This cry was like a spark igniting a prairie fire!
In the next moment, like a mountain calling and ocean roaring, the entire vast martial arts arena—regardless of sect or faction, regardless of cultivation level—all involuntarily and uniformly turned toward Chen Chang'an's direction.
They bowed deeply, their deafening voices surging straight to the heavens:
"We pay respects to the Immortal Venerable!!"
"We pay respects to the Immortal Venerable!!"
"We pay respects to the Immortal Venerable!!"
The waves of sound rose higher and higher, filled with endless reverence, fervor, and excitement!
Chen Chang'an's reputation in the Xuanying Continent had long been a legend.
From his abrupt ascent to the top of the Heaven Ranking, to founding the Immortal Spirit Holy Land and unifying the Heavenly Alliance, his existence was like a deity suspended above the nine heavens.
People knew only his name, never seeing his person.
Countless legends circulated about him, yet no one had truly witnessed his true face.
Now, this legendary existence appeared publicly before the world for the first time, in such a shocking manner—casually erasing the Upper Realm's great vessel and making two Sacred Venerables bow and scrape!
His Immortal Venerable bearing was beyond doubt!
His supreme authority instantly carved itself into the depths of every soul present, making it impossible to harbor even the slightest thought of defiance!
Chen Chang'an seemed to have little feeling for this mountain-and-ocean-like worship.
His gaze first fell upon Xi Yan, who was still somewhat dazed.
A trace of warm approval flashed through his eyes as he nodded:
"You, well done."
Three simple words, yet they instantly made Xi Yan feel overwhelmed with favor.
Her little face immediately flushed red.
She awkwardly and hurriedly bowed, her voice stuttering: "Th-thank you, Immortal Venerable, for your praise!"
In her heart, however, she was screaming wildly: 'Ahhh! Is this a big shot on the same level as my Master? He actually praised me! So approachable! Not putting on any airs at all!'
At this moment, whatever undercover mission, whatever Master's schemes, had long been thrown to the back of her mind.
Her heart was filled only with the excitement and shyness of being praised by her idol.
Chen Chang'an's gaze then fell upon the dazzling sword at Jiang Huai's waist.
His eyes seemed to pierce through all illusions, instantly perceiving the painful karmic bonds and familiar aura intertwined with Jiang Che's origin, wrapped around the sword's body.
He sighed softly in his heart, saying nothing more, merely reaching out once again.
In the next moment, before Jiang Huai could even react, the sacred weapon "Slashing Dust" at his waist—forged primarily from Jiang Che's sword bones, supplemented by countless precious materials, and personally refined by the Bright Moon Sacred Venerable—flew from its sheath.
It obediently and meekly landed in Chen Chang'an's palm.
Jiang Huai's face turned deathly pale, cold sweat instantly beading his forehead.
Yet he dared not harbor even a trace of resistance or dissatisfaction.
The higher one's cultivation, the more one could appreciate the terror of an Immortal Venerable.
It was an absolute suppression across life levels and dimensions!
Chen Chang'an didn't even spare the sword a glance.
He simply closed his five fingers lightly.
That peerless sacred sword, enough to make even Sacred Realm experts covet, crumbled silently in his palm like grains of sand.
It dissolved into the finest powder, drifting down between his fingers and scattering with the wind.
Completely annihilated.
After doing all this, Chen Chang'an finally turned his gaze to Jiang Che at his side.
His eyes were warm and filled with trust, as if merely entrusting a trivial matter:
"Che'er."
"These people—you decide how to deal with them."
His voice was calm, yet it carried absolute authority and support.
He completely gave the final decision to his disciple.
...
As soon as Chen Chang'an's words "you decide" fell, the Bright Moon Sacred Venerable, Jiang Rushan, and Jiang Huai instantly turned as pale as paper.
They had completely lost all the dignity of Sacred Venerables or family heads.
They had almost forgotten how long it had been since they experienced this feeling of being at someone's mercy.
Under the Immortal Venerable's pressure, their pride and confidence nearly collapsed in an instant.
The instinct for survival overrode everything.
They practically crawled and scrambled to pin all their hopes on Jiang Che, their eyes filled with pleading and fawning.
"Che'er! My good Che'er!" Li Mengdie cried out, wanting to rush forward, but was held back tightly by Jiang Rushan.
He himself forced a smile uglier than crying.
"Che'er, in the past, Father was confused, Father was wrong! We're family! Blood is thicker than water—what misunderstanding can't be resolved? Father will definitely compensate you doubly in the future!"
The Bright Moon Sacred Venerable also completely dropped her cold and aloof demeanor.
Her tone was urgent, carrying a barely perceptible trembling:
"Che'er, as your master... I admit, I was blinded back then, listening to villains' words! I wronged you! But think about it—I also taught you carefully for many years, passed on my Dao techniques, protected you... That master-disciple bond, was it all fake? Do you truly... not care about old feelings at all?"
Jiang Huai, enduring the humiliation, tried to make his voice sound full of remorse and brotherly affection:
"Big Brother! I was wrong! All the wrongs are my wrongs! I was jealous of you, I was possessed by ghosts! Please, for the sake of Father and Mother and Master, for the sake that we were once brothers, spare us this once! We'll leave immediately, never setting foot in the Lower Realm again!"
