Chapter 846: A Gluttonous Feast

"Where do you think you're going!"

Xue Qiong wouldn't let Ye Chen escape. He charged ahead, determined to capture or kill Ye Chen, seeing him as his only lifeline.

Since he had attacked, the other major commanders naturally followed suit. Behind them came the lieutenants, and behind the lieutenants, the vast army of Shixue Dian surged like a tide, causing the once-stable teleportation channel to rumble incessantly.

"Old man, I'm here!"

In the distance, Ye Chen's clone called out to his true self.

"Don't rush. Wait until they're all inside."

Ye Chen replied calmly.

"Got it."

Ye Chen's clone grinned and suddenly accelerated, moving as if he had activated some cheat.

"Stop right there!"

Xue Qiong roared in fury, burning his essence to chase faster. He had never seen anyone escape as swiftly as Ye Chen—it was unnaturally fast.

"You idiot, total fool."

As Ye Chen's clone fled, he couldn't resist taunting over his shoulder.

"Ah!"

Xue Qiong's eyes were bloodshot with rage, his mind clouded, oblivious to leading his army into a deadly trap.

"Dian Zhu!"

Though Xue Qiong had lost his senses, the other commanders were not fools and quickly caught up. "We can't keep chasing. This is a teleportation domain gate. If the space channel collapses, it'll be catastrophic."

Hearing this, Xue Qiong snapped back to his senses, a sense of impending doom washing over him.

"Retreat!"

He halted abruptly and issued the order. Failing the mission was already a grave offense, but losing the entire army would mean far worse than just losing his position as Dian Zhu.

"You're not getting away now that you're here?"

Seeing Xue Qiong and his forces retreating, Ye Chen's clone wheeled around and attacked, unleashing a barrage of techniques like "Wan Jian Chao Zong."

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

Rows of Shixue Dian soldiers fell instantly.

"Damn it!"

Xue Qiong's face twisted in rage, but he didn't dare stop.

"Ah, boring."

Ye Chen's clone abandoned the assault and shot toward Xue Qiong like a divine ray, his aura surging and his body expanding rapidly during the flight.

"He's going to self-destruct!"

One of the commanders shouted in alarm.

Xue Qiong's expression turned pale. A Zhun Tian Jing expert self-destructing in a space channel could shatter it completely.

"Come on, let's take a few down with me."

Ye Chen's clone charged straight at the commanders, his body swelling to its limit before exploding in an instant.

"Boom!"

The deafening blast echoed like thunder, shaking the entire space channel. Multiple sections fractured, and the commanders targeted by Ye Chen's clone were blasted apart, their blood and bones scattering. Some vaporized into mist on the spot. Though just a clone, it possessed Ye Chen's full power, making the explosion world-shaking.

"Bang! Boom! Crack!"

The space channel began to collapse, with spatial rifts tearing through it.

"Repair the space channel!"

Xue Qiong bellowed, slamming his palm to seal one of the raging rifts.

The Shixue Dian army included many experts in formations, and they unleashed their divine abilities to mend the breaking channel. As the saying goes, there's strength in numbers—thousands upon thousands working together actually stabilized it somewhat. Even so, several soldiers were sucked into the spatial rifts, their survival now a matter of fate.

"Retreat! Get out of the space channel now!"

Xue Qiong had no time for anything else; his priority was saving his army.

But as soon as he spoke, a leisurely voice echoed through the channel: "You've come this far—why the rush to leave?"

Xue Qiong whipped his head toward the direction of Ye Chen's true self, his face draining of color.

The voice from that end meant someone was at the teleportation domain gate's exit. If that person destroyed it, the entire channel would collapse in an instant.

"This feast of Taotie is just for you. I hope you're satisfied."

At the exit gate, Ye Chen smirked.

With those words, he swung his Ba Long Dao downward.

"Boom!"

The gate at the channel's end shattered under his strike.

"Boom!"

Another massive explosion followed, fracturing the space channel inch by inch. Despite the Shixue Dian experts' efforts with formations, they couldn't halt the collapse.

