Chapter 1500: Big Vote

The rumbling sounds shook the heavens, mingling with the cries of battle, as blood filled the air and the very world trembled.

With a fierce roar, a Great Saint of the Kunpeng Clan was slain, his body exploding in the void of the sky.

In the process, Chi Yan Dasheng sustained injuries, and a Great Saint-level Yinming Dead General nearly met its end.

Another Great Saint was destroyed, with three Great Saints and three Yinming Dead Generals surrounding the second Great Saint of the Kunpeng Clan in a six-against-one onslaught—the outcome was inevitable, and that Great Saint was reduced to ashes.

On the other side, the Saint King-level experts of the Kunpeng Mine were utterly annihilated under absolute suppression.

With all the peak experts eliminated, what followed was a one-sided massacre. The Kunpeng Mine, lacking even a single Saint King, stood no chance against a force of Great Saints and Saint Kings.

The scene grew even more horrific, as swaths of figures turned into blood mist, their blood forming rivers.

Chi Yan Dasheng and the Saint Kings began looting the spoils, sweeping through the area and charging into the mines. They took whatever they could, and on top of that, they would collect their commission later—this job's rewards were exceptionally generous.

The other two teams also secured decisive victories. All the Kunpeng Great Saints and Saint Kings were wiped out, and the remaining lesser foes, aside from those who escaped, were buried in the mine, creating a true landscape of mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.

"Quickly retreat!" Chi Yan Dasheng ordered, being the first to leave the mine and vanishing in an instant.

Although there were still many ores left uncollected in the mine, everyone understood this was a dangerous place. With the mission complete, there was no need to linger. The teleportation array might have been destroyed, but the Kunpeng Clan could still send reinforcements from outside. If they were surrounded, the consequences would be dire.

Chi Yan Dasheng's people didn't dare delay, flying out of the mine one by one and using small teleportation arrays to escape.

However, one person was still ransacking the ores and treasures, darting around the mine—it was undoubtedly Ye Chen. With his Xianlun Tiandao Escaping technique, no one could stop him.

This was a natural treasure trove, now ownerless, and he wasn't about to hold back—he collected frantically.

"Are you throwing your life away?"

Sha Po Tian transmitted as he sped by. "It's wiser to leave quickly."

"You all go ahead; I'll follow soon."

Ye Chen waved them off and dashed into another mine shaft.

Sha Po Tian said no more, stepping into the void and flying out of the mine. He activated his small teleportation array and disappeared in an instant, as did the others—they came quickly and left just as fast.

The vast mine was left with nothing but mountains of corpses and rivers of blood, and Ye Chen as the sole living person. Everywhere he passed, storage bags and artifact fragments alike went straight into his possession.

"I say, why not let me out to lend a hand?"

Yan Long, inside the Chaos Cauldron, had awakened and was jumping around excitedly. He loved this kind of chaos and was itching to join in.

"Stay put quietly."

Ye Chen had no intention of letting him out. Kunpeng Clan experts could arrive at any moment, and he didn't want Yan Long to get into trouble. Handling the looting himself was enough.

It wasn't until sometime later that he slipped out of the mine like smoke, having taken everything worth taking.

He had left, but behind him, he left a massive white banner hanging from the sky, hundreds of zhang long, with seven bloody characters scrawled on it: Blame It on Your Clan Prince.

Just as at this site, the other two mines had the same setup, with white banners stretching across the heavens and earth.

Looking down from above, the three mines appeared as if they had been washed in fresh blood. Everywhere one looked was red, with corpses strewn everywhere, a scene so shocking it resembled the depths of Jiuyou Hell.

Soon, Kunpeng Clan experts swarmed in from all directions, spotting from afar the white banners spanning the sky and the stark seven characters on them: Blame It on Your Clan Prince.

"Damn it all."

The Kunpeng experts flooded into the mine, but the gruesome sight made them gasp in shock.

Spectators who had come to watch the spectacle gathered from all sides. Without a word, they saw the hundreds-of-zhang white banner and paused in surprise. "Those characters look awfully familiar."

"No need to wonder; it's enemies provoked by the Kunpeng Clan Prince."

People from all directions sighed in sympathy. "Just like with the Jinwu Clan Prince, it's foes coming for revenge, dragging down their own clan members."

