Ye Chen wielded his sword with an air of utter determination.

However, Shen Jie dismissed it, letting out a cold snort, then swiftly thrusting his right palm forward.

A giant serpent of Yuan Power roared out from Shen Jie's palm.

This Yuan Power serpent had crimson eyes, its mouth wide open revealing two sharp fangs above and below. Its body, covered in scales, shone with metallic luster.

The Thousand Spirits Sect's techniques mostly involve beast forms, and although Shen Jie wasn't the top among the sect's elites, he was still one of the exceptional ones, his powerful methods effortlessly at his command.

As the serpent opened its enormous mouth, ready to swallow Ye Chen along with his sword.

The Celestial Mark Sword in Ye Chen's hand suddenly burst forth with dazzling cold light, a stunning Sword Qi shooting out.

But.

The Sword Qi vanished from everyone's sight the instant it was released.

"Ah!"

The next moment, a scream sounded.

The Sword Qi Ye Chen unleashed pierced the skull of another approaching Thousand Spirits Sect disciple!

This move was learned from the Hua Family's ancestor, Daoist Hua Mu, named the Void Sword, a technique of concealing the sword in emptiness, elusive and untraceable.

To perform this Void Sword technique, Ye Chen's momentum in his strike had already been exhausted like a river suddenly breaking its flow, its surging waters disappearing.

A flash of golden light at Ye Chen's feet enabled him to shift horizontally, dodging the serpent's bite.

Angered, Shen Jie fiercely clenched his fist, swinging his arm so the serpent's tail lashed towards Ye Chen.

The remaining five Thousand Spirits Sect disciples, learning from their previous mistake, didn't dare to be negligent, each strengthening their defenses and launching powerful attacks to blockade Ye Chen's escape routes.

Ye Chen took a deep breath and swung his sword at the incoming serpent's tail.

"Boom!"

The serpent's tail broke into two segments, while Ye Chen's figure was sent flying backward, his feet touching the ground but continuing to slide back.

"Fire Spirit Slash!"

Just then, a Thousand Spirits Sect disciple approached Ye Chen, a fierce expression on his face, gripping a long blade and ceasing the opportunity of Ye Chen's pause to unleash a powerful slash.

Even within the blade's arc, a fiery bird silhouette emerged.

Ye Chen blocked with his sword in front.

"Boom!"

That blade aura infused with violent strength exploded in front of Ye Chen, sending his body flying uncontrollably again, a hint of panic flashing across his face. As he flew, he swung a swath of sword light to deter further attacks.

The long-blade wielding disciple of Thousand Spirits Sect spotted a flaw in Ye Chen's defensive sword light.

Moreover, this flaw was lethal!

Ye Chen's Dantian was exposed.

Under these circumstances, no one would think Ye Chen intentionally left the flaw; everyone assumed he was overwhelmed and couldn't protect his whole body anymore.

"Die!"

The blade-wielding disciple leapt forward with excitement, chasing down Ye Chen and thrusting his blade towards the exposed Dantian!

Nearly at the moment the blade was about to stab Ye Chen's abdomen, his panic vanished, replaced by renewed steadfastness as the Celestial Mark Sword swept out towards the man in front!

The disciple paid no mind, assured he would puncture Ye Chen's Dantian first, leaving Ye Chen as powerless as a deflated ball and his sweeping sword devoid of strength!

Everything went as he wished.

His blade pierced Ye Chen's abdomen.

Yet.

To his surprise, his blade felt like it hit an impenetrable object, unable to advance even slightly.

He finally realized he'd walked into a trap.

But alas, it was too late.

Ye Chen's sweeping sword grazed his neck in a flash.

A head flew into the air.

The headless body plummeted to the ground.

Though Ye Chen relied on the Dragon Race inverse scale implanted in his abdomen to withstand the blade's edge, the force still impacted him, sending him crashing into a massive rock.

Lingyun Mountain's earth and rocks were remarkably solid, yet even so, the boulder cracked under the impact as Ye Chen landed on the ground with bent knees, supporting himself with one hand and the other stabbing his sword into the earth before instantly standing upright, his back straightened like a sword, unyielding!

Ye Chen raised his arm to wipe blood from the corner of his mouth. Despite tempering his body to be sword-like and formidable, his internal organs were shaken.

The remaining five from the Thousand Spirits Sect wore complex expressions.

They came ten strong to Lingyun Mountain and now, five had been slain by Ye Chen!

The first fell because he was isolated, killed by Ye Chen.

The second and third were caught off guard and killed.

But the fourth and fifth, despite cooperating, also met their demise by Ye Chen's hand!

Ye Chen's decisiveness, ruthlessness, meticulousness, and rich battle experience struck fear into the hearts of the remaining five!

Shen Jie's face twisted, shouting, "Junior sisters and brothers, seal this area, I'll kill Ye Chen alone!"

Shen Jie realized the gravity of the situation; defeating Ye Chen required absolute dominance, otherwise, surrounding him only created opportunities for Ye Chen!

Shen Jie was confident he could defeat Ye Chen, yet suppressing Ye Chen entirely wasn't feasible, better he act alone, even if time was needed, than lose more lives.

"Ye Chen, you truly surpassed my expectations; I must admit, you're among the top prodigies even in all Cangzhou, but unfortunately, your journey will end by my hand; I promise you won't have another chance!"

Shen Jie's gaze was sinister, his unleashed power astonishing.

Despite Ye Chen's injuries, he remained calm in this situation.

The more critical the moment, the less one should panic.

Panic disrupts sword speed, angle, strength, and judgment.

The opponent, Shen Jie, was an elite from the Thousand Spirits Sect; absolutely no mistake was allowed!

Though Ye Chen estimated his chances of winning were less than twenty percent.

But even a little over ten percent chance to kill the enemy sufficed for Ye Chen. Even a sliver of opportunity was worth seizing!

At the mountain peak.

Black Widow stood, witnessing every moment unfold before her.

She sensed an unyielding resilience from Ye Chen.

Black Widow recalled Ye Chen's previous words to her.

Destiny lies within one's own hands!

Previously, Black Widow thought Ye Chen merely spoke empty words.

But now she saw Ye Chen's fearless, relentless struggle to control his fate!

Black Widow's cold, hard inner world became unexpectedly softened.

......

At this moment, Shen Jie's power finished accumulating, transforming him into a volcano ready to erupt. His eyes were bloodshot, bulging out, spiky hair sprouted like steel needles across his skin, his muscles rapidly expanding.

"Roar!"

A beast-like roar emitted from Shen Jie's mouth as terrifying turbulent air radiated from him, turning him into a massive black ape several meters high, his body brimming with explosive force!

"This is our Thousand Spirits Sect's Violent Ape Body Forging Technique, Ye Chen, open your eyes and behold, let fear grip you!"

Shen Jie roared, leaping into the air, then diving down, raising his arms high and slamming them towards Ye Chen.

The earth trembled violently from his attack!

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