A masked figure suddenly appeared before them, clamoring to take their lives. This terrified the two Ye sisters half to death.

Ye Han was so frightened she hid behind Ye Lingyue, not even daring to peek her head out. Not a shred of her previous arrogance or unruly defiance remained.

Ye Lingyue swallowed hard. Though her heart also pounded with panic, she was the eldest sister; she had to protect her younger siblings.

Steeling her resolve, she stared at the mysterious figure with absolute vigilance.

Whoosh-

Seeing the mysterious figure treading upon the void, advancing step by step with terrifying spiritual pressure, Ye Han and Ye Lingyue felt as if facing a mortal enemy. They simultaneously drew their flying swords, their faces fraught with tension.

"Who are you? We are members of the Ye family!"

"To dare attack the Ye family-have you weighed the consequences?"

Spiritual energy surged frantically from Ye Han's body. Trembling, she pointed at the mysterious figure while continuously summoning Dharma Treasures to envelop her body in protective light.

Her cultivation was simply too meager. If a Saint made a move, a single strike would likely instantly obliterate her.

Ye Lingyue remained relatively composed. Cupping her hands in a formal salute to the mysterious figure, she spoke with a tone neither haughty nor humble:

"Esteemed Saint, our Ye family holds no grievances with you. I ask that you..."

Before Ye Lingyue could finish, the mysterious figure forcefully cut her off:

"I indeed have no enmity with your Ye family. However, the two of you squandered wealth with reckless arrogance at the auction. Every treasure this old man coveted was snatched away by you. Do you think that is appropriate?"

Hearing this, both Ye Han and Ye Lingyue's expressions changed drastically.

Ye Lingyue had anticipated early on that Ye Han's ostentatious and domineering behavior at the auction would draw the covetous eyes of malicious rogues, but she never expected retribution to arrive this swiftly.

After a brief moment of internal struggle, Ye Lingyue decisively pulled off her Storage Ring and tossed it toward the mysterious figure.

She then turned to Ye Han and ordered:

"Little Han, quickly hand your Storage Ring over to this Saint. Since he seeks wealth, he surely will not demand our lives."

Regardless, to Ye Lingyue, the sole purpose of this journey was to locate Chu Chen. Now that she knew he resided in the Divine Flame Emperor Palace, the trip was already a success.

The mysterious figure paused. Beneath the mask, a flicker of appreciation appeared in his murky eyes as he regarded Ye Lingyue.

"No! I won't!"

"Why should I hand these treasures over to him? I spent tens of thousands of Top Grade Spirit Stones to win them!"

"Little Xuan's birthday is rapidly approaching. These are all gifts I prepared for him. I won't give them up! I absolutely won't..."

Slap!!

Ye Lingyue delivered a vicious backhand, slapping Ye Han into a state of sheer bewilderment.

She then forcefully stripped the Storage Ring from Ye Han's hand and, without a sliver of hesitation, hurled it to the mysterious figure.

The mysterious figure reached out and caught the Storage Ring, but he did not depart. Instead, his hoarse voice echoed once more:

"Little girl, this old man truly underestimated you."

"Under normal circumstances, obtaining these treasures would be enough for this old man to spare your lives. However, someone told me that despite my Saint cultivation, I would be incapable of killing you two. This old man refused to believe it and felt deeply unconvinced."

Beneath the Saint realm, all are but ants.

Only a Saint who has comprehended the Dao of Space can be considered a true cultivator of the heavenly laws.

How could the mysterious figure possibly believe that with his sovereign Saintly might, he could not slaughter two mere juniors???

"The goods remain, but the people must die too! So, to satisfy this old man's doubts, the two of you should simply perish!!"

The moment the words fell, he afforded Ye Han and Ye Lingyue absolutely no time to think or react.

"Space Prison!"

The mysterious figure swept his large hand outwards. Terrifying spatial laws instantly manifested as two invisible prisons, locking around Ye Han and Ye Lingyue, suppressing them utterly.

Immediately after, the mysterious figure formed incantation seals with both hands. His Killing Intent fully erupted as he unleashed a ruthless strike:

"Spatial Detonation!!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!!

The two Space Prisons shrouding Ye Han and Ye Lingyue detonated violently. Terrifying spatial currents rampaged, shattering the very void and flooding heaven and earth with an aura of absolute destruction.

Swoosh!

Swoosh!!

But just as the black-clad figure assumed Ye Han and Ye Lingyue would be pulverized by the spatial blast, a Dao Seal hidden within Ye Han's body was triggered at the threshold of death. It instantly bloomed into a canopy of divine radiance, enveloping both sisters and transforming them into a streak of light that tore into the void, vanishing completely.

