Chapter 704: Ding Huan

Ding Huan's Universe Pot was too fast, and the Divine Clan's territory was smaller than the Upper Divine Lands.

In less than a single day, the Universe Pot halted just outside the Ruoyue Divine Corner.

"Looks like these two got plenty of good stuff in Ruoyue Divine Corner—and they haven't left yet," Emperor Hou Hen glanced at Ruoyue Divine Corner.

Ding Huan retracted the Universe Pot: "They're not leaving because they're cultivating—clearly, there's something valuable inside Ruoyue Divine Corner."

Given the way those two Dao Court He Shen cultivators operate, they never leave survivors.

The space where Ruoyue Divine Corner stands now pulses with Dao resonance—this can only mean the two He Shen cultivators who wiped out Ruoyue Divine Corner are currently cultivating.

"Old Hou, you and Old Ji hold these two off while I set up a trapping array on the perimeter. Also, when the time comes, Old Ji, help Old Hou take out one first."

Ding Huan knew that even one-on-one, he wasn't necessarily afraid of a He Shen cultivator.

But if a He Shen cultivator wanted to flee, he'd likely struggle to stop them.

"You can count on me, Old Ji," Ji Luo knew Ding Huan's true strength—even without his help, Ding Huan wouldn't be easily killed.

"Master Huan, I'm coming too," Yi Jie landed beside Ji Luo—he was more familiar with Ji Luo.

Ding Huan retracted the Universe Pot and began setting up the trapping and killing divine array.

He was now a master of array arts capable of constructing Level Eight divine arrays; though Ruoyue Divine Corner wasn't small, it didn't take Ding Huan much time.

Though Ji Luo and Emperor Hou Hen didn't wish to immediately alert the two within Ruoyue Divine Corner, merely approaching slightly disturbed the two cultivating inside.

Both immediately ceased cultivation and landed outside Ruoyue Divine Corner.

They were somewhat surprised to see Emperor Hou Hen and Ji Luo approaching, yet ignored Yi Jie—the divine beast-blooded one.

It wasn't that they failed to recognize him; it was that a creature with Shan Gao bloodline wasn't even worth a glance.

Their surprise stemmed from recognizing Emperor Hou Hen as a He Shen cultivator.

Logically, whether Divine Clan or human, a He Shen should be impossible to birth in the Abandoned Lands.

Even if some veteran He Shen still existed, they wouldn't stroll about as casually as these two seemed to.

Emperor Hou Hen, seeing the two emerge, did not advance further but sized them up.

The man ahead had an extremely soft, sinister gaze, standing as if he might vanish at any moment.

He was likely late-stage He Shen.

Yet Emperor Hou Hen paid it no mind; though he'd only recently escaped confinement, his He Shen cultivation was now extremely stable.

In his eyes, all below a Holy Immortal were mere ants.

Even if he were only early-stage He Shen, his view wouldn't change.

He'd simply seen too many Holy Immortals—in his era, Holy Immortals weren't exactly everywhere, but you encountered one at random.

Even Saints and False Saints appeared every few days.

Back then, he aspired to be a Saint; Saints aspired to something beyond Saints.

Behind the soft-eyed cultivator stood another He Shen, his skin slightly dark, eyes perpetually half-lidded, making his thoughts impossible to discern.

His cultivation was slightly weaker—mid-stage He Shen.

"Are you human cultivators?" the soft-eyed cultivator suddenly spoke.

As Emperor Hou Hen and Ji Luo sized them up, they were sizing up Ji Luo and Emperor Hou Hen in return.

"Correct," Emperor Hou Hen nodded, with no hint of tension.

He didn't even generate hostility.

"Humans still have He Shen cultivators?" the other's tone held surprise.

The dark-skinned He Shen spoke coldly: "Since you're human cultivators, why are you here?"

Emperor Hou Hen laughed heartily, speaking gently: "We received an order from the Upper Envoy saying two of your lords were here dealing with these disobedient Divine Clan ants, so we hurried over to assist."

Upon hearing Emperor Hou Hen's words, the two Dao Court He Shen cultivators' expressions improved noticeably.

"I'm Sun Quan, this is Zhong Zhihe. We were ordered by the Dao Court to collect Divine Rice from the Divine Clan and humans. The Divine Clan refused to pay their Divine Rice, so we wiped them out."

"You're quite astute—you've spared humanity from annihilation. Since you've come here, surely you've gathered the Divine Rice already?"

The soft-eyed He Shen's demeanor clearly softened.

Emperor Hou Hen blinked: "Divine Rice? We haven't collected any—we heard the Upper Envoy said only two of you were here, so we rushed over immediately to help."

"If you need Divine Rice collected, I'll send word right away for others to gather it."

Almost as Emperor Hou Hen finished speaking, Sun Quan and Zhong Zhihe exchanged a glance, then simultaneously summoned their artifacts.

The two He Shen cultivators extended their domains, completely sealing the space where Emperor Hou Hen and Ji Luo stood.

Emperor Hou Hen and Ji Luo swiftly extended their own domains in response.

The domains clashed violently, sending crushing pressure through the air—Emperor Hou Hen's expression flickered slightly.

These two He Shen were vastly stronger than Shen Cuo.

His and Ji Luo's domains were utterly inadequate—mainly because Old Ji was pathetically weak.

