252: They were all tricked into coming!

Faced with the questioning,

Lin Biao, having already prepared his excuse, said in a deep voice:

"That Ye Chen is incredibly strong, ridiculously strong. We must unite everyone to possibly stand against him!"

"Currently, the Hall Master and the others are in seclusion. As Soul Emissarys, we must resolve this matter!"

"Otherwise, once they emerge from seclusion, they will surely be filled with thunderous rage!"

Silence followed on the other end of the line for a few seconds, as if processing the information, or perhaps judging its veracity.

Lin Biao's heart leaped into his throat, and his back was already drenched in cold sweat.

A few seconds later.

Poison Scorpion's voice came through again, less frivolous now and carrying more gravity.

"Biaozi, are you sure that Ye Chen is that strong?"

Lin Biao responded with absolute certainty: "That's right! Absolutely certain!"

Poison Scorpion took a deep breath.

"Biaozi, let White Charm take the phone."

Lin Biao's heart tightened, and he subconsciously looked at White Charm beside him: "Mei, Scorpion wants to talk to you."

White Charm, after receiving a nod from Ye Chen, walked forward gracefully, taking the trembling cell phone from Lin Biao's hand: "Scorpion, it's me. Ask whatever you want directly."

On the other end of the line, Poison Scorpion's voice came through the receiver.

"Mei, how did Black Fiend die? What is the deal with that Ye Chen? What level has he reached specifically?"

White Charm paused for two seconds upon hearing this, as if recalling or organizing her words.

"I can't specify the exact level. Black Fiend, he..."

"...was forced to self-detonate his energy center and died."

"But that Ye Chen was standing right at the center of the self-detonation, and not even the corner of his clothes was disturbed. He was completely unharmed."

"What? Completely unharmed?!" Poison Scorpion was shocked.

The self-detonation of a Heaven Realm Expert—how terrifying was its power?

Even a Mid-Heaven Realm or even a late-stage expert...

would absolutely not dare to take it head-on!

To be able to emerge unscathed from such a destructive explosion meant that his strength had already exceeded their conventional scope of understanding.

White Charm then responded, her voice tinged with a sob: "Scorpion, you must avenge Black Fiend for me!"

Poison Scorpion weighed the pros and cons before making a decision.

"Don't worry!"

"Over the next two days, you two try your best to hide!"

"This matter is too significant. In two days at most, we will definitely rush to Xiamen City to rendezvous with you!"

"Once we arrive, we can discuss how to deal with that Ye Chen together!"

"Understood!" White Charm replied.

Poison Scorpion wasted no more words and directly hung up the phone.

Listening to the busy signal coming from the phone,

White Charm handed the phone back to Lin Biao, then turned to Ye Chen and bowed slightly: "Master, Poison Scorpion and the others are estimated to arrive in two days."

"Heh..."

Ye Chen smiled, "Then in two days, there will be a good show to watch."

Upon hearing this, Lin Biao immediately began to plead: "Then Mr. Ye, I have done as you instructed. Can you let me go?"

Ye Chen looked at him, a half-smile on his face.

"Let you go? It's not impossible."

"However, it must be according to my rules."

"Just like White Charm, recognize me as your Master and hand over a strand of your life soul origin."

"From then on, your life and death are mine to command. If I tell you to go east, you cannot go west; if I tell you to lie down, you cannot stand."

"If you do this, you can walk out of this door alive today."

"If you cannot..."

Ye Chen did not finish, merely glancing at the four bodies on the floor that were gradually growing cold.

The meaning was self-evident.

The hope on Lin Biao's face instantly froze, his pupils contracting violently.

Hand over the life soul origin?

Wouldn't that mean his life, freedom, and dignity would henceforth be tied to another person's whim?

It was even more absolute than the cruelest slavery contract!

His eyes struggled intensely.

On one side was immediate death on the spot, his soul scattered and spirit gone.

On the other was surrendering everything to become a puppet in another's hands, clinging to a meager existence.

This choice... was too cruel!

White Charm spoke calmly from the side.

"The Master's power is beyond your imagination."

"Giving your origin to the Master is not a loss for you!"

"Moreover..."

"You are alive now only because you are a citizen of the Dragon Country; otherwise, you would already be dead!"

"I advise you not to be ungrateful!"

Lin Biao's breathing became rapid.

It seemed... he had no choice!

Ye Chen tilted his head and delivered the ultimatum: "If you haven't decided in three seconds, White Charm, kill him."

He could have killed Lin Biao directly.

But... he still had some use for him currently; he needed him to act as bait.

Otherwise, if they were alerted prematurely, the twelve people would not be lured over to be killed.

Upon hearing this, White Charm immediately placed her short blade against Lin Biao's neck.

