Chapter 878: Take Off Your Mask

After leaving Qingxian Guzhen, Ye Chen stepped onto the vast expanse of land.

He wandered aimlessly, lost in thought, murmuring along the way, "Chu Xuan, you're indeed avoiding me."

He didn't doubt the old man's guess, as it aligned perfectly with his own suspicions.

Throughout his journey, he had accomplished so many earth-shattering feats that in Da Chu, everyone knew his name. There was no reason Chu Xuan wouldn't know about them, yet she hadn't returned—she was evading him.

"I am your Ye Chen! What exactly are you afraid of?" His fists clenched tightly in his sleeves, turning his knuckles white.

"It's the Xianlun Eye." Ye Chen suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes flashing with a sharp, piercing light. "Are you hiding secrets, afraid that the immortal eye might see through them?"

It seemed he had pinpointed the issue. The Six Paths Xianlun Eye could pierce through worldly illusions, and it was likely the very thing Chu Xuan feared most.

"If that's the case, what if I destroy the Xianlun Eye? Would you come back then?" Ye Chen muttered to himself, instinctively touching his left eye.

"Hurry, hurry! That Ye Xingchen and Huo Zun are fighting again!"

As he murmured, urgent voices echoed from the sky above, interrupting his thoughts.

"Huo Zun?" Ye Chen instinctively looked up at the sky. Numerous cultivators were soaring through the air—some on flying swords, others on clouds—with varying speeds but all heading in the same direction.

Without hesitation, he connected to his Dao body's vision.

What he saw was a figure in purple-gold robes—Huo Zun. He stood on the Taiyin God Sea, with a Taiyin full moon hovering above his head and the Taiyin God Sword in his hand. He looked majestic and powerful, like a divine king.

Today, I will send you on your way!

Ye Chen's eyes gleamed like divine lamps as he stepped up into the sky.

This was a region of towering mountain ranges, grand and majestic, coiling like a giant dragon across the central land.

At that moment, the mountains were surrounded by crowds of people, a dense sea of cultivators, all gazing intently toward the distance.

There, it was as if thunder was roaring, with two figures locked in fierce battle.

On one side, the Taiyin God Sea surged across the sky, and Huo Zun stood within it like a divine king, his body radiating divine light, dazzling and brilliant. Visions intertwined around him, profound and mysterious, giving off an immense pressure like that of a mountain.

On the other side, the Haoyu Star Heaven shrouded the sky, and the Starry Dao Body stood beneath it, its blood energy billowing like a torrent. Golden divine glory enveloped its form, making it seem as if it were forged from gold. It resembled a war god, its aura dominating the eight directions.

"They must have fought over eight hundred rounds by now!" Someone in the crowd sighed in admiration.

"What absolute beasts!"

"Da Chu is truly full of talents!"

Many senior cultivators sighed with emotion.

"With Ye Chen gone, another Ye Xingchen has emerged, though he's still a bit short of Ye Chen."

"From the looks of it, they're fighting to the death today!"

"Make way, make way for us."

Amid the discussions, three figures pushed their way in—it was Wei Wenzhuo, Li Zhang, and Chen Rongyun.

"We came late; the fight's already started."

The three shamelessly squeezed in, completely ignoring the dark expressions on the faces around them.

"Stop shoving; there's no space left."

Soon, curses came from nearby, but in the next moment, the speaker was sent flying far away.

"Wow."

The surrounding people glanced briefly at the sky before turning their attention to the newcomer who had just arrived. They sized him up, noting the mask he wore, and expressions of surprise appeared on their faces.

"My friend, I admire you greatly." Wei Wenzhuo looked at Ye Chen with a serious expression.

"I admire you too." Ye Chen replied, though his gaze was fixed on the mountains.

There, the Starry Dao Body and Huo Zun were battling fiercely.

The fight was extraordinarily grand, with mountain after mountain turning to dust before the watching crowd.

The Starry Dao Body was covered in blood, with bones and muscles exposed in several places, and a gruesome wound on his chest.

Although he possessed ninety percent of Ye Chen's combat power, he was still an external force. He lacked Ye Chen's dominant sacred body and powerful external Dao manifestations, which put him at a disadvantage against Huo Zun in these aspects.

Huo Zun wasn't faring much better—his figure was disheveled, covered in multiple sword wounds, especially a deep gash on his back that exposed his glowing spine, a shocking sight.

"Take off your mask!" Huo Zun roared, forming seals with one hand as nine giant dragons emerged from the Taiyin God Sea and lunged at the Starry Dao Body.

"Take it off yourself if you can." The Starry Dao Body snorted coldly, as domineering as ever. He wielded a golden dragon blade, slashing through five of the dragons with one strike and smashing the remaining four with a punch.

"Today, I will kill you." Huo Zun ascended into the sky, delivering a world-shaking sword strike.

"With you?" The Starry Dao Body roared, advancing instead of retreating, and cleaved through Huo Zun's sword light.

Suppress!

Huo Zun unleashed a supreme divine ability, manifesting a Taiji God Mirror that was as heavy as a mountain, crushing half the sky.

Pfft!

The Starry Dao Body staggered under the pressure, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, nearly falling from the sky.

Break!

Regaining his footing, the Starry Dao Body's torrential blood energy surged like a river, as if burning like fire. He forcibly lifted the Taiji God Mirror, grasped the Haoyu Star Heaven, and performed the Zhoutian secret technique, punching straight through the mirror.

Die!

Huo Zun shifted in an instant, thrusting a finger of divine light that pierced the sky with devastating force.

Ten Thousand Swords as One! Wind God Art!

The Starry Dao Body showed no fear, merging these two supreme divine abilities in an instant.

Boom!

The mountains erupted with a thunderous roar as the divine abilities collided, sending out waves of light. Dozens of mountains were sliced in half, and many onlookers were caught in the blast, their bodies ground into blood mist.

Pfft!

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Huo Zun spat blood and was sent flying back.

Pfft!

Also in full view, the Starry Dao Body coughed up fresh blood and was hurled backward.

Boom!

With another boom, the Starry Dao Body finally halted his momentum. Perhaps due to his immense weight, the sky trembled under his feet.

As he stopped, the mask on his face shattered, revealing a sharply angular countenance to everyone.

Damn!

The onlookers from all sides collectively cursed in shock, as if witnessing something unbelievable.

Ye Chen is still alive?

Ye Xingchen is Ye Chen?

Countless expressions turned extraordinarily vivid in that instant.

These days, news of Ye Chen's death had spread far and wide, and everyone assumed he was gone. Now, seeing that face again, it was as if they'd been struck by lightning—they'd been tricked by Ye Chen once more.

So it is you!

In the sky, Huo Zun laughed menacingly.

For some reason, upon seeing the Starry Dao Body's face, an unprecedented excitement surged within him, driving him to madness.

Who was he? He was the holy son of the Bloodthirsty Hall, the Taiyin Physique. He had suffered defeats at Ye Chen's hands more than once in the past. When he heard of Ye Chen's death, he had felt regret for not killing this great enemy himself.

Now, seeing Ye Chen again, how could he not go mad with excitement? He could finally fulfill his long-held wish.

Buzz!

On this side, the Starry Dao Body wiped the blood from his mouth and raised his golden blade once more, ready to battle Huo Zun for another eight hundred rounds.

However, before he could move, a hand had already landed on his shoulder.

Then, a faint voice followed.

"I'll handle this."