Chapter 766: Redirecting the Calamity

Although Zhan Shang had only just broken through to the Tier Eight Third Layer, Ye Xuan knew very well that he was an extremely terrifying opponent—far more fearsome than Yu Chi Bugong had been after consuming the Blood Burst Pill.

It was only then that Zhan Shang noticed Ye Xuan’s cultivation level, and he was stunned. “Hm? You actually broke through to the Martial Emperor Realm too!”

Sensing the aura coming from Ye Xuan, a flicker of apprehension crossed his eyes.

He had thought he’d gained immense benefits in this Ancient Demon Land, his strength soaring, and was just about to show off his newfound power to Ye Xuan. Who would have thought this kid would be so lucky too, leaping from a Tier Seven Second Layer Martial King all the way to a Tier Eight First Layer Martial Emperor.

In terms of cultivation, he had at most advanced by a single minor layer, whereas Ye Xuan had not only advanced a minor layer but an entire major realm.

The comparison made Zhan Shang so angry he nearly started cursing out loud. ‘Damn it all, is heaven fucking with me?’

He remembered how Ye Xuan, at the Tier Seven Second Layer, had been able to contend with him when he was at the Tier Eight Second Layer. Now, even though he had broken through to the Third Layer Martial Emperor, his opponent had also stepped into the Martial Emperor Realm and might not be much weaker than him.

“Kid, don’t get arrogant. I just came up from below and I’m in no mood to fight you right now. Get out of my way.”

Zhan Shang said huffily, having already lost all interest in clashing with Ye Xuan.

‘This kid’s cultivation is absurdly fast, his Cultivation Technique is mysterious, and he has that Celestial Fire and that strange martial soul. Until I have an overwhelming advantage, I’ll let him off the hook for now. I’ll teach him a proper lesson later.’

Thoughts flickered through Zhan Shang’s mind.

Ye Xuan’s cultivation speed was so fast it left him speechless. After his own possession and rebirth, he had used a Secret Technique of the Soul-devouring Race to cultivate, and his progress was absolutely explosive.

But this Ye Xuan somehow managed to keep pace with him every step of the way, which he found deeply unsettling.

WHOOSH!

But before Zhan Shang could leave, Ye Xuan flickered and actively blocked his path.

“What do you think you’re doing, kid?” Zhan Shang said, extremely wary.

“You think you can just leave? Life isn’t that easy,” Ye Xuan said coldly.

“Then what do you want?” Zhan Shang’s gaze turned cold as he sneered, “Kid, do you really think I’m afraid of you? The only reason I’m not dealing with you right now is because the Spirit Demon Race puppets have awakened and are about to burst out of the abyss. I’m just not in the mood to fight you. If you dare to act so presumptuously again, believe me, I’ll rip out your tendons, refine your blood, and turn you into a vengeful soul.”

As Zhan Shang spoke, black Demonic and Evil Qi swirled around him, and the astonishing fluctuations of his Soul Power weighed heavily on Ye Xuan’s soul.

“Spirit Demon Race puppets?” Ye Xuan’s heart skipped a beat. He said coldly, “I’m in no mood to waste words with you either. Tell me, what exactly happened down in that abyss? What about those Martial Emperors from the Human Race?”

“Oh, so that’s what this is about, heh heh.” Zhan Shang gave a sinister smile. “If you want to know, why don’t you go down and see for yourself? Trying to get information from me? In your dre—”

ROAR!

Before Zhan Shang could finish, another furious roar echoed from below. It was followed by a deep THUD, as if a giant drum had been struck, and an invisible shockwave of pressure swept over them.

In an instant, Ye Xuan felt like a tiny sailboat battered by ocean waves, utterly insignificant. A sense of oppression and nausea rose within him. His face paled, and his mind spun dizzily.

‘Looks like I can’t stay here much longer.’

Ye Xuan was secretly alarmed. The pressure emanating from the bottom of the abyss was growing stronger and stronger. If he stayed, sooner or later, he wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

At the same time, he saw that Zhan Shang, across from him, also swayed under the impact. The Demonic and Evil Qi around his body fluctuated violently, as if he was struggling to keep it under control.

An idea sparked in Ye Xuan’s mind. ‘It seems Zhan Shang is affected by this impact, just like me.’ Thinking this, Ye Xuan was about to try and glean some more information from him when a furious shriek suddenly echoed from the black mist deep in the abyss.

Along with the shriek came the unique domain pressure of a Martial Emperor.

Ye Xuan’s expression changed drastically. He immediately swallowed the words he was about to say. Without a shred of hesitation, he slashed his sword at Zhan Shang and roared, “Zhan Shang, you dare use the Soul-Refining Ghost Staff to kill Patriarch Yu Chi Bugong! The Yuchi family will never let you go!”

His Sword Intent, suffused with lightning, enveloped the space around Zhan Shang, creating a unique domain of thunderlight.

Zhan Shang was stunned. He couldn’t believe Ye Xuan had suddenly attacked him, and worse, had shouted such a bizarre accusation before doing so. ‘Yu Chi Bugong? I’ve never even heard that name before.’

But the fact that Ye Xuan dared to strike first was an offense Zhan Shang could not possibly tolerate.

“Kid, since you’re so eager to die, I’ll grant you your wish!”

