Chapter 1497: Release My Son

After a moment of silence, Jinwu Huang swung his killing sword and roared in fury, his voice shaking the heavens like a madman, his anger stripping away all royal composure.

"Kill him!"

Before his words even faded, the eight Dasheng by his side charged forward without hesitation. Some formed divine abilities with their hands, others wielded killing swords, and still others controlled magical artifacts, each unleashing deadly techniques.

The attacks rained down from the sky, but Ye Chen stood unmoving, like a statue rooted in place.

Onlookers from all directions could hardly bear to watch. With eight Dasheng launching a fatal assault, even a great saint cultivator would likely meet a tragic end. Everyone seemed to envision the gruesome scene of Ye Chen's soul scattering into nothingness.

Yet, in that instant, Ye Chen suddenly vanished. Though he disappeared, Jinwu Eighth Prince appeared in the very spot where he had stood, a hundred zhang away.

"Yitian Huandi?" The eight Jinwu Dasheng all paled, instantly recognizing the divine ability.

But the fatal techniques had already been unleashed and could not be retracted. They watched helplessly as Jinwu Eighth Prince was blasted into ashes, not even managing a scream before heading straight to the underworld.

"Damn it!" The eight Dasheng erupted in rage, and Jinwu Huang did the same, whirling toward one direction.

Since it was Yitian Huandi, swapping positions, if the eighth prince had gone there, then Ye Chen must now be where Jinwu Eighth Prince had been—right behind Jinwu Taizi.

Indeed, Ye Chen was now behind Jinwu Taizi, having sealed him with a forbidden technique. Ye Chen's finger pressed against the back of Jinwu Taizi's head, divine light swirling around it—a lethal secret method targeting the primordial spirit and true form. With a single thought, Jinwu Taizi would be destroyed.

This was why Ye Chen had earlier triggered the seals on so many others but left Jinwu Eighth Prince alone—because his position was perfect, closest to Jinwu Taizi.

And the results proved his move was executed flawlessly. Everyone was caught off guard, including the cultivators watching from all sides, the eight Jinwu Dasheng, Jinwu Huang himself, and even the restrained Jinwu Taizi, who was stunned for a moment.

"Who exactly are you?"

"You've wiped out my entire clan and still ask who I am?" Ye Chen replied with a faint smile. "When you indulged in senseless slaughter, you should have expected this day. Blood debts must be repaid in blood."

"Kill them—they all deserved it!"

"I like that kind of defiance." Ye Chen raised his hand and tore off one of Jinwu Taizi's arms in an instant. Blood sprayed out, golden and radiant, every drop pure and piercing.

"Release my son!" Jinwu Huang thundered in fury, his killing sword trembling with unrestrained murderous intent. He had calculated everything but never anticipated that Ye Chen knew Yitian Huandi. As the majestic Jinwu Huang and a great Jinwu Dasheng, with a hundred thousand cultivators at his command, he was caught completely off guard.

"Release him? Only if you pay the ransom." Ye Chen casually stretched his neck. He was determined to kill Jinwu Taizi, but if he could extort some wealth first, he wouldn't mind.

"You're still demanding money?" Before Jinwu Huang could respond, the eight Jinwu Dasheng lunged forward, their eyes bloodshot. They paid no heed to Jinwu Taizi's safety. They hated Ye Chen to the bone, and they harbored resentment toward Jinwu Taizi as well—this was all his doing.

They had lost their minds, their reason gone. They didn't care if Ye Chen held the prince hostage; they had to kill him.

Their reckless charge infuriated Jinwu Huang, who stepped in not to attack Ye Chen, but to save him—and in doing so, save Jinwu Taizi.

The hundred thousand cultivators also surged forward, but they were confused about what to do. The Dasheng wanted to kill, while Jinwu Huang wanted to protect—who should they obey?

The spectators from all directions were baffled. In just three moments, how had the situation flipped like this?

