Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

"Hand over the woman behind you."

The Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable spoke calmly.

By now, Ye Chen had already returned to the Huo family's side.

He looked back. Standing behind him was the Realm Spirit!

The expressions on Huo Qiguang and the others shifted slightly. 'Is the Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable going to attack us first?'

"Do you have a grudge against her?" Ye Chen asked, his gaze calm as he looked to the sky.

"Hmph!"

"If it weren't for that woman back then, why would I have had to make such a dismal retreat from the Dragon Prison Cave?"

"If she hadn't inflicted this Dao injury on me, I would have stepped into the Divine Might realm five years ago!"

"But what a pity. Now, I have to lay this Blood Sacrifice Array and use your flesh and blood to heal my injuries, and in the process, step into the Divine Might realm in one fell swoop!"

At this, the Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable's eyes grew exceptionally sharp.

"You impostor. How dare you impersonate her?"

"Today, I'll start with you!"

With that, the Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable extended a massive hand. A demonic claw formed from Evil Qi materialized in the air and swooped down toward the crowd below.

The void roiled, and a deafening roar shook the heavens!

The crowd screamed and scattered, terrified of being caught in the attack.

Huo Qiguang and the others' faces fell.

They too feared the Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable's might, but they couldn't bring themselves to abandon Ye Chen's group to face him alone.

That day in Kunlun City, the Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable had been frightened away by the Realm Spirit, who had taken on the appearance of Fairy Luoxia.

But over the past few days, his observations had told him that the person before him was not the real Fairy Luoxia at all.

Because of this, he now regarded his pathetic retreat that day as the greatest shame of his life!

"Get lost!"

Ye Chen roared, raising a hand to clash directly with the Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable. A terrifying torrent of energy erupted in all directions. The demonic claw, large enough to blot out the sun, had actually been blocked by Ye Chen!

This scene was clearly inspiring. Everyone present had thought they were doomed today. Now, seeing someone who seemed capable of contending with the Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable, they instantly felt much more at ease.

"You're quite the astonishing brat. No wonder that fellow, the Cyan-faced Demon Monarch, fell at your hands."

"However, I will definitely be taking back the Soul-Catching Lamp. A treasure like that... you are not yet worthy of possessing it!"

A strange light flashed in the Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable's eyes.

His attack had actually been blocked by the young man before him. This was, without a doubt, an astonishing feat.

In fact, he had witnessed all the events that had previously transpired atop Kunlun Mountain from his hiding place in the shadows.

Therefore, although Ye Chen's strength was unexpectedly great, he wasn't overly surprised.

He had immense confidence in himself; Ye Chen was not yet strong enough to make him feel fear.

On the contrary, not only did he covet the abundant vital energy and blood in Ye Chen's body—which would surely benefit him greatly upon consumption—

but he was also extremely curious about what kind of fortuitous encounter Ye Chen had experienced in the secret realm to have become so powerful!

One must understand that he was the one who had secretly spread the news of the Kunlun Mountain secret realm in the first place!

Of course, he had no way of opening the secret realm himself. The only reason he'd spread such rumors was to lure Cultivators here, so he could then catch them all in one fell swoop and devour his prey!

Although the Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable had wanted to remain dormant for a while longer and was reluctant to reveal himself to the world so soon.

But he had no choice. The Dao injury that Fairy Luoxia had left in his body was simply too terrifying. Even now, it continued to affect him!

He had to devour more powerful flesh and blood to suppress this injury!

As long as he could successfully break through to the Divine Might realm, he would be able to freely wield its power. Then, he would naturally have a way to heal the injury.

He should have broken through to the Divine Might realm five years ago, but the injury had forcibly delayed him by five years. The Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable was naturally burning with impatience.

"Once I've dealt with this impostor, you're next!"

The Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable no longer looked at Ye Chen. With a flick of his finger, thunder and wind erupted in the sky. An astonishing gale howled as a monstrous amount of Evil Qi coalesced into a hurricane, which then came crashing down behind Ye Chen!

"What a terrifying aura!"

Everyone's expression changed drastically, and many Cultivators scrambled to get out of the way.

A few unlucky souls were merely touched by a wisp of Evil Qi from the hurricane. They immediately let out bloodcurdling screams and melted into pools of blood.

Their rich life force was rapidly siphoned into the Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable's body. The horrifying scene made everyone's hair stand on end!

Ye Chen's brow furrowed slightly. He was just about to raise his hand to block the Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable's attack.

Just then, a sigh suddenly echoed between heaven and earth.

"Demon, stop."

"Today, you will not be allowed to run rampant here."

A brilliant, rosy light shot forth like a meteor chasing the moon, slamming into the violent hurricane.

In an instant, a rain of light scattered in all directions. The surging shockwave swept toward the horizon, clearing the sky for ten thousand miles and making the void roil!

Everyone was stunned. In their eyes, perhaps only Ye Chen possessed the strength to contend with the Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable.

Thus, this scene was far beyond their expectations. 'Could there be another peerless master hidden here in the square?'

Amidst a surge of profound energy, a figure slowly walked out from the crowd. He too stepped upon the void, standing in a remote standoff with the Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable.

He was a middle-aged man with the appearance of a scholar. His expression was placid and his gaze gentle; those who didn't know better might have mistaken him for a schoolteacher.

"It's you?"

The Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable looked at the scholarly man, his gaze hardening. "So, people from the Great Hong Demon Exorcism Institute have come as well?"

"The Demon Exorcism Institute?"

As soon as he said this, an uproar erupted from the crowd.

"A master from the Demon Exorcism Institute is actually here."

"It looks like we're saved this time!!!"

The Great Hong Demon Exorcism Institute, as its name implied, was an official organization whose duty was to eliminate the evil cultivators hiding in the shadows across the land.

Evil cultivators were the enemies of all living things. Their methods were vicious; to advance their cultivation, they would stop at nothing, committing countless atrocities that defied both heaven and reason.

In the history of the Cultivation Realm, several great disasters that plunged the world into misery were single-handedly caused by evil cultivators.

How could the Great Hong Dynasty remain indifferent in the face of such a scourge? The Demon Exorcism Institute was established for this very purpose.

Although evil cultivators had been relatively quiet in recent years, seldom making public appearances, everyone knew that one could never be complacent or careless when dealing with them.

Their long period of dormancy very likely meant they were brewing some monumental conspiracy. The next time they emerged, they might bring about an even greater disaster.

For this reason, the Demon Exorcism Institute had never been disbanded. In fact, it had always been closely monitoring movements in all regions.

An evil cultivator had appeared in Lei Province! News like this would naturally reach the ears of the Demon Exorcism Institute immediately.