Chapter 771: Stone Bead Obtained

‘What is this power…?’

Ye Xuan’s expression changed instantly.

BZZZT!

The Soul Power within him quickly formed a net of Soul Yuan chains, blocking the force from entering.

But it was useless. The power continued to seep into Ye Xuan’s body, attempting to merge with his blood and Profound Veins.

“It’s Bloodline Power.”

Ye Xuan’s expression suddenly turned grim.

“Formless Soul Skill—Heaven and Earth Soul Body!”

Ye Xuan bellowed, and his body rapidly grew hazy. Rays of Soul Power glinted across his form. At that moment, he seemed to become a Soul Essence Body, creating the illusion that he was no longer part of this space.

Simultaneously, Ye Xuan activated his Celestial Fire to burn away the Bloodline Power. SSSSZZZLE! Under the searing heat of the Celestial Fire, the power began to dissipate, getting forced out of his body bit by bit.

After about a dozen breaths, the Bloodline Power was finally expelled completely.

‘That was close.’

Ye Xuan let out a long breath. He hadn’t expected the brown-haired Martial Emperor to possess such an aura within him.

It was a bloodline tracking aura, similar to the Nether Heart Seed that had been on Gale. The difference was that the Nether Heart Seed was crafted by a Soul Refiner, while this Bloodline Power was generated from a bloodline and deployed through a Forbidden Technique. Once its user was killed, it would seep into the killer’s body.

Any expert with the same bloodline could then use this aura to track him. The range of this sense also varied depending on the strength of the bloodline.

Some powerful Bloodline Powers could even be sensed across countless regions.

While the Bloodline Power from the brown-haired Martial Emperor wasn’t that terrifying, it wasn’t weak either. It could at least be sensed from a First Heaven away.

Fortunately, Ye Xuan had prevented the Bloodline Power’s invasion from succeeding, expelling it at the last moment.

‘It seems that brown-haired Martial Emperor had some backing.’

Considering the brown-haired Martial Emperor’s last words, Ye Xuan easily deduced that he must have come from some power or family. Furthermore, behind that faction, there was definitely a stronger expert—at least a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor.

Otherwise, he never would have said such a thing.

The thought of nearly being targeted by a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor made Ye Xuan’s heart pound with fear.

However, even though he had expelled the Bloodline Power, Ye Xuan was still a little worried.

Because the Bloodline Power had once entered his body, even if it was expelled, a faint trace of its aura would linger for a short time. As long as an expert with the same bloodline as the brown-haired Martial Emperor was within a ten-thousand-mile radius, they would still be able to sense it.

‘The experts from that brown-haired Martial Emperor’s faction probably aren’t nearby. Otherwise, why would they let him act alone?’

Ye Xuan had seen the brown-haired Martial Emperor twice, and both times he had been alone. Moreover, Ye Xuan hadn’t seen him at the altars in the Ancient Demon Lands.

With the brown-haired Martial Emperor’s cultivation, he would have had no problem entering the altar area and occupying one of the outer altars.

But he hadn’t appeared. This clearly indicated that no Nine Heavens Martial Emperor from his faction had entered the abyss, which also meant that the Nine Heavens Martial Emperor of his faction was not in the Ancient Demon Lands.

After all, no Nine Heavens Martial Emperor could have resisted the temptation of the abyss back then.

At this thought, the slight tension in Ye Xuan’s heart eased once more.

He secretly used his Devouring Martial Soul to completely absorb the other’s Blood Fox Martial Soul. He also took the man’s Storage Ring before returning to Lin Guangyuan and the others.

Lin Guangyuan and his companions were already dumbfounded. They knew all too well how terrifying the brown-haired Martial Emperor was, yet such a powerful figure had been killed by Ye Xuan.

This…

If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, Lin Guangyuan and the others would never have believed it was true.

With the crisis averted, Lin Guangyuan and his group repeatedly expressed their gratitude to Ye Xuan.

“There’s no need to be so formal. Back in the Land of Haze, I already said I’d take a thirty percent cut of your profits. In return, I naturally won’t stand by if we encounter dangers that I can handle.”

Ye Xuan replied with a smile.

During the crisis just now, not one of them had shrunk back in fear. How could Ye Xuan abandon them?

Besides, Ye Xuan himself was also quite interested in that strange Stone Bead treasure.

“Young Master Ye, we heard this is the Secret Celestial Yin Valley in the Profound Realm Third Heaven. We plan to leave this place at once and return to the Celestial Capital Prefecture. Why don’t you come with us?”

Ye Xuan’s strength had thoroughly amazed Lin Guangyuan and the others. If they could leave with him, the chances of them encountering danger would be much lower.

Ye Xuan shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t travel with you. The lingering bloodline aura of that brown-haired Martial Emperor is still on me. If I leave with you, it might cause some trouble.”

Ye Xuan immediately explained the nature of the Bloodline Power. Although he believed that the brown-haired Martial Emperor’s faction had no experts in the Celestial Yin Valley, if one did happen to come, having Lin Guangyuan and the others with him would undoubtedly be a problem.

Moreover, it was a rare opportunity for Ye Xuan to be in the Profound Domain, and he naturally didn’t want to go back so soon. He also planned to ask around for news of Huangfu Xiuming.

