ISWI Chapter 1401-1405 (Patreon)

Chapter 1401: Dropping By for a Visit?

Just as Bogu revealed his form and breathed a sigh of relief, the divine elephant's trunk suddenly elongated like a divine pillar. Surging with vast vital energy that locked onto everything, it smashed down with a thunderous force.

Bogu's face turned ugly. He found the space was still collapsing and had not recovered, leaving him no choice but to take the blow head-on. Yet his flesh and blood had only reached the Saint level. How could he possibly withstand it?

Even though Bogu instantly condensed a divine mountain before himself to block, the mountain shattered the next moment like one built of dirt. Bogu himself was blasted away, half his body exploding apart.

Soft blue water light radiated from his body as he rapidly repaired his flesh, but his expression was filled with extreme bitterness. Regret. True regret.

If he had not been greedy for Ye Chen's resources and simply sold the quota cleanly, he could have saved the time of hundreds of Ancestral Immortal tasks. He could even have found hundreds of female disciples who were short on funds, of ordinary backgrounds yet talented, for dual cultivation to raise his strength. Why suffer beatings here?

Although the divine elephant would struggle to kill him completely, the other side could afford endless mistakes. He only needed to err once, and he would be finished for good.

Just as the divine elephant raised its leg to stomp down again and Bogu prepared in utter misery to keep dodging, his eyes widened. In his field of vision, the spatial barrier exploded with a boom. A figure with black hair dancing wildly strode into the small space where he stood.

Bogu's eyes stretched to their limit. How was this possible? In the first stage of the Primordial Relic, one could still drop by for a visit? How had he never heard of such a thing? And the arrival was actually Ye Chen. What was he doing here? Could he know that Bogu had also joined the Kill Ye Alliance? It was over. Completely over.

Bogu was keenly self-aware. He knew he was no match for Ye Chen and had only come to pick up easy wins. Facing him alone, the odds were heavily against him. Bogu trembled, growing ever more terrified.

The divine elephant about to stomp also stared at Ye Chen in astonishment, confusion filling its massive pupils. It likely could not understand why another person had suddenly appeared. Yet Ye Chen was so close.

Without the slightest hesitation, the elephant turned its leg and brought it down straight toward Ye Chen's head. Its long trunk, flexible as a snake's body, sprayed endless water mist that froze the space solid, denying Ye Chen any chance of escape.

The newly arrived Ye Chen remained calm. He simply pointed lightly with one finger. The next moment, the elephant leg already crashing down seemed paused and came to an abrupt halt.

Cracks then appeared starting from that leg, spreading across the entire body, through the four limbs, head, and trunk. In the following silent instant, the creature dissolved into countless motes of light.

Bogu's eyes grew enormous. He knew Ye Chen, invincible across the Golden Immortal and Great Luo Golden Immortal realms, was powerful, and the gap between them was vast. But he had never imagined Ye Chen was strong to this degree. The divine elephant that had forced him to dodge frantically without harming it in the slightest had fallen so silently before Ye Chen. Could such an existence truly be something an Ancestral Immortal could kill?

Not to mention that Ye Chen was still in the first stage yet had directly shattered the spatial wall to drop by. Clearly, because Bogu had been unable to deal with the divine elephant and the secret realm could not advance to the second stage, the other party had grown impatient.

This was truly too outrageous. Just how strong had Ye Chen become? And he had still thought of fishing in troubled waters to share the other's resources? How was that any different from delivering himself straight to death?

At that moment, the regret and fear in Bogu's heart surged to the extreme. He truly regretted it. Had he known it would come to this, he should have sold the quota long ago.

He looked up at Ye Chen with reverence, not daring the slightest disrespect in his eyes, terrified that this prodigy of the Nineteenth Realm—rumored to be sensitive and insecure—might slap him to death with a single palm.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and scanned Bogu, about to speak, when he felt a force envelop him, intending to carry him upward toward the small world above. He sensed he could resist the force, but there was naturally no need. He allowed it to draw him straight through the upper barrier of the small space.

Bogu experienced the same. Flying above the small world, he looked down and saw countless small worlds. The next moment, his eyes widened. More than ninety percent of them showed no flowing light at all, only complete silence.

