Hell Emperor.

Chapter 616 Ye Jie - Desperate Counterattack
When the Venerable One reached Ye Jie, half of Ye Jie's body, starting from his feet, had completely disappeared, leaving only his upper body intact.

"The End-of-Dharma Formation is indeed extraordinary... I never imagined that the Venerable One would possess such power. Now I understand why even Mara was frightened away beforehand."

Ye Jie sighed, his words filled with regret. Although his cultivation technique had reached the realm of the Great Dao, as the saying goes, one thing subdues another. In the face of the End of Dharma Formation, even he could not make any waves.

"Hand over the Book of Life and Death," Venerable Hussein said slowly.

"Wait a minute, I have another question."

Ye Jie took a deep breath and asked the question that had been puzzling him the most: "Since you can set up the End-of-Dharma Array, and even Mara avoids it, why did you lose the Book of Life and Death? Could it be that you don't want to contribute?"

After hearing Ye Jie's question, Venerable Xie sighed, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes:

"It was not Mara himself who took the Book of Life and Death from the Ksitigarbha Palace, but His Majesty Yama. He controls the human army of the Kushan Kingdom. Even if the End of Dharma Formation is activated and everyone loses their immortal essence, the people in the palace cannot stop his army."

From afar, Juzuyi also came over and sighed, "If Venerable Xi hadn't been taken away in advance, I'm afraid his fate would have been the same as the other Venerables in the hall, dying at the hands of Yama's army."

Ye Jie was stunned. He never expected that the battle between immortals would ultimately be decided by the armies of the mortal world. It seemed that although the End-of-Dharma Formation was powerful, it was also a double-edged sword.

Under the Array of the End of Dharma, Venerable Wuzun and his group had no advantage whatsoever. If they were injured, they would die just the same. Restricting the enemy was also the greatest restriction on themselves.

Upon hearing this news, Ye Jie looked relieved and said as if resigned to his fate, "I see, I have no problem now... Here, this is the Book of Life and Death."

After saying that, Ye Jie reached into his robe with his left hand and took out the Book of Life and Death. Since his legs had disappeared, he could only lie on the ground and tremblingly hand the Book of Life and Death to the standing Venerable.

The Venerable Nyima, without suspicion, bent down to catch it, but a startled cry came from behind: "Watch out!"

Ye Jie's eyes darkened, and his previous relief vanished, replaced by a chilling coldness. He had gone through countless life-and-death experiences to obtain the Book of Life and Death, so how could he hand it over to someone else?

Besides, even if he really handed over the Book of Life and Death, his life or death would still depend on others. Ye Jie would not entrust his life to others. In a desperate situation, the only correct choice is to fight back to the death!

Ye Jie's right hand, which had been hidden in the blind spot of the Venerable One, swung violently at this moment. The copper coin sword made a crisp sound, and the blade swept across, blood splattering. One of the Venerable One's legs was severed.

Sure enough, under the cover of the End of Dharma Array, the Venerable who released the array would also bleed and be injured. As long as he was killed here, Ye Jie could be restored to his original state, and then no one would be able to stop him!
Ye Jie originally intended to sever both of the Venerable Xie's legs with one sword, but because his body was lying face down, it was difficult to exert force, and his movements were not standard. In addition, he lost his immortal energy, so the sword blade only managed to cut off one of the Venerable Xie's feet before getting stuck in the muscles of the other foot and failing to sever it.

The Venerable One was caught off guard by this fierce attack and was immediately seriously injured, falling to the side. Ye Jie hurriedly drew his sword, not bothering to adjust his posture, and thrust it fiercely into the Venerable One's body, leaving a series of bleeding holes.

Juzuyi rushed over and kicked hard, finally knocking the copper coin sword out of Ye Jie's hand. Ye Jie was also kicked aside, but when he bent down to check, he found that the Venerable Wuzun was already dead.

As the Venerable One's life faded, the End-of-Dharma Array also lost its power. The mysterious runes that had spread throughout the surrounding space gradually returned to his body. However, this time, the patterns were no longer bright, but instead dimmed uncontrollably, which also symbolized that his life was coming to an end.

"The End-of-Dharma Formation is indeed troublesome, but I am still superior!"

From behind, Ye Jie's cold voice came as he slowly got up from the ground.

With the death of the Venerable One, the End-of-Dharma Formation completely failed, and Ye Jie's legs immediately recovered, along with his cultivation level. At this moment, he was no longer subject to any suppression. When he unleashed the full power of his Great Dao level techniques, the vast might caused even the heavens and earth to tremble.

"What did you do? What did you do!"

