Hell Emperor.

Chapter 680 Ye Jie - Battle Spirit
Wreckage was everywhere, and countless pieces of armor were discarded.

Looking out, the horrific scene of the battlefield in the distance is truly shocking.

Blood stained the earth, and countless heavenly soldiers and generals perished here. Even those who were lucky enough to survive were all in shock. In the past, they were noble and envied by everyone, but now they were like frightened birds, completely losing their courage to fight.

The arrival of Zhao Gongming and Ye Jie in the distance immediately attracted their attention.

"It's Marshal Zhao! He brought reinforcements!"

"Great, we're finally saved..."

The crowd cheered, their eyes wide with despair as if they had found a lifeline.

A heavenly soldier, his body wrapped in bandages and his face covered in blood, trembled as he rose to his feet and asked in a hopeful tone:
"May I ask, Marshal Zhao, how many reinforcements did you bring on this mission?"

"Two people."

Upon hearing this news, everyone was stunned, and the light that had finally shone in their eyes was now completely extinguished.

"Only...two people?"

"So many divine generals have been defeated by the Demon King, what role can these two play?"

"No one is a match for that demon king, and who knows how many more will die here..."

The sighs around him did not disturb Zhao Gongming's thoughts. He looked at Ye Jie, who was traveling with him. Although there were only two of them, they were worth more than a thousand troops.

"Go! With your strength, you should be able to fight the Demon King. As long as you can defeat him, you can obtain the treasure of good fortune that you desire!"

The two stepped out from the crowd and arrived at the front of the battlefield, passing by countless corpses of heavenly soldiers and generals.

Once upon a time, those exceptionally talented individuals endured countless hardships and risks, climbing over the shoulders of many to attain immortality, gaining the favor of the Heavenly Court and becoming members of the Heavenly Army. Now, however, they are devoid of life, reduced to mere skeletons.

Ye Jie took a deep breath. Only when he stood there in person did he feel the tragic and murderous aura coming from the front. In front of the King of Ten Thousand Demons, whose strength was unparalleled in the world, even taking a wrong step would result in being crushed to pieces!

"You! I remember you."

Ye Jie's appearance, along with the divine might of the Great Dao that he revealed after shedding his concealment, caused the nearby immortals to turn their heads in surprise, wondering when such a powerful ally had arrived. Even the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, who was confronting the immortals, saw Ye Jie's figure and couldn't help but show some concern.

Ye Jie took a deep breath. If it weren't for the circumstances and the conditions for advancement, he really wouldn't want to make an enemy of such a legendary demon king who terrified all the immortals.

"Long time no see. The last time we met, you were still in the Heavenly Court, and it looks like you're in grave danger..."

Last time in the Heavenly Court, he offended the Supreme Jade Emperor, angering countless celestial officials. Unexpectedly, he survived and even escaped back to the mortal realm, which surprised Ye Jie greatly. He wondered what opportunities Ye Jie had in store for him.

Hearing Ye Jie mention the past, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven chuckled, "Those immortals were blind! They actually planned to use me, Old Sun, to refine pills. It's just that Laozi's pill furnace was too inferior, and the fire was too cold. Not only did it fail to refine me, Old Sun, but it also helped me develop Fiery Eyes." Ye Jie was ashamed. Looking across the Three Realms, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven was probably the only one who dared to evaluate Laozi's pill-refining skills in this way.

Compared to the last time, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven's strength had not diminished but had actually increased. Fortunately, Ye Jie hadn't been idle during this time; he had also raised his Dao Scripture to an extraordinary level. Then, his gaze narrowed slightly, and he spoke:

"I have come here on the orders of the Heavenly Court to punish you, so please forgive my offense."

Sensing the hostility emanating from Ye Jie, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven also dropped his playful demeanor, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes: "So, you, like those celestial officials, believe that I, Old Sun, will harm the Three Realms? Then come on then!"

Having said that, he opened his eyes wide, and golden light condensed deep within his angry gaze, bursting forth with two blazing divine lights, like the solidified fire of the sun, or like two sharp swords thrust out by a god, pointing directly at Ye Jie.

Pointed at by those two divine lights, Ye Jie's hair stood on end. He unleashed all his skills, but he couldn't block the divine lights in the slightest. His Xuanwu Rock Shield was completely pierced, his Heavenly Gang Armor was destroyed in one blow, and his protective energy was burned away. A strong premonition from the depths of his heart made Ye Jie realize that if he couldn't block this attack, all that awaited him was the destruction of his soul!

All methods were ineffective. Whether it was using magical treasures or the powers of celestial officials, they were all exposed under the two divine lights and could not even hold out for a moment. In the end, they relied on the full power of the Daoist scriptures and their excellent understanding of combat techniques to directly resolve the move at its root.

Having finally escaped danger, Ye Jie's face turned grim. If it weren't for the power of the Dao Scripture, and his previous protective techniques, he would have likely died a terrible death.

"Is this the power of the Fiery Eyes? It truly lives up to its reputation..."

Compared to Ye Jie, who had exhausted all his defensive measures, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven only used the power of his Fiery Eyes to force Ye Jie into a rather sorry state. If they were to fight head-on, the situation would probably not be much better.

"However, the power of the Daoist scriptures is still useful. If it can seal the Fiery Eyes, perhaps it can also be used on other techniques..."

Ye Jie took a deep breath. The effects of the Daoist scripture gave him a lot of confidence. As long as he had this unique method, he was not necessarily unable to win.

"Stop it."

From afar, the words of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven startled Ye Jie, who didn't understand why he said that.

“I can’t sense any determination to fight to the death from your heart, or even any real fighting spirit. What’s making you so hesitant?”

"what?"

Ye Jie trembled. Just as the Great Sage Equaling Heaven had said, he did not want to risk his life here. Even if he could not defeat the Demon King, he could find other ways to obtain the treasure. After all, things are inanimate, but people are alive. Preserving one's life is more important than anything else. How could he possibly gamble everything here?
On the contrary, Ye Jie, who was well aware of the legend of the King of Ten Thousand Demons, had prepared in advance to use the Mysterious Shadow Step to escape. Victory would be the best outcome, of course, but if anything went wrong, he had no intention of losing his life here. He was ready to retreat at any time, letting the Great Sage Equaling Heaven and the Heavenly Soldiers fight it out themselves.

After all, he came here only to obtain the Treasure of Good Fortune. Rather than fighting to the death with the Nine-Turn Demon King who roams the Three Realms, it would be easier to find the Wealth-Bringing Messenger and take away the Treasure of Good Fortune by coercion and enticement.

To Ye Jie's surprise, his deepest thoughts could not escape the discerning eyes of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.

In that brief clash, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven saw that Ye Jie lacked the courage to fight to the death, and then shook his head:
"Your half-hearted fighting spirit isn't worth my full effort. Even the heavenly soldiers who fell nearby had more courage in their dying moments than you. If you're going to fight with this kind of mentality, I advise you to go back as soon as possible!"

(End of this chapter)