Hell Emperor.

Chapter 614 Ye Jie - Shocking Change
High above the ground, Ye Jie took the direct hit of Jiu Tian Ying Yuan's Instant Thunder, but that did not mean the end; rather, it meant the real battle had officially begun!
Facing the Nine-Turn Immortal who stood at the pinnacle of heaven and earth, Ye Jie's expression was extremely tense. Even the slightest mistake in the battle could plunge him into an abyss of no return, from which he would never be able to recover.

The two fought from mid-air to the clouds, and then from the clouds to the universe. Wherever they passed, space shattered, the void vanished, light and shadow disappeared, and the Heavenly Dao ceased to exist.

In the midst of the fierce battle, Ye Jie fully unleashed the Daoist techniques he had just acquired, and various insights also emerged in his mind.

A life-or-death struggle with a Nine-Turn Immortal is both a tremendous crisis and a rare opportunity. Normally, there would be no chance to unleash one's full power and confront the strongest being in the world.

As if sensing Ye Jie's intentions, Jiutian Yingyuan flew into a rage: "You ant-like scum, you actually dared to test your skills against me! How could you possibly underestimate me? Die, Haotian Divine Tribulation!"

"not good……"

Ye Jie's heart trembled. The power of Haotian Divine Tribulation was far more intense than any of the previous moves. It was a move on the same level as Xuan Nu's Three Lives Soul Destruction Tribulation. Once it was unleashed, it was enough to annihilate all living beings. There was absolutely no way to withstand it head-on!

"Mystic Shadow Step - Melting Dust and Transforming into Shadow!"

Ye Jie moved in a flash. Once he used the Xuan Ying Step, a Dao-level technique, he could traverse mountains and rivers and travel through the universe with ease. With just one step, he could reach the ends of the earth. Wherever there was shadow that the light could not reach, Ye Jie could arrive instantly, truly deserving of the name of the Dao.

At this moment, Ye Jie's movements suddenly slowed down. Behind him, the Haotian Divine Tribulation was in hot pursuit. The distance between them was not widened at all, but instead they were getting closer and closer. The Divine Tribulation had its sights set on Ye Jie and was relentlessly pursuing him. Once locked onto by the Divine Tribulation, even if he escaped to the ends of the universe, it would be of no use!
"not good……"

Ye Jie's expression changed slightly. The divine tribulation also contained the Great Dao of Lightning. Even Ye Jie was powerless to break free from that inescapable force. In his haste, he could only use his internal energy to resist.

"The Bodhi Mind Method: The Immovable Wall!"

"Divine Dragon Transformation - Candle Dragon Breaks the Law!"

"Hundred Refinements Body - Indestructible Crystal Body!"

Ye Jie channeled his energy repeatedly, but the results were disappointing. The Immovable Wall was shattered, the Candle Dragon Eye was pierced by lightning, and even his indestructible Hundred Refined Glazed Body was smashed under the power of the Divine Tribulation. Ye Jie's body also lost its strength and fell from the sky.

"Still alive? You're lucky to be alive, but how are you going to withstand this attack? Five Elements Thunder Strike!"

Jiutian Yingyuan would not let him off so easily. Seeing that Ye Jie had lost the power to resist, he prepared his next move to completely destroy Ye Jie's soul.

Sensing the intense power rising from afar, Ye Jie coughed violently, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth; his condition was extremely poor.
"So it really is no use... The power of a Nine-Turn Immortal is truly invincible. Although I possess a cultivation technique at the Great Dao level, my own cultivation level is still too low. In battles between top experts, there can be no weaknesses. Once I clash with a true Nine-Turn Immortal, my disadvantages will be exposed without a doubt. With my current strength, it is indeed too much of a stretch to defeat a Nine-Turn Immortal."

Without a doubt, Jiutian Yingyuan was the strongest enemy Ye Jie had ever encountered. Every Nine-Turn Immortal had cultivated for countless years and was the strongest in the entire world. Although Ye Jie possessed techniques comparable to those of Nine-Turn Immortals, his weaker cultivation level made him vulnerable in battle, ultimately leading to his defeat.

However, Ye Jie would not sit idly by and wait for his death. Since the difference in strength was significant, the most important thing now was to consider how to save his life.

"Wait a minute, don't I have the Book of Life and Death? Moreover, it's the complete version of the Book of Life and Death. Although my strength is not as good as his, with the Book of Life and Death in hand, I may not necessarily lose!"

Ye Jie's eyes lit up. No one understood the power of the Book of Life and Death better than him. In addition to being able to modify Ye Jie's own file, the Book of Life and Death could also modify the files of other people!

