Amidst the army of headless corpses, the colossal beast roared like a tiger, surveying all directions, as the headless corpses surrounding it screeched and lunged forward in unison.
BOOM!
The beast’s two iron hooves, cast from molten metal, hammered down upon the void, causing the air to erupt in explosive waves, layer upon layer like the sea. This behemoth fixed its gaze on one of the headless corpses and charged, a dark bullet moving at a speed invisible to the naked eye. All that could be seen was a sudden burst of bloody mist on the rigid chest of the headless corpse, followed by the emergence of a gaping hole.
Yet, no blood flowed from the crimson cavity.
Had they lost their blood entirely?
Under the glare of the blood moon, a dark shadow suddenly sprang from the back of the headless corpse—it was the beast, with the Empress still seated upon it. However, she was no longer the picture of elegance; scraps of flesh and gore were scattered across her, and her skirt, soft as clouds of gauze, clung wetly to the beast’s scales, stained crimson.
The beast roared once more, turning to face the remaining dozens of headless corpses, charging them like an enraged bull exerting brute force.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
The immense bodies of these headless corpses stood like impenetrable walls. Under the impact of the beast, though they did not collapse, each one was ripped open with a massive cavity.
These holes were precisely where their hearts should have been.
Given the beast’s sheer size, even shattering their bodies would not inflict fatal damage; they could easily regenerate. However, the beast was striking the heart, and if the impact incorporated a specific method to shatter the souls along with the hearts, absolute death would be certain.
Did they even possess hearts anymore?
THWACK!
As the beast tore through the back of one headless corpse, the Empress on its back clutched a shred of fragmented fabric. It looked like cloth, yet also like paper, covered in minute, secret sigils that writhed across its surface like earthworms, staining the entire fragment.
This fragment had clearly been ripped from the corpse's interior.
Could it be that their hearts had been replaced by such runes?
Was their ability to slumber for eons without dying due to the absence of a heart?
The beast swept through the dozens of headless corpses like a black hurricane, reaping these bodies that should have long been dead, much like the sickle of Death. After being pierced by the beast, each headless corpse shuddered faintly, its surface skin twitching and contracting as if instantly aged, before it pitched backward. They fell like mountains, shaking the ground violently before lying utterly still.
The handsome youth, who had been hiding behind one of the headless corpses, turned deathly pale with terror. Even though he was aware of the weaknesses of these corpses, killing even one required a significant span of time—nothing like the savage speed of this beast!
He gritted his teeth internally, his body flickering as he warped away into the distance.
This single warp covered over a hundred thousand kilometers.
A small sigh of relief escaped him. Although the headless corpses were no match for the beast, they could certainly buy time, allowing him the necessary moments to escape.
However, when he emerged from the warp space, his expression shattered.
Standing before him was a young man in black, his ink-dark hair streaming in the air, his figure slender, his face stern, his eyes deep and bright like distant stars, devoid of any discernible emotion.
Most terrifying of all, the aura emanating from him carried the dense scent of the Origin Law of the Wind element.
This person was naturally Ye Chen.
“Who are you?” the handsome youth asked coldly.
“You have no need to know.”
“Why?”
“Because you are about to become a dead man.” Ye Chen slowly raised his palm, where a miniature tornado began to coalesce, twisting the surrounding space.
“Are you from the Realm of Truth?” the handsome youth glared, his eyes filled with venom. “Your Realm of Truth wants to meddle? I advise you to stand aside. When that monster catches up, none of us will escape.”
“Only you will not escape.” Ye Chen’s expression remained impassive. He took a single step forward, and the gale surrounding them suddenly intensified—like a world-ending storm—with blade-sharp, biting winds whipping toward the handsome youth like a horizontal vortex hurtling forward.
The handsome youth stared back coldly, suddenly declaring, “You seem to have forgotten that what we cultivate in the Realm of the Heart is precisely the bane of your Realm of Truth!”
Before he finished speaking, he stomped hard on the void. A surging power shot into the air, reaching the ground below. Ten thousand kilometers away, a massive pit suddenly blasted open, and from it erupted more than a dozen earth dragons formed of black rock, ascending toward the sky.
“You also seem to have forgotten that you are in the sky now—this is my domain,” Ye Chen glanced at the dozen rock dragons rocketing towards him. He flicked his finger lightly, and a razor-thin streak of sharp azure light flashed out. Instantly, the necks of all the rock dragons snapped like cucumbers.
Ye Chen flicked his fingers several more times.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The dozen rock dragons were cleaved into more than a dozen segments by invisible wind blades, falling away in chunks the size of small hills.
The handsome youth’s face changed. He shot Ye Chen a malicious glance, then violently bent over and plunged toward the ground. He had intended to use a warp, but the surrounding heaven and earth had been sealed in the sky; Ye Chen held absolute advantage.
