868: Chapter 864: Full Display of Strength 868: Chapter 864: Full Display of Strength “I didn’t expect Ye Tian’s power to have reached such a level.
Compared to the last time he fought me, he’s completely on a whole new tier!”
“That’s only natural.
Back when he clashed head-on with the Pixiu, this guy hadn’t even reached the Innate Realm!”
“No, it’s not just the Innate Realm.
His strength seems to have surpassed the Innate Realm by a bit.”
“With every battle, his power continues to sharpen.
After losing to Wang Cai, Ye Tian seemed to have learned from his pain, and now his strength is clearly not what it was back then!”
Besides the Ding brothers and the Ye elders, even the outer sect disciples of Heaven’s Gate could sense the overwhelming power surging within Ye Tian!
The martial artists who witnessed Ye Tian’s battle with Wang Cai that night couldn’t help but marvel.
In just a few days, Ye Tian’s strength had grown significantly stronger compared to that time…
Before long, the cloud energy in the mountain hollow was almost completely absorbed by Ye Tian!
Accompanied by waves of the Power of the Clouds, the traditional Inner Strength within Ye Tian’s body, the Power of Life, the Power of Death, and the energy from the shattered Spirit Vein Stone all erupted forth!
All these forces surged to an even higher level as Ye Tian reached the Innate Realm.
When Ye Tian pushed his power to its peak, his entire body began to emit a dazzling light!
The ground shook, and the mountains trembled…
The entire mountain hollow began to quake violently, as if struck by an earthquake surpassing magnitude five!
All the onlookers instinctively took a step back.
Ye Tian’s overwhelming strength made everyone suspect that his battle with the Purgatory Beast would inevitably endanger those around them…
Even the once-arrogant Young Lord Long hesitated, stepping back ever so slightly.
However, he still wore a disdainful expression on his face as he gazed at Ye Tian.
“It’s just the Innate Realm.
At this level, there’s no way he can defeat the Purgatory Beast!
But it doesn’t matter—powerful martial artists are the favorite delicacies of divine beasts.
The more strength the divine beast absorbs, the stronger it becomes!”
As Young Lord Long predicted, divine beasts can indeed enhance their power through cultivation.
Even a relatively weaker divine beast like the Great Ape King could potentially reach peak strength if it continued to grow.
However, due to the varying species, habits, and preferences of divine beasts, few could truly grow as humans do.
Take, for example, the Pixiu kept by the Ye family.
It was a gluttonous and lazy divine beast—it possessed formidable strength, yet it had shown no improvement for thousands of years!
But the Purgatory Beast before Ye Tian was different.
Its greatest obsession was devouring humans, especially martial artists, who were considered rare delicacies for the Purgatory Beast.
Once it consumed a martial artist, not only could it satisfy its hunger, but it could also absorb the martial artist’s strength.
Over time, the Purgatory Beast’s power could reach terrifying heights!
This was why, before Young Lord Long arrived at Heaven’s Gate, the sect had always kept the Purgatory Beast locked away.
If it devoured just a few more inner sect disciples, no one in Heaven’s Gate would be able to restrain it!
“Screeeee~~~~~~!”
Triggered by Ye Tian’s surging power, the Purgatory Beast unleashed a piercing screech once again.
The shriek echoed throughout the mountain hollow, resonating strongly with the tremors of the earth!
“Beast, if you want to devour me, then come and try!”
Ye Tian had already unleashed all his strength.
He stared coldly at the Purgatory Beast before him.
Although towering compared to Ye Tian, the beast’s primal instincts radiated wildly…
As a divine beast, the Purgatory Beast naturally lacked a human’s capacity for rational thought.
It acted purely on instinct!
For the Purgatory Beast, the most primal instinct was hunger.
Upon sensing Ye Tian’s immense power, its hunger grew even stronger!
“Swish—”
The Purgatory Beast extended its sharp claw and slashed fiercely toward the top of Ye Tian’s head.
The speed was incredible.
None of the martial artists present could even see how the Purgatory Beast made its move…
“Boss, watch out!”
Ding Da cried out.
Along with his warning, the Purgatory Beast’s massive claw smashed into the ground!
“Boom!”
A thunderous crash followed as the spot where Ye Tian had been standing was obliterated by the Purgatory Beast’s claw, leaving a massive hole several meters deep—a testament to the beast’s terrifying Claw Force!
“Boss!”
“Boss, are you okay?”
“Boss, surely you were able to dodge an attack like that, right?”
The ferocity of the Purgatory Beast’s assault caused the Ding brothers to call out in alarm.
“That guy must’ve been turned into mincemeat by now, right?”
Young Lord Long said confidently.
Given the sheer power of the Purgatory Beast’s strike, he was certain Ye Tian couldn’t have escaped unscathed.
