Chapter 981: Red Dust Arrives

This...!

Gazing at Shen Xuan Feng, who had been pierced through by a single sword, Ye Chen and the others were all stunned, frozen in place.

The God King Shen Xuan Feng had actually blocked the sword with his own body to save Ye Chen, an act that exceeded everyone's expectations.

Ye Chen was also stunned, standing there in a daze.

Before him, Shen Xuan Feng's figure was so upright and unyielding, like a mountain. He couldn't understand why Shen Xuan Feng had saved him—this was all beyond his expectations.

Suddenly, he caught sight of an ancient mark on his arm. It was a space-time mark, engraved by Shen Xuan Feng.

He didn't know when Shen Xuan Feng had placed that space-time mark on his arm, but one thing was certain: it was because of that mark that Shen Xuan Feng could instantly appear in front of him and block the Zhu Xian sword.

Pfft!

The silence of the heavens and earth was broken by Shen Xuan Feng spitting blood.

Pfft!

That sound of spitting blood seemed to echo, but upon closer inspection, it wasn't an echo—it was someone else spitting blood.

The one spitting blood was the Xing Chen Dao Shen, who suddenly sprayed out a mouthful of fresh blood, his face turning deathly pale.

Xing Chen!

Xing Yue Sheng Nu hurriedly rushed forward.

The Xing Chen Dao Shen clutched his chest, his expression full of pain, as if a sword had pierced through his own chest.

Zheng!

The white-haired woman withdrew the Zhu Xian sword that had pierced Shen Xuan Feng and stepped back more than a hundred zhang.

Zheng!

As soon as she retreated, a world-shaking sword light struck the spot where she had just stood.

The one who attacked was a man in black clothes wearing a pitch-black mask, exuding immense power.

Hong Chen!

Ye Chen recognized him at a glance—it was Hong Chen, the master of Hong Chen Xue and the ninety-seventh generation Holy Lord of Yan Huang.

Boom! Bang!

As soon as Hong Chen appeared, he targeted the white-haired woman. Each of his strikes was a world-shaking divine ability, constantly forcing her back.

Pfft!

Shen Xuan Feng spat blood again and collapsed toward the sky, caught by Ye Chen on the spot.

Xuan Feng!

Qian Shang Yue, who had been battling the purple-robed man, shifted over in a single step and took Shen Xuan Feng into her arms.

Ye Chen took a deep breath, gripped his sword tightly, and charged toward the white-haired woman, fighting alongside Hong Chen to suppress her.

Seeing this, the purple-robed man, now free from Qian Shang Yue's restraint, charged forward with a ferocious expression, intending to join the white-haired woman in battling Ye Chen and Hong Chen.

However, before he could enter the fight, he was sent flying by a crystalline jade hand from Ling Tian. Before he even hit the ground, a world-shaking sword light struck him, sending blood and bones scattering.

More people had arrived—it was Tai Xu Gu Long and Zi Xuan.

They had charged out from the 100,000 Great Mountains, each looking disheveled. They had originally planned to return and recuperate, but upon sensing the battle here, they rushed over, only to coincidentally encounter the unfortunate purple-robed man again.

It's you two again!

Spotting Tai Xu Gu Long and Zi Xuan, the purple-robed man gritted his teeth in rage. This was the umpteenth time they had gravely injured him, fueling his fury.

What... what's going on here!

Tai Xu Gu Long glanced at the purple-robed man, then surveyed the battlefield where Ye Chen and Hong Chen were fighting the white-haired woman, Shen Xuan Feng was severely wounded, and Qian Shang Yue was holding him. Even with his wisdom, Tai Xu Gu Long was completely baffled.

Zheng!

While he was still confused, Zi Xuan had already charged toward the purple-robed man.

Scratching his head, Tai Xu Gu Long awkwardly withdrew his gaze and gripped his Tai Xu Dragon Sword, rushing toward the purple-robed man as well.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

The battle erupted again, and with the help of Hong Chen, Tai Xu Gu Long, and Zi Xuan, the situation reversed in an instant.

Amid the intense fighting, the Xing Chen Dao Shen on the outskirts of the battlefield suddenly rushed into the fray in a daze.

Xing Chen!

Xing Yue Sheng Nu called out, but she couldn't stop the Xing Chen Dao Shen and ended up following him in.

Come back!

