Long Chen’s roar shook the very world, causing the people whipping Yu Ying and the others to look up in horror.

Long Chen descended upon them, the space around him distorting. Clouds gathered ominously behind him, merging into a gaping maw that cast darkness over the entire city.

In an instant, Mercenary City seemed to plunge into a nightmarish abyss. Most chilling of all, a pair of devilish eyes materialized behind Long Chen. They looked like his eyes but were filled with countless black spots, which offered a glimpse into an endless hell.

“Long Chen!”

Yu Ying and the others, who had been unconscious, were jolted awake by Long Chen's commanding voice. They saw him standing before them.

At this moment, countless mercenaries came out of their hiding holes. Under Long Zaiye’s orders, Mercenary City was locked down, and anyone attempting to escape would be executed.

Originally, they had been prepared to fight to the death. In the worst-case scenario, they would simply drag these bastards down with them. However, Fang Liude had instructed them to stay hidden. If they all perished, how could they fulfill Long Chen’s expectations of them?

As a result, they could only watch as Fang Liude was slain and Yu Ying and the others were tortured. The agony they felt was even worse than being stabbed by a thousand blades.

Upon Long Chen’s arrival, they finally found a leader to rally behind. One of them shouted, “Just give us the order and we’ll kill them all to avenge Brother Fang!”

Hatred and resentment had been festering in their hearts for so long that they were about to go crazy. As someone moved to untie the ropes binding Yu Ying and the others, a cold voice pierced the air.

“Hold it! Anyone who unties them will be executed!” It seemed that Long Zaiye’s face was itching for a slap. Behind him stood another man with a sinister grin—Long Yifang, ranked seventh on the Heaven Rankings. Long Yifang glanced at Long Ziwei and provocatively dipped his thumb in a taunting gesture.

“Long Chen, where have you been hiding? I’ve been waiting patiently. Did you really think I wouldn’t resort to this to lure you out?” sneered Long Zaiye.

Long Zaiye had sealed his memories because of the incident in the assembly hall. Thus, he had no idea that Long Chen had gone to the Jiuli Tower.

Furthermore, the three Heavenly Saints and the clan leader were in seclusion. As for the Heaven Overseer, he had never given Long Zaiye any of his time, so there was no way Long Zaiye could ask him for help.

Seeing Long Chen approach with intense killing intent, Long Zaiye felt a surge of satisfaction. Long Chen’s fury felt like the sweet taste of vengeance for Long Zaiye.

“Are you Long Chen? Long Ziwei’s master? I’d like to learn a thing or two from you. How did you domesticate this stubborn wild dog so quickly?” taunted Long Yifang.

Long Chen suddenly vanished. Long Zaiye and Long Yifang instinctively leaped back, but it was too late. Long Yifang’s head was torn from his body, which was obliterated by a single stomp from Long Chen.

Gripping Long Yifang’s severed head, Long Chen turned to Long Ziwei and spoke sternly, “I’m going to teach you another lesson. Fighting is one thing, and killing is another. When you want to kill, there’s nothing flashy. Your goal is simply to eliminate your target swiftly and decisively, leaving no room for them to retaliate.”

Long Chen moved without warning or aura fluctuations. Before anyone could react, it was over, leaving Long Ziwei in stunned silence.

“Bastard, you sneak attacked me!” Long Yifang’s head roared defiantly, showing no fear even in this sorry state.

“How dare you sneak attack my Long clan’s heavenly geniuses? Long Chen, you are courting death!” Long Zaiye’s voice thundered with fury.

Though startled by Long Chen’s swift action against Long Yifang, there was a glint of satisfaction in Long Zaiye’s eyes. With this, he had a valid excuse to kill Long Chen.

BOOM!

Long Zaiye’s translucent heaven vein dragon qi appeared, swirling around him. A shockwave of immense qi exploded, devastating Mercenary City and sending all the mercenaries flying.

Long Ziwei reacted quickly, swooping in to rescue Yu Ying and the others, shielding them as he flew to safety.

“Die!” Long Zaiye swung his saber at Long Chen. Having obtained an excuse to kill Long Chen, he immediately unleashed his full power.

To everyone’s surprise, Long Chen raised Long Yifang’s head into the path of Long Zaiye’s saber. Long Yifang’s head cried out in shock.

Long Zaiye’s full-power attack, backed by his heaven vein energy, wiped out Long Yifang’s soul. However, Long Zaiye showed no remorse. He just wanted to kill Long Chen, even if it meant Long Zhantian came to kill him in the future.

Just as Long Zaiye’s saber shattered Long Yifang’s head, Long Chen caught the blade with his bare hand. At that moment, Long Zaiye was left dumbfounded.

Meanwhile, at a distance, Long Ziwei watched in astonishment. Long Chen had intercepted Long Zaiye’s saber, which carried the formidable power of a heaven vein attack.

Long Chen gritted his teeth, his face twisted with fury. “Idiot. Do you think you are still in your prime? Originally, you possessed a complete heaven vein, but my father severed your arm and crippled your foundation, leaving you with only half of your heaven vein. Then you depleted your core energy to forcibly elevate Long Qingyun’s realm. Your heaven vein dragon qi is now merely for show. Your actual strength isn’t much greater than that of an ordinary Heaven Saint, but you’re too blind to see it. If I had known you were this foolish, I would have killed you on the martial stage. Then none of this would have happened.”

Long Chen’s sudden push forced Long Zaiye’s saber downward, and a tremendous force forced Long Zaiye to the ground. The ground quivered and buckled beneath them. Despite Long Zaiye’s heaven vein dragon qi struggling fiercely, his body started to tremble, nearing its breaking point.

Suddenly, Long Chen’s hand transformed, becoming covered in dragon scales and radiating a powerful aura. Long Zaiye let out a pained grunt as the pressure intensified. His knees buckled under the immense force, compelling him to kneel before Long Chen. He finally felt fear now.

Long Zaiye’s bones creaked under the immense power. He wanted to beg for mercy, but he couldn’t even open his mouth.

“Long Chen, do you truly believe the Long clan lacks someone stronger than you?!”

As these words echoed arrogantly, a hand slammed toward Long Chen’s back. A complete Heavenly Fate Disk appeared on the hand.

“A Heavenly Chosen!” Long Ziwei’s pupils widened in shock.