Juzuyi's eyes trembled as she questioned Ye Jie repeatedly, her voice filled with urgency and fear: "You actually killed Venerable Xie. Only he could unleash the power of the End-of-Dharma Array. If it weren't for him, this world would have already fallen into the hands of Mara. Now that the End-of-Dharma Array is gone from his body, how can we stop Mara?"

Ye Jie's gaze was indifferent: "This is your business. If you dare to compete with me for the Book of Life and Death, you should be prepared to die."

Ye Jie's lips twitched. When the Venerable One was about to perform the ritual to help him pass on, he didn't say that. Now that the man is dead, he realizes that no one can deal with Mara anymore. There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Juzuyi retorted angrily, "You say this only because you don't understand Mara's power. By the time Mara shows his fangs, it will be too late, and you will definitely regret your choice today!"

"Regret? I don't think so."

Ye Jie snorted coldly. He couldn't care less about what happened to Bo Xun, but if Bo Xun didn't fight back to the death, he would really lose his place in the Book of Life and Death. Not only that, he might even lose his life. Could Ye Jie not tell which was more important?
Ye Jie glanced at Venerable Juzuyi and said slowly, "You're very lucky. I don't intend to kill you. I want you to pass on my message: anyone who dares to covet the Book of Life and Death will suffer the same fate! The Book of Life and Death is mine, and no one can take it away!"

Ju Zuyi did not answer. From Ye Jie's tone, he could also hear the strong killing intent. If anyone dared to covet this strange book, their fate would be terrible. So he stopped talking and instead helped the group of Venerables around him collect their remains. Just as he was about to leave, the dazzling divine lightning that crashed down from the sky caught his attention.

"No? Come again?"

Looking around, Ye Jie also revealed a somewhat unpleasant expression.

Juzuyi didn't know the origin of the divine lightning in the sky, but how could Ye Jie not know? The divine lightning that tore through the sky was exactly the same as the method used by the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Commander before. Coupled with the vast aura that suddenly descended, it goes without saying that the Nine Heavens Responding Origin had returned.

This discovery made Ye Jie gasp. According to what he had seen last, Jiutian Yingyuan was clearly controlled by Bo Xun. Now that he had returned, didn't that mean that Bo Xun had also returned?

Ye Jie was filled with helplessness. He hadn't expected to escape one danger only to fall into another. With his strength, he was no match for Mara. Ye Jie could put up some resistance against the Venerable One who controlled the End-of-Dharma Array and find a way to break the deadlock, but against Mara, whose strength surpassed that of the Three Realms, he was completely helpless.

"Oh no... What if Mara also wants my Book of Life and Death?"

Ye Jie was filled with anxiety. Although the Book of Life and Death was powerful, it also made him the target of everyone's attention. Many powerful people, whose strength was unparalleled in the world or who had mastered unique methods, were now all eyeing him. To be precise, they were eyeing the Book of Life and Death in his hands. If he was not careful, he would be destroyed, body and soul, and never be able to be reincarnated.

A sense of urgency also arose in Ye Jie's heart. With his current strength, he couldn't possibly hold onto the Book of Life and Death. He had to become stronger!

Divine lightning struck the ground, unleashing a dazzling white light, and a peerless, beautiful figure slowly emerged. "Hmm? Not Jiutian Yingyuan, but..."

Ye Jie was stunned. The one who came across the universe on lightning was not the ferocious Jiutian Yingyuan, but the Jiutian Xuan Nu, who was both the most familiar and the most unfamiliar to him.

Upon seeing Xuan Nu, Ye Jie was filled with questions. Why was she here? Was she also here for the Book of Life and Death? Or was it for something else?
Under Xuan Nu's calm gaze, Ye Jie's anxious heart gradually calmed down, and an invisible sense of peace slowly emerged within him. Xuan Nu's appearance also reminded Ye Jie of someone, someone who was ninety percent similar to her. It was as if as long as he saw that person, Ye Jie's heart would be extremely peaceful, and he could even forget all his worries.

"Are you also here for the Book of Life and Death?"

Ye Jie took a deep breath, clearing his mind of all distractions, and then spoke.

"No."

The only response Ye Jie received was Xuan Nu's cold words.

Ye Jie's eyes flickered, and a surge of excitement rose in his heart: "If he didn't come for the Book of Life and Death, then he must have come for me!"

Xuan Nu glanced at him: "You junior, how arrogant you are. Just because I'm here doesn't mean it has anything to do with you."

Ye Jie coughed lightly: "What other reason could there be besides me? You couldn't possibly have come for those Venerables, could you?"

The goddess ignored him and walked slowly until she came to a deep pit left by lightning.

Ye Jie was stunned for a moment. This deep pit was the place where Jiutian Yingyuan had fallen.

