Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

"Hm?" The Supreme Profound Daoist regarded Ye Chen with a mixture of shock and suspicion.

In that instant, he felt an indescribably sharp aura emanating from Ye Chen.

'This is... Sword Intent?'

'You've actually comprehended Sword Intent? You're a Sword Cultivator?'

The Supreme Profound Daoist was stunned.

After all, young Cultivators who could break through to the Divinity Transformation Realm at Ye Chen's age were already exceedingly rare. In the eastern part of the dynasty, they were practically unheard of. Only the peerless prodigies from the great powers and major sects could accomplish such a feat.

And yet, Ye Chen had not only done it—he was also a Sword Cultivator who had comprehended Sword Intent!

Of course, all of that was secondary. The most absurd thing was Ye Chen's combat prowess. It was simply terrifying.

Anyone could see that this young man could not be judged by common standards. The so-called prodigies of the world were nothing before him!

Before everyone's eyes, a dark-colored longsword suddenly appeared in Ye Chen's hand.

It was none other than the Cangming Sword!

Ye Chen had already made his assessment. With his current combat prowess, and without relying on external items, he was likely on par with an Eighth Layer Divine Might Realm Cultivator.

Although the Supreme Profound Daoist was only at the Seventh Layer of the Divine Might Realm, he was far more formidable than his peers. His foundation was on a completely different level.

This meant that in a direct confrontation, it would not be easy for Ye Chen to defeat the Supreme Profound Daoist.

This reminded Ye Chen of when he had first broken through to the Primordial Mansion Realm. Back then, he could sweep away any enemy below the Divine Might Realm and was strong enough to contend with Cultivators at the Peak of the Divinity Transformation Realm.

Now, after breaking through to the Divinity Transformation Realm, he was only barely a match for an Eighth Layer Divine Might Realm Cultivator.

Although there was a drop-off in his relative power progression, Ye Chen wasn't surprised. In fact, the outcome was much better than he had imagined.

After all, the Divine Might Realm was nothing like the Divinity Transformation Realm. The gap between each minor layer was immense.

Being able to fight opponents in higher realms during the Divinity Transformation Realm didn't mean one could continue to do so after reaching the Divine Might Realm!

The higher one's cultivation, the wider the chasm between realms, making it exponentially more difficult to defeat opponents of a higher level!

Given his current foundation, Ye Chen was already quite satisfied with his ability to contend with an Eighth Layer Divine Might Realm Cultivator.

He only needed to improve a little more to be able to sweep away any foe in the Divine Might Realm.

By his estimation, it wouldn't take him long to reach that stage.

Having confirmed his own combat prowess, Ye Chen no longer planned to waste any time.

He summoned the Cangming Sword, preparing to subdue the Supreme Profound Daoist as quickly as possible!

His opponent was a Grand Elder of Yama Hall. Not only might he possess numerous life-saving trump cards, but if the fight dragged on, it could attract other powerful evil cultivators from the same organization.

Although Ye Chen's strength had improved considerably, he wasn't so arrogant as to believe he could now run rampant through the eastern part of the dynasty.

Furthermore, Yama Hall was an organization of evil cultivators that gave even the Great Hong Dynasty pause. It surely contained enemies that even Ye Chen could not hope to match!

"Kill!"

Ye Chen gripped the Cangming Sword, his gaze sharp. His figure blurred like a phantom as he charged straight toward the Supreme Profound Daoist.

The Supreme Profound Daoist's expression turned grave. He now felt immense pressure from Ye Chen.

"Array, open the Netherworld Road!"

Streaks of blood-red lightning crackled across his body as he chanted an incantation. Then, a massive Array flared to life beneath his feet.

The Array was covered in profound, inscrutable patterns. At a glance, it resembled a gateway to hell, with a vast and malevolent Evil Qi billowing up from its surface!

BOOM!

Just as Ye Chen closed in on the Supreme Profound Daoist, the Array erupted in a brilliant black light. Countless skeletal hands shot out from within, all reaching for Ye Chen!

Each skeletal hand carried a dense, malevolent Evil Qi. Their terrifying power made the very sky and earth seem to pale. They surged forward like a tide, forming a great white net that sought to ensnare Ye Chen!

"Now!"

Seizing the opportunity, the Evil Qi Demon Venerable also launched an attack on Ye Chen.

Thick clouds gathered behind him as bolts of thunderous Evil Qi shot out from within, descending like ten thousand lightning strikes, intent on utterly annihilating Ye Chen!

Zhong Quanming and Murong Dai were stunned by the scene. The malevolent Evil Qi from the Array at the Supreme Profound Daoist's feet was so thick it left them at a loss. They refrained from attacking, instead summoning their respective spirit weapons and waiting for an opportunity to act.

The Supreme Profound Daoist, however, paid them no mind.

After all, now that a Great Power like him—at the Seventh Layer of the Divine Might Realm—had made his move, Zhong Quanming and Murong Dai were of little help.

Their strength was relatively low, and since they weren't evil cultivators, joining forces with the Supreme Profound Daoist would only hinder them. The Evil Qi would leave them constrained and unable to fight effectively.

As everyone watched, the skeletal hands surged forth, layer upon layer, completely engulfing Ye Chen's figure.

Then, the countless bolts of thunderous Evil Qi struck, crashing down upon the giant net of skeletal hands. Instead of being destroyed, the skeletal hands acted as conductors, greatly amplifying the lightning's power.

In an instant, a malevolent Evil Qi soared into the sky. The surrounding storm clouds were caught in its wake, roiling and expanding continuously.

Faced with that terrifying might, an overwhelming sense of dread filled everyone's heart.

Even Murong Dai and Zhong Quanming were no exception!

Gazing at the vast, heaven-storming malevolent Evil Qi, they felt like small boats adrift on a stormy sea, on the verge of capsizing in an ocean of pure malevolence.

"This..." Mo Tianyun couldn't help but feel his heart leap into his throat.

'Can Ye Chen... can he really withstand this attack?'

'Did I finally get rid of that brat?' The Supreme Profound Daoist frowned and sighed in relief. But just as he started to relax, streaks of sword light shot out from the gaps between the piled-up skeletal hands!

Like the first light of creation, the massive net of skeletal hands was instantly torn asunder, shredded to dust by the berserk Sword Qi!

At the same time, an eerie, blood-red Flame transformed into a sky-spanning sea of fire, surging to engulf the Supreme Profound Daoist!

"Damn it! It's the Red Lotus Karma Fire!"

The Supreme Profound Daoist's expression faltered. The Red Lotus Karma Fire was an extremely potent counter to evil cultivators like him. No wonder their assault had failed to harm this young man!

The blood-red Flame swept out in all directions, its scorching heat threatening to sear the very void.

The Evil Qi Demon Venerable had no time to dodge and was instantly incinerated into nothingness, with only his Divine Soul being absorbed by the Soul-Catching Lamp.