A terrifying black Demonic Qi instantly erupted from the Skull Staff in his hand. The Demonic Qi rapidly condensed into a vast black canopy. Within the canopy, hideous, distorted ghostly faces appeared. These faces merged, finally forming the image of a giant skull that pressed down on the lightning Sword Qi.

CRACKLE! POP!

The moment the black canopy slammed into it, the lightning Sword Qi shattered into pieces. But after unleashing that one strike, Ye Xuan had already transformed into a streak of light and vanished into a nearby passageway.

Zhan Shang froze, stunned once more. Ye Xuan had fled. Moreover, the sword strike he’d just unleashed had been utterly ordinary in power, completely incapable of harming him. What, then, was the purpose of that attack?

Zhan Shang couldn’t understand it. He hesitated for just a breath, but in that moment, a burly, blood-soaked old man with a tyrannical aura shot out from the abyss.

The old man was dripping with blood and looked utterly wretched, clutching a broken body in his arms. But the aura he emanated was astonishingly powerful.

His eyes were filled with rage. The moment he emerged, his gaze locked onto Zhan Shang, who was hovering above the abyss, and it burned with intense killing intent.

“It was you! You killed an expert from my Yuchi family! I will tear you to a million pieces!”

The old man roared and thrust a palm toward Zhan Shang. With a thunderous CRACK, the entire space seemed to be seized by an invisible force, forming a unique domain. The power of this domain wrapped around Zhan Shang, layer by layer, severely restricting his movements.

Within the domain, a Profound hand, radiating overwhelming might, rumbled as it descended. The space at the edges of the palm rippled, its power astonishing.

‘A Nine Heavens Martial Emperor of the Human Race.’

Seeing this old man, Zhan Shang was so frustrated he could have coughed up blood. He finally understood why Ye Xuan had suddenly attacked him, then turned and fled after shouting such a bizarre accusation.

He didn’t even need to think about it to know that the broken corpse the Nine Heavens Martial Emperor was holding had to be the Yu Chi Bugong that Ye Xuan had mentioned. And this old man had to be the Martial Emperor from that Yuchi family.

But at this moment, Zhan Shang had no time to worry about any of that. Countless streams of black Demonic Qi suddenly surged from his black Skull Staff, combining with the remnants of his previous canopy to form a black shield that enveloped him.

BOOM!

The terrifying Profound hand slammed into the black shield before him. The shield groaned and creaked as black cracks rapidly spiderwebbed across its surface before it shattered with a bang. A terrifying force surged into Zhan Shang’s body, blasting him away and causing him to spit up a mouthful of black blood.

“Are you an idiot? I didn’t kill anyone from your family, you brainless fool!”

“Hm?” Yuchi Huade frowned. This Tier Eight Third Layer Martial Emperor had merely been injured by his palm strike, not killed outright.

At that moment, however, Yuchi Huade also realized something was off. He could feel that Zhan Shang’s aura was extremely cold and sinister, somewhat similar to the aura of this mysterious place. The person who killed Yu Chi Bugong, on the other hand, should possess a Thunder Attribute Cultivation Technique.

Moreover, as he had scrambled wretchedly out of the abyss, he had seen what looked like a flash of lightning disappear into the passageway. It was highly likely that person was the true culprit behind Yu Chi Bugong’s death.

“Hmph. So what if you didn’t kill him? You dared to insult me. Die!”

Even though he knew Zhan Shang wasn’t the one who had killed Yu Chi Bugong, Zhan Shang’s words made Yuchi Huade’s face turn ashen. Enraged, he struck out with his palm once more.

The terrifying Martial Emperor’s domain enveloped him again.

‘This guy… does he really think I’m afraid of him? A mere injured Martial Emperor, and he thinks… you know what, I’d better just run…’

Zhan Shang’s eyes filled with venom, and he cursed silently through gritted teeth. But in the end, he didn’t dare to fight back. In an instant, his body turned into mist, and he broke free from Yuchi Huade’s domain.

A Nine Heavens Martial Emperor was a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor, after all. Even though he had broken through to the Martial Emperor Third Layer, he couldn’t claim to be a match for one.

Yuchi Huade was slightly taken aback, not expecting Zhan Shang to be able to break out of his domain. But his expression quickly turned cold and severe.

‘So what if he broke free? Does he really think he can escape my pursuit?’

But before Yuchi Huade could strike again, BOOM! The entire abyss shook violently. An even more terrifying aura surged up from the depths, its horrifying power causing Yuchi Huade’s expression to change drastically.

‘Damn it, don’t tell me those things are about to break free from their restraints!’

A look of horror appeared on his face. At that moment, the entire abyss began to shake violently. From its depths, countless streams of black Demonic and Evil Qi swirled together, forming a giant, furious dragon that seemed poised to burst out.

This terrifying aura was so oppressive that even Yuchi Huade found it difficult to move.

VMMMMMMMM!

Just then, from the passageways on both sides of the abyss, hazy, seven-colored lights suddenly bloomed.

These lights, like flowing waves of water, instantly enveloped the entire abyss. Not just the abyss—looking down from the sky above, one could see that this entire mysterious land had been wrapped in the glow.

An astonishing spatial power rippled out in its wake.