101: Chapter 99 Will Chu Ye Come?

Chu Ye walked out of the Moon Goddess Temple ruins and ran straight into a streak of light.

Empress.

She was still dressed in her black dragon-patterned imperial robe; the dragon claw scars on her shoulders had mostly healed, her imperial sword was sheathed, and her expression was solemn.

The moment she saw Chu Ye, she visibly breathed a sigh of relief, though she would never admit it was a "sigh of relief."

"Are Li Yue and Cold Moon inside?" she asked.

"Yeah. They just made a Breakthrough and need some time to consolidate." Chu Ye looked at her. "How did you find me?"

"The Dragon Clan is making a move." Empress didn't waste words and cut straight to the point. "Ao Yu suffered a loss and can't swallow his pride. He contacted the War Hall faction of the Myriad Dao Alliance and is gathering people at a certain Secret Realm on the third level of the Heavenly Road."

She paused, her phoenix eyes looking directly at Chu Ye.

"The target is you."

Chu Ye wasn't surprised.

"How many people?"

"On the Dragon Clan's side, besides Ao Yu, there are at least three other royal elites. As for the Myriad Dao Alliance's War Hall, Yu Hengzi hasn't voiced his stance, but the Personal Disciple of the War Hall's Vice Hall Master brought seven people to the meeting. Furthermore..."

Empress frowned slightly.

"The remnants of the Shadow Pavilion have also appeared. They don't dare to engage in a direct battle, but they've been hovering on the outskirts, seemingly waiting for an Opportunity."

Chu Ye was silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled.

"I just obtained a Legacy, and I happen to want to test it out."

Empress looked at him.

Chu Ye didn't explain.

He just looked up, gazing at the layered, boundless Secret Realms and the Void Realm deep within the Heavenly Road.

"They're on the third level? Which Secret Realm?"

"Azure Dragon Abyss."

"Good."

Chu Ye turned and took a step in that direction.

"Aren't we waiting for Li Yue and the others?" Empress asked.

"They will catch up once they finish refining the taiyin origin." Chu Ye didn't look back. "Accompany me for a trip first."

Empress didn't ask further.

She simply gripped her imperial sword and followed him in silence.

Streaks of light cut through the Void Realm as the two figures drifted away side by side.

In the distance, on the summit of a nameless mountain.

Xuan Ji stood alone atop a bluestone, her plain robes fluttering in the wind, her veil covering her face tightly.

In her palm, a faint trace of Sword Intent circulated slowly. It was the [Sword of Illumination] from the Sword Immortal's Legacy, currently reflecting the two streaks of light flying side by side in the distant Void Realm.

She watched for a long time.

Then, she withdrew the sword into her palm and turned to walk in another direction.

After a few steps, she stopped.

Her pale fingertips touched her cheek, pressing gently through the thin veil.

It was the spot where another person's fingertips had rested, just half an inch beneath.

Xuan Ji did not look back.

Her figure vanished into the lush green mountains, leaving only a faint sigh that was nearly scattered by the wind.

Azure Dragon Abyss.

Deep within the third level of the Heavenly Road, a thousand-mile-long rift stretched across the Void Realm, like the remains of an ancient dragon after its fall.

The cliffs on both sides of the rift were dark green, covered in naturally formed dragon-patterned Dao marks. The bottom of the canyon was dark and lightless, with only flickering golden Dragon Qi floating within like fireflies.

At this moment, directly above the mouth of the abyss, more than a dozen figures stood suspended in the Void Realm.

The leader wore a golden crown and brocade robes, with twin horns growing from his forehead. A draconic aura poured out from him without restraint, pressing down until the surrounding Spiritual Qi almost solidified.

It was none other than the Dragon Clan's Crown Prince, Ao Yu.

Behind him, three Dragon Clan royals held their positions, their auras deep. Further out, seven Cultivators in dark green Daoist robes were lined up in a formation, the hems of their robes embroidered with dark star patterns—the core members of the Myriad Dao Alliance's War Hall.

