Chapter 1658: Red Flame Gold Lion

A great battle erupted, with thunderous rumbles echoing through the heavens. Bursts of dazzling light added splashes of brilliance to the dim sky.

Tianhe Mingjiang lived up to his reputation as the foremost general under Chujiang Wang, far surpassing ordinary Zhun Sheng Wangs in power and sheer terror.

He was on a completely different level from someone like Feilong Mingjiang, truly formidable with the might to dominate all directions.

However, his opponent happened to be a Shengti.

He was no ordinary Zhun Sheng Wang, and Ye Chen was no ordinary Shengti either. Below the Sheng Wang level, few could match him.

Their fierce clash created a massive spectacle, with streaks of lightning raining down from the void, turning that stretch of the world into utter chaos.

"No wonder even six Sheng Ren couldn't take him down. A Shengti actually has the power to go toe-to-toe with a Zhun Sheng Wang." A wave of astonishment rippled through the crowd below.

"I wonder if Feilong Mingjiang knows about this—he might just spit blood."

"Just thinking about it makes me want to laugh. Even at peak strength, they might not beat Ye Chen, yet they tried to drag him down to the same level."

"Should we step in and help?" One of the observing Mingjiang muttered through a secret transmission.

"Let's wait and see. We'll make our move once they're both worn out."

"Are Mingjiang that impressive?" Amid the discussions, Ye Chen let out a ferocious howl, his voice like ancient thunder, shaking the heavens and earth to pieces.

He had closed in on Tianhe Mingjiang, unleashing secret techniques and divine powers in relentless succession, each one more ferocious than the last.

Tianhe Mingjiang was forced into a constant retreat, his blood and bones scattering through the air from the onslaught.

With Ye Chen right in his face, he barely had a chance to counterattack. Every time he tried to invoke a divine power, Ye Chen interrupted him.

Taking a couple of punches was one thing, but being beaten so relentlessly was humiliating, stirring up internal injuries as he spat out mouthfuls of fresh blood.

Tianhe Mingjiang grew furious, enduring one of Ye Chen's punches before soaring into the sky to heal his shattered divine body with a secret technique.

Finally catching his breath, he went all out, hurling down one supreme secret technique after another.

Ye Chen wasn't intimidated in the least, charging upward against the odds and returning every secret technique Tianhe Mingjiang threw at him, move for move.

The battle scene was terrifying, with immense destruction everywhere.

Tianhe Mingjiang stood in the firmament, unleashing palm strikes, fist shadows, and sword beams that blanketed the sky, sparing no cost.

Ye Chen stood below, mirroring him with palm strikes, fist shadows, and sword beams of his own, surging upward with a torrent of golden Qi and blood.

The spectators were left speechless. Were these two beasts? Exchanging secret techniques like that, every divine power they used drained a massive amount of energy.

It was only because of who they were that they could fight this way. If it were ordinary Zhun Sheng or Zhun Sheng Wangs, their spiritual power would have run dry long ago.

"Look, the Shengti is charging up." Someone exclaimed in surprise, drawing everyone's attention.

Far above, Ye Chen blasted his way forward, enduring the barrage of secret techniques and forcing his way to the peak of the firmament.

The moment he ascended, Tianhe Mingjiang came crashing down like a meteor, plummeting through the air and smashing into the ground.

"You deserve to die." Tianhe Mingjiang roared in fury as he leaped up, his voice shaking the heavens. As the top general under Chujiang Wang and a Zhun Sheng Wang, he had been beaten so miserably by a mere Shengti—it was an utter disgrace.

Unable to accept this humiliation, his form suddenly shifted into that of a colossal beast.

Wow! Everyone below craned their necks, swallowing hard in shock.

Tianhe Mingjiang's true form was enormous, towering like a mountain.

His eyes were as big as wine jars, filled with savage bloodlust. His hairs stood on end like black war spears, entwined with flickering lightning.

A primal aura flooded the world, every wisp of it heavy enough to crack the sky and shatter the earth under his steps.

"What on earth is this thing?" The observers showed signs of fear.

"A Chi Yan Jin Ni beast." An elder Mingjiang revealed the secret.

"Heavens! It's actually the legendary Chi Yan Jin Ni beast."

Countless people were stunned, well aware of the Chi Yan Jin Ni's fearsomeness, their souls trembling from a deep, bloodline suppression.

Many were shocked to learn that Tianhe Mingjiang's true form was a Chi Yan Jin Ni—it was completely unexpected.

"Forcing Tianhe Mingjiang to reveal his true form is something the Shengti can be proud of."

The watching Mingjiang all smirked knowingly, harboring deep wariness toward Tianhe Mingjiang's true form, knowing just how terrifying it was.

