46: The battle shattered the backbone of the Ye family, and the five-year agreement was broken!

"Boom—!"

That handprint crushed through the void, its terrifying power making everyone's hearts tremble!

Just the scattering remnants of its might pressed countless nearby Holy Land Disciples flat to the ground.

Luo Jinghong's expression changed. Immediately, a small pagoda shot out from between her brows, rapidly enlarging to envelop both Gu Qingchen and herself beneath it.

Thud!

Even so, the two of them, along with the treasure pagoda, were still sent flying.

Under Luo Jinghong's protection, Gu Qingchen was largely unharmed.

However, a trace of blood seeped from the corner of her own lips, and her peerlessly beautiful face beneath the veil turned somewhat pale.

"Second Ancestor!"

The Ye Family members were overjoyed.

Within the Ye Family, the sequence ranking is not based on age, but on strength.

The one who just attacked, the Ye Family's Second Ancestor, Ye Tianlan, is barely over ten thousand years old. Yet, his strength had already reached the Great Perfection of the Saint Emperor Realm two to three thousand years ago, making him the strongest and most terrifyingly talented existence in the Ye Family aside from the Old Ancestor.

Now, after another two to three thousand years, it's possible Ye Tianlan's strength has advanced even further, and it's not impossible that he has glimpsed the scenery beyond the Supreme Realm.

"A bunch of trash."

Ye Tianlan slowly manifested.

He wore golden robes and a golden crown atop his head, appearing distinctly different in style from the other Ye Family members.

"Since the Old Ancestor established the Ye Family, when have we ever been so humiliated, trampled upon and still begging for mercy?"

After speaking, he didn't even glance at the ashamed and speechless Ye Family members. Instead, he turned to look at Gu Qingchen and Luo Jinghong, coldly stating, "Juniors, today I shall teach you to know that facing the Ye Family requires reverence in your hearts!"

As his words fell, he clenched his five fingers. Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi surged forth, actually condensing into nine glittering golden chains.

At the ends of the chains hung nine equally golden, ferocious ghost heads, as if forged from divine metal, biting towards the pagoda above Luo Jinghong's head.

At the critical moment.

A withered hand reached out from the void, its finger giving a light flick. The entire chain structure instantly disintegrated.

Then, a familiar, unforgettable light laugh sounded: "Little Tianzi, it's only been a few thousand years, yet you've regressed, actually attacking juniors of the Holy Land."

"Han Tianyuan?"

The Ye Family's Second Ancestor's pupils constricted sharply, his voice turning hoarse: "For thousands of years you've been a lingering ghost, and now you still want to attack me?"

Old Man Han stepped out from the void, giving Luo Jinghong a slight nod.

Then he looked at Ye Tianlan. Surprisingly, there wasn't much hostility in his eyes, but rather a flash of melancholy: "Time flies, ten thousand years pass in the blink of an eye. Old friends wither away one by one, like leaves in the wind..."

"Hmph!"

Ye Tianlan snorted lightly, his expression somewhat unnatural, unable to empathize with Old Man Han.

One of them has already reached the pinnacle.

Looking back on the past, it's filled with unforgettable moments of life.

Those still alive are also old friends carrying those unforgettable memories.

The other debuted as a Prodigy, but later met the rival of his lifetime, living forever in his shadow.

"Let's not speak of other matters. These two have trampled upon my Ye Family's dignity and have already courted death. I must kill these two. Will you protect them?"

Hearing this, Gu Qingchen's eyes widened, looking strangely at this Ye Family Second Ancestor before him.

Courted death?

Good, good, good.

I was just playing with a meme, and only thought it in my heart, but you actually said it out loud?

"I understand the ins and outs of this matter far better than you."

Old Man Han put away his sentimental expression: "What your Ye Family has done is worthy of extermination. As for today's matter, it will be resolved according to the Holy Land's rules—on Tianxing Peak, or..."

His usually calm eyes suddenly flashed with sharp light: "...this old man will personally dismantle your Ye Family's ancestral shrine."

