The Chen Family knew that He Wenqian would try to help, so to prevent her from taking any action, they placed her under house arrest at the Chen Family estate and confiscated her phone and all other means of communication.
Unable to contact even Ye Zangsheng, she could only weep and offer silent prayers.
Two days later, Ye Lingtian opened his eyes.
"Time is almost up!"
Stepping out from behind the Chen Family villa, he ran straight into Chen Xiaoran and her group.
"Well, well, Ye Lingtian, you really are something! Hiding away in the gardens behind my house!"
Chen Xiaoran was utterly shocked.
She had assumed Ye Lingtian had a bit of backbone and had left long ago.
She never expected him to be hiding right near her home!
This clearly showed he hadn't given up yet!
He still wanted to move back into her house!
Especially after provoking the bandit leader!
If he wanted to stay alive, he had to beg her mother for help!
"Look at him, just like a stray dog wandering the streets!"
"Yeah, exactly..."
Chen Shihao and the others chimed in with a barrage of mockery.
"Ye Lingtian, don't make me look down on you! Don't drag the Chen Family down with you! Have some backbone!"
Chen Xiaoran demanded, shaking with fury.
"Time is running out! Don't let the bandit leader get the wrong idea and think he has anything to do with us!"
"Get lost, Ye Lingtian!"
Chen Shihao and the others shouted.
Biting her red lips, Chen Xiaoran snapped, "If you knew this would happen, why go out of your way to provoke them? Think you're almighty, do you?"
"If you're a man, handle your own problems! Don't drag other people down!"
Ye Lingtian nodded. "Fine, I'll handle my own matters! Tell Godmother not to worry!"
With that, Ye Lingtian walked away.
Chen Xiaoran and the others hurriedly rushed back to the Chen Family estate.
After all, Jiangcheng was far too dangerous tonight!
Over at the Loyalty Manor, people were everywhere!
In the main hall, Lei Liehu sat prominently in the seat of honor.
He was bursting with excitement!
He truly hadn't expected that in just two days, over seventeen thousand people would gather at Loyalty Hall.
And every single one of them was a fierce and battle-hardened veteran!
They were worlds apart from ordinary street punks!
Most importantly, they had the Grandmaster Zhao Feiying holding down the fort!
He was going to be the undisputed king of Jiangcheng's underworld!
"Tonight, I will make the entire Jiangcheng see just how terrifying I am! And how miserable the price is for crossing me!"
"My Loyalty Hall still stands! The bandit leader still lives!"
Lei Liehu roared.
"Kill, kill, kill!"
Across the manor, over ten thousand experts roared like thunder, shaking the earth!
"What about that brat? He didn't run off, did he?"
Lei Liehu asked.
Grandmaster Zhao Feiying replied, "No, our men are watching him! He hid behind the Chen Family villa for two days, and now he's heading right here."
Lei Liehu looked genuinely surprised. "He actually dares to come? I thought we'd have to send men to drag him back."
"Indeed, the Ye Clan members still have some spine!"
"I can't wait to use him to make an example!"
By now, Chen Guiyuan and all the major factions in Jiangcheng were well aware of how many men the bandit leader had gathered.
They were terrified out of their wits.
"Ye Lingtian, oh Ye Lingtian, why on earth did you have to go provoke the bandit leader?"
"You almost dragged the Chen Family down with you!"
On this night, everyone knew what was about to happen.
Every household hurried home early, locking doors and windows tight, refusing to step outside no matter what.
As a result, bustling Jiangcheng was left with completely empty streets.
The usual heavy traffic had vanished entirely, making the metropolis resemble a ghost town.
Meanwhile, Ye Lingtian walked down the avenue, heading straight toward Loyalty Manor.
A figure emerged from the side—it was the Black Emperor.
He walked beside Ye Lingtian in absolute silence.
Next, figures began popping up all around the streets, emerging from every alleyway, every street corner, and every towering building.
Each of them radiated an overwhelming aura!
They fell into line directly behind Ye Lingtian, keeping in strict unison.
Wherever Ye Lingtian passed, more figures emerged.
They waited in tacit understanding, hiding in every alley, at every intersection, and inside every structure.
