Chapter 5

Before Ye Chen could speak, another extremely majestic voice rang out. The crowd looked in the direction of the voice and saw a sturdy, middle-aged man in military uniform with three stars on his shoulders, walking step by step up to Ye Chen. Then, he saluted and said, "Hello, Mr. Ye! I am General Lei Chong of the Northern Territory. Coming to Jinling this time, I am acting on the orders of the Grand Marshal of the Yandu War Department to assist you in your operation!"

The Yandu War Department? The Grand Marshal? Hearing these seven words, Lin Yuanhong's head went blank with a loud roar! Yandu... That was the capital of Daxia Country! An order issued by the Yandu War Department was a military command of the highest order, which every official in Jinling had to obey! "This... How can this be possible?!" Lin Yuanhong's face drained of all color. Before he even had time to voice his doubt, he saw the high-ranking generals of the Jinling Ministry of Defense, War Department, and police station already kneeling before Ye Chen! They had followed Lei Chong inside. At this moment, Lei Chong handed the secret military order from the Grand Marshal with both hands to Chen Junlin. Chen Junlin nodded, unsealed the secret letter, and read aloud: "Today, Northern Territory General Lei Chong is specifically ordered to personally lead three thousand elites to rush to Jinling immediately and assist Mr. Ye!" "Furthermore, notice is hereby given to the local Ministry of Defense, War Department, and police station... None of you are only forbidden to obstruct Mr. Ye in his affairs! You must also give your full support to any decision made by Mr. Ye!!" "Anyone who disobeys this order shall be executed without mercy!"

This was a military order issued by the Grand Marshal of the Yandu War Department! As of today, there were only four marshals in the entire Daxia Country. Though he didn't know which Grand Marshal had issued this military order... none of that mattered. What mattered was that at this very moment, they knew the backing behind Ye Chen!! ——— The Yandu War Department!!!

After kneeling, the crowd immediately shouted in unison: "Your subordinates humbly obey the military command and will definitely assist Mr. Ye in accomplishing whatever needs to be done. Please rest assured, Grand Marshal!" With that, their gazes shifted in unison to Ye Chen. And to those world-renowned disciples standing behind Ye Chen...

*Gasp! Just what background does this young man have?* *The Grand Marshal of the Yandu War Department... Daxia Country Five-Star God of War Chen Junlin... Northern Territory General Lei Chong... Tengli Group's Ma Huayun...* *Every single one of these internationally renowned big figures is standing behind this young man, bowing in submission!* *Such a massive display—not even the president of some foreign nation would be qualified to enjoy this!!*

"This young man... Who on earth is he?!" Kneeling on the ground, their hearts churned anxiously as they continuously guessed Ye Chen's identity. Yet, no one dared to ask out loud!

"The Grand Marshal is too kind." On the contrary, after listening to Chen Junlin's reading, Ye Chen merely nodded slightly. His attitude was as if he were thanking a friend of many years!! His tone was neither humble nor overbearing, as though his status was by no means inferior to that of the Grand Marshal himself!!

"Gasp!" Witnessing this, the crowd gasped yet again. "Damn it, just what is this young man's identity?!"

While the crowd was busy making their various guesses, Ye Chen had already walked step by step up to Lin Yuanhong.

"Mr. Ye, why don't you let us handle it!" At that moment, Lei Chong drew his pistol with an expression of intense rage and aimed it at Lin Yuanhong's head. Lei Chong had also seen those photographs transmitted to the Yandu War Department... These beasts had actually extracted blood and dug out the heart of a four-year-old little girl! It was simply unforgivable!

The other officials of Jinling City also stood up with righteous indignation, speaking angrily: "Mr. Ye, it was our oversight that allowed your daughter to suffer such torment... We never expected that in broad daylight, there would still be people capable of such bestial acts!" "That's right, Mr. Ye, let me finish him off for you!" "We are willing to personally deal with these filthy scum for you!" "Please give the order, Mr. Ye!"

Having said this, the crowd dropped to their knees before Ye Chen once more, quietly waiting for his reply. As for Lin Yuanhong, he was utterly in despair by now. Regarding the events unfolding before him, Lin Yuanhong no longer asked questions; he only hoped that Ye Chen would grant him a swift end!