From outside the battlefield, Xiao Chen and the others shouted sternly. This wasn't a place for the Xing Chen Dao Shen and Xing Yue Sheng Nu to enter casually. Whether it was the battlefield of Tai Xu Gu Long, Zi Xuan, and the purple-robed man, or that of Hong Chen, Ye Chen, and the white-haired woman, any residual shockwave could kill them.

What a mess!

Long Teng snorted coldly, still channeling the Tianjing artifact to form a cage, preventing the purple-robed man and the white-haired woman from escaping.

Ignoring the calls from Xiao Chen and the others, the Xing Chen Dao Shen pressed on with Xing Yue Sheng Nu, arriving at their side without regard.

Shen Xuan Feng lay in Qian Shang Yue's arms, blood continuously surging from his mouth.

His condition was extremely poor, his body drenched in fresh blood from being pierced through the chest by the white-haired woman's killing sword. His Dao principles, soul, and physical body had all suffered devastating blows—it wasn't just any ordinary sword.

Qian Shang Yue desperately poured her essence into his body, but she couldn't stop the divine light on Shen Xuan Feng from continually fading.

Shen Xuan Feng said nothing, his eyes vacant, his expression dull, allowing Qian Shang Yue to hold him.

Even he didn't know why he had saved Ye Chen or blocked that fatal sword for him.

"Why does my heart hurt so much?" the Xing Chen Dao Shen clutched his chest, staring blankly at Shen Xuan Feng.

"The same for me." Xing Yue Sheng Nu's face was twisted in pain, her expression full of confusion.

"Ye... Ye Xing Chen, Xing... Xing Er, through heaven and earth, eternal... unwavering." Shen Xuan Feng stared dazedly at the Xing Chen Dao Shen and Xing Yue Sheng Nu, his voice hoarse and fragmented, his dull eyes flickering with a moment of clarity. In that clarity, his eyes were veiled with misty blood tears.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Xuan Feng's expression turned dull again, his eyes once more becoming vacant.

"Who exactly are you?" the Xing Chen Dao Shen suddenly stepped forward, his eyes blood-red as he stared at the God King Shen Xuan Feng.

But for his question, Shen Xuan Feng's expression only grew more confused. Who was he? In that moment, he no longer knew. His muddled mind blurred the line between reality and illusion, and he only felt that the world in his eyes was gradually growing dim and faint.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

On the other side, the battle raged on, shaking the heavens and splitting the earth, with waves crashing like the sea.

The purple-robed man suffered continuous injuries, his body covered in blood and bones, utterly powerless against Tai Xu Gu Long and Zi Xuan.

The white-haired woman fared no better. Despite her heaven-piercing abilities, she struggled against the joint assault of Ye Chen and Hong Chen.

Earlier, she had unleashed two forbidden divine abilities in succession, dimming the divine glow surrounding her.

Moreover, this time she faced Hong Chen and Ye Chen. Hong Chen's combat power clearly surpassed Shen Xuan Feng's—he alone was a match for the white-haired woman, let alone with Ye Chen's assistance.

Xue Ji Xian Jie!

Ye Chen slashed out a river of stars with his sword, while glancing in shock at Hong Chen beside him.

The last time he had seen Hong Chen was in Yun Ru Valley, where he was already in the Xue Ji Xian Jie state. So much time had passed, yet Hong Chen was still in that state, which astonished Ye Chen.

After all, the Xue Ji Xian Jie state of immortality and invulnerability had time limits, and being able to activate it once didn't guarantee a second time.

"Could he activate Xue Ji Xian Jie at will?" Ye Chen wondered to himself.

This speculation left him deeply unsettled.

He knew all too well how domineering the Xue Ji Xian Jie state was. Back then, in that state, he had single-handedly forced millions of cultivators to retreat. If Hong Chen could activate it freely, who in Da Chu could stand against him?

Beyond the Xue Ji Xian Jie, Ye Chen noticed Hong Chen's expression was still strange—his eyes vacant, dull, and lifeless, just like Shen Xuan Feng's.

The white-haired woman opposite them was the same, adding to Ye Chen's confusion. What state were these three in? Were their minds unclear? Muddled and dazed? They didn't speak, yet each was more eerie than the last.

What puzzled Ye Chen most was the relationship between Hong Chen and the white-haired woman—they clearly knew each other and were mutually wary.

Ye Chen's thoughts were in chaos, stirred by Hong Chen's arrival and Shen Xuan Feng blocking the fatal sword for him. A fog settled over his mind again, impossible to dispel, leaving everything in utter confusion.