"You... didn't you say you wouldn't kill me?" Lin Biao suddenly looked up, completely panicked.

Ye Chen nodded: "That's right, I didn't kill you. White Charm killing you is a different matter."

Lin Biao: "..."

Fine, fine, fine!

So this old schemer had this idea from the very beginning.

If he didn't cooperate, his head would likely be on the floor the next second.

In that instant,

he gritted his teeth fiercely, closed his eyes, and formed a hand seal similar to the one White Charm had used before.

The next moment,

a strand of black, misty soul origin floated out from his brow and drifted toward Ye Chen.

Ye Chen reached out and lightly tapped with his fingertip.

The black soul origin merged in, and another faint sense was added to his Sea of Consciousness.

Lin Biao seemed as if his spine had been removed; his entire body went limp, gasping for breath: "Mas... Master."

Ye Chen smiled slightly.

"For these two days, you will stay here with White Charm."

"Keep Poison Scorpion and the others stable, don't expose any flaws."

"When everyone arrives..."

He paused, "I will come over myself."

"Yes!" Lin Biao and White Charm bowed in unison.

Ye Chen said no more, turned, pulled open the private room door, and walked out.

But when he reached the back alley, opened the car door, and sat inside, his phone rang.

It wasn't Bing Lan, but Xuanyuan Huo.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and answered: "Old Master, you're not resting so late?"

"You kid, causing such a huge commotion, how could I sleep?" Xuanyuan Huo spoke helplessly.

Ye Chen steered the car out of the back alley while casually saying: "Didn't they provoke me first? I am a law-abiding good citizen."

"Good citizen?"

Xuanyuan Huo snorted, "A good citizen can take down an entire action team from Bureau 749 and make a branch captain kneel and cry in public? I watched the live stream online. You really put on a show."

Ye Chen laughed: "Then what do you suggest I do? I can't just stand there and let them scheme against me, can I?"

Silence on the other end for two seconds, then Xuanyuan Huo's voice suddenly became serious.

"Then do you want to completely resolve this trouble?"

Ye Chen's eyes moved slightly: "Old Master, you aren't planning to help me wipe out the Sima Family, are you?"

"Me helping you wipe out the Sima Family? Am I sick?" Xuanyuan Huo almost laughed in anger, "The Sima Family is deeply entrenched, one of the Five Great Families of the Capital. Can I just say wipe them out and they're gone? Do you really think the Dragon Group is run by my family?"

Ye Chen was puzzled: "Then what do you mean..."

Xuanyuan Huo sighed.

"What you did this time is both a big deal and a small one."

"Public opinion online has already reversed, and Bureau 749 will deal with Zhao Tiejun internally. The Sima Family won't dare to openly move against you in the short term."

"But if you want complete peace, you still need a legitimate status, otherwise, they won't give up easily."

"Legitimate status?" Ye Chen became vigilant, "What do you mean?"

"You need to truly take up the position of Chief Instructor of the Hidden Dragon Pavilion," Xuanyuan Huo said slowly. "Back then, I spread the word externally that you were an instructor at Qianlong Pavilion, but those people are all old foxes, so just having the title isn't enough. You need to actually take charge."

Ye Chen: "..."

He knew this old man had no good intentions.

Xuanyuan Huo seemed to guess what he was thinking and chuckled.

"I blew my own horn back then. Now the whole world knows. You can't let me lose face, can you?"

Ye Chen said helplessly: "Is it still possible for you to say I'm not now?"

"Too late," Xuanyuan Huo said triumphantly, "Someone from Qianlong Pavilion is already on their way to find you, and they will arrive soon."

Ye Chen was startled: "Who?"

"You'll know when they arrive." Xuanyuan Huo kept the details vague, his tone suddenly growing serious, "This person has a special identity and considerable strength. She is currently the most outstanding member of Qianlong Pavilion. If you can subdue her and make her submit to you, then the entire Qianlong Pavilion will naturally be loyal to you. If you can't control her, then forget it!"

Ye Chen laughed in exasperation: "Is there such a good thing?"

What a joke!

If he deliberately slacked off, what kind of person could he not manage?

But he always felt... this wretched old man was very wicked and certainly wasn't being so kind as to let him off easily.

Xuanyuan Huo seemed to see through his thoughts and slowly added a sentence.

"If you admit you're incapable..."

"Then I can't help you!"

"But a man, how can he say he's incapable?"

Ye Chen was speechless.

This old man was digging a pit for him to jump into, and he had no choice but to jump.

"Fine," Ye Chen finally relented, "When will the person arrive?"

"In a little while," Xuanyuan Huo said with a smile.

Ye Chen took a deep breath and suddenly asked: "By the way, Old Master Xuanyuan, do you know about the Kunlun Ruins?"