498: Chapter 498 Martial Arts Tournament?

Ye Chen's hand, which was about to descend, suddenly paused, and the golden light in his palm dissipated.

He raised an eyebrow, looking at Tong Sanqian, who was paralyzed on the ground, with great interest.

"Oh? Trading a secret for your life—that's something I like very much."

"Speak then."

He pulled over a chair, sat down in front of Tong Sanqian, and crossed his legs, looking ready to listen attentively.

Seeing this, a flicker of relief flashed in Tong Sanqian's eyes, and he hurriedly spoke.

"Half a month from now, there will be a Martial Arts Tournament held at Mount Song."

"At that time, martial artists from all over the world will gather to compete for the final championship."

"And the prize for the winner is a jade sword."

After hearing this, the interest on Ye Chen's face mostly vanished, and he waved his hand listlessly.

"A jade sword? I thought it was some incredible secret."

"I have no interest in that thing; it's just a broken sword."

As he spoke.

He raised his right hand again, and the golden light in his palm began to condense once more.

Tong Sanqian's pupils shrank sharply, and he shouted with all his might, "Listen to me finish first!"

Ye Chen's hand stopped in mid-air. After thinking for a moment, he continued.

"Fine, I'll give you one last chance."

Tong Sanqian didn't dare to delay further and quickly got to the point.

"Inside that jade sword is hidden the exact same thing as what's inside the buddha head."

Ye Chen's eyes narrowed suddenly, and the golden light in his palm quietly dissipated.

The exact same thing as inside the buddha head!

Doesn't that mean it contains a bronze key?

And right now, that buddha head hadn't been cracked open yet; it was still being kept with Bai Wanqing!

Ye Chen leaned forward slightly, his voice gaining a hint of seriousness.

"Oh? Who provided the sword?"

Seeing that Ye Chen was interested, Tong Sanqian's heart eased slightly.

"It is co-hosted by several factions within the Kunlun Ruins."

"They hold such a Martial Arts Tournament every few years to select potential martial artists from the secular world to be absorbed into the Kunlun Ruins."

"The corresponding families, sects, and factions will then receive protection."

"In half a month, the jade sword is the prize they've put up to motivate those martial artists to fight for it with their lives."

Ye Chen hummed in thought, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest as he pondered.

"So they don't know that thing is hidden inside the sword?"

Tong Sanqian nodded, his voice very certain.

"Exactly."

"If they knew, they would never have put that sword out as a prize."

"The thing inside..."

"Forget about someone in the secular world giving it away if they got it—to this day, I haven't heard of any faction in the Kunlun Ruins possessing one!"

"Even if they did, they wouldn't say anything, let alone give it away!"

Ye Chen nodded; he naturally understood this logic.

The bronze key inside the buddha head was one of the keys to open the bronze gate of the Kunlun Ruins.

If those factions in the Kunlun Ruins knew that the jade sword contained a similar key, it would indeed be impossible for them to offer it as a prize for a competition.

His gaze fell back on Tong Sanqian as he asked calmly, "Then how did you find out?"

Tong Sanqian's expression changed slightly, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

"Because... I was once a person of the Kunlun Ruins as well."

"That jade sword was originally a possession of my family."

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Tong Sanqian continued.

"My Tong family was once a prominent and influential clan in the Kunlun Ruins, with a heritage spanning hundreds of years and a deep foundation."

"That jade sword was discovered by an ancestor of the Tong family in an ancient ruin. It was always hidden in the family treasury and passed down through generations."

"Later..."

He paused, his voice gaining a bit more hatred.

"Later, I practiced a soul technique, which was discovered by other families. They claimed I was practicing a demonic art and wanted to cripple my cultivation."

"I refused to submit and tried to reason with them, but they ended up leading men to slaughter the Tong family."

"In the end... to protect me, the family fought desperately to carve out a path of blood. I barely escaped the Kunlun Ruins with my life."

"But the Tong family fell from grace after that, and the treasury was naturally divided up and exhausted by other factions."

"The jade sword was lost during that time."

Ye Chen understood completely now.

One could only say that this Tong Sanqian was a pitiful man.

But a pitiful person must have a detestable side.

If he hadn't practiced a soul technique, he wouldn't have brought such disaster upon himself.

Furthermore...

This soul technique itself was extremely vicious!

Ye Chen nodded. "I see. Thank you for telling me."

Seeing this, a glimmer of hope instantly ignited in Tong Sanqian's eyes, and he hurriedly asked.

"Then... can you spare me?"

