Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

The sea of blood churned as a thick, crimson light spread out, revealing a path before Ye Chen that led to an unknown destination.

The assembled experts crowded around, their faces alight with joy.

'This has to be the path out of this sea of blood, right?'

'They could finally leave this godforsaken place!'

"This is great! We're saved!" one Cultivator exclaimed, so emotional he was on the verge of tears. The feeling of cheating death was an incredible, overwhelming relief!

However, Ye Chen's next words were like a bucket of cold water dumped over their heads.

"Don't go in yet."

Ye Chen's tone was calm and detached. The crowd looked at each other, stunned.

"What do you mean by that? Are you saying you're the only one who gets to go in?"

Luo Rou said, clearly displeased.

"If you're not afraid to die, then by all means, follow."

Ye Chen gave Luo Rou a cool glance before stepping into the passage.

Before entering, however, Ye Chen made sure to instruct the world spirit and the others, "It might be dangerous inside. I'll go scout ahead. All of you wait here."

The world spirit and the others naturally wouldn't question Ye Chen's words, so they obediently stood their ground.

Huo Wuji looked to Huo Qiguang and said, "Patriarch, what should we…"

"We'll do as young friend Ye Chen says," Huo Qiguang replied, shaking his head.

Under Huo Qiguang's leadership, the members of the Huo family also refrained from acting rashly.

But the other experts weren't so quick to trust Ye Chen's words.

Luo Rou watched as Ye Chen disappeared into the strange, blood-red passage, her pretty face twisting in anger.

'What did he mean, "by all means, follow"? If it's so dangerous, then why is he going in?!'

Gritting her teeth, Luo Rou ran into the blood-red passage as well.

"Senior Sister!!!" Jiang Yuzhe cried out in alarm. Terrified that she would face danger alone, he cast aside all hesitation and hurried into the passage after her.

This left the group of experts outside the blood-red passage, standing frozen and at a loss.

'Is this really not the way off the summit of Kunlun Mountain? Does it lead somewhere dangerous instead?'

The crowd was full of suspicion and uncertainty. They desperately wanted to leave Kunlun Mountain, especially with countless, terrifying ghostly creatures swarming toward them from behind.

But they couldn't afford to ignore Ye Chen's warning either.

If the passage was truly filled with unknown dangers, Ye Chen, with his strength, might be able to handle them. They, on the other hand, would most likely be walking to their deaths.

"I believe that if this was truly a way off Kunlun Mountain, young friend Ye Chen would not deceive us without reason."

"Besides, you all saw the Cultivators from the Demon Exorcism Institute follow him. Even if young friend Ye Chen says nothing, the Cultivators from the Institute will surely tell us what the situation is like inside."

Huo Qiguang's gaze swept over the assembled Cultivators. He spoke slowly, his words calming the unease in their hearts.

Hearing this, the others all nodded in agreement.

After all, Mo Tianyun, the Grand Deacon of the Demon Exorcism Institute, was still locked in a fierce battle with the Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable. 'The Institute's Cultivators wouldn't just abandon him and leave on their own, would they?'

"For now, we just need to wait here quietly for their return."

"As for this endless tide of fiends, I will stop them myself."

As he spoke, another tide of fiendish creatures could be seen swarming over the mountainside behind them. The Evil Qi soared to the heavens, and their ghostly aura was staggering!

Huo Qiguang's eyes glinted. The earth-shaking power of the Divinity Transformation Realm's Eighth Layer erupted from him. With a casual wave of his sleeve, a huge swath of the ghostly creatures vanished into thin air, not even able to let out a scream.

Seeing this, the crowd felt a great sense of relief!

Even though Ye Chen and the members of the Demon Exorcism Institute weren't there, having a Great Power like Patriarch Huo Qiguang holding the line was enough to guarantee their safety for the time being!

Besides, they weren't about to sit back and wait for death. They quickly unleashed their own martial techniques, clashing with the surrounding ghouls and evil cultivators.

…

Inside the blood-red passage, Ye Chen took the lead, walking steadily toward its depths.

The deeper he went, the narrower the passage seemed to become. Waves of vicious, blood-red Evil Qi descended like towering mountains, a heart-pounding sight.

But Ye Chen moved as if he had perceived the entire pattern and trajectory of the Blood Evil Grand Array. Every time the blood-red Evil Qi descended, he would sidestep it an instant beforehand, his clothes remaining pristine and his pace never faltering.

The two Cultivators from the Demon Exorcism Institute following him, however, were not so lucky.

"Senior Sister, watch out!" Jiang Yuzhe shouted, shoving Luo Rou aside.

A torrent of vicious blood-red Qi suddenly surged from the sea of blood, streaking through the spot where Luo Rou had just been standing!

Space itself seemed to corrode from the sheer density of the power. The terrifying blood-red Evil Qi spread out, threatening to dissolve all living things into a pool of blood.

Luo Rou's pretty face was a mask of terror.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Her beautiful eyes fixed on the distant figure who moved with a steady pace, never once pausing since he had entered the sea of blood.

"We'll copy his footsteps!"

Luo Rou said through gritted teeth, though she was clearly reluctant.

Hearing this, Jiang Yuzhe breathed a sigh of relief. "Senior Sister, we should have done that from the start."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luo Rou's expression turned dangerous. "Don't tell me you already think I'm inferior to that guy?"

"Ahem… That's not what I meant at all," Jiang Yuzhe said hastily.

In truth, the two of them hadn't entered the sea of blood out of sheer recklessness.

As members of the Demon Exorcism Institute, they had dealt with Blood Evil Grand Arrays on numerous occasions and were confident they could protect themselves inside the sea of blood.

Furthermore, this particular Blood Evil Grand Array seemed to be hiding an unknown secret. As Cultivators of the Demon Exorcism Institute, it was their duty to uncover the mysteries concealed within this sea of blood.

Of course, it was also true that Luo Rou had been genuinely angered by Ye Chen's cavalier attitude.

The two of them stared intently at Ye Chen's back, not daring to look away for even a second.

They committed his footwork to memory, following his exact path as they advanced deeper into the sea of blood.

Sure enough, the dangers they encountered along the path decreased significantly!

This undoubtedly meant that Ye Chen had completely deciphered this terrifying Blood Evil Grand Array!

The two were secretly astonished. They had dealt with Blood Evil Grand Arrays so many times, yet this incomparably profound and mysterious sea of blood had stumped them.

'How on earth did Ye Chen manage it?'

'Could it be that Ye Chen isn't just a Cultivator of astonishing talent, but also an Array Grandmaster proficient in the Dao of Arrays?'

'That would be far too shocking.'

'To have accomplished so much at such a young age… could he be a Chosen One from one of those ancient great sects or Sacred Lands?'

Just as the two of them were reeling in shock and doubt, the space before them suddenly rippled. Ye Chen took a single step forward and vanished from sight.