!!

The trope of beating the young, only for the old to appear.

Kill the son, and the father charges up for revenge.

Kill the father, and the grandfather rushes in to fight to the death.

Kill the grandfather, and the ignorant grandson barely escapes with a servant's help. Eighteen years later, after tucking his own infant son safely away, that same grandson comes knocking yet again to avenge his dead father, grandfather, and great-grandfather...

An endless cycle of karmic retribution.

For Chu Chen, who had already died once, this kind of melodramatic plot was all too familiar.

Therefore, if he was going to play the villain, he wouldn't half-ass it. He would push it to the absolute extreme.

Eradicate evil entirely.

Uproot the weeds and sever the roots!!

Was it cruel?

It was a bit cruel, but this cultivation world was inherently so.

That Guo Shaoyu had constantly paraded his General's Mansion, proclaiming himself the heavenly law while recklessly driving his carriage through Shenhuo City. To clear his path, he didn't even care about trampling a little girl's life...

Was the existence of such trash, scum, and degeneracy a mere accident?

Of course not!

He was the specific product of a clan's upbringing, education, and direct example.

If Guo Shaoyu was like this, the nature of the Guo clan, and even the entire General's Mansion, was surely cut from the same cloth.

One could easily deduce this from those Heaven Opening Realm Shadow Guards, who had drawn their blades to slaughter at Guo Shaoyu's single command, completely ignoring right and wrong.

Please!

This was Shenhuo City, the capital housing the Divine Flame Imperial Palace. It was the territory right beneath Empress Lin Shuwang's feet.

And who was Chu Chen?

He was the man supporting the Empress from behind!

Ultimately, Guo Shaoyu's actions tarnished Empress Lin Shuwang's reputation, and by extension, Chu Chen's own reputation.

Naturally, he had to be eliminated for peace of mind.

As for whether exterminating Guo Shaoyu's entire clan would bring trouble upon himself?

That was baseless paranoia and needless anxiety.

Did anyone actually think the General's Mansion wouldn't seek revenge against Chu Chen if he left them alive???

By then, Guo Shaoyu's father, his grandfather... the whole sprawling family would run crying to the five branch Palace Masters. Then, led by those Palace Masters, they would march before the Empress to file grievances against him.

Since that was the case, why not slaughter them all in advance and be done with it??

Furthermore, considering Dao Guardian Zhong Sheng successfully annihilated the clan and returned in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, one could deduce that this so-called Guo Shaoyu and his General's Mansion were nothing special~

Their clan lacked a Great Saint overseer, or at best, only possessed First or Second Heaven Great Saint experts. That was the only way Zhong Sheng could complete the task so effortlessly.

Divine Fire Realm? Spirit Communication Realm??

Such trash wasn't even worth a fart in Chu Chen's eyes.

Although Chu Chen was only at the Essence Condensation Realm, he couldn't help it that his background reached the heavens~

Even if the General's Mansion had a Saint overseeing it, Chu Chen could simply smash a jade pendant and summon his cheap Master, the Saint King Realm expert Qi Lao'er.

Taking ten thousand steps back, even if the General's Mansion had a Saint King Realm overseer, Chu Chen could summon Qi Lao'er, the Empress, and the Supreme Elder Weng Su.

Three against one; let's see if you survive that!!

The Jianghu... oh, wait, the cultivation world wasn't just about mindless slaughter; it was about human connections and worldly wisdom!

It was about background, network, and relationships~

And after leaving the Ye Clan, Chu Chen had absolutely everything he could ever want~

......

"Chu Chen, you... you are too handsome~"

The moment the three entered the Shenhuo City auction house, Saintess Zhang Ke'er finally lost her composure. She gripped Chu Chen's wrist tightly with both hands, stars practically shooting from her beautiful big eyes.

"No wonder Master likes you so much~"

Chu Chen froze upon hearing this. He thought Zhang Ke'er would find him cruel, but unexpectedly...

This little brat was truly built differently.

But thinking back, it made sense. When the mortal girl was about to be trampled, Zhang Ke'er had been so furious her face turned red and her neck grew thick. She had wanted to strike and teach those scumbags a lesson multiple times.

It was only after he took action that this little brat's anger subsided.

The cultivation world was inherently a cannibalistic realm. If one didn't understand this principle, if they harbored mercy for everything and always sought to repay malice with virtue, they would have been sent to reincarnate long ago.

