Chapter 786 - 787: I’ve Been Waiting For You For a Long Time

The Iron Palm Martial Emperor was the most powerful of the Infinite Mountain elders present. Although the other First Layer Martial Emperor elders were confused, they could only obey his command.

"At my command—forward."

The Iron Palm Martial Emperor roared. In an instant, eight figures lunged toward Ye Xuan.

BOOM!

The eight experts attacked in unison. As their terrifying power surged, the entire valley thundered.

Multicolored streams of light swirled, transforming into dazzling rainbows. The void trembled wherever they passed, completely encircling Ye Xuan.

"Surrender without a fight."

Several of the Infinite Mountain experts had vicious looks in their eyes. Though they didn’t understand the Iron Palm Elder’s reasoning, they showed no mercy in their assault.

Countless streams of light instantly enveloped Ye Xuan. The terrifying power was enough to overwhelm an ordinary Martial Emperor at the Peak of Tier Eight Second Layer.

’Attacking all at once? Good. It saves me the trouble of killing you one by one.’

In the valley, Ye Xuan’s lips curled into a cold sneer. He remained unfazed by the attack from the Iron Palm Elder and his men. A moment later, a plain Stone Bead appeared in his hand.

"Space-Stabilizing Bead—bind!"

The ancient Stone Bead suddenly blazed with a brilliant light, forming a hazy barrier that enveloped everyone from Infinite Mountain.

An astonishing domain power instantly radiated outward. CRACKLE! The Iron Palm Martial Emperor and the others discovered in horror that their own Domain Realm barriers were shattering like fragile glass, exploding into nothing with a BANG. At the same time, a terrifying force descended. They felt as if their bodies were mired in quicksand, completely unable to move.

’How could this be?’ The Iron Palm Martial Emperor and the others were instantly terrified. Being so experienced, they immediately recognized that the force enveloping them was akin to the domain of a Martial Emperor. A horrifying thought struck them. ’Could Xuan Ye be a Nine Heavens Martial Emperor?’

But Ye Xuan’s aura clearly told them he was merely a First Layer Martial Emperor.

’A First Layer Martial Emperor who can unleash a domain like a Martial Emperor’s... Just what kind of treasure is that Stone Bead Xuan Ye used?’

But the Iron Palm Martial Emperor and his men had no time left for shock. The instant they were locked in place by the Space-Stabilizing Bead’s domain, a brilliant blue flash appeared before them. It was a blue, electric Sword Qi, like a dazzling morning glow, that instantly filled their vision.

Then, a stunning paralysis began to permeate their bodies.

No!

The Iron Palm Martial Emperor and the others tried desperately to resist, but under the domain’s influence, they could only channel a fraction of their usual Profound, and their movements were incredibly slow. They could only watch helplessly as the dazzling, blue lightning Sword Qi engulfed them.

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!

As the Sword of Judgment swept past, the four Martial King disciples from Infinite Mountain were the first to explode into gore, their remains raining down. Then, the razor-sharp Sword Qi enveloped Fire Blade Martial Emperor and the others.

"I let you go earlier so you would lead more people from Infinite Mountain to me. You didn’t disappoint. You brought their experts right to me. Now, you may die in peace."

Ye Xuan’s cold voice echoed in the Fire Blade Martial Emperor’s mind.

The Fire Blade Martial Emperor’s eyes widened in terror. He finally understood. He had only been able to escape earlier because Ye Xuan had deliberately let him go. The entire point was for him to lead Infinite Mountain’s experts here. It was laughable—he’d actually thought he’d escaped on his own merit.

Endless regret filled the Fire Blade Martial Emperor’s eyes. If he had a second chance, he swore he would never have chased down Ye Xuan just to curry favor with Infinite Mountain. But for what was done, there was no turning back.

SPLAT!

A brilliant flash of lightning streaked past. The Fire Blade Martial Emperor’s head instantly exploded. He and the other two First Layer Martial Emperor elders from Infinite Mountain were killed on the spot.

In a single instant, only the Iron Palm Martial Emperor was left standing among the experts from Infinite Mountain. Engulfed in the lightning-infused light of the Sword of Judgment, he was drenched in blood, a truly wretched figure.

"You can’t kill me! Once the core elders of Infinite Mountain arrive, it’ll be your turn to die!"

The Iron Palm Martial Emperor’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared maniacally. His Profound surged, revealing a suit of twisted armor that made him resemble a Demon God.

"I only left you alive because you still have some use. Did you really think it’s because I can’t kill you?"

Ye Xuan scoffed. His eyes suddenly began to spin like kaleidoscopes, and a hazy ripple of Soul Power instantly sank into the Iron Palm Martial Emperor’s mind.

"Such a terrifying Soul Power aura... You’re an Eighth Grade, Emperor Level Soul Refiner!"

The Iron Palm Martial Emperor’s eyes widened in disbelief. His consciousness began to fade, and his gaze turned vacant.

SWOOSH!

A hand struck his head hard.

"Formless Soul Skill—Soul-Searching Technique!"

A hazy, magnificent light swirled in Ye Xuan’s eyes. A formidable Soul Power poured into the elder’s mind, spinning like a myriad of galaxies and forming into streams of Soul Talismans and Seal Skills that invaded his consciousness.

After only two breaths, the soul in the Iron Palm Elder’s mind could no longer withstand the pressure. It instantly shattered, scattering into nothingness.

