"Help…!"
Ye Chen's face was deathly pale.
He had already been heavily injured by that sword strike earlier and knew very well that he was no longer a match for his opponent.
The Holy Son of the Zhenwu Sect.
The Holy Son of the Tianji Sect.
The Holy Maiden of the Shennv Sect.
These young elites merely watched coldly. Some even revealed faint sneers.
Earlier, Ye Chen had been domineering and arrogant, provoking everyone in sight and trampling over countless geniuses. He had accumulated too much resentment. Seeing him now facing calamity, many felt only schadenfreude.
The Human Emperor of the Zhenwu Sect frowned slightly.
Strictly speaking, the Xiandao Sect and his sect were still temporary allies, sharing a common enemy. Watching the other side's junior die here did feel somewhat improper.
"I don't think there's any need to intervene in this matter," the Human Emperor of the Shennv Sect said calmly, his tone indifferent. "Ye Chen challenged others repeatedly on his own initiative. Since he dared to act, he should have been prepared for the consequences."
The Shenxing Sect.
The Tianji Sect.
The Nangong Family.
All shared the same attitude.
After a moment of hesitation, the Human Emperor of the Zhenwu Sect let out a quiet sigh and gave up on intervening.
"Save me… save me…!"
Ye Chen desperately swept his gaze across the surroundings, only to realize that not a single Human Emperor was willing to help him.
Despair flooded his heart.
At the same time, his hatred toward Jiang Chen surged violently.
He couldn't understand it.
He had always been favored by fate, turning danger into safety no matter who he encountered. Yet again and again, he suffered crushing defeats at Jiang Chen's hands.
"How dare you!"
Suddenly,
A thunderous roar exploded through the heavens, shaking the four directions.
Everyone looked up.
A man in a Daoist robe rushed in from afar. It was the Human Emperor of the Xiandao Sect.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his heart trembled violently at the sight before him.
While cultivating in seclusion, he had felt an inexplicable sense of unease and rushed over immediately. Who could have imagined that he would arrive just in time to witness this scene?
The Xiandao Sect's flying boat had been shattered.
Old Monster Zhao, who had just broken through while in seclusion, was dead.
His vision darkened, and a suffocating pressure crushed his chest.
Back then, he had mocked the Donglin Sect for lacking a Human Emperor.
And now?
The Xiandao Sect was facing the same fate.
Zhao Huangchao.
Zhao Qingsu.
Zhao Gu'nan.
All were fifth-level Human Emperors, all dead at the hands of Donglin Sect. And now, even Old Monster Zhao, who had just stepped into the Ninth Level of the Human Emperor Realm, had perished.
Killing intent erupted violently from his body. Terrifying sword qi reflected in his pupils.
"Die!"
He raised his hand and slammed it downward, intending to annihilate everyone from the Donglin Sect in one strike.
"Hmph!"
"This is a matter between juniors!"
"For an elder to interfere, aren't you ashamed?"
"That's going too far!"
A silver-haired old man arrived from afar, standing directly in front of the attack and blocking it with ease.
When Jiang Chen saw him, joy immediately appeared on his face.
"Sixth Grandpa!"
This silver-haired elder was from the Jiang family, the Sixth Clan Head.
He nodded gently.
The Human Emperor of the Xiandao Sect roared in fury,
"Does your Jiang family intend to interfere in the feud between my Xiandao Sect and the Donglin Sect as well?!"
The silver-haired old man shook his head calmly.
"I'm not intervening. I merely saw you bullying my Jiang family's eldest son, so I stepped in."
"I also witnessed what happened earlier. Old Monster Zhao relied on his strength to bully the weak and ended up capsizing in the gutter. That's no one else's fault."
"You should worry about yourself instead."
"After all, the Xiandao Sect has no surplus top-tier Human Emperors left."
"You…!"
The Human Emperor of the Xiandao Sect clenched his teeth.
He naturally understood the threat hidden in those words.
Aside from Qin Yu, he was the only top Human Emperor left in the Xiandao Sect. If he were to fall here as well, the sect would inevitably decline and enter a long, dangerous transition period.
"No more fighting."
The Human Emperor of the Shennv Sect spoke.