The moment Ye Lingtian arrived, they stepped out and followed right behind him!
Literally everywhere in Jiangcheng, people were pouring out!
The crowd trailing behind Ye Lingtian grew larger and larger!
Dense and packed, stretching as far as the eye could see!
And it wasn't just here.
The exact same scene was playing out across the other districts of Jiangcheng.
Figures materialized out of thin air like ghosts, all converging in a single direction.
No one knew where they came from, nor when they had hidden themselves in every corner of Jiangcheng.
Citizens watching the endless processions winding through the streets were frozen in mute terror!
Even the four Guardian Gods of War, still stationed in Jiangcheng, were thoroughly shaken!
Why were there so many people?
They didn't remember letting this many in!
And yet, after arriving in Jiangcheng, these people had completely vanished!
Even the Gods of War couldn't track them!
So why were they all bursting out into the open now?
It felt like people were everywhere in Jiangcheng!
"Rough estimate! There are already forty to fifty thousand people in the East District alone!"
"The West District is about the same!"
"The South and North districts as well!"
"And the most critical, most terrifying part—every single one of them seems to be a Martial Grandmaster!"
"Boom!"
The four Guardian Gods of War broke out in a cold sweat simultaneously!
All of them Martial Grandmasters?
The heavens were about to collapse over Jiangcheng—no, over the entire Dragon Country!
The crowd following behind Ye Lingtian grew ever larger!
From all directions, people poured in like an overwhelming flood of ferocious beasts!
Gathered in such numbers, they blotted out the sun like a plague of locusts!
Every single one of them was dressed in pitch-black attire, blending seamlessly into the night!
Yet right at the very front, Ye Lingtian stood out brilliantly in his pristine white robes!
Soon, leading his mighty army across downtown Jiangcheng, Ye Lingtian reached the sprawling open terrain of the suburbs.
Only then did the formation truly spread out!
Its length and width stretched beyond the horizon, impossible to measure!
No one knew how much land they occupied!
They marched toward Loyalty Manor with an unstoppable, crushing momentum!
"Master! The Dark Son of Heaven's decree has summoned eighteen thousand grandmasters from across the realm! All present and accounted for!"
The Black Emperor finally spoke.
With a single issuance of the Dark Son of Heaven's decree, every single grandmaster and powerhouse belonging to Paradise Island's major factions worldwide had been summoned!
They had genuinely mobilized every grandmaster under the sun!
Right now, all eighteen thousand people following Ye Lingtian were Martial Grandmasters!
This was the power that terrified the entire Dragon Country!
A single grandmaster could already stir up roaring waves and overturn kingdoms in their domain!
Yet here, there were a full eighteen thousand grandmasters!
This was the power of Ye Lingtian. Who in this world would dare to stand in his way?
"Rumble..."
"Rumble..."
"Rumble..."
Without a word, Ye Lingtian continued forward.
The eighteen thousand grandmasters marched in perfect synchronization behind him.
Their footsteps actually triggered earth-shaking tremors.
"What's happening?"
"What is going on?"
The entire Loyalty Manor began to shake violently, plunging into instant chaos.
"I command eighteen thousand grandmasters! Lei Liehu, do you dare face this?"
A voice like a bolt of lightning crashed across the skies above Loyalty Manor...
***
Chapter 16: The Proudest Moment of a Lifetime!
Chapter 16: The Proudest Moment of a Lifetime!
Ye Lingtian's voice, resonant like a great bronze bell, carried into every single corner!
Boundless!
Crystal clear!
"Grandmasters?"
"Eighteen thousand of them?"
Already panic-stricken, Lei Liehu heard the crystal-clear voice and felt his legs turn to jelly, collapsing straight to the ground.
Even Grandmaster Zhao Feiying felt his scalp go numb and his mind threaten to explode.
What had he just heard?
Eighteen thousand grandmasters!
Could that possibly be true?
Everyone else was shaking so hard their legs went weak, dripping with cold sweat!
They all understood what eighteen thousand meant.
They all understood what a grandmaster meant.
What on earth was happening outside?
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
...
The eighteen thousand grandmasters took one uniform step forward.
