Two Realms: I Will Become the Immortal Emperor

Chapter 397: Chapter 368: Retracting the Banner

Without even a clap of thunder, large raindrops began to fall, pattering densely on Wangxian Ridge.

The rising dust was immediately suppressed.

But the fires did not diminish; instead, they blazed even more fiercely!

It wasn’t just Ye Yuanji; everyone from the Ye Race stared blankly at the young man standing between heaven and earth with his sword, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

”Go!”

After a brief moment of shock, the Ye clansmen snapped back to their senses.

They had survived a catastrophe. If not to flee, what were they waiting for?

This man had slain even a being like the Wangxian Monarch. Who could possibly be his match? As the Wangxian Monarch crashed to the ground, the Sealing that enveloped the area shattered like a mirror, riddled with cracks!

BOOM!

In an instant, the surviving members of the Ye Race roared and shrieked, fleeing toward the outskirts of Wangxian Ridge.

”Haha, you think you can escape from me? All of you will stay!”

Chen Che laughed heartily. With a sharp flick of his sleeve, the Sword Pill in his hand burst apart, unleashing countless Flying Swords that transformed into tens of thousands of sword gleams. The dome above Wangxian Ridge became like a night sky, from which innumerable streaks of light fell like meteors.

It was as if a vast Sword Rain had begun to fall upon the world!

SHLICK—

The Golden Core was dead, and seventy percent of the Foundation Establishment cultivators had fallen.

How could the Ye Race possibly withstand such an assault? The Cultivators in the air were instantly skewered by Flying Swords and nailed to the ground!

THUD! THUD! THUD!

The Flying Swords plunged heavily into the earth, riddling the landscape of Wangxian Ridge with shocking sword scars. Each one was several feet deep, humming as they stuck into the bedrock, surrounded by web-like cracks!

Blood slowly trickled down the blades, seeping into the fractured stone...

Before Ye Yuanji’s horrified eyes, Chen Che slowly lowered his head and said coldly:

”I said I would wash Wangxian Ridge in blood tonight, and I will see it done!”

”Kill!”

Having recovered from his shock, Meng Qianxun rose into the air, stepping on his Sword-Patterned Silver Flood Dragon. With his wide sleeves fluttering, his voice descended from above:

”Wash Wangxian Ridge in blood. Let no one escape.”

RUMBLE—

With a wave of his hand, he manifested his True Essence, and a massive Sealing once again covered the entirety of Wangxian Ridge.

Of course, this Barrier couldn’t trap a Golden Core, but it was more than enough to contain the remaining Qi Refining Cultivators.

”Kill!”

The still-stunned members of Jinyun Valley, the Meng Clan, and the Lu Clan snapped back to their senses.

They turned and charged at the remaining members of the Ye Clan.

”BLARGH—”

Ye Yuanji was already half-crippled. The death of the Wangxian Monarch had violently shaken his spirit, and now, seeing this scene unfold, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. When he looked up again, he saw Xiao Chan had closed in, piercing his body straight through with the Soul-Calling Banner.

”We can’t let this one live. Who knows what other hidden resources the Ye Race has? As their ancestor, he’s bound to be tight-lipped; we won’t get any useful information out of him. Soul Searching might not work either. Someone of his Realm definitely has protective measures. It’s better if I just absorb his Divine Soul into my Soul-Calling Banner!”

A Golden Core True Master’s Life Force is formidable, after all.

Even with his chest run through, he wasn’t dead. Hearing this, Ye Yuanji said frantically:

”You haven’t even asked! How do you know I won’t talk?”

’I absolutely cannot end up in that Soul-Calling Banner.’

Although he didn’t possess such a Magical Artifact himself, he’d heard from others that once a Soul entered it, its consciousness would be preserved, but it would be a Puppet for all eternity. As long as the Soul-Calling Banner was not destroyed, he would ”live” forever.

