Rumble!

The void ruptured as heavenly thunder rolled across the firmament.

With the wrath of a Saint King, the thousands of miles encompassing Red King Palace were turned upside down.

The more than one hundred thousand souls residing within Red King Palace felt as though the world itself was facing annihilation. They prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling in absolute terror.

Only at this very moment did those three hundred and fifty-seven disciples realize the true weight Chu Chen held in Qi Lao'er's heart.

Only then did they understand that within Red King Palace, the one truly second only to the master and above ten thousand others was not Zhao Kongyang at all, but Chu Chen!

Zhao Kongyang's face drained of color, turning as pale as paper. He stared at Qi Lao'er in sheer disbelief, his body involuntarily staggering back several steps.

He refused to believe it. He could not accept that after spending thirteen full years in Red King Palace, he was actually inferior to...

Inferior to Chu Chen, a man who had been in Red King Palace for less than a single day!

Furthermore, he, Zhao Kongyang, possessed a Spirit Communication Realm cultivation, while Chu Chen was merely at Qi Gathering.

No matter how monstrous his talent, the absolute gap in strength and realm was right there.

Why?

Why in the heavens was this happening?!

"P-Palace... Palace Master, w-we... we understand!"

"We will remember this! We were wrong!"

"Senior Brother Chu, we apologize! We will never again..."

Facing the bitter pleas of over three hundred disciples, Qi Lao'er waved his large hand, his face radiating dense Killing Intent.

"You only know you are wrong now? Too late!"

"According to the laws of my Divine Flame Emperor Palace, those who disrespect their elders shall die!"

The moment his words fell, Qi Lao'er violently clenched his fist toward the void.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bodies of two hundred and eight outer sect disciples exploded simultaneously, transforming into a continuous rain of blood.

"No! Please, no!"

"Palace Master, we know our wrongs! We know our wrongs!!"

...

The desperate begging of the remaining hundred-plus disciples did nothing to dilute Qi Lao'er's Killing Intent. His withered palm grasped at the void once more.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bodies of one hundred and ten inner sect disciples burst apart like macabre fireworks, their shredded flesh and blood staining the entirety of Chaos Peak red.

Outer sect and inner sect disciples were relatively weak, but true disciples were the future hope and foundational seeds of a holy land.

It was no exaggeration to say that every single true disciple was painstakingly nurtured by the Sect, built upon mountains of exhausted cultivation resources.

The death of even one true disciple would normally cause a holy land to mobilize its forces, dispatching enforcement halls to thoroughly investigate the cause.

Yet today...

The remaining thirty-nine true disciples collapsed to their knees in sheer terror, weeping bitterly.

Their cries were heart-wrenching and utterly miserable.

Their courage had long been shattered. Kneeling on the ground like stray dogs, they begged Qi Lao'er to spare their lives.

But Qi Lao'er, his eyes already bloodshot with a murderous frenzy, never had the slightest intention of letting them go.

Perhaps it was to establish Chu Chen's absolute authority.

Perhaps it was to give Chu Chen a proper explanation.

Or perhaps it was simply to buy Chu Chen's loyalty.

Under the horrified gazes of the remaining thirty-nine disciples, Qi Lao'er bared his gleaming white teeth. His tightly clenched hand suddenly relaxed, but before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief...

"Master, no!!"

Amidst Zhao Kongyang's mournful shriek, Qi Lao'er's wrinkled, age-spotted hand violently clawed at the void once more!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bodies of the remaining thirty-nine true disciples detonated, adding to the endless rain of blood.

A gust of wind blew past, scattering the crimson mist until they vanished without a trace, as if...

As if they had never set foot on Chaos Peak, never even existed in this world!

Thus.

Two hundred and eight outer sect disciples.

One hundred and ten inner sect disciples.

Thirty-nine true disciples.

A total of three hundred and fifty-seven disciples were completely wiped out. Not a single survivor remained!!

Thud!

Tears of blood streamed from Zhao Kongyang's eyes. He stumbled back several steps before his legs gave out, crashing heavily to the ground.

Crack! Crack!

Zhao Kongyang's Dao heart shattered. Already struggling to ignite his Divine Flame, this incident ensured he would be forever trapped at the Spirit Communication Realm!

"Chu Chen, are you satisfied?"

After slaughtering three hundred and fifty-seven disciples, Qi Lao'er casually clapped his hands together, acting as if nothing of consequence had occurred.

His wrinkled old face squeezed out a faint smile. He looked at Chu Chen, his eyes brimming with grandfatherly kindness.

"Your master promises you, such an offense will never happen a second time in Red King Palace!"

The corners of Chu Chen's mouth lifted slightly. Having already died once in his past life, he felt not a shred of guilt over the deaths of these disciples.

After all, these very same three hundred and fifty-seven disciples had just been clamoring before Qi Lao'er to execute him, eager to tear him limb from limb on the spot...

If Qi Lao'er had not backed him today, Chu Chen would be the one lying dead.

And if that had happened, not a single one of these disciples would have felt any guilt either!

"Thank you, Master!"

Chu Chen cupped his hands and bowed to Qi Lao'er. He then glanced at Zhao Kongyang, who sat paralyzed on the ground with a shattered Dao heart, before raising his gaze to survey the blood-drenched Chaos Peak.

The true culprit was Zhao Kongyang, but Chu Chen knew Qi Lao'er did not want to kill him. If the old man had wanted to, he would have struck him down long ago.