The Iron Palm Martial Emperor’s body trembled, and the light in his eyes faded. He fell to the ground a corpse, his eyes wide with an eternal grievance.

’Infinite Mountain’s strongest force in Purple Beauty City consists of three Tier Eight Third Layer Martial Emperors. According to the Iron Palm Martial Emperor’s memories, he notified those three core elders before he left. If I’m right, they should be arriving soon.’

Ye Xuan’s eyes gleamed as a cold smile touched his lips.

A few small fries like the Iron Palm Martial Emperor were nowhere near enough to sate the hatred in his heart. From the Iron Palm Martial Emperor’s memories, he knew the core elders at Tier Eight Third Layer or higher were the true leaders of the sect. Only by killing them would Infinite Mountain truly feel the sting of loss and rage.

Just as he was pondering this, he felt a faint spatial ripple.

’Have they arrived?’

Ye Xuan smiled faintly. With a flicker, his figure vanished from the valley.

In the distant sky, three streaks of light shot forward. They carried a terrifyingly oppressive aura, like a monstrous tidal wave that shook the heavens.

These were the three core elders of Infinite Mountain, who had rushed over after receiving the Iron Palm Martial Emperor’s message.

"According to Iron Palm’s message, Xuan Ye should be nearby. But why can’t we sense his or the others’ auras?"

Led by Gu Fei, the three core elders swiftly approached the valley. A hint of doubt laced their words as three waves of Profound Sense instantly locked down the area.

"What?"

The next moment, their eyes widened. Their expressions twisted into a mixture of shock and fury as a terrifying aura erupted from them.

The valley was strewn with severed limbs and chunks of flesh, the ground soaked in blood. As a mountain breeze swept through, it carried the thick stench of gore, creating a scene like hell on earth.

From the attire and lingering auras of the dead, Gu Fei and the others immediately recognized them as experts from Infinite Mountain.

"Damn it, what the hell happened here?"

Elder Luo Mo, who was shrouded in a black robe and surrounded by a faint, dark mist, spoke in a thunderous rage.

Beside him, Heaven-Trapping Martial Emperor Gu Fei and Blade Martial Emperor Li Zhan also had grim faces, veins bulging on their foreheads.

They had flown here without stopping from the moment they received the Iron Palm Martial Emperor’s message. Yet, in that short span of time, the Iron Palm Martial Emperor and his entire team had been annihilated. They simply couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

’Could that Xuan Ye truly be so terrifying?’

’It can’t be...’ Heaven-Trapping Martial Emperor and the others refused to believe it. ’It couldn’t have been that brat. Someone else must have been involved.’

The trio landed in the valley, their Profound Sense sweeping in all directions.

The valley was still thick with the stench of blood and dense with lightning Profound. There was even a trace of residual body heat and dust still settling from the fallen corpses.

From these details, they could tell the battle had ended just moments before their arrival—no more than a few dozen breaths at most.

"That Xuan Ye definitely hasn’t gone far. He’s nearby."

The leader, Heaven-Trapping Martial Emperor Gu Fei, had a horrifying, dark crimson glint in his eyes.

"Let’s split up and search."

Gu Fei’s voice was low, laced with surging killing intent.

Just as the three were about to separate...

"This is bad!"

An astonishing thunderclap erupted from behind them, followed by a terrifying surge of Profound fluctuation.

"Myriad Starburst!"

They were seized by the feeling of being completely locked in place, as if adrift in the cosmic void. A soul-piercing, deadly chill surged from behind, making their skin crawl.

In an instant, a torrent of stars forged from countless strands of Star River Sword Qi swept through, leveling everything within a radius of hundreds of yards.

BOOM!

Gu Fei and the other two didn’t even get a clear look at the figure behind them. They barely had time to throw up their strongest defenses before the attack struck—there was no time to dodge.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

All three figures were sent flying. A charred trench stretching for hundreds of yards was carved into the ground, which was now webbed with countless cracks. Smoke and dust billowed amidst surges of lightning.

"Who’s there?"

Gu Fei and the others roared in fury as they flew backward. They landed haphazardly in three corners of the valley, looking wretched as they wiped blood from their lips and glared in the direction of the attack.

The power of that last attack had been staggering. Even though they’d managed to raise their defenses in time, a terrifying force had still seeped through, injuring their internal organs.

"As expected of Infinite Mountain’s core elders. Your skills are truly something else. A pity your speed is so unimpressive. I’ve been waiting for you for quite a while."

A chilling voice emerged from the dust and smoke, followed by a solitary figure walking out slowly. He wore an indifferent smile, his gaze as cold as the stars in the night sky.

"It’s you..."

The three core elders of Infinite Mountain cried out in utter shock, their eyes wide. The person who had appeared before them was none other than Xuan Ye, the very man they had been hunting.

Ye Xuan watched the men from Infinite Mountain coldly, a sneer spreading across his lips.

After sensing Gu Fei and the others approaching, Ye Xuan hadn’t attacked immediately. Instead, he had hidden himself to launch a sneak attack.

The lingering auras in the valley had been left there deliberately—all part of his plan to lure them into the trap.

And thus, the previous scene had unfolded.

The only thing Ye Xuan hadn’t anticipated was that the reaction speed and strength of these three were even greater than he had expected.