The leading young Daoist had a cold expression, carrying an ancient sword on his back sealed with layers of Talismans. The murderous intent surrounding him was completely at odds with the pure cultivation of a Daoist sect.

In the shadows even further out, several faint auras flickered like wandering souls. Remnants of the Shadow Pavilion.

They didn't dare approach, but they were unwilling to leave, like vultures smelling blood.

"Will Chu Ye come?"

A Dragon Clan royal asked in a low voice, his tone carrying suppressed impatience. "We've been waiting here for two days."

"He will come." Ao Yu stared at a certain spot in the Void Realm at the end of the rift, his voice low. "This man never avoids a battle."

"What if he doesn't come?"

"Then it proves that this so-called 'Rising Star of the Central Region' is nothing more than a coward who relies on the protection of women."

A cold arc curled at the corner of Ao Yu's lips. "When that time comes, we will find his women scattered in various places one by one and kill them until he—"

Before he could finish.

At the end of the rift, the Void Realm tore open silently.

Two figures stepped out side by side.

Chu Ye was dressed in black, his expression calm as if he were merely attending an ordinary meeting.

Empress stood by his side, her imperial sword already three inches out of its scabbard, with a faint dragon's roar echoing.

Ao Yu's pupils constricted slightly.

He had originally thought Chu Ye would bring his entire "harem army" out in full force to win by numbers, as that was the man's usual trick. He hadn't expected...

He only brought one person?

Chu Ye seemed to see his confusion, and the corners of his lips curled up. "If I waited for everyone to arrive before starting the feast, the host would inevitably grow anxious."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the dozen or so elites behind Ao Yu, his tone as flat as if he were stating the weather.

"Just this few of you?"

Ao Yu's face darkened.

"Arrogant." The Personal Disciple of the War Hall behind him spoke coldly, the ancient sword on his back beginning to hum.

"Do you think we are like those second-rate forces you ambushed with underhanded methods? Today, this place shall be your—"

He couldn't finish.

Not because Chu Ye made a move, but because—

An invisible, intangible, yet mountain-heavy Sword Intent slowly rose from Chu Ye.

It wasn't a sword of slaughter, nor a sword of sharpness. It had no offensive quality and didn't even point at anyone.

It just... existed.

Like a barrier.

Like a city wall.

Like a world, firmly protecting Chu Ye and Empress within it.

The seven people from the Myriad Dao Alliance simultaneously felt an indescribable sluggishness; their spiritual power still flowed smoothly, and their Divine Thoughts were still clear.

But that Sword Intent stood right there. It didn't block or counterattack, but it made any attempt to lock onto Chu Ye's vital points feel like hitting an invisible wall.

[Sword of Defense].

Realized by the Sword Immortal over ages, it did not excel in slaughter or dominate with sharpness.

Instead, it was a "Way of Protection" that transformed Sword Intent into barriers, Domains, and even a world.

Ao Yu's expression changed slightly.

He wasn't someone who couldn't recognize quality. Although that Sword Intent was not yet at Perfection and was even somewhat unrefined, its essence...

It was an ancient Legacy that directly pointed to the Origin of the Great Dao, enough to make any True Immortal covet it!

"You..." Ao Yu's voice sank. "Did you find an Opportunity on the Heavenly Road?"

Chu Ye did not answer.

He just turned his head and glanced at Empress.

That glance was light, not even really an "exchange of looks," just a simple gesture that needed no words. But Empress understood.

Her imperial sword was completely unsheathed.

The battle erupted in an instant, without any warning.

Ao Yu transformed into his golden dragon form. His hundred-zhang-long dragon body loomed over the Void Realm, and his dragon claws, carrying a sharpness capable of tearing through space, struck directly at Chu Ye's head!

The three Dragon Clan royals simultaneously deployed their battle formation, their draconic auras merging into a golden tsunami that crushed downward!

The seven members of the Myriad Dao Alliance performed hand Seals to form a formation. Starlight descended, transforming into seven sharp sword lights that sealed off all of Chu Ye's escape routes from different angles!