Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

Before everyone's eyes, the mighty Palm Seal seemed as fragile as paper, shattering on impact and dissolving into a vast, scattering torrent.

Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable froze for a moment, then his expression changed dramatically.

"How is this possible?!" he couldn't help but exclaim.

But before he could react, Ye Chen was already right in front of him!

'This is bad! Something's wrong with this kid!'

Supreme Profound Daoist was the first of the fiends to react. His gaze was as sharp as lightning as he focused on Ye Chen. Demonic qi, surging like a great river, condensed in his palm as he launched a heavy blow at Ye Chen's back.

No one could have imagined that Ye Chen, merely at the First Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm, could not only effortlessly neutralize Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable's attack but also make Supreme Profound Daoist feel threatened enough to launch a sneak attack.

"Young friend, look out!" Mo Tianyun cried out. Given Supreme Profound Daoist's power, if this sneak attack were to succeed, Ye Chen would undoubtedly be severely injured on the spot—he might even be killed!

But Ye Chen didn't even glance back. A brilliant cyan light erupted from his body. With a wave of his sleeve, he casually sent a cyan-glowing Palm Seal behind him, neutralizing Supreme Profound Daoist's attack.

He himself never broke his stride, continuing his charge straight toward Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable.

"Your power... how can it be..." Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You've certainly made great progress during this time, but so have I."

"In my eyes, you are still nothing but an ant!"

Ye Chen's gaze was cold as he threw a devastating punch. A sky-shattering dragon's roar seemed to echo above the Cloud Mist Tower Ship. The ferocious power of a True Dragon, like an ancient Divine Mountain, bore down on Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable.

"No, no, NO!!!" Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable's eyes widened in a furious glare as he struggled to resist. He refused to accept this!

He had struggled so hard to break through to the Divine Might Realm; his future was supposed to be limitless! He might have even earned the Palace Master's favor and been sent to cultivate in the Nether Cult.

He was brimming with ambition, with so many aspirations yet to fulfill. How could he die here?!

"Kid, stop right there!"

Supreme Profound Daoist also sensed the danger. He held Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable in high regard and had long considered recruiting him as a subordinate. Naturally, he couldn't just stand by and watch him be destroyed.

To the crowd's horror, Supreme Profound Daoist suddenly began chanting a strange, profound scripture. Deep within the thunderclouds, the massive skeletal hand reappeared. It opened its palm, large enough to blot out the sun, intent on stopping Ye Chen.

Ye Chen let out a cold snort and summoned the Chaos-Suppressing Cauldron. A vast Chaotic Qi Flow billowed out as the great cauldron shot forward like a streak of light, colliding heavily with the skeletal hand.

At the same time, his fist slammed into Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable.

All of Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable's defenses were useless before Ye Chen, shattering into nothingness.

"BOOM!"

As he stared in utter disbelief, his body cracked apart inch by inch, from the inside out, until it completely disintegrated into ash.

Even his Divine Soul was absorbed by the Soul-Catching Lamp.

And so, Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable had finally fallen at Ye Chen's hand.

It all happened in a flash. Only when Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable's physical body had completely vanished did the crowd finally react, their gazes fixed on Ye Chen in utter shock.

After all, the young man before them was only at the First Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm!

Yet he had not only blocked Supreme Profound Daoist's interference but had also easily killed Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable, a cultivator who had just entered the Divine Might Realm!

How could anyone not be stunned?

'This kid... he's actually this strong?!' Murong Dai gasped, forced to re-evaluate Ye Chen.

'No wonder he has such a powerful and mysterious subordinate in the Divine Might Realm. This kid's own power is even more unfathomable!' Zhong Quanming's eyes also shone with amazement. He realized he had seriously underestimated Ye Chen.

'Young friend Ye Chen... he kills Divine Might Realm experts as easily as drinking water! No wonder he could face the alliance of Master Jingde and three other Divine Might Realm cultivators, annihilate his foes, and emerge unscathed!'

Mo Tianyun and the old man beside him were utterly shocked.

Seeing the fiends suffer a setback, the people on the tower ship felt their spirits lift. They had thought their situation was hopeless, with no chance of survival, but now, they finally saw a glimmer of hope.

Only Supreme Profound Daoist and his band of fiends looked grim.

"Are you dead set on allying with the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce against us?"

Supreme Profound Daoist's expression appeared calm, but inwardly, his mind was in turmoil.

He wasn't angry about Celestial Slaughter Nether Venerable's death.

It was because he had a feeling that he couldn't see through this young man at all.

"I may be opposing you, but that doesn't mean I'm allying with the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce."

"Do what you will. I'm not getting involved."

Ye Chen smiled and took a step back.

A glint appeared in Supreme Profound Daoist's eyes. "Is that so?"

'If Ye Chen doesn't ally with the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce, then we can pick them off one by one.'

'First, we'll kill the Divine Might Realm experts from the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce, then we'll deal with Ye Chen at our leisure.'

'Otherwise, if Ye Chen were to team up with Zhong Quanming and the others, things could get tricky.'

'Although he was confident their lineup could annihilate the experts on this tower ship without issue, an easier fight was always better.'

Ye Chen smiled and nodded.

Ye Chen's declaration brought a flicker of joy to the fiends.

They all realized Ye Chen would be a difficult opponent, so his decision to stand aside was, of course, good news for them.

The other people on the tower ship, however, did not feel the same.

They all looked at each other in dismay as a sense of unease washed over them.

"Ye Chen, are you insane?"

"After all this, you're still going to oppose our chamber of commerce?"

"Are you trying to get everyone on this ship killed?"

Murong Dai glared furiously at Ye Chen.

Zhong Quanming was equally shocked and furious. He never imagined Ye Chen would say something like that.

"How noisy."

Ye Chen shot Murong Dai an indifferent glance. "Since you want me to save the people on this ship so badly, why don't you sacrifice yourself?"

"If you willingly sacrifice yourself, I will immediately move to protect this tower ship."

"What do you say?"

Murong Dai was stunned. Her body trembled with rage, and she looked at Ye Chen as if she wanted to tear him apart. "What kind of sick joke is this? You refuse to ally with me? Do you really think you can handle these fiends all by yourself?"

"You're not qualified to be my ally," Ye Chen scoffed. With a wave of his sleeve, Murong Dai's body was lifted uncontrollably into the air, held in his grasp.

"What... what do you think you're doing?!" Murong Dai was already severely injured. Despite her cultivation at the Second Layer of the Divine Might Realm, she was completely powerless to resist Ye Chen.

"I want you to go fight those fiends by yourself right now. The moment you die at their hands, I will make my move!"