Hell Emperor.

Chapter 500 Tian Ming - Thinning
"Is this the Golden Phoebe King? It is indeed a famous sacred tree. Using it to make a coffin does not disgrace the status of the demon god."

Under the towering ancient trees, a man stood with his hands behind his back. He had a ferocious look on his face and half of his face was covered with snake-shaped tattoos, which made him look intimidating.

Behind him, a group of practitioners from the Tianji Sect knelt on the ground, looking timid and not daring to look directly at him. No one dared to resist. Those who resisted had already paid the price with their lives. The poisonous snakes with round bellies made this point clear to everyone.

"It's a pity that I don't know how to thin out trees, and I don't have the ability to cut down this golden nanmu king without losing its essence. After all, thinning out trees is just a small path. Instead of spending decades studying how to cut down trees, it's better to focus on the great ways of alchemy and talismans. Master Tianji, don't you agree?"

The man slowly turned around, his sharp eyes falling on a young man who was covered in blood and half-kneeling on the ground.

The young man gritted his teeth, regretting that he had no ability to defeat this man. The mechanical beasts he had painstakingly made had all been defeated one by one by the elder of the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave. No matter how ferocious the mechanical beasts looked, in the eyes of that elder, they were just like toys.

"Cut down the Golden Phoebe King, otherwise I will kill all the people in Tianji Sect and feed them to the snakes!"

Hearing the man's threat, the young man's eyes trembled, and his heart fell into deep torment. Finally, he sighed deeply: "Elder Mo Wen, I will chop down the Golden Silk Phoebe King, and I only ask you to release the others in Tianji Sect."

"Tian Ming, you are not allowed to do this! This golden nanmu king is the gate-guarding sacred tree of Tianji Sect, how can we give it to others? If he wants to kill it, let him kill it, but this golden nanmu king must not be chopped down!"

Behind Tian Ming, the Great Elder, who was seriously injured and dying and had no strength to fight anymore, was filled with rage. His body was covered with wounds from snake bites. The hideous wounds were shocking, but his expression was still resolute. He had already put life and death aside. He scolded loudly and refused to let Tian Ming cut down the tree no matter what.

"It seems you still don't understand the situation."

Elder Mo Wen grinned grimly, and a poisonous snake with red scales opened its mouth wide and bit the Great Elder's wound with its sharp fangs, making the already unhealed wound even worse. The Great Elder's face twitched in pain and he let out a wail.

Seeing this, Tian Ming couldn't bear it any longer, and said, "Stop! Don't hurt innocent people anymore! I will chop down the Phoebe King."

Hearing this, Elder Mo Wen smiled with satisfaction. He was waiting for Tian Ming to say this: "You are smart. This Golden Phoebe King and the Ten Thousand Snake Cave are for sure. No matter how unwilling you are, you will be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot in the end."

Tian Ming picked up the heavy axe that was shining with cold light. Even if he was unwilling, under the crushing of absolute strength, this was the only way left for him.

The elder's weak words of dissuasion still echoed in his ears: "Don't do this... This golden nanmu king was planted by Tianji Immortal Venerable. If you cut it down, Tianji Sect will perish..."

Tian Ming's expression was determined. He couldn't just watch his disciples being slaughtered by the enemy: "Even if the Golden Silk Phoebe King is gone, as long as the disciples of Tianji Sect are still there, Tianji Sect will not perish!"

After saying that, he swung the axe and chopped hard on the trunk of the golden nanmu king.

The axe fell, the tree trunk cracked, and crystal resin flowed down. In the eyes of the Tianji sect, the scene was like blood spilling from a wound. Many people could not bear it and sobbed softly.

Elder Mo Wen laughed loudly, his laughter was full of arrogance: "Very good... do it earlier, why suffer like this? With this golden nanmu king, I think the demon god will be satisfied!"

Tian Ming had a numb expression. The Phoebe King had brought a hundred years of protection to the Tianji Sect, but now he had to chop it down with his own hands. Even if he did this to save the rest of the people in the Tianji Sect, he still couldn't bear it.

The axe fell countless times, and the thick trunk began to tilt to one side. The moment the Nanmu King fell, it was like an overturned hill. The trunk hit the ground, and the sound of the collision was transmitted to the hearts of every disciple of the Tianji Sect, making them look sad.

Elder Mo Wen raised his hand and made a gesture, and the earth began to shake. A giant python hundreds of feet long broke out of the ground, shocking everyone in the Tianji Sect. It then swallowed the Phoebe King in one gulp, its stomach bulging out. Then it dived into the ground and disappeared.