They wept and wailed, desperately recalling so-called family sentiments and master-disciple bonds.
They tried to emotionally and morally manipulate Jiang Che, as if they hadn't been the ones pressing forward step by step, threatening to beat and kill him earlier.
Jiang Che watched this dramatic scene before him and suddenly laughed.
That smile held no warmth, only endless irony and desolation.
"Old feelings?" He repeated these two words as if hearing the most ridiculous joke in the world.
"I said before, I had already completely severed my past. Now, I am only Jiang Che of the Immortal Spirit Holy Land, with no connection to you whatsoever."
"It was you who wouldn't listen, wouldn't accept it. You insisted on relying on so-called status and strength to come knocking. You insisted on forcing me to acknowledge that long-dead identity. You insisted on making me kneel and apologize."
His gaze swept across the three, cold as frost: "Now you know you've kicked an iron plate? Now you know fear? And you want to use 'old feelings' to beg for mercy? Where in the world is there such a cheap deal?"
"No, no, no! We're willing! We'll leave right now! Immediately! From now on, well water won't offend river water!" The several people spoke almost in unison, nodding frantically like pecking chickens.
But Jiang Che slowly shook his head.
The two words he uttered sent them plunging into an ice cave:
"Too late."
Seeing that begging for mercy was hopeless, Jiang Huai knew deeply that Jiang Che would never let him go—the chief culprit.
The fear and despair that had been suppressed instantly transformed into hysterical rage.
He suddenly raised his head, pointing at Jiang Che, his face twisted as he roared:
"Jiang Che! What are you being arrogant about?! You're just relying on having a good Master who favors you! If Immortal Venerable Chen weren't here, how would you still be alive today?! What's the difference between you and me?!"
Facing Jiang Huai's roar, Jiang Che's expression was unusually calm.
It even carried a trace of understanding.
"Favors?" He repeated softly, then nodded. "You're right, my Master today does favor me."
His tone suddenly shifted.
His gaze sharpened like a knife, piercing straight into the deepest part of Jiang Huai's heart:
"But Jiang Huai, didn't you also rely on these people's favoritism time and again to frame me, seize everything I had, and ultimately take my life?"
"You all..." Jiang Che's gaze slowly swept across the pale-faced Jiang Rushan, Li Mengdie, and Bright Moon Sacred Venerable, "Didn't you keep saying 'one family,' 'deep master-disciple bond,' and that you valued Jiang Huai most, making me yield to him in everything?"
"Fine." Jiang Che's voice suddenly turned cold and cruel. "Since you love favoritism so much, today I'll give you a chance for thorough favoritism."
He looked at Jiang Huai, his tone calm but carrying unquestionable decisiveness:
"Jiang Huai, you choose."
"The Jiang family, and the Bright Moon Sect—you can only choose one."
"Whichever side you choose, I'll spare that side today. And the other side..."
Jiang Che didn't finish.
But the killing intent in those unfinished words made everyone shudder.
"As for you," he looked at Jiang Huai, "you must die."
These words were like a final judgment.
They instantly pushed Jiang Huai into the abyss of despair.
They also pitted the Jiang family and Bright Moon Sect against each other!
"Huai'er! Choose the Jiang family! You were raised by the Jiang family! The Jiang family's future hopes all rest on you!" Jiang Rushan was the first to scream, no longer caring about his image.
"Huai'er! Choose the Bright Moon Sect! Your Master treats you like her own child, pouring all resources into you, even for you..." The Bright Moon Sacred Venerable also grew anxious, subconsciously wanting to boast of her deeds, but suddenly stopped.
Yet the meaning was already obvious enough.
Li Mengdie cried her heart out: "Huai'er! My son! You're going to die anyway, just let Mother live! Choose the Jiang family, choose Mother!"
To survive, they began desperately recounting how well they had treated Jiang Huai.
In their urgency, they inadvertently revealed many things from back then—
"Huai'er! That time with the secret realm quota, you clearly set up Che'er, and I knew it was a misunderstanding about Che'er, but I still gave the quota to you!"
"And that time with the cultivation technique... it actually should have been Che'er's..."
"The family's supreme treasure was also..."
They spoke urgently, as if this could prove how "deep" their favoritism toward Jiang Huai was.
How much it was worth Jiang Huai "repaying" them with his life before he died, choosing them to survive.
This ugly and insane scene was the ultimate irony of the word "favoritism."
Jiang Huai listened to the hoarse confessions from both sides and those exposed, filthy pasts.
He watched their twisted faces desperate to survive.
First he froze, then as if realizing something extremely ridiculous, he suddenly threw his head back and laughed wildly!
"Hahaha! Hahaha—!"
The laughter was mad and desolate, filled with endless mockery and despair.
He laughed for a long time before slowly stopping.
His gaze swept across those "family members" and "Master" filled with expectation and pleading.
His eyes held only cold, dead silence and a madness that sought to destroy everything.
"All asking me to choose?" He tilted his head, an extremely twisted smile on his face. "I'm about to die... why should one of you get to live?"
His voice suddenly rose, filled with vicious satisfaction:
"I choose neither!"
"Since you keep saying you all favor me most, love me most..."
"Then all accompany me to hell together!!"
...
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