496: Chapter 496 Then I'll just hit you, won't that solve the problem?

Elder He hurriedly took a few steps forward, bowed, and forced a bitter smile onto his face.

"Answering the Hall Master, there really is nothing left."

"Wang the Tiger and over a hundred of his men were all captured by the Dragon Group, and those goods in the basement were also completely rescued."

"The entire stronghold, from people to goods, was wiped out in one fell swoop."

Tong Sanqian's face darkened completely, a cold light flickering in his eyes.

"Done by that person named Ye Chen?"

Elder He nodded: "It was him!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of those dozen or so Soul Emissaries became even stranger.

Because...

They were all Ye Chen's people now; their life souls were under Ye Chen's control.

Lin Biao and the others knew even better.

The Left and Right Dharma Kings were dead.

And they had died at Ye Chen's hands!

However...

They didn't dare to directly reveal their identities now.

After all...

Ye Chen hadn't given the signal yet!

The corner of Tong Sanqian's mouth twitched slightly, killing intent faintly appearing in his eyes, but he didn't lash out, instead continuing to ask.

"How did you escape from his hands?"

Hearing this, the bitter smile on Elder He's face deepened.

He opened his mouth, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Tong Sanqian frowned: "Speak!"

Elder He gritted his teeth and then said awkwardly.

"Hall Master... this subordinate did not escape from his hands."

"This subordinate..."

He swallowed hard, "brought him back with me."

Tong Sanqian's pupils suddenly constricted: "Who did you say... you brought?"

The expression on Elder He's face became even more awkward.

"I brought Ye Chen."

As those words fell, everyone's gaze simultaneously landed on that pair of a man and a woman.

The surrounding Soul Hall members' eyes bulged, their faces filled with disbelief.

They never expected...

That Venerable Xuanwu would actually bring the enemy into the Soul Hall's nest!

Venerable Vermilion Bird's expression changed drastically, her hand moving to the short sword at her waist.

Tong Sanqian's expression instantly became as gloomy as water.

He then looked toward the young man and asked coldly, "You are Ye Chen?"

Ye Chen smiled slightly.

"Yes."

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly tightened to the extreme.

Venerable Vermilion Bird abruptly drew the short sword from her waist.

The Soul Hall members on both sides of the hall moved simultaneously.

They quickly fanned out, surrounding Ye Chen and Bing Lan in a semicircle, weapons drawn, killing intent laid bare.

At the same time.

A series of footsteps came from the depths of the hall.

A second later.

Two elders walked out from the inner chamber.

One on the left and one on the right, they stood by Tong Sanqian's side.

The one on the left was withered and thin, with a face like orange peel, leaning on a pitch-black cane.

The one on the right was a short, plump elder with a round face and large ears, smiling like a Maitreya Buddha.

These two were the only remaining two of the Soul Hall's Four Directional Venerables...

Venerable Qinglong.

Venerable Baihu.

Along with Venerable Vermilion Bird and Elder He, Venerable Xuanwu, who was standing behind Ye Chen...

The Four Directional Venerables were all gathered in one hall.

Tong Sanqian looked at Elder He, his fury almost bursting through the roof.

"Old He, you dare to betray the Soul Hall?"

Elder He wore a pained expression, waving his hands repeatedly.

"Hall Master, I didn't want to!"

"But he's too strong, I really couldn't hold him off!"

"I just wanted to survive, and it doesn't really count as betrayal, does it?"

"I only brought him here..."

"Shut up!" Tong Sanqian roared sternly, "Once I've dealt with him, I'll settle accounts with you!"

As the words fell.

He turned his head sharply, his eyes fixed on Ye Chen, his voice as cold as ice.

"Ye Chen, you have repeatedly ruined the Soul Hall's great affairs, and even killed my Dharma Kings and destroyed my strongholds..."

"Since you've delivered yourself to our doorstep, don't think about leaving today!"

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow: "With just you?"

"That's right, with just this seat!"

Tong Sanqian roared, and a terrifying aura exploded from around him!

A second later.

The pressure of the late-stage Tianyi Realm swept through the entire hall like a tsunami.

The stone slabs on the floor cracked inch by inch, and the surrounding Soul Hall members were forced back half a step, their faces turning pale.

Ye Chen looked at this scene and couldn't help but laugh.

"Just a mere late-stage Tianyi Realm. I thought you had surpassed the Tianyi Realm!"

The surrounding Soul Hall crowd instantly couldn't hold it together, their faces filled with bewilderment.

Wait...

Late-stage Tianyi Realm isn't impressive?

This was the Soul Hall Master, a top-tier combatant who had only broken through after a long period of secluded cultivation!

In the entire Dragon Country, few people were his match!

Tong Sanqian was stunned for a few seconds, then laughed out of extreme anger.

"Arrogant boy!"

"Today I'll let you taste the terror of the late-stage Tianyi Realm!"

