Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

Kunlun City stood on the border of the Great Hong Dynasty, serving to defend against foreign enemies and protect the territory. It was built to be grand and majestic, like a colossal dragon coiled on the horizon, exuding an ancient and boundless aura.

"Young friend Ye, are you going to watch the martial arts tournament in Kunlun City?"

Gazing at the massive city in the distance, Yu Xiaoran stopped and asked Ye Chen.

"I won't." Ye Chen clearly had little interest. "I'll rest up in the city. I have other matters to attend to afterward."

Seeing that Ye Chen had no intention of continuing the conversation, Yu Xiaoran didn't press the matter.

However, he still reminded him, "Young friend Ye, you killed the Cyan-faced Demon Monarch. You should be careful of retaliation from other evil cultivators."

The power of a Divinity Transformation Realm expert had manifested from the Cyan-faced Demon Monarch. The phantom projection of that power called itself the Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable. Its aura was overwhelming, but Ye Chen still shattered it in a single blow.

This made Yu Xiaoran a little worried.

He even considered staying in Kunlun City for a while longer, waiting for the situation to stabilize before returning to Xu Province.

Hearing this, Ye Chen thought for a moment and asked, "Have you heard of Yanluo Palace?"

"Yanluo Palace?" Yu Xiaoran looked surprised. "Yes, I've heard of them."

"Legend has it that they're an enormous force of evil cultivators. They once had members active all across the Great Hong Dynasty, causing countless bloodbaths."

"What's even more fearsome is that Yanluo Palace is said to be a branch of the Nether Cult!"

"The Nether Cult?!" Ye Chen's expression shifted the moment he heard the name.

He remembered clearly. Before he killed the Heart-Stealing Old Demon, the demon had mentioned that very name.

"That's right!" Yu Xiaoran said, his expression grave. "The Nether Cult is an evil cultivator organization with a history stretching back over ten thousand years! They are the true masters of the wicked path for the entire continent!"

"Other evil cultivator factions, such as Yanluo Palace, are actually just branches of the Nether Cult!"

"No one knows where the Nether Cult's headquarters are. Though the cult has existed for tens of thousands of years and faced countless sieges from Great Powers, it has always managed to cling to life. It then spent a long time lying low, recuperating and restoring its strength."

"No one knows how much strength the Nether Cult has recovered. With Yanluo Palace running so rampant now, it's possible that evil cultivators from the Nether Cult are pulling the strings."

After a moment's thought, Ye Chen asked, "Then do you know who the leader of the Nether Cult is?"

"I'm not sure about that."

Yu Xiaoran shook his head. "I don't know how many generations of leaders there have been, but the first leader of the Nether Cult was an absolute titan of the wicked path. His cultivation reached the very Peak of the continent, powerful enough to challenge the major Sacred Lands."

"The Nether Cult probably hasn't recovered to its Peak strength, but anyone who can hold the title of leader must still possess peerless cultivation in their own right. Their power is definitely not something ordinary Cultivators like us can even begin to fathom."

"Evil cultivators...? If I remember correctly, I seem to recall several of their strongholds. I just don't know if they're abandoned by now."

The World Spirit at his side suddenly mused aloud, her voice as clear and pleasant as a gurgling spring in a mountain ravine.

"Miss, you actually know where to find evil cultivator strongholds?" Yu Xiaoran was utterly astonished.

After all, evil cultivators were notoriously elusive. In this day and age, they were hunted like rats in the street and wouldn't dare show themselves publicly.

Knowing the location of one of their strongholds under such circumstances was an incredible feat.

The World Spirit shook her head, her voice cool. "I'm not certain. It's possible I'm misremembering."

Yu Xiaoran couldn't help but give the celestially beautiful woman before him a deep, searching look.

Although he had never seen her fight, her aura felt completely ordinary.

But the two young women with Ye Chen always gave off the feeling that there was more to them than met the eye.

Song Yubing had already taken action before.

As for the other woman in the white dress, whose beauty seemed otherworldly, she was an even greater enigma to Yu Xiaoran.

As the group chatted, they arrived before the gates of Kunlun City.

The city gates were nearly twelve meters high and forged entirely from Black Profound Gold, capable of withstanding any attack below the Primordial Mansion Realm.

Even for a true Primordial Mansion Realm expert, destroying such massive gates would likely take a considerable amount of time and effort.

Thus, unless a Great Power at the Divinity Transformation Realm were to attack, Kunlun City's guards could always arrive on the scene before the defenses were completely breached.

A long queue stretched out before the city gates. Just as Ye Chen and his group were about to join it, a commotion erupted nearby.

Looking toward the sound, they saw a handsome young man suddenly get punched in the face. His entire face swelled up and turned red as his body slammed heavily onto the ground.

The young man grimaced in pain, his expression savage, but he clenched his teeth and remained silent.

It had rained heavily in the area the previous night, leaving the ground covered in mud. The young man's clothes were instantly stained, leaving him in a wretched state.

"You dare talk back to us in your current state, Ji Yuanshan?"

"I guess you haven't had enough of a beating, have you?"

Standing before the young man were several young masters of a similar age.

The one in the lead, dressed in a purple shirt and gilded boots, was sneering down at the fallen young man, his eyes filled with scorn.

"Li Yue, you're nothing but a worthless coward who throws his weight around!"

"If your brother wasn't protecting you, who the hell do you think you are? I'd have broken your damn legs long ago!"

Instead of being intimidated by the young master's presence, Ji Yuanshan spat disdainfully, the saliva nearly landing on the other's exquisite, high-priced shoes.

Seeing this, Li Yue was practically fuming. His gaze turned icy as he said, "Very good. Still acting tough with me, are you? Then keep hitting him. Don't stop until he begs for mercy!"

At his words, the lackeys beside him closed in with sneers, ready to continue pummelling Ji Yuanshan.

Ji Yuanshan clenched his jaw. Even in this situation, he refused to yield, simply watching as they closed in.

The sudden turn of events startled many of the onlookers.

But faced with such a conflict, most of the crowd chose to watch from a safe distance, not daring to get involved.

After all, one look at the purple-shirted young man's attire told you he was rich and powerful. Despite his domineering and arrogant behavior, no one dared to stick their neck out.

Just then, a cry of alarm rang out from the distance, causing Li Yue and his cronies to freeze.

"Eldest Brother!"

Lin Heng, Qu Yuanfei, and Lu Fanyan flew over, landing protectively in front of Ji Yuanshan.