The next morning, the first rays of dawn bloomed.
In a corner of the academy.
Jiang Ye slowly got up, his robes disheveled, his hair half-loose.
He turned to look at the young girl still curled up and sleeping lightly by the bed, his expression softening considerably.
She was sleeping very soundly, as if she had finally let go of the obsession in her heart, a faint smile still lingering on her lips.
He quietly got up, not disturbing her, and just sat cross-legged in front of the bed for a moment, taking out a crystal-clear jade fruit from his sleeve.
Qingxin Dao Fruit!
Since Jiang Ye had promised her, he naturally wouldn't break his word.
“This girl isn't pretentious at all; instead, she's quite endearing.”
After murmuring, he placed the Dao Fruit by her pillow and turned to leave.
Soon after, Jiang Ye arrived in a dungeon.
The iron door creaked, and the depths of the dungeon were dark and damp, moss crawling over the stone walls, the air filled with the smell of blood and decay.
In a corner of the cage, a cage even smaller than a dog crate was embedded in the ground.
Lin Chen was chained with iron bars, trapped inside.
His hair was disheveled, his face ashen like paper, his eyes lifeless, his skin cracked like scorched earth and turtle shell, with no intact spot on his entire body.
His body was curled into a ball, like a dead dog discarded in a corner.
The cramped space prevented him from fully squatting or completely lying down, his knees touching his chin, unable to perform even the most basic stretches.
His back pressed against the cage's top, his bones seemingly dislocated from the squeeze.
His breath was faint, his vitality withered and decaying, on his last breath.
He didn't even have the strength to lift his eyes or speak.
The moldy, blackened steamed bun was unfinished and had already grown hair.
The dirty water in the broken pottery bowl had long mixed with dust and rust, with a few black hairs floating on top.
Lin Chen had only one breath left, nearly at the end of his rope.
Jiang Ye frowned slightly, looking at this scene.
He continuously grumbled in his heart: “That old man Wang Hongtu is too ruthless; not getting enough to eat is one thing, but not even enough water? And this dog cage is truly something, not even half a meter high; it could drive a living person mad.”
His gaze fell back on Lin Chen; his appearance could be described as worse than death.
【Ding! Lin Chen has lost his Protagonist of Destiny status, and Heavenly Dao's protection has been completely stripped away.】
Jiang Ye was startled, then fell silent.
“That's it? He's only been locked up for a few days.”
“It seems I can't harvest everything at once; this leek won't grow back.”
Shaking his head and sighing, he stood in front of the cage and watched quietly for a while.
“Forget it, there's no use dragging this out.”
“Let's give him a quick end!”
Jiang Ye slowly raised his hand, and his fingertip pointed.
Boom!!
A barely perceptible blood flower bloomed on Lin Chen's glabella; there was no struggle, no pain, like a candle in the wind, vanishing in an instant.
His Divine Soul was annihilated!
【Ding! Congratulations to the Master for successfully killing the Protagonist of Destiny, Lin Chen! You have gained 15,000 Villain Points!】
【Recovering all of Lin Chen's possessions... One and a half percent of Immeasurable Dao Embryo!】
【Recovery successful, gained 3,000 Villain Points!】
“There's really nothing left.”
Jiang Ye's mouth twitched as he finished speaking and turned to leave.
His figure disappeared into the deep shadows, leaving only deathly silence and a putrid atmosphere in the dungeon... In the depths of an ancestral land, twilight hung heavy.
Ancient bronze palaces stood amidst scattered stone tablets, surrounded by swirling immortal mist.
On the grayish-blue muddy ground, the broken stone tablets bore faint traces of ancient Imperial Dao runes, vestiges from billions of years ago, seemingly silently narrating the past glory of the Ancient Immortal Domain.
Three people sat quietly in the hall, all of them renowned magnates in the Ancient Immortal Domain.
However, at this moment.
Their expressions could not hide their weariness and gloom, and it could even be said that they were... in a state of utter distress.
“Again today, the people from the Northern Underworld Ancient Sect just left, and the successor of the Western Buddhist Kingdom is already blocking the outer hall.”
A quasi-Emperor clad in a purple robe frowned and said in a deep voice: “Do they still have our Ancient Immortal Dynasty in their eyes?”
“They haven't had us in their eyes for a long time,” another elder snorted, his hair and beard bristling, his eyes flashing with anger.
“Now, one by one, they come to demand innate immortal liquid, claiming it's for observation, but in reality, it's outright robbery, and we still have to smile and dare not move an inch!”