The Mystic Maiden reached out and grasped, and from beneath the earth, specks of azure light emerged, their radiance flowing and then condensing in her palm into a plump, round fruit. The fruit seemed to be formed from lightning, with leaping arcs of electricity dancing wildly in all directions. It was translucent, and beneath that translucence lay the divine might of the Great Dao, which even caused the heavens to change color. All the laws of the world seemed to be engraved within the fruit.

Ye Jie was slightly confused. Before Xuan Nu arrived, there was nothing here. How did she manage to condense this fruit? And more importantly, what exactly was this fruit? He then asked:

"How could that fruit contain such violent lightning?"

The Mystic Maiden didn't even look at him, but simply said, "This is the Dao Fruit of the Nine Heavens Responding to Origin, containing the Great Dao of Thunder Punishment that he cultivated. Since the Dao Fruit has appeared, it also means one thing, that is, he has already perished."

Ye Jie's gaze sharpened, and suddenly he remembered something, so he asked, "The Great Dao of Thunder Punishment? It is said that the Mysterious Maiden is the one who wields the Great Dao of Thunder Punishment. How could this Dao Fruit of Thunder Punishment appear on Jiutian Yingyuan?"

Xuan Nu finally looked at him: "Who is spreading these rumors? Although I am skilled in using thunder, I am responsible for using thunder to protect the good and educate all things. Jiu Tian Ying Yuan is the one who is in charge of the Way of Thunder Punishment. However, with his fall, I am afraid that I will have to take full charge of the Way of Thunder Punishment from now on."

Ye Jie understood. The tribulations of lightning in the world had been amplified a thousandfold because of Xuan Nu's attainment of Dao. It seemed that he had unintentionally done something right.

"I believe that under your command, the power of the Thunder Punishment Path will far surpass that of the past."

Ye Jie offered his congratulations, but instead of receiving Xuan Nu's thanks, he was met with her icy gaze:

"Is there anything else you want to say besides this?"

"What?" Ye Jie was puzzled and did not understand what she meant, but there was one thing that Ye Jie could feel, and that was the chilling killing intent emanating from her.

"You have already reached the realm of the Great Dao... Although I don't know how you did it, your strength has increased so much in such a short time, but the aura of the Great Dao is clearly revealed. In other words, you are the only one here who has the ability to threaten Jiutian Yingyuan." Xuan Nu said coldly.

Ye Jie finally understood, and his expression darkened slightly: "You mean you're going to take action against me for him?"

Xuan Nu simply looked at him: "Although I dislike Jiu Tian Ying Yuan's way of doing things, he is a celestial official of the Heavenly Court. Any act that harms a celestial official is intolerable by the Heavenly Court, let alone a celestial official of his status. What exactly happened here? Tell me what you know, and don't hide anything."

Ye Jie pondered for a moment, then finally spoke, "This matter is not my fault, but rather due to the relentless pressure from Jiutian Yingyuan..."

As he spoke, Ye Jie recounted his sudden attack, his fierce battle all the way to this place, and his subsequent encounter with the Demon King Bo Xun.

Upon hearing this, even Xuan Nu frowned slightly: "Are you saying that Bo Xun merely exhaled a breath, and Jiu Tian Ying Yuan perished?"

“Absolutely true.” Ye Jie nodded. “Even I can’t figure out what methods she used, but that’s the truth.”

Xuan Nu looked at his words and finally shook her head: "It's not that I don't want to believe it, but this matter is too shocking. If I tell others, I'm afraid few people will believe it. Jiu Tian Ying Yuan is ranked at the ninth level, and even I can't easily defeat him. Yet the Bo Xun you mentioned only used one move to make him perish here. How could such a thing happen?"

Ye Jie scratched his head helplessly: "Don't you believe what I'm saying?"

“No, I believe you. Your eyes and your expression prove to me that you are not lying, but that only makes it more suspicious. Just who is Mara…”

After a pause, Xuan Nu looked at Ye Jie again: "No matter what, this matter is of great importance. You are the only person who saw Jiu Tian Ying Yuan before his death. Now come with me to the Heavenly Court to report this matter to the Jade Emperor and await his decision."

This time, Ye Jie did not refuse. Perhaps Xuan Nu was willing to believe his words, or perhaps Xuan Nu resembled someone from his memory. After a little thought, Ye Jie prepared to go to the Heavenly Court with Xuan Nu.

"I am coming too!"

Suddenly, Juzuyi spoke up: "You do not know how terrifying Mara is, but I know that no matter how absurd it sounds, it is something that Mara is capable of doing. Please allow me to go to the Heavenly Court with you so that I can report this matter to the Jade Emperor!"

(End of this chapter)