As the channel crumbled, spatial rifts erupted, swallowing entire groups of Shixue Dian soldiers.

"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"

The scene turned bloody. Spatial rifts were death traps; even Kong Ming Jing experts might not survive them, let alone those in Ling Xu Jing or Zhen Yang Jing.

"Ah!"

Xue Qiong roared madly. As a Zhun Tian Jing expert, he could protect himself, but what about his subordinates? He might save a few, but not the whole army—there were too many for even his vast abilities to shield.

He could only watch helplessly as his loyal forces were torn apart and turned to mist in the rifts.

"Bang! Boom! Bang! Boom!"

The channel's destruction caused massive vibrations in the void sky, accompanied by screams, roars, and wails, drawing crowds of onlookers.

"What... what's happening?"

Many people stared upward in shock, hearing the thunderous noise but seeing nothing, exchanging confused glances.

"Why does it sound so ominous? The sky is turning red. Is something terrible about to happen?"

"It must be a space channel collapsing," an astute elder cultivator narrowed his eyes. "And it seems there were a lot of people inside, judging by the scale."

"Pfft!"

No sooner had he spoken than the space ripped open, and a disheveled figure tumbled out—it was Xue Qiong, hair wild and unkempt.

Yet, no one else followed.

It wasn't that they couldn't escape; the spatial rifts had warped the space, so even exiting from the same point might lead to different places.

"Ah!"

Xue Qiong's furious roar pierced the clouds, shaking the heavens. He had been utterly defeated—his entire army decimated by one man. It was an unparalleled humiliation.

"Senior, do you see it clearly now?"

On the highest point of an ancient city, one of Ye Chen's clones turned to a nearby elder in purple robes.

That elder was none other than Zhen Yuan Zhenren from the ancient city of Chen Yuan in Beizhen Cangyuan.

"Why didn't you ask us for help?"

Zhen Yuan Zhenren took a deep breath.

"First, there wasn't enough time."

Ye Chen's clone explained slowly. "Second, even with Chen Yuan Ancient City's forces, we couldn't stand against the full army of Shixue Dian. Plus, there are the uncertain factors of Yuan Jia and Yin Yang Jia. Seeking your aid would only drag you into the flames."

"Did Haotian Shijia evacuate safely?"

"You can rest assured about that. I'll ensure they reach Nanchu safely."

Ye Chen's clone smiled faintly. "But you, Zhen Yuan Zhenren, should plan ahead. Beizhen Cangyuan isn't what it used to be. Take care of yourself, and while there's still time, leave this place. If you have nowhere to go, Tian Ting in Nanchu welcomes you."

With that, Ye Chen's clone handed over a map. "If you decide to leave, follow this route through the mortal realm. Tian Ting members will meet you there."

"Thank you, young friend."

"In that case, I'll take my leave."

Ye Chen's clone vanished in a puff of smoke.

As his clone disappeared, in a deep mountain, Ye Chen's true self opened his eyes.

Anyone who knew his full plan would marvel at his strategic brilliance, turning a losing game into a stunning counterattack.

He had sent that clone to Chen Yuan Ancient City long before visiting Haotian Shijia.

Chen Yuan Ancient City's foundations were extraordinarily deep, much like Dan City. They typically stayed out of wars, but with the current chaos in Beizhen Cangyuan, they couldn't remain neutral forever.

That was the key point, so Ye Chen dispatched a clone to persuade them, aiming to bring Chen Yuan Ancient City into Tian Ting.

The results proved his approach effective. At least, Chen Yuan Ancient City was disillusioned with Beizhen Cangyuan and, to preserve their legacy in these turbulent times, had few options besides joining Tian Ting in Nanchu.

"Yuan Jia, Yin Yang Jia, Shixue Dian—one day, I'll lead the Tian Ting army to flatten Beizhen Cangyuan."

Casting a final glance north, Ye Chen turned and vanished into the deep mountain.