The Ancient Immortal Dynasty's Holy Master sighed softly, his gaze heavy.
“Although the Ancient Immortal Domain no longer produces innate immortal liquid, a batch of Azure Radiance Divine Liquid has been produced in recent years, naturally attracting the covetous eyes of various factions.”
“These thieves are now clinging on tightly, clearly intending to bleed us dry.”
“What should we do about this?”
The purple-robed quasi-Emperor's tone shifted, a cold light appearing between his brows: “The true source of the disaster still lies with the Hidden Killers Pavilion matter!”
“Indeed,” the white-browed elder nodded in agreement, his eyes deep and complex: “The exposure of the Hidden Killers Pavilion is the root. We had laid out this matter for many years, keeping it extremely hidden, yet it was suddenly uprooted, and the news leaked too strangely. Years of painstaking effort, destroyed in an instant, it's truly a pity!”
“Now, with the Hidden Killers Pavilion destroyed, and the matter of the innate immortal liquid...”
“The Myriad Heavenly Daotong also took advantage of the situation to stir up trouble, pushing us into the open and making us a scapegoat!”
The purple-robed quasi-Emperor wondered: “Given Tian Yin's meticulous nature, his arrangements should have been extremely secretive and shouldn't have revealed any flaws. How could he suddenly be targeted by the Jiang Clan?”
“Moreover, the Jiang Clan's attitude is clearly too strong, as if... they have already guessed that Tian Yin is connected to us?”
“The matter of the innate immortal liquid should also have been instigated by the Jiang Clan in secret!”
“How could this be?”
The Holy Master's brows were lowered, his eyes cold, yet revealing a hint of unease.
The three remained silent for a moment, then looked at each other, understanding tacitly.
“The Jiang Clan!”
“When the Ancient Immortal Domain declined, the fundamental reason was Jiang Taiyi; now his descendants are coming to trouble us again, they are truly going too far!”
The Holy Master gritted his teeth, enunciating each word, his voice like cold iron falling to the ground, echoing in the hall with a clang.
His hatred was undisguised.
“The problem is, even if we know it's the Jiang Clan's doing, we can't touch them now.”
“First, let's suppress the current turmoil, then plan slowly!”
The white-browed elder took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and his tone calmed down.
As he spoke.
Suddenly, a golden Dao pattern appeared in the hall, suspended in mid-air, shimmering with faint light.
The Holy Master raised his hand to retrieve it, and after a sweep of his Divine Sense, his expression immediately changed slightly.
“A letter from the Jiang Clan.”
His voice was low, with a hint of disbelief.
“Two Old Ancestors, this is an invitation from the Jiang Clan.”
“Jiang Ye's coming-of-age ceremony!?”
The Holy Master projected his Divine Sense into the Void Realm, and a pale golden scroll slowly unfolded, with few words, only one sentence:
“For the Divine Son of the Jiang Clan's coming-of-age ceremony, the Ancient Immortal Dynasty must offer a tribute — the head of Tian Yin Louzhu (Tower Master of Heavenly Shadows).”
“Otherwise...”
“War!”
The words were concise, yet they erupted with an extremely cold killing intent.
The Jiang Clan, actually so arrogant?
The three exchanged glances, all seeing deep apprehension and anger in each other's eyes.
And an unspeakable... humiliation.
But they had no choice; acting in the dark and being exposed meant they could only bow their heads and admit defeat, with no other options.
“Is the Jiang Clan trying to settle accounts?”
Tian Yin concerns the future Foundation of our Ancient Immortal Domain; it absolutely cannot be handed over!” The white-browed Old Ancestor slammed his armrest heavily, his voice deep as thunder.
“But the matter of the Hidden Killers Pavilion has clearly completely enraged the Jiang Clan. If Empress Hongye is also provoked, the consequences would be unimaginable.” The purple-robed quasi-Emperor's expression was complex, and he slowly shook his head.
“There is still a considerable inventory of Azure Radiance Divine Liquid.”
“How about... sending it to the Jiang Clan through the back door?”
The Holy Master's tone carried shame and humiliation, while the two Old Ancestors frowned tightly.
“Let's spend money to avert disaster.”
“The Jiang Clan didn't make a big move this time, which means they aren't very keen on pursuing it to the end. If the Tian Yin matter can be compensated with a sufficient price, perhaps there's still room for maneuver.”
“Tian Yin must not be lost...”
“As long as we overcome this calamity, our Ancient Immortal Domain still has hope in the coming Golden Age...”