But just as Young Lord Long thought Ye Tian had perished under the beast’s claws, a voice suddenly rang out!
“Is that all you’ve got?
That’s not even enough to stuff the gaps between my teeth!
If you want to eat me, you’ll need to try harder!”
The voice belonged to Ye Tian.
Everyone immediately turned toward it, only to find Ye Tian had somehow appeared behind the Purgatory Beast!
“Scree—”
The Purgatory Beast let out a sharp cry, whipping around abruptly.
But its speed was no match for Ye Tian’s attack!
“Swish—”
Before the beast could react, Ye Tian’s hand knife had already struck, piercing straight into its back.
The Purgatory Beast had no time to evade as Ye Tian’s hand drove deep into its flesh!
“Screeeee—”
The beast cried out again, this time not to intimidate, but in sheer agony from the excruciating pain that tore through its flesh.
Although Ye Tian’s Life Weapon was temporarily unavailable, the hand knife infused with the Power of Life was no less deadly than a wooden blade forged from the millennium ancient tree’s Shu Xin.
Ye Tian’s hand knife plunged several inches into the beast’s flesh.
Even the divine beast’s tough hide couldn’t withstand the force of Ye Tian’s attack.
The Purgatory Beast howled in pain!
Of course, this single strike wasn’t enough to kill it.
After lightly wounding the beast, Ye Tian retreated quickly!
Just as Ye Tian had anticipated, the beast’s pain triggered an eruption of primal power from its body.
A torrent of energy burst forth, pouring out like steam in all directions.
Fortunately, Ye Tian had pulled back in time.
Otherwise, he would’ve been injured by the overpowering force…
“That bastard has enraged the Purgatory Beast.
At this rate, the entire forest around here will be destroyed!”
Young Lord Long seethed with anger at Ye Tian for daring to harm the beast but couldn’t help sneering coldly.
“But this could get interesting!
If the Purgatory Beast eats everyone here, or even devours Heaven’s Gate disciples as snacks… just imagining it is exciting!”
For Young Lord Long, loyalty meant nothing.
He only cared about whatever entertained him.
Meanwhile, the other martial artists were far from at ease…
While Ye Tian’s strike on the beast was thrilling to witness, they knew the Purgatory Beast was not an opponent to be trifled with.
Especially not in its enraged state—it could obliterate everything in its path!
“This beast is incredibly dangerous.
I recall when it got angry before, the Heaven’s Gate Sect Leader sent over ten inner sect disciples to subdue it, but they still failed.
Many lives were lost.”
“Ye Tian is truly incredible.
To think his bare palm could pierce the beast’s flesh—has his body been trained to a level harder than weapons?”
“Though it landed that hit, it’s only fueled the divine beast’s fury.
Who knows whether this will be a blessing or a curse?
If the Purgatory Beast goes on a rampage, it won’t distinguish friend from foe, and this entire mountain hollow might be leveled!”
…
To the untrained eye, it was a spectacle.
To the seasoned martial artists, it revealed Ye Tian’s mastery.
While the outer sect disciples buzzed with chatter, the four elders of the Ye family admired Ye Tian’s strike in awe.
“Who would’ve thought that even after losing the wooden blade, Ye Tian has perfectly inherited the Power of Life?
Without it, such a strike couldn’t have pierced the Purgatory Beast’s hide.”
“Not only that.
The power behind Ye Tian’s hand knife might surpass that of the wooden blade.
I can faintly see the shadow of the millennium ancient tree’s Shu Xin in him.”
“While everyone else has been focusing on healing and detoxifying, Ye Tian’s strength has clearly advanced another step.”
“Originally, the Night King Hall and the Ye family had an alliance.
But now, it seems that we old men are just here to lend Ye Tian a hand!”
As the Ye elders marveled at Ye Tian’s progress, a figure suddenly appeared atop a treetop.
“Daichong!”
Ye Zhicang’s sharp eyes immediately spotted Daichong.
With a leap, he appeared before him.
“Daichong, are you here as a spectator, or to stop us?”
Ye Zhicang asked coldly, channeling the power of the Sun’s Drop in preparation.
If Daichong’s answer disappointed him even slightly, he was ready to strike!
“I’m just here to watch,”
Daichong replied with a bitter smile.
While the Carefree Pill he consumed might give him a fighting chance against Ye Zhicang, the Daichong lineage typically served as witnesses and record-keepers in Heaven’s Gate.
He had no intention of confronting Ye Zhicang.
“By the way, Ye Zhicang, let me pass along some information: Wu Weizi has already received the news and is on his way here.
I only got here first because I move a bit quicker.”
Daichong offered information generously, but Ye Zhicang didn’t seem pleased.
Wu Weizi, the sect leader of Heaven’s Gate, was a name shrouded in mystery in the martial world.
Few knew anything about him beyond his monastic title.