Under a grim sky, magnificent mountain peaks stood tall.
Ye Yun and the other three soared above the sea of clouds, and the vast summit of the Holy Mountain came into view.
On the wide summit stood a grand black palace, and nothing else. Not a single human figure could be seen, exuding a sense of desolation and loneliness.
Ye Yun's figure landed on the ground. Before he could look around, he noticed that Xing Wu beside him had put on a veil at some point, giving her a more mysterious aura.
"Uh... why are you wearing a veil?"
Xing Wu raised her delicate eyebrows and said faintly, "I want to, so I am. Or rather, do you want one?"
"..."
Ye Yun rolled his eyes at her, too lazy to bother with the woman whose actions were bizarre. He then looked elsewhere.
Xing Wu also withdrew her gaze and surveyed her surroundings. The reason she wore the veil was, of course, the Nine Palaces Demon Refining Array. If the Holy Lord was someone from above and recognized her, it would be meaningless, and she wouldn't be able to gauge Ye Yun's true strength.
"This is strange. There isn't even a guard. What is the Demon Race's Holy Lord up to?"
Lan Ao Tian surveyed the desolate surroundings and couldn't help but frown.
Ye Yun gazed towards the only palace on the summit. In his perception, the junction of the immense earth vein power underground was within the grand hall ahead.
"Although I don't know what he wants to do, if nothing unexpected happens, the Holy Lord should be inside."
Without him saying anything, the others also felt two auras within the hall.
Yu Ruo Feng pondered for a moment and asked, "Shall we go in and take a look?"
"No need. As guests, we should be polite. How can we trespass into someone's home?"
Ye Yun smiled slightly and said, "Allow me to knock first."
With that, he took a deep breath, and the Feng Lan Sword in his hand shone brilliantly, its sharp aura surging.
"Storm Blade!"
Ye Yun let out a soft cry and casually unleashed a remnant cloud sword technique. Dazzling sword light bloomed in the air, hurtling towards the black palace.
If this strike hit, no matter how sturdy the palace was, it would be razed to the ground. The formations within would also be gone, and there would be no need to venture inside.
However, before it could hit, a black figure rushed out, emanating a profound energy fluctuation at the peak of Dao Cultivation, forming a black light screen that blocked the Storm Blade. The residual power surged outwards, and with the ensuing gale, the figure became clear.
"Human小子, your strength is not bad."
After blocking the sword strike, the black figure looked at Ye Yun with surprise. Although he couldn't sense his specific realm yet, the power of that single strike was enough to explain much.
"No wonder those four good-for-nothings couldn't intercept you in Tian Lan Valley."
Upon hearing this, a fierce glint flashed in Ye Yun's eyes, and he said coldly, "So, you are the Demon Race's Holy Lord?"
"That's right, it is I!"
The black-robed Holy Lord frankly admitted his identity. At this, the most hot-tempered Lan Ao Tian couldn't hold back and roared furiously.
"You have great audacity to lead your troops to invade my human race. Aren't you afraid that this battle will lead to the complete extinction of your demon race?"
Facing his reprimand, the Holy Lord instead laughed.
"What do you mean? I am helping you. Didn't I send you the strategic deployment earlier?"
Hearing this, Ye Yun frowned and asked in a deep voice, "What do you mean?"
The black-robed Holy Lord spread his hands and said, "With such a battle where you know each other's strengths, you won't lose. Moreover, after this battle, the demon race will be severely weakened. Not only will they have no possibility of invading you in the future, but you can even take this opportunity to exterminate the demon race in one fell swoop!"
"You tell me, am I not helping you?"
This explanation left Ye Yun stunned, and Lan Ao Tian and Yu Ruo Feng were also dumbfounded. To be honest, with his explanation, everything seemed to make sense... But there was still the biggest question...
Ye Yun stared intently at the Holy Lord and said coldly, "Aren't you the Demon Race's Holy Lord? Why would you do something that harms your own race?"
"Demon Race's Holy Lord? Hahaha, you are thinking too much."
The black-robed Holy Lord laughed heartily and said with pride, "To be honest, I am not some Holy Lord at all. This is merely a body I have possessed."
"My true identity is a cultivator from the Celestial Domain, named Qian Yuan."
"Due to some reasons, I ended up in this Xuan Tian Continent. This war between the two races is both to help you solve the demon race and to return to the Celestial Domain!"
When his identity was revealed, Ye Yun was truly surprised. This guy, like Xing Wu, was a cultivator from the Celestial Domain? Yu Ruo Feng and Lan Ao Tian were even more shocked. Although they were both peak powerhouses on the continent, the Celestial Domain was still a legendary place like a dream to them.
Xing Wu sized up the man, also quite surprised. It was because he looked strangely familiar, as if she had seen him a hundred years ago. But he probably wasn't a formidable person, otherwise, he wouldn't have used the Nine Palaces Demon Refining Array.
Seeing the surprised expressions on Ye Yun and the other three, Qian Yuan knew his opportunity had come. The corners of his mouth curled up as he said.
"I believe you all should understand what kind of place the Celestial Domain is, a place you can never reach in your lifetime."
"However, I see that your strength is quite good, especially you, the young man with the sword. With your talent, it's too much of a pity to be confined to this lower realm."
At this point, Qian Yuan revealed his true intentions and said with a loud laugh.
"If you are willing to submit to me, I will be able to take you to the Celestial Domain not long from now."
"At your age, if you can reach the Celestial Domain, your future will be limitless. Even becoming an Emperor is not impossible!"
After speaking, Qian Yuan looked at Ye Yun with a full smile, completely unfazed by the grand promises he was making, which seemed incredibly ridiculous to someone watching from not far away.
And Ye Yun, after hearing his words, his expression became somewhat strange. He did not answer but looked at Xing Wu beside him and said.
"Do all cultivators from the Celestial Domain speak like this? Always asking people to submit?"
Facing his complaint, Xing Wu's beautiful face beneath her veil darkened. Her gaze flickered towards Qian Yuan. So this guy was trying to poach talent, and even trying to poach from her in front of her. This made Xing Wu very unhappy. She immediately said to Ye Yun in a low voice, "Whether they are all like this, I don't know, but one thing is certain."
"This fellow built this array to achieve sainthood for himself, and then planned to use some tricks to deceive the Heavenly Dao Divine Palace and sneak into the Celestial Domain."
"And now, it's at the critical point of the array's formation, so he's wasting time talking nonsense with you here."
Her words completely exposed Qian Yuan's scheme, causing his face to darken. He glared at Xing Wu and said angrily.
"You! Who exactly are you?"
"Me?"
Xing Wu spread her hands and said with a tone of helplessness, "As you can see, standing before you is just a kind and beautiful girl, like a flower."
"Sorry for exposing your plan. You're not going to jump over and hit me, are you?"
This teasing demeanor made Qian Yuan furious. He looked at Ye Yun and the others and snorted coldly.
"I had intended to let you live a little longer. Since you insist on seeking death, I shall oblige you!"
"Today, I will let you witness the power gap between a Celestial Domain expert and you ants from the lower realm!"