Bogu trembled all over and stared in disbelief at Ye Chen's slowly vanishing figure. A terrifying and bold guess formed in his mind. Some of those people might have been slain by the remnant species' vengeful spirits, but not this many. Ye Chen could break the spatial walls inside the relic. Was it possible that most of them had been killed by him?

The thought made Bogu tremble even harder. He recalled the look Ye Chen had given him after killing the divine elephant, as if he might casually finish him off as well, only holding back because the advancement to the second stage had arrived.

Bogu sucked in a cold breath, his body shaking more violently. If given another choice, he would refuse even a single point of credit and never enter the secret realm again. Those Great Luo Golden Immortal cultivators had been right. Ye Chen had emerged from the Nineteenth Realm with a twisted mindset and had already fallen onto the path of slaughter. Entering the same secret realm as Ye Chen was simply seeking death!

While Bogu's mind raced in panic, a flash of divine light appeared and everything dissolved. Then a brand-new small world slowly emerged, far larger than before. At its very center pulsed a massive, fuzzy heart shaped like a peach, beating violently and radiating endless blood qi.

Bogu immediately understood that the second stage of the secret realm had arrived. Yet thinking of Ye Chen's terror, he knew a slaughter was inevitable. His most urgent task now was to protect himself and leave the secret realm alive. But how could he survive?

…

He Yu slowly opened his eyes, gazed at the second-stage small world, and smiled. Scanning the distance, he saw figures standing high in the air, sparse and scattered. After a careful count, only forty-eight remained. He Guangkuan was still there, but the other two from the He family had fallen.

He Yu paid it no mind. His gaze swept the scene and finally locked onto Ye Chen. That was his true target.

The others, seeing how few had survived, showed surprise or remained expressionless. Even though the massive fuzzy peach-like heart below beat violently—the most important harvest of this secret realm—no one spared it a second glance.

All of them fixed their eyes on Ye Chen at once. Nothing else mattered. The benefits on Ye Chen's body were ten thousand times more precious than that peach.

The aura of the small world instantly turned icy, and everyone felt the heavy atmosphere.

Shen Qingge herself did not hesitate for a moment. She flew straight to Ye Chen's side, then began scanning every corner of the small world with her gaze.

Chapter 1402: Cooperation Brings Mutual Benefit!

The second-stage small world was larger than the individual rooms at the start, yet still limited. Shen Qingge's divine sense quickly swept every corner. Her expression then turned cold, brows furrowing tightly as she fixed a frigid gaze on the few members of the Shi family.

No Nine Aperture Marrow Birth Crystal had formed here. Such a crystal would bloom with nine-colored radiance, and a place this small could never hide it. Everyone had just been teleported in, so no one could have claimed it first. The information had indeed been false.

Clearly, the other side had deliberately drawn her into this secret realm. Their purpose? Most likely because she had slipped from their control and they now wanted her dead once and for all. Otherwise, why would Shi Er, the biological grandson of Shi Jian, the Shi family patriarch, suddenly join the War God Academy?

At that moment, Shen Qingge's heart sank to the bottom. The warmth Ye Chen had brought her, which had lessened her urgency for revenge, now gave way once more to rising killing intent. Once her flesh and blood reached perfection, she would soon attempt to break through to the Origin Immortal realm.

Then she would first find an opportunity in the War God Academy to dig out her own bone. Though already tainted and unworthy of returning to her body, she would never leave it for Shen Qinghuan's benefit, even if she discarded it.

After that, whether it was Shen Wanshan's so-called principal wife or the Shi family patriarch, she would repay every bit of what she and her mother had suffered as she grew steadily stronger.

"What is it?" Ye Chen asked.

Seeing only so few people left had soured his mood. A full thousand had entered, yet only forty-eight remained. Excluding himself and Shen Qingge, just forty-six.

Far too few. He understood it was the secret realm's mechanism. His own strength had caused so many deaths.

The thought brought a trace of regret. Had he known, he would have acted earlier, broken the spatial walls, and saved as many as possible.

