Chapter 689: Heartless

Feng Shen Jue!

With a cold shout, Yin Zhiping's Tai Xu Long Jia was pierced through on the spot.

Indeed, his previous clones were just decoys, meant to draw Yin Zhiping's attention and create an opening for attack. He didn't need much time—just one second was enough.

As it turned out, his strategy was successful. The arrogant Yin Zhiping's focus was diverted, and in that brief moment of distraction, the opportunity arose.

Even the onlookers hadn't fully processed such a fleeting scene. Yin Zhiping's Tai Xu Gu Long tried to warn him, but before it could speak, Ye Chen's Feng Shen Jue struck.

"You."

Blood surged from Yin Zhiping's mouth as his eyes filled with ferocity. He struck down with a palm.

Spurt! Spurt!

Two sprays of fresh blood flew out simultaneously. Yin Zhiping's palm severed Ye Chen's left arm, but Ye Chen thrust his hand through Yin Zhiping's chest and pulled out a still-beating black heart—more accurately, the Yaomo Zhi Xin.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

In that instant, the sound of the heart beating seemed audible. With his Yaomo Zhi Xin extracted, Yin Zhiping froze in place.

Ah!

Half a second later, Yin Zhiping's roars of rage and agony echoed through the sky. He staggered backward, a bloody hole in his chest. The source of his demonic power, the Yaomo Zhi Xin, had been taken, forcing him out of his demonic state. His entire aura dropped a level.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

But he had no time to worry about it, gripping Yin Zhiping's Yaomo Zhi Xin tightly.

It was entirely black, radiating a bloody aura, as if it possessed its own consciousness. Faint wails could be heard from within.

More importantly, the immense power contained in the Yaomo Zhi Xin was overwhelming. Even after leaving Yin Zhiping's body, it resisted, trying to erode Ye Chen's body while attempting to break free from his grasp.

"Be sealed!"

Ye Chen let out a cold hum. Runes circulated in his palm and fingers, crawling over the Yaomo Zhi Xin and forming chains of symbols. He forcibly sealed it. Without Yin Zhiping's body as its core, the Yaomo Zhi Xin couldn't unleash its full power, which allowed him to suppress it.

Only then did Ye Chen stagger slightly, spitting out another mouthful of blood.

Spurt! Spurt! Spurt!

As he did, his Yi Qi Hua San Qing clone turned into a wisp of smoke, while his Xian Huo clone and Tian Lei clone could no longer maintain their forms and returned to their original states, flying back into Ye Chen's Dantian.

From the moment Ye Chen launched his attack to now, barely three seconds had passed, yet it was a heart-stopping spectacle.

"Yin Zhiping's Yaomo Zhi Xin has been taken, so his combat strength is far inferior to Ye Chen's now."

After the silence, someone murmured quietly.

"So, unless something unexpected happens, Ye Chen has won."

Whew!

Seeing Ye Chen seal the Yaomo Zhi Xin, many onlookers like Haotian Xuanzhen, Danchen, and Zhuge Laotou let out a heavy sigh of relief. As those people said, barring any surprises, Ye Chen had already won.

"How is this possible? How is this possible?"

Tongxuan Zhenren's face twisted into a grimace in an instant.

"Give me back my heart."

Amid the discussions, Yin Zhiping charged at Ye Chen like a mad dog, howling. Without his heart, he felt utterly off, especially since it was his Yaomo Zhi Xin.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Quickly, Yin Zhiping unleashed nine dragon shadows with a palm, followed by Tai Xu palm seals, fist shadows, and sword glows. He bombarded Ye Chen with an endless barrage of powerful attacks.

"Do you still have the right to do that now?"

Ye Chen snorted coldly and conjured a golden hand, sweeping across the void and shattering Yin Zhiping's dragon shadows, palm seals, fist shadows, and sword glows in one go.

Spurt!

Yin Zhiping was sent flying backward, vomiting blood on the spot.

Of course, without his Yaomo Zhi Xin, he was no longer in his demonic state, and his power was on a completely different level from Ye Chen's in that state.

Moreover, from the earlier fierce battle, he had already sustained serious injuries, especially from Shen Shang and the recent Feng Shen Jue, which were still rampaging through his body, preventing him from gathering spiritual energy.

"Ye Chen, I'll kill you."

Yin Zhiping's hair was disheveled as he steadied himself and lunged again.

But as soon as he took a step, a ghostly figure appeared before him and sent him flying with a palm.

Bang! Spurt! Boom!

What followed was a series of such sounds. Though Ye Chen had only one arm left, he fought even more ferociously, landing punch after punch, each one heavier than the last, drawing blood and forcing Yin Zhiping to retreat continuously.

"I don't believe it. I don't believe it."

Yin Zhiping's face contorted with savage fury as he roared.

But no matter how powerful his divine abilities were, they were no match for Ye Chen now. He was beaten without any chance to fight back, his body reduced to a bloody, unrecognizable form, like a crimson asura demon.

