Chapter 256

Chapter 256

“The Emperor Weapon is unfair!” Ye Tian said in a stern voice.

“Oh? And you, a Saint King at the ninth stage, targeting me with all your efforts—that’s fair?” Jiang Chen mocked.

His words quickly resonated with the crowd.

The Pure Yang Holy Son immediately stepped forward, “If you want fairness, let the Holy Son of Primordial forego his Emperor Weapon, but then you must also suppress your cultivation to match his level. Only then would it be truly fair. Otherwise, restricting the Holy Son of Primordial alone is hardly fair, is it?”

“You might as well have him stand there and let you kill him!” he added with a sneer.

If it were possible, Ye Tian would indeed prefer such an arrangement. As long as he could kill Jiang Chen, the means didn’t matter. However, he ignored the Pure Yang Holy Son’s suggestion. The idea of matching Jiang Chen at the same level was ridiculous; it was precisely his realm advantage that he counted on.

Without that, he would be walking into certain death. Facing the Holy Son of Primordial on equal terms was unthinkable. Even the emperors of the past couldn’t claim such invincibility.

“The Ye Family truly has no shame!” murmured someone in the crowd. “Sure, an Emperor Weapon could upset the balance, but is the Ye Family’s conduct any less unfair? They demand privileges for themselves and deny them to others.”

“Besides, the Emperor Weapon in question was earned by the Holy Son of Primordial; it’s not from the Primordial Holy Land’s armory!”

The onlookers were buzzing with criticism. “They might as well just have the Holy Son of Primordial stand there and let them kill him! Or better yet, let him end his own life; that’d save them the trouble!”

“I’ve seen shameless people before, but this Ye Family takes it to a whole new level,” someone scoffed.

The ancient city’s inhabitants were astounded by the Ye Family’s audacity. Not only did they insist on using an elder’s intervention, already a disgraceful act, but now they sought further restrictions.

If the Emperor Weapon were indeed a foundational asset of the Primordial Holy Land, it might be reasonable to ban its use. However, the weapon was Jiang Chen’s personal acquisition, making this demand blatantly unfair.

“Are you afraid?” Ye Tian attempted to provoke Jiang Chen.

Yet Jiang Chen wasn’t swayed. He responded calmly, “Are you not the one who’s afraid?”

“I haven’t rejected your invitations before. Besides having your useless Holy Son battle Yan Ruyu, did I make any requests? Yet here you are, constantly making demands. If you’re really afraid, stop posturing!”

“If you think the Emperor Weapon is unfair, you’re welcome to bring out an Emperor Weapon from the Ye Family as well. That would truly make it a fair fight!”

They thought they could unsettle him with such blatant provocations. What a joke. He was not the one anxious here; it was the Ye Family that was growing desperate.

“Of course, if you want me to forego the Emperor Weapon, it’s not impossible.” Jiang Chen suddenly shifted his tone, smiling. “I’ve heard that the Ye Family has quite a few Quasi-Emperor Weapons. Bring out three of them, along with ten billion Divine Sources and an Eternal Token!”

For Jiang Chen, having or not having the Emperor Weapon made little difference. However, that didn’t mean he’d give it up without a substantial price. A Quasi-Emperor Weapon was a rare and powerful asset, one step below the Emperor Weapon.

Crafting one required painstaking effort and rare materials. Many Quasi-Emperors spent their entire lives unable to forge a Quasi-Emperor Weapon. Thus, the Ye Family’s inventory was exceedingly limited; they likely possessed only five or six such weapons.

By demanding three Quasi-Emperor Weapons, Jiang Chen wasn’t asking for a small price—he was bleeding them dry. Moreover, ten billion Divine Sources held an incalculable value. But the most crucial item was the Eternal Token.

This was a key left behind by the Eternal Emperor, necessary to unlock a secret realm containing his legacy and insights into the Dao.