Ye Chen looked on with a curious expression, eyeing Tianhe Mingjiang's beast form with interest—it was his first time seeing such a creature, and it was quite the novelty.

He had heard of these fierce beasts before; they hailed from an era close to the Honghuang, with extraordinarily powerful bloodlines.

Tianhe Mingjiang let out a thunderous roar that shattered half the sky.

His massive body leaped into the air, charging straight at Ye Chen.

From his eyes, bolts of lightning shot out, targeting Ye Chen's Yuan Shen for destruction, while his gaping maw spewed flames aimed at incinerating Ye Chen's physical body.

"Do you really think I'm made of paper?" Ye Chen snorted coldly, darting through the nine heavens to dodge the lightning and leap over the flames.

Then, he summoned an illusory giant hand and slammed it down, striking Tianhe Mingjiang squarely on the head.

Instantly, Tianhe Mingjiang's skull split open, brain matter splattering everywhere.

Ye Chen's hand bones cracked from the impact, making him grit his teeth in pain. In his true form, Tianhe Mingjiang's physical body was incredibly dominant, on par with a Shengti's—it was a mutual blow that left both wounded.

In a flash, Tianhe Mingjiang pounced, opening his massive jaws wide.

Ye Chen tried to retreat, but it was too late—he was caught in Tianhe Mingjiang's mouth.

Wait, not quite. He hadn't been swallowed yet, his hands gripping the beast's fangs tightly, refusing to budge as if daring him to go ahead and swallow.

They were locked in a stalemate, Ye Chen unable to escape and Tianhe Mingjiang unable to gulp him down, leaving the onlookers on edge.

"How interesting." The foremost Mingjiang under Zhuanlun Wang smirked playfully, raising his hand to flick out a wisp of dark energy.

This dark energy wasn't aimed at Tianhe Mingjiang but at Ye Chen—a blatant sneak attack.

Distracted as he was, Ye Chen took the hit, his back exploding in a spray of sacred blood and exposed bones.

In that moment of vulnerability, Tianhe Mingjiang seized the advantage, a vortex forming in his maw as he finally swallowed Ye Chen whole.

"Well, that's the end of him." The spectators sighed in disappointment.

"The belly of a Chi Yan Jin Ni beast is an innate realm of its own. Once inside, anything is reduced to ashes."

"Poor Shengti—he defeated eight Mingjiang in a row, only to fall to Tianhe Mingjiang. What a pity."

"What the hell is this?" Just as the observers lamented, a furious shout echoed from within Tianhe Mingjiang's belly.

This outburst stunned everyone. "He's still alive?"

No sooner had the words left their mouths than Tianhe Mingjiang let out a miserable howl, writhing in the sky with blood-red eyes and a face twisted in agony.

It was all because of Ye Chen, who was causing chaos inside, jumping and thrashing about wildly.

Imagine having such a troublemaker wreaking havoc in your gut—it was unbearable, enough to tie your intestines in knots.

Tianhe Mingjiang regretted it bitterly, left with no way to express his torment.

Despite his bold exterior, he couldn't handle Ye Chen after swallowing him—it was like digging his own grave and burying himself in it.

With a final scream, a bloody hole burst open in Tianhe Mingjiang's abdomen, spraying blood like a fountain.

Ye Chen emerged, covered in blood—but it was all Tianhe Mingjiang's, while he himself was unscathed.

He formed a giant hand and grabbed Tianhe Mingjiang's leg.

Then, the massive beast was hoisted up and slammed viciously into the ground.

The impact was devastating, jolting Tianhe Mingjiang's organs out of place and making him vomit blood mixed with fragments of viscera, his head ringing as if it might explode.

But Ye Chen wasn't done. With golden Qi and blood surging like flames, he lifted Tianhe Mingjiang again and smashed him down once more.

The scene that followed was heart-stopping: the enormous Tianhe Mingjiang was flung repeatedly into the earth.

Each slam shook the ground, and each one made the spectators' hearts skip a beat.

This brutal style of fighting was painful to watch, let alone endure—if it were them, they'd be reduced to pulp by now.

The booms and screams eventually faded.

Tianhe Mingjiang collapsed, reverting to his human form and lying unconscious, his body a mangled mess of blood and bones.

Ye Chen stepped forward and casually took his storage bag.

Then, he turned his gaze to the foremost Mingjiang under Zhuanlun Wang.

It was that one who had ambushed him earlier with a wisp of dark energy, nearly piercing him through.

"Sneak attacks, huh? If I don't make you cry today, then my name isn't Ye."

Ye Chen cracked his neck with a menacing glare.

"You think you can?" The Zhuanlun Mingjiang sneered. "After tangling with eight Mingjiang, Ye Chen, how much strength do you have left?"