Cultivators may pursue long life, but no one wants to live on in such a state.

”Ye Yuanji, you’re at death’s door. What tricks are you still trying to pull?”

Meng Changtu frowned, raising his palm to strike him dead.

But Chen Che raised a hand, stopping his agitated father-in-law, and asked:

”What can you tell me?”

Ye Yuanji, unable to move, spat out mouthfuls of blood and said through gritted teeth:

”In Faqian City, it was Duobao who posted your name in the Slaughter Tower. He was the one who issued several decrees, all to create an opportunity for me. The plan was to wear you down so that I could be the one to kill you.”

Duobao...

Chen Che raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smirk on his face. ”I already know all of this.”

”Ye Yuanji is just a Tributor of the Primordial Sect. He has no access to its inner circle. This is probably all he knows.”

After sending his Sword-Patterned Silver Flood Dragon to hunt down the rest of the Ye Race, Meng Qianxun walked over and interjected:

”He doesn’t know much. There’s no way we’ll get any real secrets about the Primordial Sect from him. Anything he knows is probably worthless.”

Ye Yuanji looked at Chen Che and said through clenched teeth:

”That’s right, I don’t know everything, but I know a lot. Duobao is the most trusted figure by the Primordial Sect’s Sect Leader, even more so than Huang Shiwo. The Sect Leader uses Duobao to carry out a lot of the Sect’s dirty work.”

”Afterward, he’ll receive some symbolic punishment. This way, the Primordial Sect can preserve its reputation while also placating the public.”

”Including killing me?”

”No. This is a personal grudge between you and Duobao.”

Ye Yuanji shook his head. ”Duobao’s ancestor was the Celestial Divine True Master. Later, his family fell into decline, and their Cultivation Technique was lost. All that remained was a Divine Statue left by his ancestor, but even that was taken by Thousand Eyes. After Duobao became a powerful cultivator, he tried to get it back, but he not only failed, he was also injured!”

”Thousand Eyes later refined the item, so it was never recovered.”

?!

Hearing this, Chen Che glanced at Chen Xi.

A flicker of movement in Chen Xi’s eyes.

”The reason Thousand Eyes was alone all those years is because Duobao slaughtered all of his descendants. You once followed Thousand Eyes, so you’re considered part of his line. Duobao will never let you go. I have detailed information on Duobao. As long as you don’t put me in the Soul-Calling Banner, I’ll tell you everything!”

Everyone came to a sudden realization.

So it was a feud over a stolen treasure and a slaughtered family. No wonder Duobao was still relentless even after Thousand Eyes was dead.

This was indeed a rare secret.

Chen Che was genuinely interested. The man had followed Duobao for decades; he must know plenty of secrets. He walked up to Ye Yuanji.

”If you tell me everything without a single omission, I can promise not to put you in the Soul-Calling Banner.”

”Duobao reaped huge rewards in the Undersea Palace. He’ll definitely reach Golden Core Great Perfection within a hundred years. He has at least three hundred Magical Treasures, most of which are Tier Three Middle Grade, and a good number of Tier Three High Grade ones too!”

”However, the world thinks his most famous Magical Artifact is the ’Mystic Light Golden Bead Abacus,’ but in truth, he is a Sword Cultivator!”

”Decades ago, do you know why he was rounding up Casting Masters everywhere? It was to forge a Sword Pill...”

Ye Yuanji really did know a lot. While this information might not be a secret to the upper echelons of the Primordial Sect, for Chen Che’s group, it was extremely valuable. They wouldn’t be able to get into that circle without decades of effort.

The revelation that Duobao was a Sword Cultivator, in particular, was beyond anyone’s imagination.

This...

Nearby, Liang Yuan’s eyes turned red.

’It was Duobao who cut off my master’s arms.’

”Is there more?”

Chen Che asked.

