Hell Emperor.

Chapter 457 Ye Jie - The Road Ahead
In the thick fog, Nan Linghe could hardly see the direction he was heading. It was more like he was following his feelings than pointing the way.

Her feet turned into smoke and disappeared. The only thing she could rely on was the broad and strong back in front of her. She used her delicate arms to wrap around the neck of the man in front of her, remembering the promise he made in her heart.

"We must get out of the barrier. Brother Jie said that he would marry me after we rescue Xia Wei and reunite. How can I die here..."

With this thought in mind, Nan Linghe's previously evasive gaze has now become more determined, and he is determined to escape from the current predicament no matter what.

After walking for a long time, Ye Jie seemed to kick something under his feet, and he staggered and almost fell.

Nan Linghe cried out in surprise, and after Ye Jie stabilized himself, he looked towards the ground. The mist gradually dissipated, and he saw a cold, stiff corpse lying on the ground.

The corpse had a look of shock on his face, as if he was full of confusion before death, and had not yet figured out what had happened. There was only one fatal wound, located on his forehead. There was a small round hole on his forehead, and there were traces of forceful tearing around it. The blood had not yet coagulated, and it seemed that he had been killed not long ago.

This discovery frightened Nan Linghe greatly, and he shuddered all over:
"How could this happen... I must have taken the wrong path and led everyone into a trap, wuuuu..."

"Don't be afraid, tell me what you saw." Ye Jie said slowly.

"Someone died on this road... Judging from his attire, he must be a cultivator."

Nan Linghe didn't dare to look any further. He just glanced at him and quickly looked away. He recalled, "There are a few streaks of paint on his face. He looks very similar to the man riding the tiger just now. Who did this to him? Where is his soul?"

Listening to Nan Linghe's story, Ye Jie also made a judgment in his heart:
"Same outfit?... It seems that the deceased in front of us is also a member of the Demon Sect. As for the soul... Under the suppression of the Dharma Ending Formation, there is no chance for it to become a ghost."

Knowing this person's identity, Ye Jie asked again: "Is there anything else worth noting around him? Did you see his weapon?"

Nan Linghe shook his head and replied in a trembling voice: "I can't find his weapons, no matter swords or magic weapons, none of them."

Ye Jie took a deep breath. Although it was difficult to see, he analyzed it briefly and quickly came to the conclusion:
"It seems that this man's death was not an accident or the work of a wild animal, but was done by someone else. Only a human would take away all of his weapons and belongings after killing him."

After knowing what kind of enemy was ahead, Nan Linghe calmed down a little, and his face showed even more worry:
"Since someone died here, doesn't that mean the road ahead is extremely dangerous? I must have lost my good luck, which is why I led everyone into danger..."

Ye Jie smiled and said, "Who said that? The owner of the corpse seems to be the Demon Fairy in the Demon Sect. You allowed me to obtain the second Demon Fairy heart without any effort. This is clearly a manifestation of good luck. In my opinion, your fortune is on the rise now."

Nan Linghe blushed slightly when she heard Ye Jie's praise, and she wrapped her arms around him even tighter.

After discovering the danger, Ye Jie waited there, and the people connected by hemp ropes also arrived here one after another.

Seeing the corpses on the ground, everyone had different expressions, and they all felt an unusual sense of danger.

"Judging from the way this man was dressed, he had some accomplishments in the past, but he died in this foggy barrier." Hua Xiaomei shook her head.

Ren Changhong leaned over and dug out the magic fairy's heart. His eyes fell on the wound on his forehead and his expression changed slightly:

"From the appearance of his corpse, it is clear that he died after the Dharma Ending Formation was set up. He didn't even put up a fight... Who on earth could have delivered such a swift and fierce attack under the cover of the Dharma Ending Formation, leaving such a wound on his forehead?"

Ren Changhong was slightly startled. Just from the stunned look on the corpse's face, she could imagine what had happened. The enemy's attack was extremely fierce. In a flash, this fairly powerful fairy lost her life. If it had happened to the other people in the team, the result would probably be no different.

This discovery also made everyone feel heavy-hearted. No one knew if they continued to move forward, they would be attacked from the dark.

Shen Qingge pondered and said, "Could it be that Sister He took us the wrong way? If we continue on, I'm afraid it won't be so peaceful."

