674: Chapter 674 Of course I'll beat you up!

The car traveled through the night and soon stopped in front of the most luxurious hotel in Yan City.

Ye Chen pushed open the car door, and the moment his feet touched the ground, his steps suddenly paused slightly.

His gaze fell upon the stone steps at the hotel entrance.

A person was standing there.

An elderly man.

He wore a deep gray robe, had graying hair, and a goatee on his chin.

He just stood there with his hands behind his back, looking at Ye Chen with a calm gaze.

Yan Qingwu and the others also got out of the car. Following Ye Chen's gaze, their expressions tightened slightly.

In the next second.

Jiang Daoxuan and Shu Yuan stood on either side of Ye Chen, their expressions solemn as if facing a formidable enemy.

Seeing Ye Chen, the old man walked down the steps step by step.

"This must be Young Friend Ye, Ye Chen?"

"I am the Great Elder of the Tianyi Sect, Daoist name Great Elder Tianxuan Zi."

Someone from the Tianyi Sect?

The true qi within Jiang Daoxuan's body began to circulate, and Shu Yuan's fists quietly clenched.

Yan Qingwu and Shen Qingyi also entered a state of high alert.

Only Ye Chen's expression remained unchanged.

He looked at the old man claiming to be the Great Elder of the Tianyi Sect and spoke indifferently: "Do you want something from me?"

Great Elder Tianxuan Zi straightened his back, his smile remaining gentle.

"Young Friend Ye needn't be nervous, I have no ill intentions."

"Nervous?"

Ye Chen tilted his head, "Which eye of yours saw me being nervous?"

Great Elder Tianxuan Zi froze for a moment.

"It was a slip of the tongue."

"As the dignified Chief Instructor of the Dragon Group, who has even slain Golden Core Stage powerhouses, Young Friend Ye naturally wouldn't care about an old man like me."

Ye Chen didn't respond, just watching him.

Great Elder Tianxuan Zi wasn't embarrassed either and continued on his own: "I have come today because I wish to discuss something with Young Friend Ye."

"Speak."

Great Elder Tianxuan Zi stroked his beard and spoke unhurriedly: "I heard that Young Friend Ye intends to bring the remnants of the Ancient Tomb Sect to participate in this Martial Arts Tournament?"

Ye Chen nodded: "Is there a problem?"

"No problem."

Great Elder Tianxuan Zi waved his hand, smiling amiably, "The Martial Arts Tournament is a grand event for the world's martial arts community. Your willingness to participate, Young Friend Ye, is giving face to the assembly. I just feel..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Ye Chen, "With Young Friend Ye's status and strength, participating in a Martial Arts Tournament of the Secular World is somewhat beneath you."

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow: "And so?"

"So I wish to offer Young Friend Ye a better choice."

Great Elder Tianxuan Zi's smile deepened.

"If Young Friend Ye is willing, I can recommend you for entry into the Kunlun Ruins."

"With your strength, becoming a Guest Elder in any sect would be more than enough."

"Why waste time on this Martial Arts Tournament in the Secular World?"

Hearing this, Ye Chen shrugged: "I thought you were here for a fight, but it turns out you're here as a lobbyist?"

Great Elder Tianxuan Zi stroked his beard with a beaming smile.

"Young Friend Ye must be joking. I'm just a bag of old bones, how would I dare to raise a hand against you?"

"That being said, you are a clever man; you should know your current situation."

"One Clan, Three Sects, Five Gates—the Nine Great Forces joining hands is a spectacle unseen in Kunlun Ruins for a thousand years, all because of you."

"You killed the 108 Secret Guards of the Bai family, you killed Elder Liu Shenfeng of the Hehuan Sect, and you even killed an Elder of my sect..."

He listed them off one by one as if recounting family treasures.

"Any one of these matters would be enough for you to die ten times over."

"The reason you are still alive is not because of how well you can fight, but because the Nine Great Forces have not yet made up their minds."

Ye Chen looked at him, his expression unchanged: "And so?"

Great Elder Tianxuan Zi stared intently at Ye Chen.

"So..."

"Admit your mistakes and join the Kunlun Ruins; perhaps there is still a chance to survive."

"Otherwise, once you step into the Martial Arts Tournament, you will become the enemy of the entire world."