In an instant—
The mountains crumbled, the earth split!
The sun and moon lost their luster!
Heaven and earth drained of color!
"Crack!"
"Crack!"
"Crack!"
"Rumble..."
Amidst this monstrous pressure, the perimeter walls and gates of Loyalty Manor shattered instantly, collapsing into dust.
As the billowing dust and smoke cleared, the outside of Loyalty Manor was finally revealed!
Lei Liehu and his subordinates stared out in absolute, bone-chilling terror.
The surroundings were packed tight with people, layer upon layer, sealing Loyalty Manor in an impenetrable human iron ring!
This, this, this...
Even the bandit leader had never witnessed a spectacle like this in all his life!
"Thud!"
"Thud!"
...
Many people passed out cold on the spot from sheer fright.
Hardly anyone left standing was able to stay upright.
Grandmaster Zhao Feiying, who was slightly more composed, began to observe the scene.
It really looked like there were eighteen thousand people out there!
And the most despairing part was that every single one of them appeared to be a grandmaster!
He could sense the surging vitality and terrifying pressure; every single person before his eyes possessed it!
Eighteen thousand grandmasters!
The heavens had fallen!
The heavens of the Dragon Country had collapsed!
On the side of the bandits, he was the only grandmaster!
Yet the enemy possessed a full eighteen thousand grandmasters!
It was unimaginable!
This was the most shocking event of his entire life!
"Boss! Grandmasters! They're all grandmasters! Eighteen thousand grandmasters, it's real! A full eighteen thousand grandmasters! Pfft!"
Zhao Feiying shrieked hysterically.
He had completely lost control, his liver and gallbladder bursting, blood pouring from his seven orifices.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
Bloody holes violently erupted all over his body!
Zhao Feiying, the grandmaster who had terrorized and dominated Jiangcheng, was scared to death—literally frightened out of his life!
Terror plastered across his face, Lei Liehu finally fixed his gaze on the figure in white, Ye Lingtian.
Even in his wildest dreams, he never imagined that the boasts of the Ye Family's illegitimate son were entirely true!
Nor did he expect him to command eighteen thousand grandmasters!
His brain capacity could no longer comprehend such a concept!
Yet, with this heaven-shaking power, what did the Ye Clan have to fear?
In fact, the entire Dragon Country could be trampled beneath his feet!
Ye Family, did you ever imagine this?
An illegitimate son possessed such heaven-defying might!
Ye Lingtian gave a slight wave of his hand.
"Lei Liehu, do you dare accept this?"
The eighteen thousand grandmasters took yet another uniform step forward, wave after wave of sound crashing outward.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
...
The mere sound waves and pressure from the grandmasters caused Lei Liehu's underlings to explode into mists of blood one after another!
Blood showered down like a torrential storm!
Lei Liehu could no longer hold himself together. He dropped to his knees before Ye Lingtian, his crotch soaked through time and time again.
"Ye... no, Master! Spare this dog's life, I beg you!"
"I was only taking orders from others! Someone in Longdu ordered this! Bang, bang, bang..."
Lei Liehu slammed his head against the ground frantically, his forehead streaming with blood, begging only for Ye Lingtian to spare his life!
Looking down at him, Ye Lingtian said indifferently, "Lei Liehu, I mobilized all the grandmasters under the heavens, and I use my very first strike on you! This is the proudest moment of your life!"
"Kill!!!"
At Ye Lingtian's command, the eighteen thousand grandmasters launched their assault as one.
Immediately after, heart-wrenching screams and the sounds of slaughter filled the air.
With eighteen thousand grandmasters striking at once, it was a force of utter destruction—gods would be slain, and buddhas crushed!
With these eighteen thousand grandmasters here, dare any god or buddha in the heavens descend to the mortal realm?
***
Chapter 17: The Heavens of the Dragon Country Have Been Pierced Through!
Chapter 17: The Heavens of the Dragon Country Have Been Pierced Through!
In a mere half-minute, Lei Liehu and the entire Loyalty Hall were completely wiped out down to the last man!
By this time, news that the Dark Son of Heaven's decree had mobilized eighteen thousand grandmasters to gather in Jiangcheng had already reached the ears of the top powerbrokers across the Dragon Country!