The Eternal Emperor had departed the Nine Heavens Realm long ago, leaving behind this hidden realm with his inheritance and comprehension of the Dao. To access it, one needed the Eternal Token, of which there were only three across the Nine Heavens Realm.

One was already claimed by the Heavenly Fox Empress, who used it to gain the Eternal Emperor’s inheritance and insights, eventually forging her own path akin to the Eternal Emperor’s. Another token was in the Ye Family’s treasury, but they had never discovered the location of the Eternal Emperor’s legacy, leaving the token unused.

“How do you know we have the Eternal Token?” Ye Changhe’s eyes narrowed, a hint of alarm flickering in his gaze as he spoke in a cold tone.

Very few people within the Ye Family knew about the existence of the Eternal Token. Only a select handful were aware, so Ye Changhe couldn’t understand how Jiang Chen had come to know of it.

“There’s no wall that doesn’t leak,” Jiang Chen said with a broad smile, his words loaded with hidden meaning. “Ye Family Patriarch, perhaps it’s worth considering how I found out.”

He was intentionally provoking Ye Changhe, planting a seed of doubt in his heart. Whether this would ultimately affect the Ye Family was of no concern to Jiang Chen; the damage had already been done.

He was certain that once Ye Changhe returned, he would begin a thorough investigation within the family. In fact, he was probably already planning it.

“A truly outrageous demand—the Holy Son of Primordial is beyond greedy!” some in the crowd muttered.

“But the Ye Family actually has the Eternal Token? That’s the key to the Eternal Emperor’s inheritance!”

“How did the Holy Son of Primordial even find out about it?”

“No one knows. But without knowledge of the Eternal Emperor’s inheritance location, the token itself is useless.”

“Perhaps the Holy Son of Primordial knows where it is?”

“It’s possible. After all, he knew the Ye Family had the Eternal Token!”

Jiang Chen’s demands had shocked everyone; calling him greedy was an understatement. He was practically asking for half of the Ye Family’s foundation—particularly with the demand for the Eternal Token and three Quasi-Emperor Weapons.

The value of these items was unimaginable. While the token alone might not affect the Ye Family’s power base, the three Quasi-Emperor Weapons were a different matter; they were integral to the family’s foundation.

“Impossible! Choose another condition!” Ye Changhe refused outright.

They couldn’t possibly agree to such terms. The three Quasi-Emperor Weapons alone were enough to make them decline; the cost was simply too great. While the ten billion Divine Sources could be considered, the Eternal Token was out of the question.

They had held onto the Eternal Token for so many years, all in the hopes of unlocking the Eternal Emperor’s inheritance. Though they had yet to locate it, handing over the token to Jiang Chen was unthinkable. In fact, they suspected Jiang Chen might know where the inheritance was.

If they handed it over, they would only be aiding the Primordial Holy Land, especially Jiang Chen—a significant threat in his own right. With the Eternal Token, he would become even more formidable, potentially rising to the level of an emperor in this generation.

Even if Jiang Chen were to die here, the Eternal Emperor’s inheritance could elevate the Primordial Holy Land to unprecedented heights. Therefore, there was no way Ye Changhe would agree to these outrageous conditions.

“No deal,” Jiang Chen replied coldly. “Without those items, I have no intention of accepting this duel. Don’t even think of goading me with claims of cowardice—I’m immune to that. Besides, is my life worth less than all these treasures?”

This was no joke. He fully intended for the Ye Family to pay a heavy price; there was no chance he would negotiate. The Ye Family’s actions had thoroughly disgusted Jiang Chen, and he would make them pay dearly. Moreover, he was confident that the Ye Family would eventually yield.

“Enough with the nonsense. I only want to hear a simple answer—yes or no!” Jiang Chen interrupted as Ye Changhe seemed about to argue further, directly cutting him off.

He didn’t care about Ye Changhe’s status. What did it matter if he was the Ye Family Patriarch? Jiang Chen had no qualms about putting him in his place.

Ye Changhe’s face darkened; Jiang Chen’s response had left him humiliated and unable to retreat gracefully.