Chapter 684: Demonic Power

Bang! Boom! Rumble!

While the two were speaking, Ye Chen and Yin Zhi Ping on this side of the heavens were fighting more and more fiercely. Just as the spectators had said, their ling li seemed endless, as they desperately unleashed one powerful move after another.

In reality, they didn't fully understand the situation. It wasn't that their ling li was truly infinite; rather, both were in a state of enhanced power.

Ye Chen was well aware of this. He had nine clones transmitting di yuan from the earth and nine more transmitting xing chen zhi li from the stars, along with the vast blood energy unique to his Huang Gu Sheng Ti, all of which allowed him to unleash attacks without limit.

As for Yin Zhi Ping, he carried the Tai Xu Gu Long curse within him. This curse could draw yuan jing from those bearing its sub-curses. No one knew how many people he had marked with it, but given how long he had been holding his own against Ye Chen, the number must have been substantial.

Boom! Rumble!

After a direct clash of their ultimate moves, both were sent flying.

As the mist cleared, the spectators couldn't help but gasp in shock at the sight of the two figures, both drenched in blood.

Yin Zhi Ping had disheveled hair and countless wounds covering his body.

Ye Chen was in a similar state, his Hun Tian armor soaked in sheng xue. Even his powerful Huang Gu Sheng Ti body was riddled with injuries, the most horrifying being a gash on his back that exposed his spine.

The battle had raged on for over five thousand rounds since it began. For ordinary Kong Ming realm cultivators, they would have long since exhausted their ling li and perished.

Of course, this also highlighted another point: their combat strengths were evenly matched, leading to this magnificent and brutal showdown of epic proportions.

"I still underestimated the Tai Xu Gu Long Soul," Ye Chen murmured, gently wiping the fresh blood from the corner of his mouth, sighing inwardly.

Only after facing Yin Zhi Ping alone did he truly grasp how formidable his opponent was. Ye Chen was confident he could defeat him, but killing him would come at an extremely heavy cost, even for himself.

In comparison, Yin Zhi Ping's demonic inner nature was even more terrifying.

As the host, Yin Zhi Ping knew all too well the immense power of the Tai Xu Gu Long Soul. Yet, despite wielding such vast strength, he still couldn't overcome Ye Chen, filling him with raging fury that drove him to the brink of madness.

"Half of a Huang Gu Sheng Ti, yet possessing such incredible power. His combat strength is already on par with a complete Huang Gu Sheng Ti of the same realm," the Tai Xu Gu Long within Yin Zhi Ping stared intently at Ye Chen, even its composure shaken by the sight.

"You can't defeat him in your current state," the Tai Xu Gu Long said softly. "Unleash your È Mó power!"

"Kill, kill, kill." Upon hearing this, Yin Zhi Ping's face twisted into a grotesque expression. A surge of murderous intent rampaged through his divine sea, turning his eyes blood-red and nearly stripping him of his reason.

Buzz!

With a roar, his body shuddered violently.

A torrent of blood energy erupted from within him, intertwining to form a vast sea of crimson.

Woo woo woo!

Ghostly wails followed, and within the blood sea, faint shadows of struggling figures could be seen—elders, children, women—all in agony, desperate to escape the bloody ocean and find release.

"This..." The spectators around felt a chill run through their bodies. The countless struggling blood shadows in the sea were enough to make their scalps tingle.

"How many people has he killed?" Even the veteran cultivators stood frozen, staring in disbelief at the crimson sea.

Boom!

In the midst of the shock, the heavens trembled.

Looking over, Yin Zhi Ping's form had changed. Blood energy surged around him, with nine blood dragons circling his body. His black hair turned red before their eyes, and a wave of demonic and murderous aura spread out.

Behind him appeared a terrifying scene: a blood-red wasteland where the sky was stained crimson, not a blade of grass grew, mountains of corpses piled high, and rivers of blood flowed.

"Demon?" The spectators' expressions changed drastically at the sight.

"Is he also a demon?" Ling Zhen Shang Ren narrowed his eyes slightly. "What a surprise!"

"My dear Ping has been hiding such immense power," Tong Xuan Zhen Ren said, chuckling in astonishment.

"Senior brother, he is a demon," Heng Yue Zhen Ren remarked calmly.

Hearing this, Tong Xuan Zhen Ren frowned and turned to Heng Yue Zhen Ren. "Junior brother, you're implying something."

"I just wonder, since both have a demonic state, why do you see Ye Chen as a demon while Yin Zhi Ping is not?" Heng Yue Zhen Ren's words were steady and matter-of-fact. "You gnash your teeth at Ye Chen's demonic transformation, wanting to tear him apart, yet you smile in admiration at Yin Zhi Ping's. Senior brother, aren't you being too biased?"

"He is the zhang jiao of Heng Yue," Tong Xuan Zhen Ren replied, his face darkening at the rebuke.

"Zhang jiao?" Heng Yue Zhen Ren's tone carried a hint of sarcasm. "Tell me, senior brother, since he became the zhang jiao of Heng Yue, has he done anything beneficial for our sect? Search your conscience—does he deserve to be the zhang jiao of Heng Yue?"

"You..." Tong Xuan Zhen Ren's face flushed red from the retort.

"Don't use his status as host as an excuse. It's precisely because of that we've lost so many Heng Yue disciples and elders," Heng Yue Zhen Ren said gravely. "So what if he's a host? So what if he's strong? Can he protect Heng Yue's future? As the zhang jiao, he should set an example, but instead, he's arrogant, lawless, and ruthless, slaughtering sect members at will. In the three-sect war, Heng Yue suffered massive losses—all his doing. Senior brother, do you think he deserves to lead our forces?"

"You..." Tong Xuan Zhen Ren's face turned even redder.

"What incredible power." As the two argued, gasps of shock echoed from all sides.

"Is this the power of the demon path?" Ye Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression growing serious. He hadn't anticipated that Yin Zhi Ping had been hiding such vast power, and it was connected to demons.

"That's the È Mó Heart," the voice of the Tai Xu Gu Long echoed in Ye Chen's divine sea.

"The È Mó Heart?" Ye Chen furrowed his brow. "Is it also demonic?"

"Yes, it's a branch of the demons, and an exceptionally powerful one at that," the Tai Xu Gu Long explained. "Yin Zhi Ping bears the È Mó Heart, but he's not a true demon because he lacks the demon bloodline and demon body. Demons can be good or evil, and those with the È Mó Heart are embodiments of malevolent intent. The essence of its power, its sheer strength, far exceeds your imagination. If I'm not mistaken, the reason his compatibility with Heng Yue's Tai Xu Gu Long Soul is so high might be due to the È Mó Heart, because the evil intent in Heng Yue's Tai Xu Gu Long Soul is overwhelmingly heavy."

"So he was hiding such a shocking secret." Ye Chen's expression grew even more grave, as he finally sensed the full extent of Yin Zhi Ping's power.