Thinking that he had mostly recovered, and with Ye Chen's continued backing from the Xiandao Sect, he had already regained a good portion of his strength. He began to plan to replace Ye Chen directly and seize that treasure for himself.
He said calmly,
"Young people shouldn't be too greedy. Whether that thing is truly here is still uncertain. Go upstairs and take a look first. I'll conceal your aura—you won't be discovered for a short time."
"Thank you, Master!"
Ye Chen replied excitedly.
Fishing in troubled waters.
Picking up leftovers.
Stealing treasures.
These were all things he excelled at—especially playing the fisherman behind the scenes. Under the guidance of the teacher in his ring, he had already mastered this to perfection. Almost silently, he slipped toward the sixth floor.
Boom…
A violent explosion shook the entire sixth floor.
The floor trembled violently as a figure crashed into the Scripture Pavilion from outside. More accurately, he had been beaten into it. The Green Bull Demon Venerable's face was twisted in pain, filled with grief and fury.
He was a great demon who had roamed the Eastern Region for years. Even saints working together had been unable to kill him. Was he really going to fall here—killed by a group of juniors?
The humiliation burned.
If he'd had just a little more time, he could have devoured a few people to replenish his blood and qi and fight them to the death. But he was too weak now.
Hundreds of years ago, he had been severely injured and hid within the Yin Ruins to sleep and recover. He had slumbered for centuries, believing he would return to his peak when he awoke—yet instead he was beaten nearly to death as soon as he emerged.
Despair.
Rage.
Unwillingness.
His vicious nature surfaced completely.
"Gulp…"
Ye Chen stood frozen, mind buzzing. He couldn't understand how he'd come here just to scavenge for treasures—only to run into the true owner before even going upstairs.
"Hm?"
The Green Bull Demon Venerable also froze. He looked up at Ye Chen. Their expressions were equally strange.
Greed and killing intent rose in both hearts—along with a deep, instinctive dread.
For just a moment, the demon had sensed an inexplicable threat. Normally, such a feeling would mean nothing. But in his current, critically wounded state, even a slight danger could mean death.
"Was that… an illusion?"
He stared at Ye Chen.
A Venerable Realm cultivator.
Somehow sneaking into the Scripture Pavilion.
With that level of strength, he could kill him with a slap—even now. And yet, he had felt genuine danger just now.
Grinding his teeth and glancing toward the outside, he realized he had no time to think.
"Brat… you're lucky!"
Whoosh!
The Green Bull Demon Venerable abandoned his body, transforming into a soul and diving into Ye Chen's body—temporarily possessing him.
At the last moment, he chose to trust his instincts.
Earlier, he had underestimated Xiao Rongyu and been trapped, resulting in a joint assault by eight powerful figures. If he misjudged again here, he would truly die.
Yes, he could devour this boy's blood and qi and recover some strength—but it wasn't worth the risk.
It hadn't been easy to escape the siege.
As long as he returned to the Eastern Region and found his demonic cauldron, he could quickly recover to his peak. Then even Ninth-Level Human Emperors would be crushed like ants.
This change of thought led him to possess Ye Chen.
---
"Hm?"
Lu Nantian, Sect Master of the Zhenwu Sect, frowned as he stood in the air. The Green Bull Demon Venerable's resistance had exceeded expectations, and he himself had been injured in the melee.
He wasn't alone.
The Tianji Sect leader's whisk had been blasted nearly bald, and his blue-and-white robes were stained with blood. His weathered face showed deep fatigue.
Chu Yaoyao, leader of the Goddess Sect, also looked exhausted. Yet determination shone in her eyes.
"It won't last much longer. One more round will kill it."
"Mhm."
Several others nodded.
They took brief breaths to heal their injuries while preparing for the next assault.
Crack!
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a figure shot out from the Scripture Pavilion's exit.
Jiang Zhenshan of the Jiang family sneered.
"It seems the Green Bull Demon Venerable is doomed here!"
Bang!
He moved to strike.
The pupils of Qin Yu, leader of the Xiandao Sect, suddenly shrank. Seeing the familiar figure, he instinctively thrust his golden spear across Jiang Zhenshan's path.
"What are you doing?!"
Jiang Zhenshan roared angrily.
The Tianji Sect leader.
The Goddess Sect leader.
The Donglin Sect leader.
All their gazes turned cold.
"That's a disciple of my Xiandao Sect," Qin Yu said in a low voice, anger rising within him. If it were an ordinary disciple, so be it—but he knew Ye Chen well. A natural genius. Even the saints had high hopes for him as a future pillar of the sect. He couldn't die here.
"Hehehe…"
A strange laugh echoed from Ye Chen's body. The Green Bull Demon Venerable seemed to be speaking to him:
I didn't expect a little brat like you to have such backing. Looks like I won't need my backup plan. Many thanks.
Pop!
Ye Chen's face instantly turned pale. A large portion of his blood and qi was drained. A dark stream of light burst from his body and shot toward nearby geniuses who were still watching.
Buzz, buzz, buzz—
The demon possessed several people in succession. Even the masters of the six holy lands were caught off guard, unable to lock onto him. Then he turned into a streak of light and vanished from their sight.
Silence fell.
The atmosphere became suffocating.
Unspoken fury gathered in everyone's hearts. All eyes turned coldly toward Qin Yu of the Xiandao Sect—and toward Ye Chen.
If not for this brat, the Green Bull Demon Venerable would have died today. Now it was too late.
"He got away," muttered Dai Na, leader of the Shenxing Sect, her expression grim. They all knew how difficult the demon was to kill. If he escaped into the Eastern Region and performed blood sacrifices to recover, it could bring another disaster.
"Damn it!"
Several sect leaders stared at Ye Chen coldly. If this junior hadn't intruded into the Scripture Pavilion, none of this would have happened. If Qin Yu hadn't intervened, Jiang Zhenshan could have suppressed him—and the demon wouldn't have escaped.
Ye Chen slowly regained consciousness, his face ghastly pale. His body felt hollowed out. Most of his blood and qi were gone, and a remnant of demonic energy lingered inside him, constantly eroding his body.
"I…"
He tried to speak, only to see the powerful sect leaders of the Eastern Region staring down at him coldly. Even his own sect master, Qin Yu, looked at him without warmth.
At this moment, Qin Yu didn't even know that Old Monster Zhao had died because of Ye Chen. Otherwise, in his fury, he might have killed the boy with a single strike.