Chapter 695: The End

Chapter 695: San Chang

Ye Chen had escaped! This news not only made Zhengyang Laozu furious, but also turned the faces of Qingyun Laozu and Lingzhen Shangren ashen in an instant.

Ye Chen had escaped; that bastard had done it again.

And then? What would happen next?

Soon, Nan Chu would become a hotbed of chaos. Ye Chen, that shameless scoundrel, was the type to hold a grudge and seek revenge at all costs. If he got away, he would stop at nothing to come after us one by one.

In contrast, Haotian Xuanzhen and his group let out a huge sigh of relief. Their efforts to hold off Zhengyang Laozu and the others had not been in vain.

"Let's go!" The Shangguan family experts quickly led Shangguan Yuer and their group to retreat. The situation left no room for them to linger; the Zhengyang Sect's forces could attack at any moment.

"Uncle-ancestor, I want to—"

"Since he's alive, he'll go to Dongyue one day." The Shangguan family elder cut off Shangguan Yuer's words with a wave of his robe and vanished from sight.

"Let's go!" Haotian Xuanzhen wasn't foolish. Despite his raging anger, he knew he had to leave immediately. If he delayed, there would be no escape.

As for Ye Chen, Haotian Xuanzhen believed that even if Ye Chen couldn't accept him as his father yet, he would eventually return to the Haotian family—it was his roots, after all. All they needed to do was find a place to hide quickly.

"Time to leave." On their side, Zhuge Laotou, Dugu Ao, and Fuling escorted Biyou as they withdrew. Even with their combined strength, they had to avoid a direct confrontation with the full forces of one hall.

"Off we go; I'll treat everyone to drinks today." Wu Sanpao glanced at Zhengyang Laozu and his group before swiftly retreating.

"Today, we'll bleed him dry." Niu Shisan and Taiyi Zhenren both loosened their belts with a grin.

"Hey, I haven't eaten yet either?" To their surprise, the massive Barbarian Shan hefted his axe and followed along without hesitation. His enormous size made Wu Sanpao twitch his mouth in concern—you better not eat us out of house and home.

"Let's go." Meanwhile, Danchen and Dani glanced at the sky full of experts before escorting Xuan Nu and Xiao Luoxi away.

"I want to find Ye Chen." Xiao Luoxi looked reluctant, her eyes full of hope as she gazed at Danchen and Dani.

"You don't even know where he went, so how would you find him?" Danchen smiled and patted Xiao Luoxi's head. "Since he's still alive, he'll come to Dan City one day. Just wait for him back home."

"Uh!" Xiao Luoxi nodded, casting a longing glance in one direction before leaving with Danchen.

"And us too." Wei Wenzhuo and his group hurriedly followed, feeling safer sticking with them.

As for Xu Nuoyan, before leaving, she couldn't help but glance at the masked Ji Ningshuang beside her and pursed her lips. "Ji Daoyou, will we meet again?"

"We might." Ji Ningshuang replied casually before turning and departing. Her identity was too sensitive; she had blocked attacks for Ye Chen earlier and couldn't risk being recognized by Zhengyang Laozu and his allies, or it would spell big trouble.

As Danchen and his group left, everyone who had helped Ye Chen also retreated without delay.

They had no choice but to go; if Zhengyang Laozu and his forces went berserk and launched a full assault with their hall's army, it would turn into another bloodbath. At least half of them might not make it out of Langu Cangyuan alive.

Dammit!

Soon, the skies above Langu Cangyuan echoed with a thunderous roar of anger, making everyone's faces turn grim.

Who was Ye Chen? He was the Dan Saint, with influence powerful enough to rally forces far and wide. He was also a killing god, with combat prowess that was extraordinarily fierce. Letting someone like him slip away was an absolute disaster for them.

As the saying goes, it's easy to dodge an open attack but hard to guard against a hidden one. They knew Ye Chen wouldn't face them head-on, but that shameless bastard never did anyway—he always struck from the shadows when the opportunity arose.

"Spread the word: Issue a wanted order for Ye Chen." Tongxuan Zhenren was the first to turn and leave, his face twisted in frustration.

He was the most anxious among them, as Yin Zhiping, the sect leader's token, and the Jiuzhou Xuantian Map were all with Ye Chen. Any mishap with those would be catastrophic for Hengyue.

Hmph!

After Tongxuan Zhenren left, Qingyun Laozu snorted coldly, shot a icy glance at Pang Tong, and departed. Now, he was starting to regret things; the feud between Qingyun and Ye Chen was now irreparable. What would the future hold?

"Go!"

Lingzhen Shangren flicked his sleeves and left as well. Before going, he couldn't resist glancing at Pang Tong and his group disdainfully—one hall's army couldn't even capture a single person. What a disgrace for a hall master.

"Issue a wanted order for Ye Chen, no matter the cost." Once the other groups had gone, Zhengyang Laozu bellowed the command and soared into the sky, streaking across the horizon like a rainbow.

Behind him, the other Zhengyang Sect elders followed, each casting a fierce glare at Pang Tong before leaving.

"Go!"

Pang Tong's face twisted into a grotesque expression. Letting Ye Chen escape was his failure, and while the scolding was minor, the consequences would be severe.

Soon, the once-crowded Langu Cangyuan grew sparse as the Zhengyang Sect's people departed. The blood-soaked ground took on an even deeper red hue, with the air still thick with the stench of blood.

With the grand spectacle over, the spectators began to leave in small groups, each returning to their own homes. As they went, they all sighed and marveled, "This is the most astonishing battle I've ever witnessed."

Before long, news of the events spread throughout Da Chu, stirring up quite a storm.

"Notify everyone: Search for the Holy Lord's whereabouts." In the grand hall of Hengyue Sect, upon hearing the news, Zhong Jiang immediately issued the order.

"The ferocity of this battle far exceeded our expectations!" Tianzong Laozu took a deep breath. Though he hadn't seen it firsthand, he knew full well how perilous it had been for Ye Chen—nothing short of a life-or-death struggle.

"It's us who underestimated Yin Zhiping." Zhong Kui stroked his beard. "If we'd known, we would have joined the fight no matter what. Thankfully, Ye Chen escaped; if he had been killed, that would have been an irreplaceable loss."

"For now, let's focus on Tongxuan and the others." Zhong Jiang pondered aloud. "They should be on their way back. To avoid any surprises, we should capture them as soon as they arrive."

"Don't worry; it will take them at least two or three days to return. We have plenty of time to prepare." Gu Santong scratched his ear. "The teleportation arrays within fifty thousand li of Hengyue have all been destroyed. They'll have to fly back, and it'll exhaust them."

"In my view, fellow Daoists, please don't resort to killing." Hengtian Shangren looked around at Tianzong Laozu and Zhong Jiang.

"Of course not." Tianzong Laozu smiled. "We want peace more than anyone, but if your senior brothers insist on opposing us, then don't blame us for being ruthless."

"I understand." Hengtian Shangren inhaled deeply.

Though he was confident he could persuade the Hengyue elders, he knew one person would be impossible to sway: Tongxuan. After being fellow disciples for hundreds of years, he understood his senior brother all too well.

"Shishu, everything is in our hands." Yang Dingtian spoke up, his tone calm. "We'll seize power by force, and there will be blood and deaths, but I believe it's all worthwhile."

"Dingtian, you've changed a lot since coming back."

"Because I've truly come to understand the cruelty of the world's laws." Yang Dingtian's voice grew hoarse. "Live long enough, see enough life and death, and your heart turns cold. Those fallen senior brothers and disciples—someone must pay for their lives. When I face them, I won't show mercy; all I'll have is a bloodstained sword."