Hell Emperor.

Chapter 615: Po Xun
A cold wind swept by, and an astonishing scene was unfolding.

The once renowned and supreme being of the Three Realms, Jiutian Yingyuan, lay on the ground, devoid of any life, yet a lingering warmth remained within his immortal body.

Meanwhile, Ye Jie's expression was solemn. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed what he had witnessed. Even he was no match for Jiu Tian Ying Yuan, who was being beaten back step by step, and he died at the hands of that mysterious woman without even being able to put up a fight.

The atmosphere was extremely tense. Just as beads of sweat appeared on Ye Jie's forehead, a burst of carefree laughter broke the silence:
"Who am I? I have many names, but here you can call me Mara."

“Marsh…”

Ye Jie took a deep breath. He remembered that before Yan Di died, he did mention that name. At that time, Ye Jie did not take it seriously, thinking that it was just the clamor of a loser. In addition, Ye Jie's skills had reached the Great Dao Realm, and he also stood at the top of the world. Of course, he would not be afraid of an enemy he had never met.

It wasn't until Ye Jie faced Bo Xun in person that he realized how terrifying she was. That power that surpassed heaven and earth, that arrogant disdain for all directions, were things that were not easily possessed.

Previously, Venerable Vimalakirti had also mentioned the name Mara. In his words, Mara was a being referred to as the Demon King. Only now did Ye Jie finally understand the meaning of this title.

Bo Xun snapped his fingers, and Jiu Tian Ying Yuan, who had just been lifeless, suddenly moved. He then got up in an unnatural posture, and the blue light beneath him quietly disappeared. Deep in his eyes, there was still a strong sense of lingering fear.

"What happened... My Dao Fruit has all dissipated. What exactly did you do to me?"

Recalling the deathly silence and icy cold he had just experienced, Jiutian Yingyuan's eyes trembled. At that moment, he felt as if he had truly entered annihilation, no longer able to sense any connection with the world.

"Shut up. You've already died once. I'm the one who woke you up and planted the seed of your soul. You're my slave now."

Mara spoke slowly, his voice conveying a sense of composure and undeniable authority.

Jiutian Yingyuan was furious and about to lash out, but the intense pain emanating from his body and the feeling of his body being torn apart made him clearly understand that if he dared to disobey the orders of the person in front of him, the consequences would be dire.

Not long ago, he was a powerful and influential immortal who roamed the Three Realms. Now, both his soul and body are under the control of Mara, and he has no freedom left. This change has left him dazed and unable to calm down for a long time.

Bo Xun averted his gaze, his starry eyes peering through the mask at Ye Jie, then suddenly his expression changed: "On your body..."

"what?"

Ye Jie was taken aback, but seeing that her expression had returned to normal, he continued:
"The Book of Life and Death is on you, and it seems you've already figured out how to use that strange book. How did you do that? Even I don't know how to use that strange book..."

After saying that, she slowly stepped forward. Under that terrifying pressure, Ye Jie was unable to move. Even running away became futile. He could only watch helplessly as Bo Xun approached and reached out his hand, preparing to take the Book of Life and Death.

"Ok?"

Just as he was about to get his hands on the Book of Life and Death, Mara suddenly paused, then looked warily into the distance, letting out a cold laugh: "You're lucky this time. I should go now. You keep that strange book safe. I'll come back for you."

Before Ye Jie could react, he saw Bo Xun engulfed in flames, his entire body seemingly melting into the fire, leaving only a few scattered ashes. Jiu Tian Ying Yuan also received the command, transforming into a bolt of lightning, his figure soaring into the sky and disappearing in the blink of an eye.

In a short moment, the two figures vanished without a trace. They came quickly and left even faster, leaving Ye Jie standing there, still not having recovered his senses, thinking that everything that had just happened was just his illusion.

"Damn it, she got away again!"

"It was so close..."

"How did she know we were coming? Who alerted us?"

The sounds coming from behind caught Ye Jie's attention. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw a group of people rushing towards him.

Those men wore short, tan robes that revealed their strong, muscular right arms, and their bald heads were completely hairless.

Among the crowd, Ye Jie also saw a familiar figure. The person had a pointed head and some unhealed wounds on his body. It was the Venerable Juzuyi whom he had rescued in Fulousha City.

Upon seeing this person, Ye Jie breathed a slight sigh of relief. If it weren't for the appearance of this group, which scared away the mighty Bo Xun, who knows what might have happened. Fortunately, he managed to keep the Book of Life and Death in his arms.

