Chapter 545 555: The Great Battle Begins

Wen Qingye said to Ling Wei at his side, "Ling Wei, take your people and leave. We'll handle this."

"Alright, I'll go at once." Seeing the look on Wen Qingye's face, Ling Wei understood the gravity of the situation and replied without hesitation.

In the distance, countless black dots appeared, speeding toward them.

Gao Changtian said in astonishment, "They're here! Are they making their move this soon?"

Xia Qianhe frowned. "They have no choice but to be quick. If they wait for the Celestial Profound Sect to arrive, forget about slaughtering the surrounding small kingdoms—they won't even be able to escape themselves."

The moment Xia Qianhe finished speaking, a figure was already before them. He had snow-white hair and murky eyes, and was clad in black martial attire. His aura was completely contained, not a single trace leaking out.

This was none other than Ouyang, the Great Elder of the Heaven-Burying Sect.

Ouyang hovered alone, looking down on them as he boomed, "Xia Qianhe, you are correct. And that is why today, all of you will die."

Wuu Lie said coldly, "Ouyang, you think you can kill me with that worthless rabble from your Heaven-Burying Sect? When this old man was roaming the Eastern Profound Domain, your Heaven-Burying Sect was nothing but a second-rate demonic cult that everyone wanted to hunt down and destroy!"

"The world has changed. It's survival of the fittest; only the capable survive. Wuu Lie, you've grown old."

Suddenly, several figures drifted into view behind Ouyang. Their cultivation was exceedingly profound, and the one who had just spoken was a delicate-featured, bewitchingly handsome youth.

Everyone was stunned to see the bewitching youth, their expressions immediately turning grave.

Bai Xu stared, momentarily stunned. "Jiang Chou? What are you doing here?"

The bewitching youth gazed at the longsword in his hand and chuckled. "And why shouldn't it be me? You know my nature. I've spent my entire life on the path to power. I follow whoever can make me stronger."

Wuu Lie's eyes blazed with fury. "So what you mean is, you're with the Heaven-Burying Sect now. No need to be coy. Your Grandpa Wuu Lie isn't falling for that act!"

The Celestial Thunder Hall and the Heaven-Burying Sect shared a deep-seated enmity. Leaving aside the recent tragic deaths of outstanding disciples from the Hall, the two factions had long-standing, irreconcilable feuds of life and death.

Otherwise, the Celestial Thunder Hall would not have so staunchly supported the Celestial Profound Sect's call to exterminate the Heaven-Burying Sect, nor would Wuu Lie have rushed here upon hearing they were near.

Xia Qianhe moved to Wen Qingye's side and whispered, "That's Jiang Chou. Don't let his youth fool you; he's from the same generation as Bai Xu. When he was younger, he discovered the legacy of a Peak of Life and Death Realm Powerhouse. He never joined a Sect, but his power is immense. Most Sects are wary of him, and he's a renowned expert throughout the Eastern Profound Domain."

Wen Qingye nodded, his gaze sweeping over the enemy group. Most had black tattoos near their cuffs, marking them as experts from the Heaven-Burying Sect. One among them, however, was completely shrouded in a black robe. His cultivation wasn't the highest, but he exuded a faint, ice-cold, and ruthless aura. It was incredibly subtle, but Wen Qingye felt it.

'The Taiyi Heartless Dao. A man from Taiyi Pavilion.'

Wen Qingye's eyes grew cold. 'This man's cultivation is profound. I'm probably no match for him in a direct fight. If I want to kill him, it'll have to be a sneak attack. I'll have to wait for an opportunity to take him out instantly.'

Suddenly, the black-robed man extended a finger, pointing directly at Wen Qingye. In a low voice, he said, "Great Elder, the Wen Qingye you've been desperately searching for is right there."

The man's words struck like a thunderclap, echoing in everyone's ears.

In an instant, all eyes followed the direction of his finger, landing on Wen Qingye.

"So you are Wen Qingye?"

Ouyang stared at the black-clad youth before him, a boundless killing intent filling his gaze. A red glint became visible in his pupils as a frigid, unrestrained aura surged toward Wen Qingye.

'So strong!'

'Ouyang's power is truly immense!'

The experts from the Three Realms Sect, Flowing Cloud Sect, and Celestial Thunder Hall all trembled slightly, their gazes locking onto the Heaven-Burying Sect's Great Elder with extreme wariness.

"I am Wen Qingye."

Wen Qingye's eyes blazed like cold torches as he met Ouyang's gaze mid-air, showing not a single trace of fear.

Just then, Xia Qianhe abruptly moved to block Wen Qingye, leveling his Dragon-Sealing Spear at Ouyang. "Ouyang," he shouted, "today, let's have ourselves a proper match! I want to see just how powerful the Great Elder of the Heaven-Burying Sect truly is!"

"Today, whoever stands in my way of killing this boy dies."

A heaven-shattering, earth-splitting killing intent erupted from all directions, vast and surging.

A great battle was on the verge of erupting!

Jiang Chou looked at Bai Xu and said calmly, "Bai Xu, today you have no path to the heavens and no gate into the earth. You're trapped. For old times' sake, I'll allow you, and you alone, to leave."

Bai Xu smiled and shook her head. "Jiang Chou, you haven't changed at all. A person's life is about more than just themselves. That is something you will never understand."

"Brother Jiang, stop wasting your breath on them!"

In the distance, a dense, dark mass of Heaven-Burying Sect disciples arrived, their numbers overwhelming. These were people who normally hid among the common folk, but when the Sect called upon them, they were willing to sacrifice everything—even their lives.

Zhou Kongkong stepped forward with a savage look on his face. "The Essence Blood of experts is far more suitable for cultivating the Heavenly Burial Secret Scripture. Not a single one of them will escape today!"

High above, countless Heaven-Burying Sect experts looked down on Wen Qingye's group, a bloodthirsty glint in their eyes.

Bai Xu's brow furrowed. She murmured, "It looks like the Heaven-Burying Sect has mobilized almost everyone except their Sect Leader, Left Protector, and Saintess. They even dragged in a number of experts using the Taiyi Pavilion's banner as intimidation. The situation is looking grim."

Wuu Lie snorted. "Hmph. A bunch of mongrels. Let's just slaughter them all."

Boundless killing intent and fighting spirit soared into the clouds.

On one side stood the numerous experts from the Three Realms Sect, the Flowing Cloud Sect, and the Celestial Thunder Hall. On the other were the Heaven-Burying Sect and countless other masters who had pledged their allegiance to it.

The two factions faced each other in a tense standoff, the air thick with a soul-shaking killing intent.

"Xia Qianhe, I'll kill you first, and then I'll kill Wen Qingye!"

The Great Elder of the Heaven-Burying Sect roared, transforming into a piercing black streak of light as he shot directly toward Xia Qianhe at the forefront.

Xia Qianhe's brow tightened. He clenched his jaw, and with a flick of his Long Spear, a torrent of Primordial Qi surged outward like an ocean wave.

"Hah!"

Gripping the Long Spear with both hands, Xia Qianhe shot forward like a ferocious dragon, hurtling toward Ouyang.

RUMBLE!

The two blinding streams of light finally collided, like two meteorites smashing into one another. A violent shockwave of energy swept out in all directions.