Ye Chen looked down upon him with cold indifference. A brilliant, intense azure light slowly materialized on his forehead, etched as if by a knife. Even the surrounding world seemed to boil like hot water. Roaring gusts of wind gathered above his head, coalescing into a terrifying power resembling a colossal, surging tidal wave.
“Sound of Wind!”
A flash of azure light sparked in Ye Chen’s dark pupils as he raised his hand and pointed downward.
Whoosh...
The howling wind made the entire world seem to weep and wail, and countless pieces of air flipped up like shattered shards of glass.
The handsome youth suddenly looked back. His pupils instantly shrank to pinpoints, his face filled with sheer horror.
Above the Imperial Capital.
Thump, thump...
Headless corpses kept falling. The beast zipped around like a lightning-fast fly; of the dozens of headless corpses, only two or three remained.
The Empress was coated in gore; her delicate cheeks were growing numb.
Splat!
After piercing one headless corpse, the beast paused momentarily, preparing its next strike, when suddenly two faint fluctuations reached them.
The Empress reacted sharply, crying out, “Be careful—”
Before the word was fully out, two bloody craters exploded in the chests of those two headless corpses, and chunks of flesh sprayed out as their bodies pitched backward towards the sky.
A shadowy figure suddenly appeared before the beast, casually and naturally standing there while holding the back of a corpse’s garment. He gazed at the beast’s bell-like eyes with a gentle look and whispered, “Long time no see.”
The Empress on the beast’s back widened her eyes, shock radiating from them. Gazing at the corpse in the black-clad youth’s hand, she realized it was the handsome youth who had fled earlier. To think that such a powerful figure had been slain by this black-clad youth!
As her spirit reeled in shock, she suddenly felt the body of the beast beneath her squirm, and then she was abruptly thrown off. The beast dissolved into a mass of light, rapidly shrinking until it formed a human silhouette. As the light faded, the figure of Zhuge Fan was revealed.
“Brother Ye!” Zhuge Fan, drenched in blood and showing unconcealed fatigue on his face, was now filled with joyous surprise as he looked at Ye Chen, rushing straight toward him.
“It’s you, it’s really you!” Zhuge Fan was so emotional he stammered, “Brother Ye, you’re alive, you’re actually alive! The last time I heard from Master, you gave your heart to that third miss of the Bai family—I didn’t think you’d still be alive, you’re alive!!!”
A warm current flowed through Ye Chen’s heart. He smiled, patting Zhuge Fan’s hair and slapping his shoulder. “I won’t be dying that easily. As for you, I didn’t expect you to be the reincarnation of King Yan, and from the looks of things, part of your internal power seems to have awakened.”
Zhuge Fan scratched his head sheepishly. “Only a little bit. If more had awakened, I would know what your previous incarnation was, Brother Ye.”
Ye Chen gave him an exasperated look. “Who told you I had a previous life?”
“How could you not have one.” Zhuge Fan seemed to revert to the lively boy he once was, grinning mischievously, “Someone who can reach this level and be so powerful must possess immense fortune. I really want to know what you were before.”
Ye Chen tapped his head. “You’ve got a sharp mind.”
Zhuge Fan stuck out his tongue, then suddenly remembered something. He turned to the Empress and said with a smile, “Sister Yue Ling, this is Brother Ye I’m always telling you about. Brother Ye, this is the Empress of the Divine Rock Empire.”
He introduced Ye Chen and Empress Yue Ling to each other.
Yue Ling couldn't help but look at Zhuge Fan twice. Having been with him for so long, she had never seen such a purely joyful and innocent smile on the boy. It was as if, in this moment, he was no longer the cold guard by her side, but a cheerful, carefree, innocent young man.
She looked up at Ye Chen, her heart filled with curiosity.
Ye Chen glanced at her, nodded slightly, and said no more. He looked down at Zhuge Fan and asked, “What about Bai Long and the others? Aren't they with you?”
“We separated to train. We all agreed that we must strive to become stronger to avenge you!” Zhuge Fan said, clenching his fist.
The corner of Ye Chen’s mouth twitched slightly. He patted Zhuge Fan’s shoulder and said, “Let’s go to the city first.”
“Yes.” Yue Ling finally managed to chime in, her cheek smeared with residual blood, yet her smile was still breathtakingly stunning. “It’s not too late to talk slowly in the city. It’s rare for you brothers to meet; I’ll prepare food and wine for you to celebrate.”
“That sounds great!” Zhuge Fan agreed with a laugh.
The Imperial City looked somewhat dilapidated after the recent battle. The breach in the artificial energy shield gaped like the skull of a demon, looking down upon everyone and instilling widespread panic.
Led by Yue Ling, Ye Chen and Zhuge Fan proceeded directly into the most luxurious palace in the Imperial City.
“I need to go to a certain place soon. Can you come with me if you have the time?” As soon as they entered the palace, Ye Chen glanced at Yue Ling, then looked down at Zhuge Fan.