The two Ministries, the three Offices, the four War Zones, the five Palaces, the eight Departments, and the nine security agencies were all thrown into utter chaos!
The banner of the Dragon Soul Army was raised, entering a state of combat readiness;
The banner of the Huben Army was raised, entering full combat gear;
The banner of the Fang Army was raised, entering full combat gear;
The banner of the Dark Eagle Army was raised, entering full combat gear;
...
The news even reached the Dragon Protection Pavilion in Longdu, which represented the supreme authority and scepter of the Dragon Country!
They had gone mad!
Every faction went wild!
All eyes converged on Jiangcheng!
Tonight, the very heavens of the Dragon Country might have been pierced right through!
Inside the Dragon Protection Pavilion:
"Heavens! Eighteen thousand grandmasters? Is this the ultimate power of Paradise Island?"
"Mobilizing every grandmaster in the world just to kill one man—this is a blatant demonstration of force against our Dragon Country!"
"If we try to stop them, those eighteen thousand grandmasters will likely march their armies north! Who could possibly stop them then?"
...
Silence.
Every faction inside the Dragon Protection Pavilion lowered their heads in speechless dismay.
What did eighteen thousand grandmasters and Paradise Island truly signify?
Many high-ranking nobles didn't know, but the Dragon Protection Pavilion knew better than anyone.
In this world, no force could possibly contend with them!
Not even an alliance of all powers could do it!
"The four Guardian Gods of War warned us earlier, but none of the factions would listen—they even obstructed them every step of the way! We've angered this man! He is showing us his absolute resolve, letting us know that he cannot be provoked, and certainly must not be hindered!"
...
Another prolonged silence.
Right now, every single word they spoke could dictate the future trajectory of the Dragon Country.
A single wrong sentence could plunge the nation into catastrophe.
Everyone weighed their words with extreme caution!
It had reached the point where no one dared to utter a single syllable!
Long after,
From the supreme seat of authority inside the Dragon Protection Pavilion, a voice rang out—
"Hear my command! From this day forth, no one within the Dragon Country is to obstruct this man by even a fraction! Let him do whatever he pleases!"
Jiangcheng, Loyalty Manor.
Corpses piled high as mountains, rivers of blood flowing freely.
The eighteen thousand grandmasters had not dispersed; instead, they stood in neat formations, facing uniformly toward the north.
With a cold expression, Ye Lingtian waited for the Dragon Country's official stance.
At his single command, these eighteen thousand grandmasters would march their armies straight north!
A short while later, four figures appeared—none other than the Kunlun God of War and his companions.
"Ye... Lord Ye, from this day onward, no one in the Dragon Country will ever dare to obstruct you again!"
"As for this..."
Nervously eyeing the eighteen thousand grandmasters behind him, the Kunlun God of War gestured for Ye Lingtian to disperse them.
Producing the Dark Son of Heaven's decree, Ye Lingtian proclaimed loudly, "Retreat!"
In the blink of an eye, the eighteen thousand grandmasters branched out in all directions, dispersing like scattered pollen.
Within a single heartbeat, they vanished completely without a trace.
The four Gods of War were once again dumbfounded. Eighteen thousand people vanished just like that?
Unbelievable!
No wonder the Dragon Protection Pavilion was terrified!
If those eighteen thousand grandmasters had silently materialized inside Longdu, the consequences would have been unimaginable...
"Deal with this place yourselves!"
Leaving those words behind, Ye Lingtian departed.
The four Gods of War exchanged bewildered glances. They were expected to act as laborers to clean up the mess?
Yet what choice did they have?
Facing this man, did any of them dare utter a single word of dissent?
On this night, the Dragon Country had almost been trampled beneath his feet.
All the powerful factions of the nation finally submitted.
The turbulent, storm-tossed night at last settled into peace.
The Chen Family estate.
"It should be over by now, right?"
Someone asked.
"How long could it possibly take to wipe out a single Ye Lingtian?"
Chen Shihao said dismissively.
Everyone else breathed a collective sigh of relief.
At least the flames of war hadn't spread to the Chen Family doorstep.
