64: Qingcheng Weeps Blood
Blood Dove Elder retreated, the obstructing Shadow Guards and the Nine Nether Soul Locking Formation were both broken, and the path ahead was clear.
Ye Chen did not even have time to regulate his breathing; he hurriedly swallowed a few Yuan Recovery Pills, then he and Chen Feng's group once again activated their movement techniques with full force, turning into nine streaks of light tearing through the sky, heading straight for Qingcheng!
The feeling of weakness in his body came in waves, and his Meridians and Dantian felt a stinging pain, the aftereffect of overexerting his power. But Ye Chen's eyes were sharper and more determined than ever. His preliminary control over the embryonic Sword Intent Domain, along with a deeper understanding of the True Meaning of Annihilation, made his perception sharper than it had ever been. He could even sense a faint, yet heart-palpitating fluctuation of Blood Fiend and resentment coming from the direction of Qingcheng in the distance.
"Faster!" he roared in his heart, pushing the Grand Void Roaming Dragon Steps to the limit, his figure almost turning into a distorted line of light.
Chen Feng and the others followed with all their might, no one spoke, and the atmosphere was heavy enough to be felt.
Everyone knew that the true test lay in Qingcheng.
The distance of hundreds of miles was covered in just half an hour of full-speed travel. When the outline of that familiar city, nestled against the mountains and rivers, appeared on the horizon, Ye Chen's heart twitched violently.
Above Qingcheng, there was no longer the peaceful, curling smoke of the past. Instead, a thin, blood-colored mist, seemingly condensed from the wails of countless wronged souls, shrouded the entire city, making the sunlight appear dim and gloomy. A thick, inseparable stench of blood drifted on the wind, even from such a great distance.
In the center of Qingcheng, in the direction of the Ye Family ancestral home, a faint, cyan light barrier flickering with rune light appeared and disappeared within the blood-colored mist, like a candle flame swaying in a storm, flickering uncertainly. Outside the light barrier, black-red energy continuously surged like a tide; every collision caused the cyan light barrier to tremble violently, its light dimming with each impact.
"The Ye Family's protective house Formation! They are attacking the Formation!" Chen Feng's face turned ashen.
Ye Chen's eyes were splitting with rage. He could even see the shadowy figures in black outside the light barrier, and through the flickering light of the Formation, the faces of his clansmen inside the ancestral home, filled with terror and despair!
"Father! Mother!" He let out a low roar like weeping blood, his speed soaring once again as he rushed toward the Ye Family ancestral home regardless of everything!
"Keep up! Prepare for battle!" Chen Feng ordered sternly, and the Disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall drew their weapons, filled with Killing Intent.
Their arrival immediately caught the attention of the black-clad men besieging the Ye Family.
"Hmm? They actually broke through the interception of Blood Dove Elder?" An icy voice rang out. Ahead of the besieging crowd, an old man dressed in a dark red robe, his face hidden in the shadow of his hood, looked up, revealing a pair of eyes flashing with cruel red light. His aura was clearly that of the Kaiyuan Realm Eighth Level! Beside him were two Black-Robed Figures with slightly weaker auras, but they had also reached the Kaiyuan Realm Seventh Level.
Besides them, there were dozens of black-clad men with auras ranging from the Early Stage to the Middle Stage of the Kaiyuan Realm, continuously bombarding the crumbling cyan light barrier.
"Stop them!" The old man in the dark red robe—the other Dark Hall Elder left behind to guard this place—ordered coldly.
Immediately, more than a dozen black-clad men turned their direction and lunged toward the nine of them, including Ye Chen!
"Kill!" At this moment, Ye Chen only had Killing Intent and the urgency to save his Family in his heart; he couldn't be bothered with words. The qingfeng sword let out a clear hum. Although the embryonic dark golden Sword Intent Domain could not be deployed on a large scale, it could already bolster his own body. His figure was like lightning as he crashed directly into the crowd!
The Grand Void Roaming Dragon Steps made him like a ghost, weaving through the blades and swords; ordinary black-clad men at the Middle Stage of the Kaiyuan Realm couldn't even touch his hem. Every swing of the qingfeng sword carried the will to annihilate everything. Wherever the sword light passed, weapons shattered, protective spiritual light crumbled, and the black-clad men fell like harvested wheat!
He did not use the high-consumption Cloud Breaking Sword Finger or "Annihilation Return to Void"; simply using the most basic sword moves, combined with his movement technique and the augmentation of the Sword Intent Domain, he displayed terrifying killing efficiency!
Chen Feng and the others were also elites who had fought their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood; their battle Formation was tacit, like a giant meat grinder, tearing apart the black-clad men who dared to block them.
In the blink of an eye, these dozen or so interceptors were wiped out, leaving only a mess of corpses on the ground.
Ye Chen did not stop, his body covered in blood like a killing god returned from Hell, his gaze locked firmly onto the old man in the dark red robe and the Ye Family ancestral home light barrier behind him that was being continuously bombarded.
"Open the Formation! Let us in!" Chen Feng roared at the inside of the light barrier, while simultaneously brandishing a token that represented his identity as a member of the Tianfeng Academy.
Inside the light barrier, the Grand Elder of the Ye Family, Ye Xiaoyun, who was in charge of the Formation, saw the radiance of the token and Ye Chen and the others outside, who looked like divine soldiers descending from heaven. Tears streamed down his old face, and he was so excited he could barely speak coherently: "It's Chen'er! It's reinforcements from the Tianfeng Academy! Quick! Open a gap!"
