Without a doubt, Protector Zhong Sheng had scrambled out of the Boundless Void, tumbling and crawling all the way.

A dignified Saint-level powerhouse, yet he had fled in such a frantic hurry. His face was fraught with tension and panic, and he had even lost a shoe in his mad dash.

His image was completely ruined.

Yet even so, the moment Zhong Sheng appeared, he cried out, "Ancestor! My little ancestor!" as he desperately tried to drag Chu Chen back into the Boundless Void.

His face was full of fawning, his expression utterly sycophantic. Where was the demeanor of a Saint-level expert?

All dignity was gone.

But none of that mattered. What mattered was Chu Chen's life!

Oh, no!

To be precise, it was his own life!

As a Dao Protector, if the Chu Chen he was guarding died, how could he, Zhong Sheng, possibly survive alone?!

Qi Lao'er's volatile and ruthless nature was renowned not just in the Red King Palace, but throughout the entire Divine Flame Emperor Palace.

In recent years, with his lifespan nearing its end and his death imminent, his temperament had become even more erratic and reclusive.

Apart from his disciple Chu Chen, everyone else in his eyes was as insignificant as grass-to be slaughtered on a whim, without the slightest hesitation.

This was blatantly obvious from how he had slaughtered over three hundred disciples of the Red King Palace and tormented the Pro-disciple Zhao Kongyang, all just to establish Chu Chen's dominance.

Although Zhong Sheng was a Saint-level expert who had comprehended the Dao of Space, possessed great strength, and held the honored status of an Elder in the Red King Palace...

That only applied when dealing with ordinary disciples and commoners. In the presence of Saint King Realm powerhouses, before these Palace Masters, what was he, Zhong Sheng?

He didn't amount to a fart!

They could annihilate him with a casual wave of their hand, without even batting an eye!

"Ancestor, please just come with me! Let's go!"

"This is a grudge between the Palace Masters and the Empress. It has nothing to do with us!"

"When deities clash, why must you join the fray? Aren't you just courting death?"

.......

While cupping his hands in a fawning salute to the four Palace Masters standing in the void, Zhong Sheng gripped Chu Chen tightly, desperately pulling him aside and pleading earnestly. At his advanced age, he was practically on the verge of tears.

Was there something wrong with...

This kid's head?

You want to act tough.

You want to woo women.

You want to make a name for yourself.

You want to play the hero rescuing the beauty.

........

Zhong Sheng understood all of this. After all, he had been young once too.

It was fine if you wanted to throw your weight around the Red King Palace. Acting arrogant in the Law Enforcement Hall wasn't a massive issue either.

Felt the stage was too small and not thrilling enough?

Strut in front of all the disciples of the Divine Flame Emperor Palace, or find an Elder displeasing to the eye and trample them a bit...

He, Zhong Sheng, could risk his old life and smooth things over!

But this kid just had to interfere in a life-and-death struggle between Saint King Realm powerhouses and the Empress.

Wasn't this...

Like dropping yellow mud into your trousers-even if it isn't shit, it's a shitty way to die?!

Meanwhile, Geng Yan and the others halted their assault upon seeing Zhong Sheng appear.

It wasn't out of fear. After all, a mere Great Saint of the Third Heaven was still just an ant in her eyes, a crawling insect she could crush at will.

Perhaps slightly larger in size, but still pathetically weak.

She only held back from instantly obliterating Zhong Sheng, Chu Chen, Zhang Ke'er, and the rest to give face to Qi Lao'er, a fellow Branch Palace Master of the Divine Flame Emperor Palace. One was his beloved disciple, and the other his Elder. Butchering them both would be difficult to justify.

Moreover, as a fellow Saint King Realm powerhouse, Qi Lao'er's lifespan was nearing its absolute limit. He only had a few years left to live.

The ruthless fear the reckless, and the reckless fear those who have absolutely nothing to lose.

Provoking that half-dead old monster at a time like this might just get her dragged down to the grave with him.

Therefore, Geng Yan hoped Zhong Sheng would just drag Chu Chen away and spare her the trouble.

"Elder Zhong, what are you so afraid of?!"

"You are my Dao Protector! A Saint-level expert! You have mastered the Dao of Space!"

"I've heard my master say your cultivation talent is heaven-defying, capable of fighting across realms."

Naturally, Chu Chen had no intention of leaving. Shoving Zhong Sheng aside, he pointed at Geng Yan and the others hovering above, loudly instigating his protector:

"So what if they are in the Saint King Realm? You're a Saint too! You're only missing the 'King' character. What the hell are you afraid of?!"

"She's just an old hag. Don't be a coward! Get up there! Give it to her..."

Chu Chen's voice was anything but quiet. At the very least, the Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters behind him, Protector Zhong Sheng beside him, and Geng Yan and the other Saint King experts above him...

Heard every single word loud and clear!!

Geng Yan's pretty face flushed a deep red, her ample chest heaving violently.

Who knew if it was because Chu Chen had ordered Zhong Sheng to "give it to her," leaving her feeling agitated, expectant, or perhaps even a little excited???

"Ancestor! Please... I'm begging you, stop talking! Shut up!"

