Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

"This..." He Daoyun was stunned.

'At a time like this?'

'To let a petty grudge endanger everyone on deck at such a critical moment?'

'The obvious thing to do was to join forces and deal with these invading fiends!'

He couldn't understand it.

And yet, a gloating smile was plastered on Murong Dai's face.

Zhong Quanming, too, simply watched on coldly without a word.

"The rest of you, don't move. Stay put, and we might consider letting you live."

By now, more and more cultivators had gathered on the deck. Seeing some people in the crowd growing restless, Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable spoke in a cold voice.

As his voice faded, the surrounding crowd instantly fell silent, leaving only the sound of heavy breathing.

As for the other experts from the merchant guilds and those who had come as reinforcements, they either answered to Murong Dai or were so intimidated by the fiends' auras that they cowered in the back, not daring to step forward.

In an instant, Mo Tianyun and the old man were completely isolated. All eyes were fixed on the two of them, yet no one stepped forward to help.

They could only watch as Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable walked toward them!

"What a cruel world this is!"

The old man was overcome with emotion. He was a cultivator from the Demon Exorcism Institute who had spent his entire life fighting demonic cultivators. Yet now, at this crucial moment, he was abandoned by all, left to become nothing more than food for them.

Mo Tianyun's expression was just as grim. He clenched his fists so tightly that the veins on his arms bulged, his inner rage erupting like a volcano.

Suddenly, he seemed to sense something. He immediately took out a token and sent a voice transmission: "You two, stay in your room and don't you dare move!"

"Remember, that's an order!!!"

His tone was severe, as if he were venting all his pent-up fury.

Inside Sky-Class Pavilion One, the pale-faced Jiang Yuzhe and Luo Rou froze, their hands on the door.

"Oh? So those two little ones are here as well?" Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable couldn't help but smile happily upon seeing this. "Perfect. After I'm done eating you two old geezers, I'll eat those two little ones as well."

"They're so young. Their flesh must be incredibly succulent. The very thought makes my mouth water!"

As a demonic cultivator, Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable clearly held a grudge against cultivators from the Demon Exorcism Institute that others could not comprehend.

His words were deeply unsettling, sending a chill through the hearts of everyone present.

A terrifying Divine Might Realm aura billowed around Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable.

An eerie, blood-red light flashed in his eyes. He slowly raised his hand, looking as if he were about to strike Mo Tianyun.

Just then, Ye Chen suddenly spoke up. "By the way, what exactly is your purpose for intercepting this pavilion ship?"

"Hm?"

Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable paused.

The other fiends also turned to look at Ye Chen with amused expressions.

Everyone was stunned. The atmosphere was so tense, yet Ye Chen seemed completely oblivious. His expression was indifferent, his tone casual.

"You really want to know?" Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable raised a slight eyebrow, his tone turning playful.

"Of course," Ye Chen nodded. "If you answer me honestly, I don't mind giving you a quick and painless death. It'll save you a great deal of torture and agony."

At these words, Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable froze.

With the exception of the Supreme Profound Daoist, the other fiends all burst out laughing.

The other cultivators on the deck stared at each other in utter astonishment, almost believing they had misheard.

'Has this kid lost his mind?'

Zhong Quanming frowned, but his expression quickly smoothed over. 'This is good, though. Once that kid clashes with those fiends, his Divine Might Realm subordinate will surely make a move. That'll give us one more Divine Might Realm combatant on our side.'

Clearly, he too was under immense pressure facing these notorious fiends.

He knew full well that they should unite all the power on the pavilion ship to face this sudden catastrophe.

But to allow Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable his revenge, the other fiends had chosen to stand idly by! This would undoubtedly waste a great deal of time.

Zhong Quanming had sent a signal for reinforcements long ago. What he needed most was time for them to arrive.

Therefore, he decided not to intervene and simply watch from the sidelines.

'Besides, Mo Tianyun and the old man are just two cultivators at the Ninth Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm. They have no hope of dealing with these fiends. If they die, they die. As long as it buys some time, that's good enough.'

As for Murong Dai, after her initial shock, a cold sneer appeared on her face.

She couldn't wait to see Ye Chen start a fight with these fiends!

The slap from before still sent waves of phantom pain through her cheek, filling her with resentment for Ye Chen.

"You're saying... you can give me a quick death?"

Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable finally snapped out of his stupor.

He feigned surprise and widened his eyes. His blood-red pupils stared darkly at Ye Chen as he laughed mockingly. "Kid, I know you're not simple. But since we last parted on the peak of Kunlun Mountain, my strength has had a major breakthrough."

"Below the Divine Might Realm, all are but ants! I could crush you with a single finger now!"

"If you still think you can test your strength against me, then how about you let me play with you a little first?"

He roared with laughter as demonic energy surged from his body. The furious lightning in the storm clouds above seemed drawn to him, lashing out to coil around his form.

The violent Divine Might Realm aura made all the cultivators on deck turn deathly pale, their spirits trembling in fear!

Only the few who had reached the Divine Might Realm, such as Zhong Quanming and Murong Dai, could remain composed.

"You want to play with me?"

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and smiled as well. "A pity. You're not worthy."

Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable faltered for a second. The smile on his face slowly vanished, and a flash of killing intent appeared in his eyes as he prepared to strike.

But Ye Chen moved first.

Ye Chen threw a palm strike at Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable, a power as violent as an erupting volcano flowing through his flesh and meridians.

"You dare to strike first? Today, I'll let you witness the power of the Divine Might Realm!"

Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable sneered and countered with a palm strike of his own. The vast and mighty power of the Divine Might Realm flooded his body. As dark light surged, a massive palm seal, carrying the force of a thousand thunderbolts, smashed down toward Ye Chen.

A terrifying demonic energy billowed out, and the cultivators scattered in a panic, terrified of being caught in the aftermath.

Only Ye Chen continued to press forward. It was as if he hadn't even seen the giant palm seal; his body didn't pause in the slightest as he resolutely continued his strike toward Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable.

BOOM!

It all happened in the blink of an eye. Ye Chen collided with the palm seal.

A terrifying torrent of aftershocks rocked the entire pavilion ship.