The escape was so blindingly fast that even a Great Saint powerhouse like the mysterious figure had no time to intercept it.

A Protective Dao Seal!!

"Haha, it seems this old man truly could not kill them."

"His calculations omit nothing. This boy, Chu Chen, is far from simple!!"

The mysterious figure let out a long sigh. He then tore open the void with his bare hands, executing a spatial shift.

When he reappeared, he already stood outside Chaos Peak of the Red King Palace.

Knock, knock, knock!

The mysterious figure rapped against the tightly sealed palace doors. Inside, Chu Chen, Zhang Ke'er, and Zhong Sheng were jolted by the sound.

Zhong Sheng sprang up from his chair, spatial laws rippling violently around him as he glared toward the gates with intense vigilance.

As a fellow Great Saint, he could acutely sense that the entity knocking at the doors was also a Great Saint.

A Great Saint possessed mastery over the Dao of Space; if such an expert attempted assassination, they were nearly impossible to guard against.

As a Dao Protector, he was bound to place Chu Chen's life above all else at any given moment!

"Elder Zhong, there is no need for such tension. Our guest has arrived!"

Chu Chen waved his hand at Zhong Sheng, signaling for him to calm down.

After waiting so long, he had finally arrived.

A look of joy surfaced on Chu Chen's face as he hurriedly instructed Yu Youwei:

"Yu Youwei, open the doors and welcome our guest!"

"Yes, Master!"

Yu Youwei bowed gracefully and immediately approached the palace gates.

"I'll go! Let me go!!"

But before Yu Youwei could even take a few steps, the long-impatient Zhang Ke'er blurred into a streak of light, arriving at the doors in an instant. Pushing the heavy gates open herself, she widened her eyes and peered out:

"This Saintess wants to see exactly who came to deliver a gift without my knowledge..."

As the doors swung wide, the mysterious figure, draped in flowing black robes and a mask, materialized clearly before everyone's eyes.

Zhang Ke'er curled her lip. Given the circumstances, why all the exaggerated mystery...

She wanted to charge forward and rip the mask right off his face, but her status and decorum as a Saintess forcibly restrained her impulses.

After all, in front of outsiders, a Saintess had to maintain a dignified aura, lest she appear unholy~

"Greetings, Young Master Chu!"

The mysterious figure strode up to Chu Chen, cupped his fists in a martial salute, and abruptly swept his sleeve. Ye Lingyue and Ye Han's Storage Rings manifested out of thin air, floating gently toward Chu Chen.

"I have not disgraced the mission!"

Chu Chen did not stand on ceremony. Snatching the two Storage Rings, he instantly refined their spiritual imprints and gave a sweeping wave of his hand.

The Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, the Zixia Bixian Fruit, the Wind Spirit Grass...

All the supreme treasures that had previously graced the Shenhuo City auction block.

Even the grand finale item, the Slaying Heaven Sword Canon, hovered serenely in midair before the stunned crowd.

"Waaah!!!!!!!!"

Zhang Ke'er clamped her hands over her small mouth, her face painted with sheer astonishment and total disbelief.

She was so thoroughly shocked that she couldn't even form words.

Zhong Sheng likewise stood with his jaw slack, his mind buzzing with shock.

"Chu Chen, how did you do it? Just how exactly did you pull this off?"

"Without spending a single Spirit Stone, how did all these treasures fall right into your lap?"

"And! And! Didn't you let those two lunatic Ye women leave? How..."

Zhang Ke'er's mouth rattled off like firecrackers, the incessant chatter giving Chu Chen a budding headache:

"Also, who is this old man?"

"Wearing heavy black robes and a mask in broad daylight-is he trying to look cool?"

"Chu Chen, aside from your Dao Protector Zhong Sheng, how on earth do you know other Great Saint powerhouses within the Divine Flame Emperor Palace???"

Chu Chen waved his hand defensively, forcefully planting his palm on top of Zhang Ke'er's small head to quiet her. He then looked toward Yu Youwei and said:

"Yu Youwei, why don't you enlighten them with the answer!"

Yu Youwei blinked in surprise. Her delicate face quickly flushed red as she waved her hands in rapid denial:

"Master, this servant... this servant dares not speak recklessly. I wouldn't dare..."

Chu Chen was in excellent spirits and replied magnanimously:

"It matters not! Guess correctly, and you shall be rewarded. Guess wrong, and there is no sin!"

Zhang Ke'er stared at Yu Youwei in deep confusion. She figured the girl was merely a servant who hadn't even attended the Shenhuo City auction with them. How could she possibly know the truth...

Amidst the crowd's perplexity, Yu Youwei, cheeks still flushed, gathered her courage. She walked right up to the masked, black-clad figure and bowed deeply:

"T-This servant pays her respects to Elder Bai!"