Fortunately, apart from the waste he had rescued at the end, the rest all looked powerful. Whether sharp and outstanding or imposing with flowing divine light and strange phenomena, each was clearly worth ten ordinary cultivators. Harvesting them all should still yield a decent return.

Pulling his thoughts back, Ye Chen looked at Shen Qingge who had flown to his side. Seeing her fists clenched and anger in her eyes, he assumed something had happened to her and asked at once, "Qingge, what happened?"

Shen Qingge had originally planned to keep it from Ye Chen. These were her own affairs, and the enemies were strong; she should not involve him. Yet thinking of his feelings for her, if she said nothing and later met with an accident in the Shi family or Shen family, Ye Chen would never remain indifferent. Knowing nothing would only make him more likely to suffer and fall into a trap. Better to tell him so he could be on guard.

This was not the moment for details, however, so she gazed at him with soft eyes. "It concerns my origins, but I cannot explain clearly right now. Those four from the Shi family are all targeting me. They want to kill me. After this, you must be extremely careful!"

At her words, Ye Chen immediately raised his eyebrows and looked toward the four from the Shi family. A cold smile then appeared. "Rest assured. Striking at you is even less tolerable to me than striking at me. I will send them on their way!"

The others glanced over in mild surprise. They had not expected the Shi and Shen families, linked by marriage, to try to kill Shen Qingge. Yet they found it unsurprising. Shen Qingge was an illegitimate daughter. Such sordid dealings among great families and powers were all too common across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

Shi Yi and the others had not expected Shen Qingge to realize the truth so quickly and even state it openly before everyone. They had lost Shi Jiu, a loss that was not severe, but they absolutely could not allow the matter to become public knowledge. After all, Shen Qingge's father was Shen Wanshan, not merely someone capable of becoming an Immortal King but a figure with hopes of reaching giant level.

Moreover, their aunt would never turn against Shen Wanshan. If word truly spread, the few of them would inevitably become scapegoats. Even if they survived, they would have to hide within the Shi family afterward and never dare venture out again.

At this thought, the four of them all felt the urge to withdraw. They absolutely could not strike at Shen Qingge again. Inwardly, they marveled at how decisive her methods were; a single sentence had left them hesitant and fearful.

"I did not, I have not. We came for the resources on Ye Chen. Although Shen Qingge is an illegitimate daughter, how could we possibly attack you? How would we face our uncle-in-law afterward?" Shi Yi spoke up, abandoning the opportunity.

They could still force a kill, yet the four of them could never eliminate everyone present, and the news would inevitably leak. Why risk their own lives to solve troubles for their aunt and Shen Qinghuan? It was out of the question.

Hearing this, Shen Qingge relaxed. She had done it on purpose. Although she and Ye Chen were not weak, her bone had still not recovered. Every prodigy who had survived was among the absolute elite. Surrounded by so many, she and Ye Chen would face far more danger than hope.

In such a situation, she naturally had to make the other side wary and hesitant.

…

Seeing no spectacle to watch, the rest of the group sneered coldly and fixed their stares on Ye Chen. Yet they also remained on guard against one another. After all, with so many people, killing Ye Chen was no problem. The real issue would be how to divide the spoils afterward. That was the true battle of this secret realm.

He Yu unfurled the Chaos Twin Wings that had remained hidden beneath his clothes. Endless chaos immortal qi flowed in all directions, giving rise to myriad strange phenomena. The aura startled everyone. None had expected He Yu to be so terrifying. The He family had actually hidden such a formidable prodigy.

He Yu himself smiled lightly. "My goal in coming here is Ye Chen. I believe everyone shares the same purpose. There are so many of us, each backed by our own forces. Our elders may even be friends. Fighting to the death would be inappropriate and would only leave openings for others to exploit. None of us wants to pay a huge price for a quota only to walk away empty-handed, correct?"

At his words, the others looked at one another and finally nodded. They were all prodigies of this level. Even if they had never met, they had heard of one another. Though differences in combat strength existed, no one could truly sweep through everyone else. Under these circumstances, fighting too fiercely held no meaning. Better to cooperate with one another.