"No need." Faced with the crowd's request, Ye Chen simply said indifferently, "Some blood debts must be avenged by oneself." With that, Ye Chen took the dagger and walked step by step toward Lin Wanwan, saying: "Lin Yuanhong, what does it feel like for a father to watch with his own eyes as his daughter's chest is cut open? You certainly wouldn't know...!" "But I know!" "It was your daughter and son-in-law who cut open my daughter's chest!!" "Now, you too shall taste this despair!!"

As he spoke, Ye Chen's hand pressed down onto Lin Wanwan's shoulder. Lin Wanwan felt a sharp pain in her shoulder, as if it had been clamped by a pair of heavy iron pliers; no matter how hard she struggled, she could not break free.

"Please let me go! I really didn't know that little girl had such backing..." "If I had known she was your daughter, even if you gave me a hundred guts, I wouldn't have dared to touch her!" "Besides, my son is dead, and my husband is dead... Please, please spare me!!" Trembling all over with fear, Lin Wanwan's face was already covered in tears, and her entire body shook uncontrollably like someone shaking with malaria: "Spare my life, spare me... As long as you don't kill me, I'll do whatever you want!"

"Of course not!" Ye Chen spat out those four words coldly. Even now, this woman still did not understand what she had done wrong. What did she mean by *"I really didn't know that little girl has such backing..."*??? What did she mean by *"If I had known she was your daughter, even if you gave me a hundred guts, I wouldn't have dared to touch her"*??? If Xiao Ningning had been powerless and without influence?! If Xiao Ningning had not been Ye Chen's daughter?! Would she then have been free to bully her at will and casually rip out another person's daughter's heart??

Hearing these words, Ye Chen's stomach began to churn. This woman made him feel sick to his stomach!

"Spare me! Spare my life! I'll do anything for you... I can even be your dog!" Lin Wanwan cried in a complete breakdown. "I really don't want to die!"

Nearby, watching Lin Wanwan beg for her life with such utter humiliation, Lin Yuanhong felt as though his heart were shattering. This was his daughter, the apple of his eye. Instantly, Lin Yuanhong roared: "Daughter, don't be afraid... You damned bastard, if you have the guts, kill me! What kind of ability is it to bully a woman?!"

*Slap!*

The moment those words left his mouth, Nie Wuji delivered a backhanded slap. "Impudent! How dare you curse my master!" Had he not considered that Ye Chen wanted to exact vengeance with his own hands, that single slap from Nie Wuji would have claimed Lin Yuanhong's old life right then and there! Even so, the force of this blow was more than Lin Yuanhong could endure; Nie Wuji's strike instantly knocked Lin Yuanhong's jaw completely askew!

"Wu... wuu, you... no... wuu!!" In an instant, Lin Yuanhong could no longer curse; his mouth could only emit muffled "wuu" sounds and a few indistinct words.

"Dad, save me... I, I don't want to die!" Lin Wanwan broke down completely as well. She watched with her own eyes as the dagger in Ye Chen's hand slowly drew close to her chest, and saw her once formidable father lose his jaw to a single slap! Instantly... struck with terror and panic, Lin Wanwan's body began to convulse violently. Then, a mouthful of greenish bile spewed from her mouth... She had literally been scared to death.

"Wuu wuu wuu, wuu, you wuu... won't die a good death... wuu!!" Watching Lin Wanwan collapse, Lin Yuanhong suffered a complete mental collapse. He let out a series of crying wails from his crooked mouth, and then charged desperately toward Ye Chen.

*Slash!!*

The moment Lin Yuanhong lunged forward, Ye Chen raised his hand slightly. The dagger in his hand pierced precisely into the charging Lin Yuanhong's chest...

"You, you you you...!!" Looking down at the blade embedded in his chest, Lin Yuanhong's face instantly froze in shock, his pupils dilating. Yet Ye Chen asked with a freezing expression: "Now, can you understand how I felt back then!?"

This single strike pierced straight into Lin Yuanhong's heart on the left side of his chest, killing him instantly!

Watching with their own eyes as Lin Yuanhong collapsed, everyone trembled all over... They were terrified by Ye Chen's cold-blooded and ruthless methods. Yet, they felt no pity whatsoever for the four of them—neither the Gu father and son, nor the Lin father and daughter. They had brought this upon themselves!

"Master, what should be done with these people?" Following Lin Yuanhong's fall, Nie Wuji pointed toward the thousands of people kneeling on the ground trembling in terror, and said coldly, "Shall this disciple step in and send them to hell?"

