Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

The sound was jarring in the oppressive silence.

Everyone turned toward the sound and saw a ball of cyan light hovering quietly in a corner of the ruins below.

Within the light, a handsome youth lay with his eyes shut tight, his fate unknown.

"It's Ye Chen!"

Song Yubing and the others scrambled to his side, arriving next to the ball of cyan light.

A hint of joy also appeared on the Grotto Spirit's face.

She was arguably the calmest one there.

After all, as the master of the Imprisoned Dragon Grotto Heaven, his life force was intrinsically linked with hers.

She felt nothing amiss, which surely meant Ye Chen couldn't be in any mortal danger.

But even so, seeing him with her own eyes, the Grotto Spirit couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease.

As the group drew near, the ball of cyan light slowly dissipated, lowering Ye Chen's body onto the rubble.

His eyes remained shut. He seemed to have no visible injuries, but his aura was much weaker than before.

Clearly, though he had survived the crimson torrent, it had still taken a heavy toll on him!

"Whatever the case, it's enough that our young friend's life is not in danger!"

Mo Tianyun said with a smile.

After all, Ye Chen was the primary hero of the fight against the demonic cultivators.

If it hadn't been for Ye Chen, the members of his Demon Exorcism Institute would have been completely wiped out here.

After all, who could have expected that a demonic embryo was hidden within that Blood Fiend Formation?

"This is wonderful!"

"I knew he'd be okay!"

Seeing that Ye Chen was unharmed, Luo Rou was visibly thrilled. She rushed to his side and gazed at his sleeping face.

Jiang Yuzhe, standing to the side, watched with a strange expression. 'He really had to wonder, when exactly had his senior sister become so utterly smitten with Fellow Daoist Ye Chen?'

Just then, an ill-timed voice cut through the crowd.

"So the brat didn't die. That's just perfect."

"At least this trip won't have been for nothing!"

The voice came from a corner of the crowd.

A group of experts from the Cyan Ape Tribe was staring at Ye Chen, their eyes burning with fervor.

Next to them, the members of the Yu family and the Xiao family looked on with the same intensity.

As for the Black Tiger Tribe… their experts who had come to Kunlun Mountain had already been completely wiped out in the prior catastrophe.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Hearing their malevolent tone, Huo Qiguang raised his eyes and looked over.

Aside from the experts of the Huo family, cultivators from several other factions, as well as some Loose Cultivators, also revealed expressions of shared indignation.

After all, Ye Chen was practically their savior.

If Ye Chen hadn't charged into the heart of the Blood Fiend Formation alone, defeated the Netherworld Emissary, and destroyed the demonic embryo inside, how could any of them have survived this ordeal?

The Netherworld Emissary was a terrifying evil being that even Mo Tianyun, the Grand Deacon of the Demon Exorcism Institute, was deeply wary of. Ordinary Cultivators like them stood no chance of being its opponent.

"What do we mean?"

"Isn't it simple? We all came here for the opportunities in the Kunlun Mountain secret realm, did we not?"

"And it just so happens this kid monopolized all the opportunities in the realm! Now he's badly injured—this is the perfect chance! If we don't take this opportunity to seize those fortunes from him, then when should we?"

one of the Cyan Ape Tribe's experts declared self-righteously.

The crowd exchanged glances. The matriarch in palace robes from the Fire Phoenix Tribe was the first to speak. "Your words are shameless."

"No matter how you look at it, young friend Ye Chen is our savior. It's one thing to not repay his kindness, but to actually plot to steal his fortune?"

"Before the demonic cultivators besieged the summit of Kunlun Mountain, he clearly had the chance to wipe you out, but he chose not to. He let you go."

"Does your behavior now not strike you as being a bit too much like that of a thankless wolf?"

The other experts nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing with the matriarch in palace robes.

Who didn't covet the opportunities within the Kunlun Mountain secret realm?

But to attack their own savior would be to betray their own moral code. How would that make them any different from those demonic cultivators who slaughter the innocent and treat life like dirt?

Song Yubing, Huo Susu, and the others were also furious.

'These people are outrageous!'

"Don't you all forget why so many of us came to Kunlun Mountain in the first place!"

"And why bother with such sanctimonious words? The truth is, you're all just thinking you'll wait for everyone to disperse before you make a move on Ye Chen in secret and hoard all his fortune for yourselves, right?"

The Cyan Ape Tribe expert's eyes glinted, and his tone was icy.

"Nonsense!" The matriarch in palace robes, her face flushed with anger, shot back, "We're not shameless like you people!"

"Alright, that's enough pointless chatter."

Huo Qiguang could no longer stand to watch. He frowned and declared in a low voice, "Just the few of you factions alone can't possibly hope to stir up any trouble here!"

"If you still insist on moving against young friend Ye Chen, you'll have to get through me first!"

"I'd like to see just how much fight you have left in you!"

The profound aura of the Eighth Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm radiated from Huo Qiguang.

His gaze was frigid as it swept across the Cyan Ape Tribe and the other factions that held a grudge against Ye Chen, his voice laced with chilling killing intent!

Seeing this, Huo Wuji also took a step forward. His aura was as majestic as a mountain, only a sliver weaker than Huo Qiguang's.

The two Huo family experts stood guard before Ye Chen like twin mountains, instantly intimidating many of the Cultivators who had been harboring malicious thoughts.

The matriarch in palace robes and the other like-minded experts couldn't help but scoff inwardly at the sight.

'These people from the Cyan Ape Tribe are unbelievably foolish. They can't even read the situation!'

Never mind that Ye Chen was their savior and they couldn't bring themselves to attack him.

Even if they truly intended to make a move, Ye Chen was being guarded by the Huo family and the Demon Exorcism Institute. With their meager strength, what made them think they could touch Ye Chen?

It was a foregone conclusion. Ye Chen had performed such a great service this time, shattering the Netherworld Emissary's plan. Mo Tianyun, the Grand Deacon of the Demon Exorcism Institute, would never stand idly by and watch something happen to Ye Chen.

The matriarch and her group glanced toward Mo Tianyun.

And sure enough, Mo Tianyun was now gazing indifferently at the experts from the Cyan Ape Tribe, looking poised to strike.

It was as if he would immediately unleash a thunderous attack to repel anyone who dared to make a move on Ye Chen!

However, at that very moment, a hearty laugh suddenly echoed throughout the heavens and earth, as resonant as a temple bell, jolting everyone who heard it!

"Everyone came for the opportunities of the Kunlun Mountain secret realm. I didn't expect you all to change your minds so quickly."

"This is truly beyond my expectations!"