Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

A berserk, malevolent qi surged between heaven and earth like a raging sea. The colossal figure spread its wings, blotting out the sky and stirring up wind and thunder with astonishing power!

"That… what in the world is that monster?!"

Innumerable people looked up, stunned. They stared at the giant bird, which seemed to be even larger than the Cloud Mist Tower Ship, and the color instantly drained from their faces.

The giant bird's aura was simply terrifying. Its mere presence, spanning across the heavens, brought a crushing pressure down on everyone aboard the tower ship.

Some of the weaker Cultivators were on the verge of suffocating right then and there!

"This is…" Even Ye Chen was stunned by the fiendish man's transformation. He stared in bewildered surprise at the giant bird before him, half its body obscured by thunderclouds, and thought it looked somewhat familiar.

'Why does this giant bird look so much like a crow?'

Ye Chen pondered for a moment and soon realized why it felt familiar.

'Doesn't this giant bird look just like a crow?'

"It's actually a Calamity Crow!"

"To think we'd encounter such a monster here!"

Just then, Mo Tianyun's solemn voice drifted over.

"A Calamity Crow?" Ye Chen asked, surprised.

"That's right." Mo Tianyun nodded and explained solemnly, "Calamity Crows are creatures born from calamity itself."

"They naturally feed on the power of calamity and can summon calamities as well. They are exceedingly powerful! The innate bloodline of some Calamity Crows can even rival those of ancient aberrant beasts."

"In the mortal world, Calamity Crows often take the form of ordinary crows. Their appearance heralds terrifying natural disasters, which is why crows came to be seen as omens of misfortune!"

"Most of the time, when people see a Calamity Crow, they pale at the sight and avoid it at all costs."

"Clearly, the thunderstorm we've run into today was caused by this Calamity Crow. It's working with these evil cultivators to intercept our ship!"

Ye Chen's eyes glinted as he looked at the Calamity Crow, a strange expression on his face.

'For a terrifying creature born from calamity to team up with evil cultivators... it's a match made in hell, I suppose.'

'Still, just what kind of treasure is on this ship that it could attract even a creature like this?'

Under the Calamity Crow's terrifying presence, the entire tower ship began to shake violently. Many people gazed out into the sky, their hearts filled with utter despair.

"I was reluctant to reveal my true form. Now, powerful human experts are sure to follow the trail of my calamitous aura and hunt me down."

The Calamity Crow's eyes were like abysses as it stared grimly at the tower ship.

As creatures born from calamity, they are viewed as scourges by humankind. Once their trail or aura is discovered, they face a relentless hunt.

"But no matter. To get my hands on that treasure, I'll bear any cost!"

"Quick, subdue that brat first!" the Supreme Profound Daoist shouted urgently, looking at Ye Chen.

"You don't have to tell me what to do."

The Calamity Crow flapped its massive, sky-blotting wings. Instantly, the thunderclouds for a thousand li around churned, and all the black lightning in the sky swarmed toward the crow, which devoured it whole.

To the crow, this surging power of calamity was a potent restorative. In mere moments, its aura grew noticeably more profound.

"Damn it! How much longer until our guild's reinforcements get here?!"

Zhong Quanming's face was deathly pale. A sense of intense dread washed over him as he stared at the Calamity Crow.

If he let the Calamity Crow attack, the entire tower ship would be annihilated ten thousand meters in the air. It would be an absolute catastrophe!

Murong Dai was in a panic as well, completely at a loss for what to do.

"Brat, you forced me to reveal my true form. I'll grant you a worthy death for that."

The Calamity Crow looked at Ye Chen and opened its great maw. A raging thunderstorm brewed within, countless bolts of lightning erupting with a deafening ROAR.

The thunderstorm converged into a beam of gray light, an aura of calamity cascading over it like a waterfall. In the blink of an eye, the gray beam tore through the void, blasting toward Ye Chen.

The crowd gasped in unison.

The power of this beam was so terrifying that a single glance was enough to leave them breathless.

It was hard to imagine the immense pressure Ye Chen must be under, facing that beam head-on!

The expressions of Mo Tianyun and the old man turned grim.

They both realized this was the true crisis. Ye Chen's current predicament was far more dangerous than when he had single-handedly fought all those demonic masters!

After all, they were facing a Calamity Crow! And they were right in the middle of a thunderstorm!

This was the Calamity Crow's home turf. Here, it was like a fish in water, able to unleash the full extent of its power!

As the beam of light tore through the void and arrived before him in an instant, Ye Chen took a deep breath. His gaze was calm. With a wave of his sleeve, a giant cauldron flew out and began to whirl before him.

A surging Chaotic Qi Flow erupted from it. Guided by Ye Chen, the Hell-Suppressing Chaos Cauldron transformed into a streak of light, flying out to suppress the gray, calamity-infused beam.

"BOOM!"

A terrifying explosion echoed through the heavens. The gray beam shattered, and the Hell-Suppressing Chaos Cauldron was knocked back into Ye Chen's hand.

"What?"

The Supreme Profound Daoist was stunned. He stared at the unscathed Ye Chen, his eyes wide with astonishment. "You… you actually blocked the Calamity Crow's attack?"

He knew that a Calamity Crow's combat power was several times greater than normal when surrounded by calamity.

In these conditions, even a Cultivator at the Ninth Layer of the Divine Might Realm would have little chance of victory, and likely wouldn't have been able to block that gray beam.

And yet, Ye Chen had done it! How could the Supreme Profound Daoist not be shocked?

Ye Chen glanced calmly at the Hell-Suppressing Chaos Cauldron in his hand, a peculiar look on his face.

'The Hell-Suppressing Chaos Cauldron truly is a peerless Divine Artifact capable of suppressing the boundless hells. It has an incredibly powerful suppressive effect on creatures of calamity and other such demonic beings.'

'If it weren't for the Hell-Suppressing Chaos Cauldron, I really would have struggled against this Calamity Crow.'

'Even though the cauldron hasn't recovered its vital energy, and I can hardly draw out its full power…'

'…it is still more than enough to deal with a creature like this.'

Ye Chen let out a long breath. He never expected to encounter a creature that, until now, had existed only in legends.

Fortunately, he still had the power to fight back!

With that, Ye Chen took a step forward, plunging directly out of the ship and into the heart of the thunderclouds.