Thinking of this, Ye Jie didn't hesitate and quickly flipped through the Book of Life and Death in his hand, and sure enough, he found the answer he needed:

[The Book of Life and Death Files:]

[Name: Wen Zhong (Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin of Thunder and Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable)]

[Rank: Early Stage of Nine Revolutions]

[Learned Techniques: Heavenly Divine Thunder (Great Dao), Vast Heavenly Tribulation (Great Dao), Instantaneous Thunder (Great Dao), Ten Directions Thunder (Great Dao), Chaotic Divine Thunder (Great Dao), Five Elements Thunder Strike (Great Dao), Earth-Shattering Thunder (Other Shore)...]

Lifespan: 79 million years

Looking at Jiutian Yingyuan's file, Ye Jie couldn't help but gasp.

No wonder Ye Jie couldn't defeat him. It turns out that all of his cultivation techniques were at the Great Dao level. As a renowned Nine-Turn Immortal, how could he not possess Great Dao level cultivation techniques? Combined with his Nine-Turn Realm cultivation, he was naturally beyond Ye Jie's ability to contend with.

Ye Jie turned his gaze and his eyes fell on the column of the martial arts techniques he had learned.

Without pen and ink, Ye Jie wiped his mouth and simply used his finger as a pen and his blood as ink, forcefully scribbling down the entire section on martial arts techniques, making it impossible to read a single complete character.

Jiutian Yingyuan, who was gathering his qi and circulating his energy, suddenly froze. His entire body became extremely uncoordinated, as if he had completely lost control of his immortal energy. He could only stare at Ye Jie with wide eyes, uttering an incredulous question:
"You...what did you do?"

Jiutian Yingyuan looked stunned. Just now, his mind went blank, as if he had forgotten something important. Upon closer inspection, he realized that he had forgotten all the cultivation techniques he had learned.

"This is impossible... Where did my cultivation technique go?"

Jiutian Yingyuan stared at Ye Jie with disbelief, his eyes filled with anger and questioning. He couldn't understand what kind of sorcery Ye Jie had used to make him forget all his cultivation techniques, techniques that he had honed day and night and would never forget even in his dreams, which was how he had ascended to the Great Dao.

Ye Jie smiled slowly. Without his cultivation technique, the Nine Heavens Yingyuan realm, though powerful, was nothing more than a tiger with its teeth pulled, no longer a threat, and completely devoid of its former vigor.

"With your strength, you could roam freely throughout the Three Realms, but you've met me today, so you're really unlucky!"

Jiutian Yingyuan was furious: "So what if you don't have the cultivation technique? With just my cultivation level, I can still crush you, you ant!"

Having said that, he charged forward again, but without the imposing and fierce power he had displayed when he transformed into lightning. Instead, he relied entirely on his cultivation to propel himself forward, his movements rough and reckless. Clearly, he was quite angered by Ye Jie and was determined to make Ye Jie pay the price.

"You've even lost your cultivation technique, yet you still won't back down? Fine, then let me see you off!"

Ye Jie's gaze darkened. Back in the Moon Palace, he had been threatened by Jiutian Yingyuan and even chased here. Now that he had finally gained the upper hand, he certainly wouldn't let him go so easily.

Facing the reckless Jiutian Yingyuan who relied on his cultivation, Ye Jie simply used the Xuan Ying Step slightly to avoid his attack.

After all, Jiutian Yingyuan possessed the cultivation of a ninth-level cultivator. If he were to unleash all of his immortal energy, Ye Jie would find it difficult to withstand, and might even be dragged down with him to their deaths. Given his furious expression, Ye Jie was genuinely afraid he might do such a thing. Ye Jie had no intention of dying here. He withdrew and retreated to a safe distance, then took out the Book of Life and Death, his gaze falling on the last line.

"If erasing the learned techniques can make him forget all of them, then if we erase his lifespan, wouldn't that make him die a violent death on the spot?"

After some thought, Ye Jie realized that it actually made some sense. He was still exploring what kind of earth-shattering power the complete Book of Life and Death contained. Without hesitation, he completely crossed out the "lifespan" column.

"Just die like this... huh?"

Ye Jie stared intently into the distance, where Jiutian Yingyuan was still standing there perfectly fine. He hadn't died a violent death, and there wasn't a single abnormality about him, as if nothing had happened.

"Is it malfunctioning? Or is there another reason..."

Ye Jie frowned in deep thought. Logically speaking, everything recorded in the Book of Life and Death would be reflected in reality, whether it was the cultivation techniques learned or lifespan.

Rather than believing the modification failed, Ye Jie preferred to believe there was another reason.

Thinking back carefully, not long ago, the Monkey King had crossed out the record of his lifespan, and he didn't die on the spot. Instead, he was still alive and kicking.

"It seems that cutting off one's lifespan will not cause a violent death, but will instead allow them to completely break free from the constraints of lifespan and become a transcendent being who has transcended the three realms..."