Su Miao swung the golden bell on her wrist, which made a crisp sound: "If that person can really display such strength under the formation of the end of the law, the future is quite dangerous."

Xie Xinyu took out the Si Nan. Under the cover of the Dharma Ending Formation, the effect of the Si Nan was greatly weakened, but it was still usable:
"Actually, I was just about to say that according to my divination, we should take another road, but Sister He chose this fork in the road. If we turn back, it will probably take a cup of tea."

Li Fei'e held the dim Youdie in his arms and said anxiously, "There is no time to change the route. No matter what lies ahead, we must keep moving forward. If we continue like this... Youdie will not be able to hold on."

Everyone argued endlessly and no one could come to a conclusion for a while. In the end, even Nan Linghe himself began to waver and started to doubt whether his guidance was correct.

During the dispute, everyone turned their eyes to Ye Jie at the same time. Only his words could convince everyone.

Ye Jie pondered for a moment. Now that most of his head was sunken, he couldn't see the surrounding scenery at all. It was very troublesome and it was difficult for him to make a clear judgment.

However, from the previous description of the corpse's injuries, Ye Jie undoubtedly heard something and quickly came up with an idea.

He bent down, put the Nanlinghe down, and handed it over to Ren Changhong and Li Fei'e, who were in good health, to take care of.

This change made Nan Linghe hang her head in disappointment, with a look of grievance. She thought that she had pointed the wrong way, which made Ye Jie unwilling to carry her anymore.

However, soon, Ye Jie's words made Nan Linghe feel relieved:
"We continue to move forward. I believe this is the right path, but before that, we still need some preparation."

As he spoke, Ye Jie untied the hemp rope on his body, and then asked his companions for a few things.

He asked Ren Changhong for the Frost Sword and hung it in a conspicuous place around his waist. Even under the suppression of the Dharma Ending Formation, the Frost Sword was still sharp and could be considered a rare sword. Then he asked Guazi for a jar of strong liquor brewed in the wine village and held it in his hand. He also asked Su Miao for a crisp golden bell and tied it at his feet. Finally, he asked Hua Xiaomei for the judge's tall hat and put it on his head to cover his head tightly.

"I will go ahead and you will follow me. If you hear me calling or the sound of the golden bell disappears, come here as soon as possible." Ye Jie said slowly.

Everyone was puzzled, only Hua Xiaomei guessed Ye Jie's purpose, and couldn't help but take a breath, and hurriedly persuaded:
"Otherwise, why not try another route? Why risk your life?"

Ye Jie shook his head and rejected her kindness: "There is no time to change the route. The pressure of the Dharma Ending Array is getting stronger and stronger. If it continues like this, I am afraid that all of us will be killed. Even if any one of us disappears, it is unacceptable. So let me go and try. You all act according to the sound of the golden bell."

Sensing Ye Jie's determination, Hua Xiaomei's face became solemn. She grabbed Ye Jie's collar tightly and tidied his clothes for him. Then she watched him disappear into the thick fog, swaying. Only the slight sound of the bell was still guiding the direction.

Li Fei'e blinked, looking confused: "What is he doing? Why did he leave alone first?"

Shen Qingge carried Nan Linghe on his back, thinking for a while, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face: "Could it be that he wanted to...but what if something went wrong?"

The anxious tone of the crowd made Nan Linghe feel uneasy. She didn't understand how Ye Jie was going to move forward. He couldn't even see the road clearly, but he still firmly believed in the direction she was pointing.

Nan Linghe's heart trembled, and his whole body began to struggle restlessly, making Shen Qingge feel helpless.

Just when Nan Linghe was at a loss, she suddenly felt a pat on her back. Turning back, she saw the woman in red veil who had come here and was comforting her gently.

At the end of the road, Ye Jie staggered, but because he couldn't see the road, his body was swaying and he could fall at any time.

In his arms, he was holding a jar of wine. Anyone who saw him would think he was a drunkard who couldn't even walk. However, the golden bells tied to his feet rang so loudly as he walked that it was difficult to ignore his presence even in the thick fog.

As he walked, Ye Jie did not conceal the sword at his waist. The sword body, which had been tempered for hundreds of times, was faintly visible at the edge of his clothes, and its power was extraordinary.