The Human Emperor of the Tianji Sect nodded.
The Human Emperor of the Zhenwu Sect also stepped forward.
This conflict could not escalate any further.
Yet, the gazes of these Human Emperors lingered on Jiang Chen, filled with complicated expressions.
They couldn't help recalling that terrifying sword strike earlier.
"That sword… was it really Chu Xun's?" someone transmitted silently.
"Unlikely," another responded. "A few months ago, Chu Xun was still at the fifth level of the Human Emperor Realm. Even with the Taixuan Sword, he could barely unleash power comparable to the ninth level, and only briefly."
"That strike just now was infinitely close to a saint's level."
The Human Emperors fell into deep contemplation.
That sword light had shattered the flying boat's formation first, then forcefully slain Old Monster Zhao. No matter how one looked at it, it didn't seem like something Chu Xun alone could produce.
The Human Emperor of the Zhenwu Sect felt a growing sense of unease.
After a moment, he made a silent decision.
"When this ends, report everything to the sect master immediately. The Donglin Sect cannot be left alone any longer. Something is changing. They must be destroyed as soon as possible."
Perhaps it wasn't Chu Xun.
Perhaps it was some terrifying secret technique.
The Human Emperor of the Tianji Sect also continued speculating, unwilling to accept that Chu Xun's cultivation could have advanced so monstrously fast.
"What a pity…"
Jiang Chen's eyes revealed a trace of regret.
This had been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, yet Ye Chen had still survived.
He sighed inwardly.
As expected of the chosen one of destiny, nearly impossible to kill. His ability to turn danger into safety was truly terrifying.
Still, Jiang Chen looked at Ye Chen coldly.
The Xiandao Sect had already been crippled. Protecting Ye Chen would be difficult from now on. As long as another opportunity appeared, killing him completely might still be possible.
Then he turned to the silver-haired old man and smiled brightly.
"Sixth Grandpa, why are you here?"
"Haha!"
"The Yin Ruins have appeared."
"How could the Jiang family not come?"
As he spoke, a massive flying boat arrived from behind. A towering banner fluttered in the wind, emblazoned with a single bold character,
Jiang.
On the deck stood a handsome young man, Jiang Jue, Jiang Chen's cousin.
He was accompanying an elder and said with a smile,
"Third Grandfather, my cousin has accomplished something remarkable again. Killing a ninth-level Human Emperor with Venerable Realm cultivation, he's bound to shake the entire Eastern Region!"
The gray-haired old man's expression was gloomy.
With Jiang Chen's current reputation, fame was meaningless.
What truly bothered him was something else.
Jiang Chen was becoming increasingly uncontrollable.
The hatred between the Donglin Sect and the Xiandao Sect was a matter between sects, what did it have to do with him?
As long as Jiang Chen returned to the Jiang family,
The Xiandao Sect wouldn't dare move.
The Zhenwu Sect wouldn't dare move.
Who would dare touch the Jiang family?
Yet Jiang Chen kept entangling himself deeper and deeper with the Donglin Sect, binding their fates together.
That was something he absolutely did not want to see, especially now that rumors were spreading that the saint of the Donglin Sect was nearing death.
Some stubborn elders in the clan still believed staying tied to Donglin Sect was acceptable.
But he did not.
"Hmph!"
"He's only bringing trouble to the Jiang family!"
"It seems the Jiang family truly needs to reconsider the successor."
In the past, the Jiang family had tacitly agreed that Jiang Chen would become the future heir. After cultivating in the Donglin Sect for some time, he would return to inherit the family and take over his father's responsibilities.
But now,
The Donglin Sect was in chaos, surrounded by powerful enemies.
If Jiang Chen remained too deeply involved, he could drag the entire Jiang family down with him.
Coincidentally, Jiang Jue had emerged at this moment, displaying astonishing talent not inferior to Jiang Chen's.
More importantly,
Jiang Jue's background was clean.
He had not joined any faction.
He was perfectly suited to replace Jiang Chen as the Jiang family's successor.
The gray-haired elder spoke coldly:
"When Jiang Chen returns to the clan, we can consider stripping him of his status as eldest son."
"Let him remain in the Donglin Sect, just like Elder Jiang."