Chapter 883: The King's Arrogance

The Demon King's voice, filled with majesty, echoed endlessly between heaven and earth.

As soon as he spoke, hearts raced across all directions.

That was the supreme Demon King! Was he about to personally slay this later-generation emperor?

It was a matchup that inspired helplessness, yet for Ye Chen, it marked the pinnacle of his life—a battle against the king, an unparalleled honor.

However, many people sighed inwardly.

The Demon King's challenge was a supreme honor, but this time, he was taking advantage of Ye Chen's vulnerability. Not only was Ye Chen severely injured and not at his peak, but even at full strength, he wouldn't be a match for the Demon King.

This challenge was utterly unfair.

Under the watchful eyes of the masses, Ye Chen slightly lifted his head, gazing into the distant sky with a cold expression, not glancing aside.

"The supreme Demon King, today, are you also going to abandon wang's gao'ao?"

"Wang's gao'ao." The Demon King laughed, throwing his head back in laughter that shook the nine heavens. As he laughed, his laughter suddenly stopped. In his vast demonic eyes, bloodshot veins spread, and he stared fixedly at Ye Chen. "From the day I chose to cling to life, I had already set aside wang's gao'ao."

"Would you bow your head to this world, submit to it?" Ye Chen spoke calmly, raising his arm to reveal the Xuan Cang Yu Jie on his index finger.

"Xuan Cang Yu Jie." The Demon King murmured. Though the ring was small, it pierced his eyes sharply.

It was not just any ring; it was forged from Yan Huang's jade bones, a sacred relic of Yan Huang, worn only by successive Yan Huang holy lords.

The Demon King fell silent, his gaze growing hazy, as if recalling the glorious days of the past.

The heavens and earth grew quiet.

Only after some time did he move his feet and slowly turn away.

Whoosh!

His turn brought silent relief to many.

The Demon King might have set aside wang's gao'ao, but he still wished to preserve his last shred of pitiful dignity—that of not being looked down upon by Yan Huang. He could lower his proud head to anyone except Yan Huang.

"Kui Yu Jiang!"

From behind, Shi Hun Wang roared in fury, "Are you going to break your agreement with me?"

Kui Yu Jiang did not slow his pace, but a wisp of purple light flew from his hand toward Shi Hun Wang.

Upon closer inspection, it was a spirit pearl containing a sealed pill—or more precisely, half a pill. It emitted faint purple light and bore six faint dan lines.

Six... six dan lines?

Shock rippled through all directions, with many people's breaths growing ragged.

Tian Ji Dan!

Ye Chen's eyes narrowed slightly as he recognized the half-pill. Wasn't that the Tian Ji Dan?

This was the exchange condition: Shi Xue Dian and Shi Hun Wang had offered half a Tian Ji Dan to summon Demon King Kui Yu Jiang.

However, their plans had been thwarted by fate; they had underestimated Kui Yu Jiang. The mighty Demon King of the Demon Domain had been deterred by a single ring—an outcome they never could have anticipated.

"Damn it!"

Shi Hun Wang's furious roar echoed through the heavens and earth.

"Kill!"

Below, Ye Chen had already swung his Ba Long Dao. Although he had used Yan Huang's name to drive back the Demon King, his crisis was far from over.

Nan Ming Yu Shu, Xiao Chen, and their army were not weak, but they couldn't assist him; they needed to hold off Shi Hun Wang and the others. For Ye Chen to survive, he had to rely on himself.

"Kill! Kill for me!"

The enraged Shi Hun Wang bellowed like a mad dog.

His command seemed more effective than Xue Qiong's. The Bloodthirsty Army, which had been utterly demoralized by Ye Chen, gritted their teeth and surged toward him.

"Any who block me die!"

Ye Chen suddenly swung his blade, cutting down a swath.

From behind, the blood-drenched Xue Zun attacked, spitting out a killing sword from his mouth.

"Break!"

Ye Chen whirled around, shattering the killing sword with a palm, but Xue Zun's divine light pierced his chest.

"Here's one back at you!"

Ye Chen snorted coldly, merging his Bahuang Fist into nine paths and blasting half of Xue Zun's body apart. In close combat, the holy body was invincible among peers, and Xue Zun knew this yet still chose to fight his weakness against Ye Chen's strength.

"Ah!"

Xue Zun roared, his vital energy burning as he rapidly repaired his body and lunged again. A killing sword formed in his brow, and divine light shot from his eyes, attacking simultaneously.

Pfft!

Ye Chen slashed through a crowd, then turned back, using his body to withstand the killing sword and divine light, and swung his blade, carving a deep gash across Xue Zun's chest.

