The death of a Demi-Saint was undoubtedly a devastating blow to the entire caravan. In an instant, morale within the caravan plummeted severely.
The powerful members of the various mercenary groups were beginning to struggle, and the tendency to retreat step by step grew even more pronounced.
Boom! Rumble!
Infinite fireworks exploded directly in the ninth heaven, their long, rumbling roars howling through the Nine Heavens, scattering layers of clouds. Even the fearsome black storm was obliterated and blasted apart in many places.
The two Saints were the ones truly determining the outcome of the battle between the two sides, yet they seemed evenly matched. Whether it was the eighteenth great bandit, Wang Tian, or the old Saint, neither could gain the upper hand immediately; they were still locked in a stalemate.
Meanwhile, on the ground, the battle had already begun to show a one-sided tendency. The caravan was in full retreat, and many had begun to despair.
Even several powerful mercenary group leaders had been slain, dealing an even more severe blow to the caravan.
Ye Chen let out a slight sigh. He had no intention of saving these people. For those who dared to venture deep into the Plunder Heaven Plains to reap the rich profits of trade, it already meant they had placed life and death beyond consideration.
Yet, some people within the caravan wailed in despair, clutching their wives and daughters in agony. Such scenes only added to the desolate atmosphere.
"What exactly is that thing that even Great Bandit Wang Tian covets? Why are they still unwilling to hand it over at this point? Do they really need to wait until they're at the end of their rope?"
"Damn scoundrels! Despicable!"
Some couldn't help but curse loudly, for the root of all this stemmed from the mysterious "that thing" mentioned by Wang Tian.
The Corpse Devouring Insect Emperor suddenly said, "Little Yue, aren't you curious about what that thing really is? Something that could drive a great bandit like Wang Tian to such madness must be extraordinary. Why don't we make a move and seize it?"
It was trying to lure Ye Chen into action.
But Ye Chen shook his head. "My goal has always been only the Dark Night Siege Battle, to enter the Ancient Divine Domain and see Jingruo, Chen'er, and Yi Wu. I don't want to get too involved in other matters, to avoid unnecessary complications."
Something that could drive a great bandit to madness couldn't be simple; it was bound to be extraordinary. Acquiring it would likely attract a host of troubles, which was not what Ye Chen currently desired.
"Alright, I'm speechless. Let's just hurry up and leave," the Corpse Devouring Insect Emperor said.
"Mm."
Taking advantage of the ongoing battle, after slaying a bandit, Ye Chen turned and strode away. With a whoosh, he transformed into a wisp of green smoke and directly departed, traversing beyond the terrifying black storm. In the blink of an eye, he was ten miles away and rapidly moving further into the distance, leaving that battlefield behind.
Soon, he had traveled a full hundred miles. Even from this distance, he could still clearly see the black storm and witness the fearsome duel between the two Saints in the sky. The power of heaven and earth ran rampant, truly shaking the heavens and splitting the earth, shattering vast stretches of mountains and rivers. It was a terrifying sight.
Ye Chen turned to gaze into the distance, letting out another soft sigh and shaking his head. He could see that the old Saint was gradually being overpowered. Although powerful, Great Bandit Wang Tian was no weaker, and his blood energy was even more vigorous and potent. In a prolonged battle, the old Saint was no match and would inevitably be defeated.
The outcome was already foreseeable.
After pausing for a moment, Ye Chen was about to leave when his figure suddenly halted. Not far away, two bandits were standing on a hilltop, watching the fierce battle a hundred miles away and discussing a topic that piqued his interest considerably.
"Who would have thought that for that thing, Lord Wang Tian would personally appear. It's truly madness," one bandit couldn't help but sigh softly.
The other bandit chimed in, "Isn't that right? That thing is related to the Dark Night Siege Battle that occurs once every hundred thousand years. It even involves some crucial information within that mysterious Ancient Divine Domain. Even the great bandit lords within Dark Night City are all covetous of it. It's only natural that Lord Wang Tian would appear."
"It's just bad luck for that caravan. They were strong, in a way, with one Saint and three Demi-Saints. But so what? Who told them to be so unlucky as to run into Lord Wang Tian? Heh heh!"
The two bandits were gloating. A massive caravan was about to be annihilated simply because they had encountered Great Bandit Wang Tian.
Who didn't know of Great Bandit Wang Tian's ruthlessness?
Boom!
A supremely powerful figure suddenly appeared before the two bandits. His entire body overflowed with shimmering golden light, divine radiance surging around him like a Great Ancient deity descending to the mortal world. An aura of vast, supreme, and overwhelming power emanated from him, shaking heaven and earth, and forcibly sent the two bandits flying backward.
Facing that supreme and overwhelming pressure of the Great Dao, the two bandits felt like ants before a lofty dragon, filled with boundless terror.
"I have a question for you," the supreme being, like a deity, directly inquired.
"We pay our respects, great one! What are your instructions?"
The two bandits trembled and immediately prostrated themselves on the ground in fear, their words faltering with panic.
"What exactly is that thing?" the deity-like figure asked, his majesty peerless. His entire body overflowed with increasingly intense divine radiance, so terrifying it seemed as if heaven and earth could no longer bear it and were about to collapse.
The two bandits promptly replied, "Reporting to the great one, we... we don't know."
"You don't know?"
The deity's voice instantly rose several degrees, carrying a hint of anger.
How dare they babble nonsense in their panic? The bandits hurriedly said, "How would we dare deceive you, great one? This is the absolute truth. We only know that the great bandit lords in Dark Night City are all searching for a legendary object, something related to the fabled Ancient Divine Domain. It also involves some very important information. All this we've only heard through the grapevine."
The deity frowned. "Tell me everything you know. Do not conceal anything. Understand?"
"If you don't tell us, this Dragon Lord will immediately make you understand what it means to wish you were dead," a voice suddenly came from beside the deity.
Although puzzled by the other voice, the two bandits dared not hide anything further. They immediately told this deity before them everything they knew, holding nothing back, recounting every detail they were aware of.
Finally, the deity—that is, Ye Chen—secretly employed a divine technique. His vast and powerful divine sense directly probed into the consciousness of the two bandits.
With his cultivation level, the two bandits at the Divine Transformation Realm were utterly incapable of resisting. Numerous related pieces of information were directly searched out.