Holding the three fragments, hot and resonating in his hand, Ye Chen did not linger in the depths of the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Cavern. That ice coffin and the whisper of that undying Dao mark were like stones cast into the lake of his heart, stirring ripple after ripple, yet they also made his path clearer.
Whether a "prison cage" or "Keepers" lay ahead, he had to uncover the truth these torn pages pointed toward. This concerned not only the Ye Clan's mission, but also his own pursuit of the Dao.
The return journey went much more smoothly than his arrival. Perhaps the ancient beasts and spirits were cowed by the might he had displayed, or perhaps the Ice-Phoenix Spirit had yet to recover from its grievous injuries. Whatever the reason, they all remained hidden within the Ice-Burial Bone Sea, allowing that dark-robed figure to glide past like a phantom.
Just as he was about to leave the Ice-Burial Bone Sea and return to the relatively "safe" outer ice plains, his steps paused slightly.
A faint radiance flickered within his dual pupils, piercing the seemingly peaceful wind and snow ahead to reveal what lay concealed.
They were not people from the Ice Soul Demon Sect or the Sacred Emperor Palace. After witnessing his methods, those two factions likely would not dare court disaster again anytime soon.
This was another group.
There were only seven of them. Yet their methods of concealing their auras were exceptionally refined, allowing them to blend almost perfectly into the icy surroundings. Without the extraordinary power of Ye Chen's dual pupils, they would have been nearly impossible to detect. They occupied several key positions, subtly forming a profound formation that sealed off the unavoidable route out of the Ice-Burial Bone Sea.
The seven wore different clothes; some were old, some young, some male, some female. Without exception, however, their auras were deeply condensed. Every one of them was at the late stage or even the peak of Spirit Transformation! Judging by their cultivation methods, they did not belong to the same sect. They seemed more like... expert rogue cultivators from different factions, or members of some secret organization.
The Netherworld Palace? The thought flashed through Ye Chen's mind. It was the most mysterious assassin organization in the Primordial World, operating through sinister, elusive means. For a sufficient price, they would even dare assassinate a Void Insight mighty cultivator.
They had laid a death trap here, and their target was clearly him.
A cold smile curved Ye Chen's lips. It seemed the commotion he had caused in the Northern Border had finally drawn the attention of some rats lurking in the shadows. Had the Sacred Emperor Palace or the Blood Demon Sect hired them? Or was it another faction coveting what he possessed, or interested in Ye Chen himself?
He neither concealed himself nor changed direction, continuing unhurriedly toward the area bristling with murderous intent. It was as though he faced not a dragon's pool and tiger's den, but an open road home.
The instant he stepped within the range of their formation—
"Attack!"
A low, hoarse shout rang out from somewhere!
Seven figures sprang into action simultaneously like phantoms! There was no dazzling radiance, no earth-shaking display—only seven attacks condensed to their utmost, each carrying the laws of a different attribute, striking silently at Ye Chen's vital points from seven viciously cunning angles!
A shadow skimmed along the ground like a festering wound clinging to the bone, its dagger gleaming darkly with poison as it stabbed straight toward his back, aiming for his heart!
A razor-sharp sword intent seemed to emerge from the void, soundless yet faster than thought, heading straight for the point between his brows!
A sinister, yielding palm force carried a potent soul-corroding poison toward his dantian's sea of qi!
A searing Flame Thread, compressed to its utmost like a red-hot iron wire, coiled toward his neck!
A dense, earthen-yellow radiance rose beneath his feet, turning into invisible shackles to restrain his movements!
A piercing Sonic Wave ignored physical defenses, driving straight through his eardrums to shake his soul!
The final attack was a pink Heart-Meshing Net exuding a sickly sweet, bloody scent. It descended from above to envelop his head, its aura capable of stirring inner demons and throwing his Dao heart into chaos!
Seven attacks, seven utterly different law attributes: yin, yang, hard, soft, sound, poison, and illusion! Their coordination was seamless, accounting for every possible avenue of escape and response available to Ye Chen! This was no improvised assault, but a lethal trap meticulously planned and rehearsed again and again! Its danger far exceeded even his earlier frontal clash with the two Void Insight mighty cultivators!
Individually, these seven might not have ranked among the very best. Together, however, their strange, unpredictable combination formation was enough to threaten a mid-stage Void Insight cultivator, and even a late-stage Void Insight cultivator could suffer a grievous setback if caught off guard!
Facing this sudden, lethal assault from the shadows, a trace of... irritation finally flashed through Ye Chen's eyes.
"Will this never end?"
He could not even be bothered to raise a hand. With only a slight shift of his will, the primordial chaos purple qi that had been flowing naturally around him suddenly accelerated.
Humm—
A thin, nearly transparent purple halo enveloped him like an eggshell.
The instant those seven lethal attacks, coming from different directions and bearing different laws, touched that thin purple halo—
Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss—!