"Ye Lingtian must be dead by now, right?"
"Who ever offends the bandit leader and lives?"
No sooner had Chen Guofeng finished speaking than a voice rang out—
"Who said I was dead?"
***
Chapter 18: The Whole World Dances to Your Tune!
Chapter 18: The Whole World Dances to Your Tune!
"Ye Lingtian???"
"How are you still alive?"
Every member of the Chen Family felt their eyes nearly pop out of their sockets.
If they hadn't stayed awake the entire night, they would have suspected they were dreaming.
"You're not dead yet, how could I dare die first?"
Ye Lingtian looked at Chen Guofeng as he spoke.
Everyone felt like they were losing their minds.
How was this possible?
How could Ye Lingtian possibly survive the bandit leader's clutches?
The bandit leader had gathered over seventeen thousand men, backed by a grandmaster!
Yet, disbelief mattered little when the reality was right before them.
Ye Lingtian was standing right in front of their eyes.
"Where is my godmother?"
Upon returning, Ye Lingtian only wanted to reassure his godmother that he was safe.
She must have been worried to death.
Sensing where He Wenqian was, Ye Lingtian headed straight for her room.
"Guiyuan, hurry up and check what's going on!"
Chen Guofeng immediately urged.
Shortly after, Ye Lingtian emerged with He Wenqian.
Just as she was about to ask Ye Lingtian how he had managed to escape the jaws of death, Chen Guiyuan's voice rang out: "I've checked! Someone went to Loyalty Manor and saw the four Guardian Gods of War personally handling the aftermath! Lei Liehu and his Loyalty Hall have been completely eradicated!"
Chen Xiaoran looked at Ye Lingtian. "He got that lucky?"
Slapping his thigh, Chen Guofeng laughed heartily. "I understand now! Lei Liehu caused such a massive uproar, and the four Guardian Gods of War were right there in Jiangcheng! How could they tolerate such lawless rampage?"
He Wenqian also breathed a sigh of relief.
So it was the four Gods of War who had stepped in.
Now there was nothing left to worry about!
Of everyone present, He Wenqian was the only one genuinely concerned for Ye Lingtian's safety. Seeing him safe now, her relief was quickly overtaken by lingering terror.
Pulling Ye Lingtian close, she scolded gently, "Now you know how terrifying Lei Liehu is, don't you? Next time, don't ever make your godmother worry like this again. Come, let's go home! From now on, no matter what happens, I will never let anyone chase you out again!"
Chen Xiaoran, however, was dumbfounded.
After going through so much trouble to kick Ye Lingtian out, he was back again?
And the worst part was that Ye Lingtian had accepted it in silence, silently taking it for granted!
No backbone!
A spineless coward!
Like a sea cucumber—looking all prickly on the outside, but utterly mushy on the inside!
And his returning straight to the Chen Family estate clearly meant he still intended to keep living there!
He had latched onto her family like a parasite!
Chen Xiaoran gritted her teeth in pure fury!
"Mom!"
Though Chen Xiaoran and the others voiced fierce objections, He Wenqian simply refused to listen.
And just like that, Ye Lingtian moved back in.
Originally, he had even considered buying the Chen Family villa outright to continue utilizing its ley lines to suppress his Innate Fire Poison.
"Ye Lingtian, you really have incredible luck! Not only do you have a godmother like this, but you even managed to escape alive from the bandit leader!"
Chen Xiaoran said, her face written with dissatisfaction.
With absolute seriousness, Ye Lingtian replied, "This wasn't about luck. I mobilized eighteen thousand grandmasters specifically to use Lei Liehu to make my very first strike!"
Chen Xiaoran rolled her eyes helplessly. "Can your bragging at least be somewhat reasonable and logical?"
"Those are grandmasters! Not head of cabbages! How can you just casually say 'eighteen thousand grandmasters'? Jiangcheng has a population of tens of millions, and as far as I know, the number of grandmasters here doesn't even exceed one hand! The entire Dragon Country probably doesn't have that many combined!"
"Isn't eighteen thousand grandmasters a bit too absurd? If you actually had eighteen thousand grandmasters, the Dragon Country—no, the entire world—would have to dance to your tune!"