The six protectors exchanged glances and leaped forward together.
The Zhao Family had a total of eight Grandmaster Realm protectors, known as the "Eight Great Vajras." Unfortunately, two were already gone. These six had only been able to break through to the Grandmaster Realm by utilizing the spines of Ye family members. The forty-odd Xiantian Realm bodyguards behind them also swarmed forward.
"Seeking death!" A flash of cold light crossed Ye Chen’s eyes.
Every one of these Zhao family lackeys deserved to die. Let them be buried along with the Zhao family!
Ye Chen struck without mercy. Whatever "Grandmaster Realm expert" they claimed to be, none could withstand even half a move from him. Three punches and two kicks later, thirty seconds had passed, and the forty or fifty men were all lying peacefully on the ground. The quality of their sleep was excellent; not a single one was twitching.
The guests, having witnessed this once already, were no longer surprised. But Zhao Hongda, seeing such a scene for the first time, stood rooted to the spot, petrified.
*How... how is this possible!*
Their Zhao family elites, wiped out in a mere half-minute by a single young man!
"Zhao Hongda, any last words?" Ye Chen asked, his intent to kill chilling.
***
Stunned, Zhao Hongda shuddered in fear. The murderous, piercing gaze of the man before him sent a tremor through his soul. A fear of death unlike anything he had ever known engulfed him, making the very air feel stagnant and impossible to breathe.
"Help! Someone help me!" Zhao Hongda cried out in a panic, desperately calling for salvation.
Yet, among the hall full of guests, not a single person dared to make a sound or take a step forward. No one dared to meddle, for anyone who had dared to stand up for the Zhao family was already dead where they stood.
"Since there are no last words, then die."
Ye Chen walked slowly toward him, ready to send Zhao Hongda to reunite with his wife and daughter.
"No... don't kill me! Stop! You cannot kill me!"
Feeling the approach of the Grim Reaper, Zhao Hongda scrambled backward in a panic. He stumbled, falling onto his backside, then continued to crawl away using both hands and feet. Where he had moved, a puddle of unidentifiable liquid remained—he had been frightened out of his wits.
The guests on either side immediately retreated, wanting no association with the Zhao family, lest blood splatter on them and bring them bad luck.
"I can't kill you? Heh. Someone as fickle and treacherous as you—is there any point in you living?!"
Ye Chen’s voice was deep and furious, every word ringing like metal. His gaze was so icy it could kill. "Three years ago, my Ye family and your Zhao family were family friends! My parents trusted your Zhao family so much! Yet, you conspired to murder my entire clan! Today, I will use the blood of everyone in your Zhao family to pay tribute to the souls of my parents and all the deceased of the Ye family!"
"Do you know who I am?!" Zhao Hongda, at death’s door, still tried to use his connections to threaten him.
But he was cut off before he could finish. "Old wretch, shut your mouth! Kneel! Kowtow and beg for forgiveness from everyone in the Ye family who died!"
Ye Chen barked a cold command. He didn't care who the man was or what forces stood behind him. In his eyes, the man had only one identity: a dead man.
He reached out, pressing down on the air above Zhao Hongda’s head, forcing him to the ground.
*Thud! Thud! Thud...*
Zhao Hongda’s head cracked and bled instantly, his vision swimming with stars. This wasn't a kowtow; it was slamming his head into the floor. A few more times, and his brains would be splattered everywhere.
"I was wrong, please, stop! Nephew Ye Chen, for the sake of our old ties, please spare my life!" Zhao Hongda felt as though half his life had been taken; his eyes were filled only with terror. To survive, he had to swallow his pride and beg.
"You are unworthy of speaking of human affection! Old wretch, go repent in front of the King of Hell!"
Ye Chen raised his hand and made a grabbing motion in the air. An invisible hand, like an iron pincer, clamped around Zhao Hongda’s throat, lifting him into the air without the slightest effort.
"Ah... please... stop..." Zhao Hongda flailed his limbs wildly, but he could not break free. Unable to breathe, his face turned purple, and his eyes rolled back. The suffocating feeling of death plunged him into despair.
"Begging?" Ye Chen said, his fingers tightening slightly. *Crack. Crack.* Zhao Hongda’s throat was slowly being crushed. "When my parents and kin died at your hands three years ago, you should have expected this day to come!"
"Wait... listen to me..." Zhao Hongda gasped, using his last ounce of strength. "There... there were hidden circumstances regarding that year... I was also... instructed by someone..."
"Instructed by whom? Speak!" A cold light flashed in Ye Chen’s eyes. He had long suspected someone was behind the Zhao family. Otherwise, how would they have dared to commit such monstrous crimes?
"I absolutely cannot say the identity of that person... Spare my life, and I will live! If I die, that person will never let you go!" Zhao Hongda shook his head repeatedly. At the mention of "that person," new terror flickered in his eyes.
"Last chance! Are you going to speak or not!" Ye Chen’s eyes burned with fury as he tightened his grip further.
