NOVEL NEXT Chapter 446: The Cruel Truth
The pressure around Sun Tianhan's group kept building.
Word had already reached them that Qiu Feng's reinforcements were on the move. If they couldn't crush Wen Renxiu's team soon, the fight against the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace would end in disaster.
And if that happened, they might not even leave with their lives.
We don't have much time. If we can't win fast, we'll have to pull back, Sun Tianhan thought grimly. He had no intention of throwing his life away or dragging the Purple Crest Immortal Sect into deeper losses.
As long as he lived, there would always be another chance—another spark to reignite the sect's future. But if they all died here, the Purple Crest Immortal Sect's Nirvana Peering realm ranks would be gutted, and the sect itself might never recover.
Sun Tianhan drew a deep breath and sent a surge of divine sense into his men. "Hold on—just the time it takes an incense stick to burn!" He charged straight at Wen Renxiu's group, leading the assault himself.
Yuan Liangjun, Lu Puxing, and the others followed without hesitation. Their eyes burned red, strikes pouring out with reckless fury.
The pressure on Wen Renxiu's side spiked instantly.
"Not good—we're at our limit! Lang Xingyuan, use the spatial talismans now!" Wen Renxiu's face hardened as he sent the order, bracing against the crushing force closing in on them.
"Got it!" Lang Xingyuan and two companions whipped out their teleportation talismans, flooding them with Immortal Origin Power.
Hum! Hum! Hum!
Space itself quivered, rippling with a strange, droning hum.
"Damn it, they're trying to run!" Sun Tianhan's expression darkened. "Everyone—hit Lang Xingyuan and the others, now!"
Without hesitation, his squad turned their fury on the three cultivators trying to tear open the void.
But Wen Renxiu and the last two had already planned ahead.
They endured Sun Tianhan's wild barrage on purpose, buying just enough time for Lang Xingyuan's group to charge their talismans.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Blood streamed down their bodies as they staggered under the assault, yet they held firm, blocking every strike.
Hum! Hum!
The ripples in space grew sharper, the air warping as the teleportation was about to trigger.
A flash of triumph lit Wen Renxiu's eyes. He and his comrades even managed to sneer at Sun Tianhan's side, mocking them through their pain.
Sun Tianhan and his men were nearly shaking with rage. Faces red, blood spraying from their mouths, they roared in fury.
And then—
Jiang Chen appeared as if stepping out of nothingness. His words slipped across the battlefield like a knife through silk:
"Space Imperial Law Immortal Art—disperse."
In an instant, the spatial power Lang Xingyuan's group had poured into their talismans vanished—gone without a trace.
The warped air stilled, the surroundings falling quiet as if nothing had ever happened.
For a heartbeat, the battlefield froze. Not a sound—like even a pin drop would echo forever.
Sun Tianhan and his men gawked, eyes wide with disbelief.
Wen Renxiu's group shook with fury, their bodies trembling as shock hollowed their faces.
What just happened?
Did the teleportation talismans really get snuffed out?
How could Jiang Chen manipulate space itself—enough to erase the power of Immortal-grade talismans?
He's only at Nirvana Peering realm. Even a true dragon couldn't do this… right?
No. Impossible. This has to be a trick. An illusion. A nightmare…
Of everyone on the battlefield, Wen Renxiu and his men were the most shaken. Fear gripped them, and none could wrap their heads around what had just happened.
Sun Tianhan's throat worked as he forced down a dry gulp. He couldn't even begin to measure the depth of Jiang Chen's cultivation anymore.
That display of power made one thing clear—they had completely underestimated him.
And now, after burning through everything in their clash, they were nearly spent. How could they hope to resist him?
"Sun Tianhan! If we want to live, we have to join forces!" Wen Renxiu's body trembled as he shouted, desperation bleeding through.
"You're right!" Sun Tianhan drew a long breath, eyes fixed warily on Jiang Chen as he moved to rally both sides.
Fifteen Nirvana Peering realm experts fell into line, standing shoulder to shoulder in a fragile alliance against one man.
But while their hearts pounded with tension, Jiang Chen stood before them calm and unbothered.
"Do you really think joining forces will save you?" Jiang Chen's smile was cold. "All it means is you'll die together. I don't have time to waste—so go meet your end."
The moment his words fell, dread crashed over Sun Tianhan, Wen Renxiu, and the rest like a tidal wave.
Great Dao power surged straight into their bodies—space and gravity laws intertwining into an unstoppable force.
"No!" a chorus of panicked cries rang out.
"I don't want to die!"
"Jiang Chen, spare me!"
"I was only following orders—I never wanted to fight you!"
"Please! I'll kneel to you, serve you for life—just let me live!"
One after another, proud Nirvana Peering realm experts broke down, terror stripping away their dignity. Some even dropped to their knees before Jiang Chen, begging for mercy.
Even Wen Renxiu and Yuan Liangjun—both at Peak-stage—couldn't hold on. They too lowered their heads in desperation.
Sun Tianhan, Lu Puxing, and the others thrashed wildly, throwing out every method they could think of to escape.
But to their horror, their bodies locked in mid-air. Not a finger, not even a breath could move.
Hopelessness swallowed them whole.
Jiang Chen slowly closed his right hand.
In that instant, Sun Tianhan, Wen Renxiu, and the other thirteen shattered like fragile paper effigies.
Blades of spatial energy burst out from within, ripping their bodies into countless fragments.
Fifteen Nirvana Peering realm experts—Late-stage and Peak-stage alike—were erased in the blink of an eye.
A moment later, crisp system chimes echoed in Jiang Chen's Sea of Consciousness.
[Ding! Plot alteration detected! You've successfully stripped a major portion of Protagonist Lu Yi's opportunities. Lu Yi's Heavenly Fate Value has dropped by 15,000!]
[Ding! You've gained 30,000 Villain Value points!]
Collect.
With just a thought, Jiang Chen drew in all the qi and blood from the shredded bodies, along with a portion of their pure cultivation essence—and, naturally, their storage artifacts.
His gaze turned west, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Through Ying Luo, he learned that Qiu Feng and his companion had already run into her and Lu Yi.
Qiu Feng… another pawn of Heavenly Fate, just happening to cross paths with them, Jiang Chen mused with dark amusement. But Ying Luo's strength is nearly at Peak-stage Nirvana Peering realm. Handling Qiu Feng will be no problem. As for his partner, he should be evenly matched with Lu Yi.
With Ying Luo's support, Lu Yi should have been able to kill them one after another, reaping resources in the process. If he used those to upgrade his system and unlock more fusions, he'd probably break into Nirvana Peering realm—and maybe even reach Half-step Nirvana Cleansing realm.
Not giving himself time to count his spoils, Jiang Chen ripped open space and shot toward Ying Luo and Lu Yi's location.
At the same time, he sent Ying Luo a quick order: don't fight Qiu Feng or his ally—escape with Lu Yi instead.