Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

A vast aura, characteristic of the Eighth Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm, erupted from the Saint Monk. He struck with extreme decisiveness, wasting not a single word. The sheer ferocity of his attack was terrifying!

Ye Chen's eyes narrowed, thoughts flashing through his mind.

'He had long suspected it. The Xu family wouldn't have lured him here just to wait around obediently. They must have prepared some kind of lethal trap.'

'But if the ultimate trap they'd laid was just a single Saint Monk... well, that would be a huge disappointment!'

'After all, with his current strength, he could easily sweep aside any expert below the Divine Might Realm. He even dared to challenge a true Great Power from that realm!'

'So a mere Eighth-Layer Divinity Transformation Realm Cultivator was hardly a concern.'

BOOM!

Just as the Saint Monk's assault was about to crash down on Ye Chen, he suddenly moved.

With a flick of his hand, an endless stream of Spiritual Power surged from his body, forming a raging torrent. Its terrifying momentum instantly shattered the Saint Monk's imposing aura as it rushed toward the golden light before him.

Faintly, a phantom of a golden Spiritual Sea appeared behind Ye Chen. A majestic, twelve-story pagoda stood tall within the Spiritual Sea, remaining unmoving no matter how the countless golden waves crashed against it.

Seeing this, the members of the Xu family were all stunned.

'What in the world is that?'

'A golden Spiritual Sea? A twelve-story pagoda?'

'That's not what a normal Spiritual Sea or Primordial Mansion looks like at all.'

Before they could even figure out what was happening…

The sky-filling golden light suddenly exploded. Just like that, the mighty torrent of Spiritual Power shattered the Saint Monk's assault and surged toward him with overwhelming force.

"Hmph!"

The Saint Monk's expression changed slightly; he clearly hadn't expected his attack to be so easily neutralized. With a gesture of his fingers, the surrounding mountain peaks were uprooted. He used them as weapons, hurling them at Ye Chen.

The mountains fell from the sky, their might undeniably terrifying.

Even Xu Ao and the others were stunned by the sight, their hearts pounding in their chests.

But Ye Chen's expression remained perfectly calm. With a flick of his finger, not even bothering to draw the Cangming Sword from his back, a peerlessly sharp Sword Qi swept out, cutting straight through the mountains in the sky.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

…

The mountains, as if made of paper, exploded one after another in mid-air, turning into countless fragments of rock and dust that rained down from above.

At this, the Saint Monk's expression changed once again.

He wanted to attack again, but Ye Chen's torrent of Spiritual Power had already reached him. He had no choice but to switch from offense to defense. With a sweep of his hands, a shimmering golden image of a Buddha materialized before him!

The Buddha's mouth seemed to be chanting an ancient sutra. Each syllable exploded in the air like muffled thunder. The countless syllables linked together, forming a continuous river that smashed against the incoming torrent of Spiritual Power.

BOOM!

At that moment, the very heavens and earth seemed to tremble.

The earth-shattering boom left Xu Ao and the others with ringing ears. Their faces paled, and they scrambled backward, terrified of being caught in the aftermath.

A rain of light scattered across the sky. The powerful aftershock, seeming to tear space itself asunder, formed a terrifying storm that raged on without dissipating.

After a long moment, the shockwave finally subsided.

Ye Chen still stood in the same spot, a placid expression on his face. His hands were clasped behind his back, and his green robes were as pristine as ever, as if the battle hadn't touched him in the slightest.

In contrast, the distant Saint Monk's kasaya was tattered with countless rips, and his body was covered in wounds so deep that bone was visible.

He was drenched in blood, his aura significantly weaker than before. The string of Buddha Beads in his hand still pulsed with a brilliant golden light.

Clearly, if not for the protection of the Buddha Beads, his injuries would have been far worse. He might have even... perished on the spot!

Staring at the scene before them, Xu Ao and the others could hardly believe their eyes. They all drew in a sharp, cold breath.

"Th-This… how is this possible?!"

Xu Ao muttered, a tempest raging in his heart.

One must understand, the combat prowess of Saint Monks was renowned. They dedicated themselves to the Buddhist path, immersing themselves in cultivation and paying no heed to worldly affairs.

Their accumulated foundation in cultivation was far deeper than that of ordinary Cultivators. It was rare for a Cultivator of the same realm to be a match for a Saint Monk.

If this Eighth-Layer Divinity Transformation Realm Saint Monk had encountered that Earth Tier assassin from the Valley of Death who tried to kill Ye Chen, he probably could have defeated him in less than ten moves.

Of course, that was also because assassins don't excel in direct combat.

Yet such a powerful figure had been severely wounded by a single, casual move from Ye Chen. This was nothing short of astonishing.

'Could it be... that the Earth Tier assassin... died at Ye Chen's hands? And it wasn't Hongyu Pill Venerable who helped him?'

The thought suddenly flashed through Xu Ao's mind.

'It seems we've miscalculated this time!'

'We never imagined Ye Chen's combat strength could be this terrifying!'

"What's wrong?"

"If this is the only trick you have up your sleeve, then none of you will be leaving here today."

Ye Chen glanced coolly at the distant Saint Monk, his words devoid of any emotion.

"Don't be so hasty, young man."

The Saint Monk spoke.

Although he was gasping for breath, his aura weak, and his injured body looking listless…

...his gaze toward Ye Chen was still sharp and piercing, as if trying to see through every one of his secrets.

"I admit, I never expected you to be this powerful. But today, you will still die. Of that, there is no doubt. Nothing will change that."

He continued, "It's a good thing our preparations were thorough. Otherwise, if a being like you were to escape and attend the Peach Blossom Banquet, the Buddha's Son would be in danger."

Clearly, it wasn't that he wasn't shocked by Ye Chen's strength; he was simply thinking of the bigger picture.

He could disregard his own safety, but the life of the Buddha's Son had to be protected at all costs.

After all, the current Buddha's Son was a supreme genius, the likes of which their Saint Temple had not seen in nearly a thousand years. He was hailed as a reincarnation of the Buddha himself, possessing astonishing talent.

The Peach Blossom Banquet had been postponed for a month specifically to give the Buddha's Son time to smoothly awaken his reincarnation power.

The current Buddha's Son already possessed the strength to contend for the top position at the Peach Blossom Banquet. He absolutely could not allow a monster like Ye Chen to interfere with the Buddha's Son!

"Oh?"

The Saint Monk's words piqued Ye Chen's interest.

He was very curious what other arrangements these people had that could possibly threaten him.

"I truly didn't expect that by waiting here today, we would end up catching a peerless prodigy."

Just then, another voice, sharp and filled with killing intent, echoed through the air.