”The Sect Leader’s current seclusion is for Nascent Soul Formation. By my estimate, he has at least an eighty percent chance of success. Oh, right, the Sect Leader also obtained a treasure from the Undersea Palace, but I don’t know what it is...”

”That’s everything I know about the Primordial Sect.”

”As for my Ye Clan, our biggest secret is the Wangxian Monarch. This demon’s bloodline originates from the ’Ba Snake,’ possessing the ability to devour the heavens. More importantly, it has lived for at least several thousand years, longer even than a Nascent Soul True Monarch. Its flesh and blood contain immense energy!”

”After the Primordial Sect was established, they came to search our clan’s lands. But the beast was suppressed by the ’Ancient Eight Gates Array,’ its aura concealed and undetectable, so they never found it. With its corpse, creating a few more Golden Cores would be more than possible!”

Hearing this, the crowd turned to look.

By now, the great battle on Wangxian Ridge had ceased. Only a few scattered skirmishes remained, and even those were the last gasps of a spent force.

Many people had already gathered around the Wangxian Monarch.

The Life Force of this Demon Python was far stronger than anyone had imagined. It was still breathing, its massive body still twitching. However, no one dared to get close, fearing it might suddenly lash out. They just stood there, pointing and murmuring.

Chen Che glanced over and immediately slapped his Yellow Gourd.

WHOOSH—

Before everyone’s shocked gazes, the severed, writhing remains of the Wangxian Monarch were instantly sucked into the Gourd. Only then did Chen Che turn back to Ye Yuanji.

”My Cave Mansion is located beneath the mountain ridge where the Wangxian Monarch lived. With this, you can enter unimpeded. It will also grant you access to the clan’s other secret areas.”

Ye Yuanji took a deep breath. His abdomen contracted, and he spat out a Cyan Treasure Bead.

Meng Qianxun took the Treasure Bead, examined it for a moment, and then tossed it to Meng Changhong:

”Take some men and check it out...”

Then, several people flew off toward a mountain ridge and returned in less than half an incense stick’s time.

The latter gave Meng Qianxun a slight nod.

”I’ve said everything I’m going to say. I ask you all to grant me death.”

Seeing this, Ye Yuanji spoke impatiently.

Chen Che shot him a sideways glance, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips. ”Fellow Daoist Ye, as a Tributor of the Primordial Sect, you must have left a Soul Token within the Sect. If you were to perish out here, I imagine the Primordial Sect would know in an instant, wouldn’t they?”

Hearing this, Ye Yuanji’s eyes bulged. His chest heaved, and he spat out another mouthful of foul blood.

”What do you mean?”

Meng Changtu didn’t understand.

Chen Che turned and explained to the others:

”Tributors are considered high-ranking members of the Primordial Sect. Each one leaves a Soul Token in the Sect. However, the Soul Tokens of the Primordial Sect do more than just record life and death; they can also transmit the final moments before death back to the Sect.”

”Which means, whoever delivers the killing blow will have to face the endless retaliation of the Primordial Sect!”

”You’re going back on your word?”

Ye Yuanji said, filled with resentment.

”You were the treacherous one first. Xiao Chan...”

Chen Che’s tone was ice-cold.

Xiao Chan let out a cold laugh. He already had a death feud with the Primordial Sect, so he was more than willing to take on this task. He drew out his Soul-Calling Banner and abruptly unfurled it.

WHUMP—

A hurricane of wind danced forth, and a black gale erupted from Ye Yuanji’s body.

He let out a bloodcurdling scream. First his clothes, hair, and nails, then his skin, muscles, bones, and internal organs—all of his flesh and blood was forcibly ripped from his body, from the outside in.

In the blink of an eye, his body became like a desiccated corpse, weathered for a hundred years.

Within the black wind, a faint, spectral figure could be seen struggling in agony.

”Chen Che!”

”I curse you! I curse you to eternal damnation...!”

With a final roar, he was swallowed by the Soul-Calling Banner, and his voice was cut short.