"Ancestor, save me!"

The Champion King, who moments ago had radiated invincible might, now cried out in panicked desperation. The crowd felt a strange mix of emotions at the stark contrast. The shift was jarring, to say the least.

But Ye Chen's audacity was staggering. To think he would dare to pursue the Champion King's death in the heart of the Great Chu Empire? It was recklessly arrogant, bordering on foolish. After all, the Great Chu Empire had its Ancestor—a mid-Nascent Soul stage powerhouse. He was in seclusion, not dead. With his descendant facing a life-or-death crisis, he would surely intervene.

Even with Ye Chen's mastery of a True Dragon Treasure Technique and his unrivaled strength among Golden Core cultivators, the absolute gap in cultivation realms made him no match for the Ancestor. If he stopped now, there might still be room for reconciliation.

The clan elders roared in protest. Li Feihuang, frowning, sent a mental transmission urging Ye Chen to halt. But Ye Chen ignored them all. The chariot, like a blazing meteor, thundered down again, smashing the Champion King's barely reconstituted body back into two pieces.

The Nirvana power of the Moon Phoenix Body was not limitless. This time, the Champion King's recovery was agonizingly slow. One more strike, and he would fall for good. He gazed desperately toward the depths of the Great Chu Palace, praying for the Ancestor to emerge from seclusion.

...

Deep within the Great Chu Palace, an old man with white hair and a dragon-embroidered golden robe stood, his presence radiating imperial majesty. His brows furrowed slightly. Unless he was breaking through, his seclusion was not absolute—he remained aware of the outside world. He had known of the turmoil in the Great Chu Empire but had chosen not to interfere unless it threatened the empire's legacy.

But now, hearing the Champion King's pleas, he could no longer remain idle. For years, the Li family had ruled Great Chu with an iron law: no Li family member could be killed. Yet here was someone, in full view of the masses, attempting to slaughter the Champion King.

If the Champion King died, what would the outside world think of the Li family? It would sow dissent within their ranks. Moreover, the old man was aging. Rumors of his impending death had already stirred restless ambitions among other factions. This Ye Chen might even be a pawn sent by external forces to test him.

He had to act—to show the world that the Li family was untouchable. And to make Ye Chen understand that no matter how powerful a Golden Core cultivator was, they were still just that: Golden Core.

The old man rose calmly. His deep, weathered eyes flickered with the rise and fall of countless stars as his gaze pierced through the seclusion chamber, through the grand halls, through the Great Chu Palace, and locked onto Ye Chen. He wanted to see which faction dared to stir trouble.

But as his divine vision focused on Ye Chen, Ye Chen seemed to sense it. His own eyes turned toward the palace depths, mist swirling within them as his Heavy Pupil activated…

In the next moment, a muffled groan echoed within the seclusion chamber. Two trails of blood tears streamed from the Ancestor's eyes. Slowly, he withdrew his gaze, a sudden realization dawning on him. Perhaps his earlier impulse to intervene had been rash and unwise.

He decided that, for now, his priority should be breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage. The squabbles of the younger generation were beneath his concern. Let them have their fortunes and fates. As for the rumors of his impending death stirring unrest among external forces or dissent among Great Chu's families? It didn't matter. He could deal with them later, rooting out the troublemakers in one fell swoop.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

With that, the Ancestor sat cross-legged, shutting out all external noise. He focused entirely on his cultivation, striving toward the late Nascent Soul stage.

...

"Ancestor, save me!"

On the battlefield in the sky, the Champion King's wail rang out again. His body, once more shattered into two, struggled to mend itself. The Nirvana power of his Moon Phoenix Body was nearly exhausted, his recovery now painfully slow, like a crawling snail. If this continued, he would truly die. Why hadn't the Ancestor come?

The clan elders and onlookers below were equally baffled. Why was the Ancestor still in seclusion? But then, a realization struck. The elders' eyes lit up, their voices brimming with newfound confidence as they roared, "Ye Chen, the Ancestor must be breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage! Stop now, and you may yet be spared. Otherwise, you'll face eternal ruin!"

The crowd buzzed with excitement. The Great Chu Ancestor clearly wasn't nearing death. For Ye Chen to act so brazenly while the Ancestor remained absent could only mean one thing: he was in the midst of a breakthrough to the late Nascent Soul stage.

High atop the chariot, Ye Chen frowned, puzzled. Moments ago, he'd sensed a powerful presence from the palace depths—an old man with an aura stronger than almost any he'd encountered. It had to be the Great Chu Ancestor. Ye Chen had braced for the old man to intervene, but… nothing? Why hadn't he appeared?

Not that it mattered. The Champion King had to die. If the Ancestor showed himself, Ye Chen would simply confront him and ask, What are you staring at? A mid-Nascent Soul cultivator was formidable, no doubt, but Ye Chen had confidence in his own strength.

And so, under the countless gazes of the onlookers, the chariot plummeted once more.

The Champion King roared in terror and fury, "The Ancestor is about to break through to the late Nascent Soul stage! You dare kill me?"

The crowd erupted in shock, but Ye Chen paid no heed. The chariot crashed down with devastating force. In an instant, the Champion King's body was torn asunder, shattered into pieces.

Ye Chen reached out, seizing the Champion King's Golden Core in one swift motion. Then, with a flourish, he drew out the Human Emperor Banner and refined the Champion King's soul into it.

The sequence was seamless, executed with fluid precision. With that, the Champion King was utterly vanquished.

The entire arena was struck dumb. He… actually killed him? Not only had Ye Chen killed him, but he'd also extracted his Golden Core and refined his soul. It was as if the Great Chu Empire meant nothing to him.

The faces of several Great Chu clan elders twisted in rage. Li Feihuang's expression darkened ominously. A deathly silence blanketed the crowd; no one could find words.

Only in the Wang residence did a clear, bell-like laugh ring out. Su Yuxuan watched the scene unfold, her face alight with delight.

But beside her, Manjusaka's expression was stormy. It wasn't surprising that Ye Chen could crush the Champion King—after all, he was a prodigy who had cultivated a Law Core, far beyond the Champion King's league. But this also meant Ye Chen had been deceiving them last night.

How could someone whose Golden Core had supposedly been extracted still fight with such ferocity? He must have used some trick. Manjusaka recalled her guilt from the previous night, how she'd apologized to Ye Chen, who had feigned a pale, weakened state, even coughing up blood and claiming he disliked being seen in vulnerability. She had been completely played.

Her soul trembled with indignation as she spat, "Men truly are no good!"

Seeing Su Yuxuan bouncing with joy, her face full of admiration, Manjusaka snapped, "What's there to be happy about?"

Su Yuxuan giggled softly. "Sure, Senior Brother tricked me again… but so what? I gained a Tricolor Law Core, which will carry me further on my immortal path. And as I grow stronger, I'll be able to help you more, Master, to restore your physical body sooner.

"Everyone got something out of it. So what if Senior Brother fooled me a little? Compared to watching him weakened, his lifespan nearly spent, his immortal path severed, I much prefer seeing him out there, dominating all challengers, standing above the world. Besides, isn't he avenging me right now? The way he extracted that Golden Core… so dashing!"

Her words left Manjusaka momentarily speechless, the corner of her mouth twitching. The logic was sound, but seeing Ye Chen still made her seethe.

Men—truly no good!

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