The air fell deathly silent.

A vein throbbed on Ye Tianlan's forehead. His Adam's apple bobbed several times before he finally forced out a cold laugh through gritted teeth: "Fine, very good! After ten thousand years, you, Han Tianyuan, are still as overbearing as ever. Then let it be resolved on the Heavenly Punishment Stage!"

As an opponent who had been suppressed for over ten thousand years, Ye Tianlan understood Han Tianyuan all too well.

Don't be fooled by his current kindly old man appearance. Back when he swept across the Xuantian Continent, he slaughtered the younger generation until no one dared claim supremacy!

Back then, because both his and Han Tianyuan's names contained the character "Tian," busybodies dubbed them the "Twin Heavens of Xuantian."

Precisely because of this title others imposed on him, Han Tianyuan beat him half to death!

Ever since then, his title changed from "One of the Twin Heavens" to Little Tianzi... On Tianxing Peak.

The xuantian treasure mirror hung high.

An invisible beam of light shot from the mirror's surface, landing on Gu Qingchen, Luo Jinghong, and the group of Ye Family members.

The next moment,

Beams of mirror light, sharp as heavenly swords, shot from the xuantian treasure mirror. The Ye Family members, still in a state of anxiety, suddenly felt as if ten thousand swords had pierced their Primordial Spirits, experiencing extreme agony. They cried out in pain one after another.

The four ambushers were even subjected to divine flames burning their spirits, howling as they died in endless torment!

On the mirror's surface, golden characters appeared one by one.

"[The Ye Family members have violated Holy Land regulations. Half of their Primordial Spirits are to be severed, with a time limit of one hundred years.]"

"[After a hundred years, the two parties shall battle on the Heavenly Punishment Stage, life and death at their own risk.]"

"[Ye Linyou, Ye Linping, Ye Qingfeng, and Ye Qinghe, for ambushing the Saint, are to be executed immediately as a warning.]"

Seeing the judgment rendered by the xuantian treasure mirror, neither side was particularly satisfied.

The Ye Family members considered the punishment too severe.

Not only were one Saint Emperor and three Saint Kings—such pillars of the Family—executed on the spot, but all other high-ranking members also had half their Primordial Spirits severed. If this punishment were truly carried out, the Ye Family would be crippled.

As for Gu Qingchen, he felt this wasn't satisfying enough.

"No need for a hundred years. Within five years, I will personally suppress them one by one on the Heavenly Punishment Stage and take their wretched lives with my own hands!"

"Five years?"

Hearing this number, everyone was stunned.

Even Old Man Han frowned slightly.

He acknowledged that Gu Qingchen's Aptitude and Comprehension Ability were the strongest among all the prodigies he had ever seen, far surpassing even himself.

But five years?

Wasn't that timeframe a bit too short?

After all, the Ye Family members were almost all at the Saint King Realm in strength, among them even a Second-Level Saint Emperor Grand Elder!

Within five years, could Gu Qingchen grow from the Grand Perfection of the Profound Grotto Realm to a level capable of suppressing a Second-Level Saint Emperor?

"Qingchen, you must consider this carefully!"

Even Luo Jinghong couldn't help but speak up, wanting to urge Gu Qingchen to think twice.

"Don't worry."

Gu Qingchen smiled proudly: "Five years is enough."

Anyway, he had already decided to Cultivate to the Supreme Realm within fifty-six years and then head to the Origin Ancient Realm to claim the Great Dao Divine Tree and its Great Dao Divine Fruits.

That difficulty was in no way lower than suppressing the Ye Family members five years later.

"Moreover..."

Gu Qingchen's expression turned cold as he looked at the Ye Family members: "Today, I will break the spine of the Ye Family's younger generation. On the Heavenly Punishment Stage, all Ye Family members under a hundred years old shall come up and fight, life and death notwithstanding!"

...[Thank you Jun Hanqing for the gift, thank you everyone for the reminders to update, wishing everyone a Happy New Year, may all your wishes come true!

Also wishing my new book explosive popularity!]