Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

However, despite the red-robed old man's swiftness, the moment he realized he couldn't defeat the powerful and prodigiously talented young woman before him, he made a snap decision to turn and flee.

But just then, a streak of dark-gold light suddenly shot over, blocking his path.

A majestic aura instantly permeated the heavens and earth, one so powerful it made one's very soul tremble, creating an urge to prostrate on the ground and submit in surrender!

It was the aura of the Divinity Transformation Realm!

The red-robed old man's face was filled with horror, and his eyes brimmed with despair.

"How could this be..." Before he could even finish his sentence, the tall, dark-gold figure had already thrown a punch.

The unparalleled force of the blow seemed to make the very void tremble. The last of the red-robed old man's subordinates was instantly obliterated by the punch, smashed into smithereens.

The red-robed old man looked terrified, gasping for breath.

He had thought he was about to die from that punch. Now, it felt as though he had taken a stroll through the gates of hell and back, narrowly cheating death. His heart was filled with lingering fear.

The dark-gold figure did not strike again. Instead, it hovered in the air, watching him like a predator.

The red-robed old man knew that if he made the slightest move, the fists of the combat puppet before him would instantly descend upon him like a torrential storm!

"Why... Why didn't you kill me?" He turned with difficulty to look at the young man in the distance.

He could sense that the combat puppet and the young man were linked by their auras.

This inwardly astonished the red-robed old man.

He never would have imagined that this young man, who hadn't even reached the Primordial Mansion Realm, would be hiding such a powerful trump card.

No wonder he dared to venture into a place like this.

Although the peak of Kunlun Mountain wasn't some completely impassable zone, powerful demonic beasts still frequently appeared in the area.

Combined with the oppressive aura that materialized out of thin air, it was enough to make it impossible for any Cultivator below the Primordial Mansion Realm to take even a single step.

"Who are you? And why did you block our path?" Ye Chen asked coolly.

In truth, Ye Chen had accumulated far too many questions on his journey here.

He couldn't understand why Kunlun Mountain, which was clearly no cultivation paradise, had recently attracted so many Cultivators.

'What on earth are they all here for?'

The red-robed old man froze.

He then understood. The only reason they hadn't killed him was to extract information from him.

The red-robed old man's expression shifted several times before he said in a low voice, "If I answer your questions honestly, will you let me live?"

"You're in no position to bargain with me," Ye Chen said, his tone flat and casual.

It made the red-robed old man feel as if the young man could crush him to death at any moment with a flick of his wrist.

"I'm from the Yu family."

"I was stationed here merely to guard the Spirit Medicine for my young master."

The red-robed old man felt utterly humiliated.

Even in a place like the Black Triangle Zone, he could swagger about with impunity just by relying on the Yu family's name.

Yet now, in this barren wilderness, he was being coerced by a mere youth. His heart swelled with resentment.

At that moment, Song Yubing sheathed her sword and came to a stop beside Ye Chen.

She stared at the red-robed old man with an icy gaze, which made him completely abandon any thought of escape. He didn't even dare to breathe too loudly.

After their earlier fight, he was keenly aware that if this seemingly delicate young woman truly went all out, her combat prowess would nearly rival that of his own family's young lord.

"The Yu family?"

Ye Chen frowned slightly. "You're from the Black Triangle Zone?"

"That's right." The red-robed old man was taken aback. "You mean you've never even heard of the Yu family of the Black Triangle?"

"Enough of your nonsense!" Ye Chen said flatly. "Tell me about the power structure in the Black Triangle Zone."

The red-robed old man gave Ye Chen a long, hard look.

He didn't dare hide anything and quickly began his explanation.

It turned out that the Black Triangle Region was an incredibly chaotic place where saints and sinners mingled. People from all walks of life gathered there, especially heinous criminals who, hunted with nowhere left to run, would come to the region to hide.

There were even many evil cultivators hiding there. They might seem harmless by day, but as soon as night fell, they would reveal their savage fangs, devouring the flesh and blood of other Cultivators in a way that would make one's blood run cold.

Because of this, the Black Triangle had an unwritten rule: a curfew!

The curfew forbade anyone from wandering the Black Triangle Zone at night, though of course, this rule only really applied to ordinary Cultivators.

They didn't dare wander about at night, because doing so posed a very real threat to their lives.

However, there were also powerful Cultivators who could ignore this rule, relying on their immense strength to wander freely even at night and remain perfectly safe.

Within the Black Triangle Zone, nine major powers were considered the most fearsome of all.

They were comprised of five great tribes and four great families.

The five great tribes were the Black Tiger Tribe, the Cyan Ape Tribe, the Xuanwu Tribe, the Fire Phoenix Tribe, and the Lingxi Tribe.

The four great families were the Huo family, the Xiao family, the Yu family, and the Chen family.

These nine powers ruled over nearly half of the Black Triangle Region. Every year, countless outsiders would flee to the Black Triangle, hoping to pledge allegiance to one of these nine powers, but ultimately, only a precious few would ever succeed.

This red-robed old man before them was merely an ordinary deacon from the Yu family.

His strength was considered nothing more than average within the Yu family.

"Why have so many powers come to Kunlun Mountain recently?"

"And what is the Yu family's purpose for coming to Kunlun Mountain?"

Ye Chen asked, after pausing to think.

The red-robed old man answered obediently, "Rumor has it that a group of powerful evil cultivators has recently gathered on Kunlun Mountain."

"They gathered here, it seems, because they discovered traces of a secret realm!"

"Countless astonishing legends about Kunlun Mountain have been passed down since ancient times. Now that news of a suspected secret realm has finally gotten out, it has naturally attracted innumerable Cultivators!"

"The powers of our Black Triangle Zone are the closest to Kunlun Mountain, so we were the first to get the news. The various factions immediately dispatched personnel to compete for the opportunities on Kunlun Mountain."

Upon hearing this, understanding finally dawned on Ye Chen.

'No wonder Kunlun Mountain has been so bustling lately. So that's the reason.'

'In the end, it was all because those evil cultivators discovered traces of the secret realm.'

'They must have racked their brains without finding a way into the secret realm, which is why they started asking around and eventually targeted the Liu family!'

'The Liu family's heirloom is the legendary Kunlun Key, said to be able to open the secret realm in Kunlun Mountain!'

Ye Chen now finally understood why those two great fiends, Master Three-Corpses and Old Demon Heart-Thief, had appeared at the Liu family's home.

'Once those evil cultivators learned the Liu family possessed the Kunlun Key, they must have been coveting it for a long time!'

'It was only by coincidence that I was there at the time, allowing the Liu family to escape that disaster.'