Ye Jie opened the jar of wine and took a big gulp. The crystal clear wine spilled in front of him, but he didn't care, leaving some tiny traces on the ground.

Ye Jie was not sure whether this move would succeed, but he chose to believe in Nan Linghe. Even if he could not see, even if he did not know the way forward, his belief would never waver.

I don’t know how far I have walked, but the road is still flat. Ye Jie keeps shaking his body, but he never falls down.

At this moment, Ye Jie took a step down and just stepped on a piece of dead branch on the ground, causing a popping sound.

The breaking of the dead branches seemed to have triggered some kind of signal. A fierce wind blew towards him, and before Ye Jie could come to his senses, he fell down completely and never moved again.

In the mist in the distance, a sturdy man was looming. He looked around with a vigilant look, holding a well-crafted weapon in both hands, a powerful crossbow.

The sturdy man walked quickly forward and soon came to the place where Ye Jie fell. With his knowledge of the powerful crossbow in the Tianji Sect, there was no possibility that the arrow would miss and it would definitely pierce the man's forehead.

Under the suppression of the Dharma Ending Formation, even if an immortal is here, he cannot exert any of his strength, and even the magic weapon has completely lost its power. Only the crossbow assembled purely by the power of the mechanism can still exert its full power.

After learning about the changes in Dongsheng Shenzhou, the strong man ambushed here and robbed and killed those who intended to cross the barrier. The once powerful immortals have now all become lambs on the chopping board. No matter what their realm is, they cannot withstand the power of the crossbow.

This time was no exception. He didn't know where the prey in front of him came from, but this drunkard was so drunk that he couldn't even walk and kept burping. This gave him the determination to take action.

The sword with a cold and sharp glow on the waist of the prey really made the strong man envious. He was practicing the art of machinery in the Tianji Sect and was in need of a large number of spirit stones. He would not refuse such top-grade magic weapons. Any magic weapon could be sold at the Qinglian Chamber of Commerce for a good price, which was much more profitable than the previous robbery and killing of the members of the Demon Sect.

He was just about to reach out and take the sword from the waist of his prey, but when his hand was halfway out, it was suddenly grabbed by another hand. That hand was like an unshakable vise, which contained so much power that he could not break free.

The sudden change shocked the strong man. How could someone survive being shot in the head by a crossbow arrow in the Dharma Ending Formation? Even if he was an immortal, he should have died.

Since the prey was still alive, the strong man's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and he decided to kill the prey while he was still alive. Even if the crossbow arrow failed to kill the prey, it would at least leave serious injuries to the prey.

The sturdy man immediately reached out, grabbed the crossbow arrow nailed in the man's hat, and pulled hard, pulling the entire black tall hat off.

The pull was not a big deal, but the situation under the hat really made the strong man dumbfounded. Then came a deep fear, and a storm surged in his heart.

However, under the tall hat, most of the man's head disappeared, and it was sunken in the middle. There was no forehead or nose, only a mouth and some intact ears. It could not be described as a human at all.

"You...what are you?"

This sudden incident frightened the strong man so much that he almost died. That was not what a human being should look like at all. Even the most terrifying ghost in the depths of a nightmare would be no more than this!
"I found it."

Ye Jie took a deep breath, thinking that it was worth it for him to put himself in danger and lure the enemy out of the darkness.

Taking advantage of the sturdy man's distraction, Ye Jie stretched out his hands, followed the direction of the sound, and grabbed the crossbow in the sturdy man's hand tightly. As long as he destroyed this powerful weapon, he would not have to worry about the rest.

"Leave far away!"

The sturdy man also noticed Ye Jie's intention, and he became frightened and kicked him away without caring what kind of ghost he was.

Ye Jie's vision was blocked, and he had no spiritual power to protect himself, so he fell into a disadvantage for a moment and was kicked away by the strong man. The strong man had already picked up the crossbow arrow and put it back on the crossbow.

"Whether you are a human or a ghost, just die!"

The sturdy man gritted his teeth and growled, and was about to shoot a crossbow arrow, but he saw a flash of cold light in front of him, and the crossbow was completely shattered. He looked around in panic, but saw that under the thick fog, one figure after another surrounded him from all sides, surrounding him and leaving no way to survive.

When he was panicking, a sharp sword pierced his chest from behind. Ren Changhong's cold face slowly appeared and killed him there.

(End of this chapter)