"At that time, not just the Nine Great Forces, but the entire Martial Arts Alliance and the entire Cultivation World will be your enemies."

"Do you think you can withstand that?"

Ye Chen smiled: "Why couldn't I? Killing one chicken is killing, and killing two chickens is also killing. Is there a difference?"

"You understand what I mean; I am not talking about strength."

Great Elder Tianxuan Zi's brow furrowed slightly, and the smile on his face faded a bit.

"I am talking about reputation."

"As the dignified Chief Instructor of the Dragon Group, if you make an enemy of the entire Martial Arts Alliance and the entire Cultivation World, how do you think the outside world will see you?"

"They will say you use your power to bully others, that you don't follow the rules, that you are a public enemy of the martial arts world."

"By then, even if you win, you have lost."

When Great Elder Tianxuan Zi said this, his tone was sincere, as if he were looking out for Ye Chen.

Ye Chen looked at him and suddenly laughed.

"Reputation?"

"You think I care about reputation?"

Great Elder Tianxuan Zi's smile stiffened slightly.

Ye Chen continued.

"Since I have taken over the Ancient Tomb Sect, it means I already don't care about reputation."

"Furthermore..."

He paused, staring directly into Great Elder Tianxuan Zi's eyes, and said word by word.

"You all should be the ones more concerned about reputation, shouldn't you?"

"The Nine Great Forces wiped out a sect for the sake of a key. Just who is more devoid of conscience?"

As his words fell, the atmosphere at the hotel entrance suddenly froze.

Great Elder Tianxuan Zi's expression finally changed: "You..."

"You what?"

Ye Chen interrupted him unceremoniously.

"Am I not speaking the truth?"

"Who the culprits behind the Ancient Tomb Sect's extermination are—don't you have a clue in your heart?"

"One Clan, Three Sects, Five Gates—the Nine Great Forces joined hands to wipe out a whole sect, killing even the old, the weak, the women, and the children."

"Since you could do such a thing, are you still afraid of people talking about it?"

Great Elder Tianxuan Zi's face went completely dark.

As dark as the bottom of a pot.

Damn it!

This Ye Chen really was impervious to persuasion.

The extermination of the Ancient Tomb Sect was indeed the work of the Nine Great Forces' alliance, and they had specifically suppressed the news.

Taking a step back...

Several forces uniting to destroy one force wasn't considered strange in the Kunlun Ruins.

But if it were brought out into the open, it would be different.

Especially in the Secular World, in the Martial Arts Alliance, before the heroes of the world...

That would absolutely be seen as devoid of conscience and utterly heinous.

Great Elder Tianxuan Zi took a deep breath, suppressed the fire in his heart, and spoke coldly.

"Ye Chen, do you insist on not letting this matter go?"

"I came today to give you a way out."

"Don't be so ungrateful!"

Ye Chen looked at him, his smile growing even wider.

"A way out?"

"When you wiped out their entire family, did you give them a way out?"

"When you killed their old, weak, women, and children, did you give them a way out?"

"When you stole their key, did you give them a way out?"

The faces of Shen Qingyi and the other two also gradually became covered in a layer of frost.

Because.

They had never forgotten how the Nine Great Forces had destroyed their Ancient Tomb Sect.

And now.

The other party actually had the face to come over and talk about reputation and giving a way out???

Great Elder Tianxuan Zi's face became completely gloomy: "So, you won't cooperate at all?"

Originally.

He was representing several other forces to come and negotiate with Ye Chen.

Firstly, as long as Ye Chen joined the Kunlun Ruins, they could deal with him however they wanted.

The members of the Dragon Group would have no way to intervene.

And they could strike at any time.

Secondly, they already had a candidate force they were supporting and didn't want Ye Chen to ruin things.

But he never expected...

The man didn't give him any face at all.

What happened to 'not hitting a smiling person'?

Ye Chen was different; he went straight for the kill with his insults!

Ye Chen shrugged, looking completely indifferent.

"Cooperate?"

"When you were dealing with me, did you ask if I would cooperate?"

"Now you run over to talk to me about cooperation?"

He shook his head, his tone full of mockery.

"Great Elder Tianxuan Zi, was it?"

"If you have nothing else to say, it's my turn to act."

Great Elder Tianxuan Zi was stunned: "What are you going to do?"

Ye Chen smiled slightly.

"Of course..."

"I'm beating you up."