Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

"We pledge our loyalty to Lord Ye Chen, without a shred of doubt!"

Li Yunxiao hurriedly pledged his loyalty to Ye Chen.

To his astonishment, he had just discovered a Fourth Grade Realm-Breaking Pill inside the bottle of Fourth Grade Spirit Pills!

After all, advancing at the Primordial Mansion Realm was an incredibly difficult feat.

It required not only a vast accumulation of time but also an abundance of cultivation resources.

A Cultivator also often needed an exceptionally powerful, innate talent to continue progressing at this stage.

Li Yunxiao had thought he would be stuck at the first layer of the Primordial Mansion Realm for the rest of his life.

At best, his talent was only enough to barely break through into the Primordial Mansion Realm.

Now that he was old and without any fortuitous opportunities, breaking through again was undoubtedly harder than ever.

But now, a Top Grade, Fourth Grade Realm-Breaking Pill lay right before him!

'With this Spirit Pill, breaking through to the Third Layer of the Primordial Mansion Realm, or even the Fourth Layer, might not be impossible, right?'

He had been stuck at the first layer of the Primordial Mansion Realm for over a decade.

All that long-term build-up and accumulation just needed the right catalyst to be completely unleashed!

Before, Li Yunxiao had only submitted out of fear for his life. In his heart, he was still quite resistant to Ye Chen's commands.

But now, learning that Ye Chen was also a powerful Alchemist, he suddenly felt he had glimpsed a sliver of hope for reaching a higher realm!

As a Cultivator, who didn't yearn for greater power?

Even though he was old and knew his talent was limited, upon encountering such a fortuitous opportunity, his heart still burned with excitement!

At this moment, his submission to Ye Chen became wholehearted, without a trace of reluctance.

'The Righteous Dao, the Demon Dao…'

'It's all bullshit!'

'There are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests! That's the real truth!'

Li Yunxiao suppressed his inner excitement.

He carefully put the Spirit Pill away and looked at Ye Chen with utmost sincerity. "Sect Leader, whatever you command in the future, we will carry it out without hesitation, even if we must climb a mountain of blades or plunge into a sea of fire!"

The words were a bit cliché, but Ye Chen didn't mind. He nodded slightly. "As long as you perform well, there will be other rewards."

"Our business here is done. I'll be leaving now."

With that, he called over Nine-Fingered Demon Slaughter, and the two of them set off, flying back in the direction of the Demon Sect.

Watching Ye Chen's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Li Yunxiao was overcome with emotion.

'The appearance of this young man has thrown all of Lei Province into turmoil!'

'I believe my Li family has not made a mistake in choosing to side with him!'

...

After Ye Chen's departure, Luoyun City gradually returned to a state of calm.

However, the events of that night swept through Lei Province like a hurricane.

In an instant, the entire province was left trembling in shock.

Even the surrounding regions, including the imperial family of the Great Hong Dynasty, couldn't help but turn their attention toward the province.

It couldn't be helped. The events that had transpired in Lei Province over just a few short days were simply too sensational, too astonishing.

And the one responsible for it all was, astonishingly, a boy who was barely a teenager!

He had annihilated the Yan family, subjugated the Li family, and was apparently on good terms with the Liu family.

All four of Lei Province's great families were now connected to the young man named Ye Chen.

Only the Lei family, the head of the four great families, had yet to act.

As for the three major sects…

The leaders of two of them, the Cold Wind Sect and the Nine Nether Sect, had both been killed by Ye Chen.

And at the foremost sect, the Vajra Temple, the strongest expert beneath the abbot, the Great Battle Buddha, had also fallen at his hands.

Then there was the official ruler of Lei Province—the Provincial Government itself.

All three chief enforcers from the Provincial Government's law enforcement squad had died at his hands.

In just a few short days, this terrifying young man, like a Demon Venerable incarnate, had single-handedly provoked every top-tier power in the Lei Province Cultivation Realm.

Many of these great powers had been destroyed as a result.

Only a few factions at the absolute apex had yet to reveal their intentions.

And amidst this turbulence, a faction known as the Demon Sect burst onto the scene, dominating the other powers of Lei Province from above.

It was like a towering mountain, suffocating countless factions under its immense pressure.

All because the Sect Leader of this Demon Sect was that same terrifying young man, Ye Chen!

In just a few short days, the Demon Sect's reputation had already reached a level where it could be mentioned in the same breath as the Vajra Temple and the Lei family, the head of the four great families.

Even the Li family had announced its allegiance, becoming a vassal power of the Demon Sect.

There were even rumors that the Provincial Government's authority had been shaken to its core.

Countless people were stunned.

They found it hard to believe what kind of terrifying power this young man possessed to have led the Demon Sect and fought his way to the very top of Lei Province in such a short amount of time.

But regardless of the speculation, the Demon Sect's reputation had been firmly cemented in the hearts and minds of the people since the upheaval in Luoyun City.

Of course, all of this was a story for another time.

While the outside world was in an uproar, Ye Chen and Nine-Fingered Demon Slaughter had already returned to the Demon Sect.

This time, his power was on a completely different level.

He had condensed a golden Spiritual Sea, broken through to the Third Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm, and his true combat strength was now enough to slay a Primordial Mansion Realm Cultivator.

This time, he was going to completely eliminate the hidden threat lurking in the depths of the dungeon.

...

「Meanwhile.」

A magnificent ancient temple sat perched atop a mountain peak.

The peak was so high it seemed to pierce the heavens.

Swirling clouds and mist wreathed the ancient temple, making it look like a paradise on earth. From time to time, a brilliant Buddhist radiance would bloom, inspiring a sense of profound awe.

In the temple's main hall, an ancient, wizened figure sat quietly in meditation.

Below him, countless Monks stood with their heads bowed, their faces filled with sorrow.

"Abbot!"

"That Ye Chen's evil deeds are monstrous! He acts with utter impunity!"

"We wish to descend the mountain together and avenge the Great Battle Buddha!"

Just then, amidst the oppressive atmosphere, several massive figures, each wreathed in dazzling Buddhist light, landed in the main hall.

The entire hall seemed to tremble, causing many of the Monks to look up in alarm.

Looking at the resolute figures before him, the abbot on the main seat sighed softly, his brow deeply furrowed.

"Even if you were to descend the mountain together, what could you possibly do?"

"You are no match for him. The Great Battle Buddha's physical body was powerful, comparable to a Primordial Mansion Realm Cultivator, yet he still fell at that man's hands."

"Do you really think that by joining forces, you can contend with a Primordial Mansion Realm Cultivator?"

Hearing this, the figures bathed in Buddhist light froze.