Thus the crowd looked toward He Yu, waiting for his next words. Shen Qingge, seeing that everyone was about to unite first against Ye Chen, knew this was absolutely not a good development. Anxiety filled her. She immediately and quietly took Ye Chen's hand, transmitting her voice that the two of them should strike in advance.

They could not give the others a chance to join forces, or their chances of survival would become slim. She could not watch Ye Chen die, yet she still needed to exact her revenge. Therefore, the two of them absolutely could not perish here.

Ye Chen held Shen Qingge's tender, smooth little hand and immediately thought of his eldest senior sister. He then smiled lightly. "No need to worry. Stay calm for now."

They had already waited so long; letting these people live a little longer made no difference. Ye Chen also wanted to hear how they planned to unite against him and how they intended to divide his resources.

Chapter 1403: I Choose Ye Chen!

He Yu saw that no one raised any objection. He calmly scanned Ye Chen as if inspecting a piece of cargo and spoke indifferently. "Everyone will join forces to set down a Divine Eye that records everything from high above and in all directions. Afterward, the spoils will be distributed according to the effort each person contributes.

"To add a little extra incentive, the first person to land an attack on Ye Chen and the one who delivers the final killing blow will each receive ten percent of the spoils. Even those who make no contribution will still receive a guaranteed minimum of one-thousandth. It will not be much, yet given the wealth Ye Chen has displayed, it should still be considerable. What does everyone think?"

At his words, the crowd frowned. Some found it reasonable and felt confident in their speed and attacks, believing they could claim the first damage and the final kill. Others worried that Ye Chen might die instantly under the joint assault and they would only touch a corpse, leaving them with a mere one-thousandth share that felt too little.

They were about to speak when Ye Chen, who had been quietly listening to how they planned to divide his resources, laughed. Even the final blow now carried an extra reward. These people were treating him like a BOSS to be farmed!

Ye Chen smiled and spoke. "I find it quite reasonable. Looking at the resources I possess, even one-thousandth would be enough for you to attend several more auctions like the previous one."

At once, everyone's eyes lit up. At the last auction, Ye Chen had flung out more than two hundred million top-grade immortal crystals. If one-thousandth of his inheritance amounted to several times that figure, what an enormous fortune it would be! Even emptying an Immortal King family with ten thousand years of accumulated foundation might not match Ye Chen's wealth.

With Ye Chen speaking up of his own accord, the others raised no further objections and all agreed. Yet amid their excitement, He Yu and his group could not help but frown slightly.

Ye Chen's behavior was far too strange. Any one of them was among the absolute top prodigies. In this situation, Ye Chen not only showed no panic but actively helped them reach an agreement, even revealing the scale of his wealth again to spur them into united action.

It was truly bizarre. Ye Chen had entered the secret realm of his own will and exposed himself deliberately. What exactly was he after? Was he truly so confident in his strength that he believed he could counter-kill them one by one even while surrounded? Facing these absolute top prodigies of the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, what gave him such confidence?

Wariness rose in everyone's hearts, yet none intended to change their plans. Although it was their first cooperation, they all flew outward to take up positions. Divine light flowed, sealing off every direction around Ye Chen so that when the time came, they could bombard him from all sides at once.

Shi Yi stood high in the air, looking at Shen Qingge with a cold smile as he spoke in a tone of apparent concern. "Miss Qingge, we of the Shi family truly hold no grudge against you. Yet you had best step aside, abandon Ye Chen, and stay far from him. After all, a battlefield has no eyes. It will be hard to look out for you, and injuring you would be troublesome.

"We are relatives and will certainly take you into account, but the other fellow cultivators are different. They may not fear our uncle-in-law. Should you fall, and should uncle-in-law then vent his anger on us, the situation would turn ugly. At that time, not only would aunt and uncle-in-law grieve, but the Cycle Blood Renewal Pill that can help your flesh and blood break through is far too precious. How regrettable it would be if you perished here!"

Shi Yi's words stirred many hearts. They quietly appraised Shen Qingge beside Ye Chen. The Cycle Blood Renewal Pill was not merely priceless; its effects were overwhelmingly powerful. Obtaining it in passing would bring endless benefits. With so many people present, the law would not punish the crowd.

