Chapter 178: The World Trembles

Silence.

A deathly silence.

At the Heaven’s Mechanism Platform, countless cultivators stood still, their eyes vacant, their bodies frozen, blankly staring at the image on the screen.

In that moment, even the sound of breathing disappeared.

Dead...

They were all dead...

Every last one of them...

Nine powerhouses of the Heavenly God Rankings, and eight had been slain in a single breath—only one survived by running fast enough.

Number One on the Myriad Ancient Geniuses Ranking!

So this was the Number One of the Myriad Ancient Geniuses!

The minds of countless cultivators had been shaken into a state of standstill.

At the Heaven’s Mechanism Pavilion, the Pavilion Master’s hands trembled violently as he operated the Heaven’s Mirror. The image within the mirror flickered and quivered, nearly disconnecting entirely.

The Heaven’s Mechanism Pavilion existed in every layer of the heavens and had witnessed countless geniuses, countless peak experts.

But throughout all of history—no one, no one, had ever caused such earth-shattering shock.

Too powerful.

Too terrifying.

His techniques were simply monstrous.

That technique °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° that had catapulted him from Earth Immortal First Layer all the way to Ninth Layer.

That sword intent, fierce and explosive like raging fire.

That second forced outburst on top of an explosive technique already used.

That one step—splitting into three figures, all of equal strength.

And that indescribable, apocalyptic fist.

“Transmit my orders! All spirit stones gained from broadcasting Lu Ye through the Heaven’s Mirror—no, any spirit stones gained from any intel on Lu Ye—double it all! As soon as this battle ends, I’ll deliver them to him myself!” shouted Li Baizhi, the Pavilion Master of the Heaven’s Mechanism Pavilion.

Cannot afford to provoke. Absolutely must not provoke.

Don’t let a single soul entertain the idea of messing with this man.

He’s a devil, a monster, a freak...

The entire Second Heaven felt as if the world had been frozen in place.

Everyone who had witnessed Lu Ye’s battle was still drowning in overwhelming shock.

And beyond that—a fear that pierced the soul.

The Wang Clan erupted into chaos.

Wang Canghai had fallen.

A loss heavy enough to deal a devastating blow to the clan.

And according to Lu Ye’s own words, he wouldn’t stop with the Jiang Clan—after that, he would settle every score.

This man was simply insane.

To declare his intent to “settle accounts” in the open—what did that mean?

It meant driving people into an absolute dead end. No mercy, no escape, no path left alive.

What now? What do they do?

They had to seek help. Urgently.

“It's all the Jiang Clan’s fault!”

In the Eternal Teachings Sect, the Sect Master nearly went mad. He smashed the grand hall apart in fury.

“Back in the First Heaven, we coexisted peacefully with Lu Ye. Then the Jiang Clan came and egged us into trying to kill him again!”

“And now what?!”

“What now?!”

“Our First Heaven branch of the Eternal Teachings Sect is gone!”

“And now he’s arrived in the Second Heaven, and they’re still pushing us to go after him.”

“Do you even know who he is?! He’s Number One on the Myriad Ancient Geniuses Ranking!”

“He surpassed ancient Emperors, past Heavenly Lords, even Saints in their youth. This level of monster—do you think the Eternal Teachings Sect can afford to provoke him?!”

“Damn you, Jiang Die! How can someone be this stupid, this ignorant, this vicious?”

“She’s going to drag the entire Second Heaven down with her in the grave!”

“Call for help—now! The very survival of the Eternal Teachings Sect in the Second Heaven is on the line!”

“Hurry!”

Similar reactions broke out everywhere.

The Jiang Clan was in complete disarray.

Jiang Die—what kind of enemy have you brought down upon the Jiang Clan?

Too frightening. Was there anyone left in the entire Second Heaven capable of stopping this man?

Jiang Die’s own face had turned pale.

Far too terrifying.

She’d known Lu Ye had countless powerful trump cards, but his cultivation level was what it was. No matter how many secret techniques he had, how much could he really unleash?

Turns out—a hell of a lot more than she’d imagined.

“Don’t panic. It’s not over yet. I still have methods left!” Jiang Die shouted.

...

“Pfft!”

A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed from Lu Ye’s lips. His expression remained cold and sharp, but the exhaustion behind his eyes began to show faintly through.

Those outbursts just now—they’d been overwhelmingly powerful.

But the cost had been immense.

It didn’t matter.

Lu Ye collected the souls, took the storage rings, and stepped forward once more—heading straight for the Jiang Clan.

Eighty-three thousand kilometers.

The road ahead should be a little easier.

The Banner of the Human Emperor churned with dense, inky-black mist. The eight Main Souls had all been chosen.

It had begun yet another evolution.

This thing worked on a simple principle: the more souls you feed it, the more it evolves. It didn’t even need to change its materials.

Above Lu Ye’s head, dark clouds had unknowingly begun to form.

His aura grew more terrifying with every step.

Each stride was him gathering momentum.

Each kill—gathering momentum.

One step, one kilometer.

Eighty-three thousand steps.

Hundreds of thousands of beings.

Countless cultivators.

All were absorbed into Lu Ye’s momentum, until black clouds filled the sky above, swirling overhead like a demonic god descending into the mortal realm.

The Banner of the Human Emperor flitted through the clouds, where millions of faintly-visible souls churned in the mist.

At this moment, not a single soul dared step in Lu Ye’s path.

Wherever he passed—

If he encountered a sect, the sect evacuated.

If he passed a city, it emptied itself.

Even remote villages—every last person fled as far away as they could.

They raised their heads and looked at the roiling, crushing black clouds, saw within them the hideous, grimacing faces of countless ghosts.

They trembled in sheer terror.

The black clouds grew ever larger.

One step. Another step. Another.

Finally—Lu Ye arrived at the Jiang Clan’s city.

Behind this city lay the true Jiang Clan stronghold.

Atop the city walls—

Rows of warriors stood with massive execution blades in hand.

Beneath their blades, countless prisoners had been shackled and sealed on execution platforms.

The blades could fall at any moment.

Every person tied to those blocks—Lu Ye knew them.

They were, in his past life, his friends, teachers, comrades.

“Lu Ye!” a booming voice shouted.

It wasn’t Jiang Die.

It was a Jiang Clan powerhouse: Jiang Tailing, ranked ninth on the Heavenly God Rankings.

Lu Ye stopped walking.

“You recognize these people, don’t you?” Jiang Tailing bellowed.

The bound captives looked at Lu Ye and could barely contain their curses.

Recognize, my ass!

Who the hell’s ever seen this guy before?!

This is just bad luck!

“Withdraw immediately. Disperse your aura. Or all of these people will die!” Jiang Tailing shouted.

The black clouds loomed, blanketing the entire city.

Heaven and earth darkened into a choking twilight.

Lu Ye looked on calmly.

Withdraw?

At this point, what was there left to withdraw from?

Lu Ye gave no reply. He stepped forward.

“AAHHHHHH!!!”

In that instant, the souls within the black clouds let out earth-shattering screams.

The sheer volume twisted the very fabric of space.

The entire city shattered beneath the wails of the dead.

All four of Lu Ye’s clones moved at once.

Splurt, splurt, splurt...

Countless heads rolled.

The Banner of the Human Emperor, now a true Postnatal Supreme Treasure, unleashed its full power.

Vengeful spirits blanketed the entire city.

Massacre.

City-wide slaughter.