177: Dead people are the most honest!

Ye Chen's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a cold blade scraping against Li Shan and Li Meier's eardrums.

The faces of the two instantly became incredibly ugly.

They never expected things would develop to this point!

Chu Niubi, whom they had relied on as their backer and who was supposedly single-mindedly devoted, had not only failed to be an aid but had instead become the last straw that broke them!

He exposed their schemes in public and even directly turned against them to stand on Ye Chen's side!

Now... Ye Chen, carrying the prestige of having continuously slain Tian Sha Guards, approached step by step, completely disregarding their Hidden Sect!

But Li Shan was, after all, the Sect Master.

Hardening his heart, a fierce light burst from his eyes as he suddenly turned his head and roared harshly at the Great Elder and others who stood frozen below the steps.

"Great Elder! And all you Elders! What are you still standing there for?!"

"This brat has killed our disciples and insulted our sect, and even intends to harm this Sect Master!"

"Attack with me and suppress this brat! Protect the dignity of our Hidden Sect!!!"

He roared until he was hoarse, his Mystic Realm Peak aura exploding outwards, attempting to rally the whole crowd for one final struggle.

However—

The square was deathly silent.

The expected response from the crowd did not appear.

Those Elders who were usually so submissive to him!

Those disciples with fanatical eyes!

At this moment, not a single person stepped forward; instead, they subconsciously took half a step back.

Li Shan's expression suddenly froze, and an ominous chill rose in his heart.

He whipped his head around, his gaze like lightning, and his eyes landed on Great Elder Lin Xuanchen's face... only to see.

Great Elder Lin Xuanchen had a complicated expression, his eyes were dodging, and his feet were like they had taken root; he hadn't moved a single step!

"Great Elder Lin Xuanchen!"

He was furious, "What do you mean by this? Do you want to betray the sect?"

Being questioned in public, Great Elder Lin Xuanchen's old face turned red and white in turns.

"Sect Master, it's not that this old man is unwilling to take action."

"But the tide has turned; it would only result in senseless casualties!"

"Mr. Ye's methods are divine, his strength is unfathomable, and he is even suspected of holding great power in the Dragon Group..."

"Our Hidden Sect has no chance of winning today!"

"Continuing to resist will only cause the century-old foundation of our Hidden Sect to be completely destroyed, and our disciples to be slaughtered!"

"As the Great Elder, I cannot stand by and watch the sect head towards a dead end!"

After he finished speaking.

He then bowed slightly in Ye Chen's direction.

"Mr. Ye, I, Great Elder Lin Xuanchen, am willing to plead for mercy on behalf of the remaining disciples of the Hidden Sect!"

"I only ask... that you show mercy and leave a spark of inheritance for my Hidden Sect!"

Hearing this, the surrounding disciples bowed their heads one after another.

That look!

That posture!

That expression!

Clearly, they were also unwilling to act... "Great Elder Lin Xuanchen, you!!!"

Li Shan trembled with rage, pointing at Great Elder Lin Xuanchen with eyes nearly splitting; his blood boiled, and he almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.

He never dreamed that at this moment of life and death, the first to "betray" him would be this Great Elder who had always advocated for the sect's major affairs!

Li Meier also stunned, her face turning pale.

No... even the Great Elder has defected; who else can save them?

Ye Chen shrugged as he watched this dramatic scene.

"It seems your popularity isn't great; your last chance to struggle is gone."

"Then..."

"It's time for the reckoning."

As soon as he finished speaking.

Ye Chen's figure blurred as he charged straight at Li Shan!

He clenched his right fist and threw a simple, unadorned punch directly at Li Shan's face!

Li Shan's face changed drastically!

The shadow of death made his eyes bulge, and he roared madly, his Mystic Realm Peak cultivation surging violently.

The next second.

A layer of grey Astral Qi condensed on his right palm as he met the attack head-on!

"Break for me—!"

Fist and palm collided, erupting in a dull, thunderous roar!

"Boom!"

An airwave exploded, knocking several nearby Hidden Sect disciples off balance.

However—

In the next instant, the ferocity on Li Shan's face immediately turned to horror!

He felt an irresistible, terrifying force far beyond his imagination, like a river bursting its banks, surging through his arm!

"Crack!"

The sound of his arm bone shattering was clearly audible!

Li Shan spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward like a broken kite, even faster than he had come, slamming hard into the dozens of stone steps behind him!

The next instant.

Stone chips flew, and dust filled the air!

That section of hard granite steps was actually smashed into a sunken pit by Li Shan's body, with cracks spreading out like a spider web!

"Father!"

Li Meier let out a scream, her eyes instantly becoming bloodshot.