Thus, quite a few also locked onto Shen Qingge, bringing her into their range of attack. No matter how strong the Shen family or how terrifying Shen Wanshan's talent, they could never oppose so many great families at once.

Sensing the reactions of the crowd, Shi Yi sneered inwardly. He and his clansmen would of course not act themselves. Yet if Shen Qingge died at someone else's hands, she could not blame him.

Shen Qingge's face turned cold at his words, but she said nothing more. She had never intended to watch Ye Chen fall with open eyes. This battle was inevitable.

Just as the atmosphere grew taut to the extreme, a genius ranked twelfth in the Ancestral Immortal sequence frowned and called toward the distance, "Bogu, come over. Since you survived the first stage, you naturally qualify to join the siege!"

Bogu had joined this genius's Kill Ye Alliance. As long as he took part in the assault, the guaranteed minimum share would be one-thousandth. Letting Bogu claim a portion and then taking ninety percent of Bogu's resources afterward would be pure profit.

Yet for some reason Bogu refused to approach even such a great opportunity and instead shrank far away, as if terrified of being noticed. He even needed a reminder. What a fool.

At the words, the other prodigies frowned, then sneered coldly. Allowing such a waste to claim a share? Impossible. What a clever little scheme. Once they finished Ye Chen, they could casually dispose of Bogu as well.

Yet the called Bogu trembled and immediately flew farther back until he was pressed tightly against the edge of the small world. He shook his head firmly. "I will not participate. My strength is insufficient. I am not worthy!"

When Bogu finished speaking, the corners of the prodigies' mouths curved upward in satisfaction at his sense of propriety. Only the genius who had brought Bogu in frowned tightly, anger rising in his heart.

Before he could speak, however, Bogu seemed to think of something and hurriedly continued, "Besides, I have always believed that lives from the Nineteenth Realm matter. Fellow Daoist Ye is an excellent person. Ever since he joined the War God Academy, I have admired him… no, revered him! Therefore, I would never raise a hand against Fellow Daoist Ye."

His voice was loud, as if afraid anyone might miss it. At the same time, Bogu offered a fawning smile toward Ye Chen, who stood surrounded at the center.

This abnormal behavior left all the prodigies with strange expressions. Had the remnant species' vengeful spirits beaten Bogu's brain into dysfunction? Ye Chen was on the verge of death, yet he still claimed Nineteenth Realm lives matter!

Still, no one cared what such an ant thought. Only the genius who had brought Bogu in swept him with a cold gaze. "What a complete fool…"

Clearly, he now resented Bogu's lack of understanding and would likely make trouble for him later.

Bogu himself remained completely unmoved. He knew these people were strong, so strong that he could chase them his entire life without catching up. Yet could they shatter the spatial walls of the first-stage small worlds? Could they extinguish such a terrifying remnant species' vengeful spirit with a single finger? Could they roam freely through the rooms in the first stage and reduce the trial-takers to fewer than fifty survivors?

Bogu knew they could not. But Ye Chen could. Which side was stronger needed no further words. Under these circumstances, how to choose in order to live was crystal clear to him.

Chapter 1404: Stop It!

Bogu knew Ye Chen was strong to an absurd degree. The vengeful spirits in this secret realm were so powerful, likely because of Ye Chen as well. Precisely because of that strength, Ye Chen dared to expose his wealth without restraint and enter the secret realm.

That same strength allowed him to listen with genuine interest—and even offer suggestions—while others discussed how to divide his resources, showing not the slightest anger. All of it rested on an unfathomable power. These people were absolutely no match for Ye Chen.

Yet Bogu said nothing. First, he did not want to. Second, he did not dare. Third, if Ye Chen slaughtered all of them and satisfied his craving, perhaps he would spare Bogu afterward.

Under that thought, Bogu ignored the threatening gaze of that prodigy and quietly shrank further, afraid of being caught in the aftermath.

…

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow in mild surprise as he looked at Bogu. Recalling how he had not concealed his strength when intervening earlier, he roughly guessed the reason and could not help shaking his head.