"I really can't say! To provoke that person..." Zhao Hongda still didn't dare. Even under the threat of death, he refused to reveal the master’s identity.
Ye Chen grew tired of the nonsense. He exerted sudden force. *Crack!* He shattered Zhao Hongda’s neck directly.
Blood splattered three feet high!
If he wouldn't speak, fine. He would investigate it himself. The head of the Zhao family, who had dominated Jiangbei City for three years, perished under the gaze of the guests.
Ye Chen waved his hand, tossing Zhao Hongda’s body into the casket prepared for him. He then threw the bodies of Zhao Tingting and the elder Mrs. Zhao into the same casket, ensuring the family of three was kept tidy and together.
The arrogant Zhao family of Jiangbei was destroyed!
The guests watched this scene in terrified silence, not daring to draw a full breath. They secretly rejoiced that they hadn't offended the Ye family. Otherwise, the ones lying in the casket today would be them.
"The Zhao family took everything belonging to the Ye family; I will take it all back, down to the last cent!" Ye Chen scanned the hall and said coldly. "From this moment on, all assets of the Zhao family belong to the Ye family. Does anyone have an objection?"
The thousands of people present remained silent; none dared to object.
"Wonderful! Young Master Ye Chen did a beautiful job!" someone in the crowd cheered. Encouraged by this, the entire hall erupted in thunderous applause. No one cared about the fate of the Zhao family; they only cheered for its downfall. Jiangbei had suffered under the Zhao family for too long. When all the people of Jiangbei learned of the Zhao family's destruction, they would surely clap and cheer.
"Alright, enjoy the feast; I won't disturb you." Ye Chen turned and left.
He left the guests to eat the funeral feast. What had started as a wedding banquet had turned into a feast for the dead. Eating the Zhao family's food was bad luck, so the guests quickly dispersed, not wanting to stay in a place full of corpses.
***
Just then, outside the hall, the sound of festive drums and gongs suddenly rang out. A luxurious motorcade pulled up to the hotel entrance, and a group of musicians played wedding music.
Inside a luxury car worth tens of millions, the young master of the Sun family, Sun Sheng, dressed in a white suit, made a high-profile appearance.
"Make the music louder! Get the atmosphere going!" Sun Sheng smiled brilliantly. Dressed to the nines, he had come to claim his bride. It was his big day, and he had pulled out all the stops; the motorcade alone stretched for over ten kilometers from the hotel, paralyzing traffic in half of Jiangbei City! Sun Sheng wanted the people of Jiangbei to witness the prestige of the Sun family of Jiangnan!
Unfortunately, he didn't know that his bride’s family was already stone-cold dead.
Surrounded by his entourage, Sun Sheng strode toward the hotel with a smile. When he reached the door and saw a familiar face, he stopped dead in his tracks.
"Ye Chen?!" Sun Sheng asked, his face full of shock. "How... how are you alive and here?"
"Naturally, I’ve come to collect your dog’s life!" Ye Chen sneered.
***
"Hahaha, you? I didn't expect you to still be clinging to life!" Once Sun Sheng confirmed the man before him was alive, his expression turned icy. He was surprised that Ye Chen, who had been stripped of his skin and bone, could still be alive. But so what? He could crush him with a wave of his hand.
"There are many things you don't expect," Ye Chen said, a cold light flickering in his eyes. "For example, you will die here today!"
"Hahaha!" Sun Sheng laughed loudly, his eyes filled with infinite contempt. "You surnamed Ye, clinging to a cheap life, and yet your tone has grown so bold! Kill me? Where do you get the confidence?"
As he finished speaking, twenty of the Sun family’s guards stepped forward to surround Ye Chen. Most of these lacked the strength of the Grandmaster Realm.
"Killing you requires no effort at all!" Ye Chen smiled dismissively, not looking at the crowd at all. They were just more people offering themselves up for death.
"Arrogant! Today is my big day, I won't bother with you for now! Capture this brat alive, and I’ll deal with him later!" Sun Sheng commanded calmly, then strode toward the hotel lobby, smiling as he prepared to meet his beautiful bride.
The Sun family guards surrounded Ye Chen, and those with Grandmaster strength attacked first.
"My dear Tingting, I’ve come to marry you!" Sun Sheng stepped into the hotel lobby, calling out cheerfully.
However, the atmosphere inside the hall was bizarre. The guests were gathered at the door, trying to leave. Seeing the young master of the Sun family, they quickly parted to make way, saying nothing for fear of trouble.
"What is this?" Sun Sheng looked straight ahead and frowned. The triumphant smile on his face froze. He did not see his beautiful bride. Instead, he saw corpses strewn about and a conspicuous coffin in the center!
"What is going on here?! Tingting! Tingting!" Sun Sheng flew forward to find his fiancée. There, in the center coffin, he saw the family of three lying neatly together. "No! This is impossible!"
Seeing the disfigured and dead Zhao Tingting, Sun Sheng was overcome with grief and rage. He pulled her up, trying to revive her, but the body was already cold.
