Chapter 359

Chapter 359: Breaking the Tribulation, Fragrant Fire

"Since you, Daoist friend, were so confident, we dared not refuse respectfully."

Ancestor of the Ji Clan had a thought, and two immortal swords appeared in his hands, one yin and one yang. He attained the Dao through swordsmanship, and his achievements in the yin and yang Great Dao and the Great Dao of Tai Chi were extremely high. Seeing that the Ancestor of the Ji Clan was being overwhelmed, he did not hold back.

"I too shall test this upstart."

Ancestor Tian Wu laughed heartily, his body swelling like a deity or demon, transforming into a ten-thousand-zhang divine being. His life force was as vast as rivers and seas. With a thunderous blast, he charged forward at Ye Xu.

The three Immortal Kings also activated their Immortal King treasures and attacked Ye Xu.

"Pah!"

The Ancestor of the Ji Clan crawled out from the depths, spitting out a mouthful of mud. As he looked at Ye Xu, a glimmer of dread surfaced in his eyes.

"Now, you taste it too."

The Ancestor of the Ji Clan said bitterly.

His Indestructible Dao had been entirely suppressed by the merit power from beginning to end. He had never been so humiliated before. That force seemed to transcend the Heavenly Dao of the universe, falling outside the rules.

Boom! Bang! Crash!

Ancestor of the Ji Clan, Ancestor Tian Wu, and the three Immortal Kings joined forces. Heaven and earth overturned; stars and moons lost their light. The defensive formation of Tian Jiao Divine City teetered dangerously under the terrifying pressure.

Ye Xu frowned. He could not let those five old men breach the formation.

Otherwise, countless beings would perish in this tribulation.

"Domain of Creation!"

Ye Xu exerted his domain of the Great Dao, and the domain of Creation enveloped Tian Jiao Divine City, instantly transporting the entire city to the depths of Time and Space. His figure flashed, evading the yin-yang dual swords of Ancestor of the Ji Clan and dodging the earth-shattering punch of Ancestor Tian Wu.

The next moment, Ye Xu appeared facing a mid-level Immortal King.

"Break Techniques!"

Ye Xu swung his sword, the power of the Path of Oblivion reaching its utmost. Ten thousand ways ceased; all divine arts vanished. Instantly, he shattered that Immortal King’s divine art and chopped off his head.

Merit power poured in frenziedly, forming golden rings that locked down that Immortal King’s strength, preventing his head from regenerating and causing his power to drop sharply.

However, the Immortal King’s vitality was immensely stubborn and difficult to extinguish.

Even with his head severed, he still pulsed with vigorous life force.

Of course, Ye Xu had no wish to kill anyone.

Clang!

Ancestor of the Ji Clan locked onto Ye Xu’s position, swung his dual swords, and as yin and yang converged, they resembled a giant pair of scissors that cleaved apart heaven and earth, destroyed the Great Dao of Creation, pierced the domain of Creation, and shot straight towards Ye Xu’s head.

"This divine art is quite intriguing," Ye Xu said with a slight smile. "But it remains somewhat weak."

Bam!

He shot out a fist, the Imprint of Creation condensing, endlessly renewing and cycling through all phenomena, clearly bearing a hint of the Reincarnation Dao. His punch smashed against the dual swords.

Smash!

The immortal light of the Great Dao exploded. Ye Xu’s punch shattered Ancestor of the Ji Clan’s divine art. Activating his Immortal Golden Body, golden light swirled in his eyes, transforming into two sword auras that slashed into Ancestor of the Ji Clan’s Purple Palace.

"Ah!" Ancestor of the Ji Clan screamed, his aura dwindling fast as he stumbled back.

"Ancestor Ji!" Ancestor Tian Wu exclaimed in shock. Among their group of six, the Ji Clan Ancestor was the most powerful, yet even he had been wounded by Ye Xu in their first exchange. Ye Xu’s strength was truly unfathomable.

"It’s your turn now." After crippling the Ji Clan Ancestor with one blow, Ye Xu charged toward Ancestor Tian Wu.

"Enough, I quit!"

The Ji Clan Ancestor withdrew from the battlefield, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes. With his level of power, how could he be so easily gravely wounded?

All that had occurred before was merely an act.

Having witnessed Ye Xu’s power, the Ji Clan Ancestor completely discarded any thoughts of resistance. One Ye Xu alone already pushed them to their limits, let alone the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion that loomed above countless realms?

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ye Xu’s physical form swelled violently, transforming into a ten-thousand-foot golden figure. Symbols of merit swirled around his entire body. Every movement he made harnessed the collective destiny of all living beings, converging the grand momentum of the world into a single punch that shattered Ancestor Tian Wu into fragments.

The eyelids of the remaining two Immortal Kings twitched violently.

The headless Immortal King channeled his spiritual power; his navel transformed into an eye, gazing upon this terrifying scene with visible fear.

They could not comprehend how Ye Xu, only at the early stage of the Immortal King realm, could possess such overwhelming strength.

A light smile touched Ye Xu’s lips.

"Dear friends," he addressed the remaining two, "do you still wish to proceed?"

Upon breaking through to the Immortal King realm, Ye Xu’s Great Dao of creation had undergone a metamorphosis, truly becoming indestructible. Combined with his Immortal Golden Body, he found no rivals within the Immortal King realm.

One must understand that the Creation Heart Sutra and the Immortal Golden Body he mastered were methods that surpassed ordinary classifications.