These people had all been brought here by Gu Tianhao and Lin Yuanhong. The moment they heard Nie Wuji's words, they began kowtowing and begging for mercy without stop: "Don't kill us! We aren't people from the Lin or Gu families!!" "Gu Tianhao paid me to come here... I'm not part of the Gu family at all, I've never done anything bad... Please spare my life!!" "I'm not from the Lin family either, I just took money to come and make up the numbers! I never do anything bad in my daily life!!" "Please spare me this once, I swear to turn over a new leaf and be a good person!!"

In an instant, countless cries for mercy echoed all around.

Ye Chen frowned slightly. Then, he cast a light glance across the crowd. His eyes were devoid of any emotion, cold and indifferent like those of a ferocious beast... Combined with the lingering murderous intent from having just taken lives, his gaze had an immediate effect. Instantly, this crowd was subdued by Ye Chen's look. It was as if they saw a landscape of mountains of corpses and seas of blood rising behind Ye Chen... Yet Ye Chen had done nothing more than stand quietly in place and sweep his gaze across them. Yet what appeared in their minds were scenes straight out of purgatory. In a flash, they were frightened into silence, daring not to utter another lie.

"Mr. Ye, killing this mob of lackeys will only dirty your hands... Why not leave it to me to handle?" Lei Chong spoke up suddenly. "That's right, that's right... How could a mob of pawns ever be worthy of Mr. Ye's personal attention?!" Seeing Lei Chong speak, the personnel from the Jinling City War Department, Ministry of Defense, and police station seized the opportunity to chime in: "Let us handle this rabble! We will cooperate with General Lei to deal with all of them together!!"

Ye Chen's daughter had her heart dug out and blood drained right under their jurisdiction... Naturally, at this moment, they were eager to help Ye Chen do something to achieve atonement!

Ye Chen raised his eyes and quietly looked over these people. Instantly, the scene fell silent once more... Not a single one of them dared to meet Ye Chen's gaze directly!

"Forget it." Ye Chen sighed softly and said, "Leave it to you to resolve... But other than these people, I do not want to see a single direct or collateral descendant of the Jinling Gu and Lin families left alive!" "Understood!!" "We will surely carry out Mr. Ye's command and ensure they no longer exist!" The crowd answered in unison.

When Ye Chen said he "did not want to see them," he naturally didn't mean driving them out of Jinling City. If they were merely driven away, there was still a slight chance Ye Chen might catch sight of them again when he left Jinling City... although that probability was minuscule. So, how could he guarantee a hundred percent chance of never seeing them again? Naturally... by making them vanish from this world entirely!! Sending them to hell!!

At these words, the big figures of Jinling City all drew in a collective breath of cold air, their spines turning chilled. Yet none of them dared to defy Ye Chen's will, and each replied with absolute certainty: "Rest assured, Mr. Ye, they will never appear before you again."

"Good." Hearing this, Ye Chen nodded slightly and waved his hand. "Disperse." "Yes!"

God of War Chen Junlin gave the order first: "Pass down the order, the ten thousand dragon cavalry are to withdraw immediately!" The next second, the ten thousand dragon cavalry marched in neat formation, their boots hitting the ground with a rhythmic *march, march, march* as they retreated from the mid-mountain perimeter... When these ten thousand dragon cavalry had arrived, their momentum shook the heavens!! And when they retreated, they were equally uniform, without the slightest disorder! Watching the ten thousand dragon cavalry maintain such disciplined precision, even Northern Territory General Lei Chong could not help praising in his heart: *As expected of troops trained by the Daxia God of War!!*

Following the departure of the dragon cavalry, those aircraft, armored vehicles, tanks... one primordial iron beast after another, rumbled away as well.

Shortly after, Nie Wuji gave the command: "The Ten Yama Lords of Yama Palace, quickly lead everyone to withdraw." "Understood!!"

Unlike the upright and righteous dragon cavalry, every member of Nie Wuji's Yama Palace wore black attire, radiating a towering murderous aura! Whether it was the God of Slaughter Nie Wuji, the Ten Yama Lords under his command, or countless elite assassins... The murderous intent emanating from them genuinely made them feel as though they had emerged straight from the Yama Palace of Hell, sending chills down people's spines. At Nie Wuji's command, these figures instantly vanished into the field of view with a series of *swoosh* sounds!

And then... The Four Poison Kings of Medicine God Valley, tens of thousands of disciples of Medicine God Valley... Major foreign conglomerates, countless heavily armed mercenaries... Overlords of various regions with heavy personal weaponry... At a single command from Ye Chen, too many powerful factions all withdrew from the mid-mountain perimeter in an orderly fashion!