"Your Excellency arrived just in time. If it had been even a moment later, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Fortunately, no serious harm was caused," Ye Jie remarked.

Juzuyi looked serious, shook her head and sighed: "It's a pity that in the end we still failed and let the Demon King Bo Xun escape. This failure will definitely alert her, and it will probably be difficult to find such an opportunity again next time."

Ye Jie raised an eyebrow. It seemed that the group of Venerables in front of him had not come to save him, but to deal with Bo Xun. However, after sensing them, Ye Jie found that the strongest among them was only at the seventh level. In terms of cultivation level alone, they were not even as strong as a hair on the head of Jiu Tian Ying Yuan. He wondered what kind of methods they had that could frighten away the unfathomable Bo Xun.

"This trip was not a failure. Although we failed to capture Mara, we did manage to retrieve the sacred book that had been stolen by the thieves, so it was a worthwhile gain."

The one who said this was not the Venerable One with Perfect Wisdom, but the Venerable One who was at the head of the group.

Ye Jie stared intently and saw that the man's exposed skin was covered with countless dark blue lines. These were not formed naturally, but were forcibly pierced. Countless incantations were pierced on his body, completely enveloping him and adding a unique aura to him.

What is even more remarkable is his cultivation level. At first glance, he seems to have no cultivation at all, and his aura is not obvious. He seems to be an ordinary person who has never cultivated. However, his demeanor and power are something that no ordinary person can possess.

"A strange book? What are you talking about?"

Ye Jie narrowed his eyes and asked in return.

"Of course it's the Book of Life and Death in the Ksitigarbha Hall. That strange book is on you now. Hurry up and return it to us so that it can be returned to its rightful owner."

The venerable one at the head spoke slowly, his tone more like a command than a request.

“Interesting… So you’ve also come for the Book of Life and Death.”

Seeing this, Ye Jie understood the group's intentions, and his expression immediately darkened.

What a joke! The Book of Life and Death is a divine artifact he has been searching for. It was the same five hundred years ago as it was five hundred years later. Now that he has finally obtained it, how could he possibly give it to someone else?

"What? Do you intend to keep this extraordinary book for yourself?" the leading venerable one asked sternly. "Venerable Venerable, please wait. Let me speak to him."

Seeing the atmosphere in the arena becoming tense and on the verge of conflict, Venerable Juzuyi quickly spoke up, first persuading Venerable Xie in the distance, and then addressing Ye Jie:
"Although my benefactor saved me in Fulousha City, I still cannot back down on the matter of the Book of Life and Death. The Book of Life and Death is a miraculous book of the reincarnation of all beings. If it were lost, the entire Three Realms would fall into chaos. Although Venerable Xie's words were harsh, they were also true. This miraculous book must not fall into the hands of outsiders. I beg my benefactor to return the Book of Life and Death to us. After all, it belongs to the Ksitigarbha Hall."

Ye Jie slowly shook his head:

"You're wrong. A good bird chooses its tree, and a precious treasure chooses its master. The Ksitigarbha Palace was not qualified to protect it, which is why it fell into the hands of the Yama Emperor. Now it's mine! Anyone who dares to covet it is my enemy!"

Sensing the threat in Ye Jie's tone, Ju Zuyi sighed, "Could it be... really so?"

"It was your choice," Ye Jie said in a deep voice.

"Why waste words with him? Let us deal with him!"

"Set up a large formation, don't let him escape!"

Hearing the angry shouts of the Venerables beside him, Ye Jie sensed the impending danger and immediately struck first, letting out a fierce roar:
"Soul-Shattering Arrow - Piercing the Heart with a Thousand Arrows!"

As soon as he finished speaking, boundless black light suddenly burst forth from Ye Jie's palm. Within the black light, countless jet-black arrows shot out, densely packed and endless, almost completely filling the entire sky!

Once a Great Dao-level cultivation technique is activated, the power it displays is enough to be described as earth-shattering!

Caught off guard, the nearby Venerable One was pierced through by the Soul-Shattering Arrows, suffering countless attacks in an instant. In the end, his body was riddled with holes, and even his soul was shattered.

Amidst the rain of arrows, only the two remained unaffected.

One of them was Venerable Juzuyi. Considering that he would save him in the future, Ye Jie made the Soul-Breaking Arrow avoid him to ensure that he would not be harmed.