She no longer cared about her fear; her figure turned into a blur as her fingers formed claws, her nails glinting with a faint blue poisonous light, carrying a vicious wind as she lunged directly at Ye Chen's temple from the side!

However, the gap between her strength and Ye Chen's was too vast!

Ye Chen didn't even turn his head; he just casually raised his right foot and kicked backward as if shooing away a fly!

"Bang!"

This kick landed on Li Meier's flat belly.

Li Meier's forward momentum came to a sudden halt; she groaned and curled up like a shrimp, flying back the way she came even faster than before, rolling to the edge of the square.

Then.

After struggling a few times, she actually couldn't get up for a moment, blood overflowing from the corner of her mouth... She felt like she was about to go into menopause from that one kick!

Ye Chen didn't even spare her a glance as he walked toward the ruins of the stone steps.

Li Shan looked at Ye Chen, who had walked up to him, his eyes filled with despair.

Ye Chen looked down at him, his gaze cold.

"My girlfriend Bing Lan never provoked you."

"But your Hidden Sect has repeatedly set its sights on her, trying to seize her constitution and harm her life..."

"You even wanted to move against my family and friends!"

"Since that's the case, I won't be polite."

Hearing this, Li Shan struggled to raise his head, tears streaming down his face as he pleaded hoarsely.

"Mr... Mr. Ye! I beg you! Please show mercy!"

"Every mistake was my, Li Shan's, fault! It was my greed, and I was the one who ordered it!"

"If you want to kill, kill me! I accept it!"

"But my daughter Li Meier... she is still young, she's just an ignorant child!"

"Please let her go! I will bear all the sins alone!"

"I can die! I'll die right here in front of you! I only ask that you give her a way to live!!!"

His voice was full of entreaty.

Ye Chen sneered.

"A child? Ignorant?"

"Old man, that joke of yours is quite cold."

He shook his head, his gaze becoming even colder.

"In my opinion, the number of times she's become a woman is probably more than the number of times you've eaten rice!"

These words were like the most poisonous daggers, stabbing deeply into Li Meier's heart.

Her originally pale face instantly flushed red, overwhelmed with shame and indignation.

However, Ye Chen didn't give her a chance to speak at all.

His right foot had already been raised.

Then.

He stomped down on Li Shan's face without any mercy!

"Pfft—!"

Like crushing a ripe watermelon.

Li Shan's pleas for mercy came to an abrupt end.

His head deformed and shattered under Ye Chen's foot, and the red and white matter instantly soaked the gravel.

The Hidden Sect Master, Mystic Realm Peak expert Li Shan—

Dead!

"Fa... Father!!!"

Li Meier let out a heart-wrenching wail as she watched her father die a tragic death. The resentment, fear, and madness in her eyes intertwined, almost consuming her.

But in the next second, when Ye Chen's cold gaze swept over her... all the resentment and madness were instantly extinguished, like a bucket of ice water poured over her head, leaving only boundless fear!

She watched Ye Chen walk towards her step by step, as if looking at a demon god walking out of hell.

She was afraid.

Truly afraid.

Even her father had been stomped to death; what capital did she have to be stubborn?

Li Meier scrambled up and knelt on the ground without any regard for her image, kowtowing frantically to Ye Chen.

Her forehead hit the hard bluestone slabs with a dull thud, and soon it was a bloody mess.

"Mr. Ye! Grandpa Ye! Ancestor Ye!!!"

"I was wrong! I really know I was wrong!!!"

"I was blinded by greed! I was like a toad lusting after swan meat! I shouldn't have targeted Miss Bing Lan!"

"I beg you! Spare my worthless life! I'm willing to work like an ox or a horse! I'm willing to be your slave or maid!"

"I'm willing to offer you all of the Hidden Sect's wealth and secret manuals!"

"I only beg you not to kill me! Please!!!"

She cried with snot and tears streaming down her face, her makeup completely ruined. Where was there even a hint of the high-and-mighty, charming young lady she was before?

Ye Chen stopped in front of her, looking at this woman who was kowtowing like a woodpecker, his face showing no emotion.

"I generally don't believe the words of women like you."

"I only believe one thing—"

"Only dead people are truly honest."

Li Meier suddenly raised her head and opened her mouth, just about to speak again... but Ye Chen didn't give her that chance.

His right foot rose without warning and then violently kicked Li Meier's abdomen!

"Bang—!!!"

Amidst the dull sound of impact, Li Meier was thrown like a stone from a catapult, flying off the ground in an arc, smashing through the low stone railing at the edge of the square and falling straight down toward the bottomless abyss behind!

"No!!!"

Her shrill scream was quickly swallowed by the sea breeze and the sound of waves.

The young lady of the Hidden Sect, Li Meier—

Fell off the cliff, not even her bones remained!