As they watched in a daze, the onslaught enveloped Ye Chen once more—and Jinwu Taizi along with him. Ye Chen remained calm and composed, but Jinwu Taizi roared in fury.

He was enraged at the eight Jinwu Dasheng for completely disregarding him, the crown prince.

"We were just talking about ransom, and you bastards attack? Are you trying to get me killed?"

"Damn it! Damn it!" His roars echoed thunderously, but they were utterly useless.

The eight Jinwu Dasheng continued their assault, unleashing another wave of deadly techniques. Not satisfied, they even brought out their Dasheng-level life-bound artifacts, as if determined to obliterate Jinwu Taizi too.

"You don't seem very popular, do you?" Ye Chen's mocking laugh echoed in Jinwu Taizi's ear, like a sinister curse, driving him to madness in that instant.

Ye Chen ignored it all and invoked the Heavenly Dao, grabbing Jinwu Taizi and vanishing into a black hole.

A tremendous boom followed, collapsing the entire peak of Cangmang Mountain. Clouds churned chaotically in the turmoil.

When the smoke cleared, Ye Chen was gone, and so was Jinwu Taizi, vanished without a trace.

Jinwu Huang exploded in rage, his eyes blood-red as he glared at the Jinwu Dasheng.

"Who ordered you to attack?"

"Forgive us, Your Majesty—we were overcome with anger." The eight Jinwu Dasheng replied coldly.

Compared to Jinwu Huang, their anger carried a hint of satisfaction. Many of their descendants had died because of Jinwu Taizi, and now that he was likely doomed, it settled a small grudge.

Jinwu Huang spat blood, overwhelmed by fury, his vision darkening as he nearly collapsed.

It was a massive humiliation, an unprecedented disgrace. In one night, so many of his clan had been slaughtered, and all the Jinwu branches destroyed. Now, attempting to ransom someone had cost a fortune, only to end with a group of corpses.

What enraged him most was that his most favored and talented son, the future ruler of the Jinwu clan, had fallen today. The Jinwu clan suffered heavy losses and lost all face.

He was angry, he hated, and he regretted. He regretted indulging Jinwu Taizi's rampant killings, which had drawn so many enemies and brought such calamities upon the Jinwu clan.

Though the disasters were caused by the prince, as his father and emperor, Jinwu Huang could not escape blame.

The cycle of karma is inevitable; heaven spares no one—it's just that the time hadn't come yet.

"The show's over." The onlookers dispersed, sighing endlessly. "That Ye family ancestor came without any intention of leaving. Taking so many down with him makes it worthwhile."

"The Jinwu Taizi got what he deserved." Many sneered. "He had it coming. The real tragedy is for those Jinwu clan members who lost their lives innocently because of his crimes."

"What a thrilling spectacle." Hidden in the shadows, figures like Xiao Yuan Huang grinned. "Nine million was well spent. Nicely done—Old Seven's move was truly dominant and impressive."

"He's even carrying the Six Paths Immortal Eyes? That's quite a surprise." In another spot, Kongque Daming Wang slowly turned away. He had come idly to watch the drama and stayed from start to finish.

As he left, his smile held deeper meaning. The Jinwu Huang and his Dasheng couldn't see it, but as a quasi-emperor, Kongque Daming Wang saw clearly: the one collecting the ransom was Ye Chen.

Moreover, Ye Chen hadn't been killed; he had escaped using the immortal wheel forbidden technique, Heavenly Dao, taking Jinwu Taizi into the black hole and evading the Jinwu clan's deadly pursuit.

Only today did he understand how Ye Chen could freely enter and exit the Kongque family's barriers—with the Heavenly Dao as a heaven-defying secret method, all barriers were meaningless.

Others who came, like many quasi-emperors such as Qilin Wang, Xuanwu Wang, and Zhuque Wang, shared similar thoughts.

Their expressions as they left were quite entertaining. If Kongque Daming Wang could recognize Ye Chen, so could they. Ye Chen was still alive, and that revelation was indeed puzzling.