Hearing this, Ye Chen looked surprised. "Spare you? When did I ever agree to spare you?"

Tong Sanqian's expression changed instantly.

"You... didn't you just say that you liked trading secrets for lives?!"

Ye Chen looked noncommittal. "Yes, I said that, but I don't think I agreed to your request, did I?"

Tong Sanqian was completely stunned.

He then recalled the conversation just now...

Ye Chen indeed only said he liked doing that and then told him to speak.

From beginning to end, Ye Chen hadn't said a single word of agreement, let alone made any promises.

It was he himself who had subconsciously assumed that as long as he told the secret, he could trade it for his life...

Tong Sanqian's throat bobbed a few times as a surge of metallic sweetness rose up. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood. "You... you played me?!"

Ye Chen stood up and looked down at him, his voice as calm as water.

"I didn't play you."

"I'm just stating a fact."

"If I really spared you for a secret, it would be a mark of disrespect to those who died after having their souls sucked dry by you."

"Those people also had parents, wives, and children. They had their own dreams and concerns."

"They were refined alive by you, their souls never to be reincarnated."

"And you want to wipe all that away with a single secret?"

Ye Chen shook his head. There was no anger or hatred in his eyes, only a profound calm.

"Tong Sanqian, your life is worth more than just one secret."

As his voice fell.

He raised his right hand, and the golden light in his palm flared brilliantly.

Tong Sanqian's pupils contracted suddenly. He opened his mouth to say something, but...

A palm struck down.

Slap!!!

The golden light exploded violently, and the entire hall shook intensely.

When the light dissipated, Tong Sanqian was completely silent, slumped on the ground with his eyes wide open, that expression of disbelief still frozen on his face.

A generation's hegemon, the Master of the Soul Hall, had perished just like that.

A deathly silence filled the hall.

Everyone's faces were ashen; they didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

Some people had even wet their pants.

The three Venerables were even more scared to death.

How could they not be?

They had originally thought that since the Hall Master was trading a secret for his life, they could also trade something.

No matter what, there should be at least a glimmer of hope, right?

And the result?

After listening to the secret, Ye Chen killed the man with a single palm strike.

What about them?

They didn't even have a secret. What could they use to trade for their lives?

Money?

At that level of strength, would he be short of money?

Power?

He was an instructor of the Dragon Group's Hidden Dragon Pavilion, holding the power of life and death in his hands. Could they offer him any power more impressive than that?

So...

It seemed they could only wait for death!

Only Elder He stood to the side, his heart still thumping with lingering fear.

He had at least led the way for Ye Chen; surely there should be some room for maneuver for him?

Suddenly!

Ye Chen withdrew his hand and turned around, his gaze falling on the three Venerables, including Zhuque.

The three of them shuddered simultaneously and kowtowed in unison.

"Instructor Ye, spare us!"

Venerable Vermilion Bird's voice was trembling.

"I... although I followed Tong Sanqian and did many bad things, I have never eaten anyone or sucked any souls!"

"The reason I followed him was... to use his strength for dual cultivation to improve myself..."

Venerable Qinglong kowtowed like he was pounding garlic. "Me too..."

"Wait."

Ye Chen's face darkened. "You too were for dual cultivation?"

Venerable Qinglong was stunned for a moment, then shook his head frantically. "No... no, I mean I was promised the benefit of entering the Kunlun Ruins, so I joined. The resources I got weren't even as many as that woman Zhuque."

Venerable Baihu's round face was full of terror.

"Instructor Ye! Although I... I have sucked from living people."

"But I am willing to redeem myself through service!"

"I can reveal the situation of all the Soul Hall's strongholds!"

Before he could finish his sentence.

Before Venerable Baihu could react, Ye Chen's palm had already arrived.

Slap!!!

Golden light exploded, and Venerable Baihu's round body was like a kicked ball, spinning a dozen times in the air before slamming hard into a stone pillar in the hall.

Boom!!!

The stone pillar snapped, and rubble crashed down, burying Venerable Baihu's body underneath.

Amidst the swirling dust, he didn't even have time to let out a scream.

Venerable Qinglong and Venerable Vermilion Bird knelt on the ground, completely terrified.

Holy crap...

It was a good thing they hadn't said they had sucked from people just now!

Otherwise, they would probably have followed in Venerable Baihu's footsteps.

Ye Chen withdrew his hand and looked around the room coldly.

"I will only give you one chance..."

"Tell the truth."

"Those who practice demonic arts, die."

"Those who conceal the truth, die."