Possessing two top-tier methods and an arsenal of magical treasures, if he couldn’t utterly dominate six Immortal Kings, it would have been pointless to create this new identity.

The two Immortal Kings shook their heads repeatedly.

The higher-ups of the Tian Jiao Divine Clan looked on, their expressions numb.

They were utterly unable to find a word sufficient to describe Ye Xu at this moment.

"Young friend, with youth on your side, you possess such formidable strength. I find myself greatly inferior," Ancestor Tian Wu said bitterly as the fragments of his body reassembled, coalescing back into his normal size.

"Had we known it would be like this, we would never have invited such hardship upon ourselves," the Ji Clan Ancestor sighed.

The Ji Clan Ancestor smiled slyly in secret, glad these old fools finally tasted defeat.

Ye Xu pursed his lips lightly. His gaze swept over the Six Immortal Kings as he spoke in a tone laced with amusement. "You are mistaken, dear friends. I instructed Ji Hanshan to return and inform you. You should have clearly understood my identity."

"The absence of Meng Huangliang is proof enough of this."

"Ahem…"

Ye Xu naming this matter outright left the six feeling utterly ashamed and wishing for the earth to swallow them whole.

"Ahem, cough…" The Ji Clan Ancestor, possessing the thickest skin, chuckled dryly. "We merely wished to witness the bearing of a Heaven’s Secret Pavilion disciple firsthand. Seeing you today, it was indeed truly astonishing, leaving us utterly outmatched."

"A disciple of the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion?"

Hearing the Ji Clan Ancestor’s words, the Ancestor of the Tian Jiao Divine Clan’s eyes suddenly blazed with intense light.

Could it be… this Senior Ye belongs to the Heaven’s Secret Pavilion?

No wonder it’s so mysterious, so formidable.

"Friend Ye, we admit defeat," the Ancestor of the Ji Clan said solemnly. "We will not touch the Tian Jiao Divine City even in the slightest. May we leave now?"

"Who said you could leave?"

Ye Xu’s voice turned cold.

The Six Immortal Kings’ pupils shrank, their expressions turning grave.

"The six of you are stubbornly set on besieging the Tian Jiao Divine City. Had my skills been lacking, wouldn’t you have ground me to dust?" Ye Xu retorted icily.

"…"

The Six Immortal Kings inwardly cried injustice.

The Ancestor of the Ji Clan silently cursed, If you possess only ‘a little skill,’ wouldn’t I be utterly incompetent?

"Not in the least!"

The Ancestor of the Ji Clan responded awkwardly, "Even if we were capable of defeating you, we would never dare threaten your life."

Ye Xu chuckled.

He believed that.

"Calm yourselves. I will not end your lives," Ye Xu stated evenly. "But from this moment forth, all ancient divine clans of the Yuan Realm are forbidden from waging war in the Azure Realm. This order comes from me personally—it has nothing to do with Heaven’s Secret Pavilion."

"If you refuse to comply, we may resolve this through battle once more."

"No, no, no…"

The Six Immortal Kings hastily refused. Having suffered a costly defeat, none were foolish enough to face him again.

"Effective immediately, you will lead your ancient divine clans out of the Azure Realm. Any lingering in the western part of this realm is forbidden." Ye Xu’s gaze sharpened like a drawn sword. "Should you disobey, you know the consequences."

"This…"

The Ancestor of the Ji Clan hesitated, gritting his teeth before speaking. "Sir, our foremost purpose in entering the Azure Realm is the legendary Void Tomb. Demanding our withdrawal would force us to abandon it. This demand… we simply cannot comply with."

Not just him, a flicker of anger also surfaced on the faces of the five other Immortal Kings.

Ye Xu seemed unperturbed.

"You may re-enter the Azure Realm when the Void Tomb awakens."

"However, not a single inhabitant of this realm is to suffer your disruption."

"We are in agreement!"

All six Immortal Kings visibly relaxed—this condition they could accept.

"Withdraw the forces," ordered the Ancestor of the Ji Clan, gesturing broadly.

Ji Hanshan promptly organized the troops to depart.

"Farewell for now, Sir Ye. Till we meet again."

The Six Immortal Kings clasped their hands in a salute before departing.

Ye Xu gave a slight nod.

Within moments, the fleet of starships flew beyond his sight toward the world barrier.

The six Immortal Kings vanished into streaks of light themselves.

"On behalf of the Tian Jiao Divine Clan and all residents of the Tian Jiao Divine City, this humble one expresses the deepest gratitude for your boundless grace, Sir Ye."

The crisis resolved, the Ancestor of the Tian Jiao Divine Clan knelt alongside his senior members, bowing deeply in reverence.

"Rise,"

Ye Xu said, raising his hands slightly. They stood as though guided by an invisible force.

"Govern this city well,” he instructed.

"This humble servant will prove worthy of your trust,"

the Ancestor of the Tian Jiao Divine Clan declared with resounding conviction.

"Order that statues be erected of Sir Ye throughout the Tian Jiao Divine City, that life temples be built in his honor, and that he receive the worship by countless people."

"As you command."

The Chief of the Tian Jiao Divine Clan left immediately to execute the decree.

Ye Xu’s brows furrowed slightly.

Receiving the sacrifice and devotion of multitudes—I wonder if this nourishes my cultivation of merit?

He wondered inwardly, recalling that sacrifice could indeed transform into merit-power.

After all, only those with contributions to the people and the nation deserved such homage.

If it truly works… this could become a novel path indeed.