"Hoo!!" At this moment, Lei Chong and the Jinling bigwigs finally let out a sigh of relief in their hearts. Immediately following that, Northern Territory General Lei Chong barked an order: "Men, arrest all these violent thugs who commit arson and every imaginable evil, drag them to the execution ground, and execute them all!"

Simultaneously, the bigwigs of the Jinling City Ministry of Defense, War Department, and police station issued their own orders: "Men, assist General Lei in rounding up these thugs!" "Take people and storm the Gu and Lin residences, arrest everyone!" "If they resist arrest... execute them on the spot!" "Move out!!!"

At the sound of the command, the Northern Territory soldiers alongside the forces of the Jinling City Ministry of Defense, War Department, and police station sprang into action. A storm was unleashed once more!

***

Meanwhile, inside the Green Hotel. Xiao Ningning looked at the dazzling array of exquisite dishes spread across the dining table and secretly swallowed her saliva. "Ningning, let's eat first, okay... Your body is weak, you can't wait any longer." Xia Qingyue continued to persuade gently. "I won't." Xiao Ningning shook her cute, round head and said in a milky, childish voice: "Daddy went to fight bad guys, he'll definitely be very hungry when he comes back... Ningning wants to eat together with Daddy." "This is the first time I'm eating with Daddy, Ningning wants to leave the chicken leg for Daddy..." "One for Daddy, one for Mommy... Ningning... Ningning doesn't have to eat!" Xiao Ningning swallowed softly, struggling to put on a convincing show of someone who didn't like chicken legs. Looking at her sensible daughter, Xia Qingyue's body trembled violently, and her nose stung with emotion. She quickly clenched her fists, driving her fingernails into her flesh. She needed to use the physical pain to numb the tears that were on the verge of breaking through. Ye Chen, did you hear what your daughter said?! Ye Chen, you must, absolutely must not anything happen to you!! Ye Chen, come back quickly... I beg you, come back quickly!!

Top-tier chefs had prepared dishes for Xia Qingyue and Xiao Ningning. Afterward, Hua Yuntian and several medicine kings withdrew outside, standing guard quietly right by the doorway! If anyone who knew their true identities were to witness this scene, their jaws would likely drop to the floor in shock... These individuals were Medical Saints and Medical Kings whom tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions of US dollars couldn't hire!! And yet right now... they were actually standing guard at the door for Xia Qingyue and Xiao Ningning!

However, Hua Yuntian and the medicine kings held not a shred of resentment in their hearts. In fact, they felt that being able to do anything for their teacher, master's wife, and junior sister was the supreme honor of their lives. They were all disciples of Ye Chen; in their hearts, Ye Chen was an omnipotent god!! ...And they were Ye Chen's most devout believers!!!

Inside the room, Xia Qingyue was still trying to persuade Xiao Ningning to eat: "Ningning, Daddy might be back very late, so be a good girl and eat a little something. Then go to sleep, and when you wake up, maybe Daddy will be back. Okay?" "I want to wait for Daddy." Xiao Ningning fought back the crying tone in her voice, her voice trembling: "Ningning is afraid Daddy will leave... so I don't dare to sleep!" "Mommy... earlier it was because Ningning fell asleep that I didn't get to see what Daddy looked like!!" "Mommy, Ningning's tummy doesn't hurt! I won't sleep! Don't you worry about Ningning!!" "Ningning just wants to see what Daddy looks like... Mommy, I really, really want to see Daddy!" As Xiao Ningning spoke, crystal-clear tears the size of soybeans spilled over her eyelids, *pitter-patter*, and rolled endlessly down her suet-jade-like little face.

*Pitter-patter! Pitter-patter! Pitter-patter!* Those falling, scalding hot tears ultimately splashed one by one onto the back of Xia Qingyue's hand. Each sound of a bursting tear drop felt as though it were shattering Xia Qingyue's heart.

*Ye Chen... I beg you, I beg you to come back quickly!!* *I don't need you to get revenge for us... I just want you to return safe and sound!!* *Ye Chen, did you hear me? Come back quickly!!*

Xia Qingyue pleaded in her heart without stopping. In front of her daughter, she dared not vent her grief loudly, only daring to secretly wipe away her tears when Xiao Ningning wasn't paying attention. In a brief moment, the eyes of both mother and daughter had turned red from crying.

"Okay, Mommy... Don't cry, Ningning's tummy doesn't hurt oh, Ningning is not going to die!"