555: Chapter 555 The Chen Family Submits!

Wang Xiue looked at Ye Chen. In her eyes, which had just regained their vitality, the previous hatred and madness were gone, replaced only by a sense of relief.

"Mr. Ye, I won't seek revenge anymore."

"Having died once, I've seen through everything."

"I hated you for so long, but in the end, I can't even remember exactly what it was I hated."

"I only remember that I hated, but I never thought about why I hated or what use it was. I never considered it."

She looked up at Ye Chen, her eyes red, but she didn't cry.

"My husband's death... he was the one who made the first move. He was the one who wanted to kill you first."

"I've always known that, I just didn't want to admit it."

"Now, I'm willing to admit it."

Ye Chen looked down at her and said indifferently.

"Wang Xiue, you say you won't seek revenge, and I believe you."

"But the fact remains that you hired assassins to kill my woman."

"Not killing you is already giving face to Wang Tianlong."

"But to prevent you from acting out again..."

He paused, his gaze falling on Wang Xiue. "Your strength must be crippled... any objections?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding people were shocked again.

For a Cultivator, everyone present knew exactly what it meant to have their strength crippled.

It was a fate more agonizing than death.

Wang Tianlong opened his mouth to say something, but the words died in his throat.

He knew...

For Ye Chen to go this far was already an act of immense mercy.

Not only did he save her life, but he was only crippling her cultivation.

If it were anyone else, Wang Xiue dying a hundred times wouldn't have been enough.

Wang Xiue, however, didn't hesitate at all; there wasn't even a flicker of emotion on her face.

"I have no objections."

"Cripple it."

Ye Chen nodded, raised his right hand, and flicked his finger.

A streak of pale gold True Qi shot from his fingertip, accurately sinking into Wang Xiue's lower abdomen energy center.

"Pfft!"

Wang Xiue's body jolted violently, and a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed from her mouth.

Her energy center was shattered.

Decades of bitter cultivation vanished in an instant.

But she didn't cry, nor did she even frown.

She simply closed her eyes and let out a long breath, as if she had set down a heavy burden.

This was what she deserved.

Wang Tianlong held her, his tears falling again.

Ye Chen withdrew his hand and said indifferently.

"In that case, let's consider this matter settled."

"From now on, stay in the Wang Family peacefully and don't cause any more trouble."

"Otherwise..."

He didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was crystal clear.

Wang Xiue nodded: "Rest assured, Mr. Ye, I won't."

Ye Chen stopped looking at her and turned around, his gaze falling on the several Chen Family elders still kneeling on the ground.

Those elders shuddered, their faces turning as pale as paper, and cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.

Ye Chen looked at them and spoke calmly.

"As for you..."

"There is only one path to choose."

The hearts of those from the Chen Family jumped into their throats.

Ye Chen looked at them and said word by word: "Submit, or die."

At these words, the expressions of the Chen Family members changed drastically.

Submit?

They were the Chen Family from the Kunlun Ruins!

Although the Chen Family couldn't compare to the Five Clans, Eight Sects, and Thirteen Gates, they were still a respectable family in the Kunlun Ruins.

To have them submit to a young man from the Secular World?

If word of this got back to the Kunlun Ruins, where would the Chen Family hide their faces?

But if they didn't submit...

It would be death.

They had seen Meng Ziyi's fate with their own eyes; even a Sword Venerable at the Mid Golden Core Stage had been beaten so badly he couldn't fight back, only saving his life by kneeling and begging for mercy.

What could they, a few elders in the Heaven Realm, use to fight Ye Chen?

The Chen Family elders looked at each other.

After a moment of silence, the leading Chen Family elder gritted his teeth and kowtowed heavily.

"Chen Bozhong of the Chen Family is willing to submit to Mr. Ye!"

Once there was a first, there was a second.

"Chen Boyi of the Chen Family is willing to submit to Mr. Ye!"

"Chen Boli of the Chen Family is willing to submit to Mr. Ye!"

"Chen Bozhi of the Chen Family is willing to submit to Mr. Ye!"

"Chen Boxin of the Chen Family is willing to submit to Mr. Ye!"

...

The five Chen Family elders all knelt on the ground, their heads thumping against the floor.

Ye Chen looked down at them and said indifferently.

"The wise man submits to the circumstances."

"You are much smarter than that dead elder of yours."

The Chen Family elders nodded repeatedly, their faces filled with fawning smiles, but their hearts were bleeding.

Submit?

If they didn't submit, they would die. Did they even have a choice?

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow: "Is that all?"

The elders were all stunned and looked up, their eyes filled with confusion.

Is that all? What did he mean?

They had already kowtowed and submitted; was that not enough?

Ye Chen looked at their bewildered expressions and continued.

"What I mean is, hand over your life souls."

"From now on, you will be my people."

The faces of the Chen Family elders instantly turned deathly pale.

life soul!

