Heaven-Dominating Martial Emperor

"If that's your choice, then die."

With a wave of his hand, Ye Chen annihilated the Saint Monk, leaving behind only a wisp of his Divine Soul, which was absorbed by the Soul-Catching Lamp.

He admired the man's backbone.

But that was as far as it went.

They stood on opposite sides. As an enemy, if the man refused to submit, killing him was the only option.

Master Minghui swallowed hard. Ye Chen's ruthless and decisive methods filled him with ever-growing awe.

"This is how it should be."

Ye Chen smiled. "I must say, you've made a wise choice."

"Let's go. We should be on our way."

He started walking toward Dongxuan City.

Master Minghui followed, looking deeply unsettled.

Just a moment ago, an utterly terrifying consequence had occurred to him.

Now that Ye Chen had killed Pure Buddha, he had bent the knee to the killer.

When Jingkong Temple inevitably came to vent its fury, how was he supposed to save himself?

...

「Dongxuan City's Central Plaza.」

The Peach Blossom Banquet was in full swing!

On the tournament grounds, young men and women gave their all, sweat flying as they clashed in one fierce battle after another.

The leaders of the various powers watched the matches with nervous intensity. Only when they saw their own disciples cleanly defeat an opponent could they finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Conversely, if their disciple was defeated, the Cultivators from that power would shake their heads and sigh, their expressions downcast.

Some celebrated while others grieved.

The Peach Blossom Banquet was, at its heart, a tournament for the young Cultivators from the great eastern powers to test their skills and exchange insights. Where there were losers, there were naturally winners too.

Among them, the performances of a few prodigies were particularly dazzling.

The disciples from the four great families of Dongxuan Province, for instance.

The moment Song Tianxing stepped onto the stage, he unleashed the aura of the Divinity Transformation Realm, scaring his opponent into an immediate surrender.

He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze aloof and disdainful.

In the eyes of a genius from a great clan like his, the disciples of ordinary powers were beneath his notice.

His only true rivals were the disciples from the other major powers.

Jin Shengquan also took the stage, crushing his opponent—a Ninth-Layer Primordial Mansion Realm cultivator—in a single exchange. The man had been utterly powerless to fight back.

Murong Chen and Yun Yongling also had dazzling performances.

As these geniuses who had reached the Divinity Transformation Realm took their turns, the brilliance of the other participants was completely overshadowed, leaving them looking dull in comparison.

Many sighed in resignation.

'Were the disciples from the other powers really less talented than those from the four great families?'

Not necessarily.

But in terms of cultivation resources, what the four great families could provide was vastly greater than that of ordinary powers.

The disciples of the four great families had already stepped into Divinity Transformation.

Meanwhile, the disciples of ordinary powers were still struggling in the Primordial Mansion Realm, striving to climb toward the Divinity Transformation Realm.

The gap between them was like an uncrossable chasm, enough to make one despair.

"Oh? So you're my opponent?"

The most renowned prodigy of the Penglai Sect's current generation—a young man known as the Undying Demon Lord—stepped onto the stage.

His opponent was none other than the Buddha's Son from the Saint Temple!

This was undoubtedly a clash of titans that drew everyone's attention. Many people turned to watch, their faces alight with anticipation.

"Let's begin."

The Buddha's Son gave the Undying Demon Lord a complicated look as an astonishing aura began to build around him.

"You broke through to Divinity Transformation, too?"

The Undying Demon Lord was slightly surprised, but he quickly shook his head and smiled. "Not so fast. I have something to ask you."

"What is it?"

The Buddha's Son frowned, his eyes revealing a hint of wariness.

He was deeply wary of this young prodigy from a peak Demon Dao power like the Penglai Sect.

In fact, three of Yan Province's top orthodox powers had once joined forces to besiege the Penglai Sect.

In the end, however, not a single one of the attackers returned alive. All of them perished.

Although the Saint Temple was not among the forces that moved against them, it was impossible that Yan Province's number one power had no hand in orchestrating the attack.

Therefore, this was not the Buddha's Son's first dealing with the Penglai Sect.

In his mind, the very fact that a Demon Dao power like the Penglai Sect could stand strong for so long in Dongxuan Province was a testament to its terrifying foundation.

Not even the four great families of Dongxuan Province would dare to provoke the Penglai Sect lightly!

"Speaking of which, have you seen any sign of Ye Chen?"

the Undying Demon Lord asked, getting straight to the point.

"Ye Chen?"

"Why are you asking about him?"

The Buddha's Son froze. He never imagined that the Undying Demon Lord would be asking him for news of Ye Chen.

'Did the Undying Demon Lord somehow sense his interaction with Ye Chen a few days ago?'

'But that shouldn't be possible!'

'The Penglai Sect was a Demon Dao power, and its headquarters were a great distance from Dongxuan City.'

'The Undying Demon Lord had only arrived in Dongxuan City this very morning.'

'How could he possibly have sensed anything was amiss?'

But soon, the Buddha's Son realized he had been overthinking it.

The Undying Demon Lord sneered. "You and I are both that bastard's enemies. I refuse to believe you haven't been keeping an eye on his movements these past few days!"

"Honestly, I'm dying to know if he actually came to this Peach Blossom Banquet."

"And what if you do find out?" the Buddha's Son asked with a raised eyebrow.

"To get my revenge, of course!"

"It doesn't even matter if I can't fight him at the Peach Blossom Banquet. It's a rare trip to Dongxuan City, and I can't go back empty-handed."

"Before I leave, I'll take his head back to the sect. Only then will the bitterness and resentment in my heart be appeased!"

the Undying Demon Lord said coldly.

Clearly, he was still brooding over his defeat in the Dragon Prison Cave.

Now that his power had grown immensely, he was naturally eager for a rematch to exact his revenge on Ye Chen.

Hearing this, the corner of the Buddha's Son's mouth twitched. For a moment, he was at a complete loss for words.

He looked at the Undying Demon Lord's resentful face and couldn't help but recall that he had worn the very same expression when he first arrived in Dongxuan Province.

Back then, he had viewed Ye Chen as his Heart Demon, waiting for the Peach Blossom Banquet to defeat him in one fell swoop before countless onlookers!

But who could have possibly imagined that the Ye Chen of today was a world apart from the Ye Chen of the past?

They had all been improving, to be sure, but Ye Chen's progress was on an entirely different level!

It was as if he had been completely reborn; he was no longer in the same world as them!

Now, hearing the Undying Demon Lord talk about getting revenge on Ye Chen, the Buddha's Son found it so absurd he almost laughed out loud.

'What would the Undying Demon Lord think if he knew that the Ye Chen of today could obliterate even a Divine Might Realm expert with a mere wave of his hand?'

"Why are you just standing there?"

"Is Ye Chen in Dongxuan Province or not?"

The Undying Demon Lord frowned.

In truth, since he had only arrived in Dongxuan City that morning, he was completely oblivious to recent events.

As the disciple of a Demon Dao power, he rarely interacted with the city's major powers to begin with, so he knew very little about local affairs.