"Do not……"

The fall of one venerable one after another filled Jujuyi with immense pain, causing him to cry out in agony. On one side were his benefactors who had saved his life, and on the other were his comrades-in-arms in the temple who shared his hatred for the enemy. This turn of events truly filled him with immense grief.

The other person was the Venerable One in the distance. As the rain of arrows fell, everyone around him was riddled with arrows, but he remained calm. The Soul-Piercing Arrows, which were of the Great Dao level, could not harm him in the slightest. The rain of arrows, which was powerful enough to tear the sky apart, disappeared quietly beside him.

"He does have some skill after all, managing to block my Soul-Shattering Arrow. No wonder he scared off Mara."

Ye Jie frowned. Even now, he couldn't figure out what kind of technique the Venerable One had used to defend against the Great Dao level Soul-Breaking Arrow so perfectly.

Although Venerable Ming always maintained an unassuming demeanor, Ye Jie remained extremely wary of his transcendent and indifferent attitude towards worldly affairs.

Recalling Mara's decisive departure—the Book of Life and Death was within her grasp, yet she withdrew without hesitation—suffices to illustrate the point. Venerable Waki ​​must possess a power that even Mara fears!
"Mysterious Shadow Step: Fleeting Light and Shadow!"

Thinking of this, Ye Jie dared not hesitate. Bo Xun's actions were the best precedent. He immediately activated his movement technique and prepared to flee far away. Although he had not yet witnessed the methods of the Venerable One, fleeing might be the best option.

"Want to leave? It's not that easy!"

With a shout from the Venerable One, endless mysterious runes moved around his body. The characters pierced under his skin came to life and spread outwards, sealing Ye Jie inside as well.

As the runes bloomed, a sense of foreboding spread through Ye Jie's heart. The Xuan Ying Step, which was only halfway through its execution, was abruptly halted by that power, and Ye Jie also suffered a backlash, with a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"My immortal essence... what have you done?"

Ye Jie's face was filled with horror. When the runes descended, he was trapped inside them and completely lost control of the immortal energy within his body.

All the cultivation techniques of immortals, in the final analysis, are about the control and use of immortal energy. Immortals with higher realms can also use stronger immortal energy. However, at this moment, Ye Jie could not sense any trace of immortal energy in his body at all.

Losing one's immortal essence is a fatal blow to an immortal, as it means that all cultivation techniques cannot be used and one's cultivation level is completely lost.

Ye Jie was the same. When all his immortal energy was gone, he was no different from an ordinary mortal. He couldn't even ride the wind, and he would be out of breath after running a few steps.

The Venerable One approached slowly: "You harbored greed for the Book of Life and Death, that is your first sin. You flew into a rage over a mere disagreement and attacked the Venerable One in the hall, that is your second sin. You remained obstinate and unaware of your deluded thoughts, that is your third sin. Now come with me to the Ksitigarbha Hall for judgment, so that I may deliver you from this evil ghost!"

"Just you?"

Ye Jie's gaze darkened. It wasn't just him who had lost his immortal essence. Both Venerable Xie and Venerable Juzuyi, who was not far away, had lost their cultivation.

Although Ye Jie didn't know what he had done, everyone had lost their power and turned back into mortals, so Ye Jie wasn't afraid of him at all. He quickly retreated, thinking that as long as he could get out of the area blocked by the text, he would be safe.

However, as Ye Jie was running, his movements suddenly swayed, and he lost his balance, falling uncontrollably to the ground. Looking down, he saw that one of his legs had vanished into thin air, and his entire lower leg had become semi-transparent, with the trend continuing to spread. If left unchecked, his entire body would likely disappear completely.

"not good……"

Ye Jie's eyes trembled. The disappearance of his body did not bring him any pain. On the contrary, it seemed to happen naturally. All the abnormalities also gave him a sense of familiarity.

"This sign of disappearance... is the array of the end of Dharma!"

Ye Jie's pupils trembled, and he finally understood the source of the anomaly. It turned out that the profound incantation released by the Venerable was none other than the End-of-Dharma Array, which suppressed all immortal energy.

Within the Dharma-ending Array, even the most powerful immortals will completely lose their power and become no different from mortals. Demonic beasts will degenerate into mindless wild animals, magical treasures will become broken copper and scrap iron, and ghosts will completely disappear.

Unfortunately, Ye Jie is a ghost, which has caused quite a bit of trouble.

(End of this chapter)