"Could it be the same group that hit the Jinwu? The handwriting on those seven characters is very similar."

"Whether it is or isn't, it doesn't matter anymore."

Someone couldn't help but laugh. "What matters is that retribution has come, and it's even worse than for the Jinwu Clan. Three source stone mines—that's an enormous fortune."

"Serves them right, I say."

Many couldn't hold back their approval. "They've always acted superior, bullying others left and right. Now they're getting their due. Let them be stripped of everything!"

"Investigate! I want a full investigation!"

In the Kunpeng Grand Hall, the Kunpeng Emperor raged like a madman, his furious roar shaking the heavens.

"You've done a fine job of this."

The Kunpeng Clan's elders in the hall all fixed their bloodshot eyes on the Kunpeng Clan Prince. "All because of your reckless behavior, our Kunpeng Clan has suffered massive losses—six Great Saints, over twenty Saint Kings, hundreds of Quasi-Saint Kings, and countless clan members. The price in blood is staggering!"

The Kunpeng Clan Prince gritted his teeth but remained silent. His usual playful and mocking expression was gone, replaced by sheer ferocity. His golden eyes had turned blood-red, seething with imperial rage. As the Kunpeng Clan Prince, with his noble status, how could he tolerate being schemed against like this?

It was a bitter irony. Not long ago, when the Jinwu Clan was struck, he had watched the spectacle with great interest. But now, his own clan had followed in their footsteps, and it was all because of him. Moreover, their losses were even greater than the Jinwu Clan's.

By this point, Ye Chen had returned to the small estate of the Chi Yan Branch Pavilion. The nine Great Saints and hundred Saint Kings were all waiting, with many bearing injuries, though none were serious and there were no fatalities.

"This operation was executed flawlessly."

Ye Chen smiled, handing over the second half of the commission. "The Chi Yan Mercenaries get the job done reliably—ruthless, bold, and full of resolve."

"You must have cleared out quite a bit!"

The group of Great Saints stroked their beards as they looked at Ye Chen. They knew he had continued looting the mine after they left, and even in half an hour, he could have gathered a lot.

"You all didn't hold back either."

Ye Chen shook his head with a grin. He had seen it clearly—these old veterans moved like thieves and handled their plundering with expert skill. It was obvious they were no strangers to such shady dealings. That's why they were mercenaries; they knew all the tricks.

"Might as well make the most of the downtime."

The Great Saints and Saint Kings all wore knowing smiles. This time, their gains were substantial—they earned the commission and looted ores. It was the biggest windfall since Chi Yan was founded.

"So, are we up for another one?"

A plump Great Saint nudged Ye Chen, squinting slyly. "I hear the Baqi Clan's mines have plenty of ores too."

"If you waive the commission, I wouldn't mind another job."

Ye Chen replied with a smile.

"Don't joke around; we're mercenaries."

The plump Great Saint scoffed and rolled his eyes at Ye Chen.

"Daoist friend, do you have any other mercenary tasks? If not, we'll take our leave."

"If I said we should go straight for the Kunpeng Clan, you definitely wouldn't do it."

Ye Chen chuckled.

"That really isn't possible."

Everyone coughed awkwardly and turned to leave. What kind of international joke was that? The Kunpeng Clan wasn't something you could attack on a whim. Going there would mean total annihilation.

"Even Chi Yan has its cautious moments!"

Ye Chen couldn't help but smile, then walked out of the estate and into the streets. He found a teahouse, ordered a pot of ancient tea, and sat quietly.

Discussions erupted from all sides, rising like waves. Everyone was talking about the recent events, especially the attack on the Kunpeng Clan's three mines that night, with endless sighs of astonishment.

Ye Chen listened absentmindedly, his mind deep in thought. Although tonight's battle had dealt a heavy blow to the Kunpeng Clan, his ultimate goal remained unachieved: to eliminate the Kunpeng Clan Prince.

He was pondering how to lure the Kunpeng Clan Prince out—perhaps by kidnapping for ransom or reusing the same tactic?

After thinking it over, he felt that was the most reliable plan. Once the Kunpeng Clan Prince showed himself, everything would fall into place. Ye Chen was confident he could take him down. But if the prince stayed hidden, it would be troublesome.