Chapter 289

Chapter 289

Exposed by Jiang Chen’s sharp words, Jin Yuan maintained a facade of indifference, though the weight of everyone’s gaze left him restless. It wasn’t embarrassment that troubled him, but the reality that his bluff had been called.

Now, his influence within the alliance would undoubtedly diminish, as his lack of trump cards was revealed.

He could already foresee his clan’s position, once equal to the Heavenly Fox Clan, slipping away. The thought filled Jin Yuan with both helplessness and rage. His hatred for Jiang Chen deepened, but he dared not show it, fearful of drawing Jiang Chen’s focused ire.

“Featherbrain, I didn’t expect you to master the art of empty bravado so thoroughly!” scoffed the Holy Master of Pure Yang. “I thought you had some true trump card to back up your arrogance. Turns out, you’re no different from the Azure Dragon Clan back in the day!”

Even the Holy Master couldn’t help but mock him. Everyone present had flaunted their strength based on some hidden ace, yet Jin Yuan had nothing to show for his bluster. When his cards were laid bare, they amounted to little more than a three in a high-stakes game.

“Nonsense!” Jin Yuan shouted, feigning confidence. “How could the Holy Son of the Primordial Holy Land possibly know the depths of my clan’s foundations?”

He continued to bluff, but now no one believed him. The skeptical and disdainful gazes of the crowd weighed heavily on him. Even his allies, like Huang Tian, began to look at him with thinly veiled contempt, a result Jin Yuan desperately wished to avoid.

Meanwhile, the Ye Clan’s Great Emperor found himself encircled. The supreme emperor weapons of the Nine Heavens Realm had all been activated, sealing off every avenue of escape.

He had no means to seize the vitality of the living; any attempt to do so would undoubtedly awaken multiple emperor weapons against him.

Adding to his troubles was the ever-watchful Jiang Chen, poised to strike at any moment.

“Do I truly have no choice but to undergo ultimate sublimation?” The Great Emperor’s eyes glinted with malice. “No! I cannot fade into obscurity like this!”

Resolving himself, he extended his hand towards the Ye Clan’s sanctuary, aiming to draw vitality from his own bloodline.

The major immortal forces of Central Region tacitly agreed not to interfere, allowing the Great Emperor’s hand to plunge into the Ye Clan’s small domain.

“Great Emperor, we are your bloodline!”

“No! I don’t want to die!”

“Why is this happening?!”

Their anguished cries echoed through the heavens as countless life essences were extracted, pouring into the Great Emperor’s body like a surging river. His previously dim aura began to reignite with vitality.

Ye Changhe stood frozen, his face pale as he witnessed the devastation wrought upon his kin. “Great Emperor… What are you doing?!” he stammered in disbelief.

“What am I doing?” the Great Emperor snarled, his fury evident. “If not for you waking me prematurely, would I have fallen to this state?!”

The Great Emperor’s anger burned brightly. Had he not been roused by Ye Changhe to confront the Primordial Holy Land, he would have remained in peaceful slumber, awaiting the opening of the immortal road.

His meticulous plans had been derailed, leaving him to face the daunting Great Accomplishment physique of Jiang Chen and an inescapable siege.

At that moment, Jiang Chen moved. With a simple gesture, his hand pierced through the void and seized Ye Changhe effortlessly. The crowd watched impassively, their gazes cold and detached. Even the human alliance’s other immortal forces acted as if blind to the scene.

“You think they’ll save you?” Jiang Chen laughed, easily seeing through Ye Changhe’s futile hopes for rescue. “Naive! These people would flee faster than anyone else.”

Ye Changhe’s pleas were ignored as Jiang Chen crushed him with a single strike, snuffing out the Ye Clan’s patriarch like a ripple lost in an endless sea. The demise of an immortal clan’s leader barely stirred the onlookers.

“The rise of a grand era reduces Saints to mere fodder,” sighed the Holy Master of Pure Yang.

Once, peak Great Saints reigned supreme, yet now they were akin to ants. Even the head of an immortal clan could not escape the fate of irrelevance.

As the stolen vitality replenished him, the Ye Clan’s Great Emperor grew even stronger than when he had first appeared. His aura surged, and all eyes turned to him with vigilance, even Jiang Chen adopting a wary stance.

Yet, contrary to expectations, the Great Emperor did not attack. Instead, he abruptly retreated, surprising everyone.

He moved towards the Land of God’s Abandonment and, with a resolute voice, declared, “Lord of God’s Abandonment, I am willing to enter the Land of God’s Abandonment!”

These words sent shockwaves rippling through the Nine Heavens Realm.

The crowd erupted in shock, their eyes widening with disbelief. None had anticipated that the Ye Clan’s Great Emperor would retreat instead of pressing forward.

Hearing these words, even Jiang Chen was momentarily stunned. He couldn’t help but remark, “How did you even become an emperor if you’re backing down against a Saint King?”

In truth, the Great Emperor’s decision had caught Jiang Chen completely off guard. The scene even reminded him of a novel he’d read in the past, where a character cried out, “Yu Tuo, save me!” While the situation wasn’t as blatant, the underlying sentiment felt eerily similar.

Jiang Chen couldn’t help but doubt how the Ye Clan’s Great Emperor had managed to achieve his status. After all, becoming an emperor required unparalleled pride and resolve.

This content belongs to NoveI-Fire.ɴet

“This is not retreat,” the Great Emperor replied coldly. “I simply won’t allow a mere ant like you to interfere with my grand plans!”

The truth was, he wasn’t afraid—his focus lay elsewhere. With the immortal road about to open, sacrificing his life for a Saint King felt utterly unworthy.

For an ancient emperor like him, stepping onto the immortal path and finding the immortal road had become an all-consuming obsession. Compared to this goal, even his once-unshakable pride was expendable.

Had this been in the past, the Great Emperor would have fought to the death without hesitation. But now, his priorities had shifted.

“Still sounds like fear to me,” Jiang Chen muttered under his breath.

“You’re free to think that,” the Great Emperor replied, his tone calm, almost resigned, as if he had given up the fight entirely.

This display left Jiang Chen speechless. He couldn’t help but wonder, ‘How can you look more resigned than me?’

Almost simultaneously, a burst of immortal light surged from the Land of God’s Abandonment, and a voice resonated across the heavens. “Are you certain?”

“Of course!” the Great Emperor responded without hesitation.

Hearing this, the calm voice continued, “Holy Son of the Primordial Holy Land, step back. This one is under my protection.”

Jiang Chen’s expression darkened. “Lord of God’s Abandonment, this is the second time. First, you sheltered the True Dragon Emperor, and now it’s this Ye Clan’s Great Emperor!”

His tone was filled with dissatisfaction. Once could be overlooked, but twice? Jiang Chen wasn’t about to let this slide.

“The third time will not happen. If the Holy Son of the Primordial Holy Land grants me this favor, I am willing to grant you a request in return,” the Lord of God’s Abandonment responded evenly.

These words shocked everyone, including the Ye Clan’s Great Emperor, who turned to look at the Land of God’s Abandonment, then at Jiang Chen.

He couldn’t comprehend why the enigmatic Lord would offer Jiang Chen such deference. Was it because of his Great Accomplishment physique?

No, that was impossible. The Lord of God’s Abandonment had once rivaled emperors in power. There was no reason for him to fear a Great Accomplishment physique, no matter how impressive.

The Great Emperor recalled an instance where a full-fledged emperor had attempted to invade the Land of God’s Abandonment, only to be grievously wounded by the Lord, never daring to return. Such a being could not possibly be intimidated by a mere mortal physique.