A teeth-grating sound of erosion rang out, like red-hot branding irons meeting ten-thousand-year profound ice!
The poisoned dagger's tip began to melt and evaporate!
The fierce sword intent vanished without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea!
The yielding palm force, the searing flame thread, the heavy shackles, the piercing sonic wave, the mind-bewitching net... every attack was pale and powerless before the primordial chaos purple qi's essence, which embraced all things, evolved myriad Daos, and could likewise annihilate them all. Like ice and snow beneath a blazing sun, they swiftly melted and crumbled!
The vicious confidence on the seven assassins' faces froze in an instant, turning into boundless horror and disbelief!
Their full-force combined assault, a lethal formation capable of instantly killing a peak Spirit Transformation cultivator and grievously injuring a Void Insight cultivator, could not even break through his protective aura?! How was that possible?!
"Impossible! What protective divine ability is this?!" the assassin holding the poisoned dagger cried out involuntarily, voice trembling with terror.
Ye Chen's gaze swept calmly over the seven. His eyes were those of a god on high, looking down upon insects struggling in the mire.
"The Netherworld Palace? Or some other stray cats and dogs?"
He took one gentle step forward.
The thin purple halo expanded with him.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Seven dull impacts sounded almost simultaneously!
The seven assassins, all at the late stage or peak of Spirit Transformation, were struck as though by an invisible giant hammer. Their protective spiritual radiance shattered instantly, and blood sprayed from their mouths as they hurtled helplessly backward, smashing into the distant ice walls. Their bones and sinews were crushed, their auras rapidly dwindling until they were barely clinging to life!
One step! Just one step! Seven elite assassins who had painstakingly prepared their ambush were utterly wiped out!
Ye Chen did not even glance at the dying assassins, as though he had merely swatted a few buzzing flies. He continued walking toward the outer ice plains.
Yet just as he was about to leave the area entirely, another sudden change struck!
A tiny fissure opened in the void without warning! A grayish-white beam of finger force, condensed to its utmost and leaking almost no energy fluctuations, appeared silently three feet behind Ye Chen's head, as though it had crossed the boundaries of space and time!
The timing, angle, and strength of this finger strike were all exquisite! It came precisely at the instant after Ye Chen had dealt with the seven assassins, when his mind was most "relaxed"! Its power far surpassed their combined assault, bearing a terrifying Dao resonance that would extinguish all things and bring everything to an end!
The ambusher was, in fact... a mid-stage Void Insight cultivator who had been hiding all along in a deeper layer of space! And an expert in assassination!
This was the true killing move! The earlier seven-person assault had merely been intended to lull him into complacency and create an opening for this final lethal strike!
The finger beam arrived in an instant, about to pierce Ye Chen's skull!
At that critical moment—
As though he had eyes in the back of his head, Ye Chen casually swept a hand behind him without even turning around.
His five fingers spread as though plucking a flower.
The annihilating finger beam, powerful enough to kill an early-stage Void Insight cultivator with ease, met his fingertips and struck what seemed to be the most unyielding barrier in the universe. A faint sound rang out, like glass shattering, and then... it broke apart inch by inch, dissolving into the most primal energy of nothingness!
"A skulking thing like you thinks you're fit to ambush me?"
Ye Chen slowly turned, staring coldly at that seemingly empty stretch of void.
"Get out here!"
He joined his fingers like a sword and lightly slashed across the void!
Riiip—!
A sound like tearing cloth rang out! His finger forcibly cleaved open the space there, and a disheveled figure stumbled out, face filled with horror and disbelief!
It was an old man with a withered face and eyes as sinister as a vulture's. The aura fluctuating around him was unmistakably that of mid-stage Void Insight!
"You... you actually detected me?! And broke my 'Annihilation Finger' so easily?!" The withered old man's voice was shrill with fear. The concealment art and lethal finger strike that had made his name were nothing but child's play before this man!
Ye Chen did not answer his nonsense. He could not even muster the interest to spare another glance for a rat who only dared hide in the shadows and launch sneak attacks.
He raised his hand again and gently pressed toward the withered old man from a distance.
Pfft—!
The withered old man had no chance even to react. He only felt an indescribable, irresistible force crushing down upon him. His protective treasure exploded instantly, and his entire body burst into a cloud of blood mist as though struck by a primordial divine mountain. Even his soul failed to escape; body and soul were utterly annihilated!
The wind and snow continued, and the ice plains lay desolate.
Ye Chen shook his hand as though something filthy had clung to it.
"It seems the journey back won't be too dull, either."
He murmured to himself, his figure merging into the wind and snow once more as he steadily headed toward the Heavenly Star Pavilion.
Only the seven barely breathing assassins and the slowly closing spatial fissure remained, silently recounting the brief and terrifying slaughter that had just unfolded.
Word was certain to spread even faster through certain corners hidden in the shadows. The name Ye Chen would no longer signify merely mystery and strength—it would become synonymous with the terror of someone who must never be provoked.
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