"Save it. You are too young, not my type!"

Shaking off Zhang Ke'er's small hands, Chu Chen ruthlessly poured a basin of cold water on her enthusiasm.

This little brat was far too passionate. Chu Chen couldn't shake the feeling that Empress Lin Shuwang had sent Zhang Ke'er to monitor and test him.

"......"

Zhang Ke'er blinked in shock. Her small face instantly flushed as red as a ripe apple, and she blurted out:

"Then why did you make this young lady tie her hair into twin-tails~"

"......"

Chu Chen nearly tripped and face-planted into the ground.

Zhang Ke'er chased after him, baring her little canine teeth. Both shy and furious, she looked ready to pounce and bite Chu Chen to death.

Heaven was her witness, she, Zhang Ke'er, hadn't thought in that direction at all!

Furthermore, no matter how desperate or unpicky she, Zhang Ke'er, might be, she...

She absolutely wouldn't covet her Empress Master's man!

That would completely mess up the sect hierarchy! Honestly~

Meanwhile, Dao Guardian Zhong Sheng, trailing silently behind, began muttering in his heart again.

The Saintess and the Empress both lusted after Chu Chen. Master and disciple fighting over the same man! This was a heaven-shaking secret! An absolute heaven-shaking secret!!

He had to record this immediately. Later, he would report it to the Palace Master and claim a massive reward~~

......

The Shenhuo City auction was extraordinarily massive. Inside the magnificent palace, a dark sea of people was packed tightly together.

Because exterminating Guo Shaoyu's clan had delayed them slightly, by the time Chu Chen stepped into the main hall, the auctioneer had already begun bidding on the first item.

"Fellow Daoists, the Shenhuo City auction is held once every half-year. Today's first item is an incredibly rare metal-attribute cultivation manual: the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill..."

"The starting bid for this manual is one thousand High Grade Spirit Stones! Each subsequent bid must increase by no less than one hundred High Grade Spirit Stones!"

The moment the auctioneer's voice fell, cultivators began shouting bids incessantly.

"One thousand one hundred High Grade Spirit Stones!"

"One thousand three hundred High Grade Spirit Stones!"

"Your daddy bids one thousand five hundred High Grade Spirit Stones!"

.......

Seeing the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill about to be hyped up to two thousand High Grade Spirit Stones while he, Chu Chen, hadn't even found a seat yet.

Chu Chen was instantly displeased. After all, compared to that dog-shit Guo Shaoyu and his General's Mansion, Chu Chen was the one true number one silk-pants of Shenhuo City!

"Ke'er, go!"

Chu Chen waved his hand at the pouting Zhang Ke'er beside him, commanding domineeringly:

"Find the person in charge. Halt this dog-shit auction and secure us a premium private room."

"They can restart once we are comfortably seated!"

Hearing this, the guiding maid widened her eyes. She quickly covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, looking at Chu Chen with utter mockery.

"The Shenhuo City auction is the property of the Divine Flame Imperial Palace."

"Let alone a lowly Essence Condensation Realm cultivator like you, even a Great Saint expert must behave themselves, follow the rules, and tuck their tail between their legs."

The maid crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at Chu Chen, her gaze dripping with disdain:

"Even a Saint King Realm expert wouldn't dare act audaciously here. You say restart the auction, and it restarts? Who do you think you are?"

"......"

Zhang Ke'er was still sulking and hadn't intended to listen to Chu Chen. But seeing a mere maid dare to look down on him, she was instantly infuriated.

She tore off her veil and pulled a token from her robes-the symbol of the Divine Flame Imperial Palace's Saintess.

Boom!!

The instant the token appeared, the maid, who had been spouting arrogant nonsense a second prior, collapsed to her knees in terror, trembling violently.

Very quickly, the Divine Flame Imperial Palace's manager, a plainly dressed elder, tore through the void and materialized before Chu Chen's group.

"This old man, Bai Lu, greets Her Highness the Saintess."

Within the Divine Flame Imperial Palace, the Saintess's status was second only to the Empress, the five branch Palace Masters, and Supreme Elder Weng Su. Even certain Elders had to bow before her.

It was an absolute symbol of status and authority, entirely divorced from personal cultivation strength.

"Find us the finest private room. Also, halt the auction for now."

