Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

The Undying Demon Lord wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His face was grim as he turned to look at the deep, dark cave behind him. Then, he smashed his fist into a rock!

BOOM!

The rock, and the entire small mountain behind it, instantly turned to dust.

But even so, it did little to quell the rage in the Undying Demon Lord's heart.

"DAMN IT!!!"

He clenched his fists. A violent aura erupted from his body, spreading out unstably.

He was the last Cultivator to emerge from the Dragon Prison Cave.

He had done his best.

If he hadn't gotten out quickly at the end, he might have died in there.

He'd found nothing in the Dragon Prison Cave, and as for Ye Chen, there was no sign of him, dead or alive...

The Undying Demon Lord had never felt so utterly frustrated!

"Ye Chen... Where is Ye Chen?"

"Why isn't Ye Chen out yet?"

Outside the Dragon Prison Cave, the Cultivators from Lei Province had been waiting for some time, their faces a mixture of confusion and horror.

The group from the Demon Sect was especially anxious, their foreheads beaded with cold sweat.

"Ye Chen? Still worried about Ye Chen? That brat from your Lei Province probably died in there a long time ago."

Many in the crowd shot them looks of pure derision.

They couldn't find Ye Chen, and this trip to the Dragon Prison Cave had been a complete waste. Now, they were full of resentment and looking for someone to take it out on.

And the Cultivators from Lei Province, Ye Chen's home, were the perfect target.

"Impossible!"

"Our Sect Leader wouldn't die in there! He has to be alive!"

Nine-Fingered Demon Slaughter clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth.

"How utterly ridiculous!"

Hearing this, someone sneered, "Your worthless Sect Leader was so afraid of us that he ran off and hid in some pocket dimension. He didn't even dare show his face when the Spiritual Qi tide hit!"

"By now, the Spiritual Qi tide is strong enough to threaten even Divinity Transformation Realm Cultivators! You can't possibly think your Sect Leader, with his pathetic cultivation, could still be scraping by in there, can you? Stop deluding yourselves!"

"Your Sect Leader is a coward who died hiding in his shell without ever showing his face!"

"What a massive disappointment!"

It was safe to say that most of the major powers from outside Lei Province shared this sentiment.

"You..." Nine-Fingered Demon Slaughter's expression shifted. He took a deep breath, rage boiling within him, and nearly rushed forward to attack.

However, Wushan Old Ghost at his side managed to grab him just in time.

"Second Elder, don't be rash!"

"These foreign Cultivators are too powerful! We can't fight them head-on!"

"With the Sect Leader absent, we must not act recklessly!"

Wushan Old Ghost said, his expression grave.

Nine-Fingered Demon Slaughter's expression changed. He finally realized his impulsiveness had nearly brought disaster upon them.

Cold sweat instantly beaded on his back as a wave of fear washed over him.

'Thank god Wushan Old Ghost stopped me!'

'Otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable!'

However, the person who had spoken earlier noticed Nine-Fingered Demon Slaughter's movement.

He was a brawny, fierce-looking man. It was clear from a single glance that he was short-tempered and not someone to be trifled with.

"What? You want to start something?"

He pointed at Nine-Fingered Demon Slaughter in front of everyone, craning his head arrogantly. "A worthless piece of trash from the Spirit Sea Realm has the gall to challenge me?"

"Tell you what, I'll even fight you with one hand. Come on and take your shot. Now!"

His tone was contemptuous, utterly dismissive of Nine-Fingered Demon Slaughter.

Nine-Fingered Demon Slaughter's fists clenched in fury, but Wushan Old Ghost quickly grabbed him and held him back.

Luo Sandao, Li Yunxiao, and the others were also present, but they didn't make a move, choosing instead to endure the humiliation.

After all, they knew that while they might be considered top-tier in Lei Province, they were nothing in the eyes of these foreign experts.

"What? Coward?"

"Too scared to even take a swing? And I'm even offering to use just one hand!"

"Unbelievable. No wonder you're Ye Chen's lapdogs. He's a coward hiding in his shell, so of course his lackeys aren't any better."

The brawny man sneered, his tone wild and arrogant, showing complete disregard for the members of the Demon Sect.

At once, the expressions of the Demon Sect members turned grim.

But they knew that with their Sect Leader gone, acting out now would only bring annihilation upon their sect. Reason triumphed over impulse, and they ultimately chose to swallow their pride.

In the Cyan Rainbow Hall's camp, Song Yubing quietly watched the scene before her, not saying a word.

"That kid was a real joke."

"And to think he acted so capable, daring to enter the Dragon Prison Cave first right in front of all of us."

"I never expected he'd end up with not even bones left—not a speck of ash."

"Isn't it hilarious?" Elder Zhong sneered, shaking his head. "And he dared to call himself the Sect Leader of a Demon Sect. He's a true disgrace to all Demon Cultivators!"

"Even if he hadn't died, if I'd gotten my hands on him, I would have flayed him alive and ripped out his tendons to make him understand the consequences of offending me!"

"It's a shame he died so easily."

An image seemed to surface in Elder Zhong's mind: Ye Chen, inside the Dragon Prison Cave, looking over at him with a teasing, playful expression.

'Back then, so many factions wanted him dead.'

'But after entering the Dragon Prison Cave, they never even saw a shadow of him.'

It was infuriating to the extreme.

"You're right, Elder Zhong."

"I really misjudged him," Song Yubing said, shaking her head. Her feelings were a tangled mess.

"Ah, Yubing, you're still young, after all."

"It's no wonder you made a mistake," Elder Zhong sighed.

"They don't have an ounce of courage. Just what you'd expect from that coward's underlings." Many people had noticed the conflict between the brawny man and the Demon Sect and began to chime in.

The Demon Sect members' faces darkened.

They realized that it seemed like everyone around them had a problem with them.

Outnumbered and outmatched, they didn't dare make a move. All they could do was swallow their anger and endure the humiliation.

Just as the conflict seemed about to escalate, Venerable Thundering Sound suddenly spoke up.

He swept his gaze over the various factions and said in a heavy voice, "Everyone, haven't you noticed?"

His words immediately attracted the attention of many Cultivators present.

"Noticed what?"

Venerable Thundering Sound was a well-known figure. The crowd quieted down and turned to look at him.

"The last person has exited the Dragon Prison Cave, and yet, the cave itself has not closed."

"Doesn't that mean there's still someone inside?"

"And that person is most likely the Ye Chen you've all been looking for."

Venerable Thundering Sound declared in a heavy voice.

The moment he spoke, an uproar swept through the crowd.

It was true! Even the Undying Demon Lord was out, but the Dragon Prison Cave still hadn't closed!

What did this mean?

'Could it be... Ye Chen really isn't dead?'