Just as he finished speaking.

He made a sudden grasping motion with his hand. His originally normal palm was instantly covered by a thick layer of black energy, his fingers like hooks, bringing a sharp whistle that tore through the air as he slammed it down toward Ye Chen's head!

Wherever the palm wind passed, the air distorted, and debris on the ground was blown away by the air currents. The power was terrifying!

However.

Ye Chen's expression remained calm. Looking at the incoming giant black palm, he didn't dodge or avoid it, merely raising his right hand and clenching his fist.

Then.

He threw a punch!

BOOM!!!

Fist and palm collided!

Terrifying air currents swept out wildly from the two of them as the center. The surrounding Soul Hall members were shaken until they were reeling, some crashing directly into the walls and spitting blood.

A second later.

A shocking scene occurred...

Tong Sanqian's heavy, powerful palm strike was actually! Actually! Actually! Blown apart by Ye Chen's punch!

To the point that...

His entire person was hit as if by a heavy blow, his feet plowing two deep furrows into the ground as he retreated seven or eight steps before barely stabilizing himself.

While Ye Chen stood in place, motionless, not even the corner of his clothes fluttering.

The entire field was dead silent!

Stormy waves rose in the hearts of the surrounding Soul Hall crowd, their eyes wide.

Good grief!

This is too ridiculous!

Such a young man actually knocked their Hall Master back so many steps?

If this were to spread...

It would probably make countless people's jaws drop!

But thinking about it, no wonder this guy dared to be so arrogant!

He wasn't bragging; he was for real!

If it were an old monster, such a scene would be one thing, but it just had to happen to a young man.

This...

What kind of monster is he?!

Tong Sanqian stabilized himself and looked up, his eyes fixed on Ye Chen.

"You... are also late-stage Tianyi Realm?!"

He could feel that the intensity of the power Ye Chen displayed was actually not much different from his own.

The reason he had been forced back, he thought after some consideration, was likely because he had only just broken through and his realm was not yet stable, whereas the opponent had clearly been honing himself at this level for a long time.

Otherwise...

How could a young man in his twenties possibly knock back an established expert like him who had been in seclusion for years with a single punch?

Ye Chen withdrew his fist and smiled faintly: "If you think so, then I am."

Tong Sanqian's face darkened, a flash of anger in his eyes.

"Mystifying things!"

"However..."

"You are already qualified to make this seat use my full strength."

As the words fell, the black energy around him suddenly surged out like boiling ink, churning and rising.

From within that black energy, shrill wails could faintly be heard, as if countless wronged souls were struggling within.

At the same time, a rustling sound suddenly came from around the hall, as if something were crawling in the shadows.

A second later.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The stone slabs on the ceiling exploded one after another, debris flying!

Black shadows descended from above.

When the dust settled, everyone could finally see the true faces of those black shadows...

They were human puppets.

They were black all over, their skin withered like old tree bark, their eyes empty and soulless.

But each puppet had a pitch-black long saber hanging at its waist.

A total of twelve human puppets surrounded Ye Chen and Bing Lan so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through.

Tong Sanqian stood with his hands behind his back, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Ye Chen, these twelve human puppets of mine were each refined from the corpse of a Heaven Realm Expert. They are invulnerable and feel no pain."

"Even if you are at the late-stage Tianyi Realm, being surrounded by them means your only path is death!"

"Because..."

"Their defensive capabilities are inherited from me!"

"I'd like to see how many you can knock down."

He raised his hand and gave a sudden wave.

The twelve human puppets moved simultaneously.

They drew the long sabers from their waists and, fast as lightning, slashed toward Ye Chen in unison!

Hearing this, Ye Chen looked at the twelve menacingly pouncing human puppets with a face full of confusion and couldn't help but speak.

"Why should I hit them?"

The entire field was stunned for a moment.

Wait...

They're all attacking you, why wouldn't you hit them?

However.

Before they could react.

Those human puppets that had already raised their long sabers and were less than three feet from Ye Chen all came to a halt.

Of course.

They were merely controlled by Tong Sanqian's will; the pause was not because they understood, but because of the controller's instinctive hesitation.

Tong Sanqian's brow furrowed tightly: "What did you say?"

Ye Chen spread his hands as if it were only natural.

"These things are controlled by you, right?"

"Then wouldn't it be better if I just hit you?"

Before his voice had even faded, he had already moved.

His right hand pulled Bing Lan's small hand, and his entire person was like a wisp of green smoke, weaving through the airtight encirclement of the twelve human puppets.

That movement technique was incredibly fast.

Twelve long sabers fell almost simultaneously, the blades slashing at the spot where Ye Chen had just been standing, sending stone chips flying from the floor.

But the moment the blades fell, Ye Chen and Bing Lan's figures had already appeared outside the encirclement.

With another flash.

The two of them had already crossed the seven or eight yards of the hall and appeared right in front of Tong Sanqian.