Zhang Ke'er kept a straight face, coldly repeating Chu Chen's demands. In front of outsiders, she had to maintain her regal bearing as the Saintess~

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Bai Lu waved at the steward behind him. The steward immediately broke into a sprint toward the backstage, sending a Divine Sense transmission to the passionately rambling auctioneer on stage.

The auctioneer had just whipped the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill up to two thousand three hundred High Grade Spirit Stones. Just as he prepared to strike his gavel to seal the deal, he never expected...

To halt an auction midway... In all these years, this seemed to be the very first time??

"Distinguished guests, congratulations to you all!"

"I have just received word that a mysterious item has been temporarily added to our roster today."

The auctioneer truly lived up to his profession. With just a few words, he completely bamboozled the crowd below, twisting a professional crisis into an opportunity. He instantly dissolved all brewing discontent and hooked the appetites of the thousands of cultivators in the hall:

"We need to step down to prepare it, so the auction must take a brief pause. Please trust me, fellow Daoists, the wait will not be long!"

.......

"Your Highness, Elder Zhong Sheng, the auction has been suspended. Please follow me up to the Heaven Character private room."

With the auction halted, Bai Lu bowed deeply and led the way.

Zhong Sheng was an Elder of the Red King Palace, and Bai Lu was an Elder of the Divine Flame Imperial Palace. Both were Great Saint experts, so they naturally recognized each other.

Zhang Ke'er didn't move, and neither did Zhong Sheng. Both looked toward Chu Chen.

Chu Chen glanced at the maid trembling in terror on the floor, then addressed Zhong Sheng behind him:

"Elder Zhong, slap her! Teach her a lesson!!"

"Yes, Young Master!"

Without a second thought, Zhong Sheng used spatial power to immobilize the maid's body. He then extended his withered hand and viciously slapped her delicate face.

Slap!

Slap!!

"Lord, spare my life!"

"Lord, have mercy! This lowly one knows her wrongs! I know my wrongs!!"

"This lowly one will never judge a book by its cover again, I will never dare..."

After just a few strikes from Zhong Sheng, the insolent maid was bruised and swollen, coughing up fresh blood in a miserable display.

Zhong Sheng was a Third Heaven Great Saint. Even while holding back his strength, it was still far beyond what an ordinary maid could endure.

If he continued slapping her, she would undoubtedly die.

"Enough. I am quite a merciful and magnanimous person, let this just be a lesson to you."

Seeing the maid on the verge of being beaten to death, Chu Chen waved his hand, signaling Zhong Sheng to stop:

"If there is a next time... hmph!!"

Chu Chen lifted his foot and began walking toward the Heaven Character private room. As soon as he moved, Zhang Ke'er and Zhong Sheng followed suit.

This sight left Bai Lu with his mouth hanging half-open, nearly dropping his jaw in shock.

As he led the way, Bai Lu secretly sent a Divine Sense transmission to the steward:

"Steward, kill this maid to prevent her from ruining our auction house's reputation. Make sure to clean it up thoroughly!"

"Yes, Elder Bai."

The steward bowed deeply to the group. Once the four had walked far enough away, he suddenly struck, palming the maid's heart and killing her instantly.

Several black-clad figures suddenly materialized. In the next breath, they vanished along with the maid's corpse.

After arriving at the Heaven Character room, which boasted the most expansive view and luxurious decor, Chu Chen waved at Bai Lu, signaling that the auction could resume.

Bai Lu understood instantly. He transmitted another order to the steward to make the arrangements.

Very quickly, the auctioneer returned to the stage, and the first item, the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, was displayed once more.

"Your Highness, Elder Zhong Sheng, this young master is..."

Having arranged everything, Bai Lu stood anxiously before Chu Chen and cupped his hands in a respectful bow.

He racked his brains but simply couldn't fathom who this prodigy was. Aside from the Empress herself, who in the Divine Flame Imperial Palace had the authority to order the Saintess around and treat Zhong Sheng like a servant?

At the exact same time, after passing through layers of security checks, Ye Lingyue and Ye Han successfully entered the auction house.

Catching a glimpse of Chu Chen's back just as he ascended the stairs into the private room, the two sisters instinctively tried to chase after him.

However, they were mercilessly blocked by the steward, who informed them:

"Apologies, you two!"

"Your status is insufficient. You cannot enter the Heaven Character private rooms!"

.......