After all, he was a Pro-disciple!

After all, he was a Spirit Communication Realm cultivator!

After all, he was the number one figure among the younger generation of Red King Palace!

Very well. He would leave this wretch for himself to deal with personally!

But to just let him walk away like this... wouldn't that be...

Letting him off far too easily?!

Thus, under Qi Lao'er's benevolent gaze, Chu Chen cupped his hands once more and said,

"But Master, no matter how high my talent may be, I am currently only at the Qi Gathering realm."

"Zhao Kongyang came and went as he pleased today. What about tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that...?"

"Master cannot guard by your disciple's side forever. If Zhao Kongyang invades my Chaos Peak again, how am I supposed to resist?"

Hearing this, the dazed Zhao Kongyang violently jolted. He understood perfectly-Chu Chen was trying to force his death!

"Master, rest assured! I, Zhao Kongyang, swear to the heavens that I will never-"

Before Zhao Kongyang could finish, Qi Lao'er abruptly flicked his sleeve, instantly sealing the man's movements and rendering him mute.

"My beloved disciple, what do you propose?"

Qi Lao'er frowned slightly, looking at Chu Chen.

The Sect competition was imminent. Although he had no desire to fight for first place, Zhao Kongyang was the only presentable figure among the younger generation of Red King Palace.

Chu Chen possessed supreme talent, but his time in cultivation was still far too short.

If Zhao Kongyang was killed, Red King Palace would undoubtedly rank dead last in the Sect competition.

Qi Lao'er's lifespan was nearing its end, so he naturally cared little for such worldly glory. However, the competition's rankings dictated the allocation of cultivation resources, which was of paramount importance.

Yet, if he spared Zhao Kongyang, Chu Chen might harbor resentment, grow dissatisfied with him, and neglect his cultivation...

What then?

Just as Qi Lao'er found himself caught in a dilemma, Chu Chen cupped his hands and spoke again.

"Master, please be at ease. Your disciple naturally does not want Zhao Kongyang's life. After all, suffering a little grievance myself is nothing, but I cannot allow Red King Palace to suffer a loss."

Hearing this, both Qi Lao'er and Zhao Kongyang simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief.

But then, Chu Chen pointed toward the dozens of formation flags planted across Chaos Peak and continued,

"My Dao ashram has just been established, and Chaos Peak lacks a protective Formation. I see that Zhao Kongyang's [Locking Heaven Formation] is quite decent..."

Swish!!

Before Chu Chen could even finish his sentence, Qi Lao'er reached out and grasped the air. The dozens of formation flags were instantly yanked into his palm, forcibly refined, and sent floating gently before Chu Chen.

"Mmph... mmph mmph..."

Zhao Kongyang could not speak, but he thrashed and roared desperately from his sealed throat. This [Locking Heaven Formation] was the absolute most precious treasure in his possession.

If its full power was unleashed, even a Spirit Communication Realm expert would find it difficult to withstand the might of the [Locking Heaven Formation].

Stripped of this [Locking Heaven Formation], Zhao Kongyang's overall combat strength would be severely crippled!!

But before Zhao Kongyang could even attempt to articulate his despair, Qi Lao'er waved his hand impatiently. Zhao Kongyang's body was sent tumbling violently across the ground until he vanished from sight.

Banished from Chaos Peak, his dignity utterly destroyed.

"Disciple, this matter is settled."

Qi Lao'er flicked his sleeve, shattering the void before him. A spatial passage leading directly to the Heavenly Demon Gorge instantly materialized.

"Remember, you need only cultivate diligently and break through your realm as soon as possible!"

"As for everything else, whether you are in the right or not, your master will flatten all obstacles for you!!"

With those majestic words, he stepped into the spatial passage.

Just before departing, Qi Lao'er hesitated for a moment. Expending his heart's blood essence once more, he refined a jade pendant containing a Saint King's protective talisman for Chu Chen.

It sank directly into Chu Chen's palm!

"Yes, Master!"

Chu Chen gripped the jade pendant and bowed respectfully.

After Qi Lao'er left, Chu Chen raised his head. Watching the surging clouds atop the peak and inhaling the thick, metallic stench of blood permeating the air, the corners of his mouth curled upward.

From this day forth on Red King Mountain, who wouldn't tremble at the sight of Chu Chen? Who wouldn't revere him?

Severed from the Ye family, Chu Chen would only live a better life! Freer! More unfettered!!

Taking a deep breath to quell the surging excitement in his heart, Chu Chen stored the jade pendant into his Storage Ring. This was his ultimate life-saving trump card.

He then stared at the [Locking Heaven Formation] in his hands, his heart burning with anticipation as he prepared to refine it.

On second thought, ten days had already passed since he first activated [Grasping Heavens]. He could now use it a second time...

The first time, he had grasped the Divine Phoenix Blood Essence, which was of immense use to the Empress. What would he manage to grasp this second time?

Furthermore, although he had only cultivated for a single night, he was already at the peak of Qi Gathering. It was time to break through to Essence Condensation.

Thinking of this, Chu Chen hesitated no longer and immediately spoke out:

"Yu Youwei, find me a secret chamber. I am going into Secluded Cultivation!"

After he spoke, a long moment passed without any response.

Puzzled, he turned his head to look back, and his pupils instantly shrank to pinpricks.

...

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