Chapter 867: Side by Side

Chapter 867: Fighting Side by Side

In the midst of Ye Chen's astonishment, the Zi Yi Lao Zhe had already hurriedly stood up and bowed respectfully to the black-clothed person.

"I have seen Xue Zun."

Upon hearing this title, Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, realizing that the black-clothed man looked somewhat familiar. This was because, in Yan Zun's memories, there were far too many recollections related to him.

"The Shi Xue Dian's Xue Yan Double Venerables— what a coincidence!"

Ye Chen stroked his chin. Yan Zun had been sealed away in the Chaos God Cauldron by him, and now Xue Zun had shown up, making the situation feel rather awkward.

"His combat strength is on par with Yan Zun's— this could be troublesome."

As Ye Chen pondered, Xue Zun had already turned and left. Before departing, he furrowed his brow and glanced at the void where Ye Chen was hidden.

However, Xue Zun ultimately failed to detect Ye Chen's presence and vanished from sight, allowing Ye Chen to let out a huge sigh of relief. If Xue Zun had stayed, there would have been no way for him to rescue Zhao Zi Yun and the others.

Although Xue Zun had left, he had left behind the person he brought.

It was a woman dressed in a fiery red skirt. Her appearance wasn't peerlessly beautiful, but it was certainly captivating enough to topple nations. Even though she was bound, the ancient rune on her forehead still faintly appeared and disappeared.

As it turned out, Ye Chen knew this woman— she was none other than the Saintess of Xing Yue Palace.

"What a coincidence!"

Ye Chen couldn't help but cough dryly.

"So, this is the Saintess of Xing Yue Palace!"

In contrast to Ye Chen, the purple-robed elders gazed at her with eyes full of lustful intent. They had likely been in Yan Luo Shan for so long that they hadn't seen a woman in ages.

However, while they harbored such thoughts, they lacked the courage to act on them.

The special bloodline was directly under the command of the Shi Xue Dian's leader, and they couldn't afford even the slightest mishap. Even if they had a hundred times the guts, they wouldn't dare profane the Xing Yue Saintess.

"Lock her up!"

In the end, the Zi Yi Lao Zhe gave the order, and the Xing Yue Saintess was chained to a massive altar three zhang wide.

But before the Shi Xue Dian experts could make a move, a booming sound echoed from outside Yan Luo Shan.

Then came a domineering shout:"You bastards must have a death wish! How dare you kidnap my woman!"

"This guy is really nailing the tough act."

Hearing the shout, Ye Chen said with a tone of sincere admiration.

"Who dares cause trouble here?"

Soon, a cold voice rang out from outside, as a Zhun Tian Jing expert and over a dozen Kong Ming Pinnacle cultivators rushed out in a group, blocking the intruder at the edge of Yan Luo Shan.

As for the intruder, he was enveloped in golden light, shining like a brilliant star in the night. His vital energy was incredibly vigorous, making him seem less like a person and more like a primordial beast.

No need to say it— this was Ye Chen's Xing Chen Dao Shen.

"And it's you, Ye Xing Chen."

Remarkably, among the Shi Xue Dian experts, there were indeed some who recognized the Xing Chen Dao Shen. After all, he had stirred up trouble with Shi Xue Dian more than once, so it would be strange if they didn't know him.

"If you know what's good for you, hand her over, or I'll stomp you into the ground."

The Xing Chen Dao Shen cursed, spitting as he spoke.

Just a few hours earlier, he had sneaked into Xing Yue Palace and happened to witness the Xing Yue Saintess being abducted. This had led to a frantic chase, all the way to Yan Luo Shan. His temper flared, and he nearly started a fight on the spot.

"Now that you've come, don't even think about leaving."

In response to the Xing Chen Dao Shen's taunts, the Shi Xue Dian experts attacked directly, unleashing divine abilities, secret techniques, and spirit weapons that rained down like a storm.

Faced with this, the Xing Chen Dao Shen didn't retreat—instead, he charged forward with overwhelming force.

Bang! Boom! Rumble!

Deafening explosions erupted instantly, and the Xing Chen Dao Shen, who had just rushed in, was forced back with a muffled grunt.

Although he was Ye Chen's dao shen, he had been manifested for too short a time and didn't possess Ye Chen's transcendent combat strength. This clash left him retreating, with a trickle of fresh blood at the corner of his mouth.

"Kill!"

"Spare no one!"

The Shi Xue Dian experts pressed on relentlessly, giving the Xing Chen Dao Shen no chance to recover.

"You think you can handle me?"

A cold light flashed in the Xing Chen Dao Shen's eyes, and his aura surged dramatically. He stepped onto the sea of stars like a primordial beast. Most importantly, his battle intent burned fiercely, for the capture of the Xing Yue Saintess had made him forget all about life and death.

Boom!

Another collision shook the air like thunder.

To the astonishment of those in Yan Luo Shan, this time the Shi Xue Dian experts were all collectively pushed back.

The Xing Chen Dao Shen was equally stunned, staring at his fist and the raging vital energy burning around him like fire. Strange phenomena surrounded him— true dragons coiled, phoenixes cried out, white tigers roared, and black tortoises paved the way.

Of course, what shocked him most was his own combat strength, which had skyrocketed to an incredible level, making him shine like the sun in the night.

"Old... boss?"

The Xing Chen Dao Shen called out tentatively.

"You're really something!"

In the underground palace, Ye Chen chuckled lightly.

"You're here too?"

The Xing Chen Dao Shen's expression turned wonderfully complex. As his dao shen, he hadn't even realized his true self was in the mountain.

