aged man in the mountain—he was clearly the leader.

At his words, Hao Tian Xuan Zhen and the others drew their killing swords, ready to charge.

Wait!

Before the battle could start, the armored middle-aged man emerged from the mountain.

"Zhao Xiong?" Hao Tian Xuan Zhen spotted him from afar and paused, recognizing the man.

"It's me," Zhao Xiong sighed heavily.

"After all these years, you're still as spirited as ever!" Hao Tian Xuan Zhen snorted coldly.

"Xuan Zhen Dao You, meeting on the battlefield is unavoidable for me," Zhao Xiong took a deep breath. "Shi Xue Dian is too powerful—we daren't defy them. Besides, they've captured my child."

"One word: fight, and the Zhao family will be wiped out; surrender, and come with us back to Nan Chu." Before Hao Tian Xuan Zhen could respond, Ye Chen said calmly, "If you submit, Tian Ting will do everything possible to rescue your child."

"This gentleman is...?" Zhao Xiong sized up Ye Chen.

"Just call me Ye Chen."

"Ye... Ye Chen?" Zhao Xiong blinked in surprise. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"Get this straight," Hao Tian Xuan Hai glanced at Zhao Xiong. "He's the ruler of Nan Chu's Tian Ting. Do you really think he'd die so easily?"

At that, Zhao Xiong's expression changed. If he hadn't come here today, he wouldn't have known that Ye Chen, rumored to have self-destructed, was still alive.

"Senior, we don't have time to drag this out. State your choice." Ye Chen stared directly at Zhao Xiong.

"Can you truly save my child?" Zhao Xiong looked at Ye Chen with hope.

"I can't guarantee it, but we'll do our best," Ye Chen replied steadily. "Your child is important, but remember, senior, you're the head of your family. You must think of them first."

"We submit," Zhao Xiong agreed without hesitation. Compared to Shi Xue Dian, he preferred to align with Nan Chu's Tian Ting.