Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

But what concerned Song Yubing the most was how the world spirit addressed Ye Chen.

'Master?'

'Could such a stunning young woman really be just Ye Chen's handmaiden?'

By now, Ye Chen had already stored the Sky-Swallowing Giant Python inside the Imprisoned Dragon Grotto Heaven.

With his skills, repairing the arrays and talismans on the Profound Armor Combat Puppet was a simple matter.

However, many of the Profound Armor Combat Puppet's components were damaged and required various spiritual materials for repairs, which was something he couldn't handle on his own.

Furthermore, any faulty parts would prevent the Profound Armor Combat Puppet's physical body from withstanding too much power.

This was why the Profound Armor Combat Puppet could not yet be restored to its Peak state.

There were many arrays Ye Chen couldn't repair, not because he lacked the knowledge, but because if he did, the Profound Armor Combat Puppet would disintegrate from the sheer power when activated.

Now that he had the Sky-Swallowing Giant Python's corpse, as long as he could repair some of the Profound Armor Combat Puppet's components, it would be able to unleash even greater power.

Ye Chen estimated its strength would be equivalent to the Fifth Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm.

With this, the trump card up his sleeve would become even more formidable.

As for the energy required to operate the Profound Armor Combat Puppet... that was the least of Ye Chen's worries.

He had a huge stash of Spirit Stones on him. If he used them all to power the Profound Armor Combat Puppet, it would likely be enough to last for a very long time.

After he finished collecting his spoils, Ye Chen realized that perhaps because he had reached the mountainside and was getting closer to his destination, the Kunlun Key had grown even hotter.

A faint, mystical ripple spread out from the Kunlun Key—one that even Song Yubing, standing beside him, could feel.

"Are we almost at our destination?" she couldn't help but ask Ye Chen.

"If I'm not mistaken, the destination should be on the summit," Ye Chen said, looking toward the Peak of Kunlun Mountain.

"Then we need to hurry. Many factions have gathered in this area, and we've now offended the Cyan Ape Tribe. If they discover our tracks, things could get very troublesome."

A flicker of worry crossed Song Yubing's face.

"Speaking of which, what exactly has been happening on Kunlun Mountain lately?"

"Why have so many factions come here?"

Ye Chen frowned, feeling puzzled.

Logically, while countless legends surrounded Kunlun Mountain, explorers had been coming here for generations.

Other than a high concentration of demonic beasts, nothing particularly unusual had ever been found.

Even the rare "fortuitous encounter" was usually just stumbling upon the belongings of a past explorer who had fallen prey to a demonic beast.

To put it bluntly, by modern standards, it was just an ordinary mountain range, nothing special.

And yet, the demonic cultivators of Yama Hall had come here.

The Black Tiger Tribe and the Cyan Ape Tribe were here as well.

'If the Cyan Ape Tribe is here just because their Young Master wanted to hunt the Sky-Swallowing Giant Python to repair his Profound Armor Combat Puppet...'

'...then what are Yama Hall and the Black Tiger Tribe here for?'

Just as Ye Chen was lost in thought, a RUSTLING sound suddenly came from behind him.

"You... You're still alive?!"

Ye Chen looked behind him and saw that it was the group from the Cyan Ape Tribe he had met at the foot of the mountain.

Leading them was none other than Steward Mei, whom Ye Chen had dealt with before.

He stared at the three of them in utter shock, his mind reeling as if struck by a tidal wave.

He had already contacted Young Master Gu Tianyu and the others via black hawk.

Logically, if these three had taken this path up to the mountainside, they should have run into Gu Tianyu's group.

'But why...'

'...were these three standing before him, completely unharmed?'

'And yet, Gu Tianyu and his men were nowhere to be seen!'

'Could it be that they left this place while chasing the Sky-Swallowing Giant Python?'

'But if that were the case, shouldn't Gu Tianyu have already sent word via the black hawk?'

'What in the world was going on?'

Steward Mei and his men were bewildered, their faces etched with deep shock and suspicion.

Upon seeing Ye Chen's party, they all stopped in their tracks, not daring to make a rash move.

"What is it?"

"You seem disappointed to see us," Ye Chen said with a faint smile, glancing at Steward Mei.

"You... have you seen our Young Master?" Steward Mei asked in a grim voice.

"You mean those three guys who were hunting the Sky-Swallowing Giant Python?" Ye Chen shrugged. "They're dead."

"Dead?!" Steward Mei's face went pale, and the men behind him gasped in unison.

"Impossible! With the Young Master's abilities, and Elder Lin protecting him, there's no way he could have fallen here!"

"Everyone, calm down! Don't let this kid's tricks fool you!"

Steward Mei quickly came to his senses and issued a warning.

At his words, everyone nodded in agreement.

Clearly, they refused to believe that Gu Tianyu's group, with all their skills and trump cards, could have encountered a crisis they couldn't handle in a place like this.

"Think whatever you want."

"I have no interest in any of you. Just stay out of my way."

Ye Chen spoke indifferently, then turned and headed up the mountain.

Song Yubing and the world spirit followed at his side.

Steward Mei and his men waited on the spot, their expressions tense.

Only when they saw that Ye Chen's group was truly far away did they dare to step forward and begin examining the surrounding area.

"Sir Steward! Quick, look over here!"

Just then, a burly man who seemed to have discovered something terrible cried out in alarm.

The others quickly gathered around.

The ground in front of the burly man was covered in a dense network of deep grooves.

Each groove was wide and deep, and there were even several huge craters from which the lingering fluctuations of powerful Spiritual Power could be felt, leaving everyone bewildered.

"It looks like powerful Cultivators clashed here!"

"And it happened just a moment ago!"

Steward Mei's eyes flickered as he quickly made a deduction. "But that group... they looked completely unharmed."

"'Could it be that the Young Master and his men...'"

At that moment, a sense of dread crept into the heart of every member of the Cyan Ape Tribe.

Although they refused to believe the Young Master's party could have been defeated so easily, the scene before them was far from reassuring.

"Wait... What is that?!"

A young woman cried out, covering her mouth as she stared at a nearby boulder.

Steward Mei and the others rushed over. The color drained from their faces at the sight.

Behind the massive boulder was a pile of rubble, mixed with what appeared to be chunks of flesh.

The thick, cloying smell of blood hung in the air, almost suffocating them.

"This is..."

Pushing aside the stones in front of him, Steward Mei froze as if he had been struck by lightning.