Ding Huan's voice came just in time: "Old Hou, talk too much and you'll slip up—you talked too much."

Hearing Ding Huan's voice, Emperor Hou Hen relaxed—he knew Ding Huan had finished setting up the trapping and killing array.

He couldn't help but admire Ding Huan's skill internally.

How little time had passed—Ding Huan had already completed the array; the speed was incredible. He now understood his mistake: he'd assumed only two people from the Dao Court were here.

Clearly, the Dao Court had sent more than just the messenger and these two.

Emperor Hou Hen had assumed only two because he'd believed the Divine Clan fellow's words, subconsciously accepting that only two were present.

Hearing Ding Huan's voice, Sun Quan and Zhong Zhihe were both startled.

They'd never sensed Ding Huan at all—if he hadn't spoken, they'd never have noticed him.

Fortunately, they saw Ding Huan's Dao resonance was absent—he appeared to have low cultivation.

Though something felt off, Ding Huan's cultivation clearly couldn't reach He Shen level.

As long as their cultivation hasn't reached the Union God realm, they pose no threat to them.

It seems all the main combat power here is with Emperor Hou Hen.

Ding Huan saw Sun Quan preparing to act, and immediately spoke:

"Two fellow cultivators, may I ask two questions? Of course, I've brought the Divine Grain. Look—top-grade Divine Grain."

Please... Your Excellency... Collect _(!)

Saying this, Ding Huan extended his palm, where gleaming golden top-grade Divine Grain lay clearly.

"Ask." Zhong Zhihe's eyes lit up, replying swiftly.

He hadn't moved because he feared Ding Huan had reached the World God realm.

If Ding Huan had reached the World God realm, even if he killed Ding Huan, the chance to open Ding Huan's world would be slim.

"Two questions: First, how did you learn the Divine Clan possessed Divine Grain? Second, how did you cross from the Dao Court? Isn't there the Eternal God Abyss between you?"

Ding Huan asked calmly and slowly.

At the same time, he spread out his Deep Dao Poison laws.

Zhong Zhihe locked Ding Huan with his divine sense and said:

"The first question is a Dao Court secret—we don't know. The second: we crossed using the Qiankun Shuttle."

"To cross the Eternal God Abyss, you must possess a flying treasure of at least Primordial Realm quality; otherwise, you'll inevitably fall into the abyss."

"Since you don't know, then forget it." Ding Huan retracted the Divine Grain.

Almost the instant Ding Huan tried to retract the Divine Grain, Zhong Zhihe lunged at him.

When Zhong Zhihe moved, Sun Quan also activated his treasure.

Sun Quan summoned twelve Sha Coffin Nails, which locked down Emperor Hou Hen's space.

He would not let Emperor Hou Hen or Ji Luo have any chance to aid Ding Huan.

Ding Huan's cultivation was low; if Zhong Zhihe could kill Ding Huan immediately, perhaps he could shatter Ding Huan's world.

Ding Huan didn't move at all; his domain didn't even target Zhong Zhihe.

As Zhong Zhihe lunged, Ding Huan activated his confinement array.

In mere moments, he carved a Level Seven Confinement God Array on the spot using spatial array runes.

Zhong Zhihe lunged—essentially walking straight into Ding Huan's Confinement God Array.

If time permitted, he could have carved a Level Eight Confinement God Array.

But Ding Huan's tactic was to eliminate one first, then deal with the second, so he could only carve a Level Seven God Array rune for now.

Zhong Zhihe's treasure, fitting his surname, was a great bell.

Though he knew Ding Huan's cultivation was low, he still unleashed his full power, summoning his Shanhe Bell.

Yet when his Shanhe Bell struck empty air and the Dao rhythm exploded, he froze.

How is this possible?

Where is he?

Under his domain, Ding Huan couldn't even extend his own domain—how could he vanish so suddenly?

Under his Union God domain, even a God King couldn't escape—how did Ding Huan break free and disappear?

At the same moment, Emperor Hou Hen's Yiluo Net spread out.

The giant net ensnared the twelve Sha Coffin Nails.

But Sun Quan's domain was too strong; his divine energy and divine sense surpassed Emperor Hou Hen's.

After summoning the Yiluo Net, Emperor Hou Hen had no strength left to launch his Golden Brick.

Just as Emperor Hou Hen prepared to burn his essence blood, he suddenly felt the space grow lighter.

Not only did the spatial suppression over him vanish, but even Sun Quan's twelve Sha Coffin Nails slowed down.

Emperor Hou Hen, an old fox, knew instantly that Ding Huan had arrived.

He didn't know how Ding Huan did it, but if he missed this chance, he didn't deserve to be one of the Twelve Divine Emperors.

Another Yiluo Net shot out from Emperor Hou Hen, descending from Sun Quan's head, followed by Emperor Hou Hen's Golden Brick crashing down.

Ji Luo, sensing the domain suppression vanish, summoned his Golden Shears and slashed toward Sun Quan's waist.

Only Sun Quan's face turned pale.

His domain had clearly suppressed Emperor Hou Hen's spatial domain—yet somehow, Emperor Hou Hen's domain suddenly surged more than doubled.

At this moment, not only were his twelve Sha Coffin Nails bound by the opponent's domain, but even his own space grew thick and viscous.

He smelled the scent of death.

(Fellow cultivator, good night!)

(End of Chapter)