After some thought, Ye Jie understood the key point and showed a hint of enlightenment. It seemed that his understanding of the Book of Life and Death was still insufficient.

Just then, a strong gust of wind from the side interrupted Ye Jie's thoughts, forcing him to use his internal energy to defend himself. His entire body was sent flying more than a hundred feet away.

"What are you looking at? Who gave you permission to be distracted while fighting me?"

After regaining his footing, Ye Jie slowly raised his eyes. The one who launched the attack was none other than Jiutian Yingyuan.

Since the Book of Life and Death was useless, Ye Jie simply withdrew his gaze and slowly began to circulate his cultivation techniques at the Great Dao level, preparing to have a good showdown with Jiutian Yingyuan.

"Even without your cultivation technique, dealing with you will be a piece of cake for me!"

"Enough with the nonsense, I want to see how much strength you still have left."

The two faced each other from a distance, and an astonishing aura erupted from their center. If anyone were to be placed in that situation, they would likely be torn apart on the spot.

"Ah……"

Just as the two were about to engage in a fierce battle to the death, a woman's soft laughter came from afar, which suddenly attracted their attention.

"Who are you? Could it be that you've brought in your helpers to attack me?" Jiutian Yingyuan was on high alert and immediately questioned.

"Hmm? Who's here?"

Even Ye Jie was somewhat surprised. He and Jiu Tian Ying Yuan had fought all the way, and they had drifted away from the original Fu Lou Sha City by who knows how many miles. Logically speaking, they should have left the others behind long ago. How come there are still people here?
Moreover, if that person hadn't spoken up, Ye Jie wouldn't have even been able to sense the presence of others, which is enough to demonstrate that person's strength. If that person harbored malicious intentions and wanted to reap the benefits while Ye Jie and Jiutian Yingyuan were fighting to the death, that would be truly disastrous!
Following the sound, the person's appearance came into view. A black cloak cascaded down her back, each fold as sharp as a blade. Heavy black boots encased her legs, outlining full, rounded curves. She wore a mask, which was entirely red, and her face was fierce and menacing, like a vengeful ghost. At first glance, only red and black existed on her body.

"Who are you? Why are you lurking here so suspiciously?"

Jiutian Yingyuan roared in anger. Although he had forgotten all his martial arts techniques, the power he had accumulated over the years meant that he would never back down no matter who he faced. All evil spirits would be terrified in front of him.

"I'm not here to see you. I'll give you three breaths to get out of my sight."

The man spoke slowly, his tone clear and full of confidence.

Ye Jie was stunned. She wasn't looking for Jiutian Yingyuan, so could she be looking for him? Besides him and Jiutian Yingyuan, could there be anyone else here?
How could Jiutian Yingyuan tolerate this? As a ninth-rank immortal, he was always respected and flattered by all the immortals wherever he went. How could he be driven away like this, with his tail between his legs? Of course, he wouldn't let it go so easily.

"Shut up! Do you know who I am? How dare you speak to me like that! No matter who you are, you're dead now. Even if you hide at the ends of the earth, I will..."

"Quack."

Before Jiutian Yingyuan could finish speaking, the man counted on his fingers and said, "Three breaths have passed, your death is imminent."

As soon as he finished speaking, a strong sense of crisis enveloped Jiutian Yingyuan's heart. That crisis was far stronger than when he had fought Ye Jie before, and it seemed to be conveying a signal.

But then the man slowly raised his hand, opened his glove-covered palm, placed it near his mouth, pointed his fingertips at the Nine Heavens Origin, and slowly exhaled, his movements gentle and soothing.

Before Ye Jie could react to what had happened, he saw Jiutian Yingyuan's immortal body strike as if by lightning, falling backward in an unnatural posture, crashing to the ground, and losing all sign of life.

"This...this is impossible..."

This scene caused Ye Jie's pupils to shrink. Having fought to this point, he deeply understood the strength of Jiutian Yingyuan. Even if his cultivation technique was erased, his nine-stage realm still surpassed all living beings in the world, making him an existence that ordinary immortals could only dream of.

A Nine-Turn Immortal should stand at the pinnacle of the world, the strongest being of an era. Yet, at this moment, Jiutian Yingyuan perished here, without even the slightest resistance, dying silently. Even now, Ye Jie cannot discern what that person did or what kind of immortal technique he used.

However, Ye Jie knew one thing: this person's strength far surpassed his own. Even Jiutian Yingyuan had died at her hands. Her realm was probably far beyond the early stage of the Ninth Revolution, making her an existence that he could not contend with. If he acted rashly, he would likely only face death.

"Who...who are you? When did such a terrifying immortal come into existence?"

Ye Jie suppressed the shock in his heart and spoke in a trembling tone. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but he could see a hint of a carefree smile in the pair of bright, star-like eyes that looked like an inverted Milky Way beneath the mask.

(End of this chapter)