Chapter 286: A Disappointing Fight and a Hidden Schemer

With Zhanye Ancestor dealt with, Ye Chen let the Heavenly Emperor War Chariot return to its dormant state. He was deeply satisfied with the chariot’s versatility—it could attack, defend, and do nearly anything. But it had its drawbacks. Activating even a single Vicious Ten spirit, even for a moment, consumed an immense amount of spiritual energy and vitality.

His vitality was manageable, constantly replenished by his Primordial Supreme Heart, allowing him to barely keep up. But his spiritual energy recovery, despite being astonishingly fast compared to others, simply couldn’t match the chariot’s demands. So, in peaceful times, it was best used as a mere ride.

Unleashing all the Vicious Ten spirits for a grand display? The cost was too steep.

Ye Chen shifted from standing to sitting, his gaze lazily drifting toward the silently retreating North Nether Sea. “Where’s Beiming Ancestor off to?”

Beiming Ancestor wasn’t dead. After his physical body was shattered, he had merged into the North Nether Sea, suppressing his aura to escape unnoticed. But Ye Chen had seen through it from the start.

At Ye Chen’s words, the North Nether Sea surged faster, fleeing in a rush.

Ye Chen’s expression remained unchanged. The small bell above his head swayed gently. A resounding chime echoed, and the world seemed to fall silent.

The seals left by Beiming and Zhanye Ancestors shattered under the bell’s toll, and the heavens and earth returned to normal. The North Nether Sea trembled violently, dissipating entirely under the chime’s force.

Beiming Ancestor’s figure reappeared, coughing up blood as he stared at Ye Chen in disbelief. His eyes held nothing but terror.

The Heavenly Emperor War Chariot. A successor of the Heavenly Emperor. How could such a figure exist in this world? Even Hua Yunfei, the top Holy Son of Heavenly Evolution Holy Land, likely wasn’t this terrifying at the Golden Core stage.

Beiming Ancestor gave up all resistance, resigned to his fate. He couldn’t flee, and he couldn’t fight. His natal spiritual treasure had been shattered by a single chime. What else was there but to await death?

Ye Chen, however, didn’t rush to finish him off. He sighed, almost bored. “You’re too weak.”

He hadn’t even used half his arsenal.

Beiming Ancestor’s mouth twitched.

Sorry for not entertaining you. Should I apologize? Maybe self-detonate to make amends?

But just as Ye Chen prepared to end him, his brow twitched. He glanced into the distant void, a smile spreading across his face. “So, he’s the one who sent you to kill me?”

Beiming Ancestor froze, following Ye Chen’s gaze but sensing nothing. Still, he nodded without hesitation. “Yes, it was him…”

The Great Chu Ancestor possessed a secret technique that allowed him to conceal himself so well that even a Deity Transformation expert might not detect him if they weren’t paying close attention. This was his trump card. But as he emerged from the void, intending to assess the situation, something felt off. The scene before him was nothing like he’d imagined.

He knew Ye Chen was extraordinary—his combat prowess far exceeded his cultivation level. But two early Nascent Soul cultivators were no pushovers. Beiming Ancestor’s North Nether Sea was notoriously difficult to handle, and Zhanye Ancestor’s sword was legendary. It was said that even a sliver of its drawn sword qi had once forced back a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.

In such a scenario, a battle between Ye Chen and these two should have been a fierce struggle, perhaps lasting days.

Yet, as the Great Chu Ancestor looked on from a distance, Zhanye Ancestor was nowhere to be seen. Only fragments of a broken sword lay scattered on the ground. The sword was shattered—Zhanye’s fate was obvious.

And Beiming Ancestor, whose refined Nether Water was feared by cultivators, was coughing up blood, looking like a man awaiting death.

What was going on?

The Great Chu Ancestor had deliberately arrived late to avoid revealing his presence, but the fight was already over?

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Ye Chen sat calmly on a golden war chariot, his face not brimming with the satisfaction of a hard-fought victory, but etched with the emptiness of fleeting amusement.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

The Great Chu Ancestor had traveled widely in his youth, seen countless battles, and built a reputation through caution and prudence. That caution had kept him alive. So, having just arrived, he decided to leave immediately.

As for avenging the Champion King? On second thought, it wasn’t worth the trouble. The dead were gone. The living had to move forward.

Let it go.

But just as he turned to slip away, his body froze.

Ye Chen, sitting on the chariot, was looking directly at him. The bored expression on his face shifted to one of keen interest.

What the hell?

Even a Deity Transformation expert might not spot him. How could Ye Chen see through his concealment? And why was he so excited?

Wipe that look off your face! I’m just passing by!

Realizing he’d been spotted, the Great Chu Ancestor debated his options: emerge gracefully, exchange pleasantries, and play it off, or bolt at full speed.

Then Ye Chen spoke. “So, this is the mastermind behind it all?”

Huh? Mastermind?

The Great Chu Ancestor was dumbfounded. He didn’t even know Beiming or Zhanye—hadn’t even crossed paths with them at a Nascent Soul trade gathering.

But what left him even more stunned was Beiming Ancestor’s response. The man glanced in his direction and nodded earnestly. “That’s him!”