"This old man is already ancient! I've long since emptied myself of worldly desires, seen through the vanity of life, and entered the state of a sage!"

Faced with Chu Chen's shocking audacity, and feeling the icy glare and biting killing intent radiating from Geng Yan, Zhong Sheng violently shuddered. Perhaps purely out of extreme nervous terror, he actually turned and began to earnestly explain himself to Geng Yan:

"Palace Master Geng, please don't misunderstand. This old man has never... uh, wait, no! This old man has never harbored any intention of desecrating you."

"To tell you the truth, even if I had the spirit, the flesh is completely unwilling."

"If you don't believe me, you can inspect this old man's... ahem... it withered away long ago..."

Boom!!

Before Zhong Sheng could even finish his defense, Geng Yan, standing high above the nine heavens, could hold back no longer. She violently swept her hand down.

"You decrepit old bastard! If Chu Chen flirts with me, I can let it slide-at least he's young and handsome!"

"But what the hell are you, you half-dead fossil? You actually dare to talk about your... your thing... in front of this Queen? You seek your own end!!"

A vast river of stars surged violently, sweeping across the heavens as it crashed straight toward Zhong Sheng.

The spiritual pressure of the Saint King Realm erupted, enveloping hundreds of li in every direction and completely engulfing the Empress's Palace.

Crack!

Crack!!

The surrounding void compressed relentlessly, instantly turning as solid and indestructible as walls of bronze and iron, sealing the Empress's Palace so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak out.

A Spatial Cage!

Trapped within such a terrifying spatial lockdown, let alone Chu Chen and the girls, even Zhong Sheng, who had comprehended the Dao of Space, could not break free.

Staring at the crushing river of stars bearing down from above, Zhong Sheng exerted every ounce of his strength, his old face flushing crimson. Yet he still couldn't tear even a sliver of a rift in the surrounding void, much less teleport them away.

Geng Yan had clearly locked onto her killing intent. Having chosen to strike, she now intended to completely wipe out everyone present-Chu Chen, Zhong Sheng, and the dozens of female disciples standing behind them, including Zhang Ke'er.

Thanks to Chu Chen's relentless instigation and verbal prodding, this was no longer a question of fleeing. It was a matter of life and death.

With his cultivation at the Seventh Heaven of the Essence Condensation Realm, Chu Chen naturally stood no chance against Geng Yan and the other three Saint King Realm experts. Therefore, his goal was to muddy the waters and blow this incident utterly out of proportion! The bigger the explosion, the better!

Of course, the primary reason for his endless trash talk was simply to buy time.

Ideally, he could stall long enough for Empress Lin Shuwang to successfully emerge from her secluded cultivation.

If that failed, then stalling until the Elder Council arrived to reinforce them would also suffice!

Having spent so many days in the Divine Flame Emperor Palace, Chu Chen had learned his fair share of hidden secrets.

Aside from the Empress and the five Branch Palace Masters, the Divine Flame Emperor Palace also possessed an Elder Council.

The Elder Council answered directly to the Empress, their sole duty being the absolute protection of her life.

The Supreme Elders within the council also possessed Saint King Realm cultivation, boasting strength that rivaled the five Branch Palace Masters.

When Geng Yan and the others chose to launch their coup against Empress Lin Shuwang, they avoided a frontal assault. Instead, they utilized spatial ripples to invisibly infiltrate the Empress's Palace, weaving an airtight net specifically to avoid alerting this very Elder Council.

Unexpectedly, Geng Yan's mention of Chu Chen had deeply provoked Bai Yu.

Trembling with rage, Bai Yu had caused a momentary lapse, tearing a slight gap in their airtight net and instantly alerting Zhang Ke'er.

And Zhang Ke'er was no pushover. Without a fraction of hesitation, she instantly activated all the formations inside and outside the Empress's Palace, violently dismantling the spatial ripples and forcing Geng Yan's group to launch a direct assault before the Elder Council could arrive.

Logically speaking, with four Saint King Realm powerhouses joining forces, they should have suppressed Zhang Ke'er's group in the blink of an eye and breached the Empress's Palace.

But as fate would have it, this was the exact moment Chu Chen decided to make his grand entrance~

"You little brat, run! This old man will hold them off!!"

Seeing the vast river of stars crashing down upon them, Zhong Sheng knew that escape was no longer an option.

In this critical moment between life and death, the old man first shoved Chu Chen-who was still watching the chaos with fearless amusement-out of the blast zone. Then, he savagely bit his tongue, spat out a mouthful of blood essence, and furiously formed hand seals, causing his spiritual power to erupt into the sky.

He began to burn his life force and overdraw his very soul, executing a forbidden secret technique to hold back the descending river of stars.

"Cloud Dragon Three Thousand Slashes! Block it for this old man!!"

Zhong Sheng's robes instantly exploded to shreds, revealing deeply bronzed skin and bulging, rock-solid muscles. His aura pierced the heavens.

So this old coot had been hiding his true strength all along.

The old blade still had its edge!

He could still cross blows with Geng Yan!!

Geng Yan glanced down at Zhong Sheng's "old blade." Who knew what indecent thoughts crossed her mind, but her cheeks flushed a bright red...

......

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