Chapter 246

Chapter 246

After five years of growth, she was no longer the petite girl from before. She now had a tall and graceful figure, exuding the elegance of an immortal maiden. Her stunning appearance made her highly regarded in the Nine Heavens Realm.

“Who knows!” Pure Yang Saint shrugged. “It seems like the Ye Family is trying to create some momentum, hoping to undermine Jiang Chen’s reputation.”

Qin Yao frowned. “But would the Ye Family’s God Son really take action? If he has the confidence to defeat Jiang Chen, then the hype makes sense. But if he doesn’t have that capability, wouldn’t it just be asking for trouble? The ridicule he would face afterward would be unbearable.”

She couldn’t understand it. If the Ye Family’s God Son had the strength, it would be fine to create a spectacle. But if he didn’t, it would only make him look like a clown.

“That part is unclear; maybe they know something we don’t. But the Ye Family’s Divine Son is still only at the Quasi-Saint level, so he shouldn’t be foolish enough to challenge Jiang Chen,” Pure Yang Holy Son remarked.

“I hope he has the guts!” Jiang Chen yawned and said nonchalantly, “But even if he does, I won’t bother. It would just be bullying! Saint versus a Quasi-Saint? Either way, it’s a loss for me. Plus, it’s a waste of time.”

If the Ye Family’s God Son were at the Saint realm or Saint King realm, Jiang Chen might have been interested. But a Quasi-Saint? Not worth the effort.

“Maybe not!” Qin Ershi interjected. “I’ve heard that the Ye Family’s previous God Son has also re-emerged. His cultivation has already reached the ninth level of the Saint King realm, just one step away from becoming a Great Saint. They might send him to suppress you!”

“Your reputation has become overwhelming. Nearly everyone regards you as the number one prodigy. Because of you, the prestige of the Primordial Holy Land has grown even stronger, which has led to the Human Alliance, spearheaded by the Ye Family, being constantly overshadowed by us.”

“For them to make any headway, they have to reduce the Primordial Holy Land’s influence, and you are undoubtedly their primary target!”

Qin Ershi’s words were a warning. In the past, the human factions were divided, with each immortal force acting independently. But now, the human powers had largely consolidated into two major factions.

The Primordial Holy Land had risen to great heights, and its influence had grown so immense that many people no longer considered joining the Human Alliance.

Particularly with the ambitious Ye Family at the forefront, they couldn’t afford to be suppressed by the Primordial Holy Land. Removing Jiang Chen was beyond their capability, but chipping away at his reputation was achievable. At the very least, they wanted to diminish Jiang Chen’s current overwhelming prestige.

Jiang Chen’s fame had skyrocketed after his past battles, earning him the title of the number one prodigy and someone destined to achieve enlightenment.

This had caused the Human Alliance to stagnate, even though the Primordial Holy Land had no intention of expanding. Due to Jiang Chen’s reputation, countless forces were eager to join the Primordial Holy Land every day.

After all, the two major factions weren’t just comprised of immortal forces; there were various other sects and powers below them. The immortal forces were only the core members.

“I’ve heard the Human Alliance intends to recruit all human forces, aiming to create the strongest power in the Nine Heavens Realm!”

“But because of the Primordial Holy Land, none of the other forces are participating, turning us into their biggest obstacle!”

“If they want to expand, they’ll have to remove the obstacle in their path!”

“If they send the previous God Son of the Ye Family this time, it’s likely in preparation for that, to disrupt your unbeaten path! You should be cautious of them!” Pure Yang Holy Son reminded.

In this generation, no one could match Jiang Chen. To call him peerless among his contemporaries was not an exaggeration. He had become a nightmare for countless prodigies, an insurmountable mountain. The opposing side surely understood this.

But since no one from this generation could defeat him, they might turn to the previous one.

“Interesting!” Jiang Chen grinned. “If they truly dare, I wouldn’t mind embarrassing them! What’s so special about the previous God Son?”

Jiang Chen was completely unconcerned. He had already reached the eighth level of the Saint realm. Forget a Saint King—he could even go toe-to-toe with a Great Saint. At his current level, his opponents were no longer his peers but the older generation.

“So confident?” Pure Yang Holy Son and the others were shocked.

Although they knew Jiang Chen had defeated Saint Kings before, the previous God Son of the Ye Family was no ordinary figure. He had already reached the ninth level of the Saint King realm, just a step away from becoming a Great Saint.

“Such individuals should never be underestimated. Of course!” Jiang Chen chuckled, “Killing them wouldn’t be that hard.”

The plot was probably about to unfold, but Jiang Chen wasn’t sure whether it would go according to the original storyline. In the original plot, when the secret realm opened, the God Son of the Ye Family made a grand entrance, aiming to establish his own reputation.

He challenged Dugu Yun, the Holy Son of the Primordial Holy Land at the time, hoping to make a name for himself. However, the result was disastrous—Ye Qing was utterly defeated. While this didn’t completely crush him, it did ruin the Ye Family’s plans, and Ye Qing became something of a laughingstock.

But now, the plot had deviated significantly. Dugu Yun had long since ventured out into the wider world, and Jiang Chen’s strength and accomplishments were undeniable. No matter how arrogant Ye Qing might be, he likely wouldn’t dare to challenge Jiang Chen directly.

By all logic, the storyline shouldn’t proceed as it originally did. That’s what Jiang Chen had thought at first, but after hearing the others’ discussions, he began to suspect that the Ye Family might still shift their focus onto him, sending out their so-called previous Divine Son to defeat him instead.

But what good would that do? Even if they sent this God Son to defeat him, it wouldn’t earn them much glory. Instead, they’d gain a reputation for bullying someone younger.

“Perhaps they don’t care about reputation and are just trying to mess with my mental state. Are they trying to throw me off balance? If that’s the case, this plan might actually work.” Jiang Chen thought to himself.

If the Ye Family’s aim was as he suspected, the previous generation’s God Son might be sent not to win a clean victory, but to disturb Jiang Chen’s Dao heart, especially since he had built an invincible path for himself.

If they could crack his unshakable confidence, it could leave a lingering flaw in his mental state, potentially becoming a heart demon in the future.

This kind of thing wasn’t uncommon. Throughout history, there had been similar instances of plotting against prodigies by trying to destabilize their mindsets and leave behind heart demons.

Stronger-willed individuals could overcome it, but for those with weaker minds—especially those who had always been undefeated and held unparalleled arrogance—one serious setback could have an enormous impact.

Throw in verbal traps and psychological pressure during a battle, and it was easy to see how such schemes could ruin even the greatest prodigies, leaving them broken and eventually forgotten.

Meanwhile, in another pavilion, several strikingly handsome prodigies sat, each exuding an aura as vast and deep as the ocean, shining as brightly as the sun.

“Ye God Son, I’ve heard that the Holy Son of the Primordial Holy Land has also come here. Are you planning to test your strength against his?” asked a tall and imposing young man.

This was the Crown Prince of the Dali Dynasty, a figure whose status was comparable to that of Qin Ershi.

“Crown Prince, you’re trying to push me into the fire pit!” Ye Qing replied calmly. “I am no match for the Holy Son of the Primordial Holy Land as I am now.”

“Of course, if I don’t make a move, someone else will. The only question is whether Jiang Chen will accept the challenge,” he added, casting a glance at the slender, refined young man sitting beside him.

This young man was none other than the previous generation’s God Son of the Ye Family, a powerhouse at the ninth level of the Saint King realm.