That was the foundation of a Cultivator's divine soul, a core even more vital than the energy center.

Once they handed over their life souls, their lives and deaths would be completely in the hands of another.

With a single thought, the other party could make their souls scatter.

How was this submission?

This was clearly becoming slaves!

Chen Bozhong's lips trembled: "Mr... Mr. Ye, this..."

"How? Unwilling?"

Ye Chen interrupted him, "It's fine if you're unwilling, I won't force you, but then you can just go and die."

Everyone was on the verge of breaking down.

On one hand, he said he wouldn't force them, but on the other, he told them to die...

What exactly did he want?

But soon.

Chen Bozhong gave a bitter smile and kowtowed heavily: "Chen Bozhong of the Chen Family is willing to hand over his life soul."

They had no choice.

If they didn't hand it over, they would surely die; if they did, they could at least cling to life.

As long as they didn't betray Ye Chen, there wouldn't actually be much of a change...

Hmm.

They could only comfort themselves like this!

The other elders glanced at each other, seeing the same helplessness in each other's eyes.

The next second.

One by one, they spoke.

"Chen Zhiyi of the Chen Family is willing to hand over his life soul!"

"Chen Sanli of the Chen Family is willing to hand over his life soul!"

"Chen Long of the Chen Family is willing to hand over his life soul!"

"Chen Xin of the Chen Family is willing to hand over his life soul!"

As soon as the five of them finished speaking, a cluster of faint blue light lit up on their foreheads simultaneously.

The light rippled from their foreheads like a wisp of light smoke, condensing in the air into five tiny spots of light that floated toward Ye Chen.

The next second.

Ye Chen raised his right hand and opened his fingers.

The five life soul light spots floated into his palm and then sank into his own forehead through his arm.

A faint connection was established between his soul and the souls of the five men.

From this moment on.

The lives and deaths of the five Chen Family elders were entirely within his single thought.

Ye Chen withdrew his hand and spoke calmly.

"From today on, the Chen Family will enter Yunnan Province and guard this place."

"Prevent any petty outsiders from entering. Can you do that?"

The elders looked at each other but didn't dare to argue. Chen Bozhong was the first to speak: "Yes... we can."

The other elders also nodded: "Rest assured, Mr. Ye, we will definitely do our utmost."

Ye Chen nodded, turned around, and looked at Wang Tianlong.

"You are fully responsible for this matter."

"I don't want to see a second mishap, understand?"

Wang Tianlong quickly bowed: "Rest assured, Mr. Ye, I understand!"

Afterward.

Once the matters were mostly handled, Ye Chen left alone and walked along the old streets of Yunnan Province.

He was wondering if he should bring back some local specialties.

After all.

Last time he came here, he didn't have time to get any.

Since he was here again, he definitely had to bring some back...

But before he could think further.

The phone in Ye Chen's pocket vibrated.

Pulling it out to look, it was actually from Xuanyuan Huo.

Why was he calling so early in the morning?

He wasn't trying to set him up again, was he?

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and answered the call: "Old man, what's up?"

On the other end of the phone, Xuanyuan Huo's voice carried a hint of gravity.

"Ye Chen, something happened inside the Kunlun Ruins today!"

Ye Chen paused, his interest piqued: "What happened?"

"A power called the Ancient Tomb Sect was wiped out," Xuanyuan Huo said concisely.

Ye Chen looked bewildered: "Ancient Tomb Sect? I don't know them..."

"It's not important whether you know them or not. What's important is..."

Xuanyuan Huo's voice held a trace of complexity. "One Clan, Three Sects, Five Gates acted together. Overnight, over five hundred people of the Ancient Tomb Sect were killed or fled, and even their mountain gate was leveled."

Ye Chen whistled: "Wow, One Clan, Three Sects, Five Gates—that's quite a luxurious lineup. Did the Ancient Tomb Sect dig up that clan's ancestral grave or something?"

"It's even more serious than digging up ancestral graves."

Xuanyuan Huo kept him in suspense for a moment. "But currently, three people from the Ancient Tomb Sect have escaped. They've headed east all the way to Japan."

Ye Chen said nonchalantly.

"So?"

"You don't want me to go after them, do you? I have no interest in that kind of thing!"

Xuanyuan Huo was frustrated: "Aren't you even going to ask why?"

Ye Chen rolled his eyes.

"I'm even less interested in the reason, unless it has something to do with the bronze key to the Kunlun Ruins' bronze gate."

There was silence on the other end for a full two seconds.

Then, Xuanyuan Huo laughed: "You kid, you guessed right."

Ye Chen's expression stiffened: "What?"

Xuanyuan Huo said word by word.

"The Ancient Tomb Sect had a bronze key in their possession."

"One Clan, Three Sects, Five Gates acted together precisely for this!"

"But the sect leader of the Ancient Tomb Sect moved the key in advance and gave it to those three who fled to Japan."

"Now, the key has already gone out to sea."