Forget it. The man was only a small fry whose origin essence was worth little. Missing this bit made no difference. Letting him live and leave would also serve as proof to the outside world. After all, the situation again looked like total annihilation except for himself and Shen Qingge, which would not help his reputation.

Allowing this man to survive would let him clarify that most had simply been too weak and died to the first-stage vengeful spirits. Ye Chen himself had killed only a little over forty. That way, people would not fear him too much and would still happily enter instances with him in the future.

With that thought, a faint smile curved Ye Chen's lips. Enough time had been wasted. It was time to harvest.

He turned his head and swept his gaze across the people surrounding him, then spoke with polite light laughter. "Since you have finished discussing how to divide my resources, may I begin now?"

At his words, the expressions of He Yu, Shi Yi, and the others grew solemn. They could not understand where Ye Chen's confidence came from. No matter how strong he was, he remained an Ancestral Immortal. As long as he was still at that level, no amount of strength could make him a match for so many. They were equally confident in their own power.

Confidence, however, did not equal arrogance. Ye Chen was far too abnormal, so they would go all out and give him no chance whatsoever.

He Yu spoke in a deep voice. "Do not be so eager to die. Next, I will set down Heavenly Eyes to record everything…"

As the words fell, He Yu raised his hand and arranged several Heavenly Eyes in all directions. Some who distrusted him also raised their hands and released Immortal Eyes to record the images. In an instant, cameras filled every direction.

Once everything was ready, He Yu lightly pointed a finger. Instantly, a huge countdown formed of divine light appeared above Ye Chen's head. The smile at the corners of Ye Chen's mouth deepened further.

"3"

"2"

"1"

When the final number dissipated, the attacks that everyone had been gathering erupted with a roar. All of them wanted to claim the first strike and the last.

Shen Qingge's face turned grave. She spread a divine curtain, trying to envelop herself and Ye Chen and see whether it could block this wave.

Far away, Bogu shrank even tighter. He knew a world-shaking battle was about to begin and immediately laid down countless spatial barriers in front of himself to resist any possible aftershocks.

Yet at the very center of the crowd, Ye Chen gazed at the sky full of laws, divine abilities, and immortal arts and merely smiled faintly. Then he raised his hand lightly.

In that instant, the power of laws within Ye Chen's body surged upward and filled the entire small world. At that moment, everyone clearly felt the time around them freeze.

Not only their bodies, but the spells, divine abilities, and laws they had unleashed were frozen as well, like a vivid oil painting spread across the sky and decorating the heights.

Everyone struggled with all their might, trying to break free of the influence of Ye Chen's laws. He Yu in particular also mastered the Law of Time, and it was a Time Law cultivated from a Multiverse Great Luo Dao Fruit that his family had obtained at great cost, one that could further elevate his Chaos Divine Wings. Yet even when He Yu stirred his Ancestral Immortal laws to the extreme, he still could not move his body in the slightest. Terror filled his pupils.

Why was Ye Chen's Law of Time so much stronger than his own? Even if both were Multiverse Great Luo laws, the difference should not have been this vast. Why was it like this?

While he was still pondering, Ye Chen's gaze had already turned toward him. "Just now you were the most restless, so you can go first!"

Ye Chen's voice was calm, yet in He Yu's ears it rang like thunder. He immediately opened his mouth, wanting to say something. Yet endless chaos had already surged within Ye Chen's eyes. The next moment, He Yu exploded with a thunderous blast.

Under the terrified gazes of everyone present, Ye Chen carefully collected the origin essence before looking toward the next person. There was no choice. He had originally expected more than a thousand origin essences, yet now only so few remained. Naturally, he had to kill them one by one with care so that not the slightest bit would be wasted.

This eerie scene threw everyone into panic. Never in their lives had they fought a battle so absurd. They were all Ancestral Immortals. Why did Ye Chen's laws seem to belong to an entirely different level from theirs?

Everyone could see He Yu's strength. The He family had valued him highly and often boasted about him. Yet he had been blown apart with a single glance? How were they supposed to fight this?

As the second person exploded, the crowd grew even more terrified and trembled harder. They had finally recognized reality. These peerless prodigies were little different from ants before Ye Chen. In that moment, all greed faded, leaving only the desperate desire to live.