The cyan light barrier rippled, opening a gap in front of Ye Chen and the others that only allowed a few people to pass through.
"Enter!" Chen Feng shouted, and together with the Disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall, they escorted Ye Chen and rushed into the light barrier in an instant.
"Chen'er!" "Young Lord!"
Inside the light barrier, it was already a scene of broken walls and ruins, with traces of battle and congealed blood remaining in many places. Ye Xiaotian's face was pale, and his chest was wrapped in blood-stained bandages; he had clearly suffered a serious injury. Supported by his wife, he greeted them excitedly. Many Ye Family clansmen also gathered around, looking at Ye Chen as if they had seen their backbone, their eyes filled with the joy of surviving a disaster and anticipation.
"Father! Mother! Are you okay?" Ye Chen rushed to his parents, his voice choked with emotion, quickly checking his father's injuries.
"It's nothing, I'm not dead yet." Ye Xiaotian held his son's hand, tears in his tiger-like eyes, filled with immense pride, "Good! Good child! It's good that you're back!"
"Now is not the time for reminiscing!" Chen Feng interrupted, looking at the outside of the light barrier with a grave expression, "The enemy's main force hasn't moved, and the Formation won't be able to hold for much longer!"
Sure enough, when the old man in the dark red robe saw Ye Chen and the others enter the Formation, he was not anxious; instead, he revealed a strange smile: "Since everyone is here, it's perfect to solve it all at once, saving the trouble. Attack with full force, break the Formation!"
Following his order, the two Black-Robed Figures at the Kaiyuan Realm Seventh Level attacked simultaneously. A huge black palm print and a ghastly green ghost fire smashed heavily onto the cyan light barrier like meteors!
"Boom—!" The already tottering light barrier let out a moan of unbearable burden, the runes on its surface flashing wildly, and finally, it dimmed completely and shattered! It turned into dots of light in the sky and dissipated without a trace!
The Ye Family ancestral home, the final barrier, had been broken!
"Hehehe... Ye Chen, you came to die after all." The old man in the dark red robe sneered, leading the numerous black-clad men as they approached step by step, the powerful pressure surging like a tide toward the Ye Family clansmen who had lost their protection.
The blood drained from the faces of the Ye Family clansmen, and they were filled with despair.
Ye Chen shielded his parents behind him, holding the qingfeng sword horizontally in front of him. He struggled to expand the embryonic dark golden Sword Intent Domain once again; although the range was only a few feet around him, it barely managed to block the overwhelming pressure. His eyes were as cold as ten-thousand-year-old ice as he swept his gaze over the old man in the dark red robe and the black-clad men behind him.
"Who lives and who dies is not yet certain." His voice was not loud, but it carried a resolute determination, "If you want to touch the Ye Family, step over my corpse first!"
"Arrogant!" The old man in the dark red robe sneered, "Do you think you can contend with this Elder by relying on a bit of superficial Domain? Today, I will let you see what true power is!"
The dark red light around his body flared brightly, and a Blood Fiend aura, even more condensed and sinister than that of Blood Dove Elder, soared into the sky. Behind him, it faintly condensed into a vague, terrifying demonic shadow with multiple heads!
However, just at this moment of tension, with the great battle on the verge of breaking out—
"Hehehe... Ye Chen, we meet again."
A voice filled with resentment and glee rang out from behind the crowd of black-clad men.
The crowd parted, and a young man in luxurious clothing, but with a pale face and eyes as sinister as a viper, walked out slowly. In his hand, he was dragging a blood-covered, dying figure.
Seeing that young man, Ye Chen's pupils suddenly constricted!
"Lin Hao!"
And when he saw clearly who Lin Hao was dragging, his whole body shook violently, and a monstrous rage and Killing Intent instantly overwhelmed his reason!
That was... the Third Elder, who had watched him grow up since he was a child and had loved him dearly!
"Old dog! Let go of the Third Elder!" Ye Chen's eyes were splitting, and he roared hoarsely.
Lin Hao's face showed a perverted, satisfied smile. He stepped on the Third Elder's head and ground it hard. Watching Ye Chen's pained and angry expression, he was immensely pleased: "Don't rush; very soon, you will go down to accompany him. Oh, that's right, and your dear Father and Mother, and the entire Ye Family... will all be buried with my father, for the Lin Family!"
He looked up abruptly at the old man in the dark red robe, his tone filled with crazy piety: "Elder Xueli, please activate the 'sacrifice'! I want to use the blood and souls of the entire Ye Family to welcome the descent of the Demonic Lord's power!"
Upon hearing this, Elder Xueli revealed a solemn and fanatical expression on his face, and his hands suddenly formed a strange and complex seal!
"With blood as the guide, with souls as the sacrifice, I summon my Lord... Demonic Descent!"
Boom!
The ground of the entire Ye Family ancestral home suddenly shook violently! Streams of dark red light, like living creatures, seeped out from deep underground, rapidly intertwining and spreading across the ground, outlining a huge, evil Formation pattern that covered the entire Ye Family ancestral home!
The center of the Formation was exactly where Ye Chen and the others were!
And the dying Third Elder under Lin Hao's feet had his body shrivel at a speed visible to the naked eye, his blood and soul being forcibly extracted and devoured by the Formation!
Under this Ye Family ancestral home, it had actually been set up as a huge altar long ago!