"Who! Who did this!" Sun Sheng’s eyes spewed fire as he scanned the guests. None of them answered; they simply looked toward the door.
"Ye Chen! It was you! I’m going to butcher you!" Sun Sheng immediately understood it was Ye Chen’s doing. *But how could that brat handle the Zhao family’s experts?*
Sun Sheng rushed to the door, intending to order his guards to kill Ye Chen on the spot. But he stopped. Ye Chen stood there, hands behind his back. Around him was a ring of corpses, the ground stained red with blood. They were all Sun family guards!
Sun Sheng was dumbfounded. Twenty-plus guards, including several Grandmaster experts, wiped out in an instant without even making a sound! He couldn't imagine just how terrifying Ye Chen’s strength had become.
The Sun family’s wedding procession witnessed the scene, everyone terrified and frozen in place. They felt the man before them was not human, but a god of death.
"Seen the woman’s fate?" Ye Chen said indifferently, stepping forward. "Don't worry, I’ll send you down to find her shortly. Since the time difference is minimal, you’ll have a chance to be reincarnated together!"
"You surnamed Ye, do you think I’m afraid of you!" Sun Sheng’s fury reached its peak, and the aura on his body changed abruptly. *Martial King Realm!*
The watching guests were slightly shocked. They hadn't expected the young master of the Sun family to have broken through to the Martial King Realm at such a young age! A supreme powerhouse of the Martial King Realm could walk anywhere in Jiangnan or Jiangbei.
But Ye Chen had casually slaughtered Grandmasters; his strength must also be above the Martial King Realm. Who would prevail?
"Heh, use whatever skills you have. Otherwise, you won't have another chance," Ye Chen said with disdain.
"You surnamed Ye, at death’s door and still spouting nonsense! Actually, I should thank you; it was thanks to your spine that I broke through to the Martial King Realm so quickly! Did you use a dog’s spine to survive? Hahaha!" Sun Sheng burst into arrogant laughter. His power was all due to the theft of Ye Chen’s spine.
"It was a waste to use my spine on you. Die, you don't deserve to live!" Ye Chen’s gaze darkened. He vanished and reappeared before Sun Sheng, his fingers turning into blades and striking at the man’s heart.
Sun Sheng was shocked—how could the brat be this fast? This speed clearly exceeded the Martial King Realm! He tried to parry in a panic, but it was too late. Ye Chen’s hand had pierced Sun Sheng’s chest, pulling out his heart. The fresh heart beat violently in Ye Chen’s palm.
"Pfft! My... my heart!" Sun Sheng spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed. He had been defenseless as his heart was ripped out. Seeing his own heart in someone else’s hand, his face twisted in horror!
"Your heart really is black!" Ye Chen laughed, tossing the beating heart into the air like a toy.
"My heart! Give it back!" Sun Sheng’s face turned deathly pale, his curled-up body shivering violently. Blood gushed from his chest, staining his expensive white suit red. He could see the King of Hell beckoning.
"Tell me! Who was behind the scenes, directing your Sun family and the Zhao family!" Ye Chen demanded.
"I can only tell you, that is someone you cannot afford to provoke! Give me my heart back, or if I die, you won't live!" Sun Sheng continued to threaten, his eyes full of fear.
"If you don't want to speak, fine. Feed this black heart to the dogs." Ye Chen saw a large yellow dog on the side of the road. He casually tossed the beating heart. The dog leaped up and caught it in its mouth, beginning to feast right there.
"My heart... my heart..." Sun Sheng’s face twisted in agony. Like a broken-backed dog, he crawled toward the side of the road with his last ounce of strength.
***
The yellow dog devoured Sun Sheng’s heart in two or three bites. It was clean—not a scrap left. To the dog, it was just a piece of chewy meat.
"My heart..." Sun Sheng watched helplessly as his heart disappeared, filled with absolute despair. His shivering grew worse; the gates of death swung open.
"Giving up already? It seems your life isn't as tough as you thought," Ye Chen mocked. Seeing Sun Sheng reduced to something worse than a dog, the hatred from three years ago was finally avenged.
"Help... someone, help me..." Sun Sheng begged desperately, his voice fading. None of the Sun family’s attendants dared to move.
"Please, spare me! Whatever money you want, the Sun family can give you..." Sun Sheng pleaded.
Ye Chen remained indifferent, not bothering to speak, simply watching. This was the fate a sinner deserved!
A minute passed. Sun Sheng’s body stopped twitching; he was dead.
"Listen, people of the Sun family! Go back and tell your master: wash your necks and wait!" Ye Chen looked coldly at the attendants, sending a shiver of terror through them. He intended for the Sun family to share the same fate as the Zhao family.
Ye Chen strode away. The attendants finally rushed forward to take Sun Sheng to the hospital, but he was already stone-cold dead. The Sun family’s wedding procession had become a funeral one.
Twenty minutes later, the Zhao family’s magnificent mansion was engulfed in flames. Ye Chen burned the entire place to the ground.