Seeing this, Tongxuan Zhenren in the void could no longer stay put. His eyes turned cold as he charged forward.

Hmph!

Cold hums echoed from several directions as Haotian Xuanzhen, Zhuge Laotou, and Taiyi Zhenren moved to intercept.

However, one person was faster than them all. He was extraordinarily burly, like a colossal giant, bare-chested with muscles like coiling dragons, brimming with explosive power.

This person was none other than Man Shan.

Bang!

With a thunderous boom, Man Shan, wielding his massive axe, blocked Tongxuan Zhenren's path. His voice boomed, deep and resonant: "What are you doing?"

"Get out of my way."

Tongxuan Zhenren roared in fury and struck out with a palm.

"You're hitting me?"

Man Shan was enraged, swinging his axe to counter.

Boom!

Tongxuan Zhenren was sent staggering back by Man Shan's axe.

Hiss!

This scene made the surrounding spectators gasp in shock, even drawing expressions of astonishment from Zhuge Laotou, Dugu Ao, Taiyi Zhenren, and Niu Shisan.

Who was that? It was Heng Yue's esteemed ancestor, and you just knocked him back with an axe? You're incredible!

Tongxuan Zhenren retreated several zhang before stopping, his face darkening to an extreme, with a flicker of wariness in his eyes.

"I came all this way to watch the show—don't cause trouble."

Man Shan's voice remained deep and resounding, his copper-bell-like eyes gleaming with brilliant light, making it hard for anyone to meet his gaze.

"This is Heng Yue's internal matter, none of your concern. Move aside."

Tongxuan Zhenren bellowed immediately.

"I don't care about that."

Man Shan shook his head vigorously. "We're enjoying the show—don't ruin it. If you cause more trouble, we'll go berserk."

"Yeah! If you cause more trouble, we'll go berserk."

Chen Rongyun, Wei Wenzhuo, and Li Zhang jumped out, shouting before quickly ducking behind Danchen and the others.

"Tongxuan, as a sect ancestor, aren't you ashamed of such behavior?"

Danchen snorted coldly.

"Danchen Daoyou makes a good point."

Taiyi Zhenren stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Don't bring up your Heng Yue internal matters. I don't want to hear it."

"Go do what you need to do and stop talking nonsense here."

Zhuge Laotou chimed in, not holding back as he glanced at Tongxuan Zhenren. "You're hundreds of years old—have you no shame?"

"You..."

Being lectured like this, Tongxuan Zhenren's face burned with embarrassment.

"How interesting."

Zhengyang Laozu smirked with amusement. They enjoyed seeing this scene but had no intention of getting involved.

As before, whether Yin Zhiping or Ye Chen died, it would only benefit them without any downsides. They had no reason to interfere—they would wait until Yin Zhiping was slain by Ye Chen, then all band together to settle scores with him, no matter the cost.

Lingzhen Shangren shared the same mindset.

They didn't care if Yin Zhiping died, but Ye Chen had to be eliminated; otherwise, he would be a future threat.

Moreover, Zhengyang Zong and Lingzhen Shangren had already formed an alliance during Ye Chen and Yin Zhiping's battle.

Unbeknownst to others, many hidden experts among the spectators had joined their alliance, mostly swayed by Zhengyang Zong and Lingzhen Shangren, involving rewards and mutual interests.

In contrast to Zhengyang, Heng Yue, and Lingzhen Shangren, Qingyun Zong was different.

Qingyun Laozu furrowed his brow, his expression hesitant, as if torn between two decisions: whether to join in killing Ye Chen.

"Senior brother, you should decide quickly."

Qingyun Shangren sent a message more than once. "Yin Zhiping's defeat is set. We can't afford to be soft-hearted—this opportunity is once in a millennium."

"Yes!"

Another Qingyun ancestor added hastily, "Never mind the rest—just think of how he severely injured you at the Ninth Branch Hall with Ji Ningshuang, and how we hunted him recently. The grudges are deep. If we don't act now, he'll become a major threat later."

"And Zhao Qing and the Shengzi—he killed them. When will we avenge that if not now?"

"Then we'll kill him."

Qingyun Laozu's hesitant gaze turned icy in an instant, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.

Spurt!

Amid the discussions, in the void above, Yin Zhiping was struck by Ye Chen's palm and forced to his knees.

Ah!

Yin Zhiping roared in anger, trying to rise, but Ye Chen gave him no chance. Hundreds of sealing talismans were plastered onto him in quick succession.

Immediately, his Dantian was sealed, his divine sea was sealed, and his entire body was immobilized, leaving him unable to move.

Boom!

As Yin Zhiping was suppressed, another boom echoed from the void. The Jiuzhou Xuan Tian Tu, which had been clashing with the Daluo Shen Ding, lost its spiritual energy infusion and was completely overpowered. It tried to flee but was caught by Ye Chen and sealed inside the Daluo Shen Ding.

At that moment, the heavens and earth fell silent.