The scene that seemed like a dragon awakening shocked everyone. Before the Tianji Sect disciples could come to their senses, they heard Elder Mo Wen speak slowly:
"Well, now that I have obtained the Golden Phoebe King, how should I deal with you?"

Tian Ming's expression changed slightly. "Disposal? Didn't you say before that if you took away the Queen of Golden Silk Nanmu, the disciples of Tianji Sect would be safe? Are you planning to break your promise?"

The corner of Elder Mo Wen's mouth rose, revealing a sinister sneer: "Naive! If I don't cut off the roots now, do you think you will come to me for revenge after you have cultivated to perfection? Your only fate is to be buried here and become food in my child's stomach. Go to hell!"

Tian Ming's face changed slightly, and before he could react, he saw several carefully raised red-refined venomous snakes rushing through Elder Mo Wen's sleeves. Each venomous snake was at a level no lower than the third level, which made Tian Ming feel hopeless and there was absolutely no possibility of survival.

In a trance, a familiar breath came from afar. The poisonous snakes that had just come with great force now looked like wilted eggplants. They all lay on the ground, not daring to move forward. Some even ran away.

"What……"

Seeing this, Elder Mo Wen was slightly stunned, with a hint of disbelief in his eyes. He was able to suppress the Three-transformation Red Refined Snake he released with just his aura. When did such a master appear in the Tianji Sect?

Looking up, he saw a figure in the distance, which made Elder Mo Wen's pupils shrink suddenly. His face was full of disbelief, and his legs were shaking uncontrollably.

The captured people from Tianji Sect also saw the figure in the distance and couldn't help but cheer:

"It's the Master of Ziwei Palace who has arrived!"

"Great, he must be here to help us!"

Tian Ming slowly turned around and saw Ye Jie's figure. With a bit of worry in his eyes, he reminded:

"Palace Master Ye, be careful. The elder of the Ten Thousand Snake Cave is incredibly powerful and has mastered the unpredictable Red Refining Poison. Ordinary immortals are no match for him. If you are not careful, you will pay a heavy price... If you really can't make it, you'd better run away. This is a grudge between the Tianji Sect. You don't have to risk your life here for us."

Feeling Tian Ming's kindness, Ye Jie smiled and his eyes fell on Elder Mo Wen who was looking horrified in the distance:
"I was wondering who it was. It turns out to be you, little bug. It seems that the lesson I taught you last time was not enough. You actually dared to attack Tianji Sect. It seems that this time, your life cannot be saved."

When these words were spoken, everyone in the Tianji Sect was shocked.

The Mo Wen elder of the Ten Thousand Snake Cave defeated the Tianji Sect's great elder in three moves, and his cultivation had reached a level that no one had ever seen before. Many disciples even doubted whether there was anyone in the world more powerful than the Mo Wen elder. They never expected to hear Ye Jie's words, as if the elder's strength was just like that, and he had even been defeated by Ye Jie. The actions of the Mo Wen elder also confirmed that what Ye Jie said was true. Seeing Ye Jie approaching, he subconsciously took a step back and said in a trembling voice:
"This is impossible... According to the information provided by the Ten Thousand Snake Cave, you are clearly in the Wanshou Kingdom, gambling with the Lishi Immortal Official! I came here to attack because I saw this opportunity, how could you get back so quickly? Could it be..."

At the end, Elder Mo Wen also felt angry: "Could it be that the information provided by the sect is false? Is there an elder who intends to harm me? Or, this was your plan from the beginning, and you released false information. In fact, you have been hiding here all this time just to lure the snake out of its hole?"

Upon hearing this, even Ye Jie felt a little surprised. He did not expect that Elder Mo Wen would reveal his whereabouts right away. He was indeed in Wanshou City just now, gambling with the Immortal Official Li Shi. Elder Mo Wen even calculated his whereabouts before launching the attack. As an old sect in Beijuluzhou, the Wanshe Cave’s intelligence network should not be underestimated.

However, Elder Mo Wen could never have expected that Ye Jie was accompanied by a thousand-year-old evil spirit like Hong Gaitou, and that moving an immortal thousands of miles away would be a piece of cake for her.

The sudden appearance of Ye Jie disrupted Elder Mo Wen's overall plan and even made him doubt the accuracy of the intelligence. At the same time, a very dangerous signal was spreading in Elder Mo Wen's heart. If he continued to stay here, death would be the only thing waiting for him.