After hearing Ye Xuan’s explanation, Lin Guangyuan and the others were filled with self-blame. If they hadn’t attracted the brown-haired Martial Emperor, Ye Xuan wouldn’t have been tainted by his Bloodline Power. They didn’t fully understand how severe the consequences of being targeted by a faction in the Profound Domain were, but they imagined it wouldn’t be trivial.

“Don’t worry. It’s highly unlikely that their experts are nearby.”

Next, Ye Xuan spoke with Lin Guangyuan and the others for a short while. After pointing them toward a route for their departure, they parted ways.

Before leaving, Ye Xuan warned Lin Guangyuan’s group to leave the Celestial Yin Valley as soon as possible. After the closure of the Ancient Demon Lands, many experts would linger in the area to prey on Martial Artists who had entered. With their level of cultivation, it would be difficult for them to protect themselves if they stayed too long.

After saying his goodbyes, Ye Xuan flew for over a thousand miles, found a cave in a mountain hollow, and went inside.

The first thing he did was open the brown-haired Martial Emperor’s Storage Ring.

A fist-sized Stone Bead, engraved with intricate patterns, immediately appeared in Ye Xuan’s hand.

Without any hesitation, Ye Xuan began to refine it.

As Ye Xuan refined it, the Stone Bead bloomed with splendid rays of light, and strange waves of spatial power pulsed from it.

Refining this Stone Bead was extremely difficult. Ye Xuan spent a full day before he finally succeeded.

BZZZT!

An invisible spatial power spread out. Ye Xuan immediately felt as if the entire space had become a part of him. Within a hundred-meter radius centered on the Stone Bead, he was the sole master.

‘Is this a domain?’

Although Ye Xuan had seen many domains, he had never possessed one himself.

In his past life, he was only a Tier Eight Triple Peak Martial Emperor at his zenith and had never managed to step into the realm of the Nine Heavens Martial Emperors.

To master a domain for the first time in either of his lives, even if it was just a simple and crude one, was still incredibly exciting for Ye Xuan.

‘What a powerful feeling.’

After some contemplation, Ye Xuan completely understood the difference between a domain and a Domain Realm barrier.

A Domain Realm barrier is merely an energy field created by a Martial Emperor using their comprehension of spatial mysteries, granting them greater combat power within it.

But a domain is different. It’s like an extension of the Martial Artist’s own body, a space released from within. Inside this space, they can do as they please, and its effects are not limited to just spatial pressure.

The two may seem similar, but their effects are completely different.

To give a simple example, imagine a key far away. A Domain Realm barrier is like a person using a tool to prod the key and bring it to hand.

Depending on the Martial Artist’s comprehension of spatial mysteries, this tool might be a clumsy bamboo pole or an easier-to-use hook.

A domain, on the other hand, is equivalent to the Martial Artist extending their own arm to pick up the key.

One uses a tool, the other uses a hand. The difference between the two is simply indescribable.

Furthermore, besides creating a domain, this Stone Bead could also manipulate spatial power to form deadly spatial vortexes to attack enemies.

‘I don’t know where that brown-haired Martial Emperor got this strange Stone Bead, but it must be at least a Tier Nine treasure,’ Ye Xuan thought, his heart pounding with excitement.

A treasure that allows a Tier Eight Martial Emperor to deploy a spatial domain is definitely not simple. Even in his previous life, he had never seen such a thing. What’s more, this strange Stone Bead could not only form a spatial domain but also unleash attacks with deadly spatial vortexes. That alone was something no ordinary treasure could achieve.

Moreover, Ye Xuan had a faint feeling that due to his current cultivation level, he had not fully unleashed the power of this strange Stone Bead, having only activated a fraction of it.

Besides the strange Stone Bead, Ye Xuan found several other treasures in the brown-haired Martial Emperor’s Storage Ring.

However, they were not worth mentioning compared to the Stone Bead.

As for Upper Grade Profound Stones and Spirit Medicines, the brown-haired Martial Emperor’s Storage Ring contained a fair amount.

Finally, inside the Storage Ring, Ye Xuan found a jet-black Token. Engraved on it were the three words “Wukong Mountain Villa.”

‘Could this guy be from Wukong Mountain Villa?’

Just as Ye Xuan was pondering this, his expression suddenly changed. He felt an extremely terrifying pressure rapidly approaching.

‘It’s a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor!’

Ye Xuan recognized it at once; this was an aura that only a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor could possess. He hurriedly held his breath and focused, suppressing his own aura to its absolute minimum.

He didn’t know why this Nine Heavens Martial Emperor had come here—it was very possible he was just passing through. But if the Martial Emperor sensed someone in the cave below, he would definitely blast it open to take a look. With his current cultivation, Ye Xuan had no problem killing a Triple Peak Martial Emperor, but he was still no match for a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor.

Ye Xuan’s aura quickly faded into silence. He was very confident in his aura concealment technique. As long as the other party wasn’t paying close attention, even a Tier Nine Second Layer Martial Emperor would be unable to sense his presence.

But in the next moment, his expression changed drastically.

BOOM!

A terrifying force descended, slamming directly into the area above his cave entrance. With a violent roar, the entire rock formation shattered, and a dreadful power blasted Ye Xuan out of the cave.

In the sky, a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor clad in a dark brown martial robe, his face grim and sinister, was staring down at him with cold eyes.