"I've transferred seventy percent of my combat strength to you. Focus on the enemy— I'll handle the Xing Yue Saintess."

"Understood."

The Xing Chen Dao Shen's eyes blazed like torches, radiating brilliant divine light. His immense battle intent erupted in full— for the first time fighting alongside his true self, his blood boiled as never before.

"Kill!"

The Shi Xue Dian experts charged for the third time, each wielding terrifying weapons overhead, intent on executing the Xing Chen Dao Shen on the spot.

"Fight!"

The Xing Chen Dao Shen roared, shattering the void with a single step. He unleashed the Nine Dao Ba Huang Fist in unison, striking with unmatched dominance.

The battle erupted in full force, on a scale that was extraordinarily grand.

On one side, the Shi Xue Dian experts worked in perfect coordination, forming a combined attack array that was both offensive and defensive, with swift and fierce assaults.

On the other, the Xing Chen Dao Shen, empowered with seventy percent of Ye Chen's strength, was even more domineering. With his overwhelming regenerative abilities, he attacked relentlessly without defense, exuding the momentum to swallow mountains and rivers, like a war god forcing the Shi Xue Dian experts into continuous retreat.

"The aura of the Archaic Holy Body."

At the peak of Yan Luo Shan, Xue Zun stood there, narrowing his eyes as he watched the Xing Chen Dao Shen outside. "Ye Chen is dead— could there be a second Archaic Holy Body in Da Chu?"

Meanwhile, in the underground palace of Yan Luo Shan, Ye Chen had already stealthily approached the Zi Yi Lao Zhe, gripping the Chi Xiao Sword.

The arrival of the Xing Chen Dao Shen was beyond his expectations, but it had diverted a lot of pressure. At least now, the Xing Chen Dao Shen could draw attention, allowing Ye Chen to execute his plan more effectively.

"Who is Ye Xing Chen?"

The Shi Xue Dian experts in the underground palace all looked up, completely isolated from the outside world and unaware of who he was.

"Someone who has made an enemy of Shi Xue Dian."

The Zi Yi Lao Zhe replied coldly. Though he knew little, he at least understood who Ye Xing Chen was.

"For one person to come here and cause a racket— what arrogance!"

"With Xue Zun here, he'll meet a gruesome end."

"You all will meet a gruesome end too."

A chilling voice suddenly echoed, making the purple-robed elders turn pale with shock.

Immediately after, they heard the ringing of a killing sword.

Thud!

By the time everyone reacted, the Zi Yi Lao Zhe's head had already been severed from his body by a crimson killing sword.

At the sight, the Shi Xue Dian experts turned ghastly white. A Zhun Tian Jing expert had been slain just like that.

Of course, the Zi Yi Lao Zhe himself was the most frustrated— he died without even realizing who killed him, his death utterly unjust.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The slaughter didn't stop with the Zi Yi Lao Zhe's death. As the Shi Xue Dian experts tried to react, all they saw were sprays of blood and heads falling one after another.

In less than three seconds from when Ye Chen began his assault, all the experts in the underground palace were decisively eliminated.

"This is..."

The scene left the Xing Yue Saintess in utter shock, and she wasn't alone— everyone with special bloodlines was stunned. No one had expected such a god of death to be hidden in the underground palace of Yan Luo Shan.

"Nicely done!"

Seeing the Shi Xue Dian experts all slain, the sharp-faced, monkey-like person couldn't help but let out a wild howl.

Ye Chen ignored him completely, moving like a ghost as he darted between the altars. Wherever he went, the people chained there vanished, sealed away into the Chaos God Cauldron.

Hmm?

Sensing the disturbance in the underground palace, Xue Zun furrowed his brow and vanished from the mountaintop in a flash.

When he reappeared, he was already in the underground palace.

All that remained were scattered corpses and chaos. Those with special bloodlines who had been chained up were miraculously gone.

"Dammit!"

Xue Zun erupted in fury, shaking the underground palace with rumbling tremors.

Only then did he realize that the faint presence he had felt earlier when leaving was real— there was indeed a hidden expert in the underground palace.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Soon, over a dozen figures rushed into the underground palace one after another. Seeing the scene, they were all stunned. What on earth had happened?

"Search! Search every inch!"

Xue Zun's roar echoed like thunder. As a venerable of Shi Xue Dian and a true elder of the highest order, having so many of his experts killed right under his nose and the special bloodline holders rescued was infuriating beyond words.

"Clever me— lucky I got out fast."

In the spatial black hole, Ye Chen let out a deep breath of relief.

Just as Xue Zun entered the underground palace, he had slipped into the spatial black hole, evading the pursuit.

Moreover, this time the Xian Lun Heavenly Dao didn't malfunction, and the spatial black hole remained stable— that was the stroke of luck. If something had gone wrong with it, he might have been overwhelmed and killed today.

Whoosh!

With a gust of wind, Ye Chen emerged from the spatial black hole.

By now, he was already outside the range of Yan Luo Shan.

"Retreat!"

Glancing at the Xing Chen Dao Shen still fiercely battling in the distance, Ye Chen issued the order.

"Got it!"

The Xing Chen Dao Shen grinned and instantly retreated.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The battered Shi Xue Dian experts lunged after him.

"Get lost!"

The Xing Chen Dao Shen snorted coldly, combining multiple secret techniques in an instant. The charging Shi Xue Dian experts collided head-on, sent flying in all directions. By the time they steadied themselves, the Xing Chen Dao Shen had already disappeared.