"Anyway, I have got the Golden Phoebe King. My mission is complete, so I have to escape now!"

Elder Mo Wen was determined in his heart, and without hesitation, he soared into the sky and quickly fled into the distance. Having seen Ye Jie's strength, he knew that he was no match for him, and the only way to survive was to escape.

"Want to run?"

Ye Jie's eyes focused. Elder Mo Wen had hurt so many disciples of Tianji Sect, so of course he couldn't be let go.

The aura of the divine dragon suppressed Elder Mo Wen who flew to the sky and felt a huge force covering his head. It was as if he was carrying a mountain behind him. Every inch he flew required him to use up all his strength, and his escape speed was greatly reduced.

Elder Mo Wen caught a glimpse of Ye Jie chasing after him, and he made up his mind not to run away but to rush towards Ye Jie head on.

"So what if you kill me? With the secret method of the Teng Snake Riding the Mist, I can take over the bodies of other spirit snakes and be reborn. No matter how you try, you can't do anything to me in the end!"

After making up his mind, Elder Mo Wen also found a glimmer of hope for escape. The secret method of Teng Snake Riding the Mist was the reason why the people in the Ten Thousand Snakes Cave were so difficult to deal with. With this secret method, as long as the spirit snakes he raised were still there, there would never be a moment of true extinction.

As the distance got closer, Ye Jie's indifferent eyes also conveyed a bad signal to Elder Mo Wen. The way he looked at him was as if he was looking at a dead person.

"Something's wrong... He knows that I have mastered the secret method of the Soaring Snake Riding the Mist, so why would he look at me like that?"

Elder Mo Wen's heart was shocked. Before he could think clearly, Ye Jie's whisper came to his ear:
"Do you think this move can work on me twice? You were lucky last time, I let you escape. This time, there will be no such chance. Soul-Chasing Sword!"

The Soul-Chasing Sword is the fourth sword among the Thirteen Swords of Shura. Once this sword is struck, even if the soul escapes to the ends of the earth, it will be killed instantly, and there will be no possibility of rebirth through another body.

With Ren Changhong's guidance, Ye Jie also understood the usefulness of the Thirteen Swords of Shura. It was most appropriate for him to use the Soul-Chasing Sword at this moment.

The sword light penetrated his body, and Elder Mo Wen opened his eyes wide, feeling that the world in front of him was collapsing bit by bit. His soul did not leave his body, but instead shattered along with his immortal body. Endless darkness completely enveloped him.

The eight stitched pages vibrated, and an additional 56 million merits appeared in Ye Jie's file, which also meant that Elder Mo Wen's soul had completely perished.

As Elder Mo Wen fell, the people from the Tianji Sect behind him exclaimed in shock, unable to believe what they saw.

"That Mo Wen elder couldn't even take a single move from the Purple Star Palace Master..."

"How powerful has the Purple Star Palace Master become?"

"We won!"

Cheers broke out. Under the praise of everyone, Ye Jie wiped his hands and returned to Tian Ming.

"Palace Master Ye, this time it's all thanks to you. If you hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid the entire Tianji Sect would have been completely destroyed by that elder..."

Tian Ming smiled bitterly and expressed his heartfelt gratitude.

Ye Jie waved his hands, not boasting about his achievements: "It's just a small effort. Speaking of which, the enemy has been repelled and Tianjimen is safe. Why are you still unhappy?"

Tian Ming sighed: "Although Tianjimen is safe, the Golden Phoebe King has been taken away by the people in the Ten Thousand Snake Cave. Even if we get rid of Elder Mo Wen, the Golden Phoebe King will not be able to come back."

Ye Jie was silent. After all, he was still a step too slow and failed to save the Phoebe King.

Where a towering tree once stood, there is now only a flat stump left. The hearts of the people in the Tianji Sect seem to have disappeared along with the Nanmu King.

Ye Jie seemed to have thought of something, and said, "I heard that many ancient trees have the ability to sprout. Even if only the stump is left, as long as the root system has enough nutrients, it can grow again. This golden nanmu king is an extraordinary species, maybe one day it can still recover."

Tian Ming sighed, "Palace Master Ye, you don't know that an ordinary tree stump may be able to grow again, but the essence of the Golden Silk Phoebe King is all concentrated in the tree species formed on the branches and leaves. Only the tree species can make it revitalized. The remaining stump has no spirituality. Perhaps it will completely rot in a short time."

"Yeah……"

Ye Jie understood and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the Tianji Sect.

(End of this chapter)