Amid the hundreds of thousands of cultivators, their battle escalated.

Xue Zun invoked forbidden secret techniques, reverting to his youthful state. Though his lifespan was short, his vital energy remained abundant, and his divine abilities were all heavens-shaking, battering Ye Chen's holy body to the brink of explosion several times.

Ye Chen, on his part, activated the demonic path and several secret techniques to boost his combat power, reaching the peak of his cultivation journey. His golden holy body burned, his bloodline power surged, his battle intent soared, and he fought with absolute dominance.

Boom! Bang! Rumbling!

The heavens thundered as the two clashed in a spectacle for all to see.

At that moment, the Bloodthirsty Army halted, all craning their necks to watch the sky, much like the kings and emperor descendants—they had become mere spectators.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Blood sprayed, figures exploded. The two fought from the sky to the ground, from the ground back to the sky, from south to north, west to east. The scene was immensely grand, shattering the heavens and splitting the earth, with the void fracturing inch by inch.

Wherever they battled, Shi Xue Dian turned to bloody mist in patches. Wherever they went, a vast empty space of ten thousand zhang would form, as no one dared approach—that was a domain of death.

Pfft!

Blood splattered as Ye Chen was wounded, his chest bones crushed.

In return, Xue Zun paid a heavy price, his arm torn off by Ye Chen.

"Ah!"

Xue Zun roared, using secret techniques to repair his body.

"I won't give you the chance!"

Ye Chen charged like a dragon, his golden fist invincible, striking with fierce dominance and forcing Xue Zun to stagger back. His already bloodied body cracked, bones shattering, nearly exploding several times under Ye Chen's assault.

"I don't believe it!"

Xue Zun's face twisted in rage, howling like a demon.

"Then I'll beat you until you do!"

Ye Chen closed in on Xue Zun and nearly split him in half with a palm.

Xue Zun staggered back, burning his essence to mend his wounds, but Ye Chen gave him no respite, attacking again and again. Each time Xue Zun repaired himself, Ye Chen shattered him anew. His powerful healing secret technique couldn't keep up with the wounds Ye Chen inflicted.

The scene grew bloody.

Xue Zun was falling behind, unable to defend himself as Ye Chen pummeled him with bare hands—from the northern sky all the way to the southern sky, then from the eastern sky to the western sky—leaving onlookers in an uproar.

"Such combat power far exceeds expectations!" In the sky nearby, Xiao Chen took a sharp breath.

"In this era, we're destined to be mere supporting characters." Long Teng chuckled and shook his head.

"He possesses the bearing of an emperor and is fated to establish an immortal legacy." Da Chu Huang Yan and the others nodded in agreement.

"What are you standing around for? Kill! All of you, kill!" Seeing the situation turn dire, Shi Hun Wang roared in fury. What a mess—with hundreds of thousands of cultivators just standing there watching like idiots!

At his command, the Bloodthirsty Army mobilized, the Void Extermination Array trembling as its power revived, unleashing forces of annihilation.

Pfft!

Ye Chen's holy body was pierced, and he plummeted from the sky as the army swarmed, engulfing him.

"Get back!"

A second later, a roar pierced the heavens. Ye Chen rose, sweeping a palm through a crowd.

Then, he surged with overwhelming blood energy, soaring back toward the nine heavens, his target clear: Xue Zun.

Seeing Ye Chen approach, Xue Zun's body shuddered, fear in his eyes as he retreated step by step.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Hundreds of figures from Shi Xue Dian charged forward, blocking Xue Zun and unleashing terrifying divine abilities.

Ye Chen went berserk, barreling through without defense, clashing head-on. With a golden hand, he swept the sky, turning those hundreds of figures into bloody mist.

"Die!"

The Bloodthirsty Army surged like a tide, shielding Xue Zun behind them.

"Kill!"

Ye Chen advanced without retreat, gripping his Ba Long Dao and plunging into the crowd like a flood dragon—one step, one slash, each slash felling a swath. Anyone who blocked him was cut down from the sky.

Even protected by the army, Xue Zun's eyes were filled with terror as he staggered back.

"Where can you escape to?"

Drenched in blood, Ye Chen resembled a shura from hell, cleaving through the crowd and carving a bloody path.

At this, Xue Zun halted and turned to flee.

Ye Chen pursued with his blade, attacks raining from all sides and scarring his bloodied holy body, distorting it beyond recognition—yet nothing stopped his quest to slay Xue Zun.

"On the Yellow Springs Road, you won't be alone!"

Ye Chen swung his Ba Long Dao, splitting the sky with one strike.

Pfft!

Blood sprayed as Xue Zun's head was severed, caught in Ye Chen's grasp.