Shen Qingge stood beside Ye Chen with a blank expression.

Far away, Bogu's face mixed terror with a look of "as expected." He had known all along… yet the question remained: would Ye Chen spare him?

…

Ye Chen moved quickly. In the blink of an eye, he reached the fifth person. Watching the prodigies fall one after another like ants without raising the slightest ripple, the crowd completely collapsed.

Some begged for mercy. Some cursed in rage. Some wanted to perish together with him. Yet before Ye Chen's unimaginably dense laws, no matter how many thoughts they held, they could not move an inch.

Shi Yi opened his Heavy-Pupils to the extreme until both eyes began to bleed, yet he could not create even a fraction of pure land. It was as if Ye Chen's power level exceeded his own by countless times.

Complete despair seized him in that moment. He clenched his teeth and roared at Ye Chen, "Ye Chen, you are indeed strong, but you cannot kill us all! We come from the most top-tier forces of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths and are the core seeds of our families and sects. If so many die at once, you cannot bear the consequences.

"The War God Academy cannot ignore the fury of so many great clans and powers. Although Immortal King Tuoba is a supreme Immortal King, he absolutely cannot protect you! You will certainly perish, and your path will vanish. Continuing to kill benefits no one. Stop it, Ye Chen! We are willing to pay a price to redeem our lives and atone for our earlier offense…"

Chapter 1405: It Was All Ye Chen's Doing!

Shi Yi's tone was earnest, his expression sincere. "My life is precious. My family will certainly be willing to offer sufficient resources as compensation. I can swear a Heavenly Dao oath right now!"

At this moment, Shi Yi no longer cared about killing Shen Qingge. He only wanted to live. The other three from the Shi family shared the same attitude.

Shi Er immediately spoke up as well. "I am the biological grandson of Shi Jian, the Shi family patriarch. The Shi family will absolutely pay any price to preserve my life."

Seeing the two kneel so readily for the sake of survival, the others stopped collapsing and ceased their curses. They all began begging for mercy. Some even told Ye Chen what precious things their families possessed so that he could name them later when demanding payment.

For prodigies to lower their heads and plead for life was undoubtedly humiliating. Yet they were all prodigies, and all of them had lowered their heads, so it no longer mattered.

They believed Ye Chen would not refuse. Even if Ye Chen lacked no resources, angering so many top-tier families of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths would leave him no path to survival. Under these circumstances, taking a step back was inevitable.

Yet Ye Chen merely smiled. The next moment, the sixth person exploded with a thunderous blast.

Ye Chen swept his large hand and began collecting the origin essence. His complete indifference filled everyone with terror. Had Ye Chen gone mad? Was he not afraid?

Shi Yi's bleeding double pupils stretched to their widest as he glared at Ye Chen. "Ye Chen, do you think we are lying? The War God Academy cannot protect you! Your master absolutely cannot protect you either!

"Before the top families of so many worlds and the supreme, giant-level ancestors among them, even the War God Academy would have to retreat. The academy and the great families share a symbiotic relationship. Immortal King Tuoba cannot stop them.

"Must you seek your own death? Even if they cannot kill you inside the academy, will you stay there for the rest of your life?"

Shi Yi was not speaking falsehoods. The War God Academy only governed its interior. There had been cases of prodigies slaughtering others inside, only to be struck down by experts of the great families after leaving.

The news had spread widely rather than remaining quiet, yet the academy simply did not interfere. That was its nature: the strong preyed on the weak, and it even regarded the forces behind a person as part of their own strength.

Shen Qingge could no longer hold back. She raised her fair hand and grasped Ye Chen's palm. "Ye Chen, perhaps we should forget it…"

At her words, the crowd smiled. Even Shen Qingge had spoken. Ye Chen was such a devoted simp that he would certainly listen!

Yet Shen Qingge immediately continued, "Just kill those four from the Shi family. That way, only the Shi family will be dissatisfied. Even if a Shi family ancestor arrives in person, it will not be a major problem!"

