Jiao Feng's strength was on par with Jiao Yun's. The two brothers were evenly matched, impossible to tell apart in power. So when Jiao Feng saw Jiao Yun fighting with such abandon, he naturally felt the itch to join in.
He swooped down, and his imposing aura locked onto Elder Guo.
Among all the experts in the imperial palace, only the Yan family's ancestor could reliably suppress Elder Guo. No other powerhouse would dare claim they could overpower him with certainty.
Even the Scarlet Cauldron Emperor and Commander He were probably slightly inferior to Elder Guo.
But right now, Elder Guo was like a rabbit caught in a hunter's gaze—his entire body trembled involuntarily.
The overwhelming Emperor-realm pressure was like an invisible prison, trapping him so completely that he couldn't break free, couldn't put up any resistance at all.
"Jiao Feng—leave this old man alive!" Jiang Chen's voice suddenly echoed from afar.
Jiao Feng was about to twist off Elder Guo's head, but hearing Young Master Jiang Chen's order, he immediately stopped. He grabbed Elder Guo and held him in his hand, as effortless as a hawk snatching a chick.
Beside Jiang Chen, Canghai Great Emperor was rubbing his hands together, his face eager with anticipation.
"Young Master, let this subordinate go fight for a round too, would you?" Canghai Great Emperor had watched the two Jiao brothers of Huaishan display their might, and the jealousy was gnawing at him.
He was confident that his individual combat ability surpassed either of the two Jiao brothers. So he wanted to use this opportunity to prove himself before Jiang Chen.
"No rush." Jiang Chen's eyes surveyed the surroundings while his ears caught every sound from all directions.
In his previous life, how many wars across countless planes had he witnessed? He was far from being someone who rushed in without gauging the situation. Looking at the Scarlet Cauldron Imperial Palace's defensive formation, its layered structure was clearly apparent—not nearly as weak as he had imagined.
So he wasn't in a hurry to reveal all his cards at once.
Though Canghai Great Emperor's hands itched unbearably, he wouldn't dare act rashly when Jiang Chen said there was no rush.
"Young Master, I've brought the old man. How do you want to deal with him?" Jiao Feng carried Elder Guo right up to Jiang Chen and grinned as he asked.
Despair flickered through Elder Guo's eyes. He shook his head helplessly and closed his eyes, waiting for death.
"Old man, stop playing dead! You think if you pretend to be dead, our Young Master won't be able to do anything to you?" Jiao Feng barked.
Elder Guo let out a dejected sigh: "The victor is king, the loser a bandit. Now that I've fallen into your hands, what is there left for this old man to say? Only—today you destroy our Scarlet Cauldron royal family, and tomorrow, naturally someone stronger will destroy your Glazed Tile Royal City. The cycle of heaven never misses its retribution."
"Tsk tsk, you stubborn old mutt." Jiao Feng channeled a subtle force into Elder Guo's body. Immediately it felt like ten thousand insects gnawing from within, and Elder Guo couldn't help but let out a pained groan.
"Jiao Feng, that's enough. No need to torture him," Jiang Chen said coolly.
Jiao Feng gave an eerie chuckle: "Young Master, this kind of person is just full of himself—thinks he's lived long enough to pull the senior card. If you don't put him in his place, he'll only get more arrogant."
Elder Guo cried out in agony: "If you're going to kill me, then kill me! Don't expect this old man to beg for mercy on his knees—not a chance!"
Jiang Chen clapped and laughed: "Well said. I didn't expect the Scarlet Cauldron Central Domain to actually have someone with backbone. I thought everyone here was spineless—all cowards like your Scarlet Cauldron Emperor, too scared to own up to their deeds. You, old man, have a bit of grit."
"Hmph." Elder Guo snorted coldly.
"What you said about the cycle of heaven and retribution not missing—that's quite right. The pity is, you're a frog at the bottom of a well and have no idea what the Dao of Heaven truly is."
Jiang Chen's tone was detached: "So-called retribution is retribution for those who commit evil. Your Scarlet Cauldron royal family has committed countless wrongs—destroying the Myriad Phenomena Territory, slaughtering innumerable cultivators, wiping out entire lineages. These are all acts that offend the harmony of heaven. If you want to speak of retribution, now is your retribution. I, this Young Master, am leading a righteous army to carry out vengeance—acting on behalf of heaven to eliminate evil and promote good. Far from incurring heaven's wrath, I shall enjoy heaven's protection!"
If anyone in this Divine Abyss Continent was qualified to sit and debate what heaven truly was, it was Jiang Chen.
"Tell me—what other cards does this Scarlet Cauldron Emperor have?" Jiang Chen asked coolly.
Elder Guo burst into wild laughter: "Surnamed Jiang, you're far too naive. You think that after everything, this old man would still fear your intimidation? You want to wring intelligence out of me? Dream on!"
Seeing the old man put on such a straight-faced act, Jiang Chen couldn't help but laugh.
He gazed leisurely toward the Scarlet Cauldron Imperial Palace and smiled: "Old man, are you under the impression that I, this Young Master, am helpless against your pathetic little imperial palace?"
Elder Guo simply kept his dark face turned away and his eyes shut, choosing to ignore everything entirely.
"Jiao Feng, pass along my command—instruct the Peerless Great Emperor to come reinforce us immediately. As for the border affairs, leave Panlong Great Emperor to handle them personally."
"Yes." Jiao Feng went to carry out the order at once.
When Elder Guo heard the words "Peerless Great Emperor," his hunched body couldn't help but shudder slightly. He knew that the Peerless Great Emperor was one of the Six Titans among rogue cultivators, possessing truly formidable cultivation.
"Young Master, this old man's temper is like a stone in a cesspit—stinking and rock-hard. How about I just put a palm through him and be done with it?" Canghai Great Emperor suggested.
"No rush to kill him." Jiang Chen smiled unhurriedly. "This old man is certainly one of the Emperor's close attendants. I want to give him a chance to witness firsthand how their so-called defensive formation of the Scarlet Cauldron Central Domain is utterly insignificant before me."