Great Emperor Dan Ji had never imagined that the situation could undergo such a dramatic reversal. His son was clearly in Pill Fire City, protected by numerous experts at his side at all times.
How had he inexplicably ended up here, of all places? And in
In that moment, Great Emperor Dan Ji nearly suspected his own eyes. Could it be that this brat Jiang Chen had grabbed some poor doppelgänger and dressed him up to look like his son?
But no — he knew his own son. The moment Great Emperor Dan Ji looked more closely, he could tell. This was truly his son, not some impostor.
Great Emperor Dan Ji's head buzzed like a kicked beehive. Even a man of his caliber — a titan who had dominated for ages — found himself thrown into utter disarray. The sheer shock of this reversal was far too great for him to process all at once.
The other Emperor-realm experts of Pill Fire City were equally slack-jawed in disbelief.
How had Young Master
When they had set out from Pill Fire City, Young Master Tian Lin had personally escorted Great Emperor Dan Ji out of the city gates. Every Emperor in Pill Fire City had witnessed it with their own eyes.
Could it be that after Jiang Chen left the
That was utterly absurd!
Even if Jiang Chen had passed through Pill Fire City at that time — setting aside the question of whether he had any means to capture Young Master Tian Lin from within the city — even if he possessed such strength, the timing alone made it impossible. If Young Master Tian Lin had been taken back then, would the entire city of Pill Fire City really have remained silent about it?
After all, a considerable amount of time had elapsed since their ambush on Jiang Chen's group until now. The envoys Great Emperor Dan Ji had dispatched to the Moon God Sect to capture
If something had truly gone wrong in Pill Fire City, would no one have come to report it?
Great Emperor Dan Ji had strutted into this confrontation like a proud rooster raring for a fight, but the moment Jiang Chen laid down this killing card, the Great Emperor deflated like a punctured balloon.
His throat bobbed up and down. Clearly, even now, he could not bring himself to accept what he was seeing. His mind was still a blank void — he simply could not understand how Jiang Chen had managed to capture his son. How had he pulled it off?
By any measure of the timeline, this should have been impossible!
Could it be that…
A sudden, terrifying thought flashed through Great Emperor Dan Ji's mind: "Could it be that this brat left the cave dwelling midway and made a trip to Pill Fire City? Not only that — could he have gone to the Moon God Sect to tip them off as well?"
The moment this thought took root, an involuntary shiver of fear crept through Great Emperor Dan Ji's heart.
If that was truly the case, then this brat was far more terrifying than he had imagined. At the same time, Great Emperor Dan Ji was flooded with regret. Why had he been so brazenly reckless, deploying forces inside this very cave dwelling to capture Xu Qingxuan?
Why hadn't he been careful enough to keep the operation hidden from this brat's notice?
But at this point, no matter what churned inside his heart, it was all useless. Seeing his son slumped there like a puddle of wet mud, Great Emperor Dan Ji was burning with anxiety.
He had spoken so arrogantly before that he now found himself at a complete loss for the right words.
Beg for mercy?
He would sooner die than utter the word "mercy."
Hold firm and tough it out?
Just look at what Jiang Chen was capable of. If he truly decided to play hardball, this brat might just carve Young Master Tian Lin apart piece by piece.
For a long moment, Great Emperor Dan Ji was trapped in a suffocating web of frustration, his hands utterly tied.
Great Emperor Gao Cen was feeling no less nervous. After all, it had been his idea to capture Xu Qingxuan in the first place. Now that Young Master Tian Lin had fallen into Jiang Chen's hands — effectively seizing Great Emperor Dan Ji by the throat — would the blame come crashing down on the one who had proposed the plan? Great Emperor Gao Cen didn't dare think too hard about it. In that instant, he even began to wonder whether opposing this brat had been a wise choice at all.
Did Pill Fire City truly need to be locked in a death struggle with Jiang Chen?
Great Emperor Dan Ji's face had gone the color of ash. All the vicious words he had prepared choked in his throat — he didn't dare let a single one slip. He was terrified that one harsh word might provoke Jiang Chen. After all, the other party was a young man, and young men ran hot with blood. If provoked, there was nothing stopping him from executing Young Master Tian Lin on the spot.
He flicked a sidelong glance toward Great Emperor Gao Cen.
When Gao Cen caught that look, he immediately understood the silent message. He knew that Great Emperor Dan Ji intended to yield.
It might not be a genuine surrender, but the situation had run away from them. Right now, even a feigned submission was better than none.
If Young Master Tian Lin were killed by Jiang Chen, the consequences would be nothing short of catastrophic.
Having received the signal, Great Emperor Gao Cen stepped forward and spoke in a raised voice: "Jiang Chen! This grudge is between your Glazed Royal City and Pill Fire City. Dragging innocent people into it — doesn't that violate the code of the martial world?"
The code of the martial world?