Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

The Buddha's Son was secretly shocked.

'Ye Chen's power and methods are simply terrifying!'

'He simply couldn't fathom how Ye Chen, a mere Divinity Transformation Realm cultivator, had managed to accomplish all this!'

With that, the Buddha's Son completely abandoned any thoughts of defiance.

It wasn't that he hadn't considered telling Master Jialan and using his master's power to escape Ye Chen's demonic clutches.

But it was clear that even Master Jialan was likely no match for Ye Chen!

He suddenly understood why Ye Chen had been so interested in the Void Realm Great Powers.

'Perhaps, for someone like Ye Chen, anyone below the Void Realm wasn't even worth his attention anymore!'

This left the Buddha's Son feeling not only amazed but also deeply discouraged.

'I just broke through to the Divinity Transformation Realm and was so ecstatic about it.'

'But Ye Chen already doesn't even take Divine Might Realm cultivators seriously?'

'This guy is just too much of a monster, isn't he?'

...

The days passed, one by one. For several days, nothing seemed to happen in Dongxuan City. But while it was calm on the surface, a dark undercurrent surged beneath.

The Buddha's Son felt the atmosphere growing increasingly oppressive.

A steady stream of factions from outside Dongxuan Province arrived, all to witness the splendor of the Peach Blossom Banquet.

The massive Dongxuan City became increasingly crowded, and cultivators from the provincial authorities could be seen patrolling from time to time, ensuring no one disrupted the city's order.

Especially now, on the eve of the Peach Blossom Banquet, the patrols were unprecedentedly strict. Ye Chen could even sense that the few gazes secretly spying on him had all vanished, as if to lay low.

But Ye Chen knew in his heart that this so-called peace was only temporary.

These past few days, he had often sent the Buddha's Son out to gather information for him.

As far as he knew, the Sacred Temple and the Xu family of Yuan Province had both dispatched a new batch of experts to Dongxuan Province.

In addition, assassins from the Valley of Death were active in the city, presumably also after Ye Chen.

Of course, there were also some old rivals who had clashed with Ye Chen outside the Dragon Prison Cave.

For instance, Feihong Academy! And the Lin family of Ling Province!

Just a few days earlier, the Undying Demon Lord—the leader of the younger generation from the Penglai Sect, Dongxuan Province's top Demon Dao faction—was asking around for news about Ye Chen, apparently seeking revenge.

At the time, Ye Chen had found it a bit strange. How did this Undying Demon Lord still have the guts to seek revenge on him?

He later learned that after the news of Song Xuanxing and the others' deaths reached the Song family, it sent shockwaves through the family. The enraged upper echelons suppressed the news and, at the same time, resolved to hunt Ye Chen down and kill him!

Only then did Ye Chen realize that although the Song family and the Penglai Sect were both major factions in Dongxuan Province, they rarely interacted and had almost no connection with each other.

The Song family probably already saw Ye Chen as a major threat and were even working with the other two great families to hunt him down.

But these prestigious families were all outwardly Righteous Dao factions, and they and the Penglai Sect kept to themselves, rarely crossing paths.

The deaths of Song Xuanxing and the others were a major blow to the Song family, so they were naturally unwilling to publicize the scandal.

The same was true for the Murong and Jin families.

The driving force behind them was the Treasure Gathering Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber had been secretly transporting True Dragon Blood, which Ye Chen had obtained. They also didn't want this news to get out, so their hunt for Ye Chen was also being conducted in secret.

Therefore, many people only knew that these great families were hunting for Ye Chen, but they didn't know the reason why.

Many of the Song family's subordinate factions were out inquiring about Ye Chen's whereabouts.

But they had no idea that Ye Chen was actually a dangerous figure capable of easily slaying Song family Elders like Song Xuanxing with his own hands!

The Song family had merely instructed them that if they found any trace of Ye Chen, they were not to act rashly and alert him, but to report back to the family immediately!

...

Atop a mountain peak wreathed in clouds and mist lay a blessed domain, a veritable paradise that wound its way across the summit like a coiled dragon.

This place was like a forbidden zone. The scenery was beautiful and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was dense, but even if cultivators passed by, they would at most cast a glance from afar before hurrying away, never daring to take a single step closer.

For one reason only: this was the domain of the Song family!

In the great hall of the Song family estate, the Patriarch, Song Tingyue, sat upon the main seat. His brows were knitted and his aura was heavy, exuding an imposing air without any visible anger.

"Elder Song Xuanxing and the others have fallen."

"Even young Song Qiantian is gone, never to return!"

"It seems every member of the Song family connected to that Ye Chen has met with disaster!"

Song Tingyue's eyes narrowed as a monstrous killing intent surged from his body, filling the entire hall with a terrifying pressure!

"Are the treasures from the Dragon Prison Cave truly so wondrous? Enough to allow a mere Divinity Transformation Realm cultivator to shake my Song family?"

In the hall, the upper echelons of the Song family sat around, looking at each other in dismay. No one dared to speak, their faces filled with shock and suspicion.

That's right. In the eyes of the Song family, the only way Ye Chen could have achieved this was by relying on some external power!

If he hadn't used an external power, how could a mere Divinity Transformation Realm boy possibly kill Divine Might Realm experts like Elder Song Xuanxing?

The Song family had long known that Song Yubing, in her bid to secure a high rank at the Peach Blossom Banquet, planned to transfer her spot to Ye Chen.

And this Ye Chen was the same young genius who had defeated all the major factions in the Dragon Prison Cave's secret realm in Lei Province!

In truth, although all the factions had a tacit understanding to deliberately conceal what happened in the Dragon Prison Cave, with so many people involved, how could such a thing be kept completely secret, let alone hidden from the Song family?

The Song family was, of course, aware that a peerless prodigy with world-shocking talent had emerged in Lei Province. To prevent Song Yubing from reaching the Peach Blossom Banquet, they had dispatched Elders like Song Xuanxing to intercept her and her group outside Dongxuan City.

But the result was that Song Yubing successfully registered, while Elder Song Xuanxing and his men vanished without a trace.

From start to finish, Elder Song Xuanxing had sent back very little information through his communication Token.

The first piece of information was about Ye Chen's cultivation realm, which they had been monitoring.

Fourth Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm!

After learning this, they all agreed that their actions had shown great foresight.

He really was a peerless prodigy! If they let Ye Chen participate in the Peach Blossom Banquet, he might actually take first place!

If that happened, Song Yubing would get her wish and receive the purple jade hairpin left behind by her mother!

But not long after, Elder Song Xuanxing sent a distress signal.

At that time, the nearest Song family tower ship had already rushed to provide support.

But in the end, even that tower ship was destroyed, and not a single one of the Song family experts aboard survived; all of them perished.

No one would believe that a boy at the Fourth Layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm could accomplish such a thing on his own.

In their eyes, Ye Chen must have had some miraculous opportunity in the Dragon Prison Cave and obtained a powerful trump card, which was the only way he could threaten the lives of Divine Might Realm cultivators!