Shi Yi's face turned black at once. The most poisonous was a woman's heart. Shen Qingge was truly no good thing. Shen Qingge paid no attention to his venomous gaze. She had spoken because she roughly understood the backgrounds of these people.

They were truly extraordinary. Killing a few was acceptable. Even if the ancestors of those families felt displeased and came alone, they could raise no great waves. But if all of them died, those families would certainly not sit still and would join forces to arrive.

At that time, the War God Academy would also find itself in a difficult position and might turn a blind eye, allowing them to do something and completely abandon Ye Chen.

Ye Chen was so strong that even after her Longevity Bone recovered, she would likely be unable to catch up, showing just how terrifying his talent was. Precisely because of that, there was even less need for him to place himself in danger.

Ye Chen turned his hand and gently squeezed Shen Qingge's small hand, signaling that she need not worry.

Retaliation? It did not exist. If he truly could no longer stay in the War God Academy, he would simply pick up his bucket and flee back to the Immortal Realm.

After a few decades or a century, he would charge straight through the Emperor Pass and slaughter every last one of those old fossils who had forced him to run. As for whether Shen Qingge would be implicated? He would simply take her along.

Although the Immortal Realm was barren, staying by his side, would she ever lack resources? When the time came, he would bring Shen Qingge back together for revenge.

Therefore, Ye Chen said little more. He merely looked at the endlessly babbling Shi Yi. "You talk far too much!"

The next moment, he pointed a single finger. In that instant, Shi Yi felt an unprecedented approach of death. An indescribable law descended upon him, destroying everything within his body. He did not even have time to curse. Only one thought remained in his mind: once we die, Shi Hu's status will rise. Why should that happen? If only I had brought that bastard Shi Hu along…

The next moment, Shi Yi exploded with a thunderous blast. As his origin essence was collected, every trace of his existence was erased. After that, one figure after another exploded in turn.

Ye Chen killed them one by one without hurry, calm and composed, driving the remaining prodigies into complete despair. Some begged for mercy with increasing desperation, tears and snot streaming down their faces.

Others cursed in rage. Some even activated their family's blood curse before dying. Ye Chen accepted them all without blocking a single one.

Yet his expectations for blood curses had already dropped considerably. He had discovered that cultivators of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were rather indifferent toward emotions. When they encountered someone under a blood curse whom they could defeat, they might casually take revenge. When they met someone they could not defeat, they acted as if they felt nothing at all. It was rather pointless, far less straightforward than the Holy Spirits.

Shen Qingge's face showed a helpless expression. Yet Ye Chen had already killed them. What could she do? Naturally, she would face the coming storms together with him.

Far away, Bogu watched Ye Chen kill without blinking and trembled more and more violently. The rumors were true. Ye Chen's killing nature ran so deep that he disregarded even so many ransoms and the retaliation of so many great families, insisting on wiping out every prodigy.

Such an act harmed others without benefiting himself, proving he truly delighted in slaughter. Bogu grew ever more certain in his heart. The many deaths in the first stage had by no means been solely because the remnant species' vengeful spirits were too powerful.

Ye Chen had certainly killed a good number. Perhaps even eighty percent of them had died at his hands. The more he thought of this, the greater his terror became. Once these prodigies were all dead, what would become of him? How exactly could he survive?

…

Outside, the upheaval was not limited to the War God Academy. Many top-tier Immortal King families across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were also thrown into massive turmoil. At the very start of the secret realm, disciples had fallen in swathes and soul lamps had shattered, the numbers enormous. In merely one week, nearly nine hundred and fifty prodigies had perished, stirring great waves within the War God Academy.

Yet because the backgrounds of those disciples were not especially powerful—even those from great families lacked absolute top talent and were not core disciples—the matter had not caused much external disturbance.

Today was different.

"Ancestor, He Yu's soul lamp has shattered…"

"Clan Leader, the soul lamps of Shi Yi and Shi Er have shattered…"

"Sect Master, Li Fei's longevity lamp has extinguished!"

One shocked cry after another rang out, triggering various degrees of uproar. Soon, illusory figures emerged from the various families and flew toward the War God Academy.

AN: The next update will be the day after tomorrow.