If Jiang Chen had denied it, or offered verbal rebuttals, or even turned hostile and attacked outright, all of that would have been within Emperor Danji's expectations.
But Jiang Chen's reaction—so impossibly calm and nonchalant—genuinely caught Emperor Danji off guard.
"Jiang Chen, it seems you won't shed a tear until you see your own coffin. Since you've admitted to it all, I won't waste breath on you. Today, I'm giving you only two choices."
Jiang Chen merely regarded the man with a half-smile. To him, Emperor Danji's theatrical performance was nothing short of laughable.
"First: you, Jiang Chen, take full responsibility for your own actions. Surrender yourself on the spot, and I guarantee that no innocent parties will be implicated."
"And the second!" Emperor Danji let out a sinister laugh, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the great emperors of the Glazed Jade City one by one. "The second choice is that you drag the entire Glazed Jade City to the grave with you."
"Take your pick."
Emperor Danji's tone was that of a judge passing sentence—imperious and lofty.
"Your Majesty Danji, why waste words on him? This man is nothing but scum of the human race! He doesn't deserve any choice at all!"
"Exactly! A man like this should be crushed utterly, reduced to ash and dust. How else can we face our ancestors?"
Emperor Danji's lackeys clamored one after another.
Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. The only reason he hadn't erupted yet was that he wanted to see just how far these people's ugliness would go.
"Jiang Chen, did you hear that?" Emperor Danji sneered. "You've betrayed the human race and turned against its people—do you still harbor some delusional hope?"
Jiang Chen smiled faintly and countered with a question of his own: "Are you finished?"
Emperor Danji had dealt with Jiang Chen many times before and knew this young man was exceedingly difficult to handle. He was trying to dismantle Jiang Chen's psychological defenses completely.
But judging from Jiang Chen's reaction, there was clearly no real emotional disturbance whatsoever. Instead, the young man had casually asked if he was done, as though it were of no consequence.
"Jiang Chen, it seems you're determined to remain obstinate and fight to the bitter end?" Emperor Danji was deeply displeased. Standing from his self-appointed position as judge, he felt he was delivering judgment upon Jiang Chen.
Yet this supposed defendant showed not the slightest awareness of being on trial!
Jiang Chen's gaze was filled with amusement as he regarded Emperor Danji.
"Danji, you've been putting on quite the performance. I'm sure you must be exhausted. These past days, you've schemed and plotted against me with all your might—quite the labor, I must say."
"I also know that you came here today brimming with confidence, intending to swallow my Glazed Jade City whole and seize my pill formulas and their secrets. I'd wager you've already worked out amongst yourselves how to divide the spoils."
"And as for you lot." Jiang Chen's gaze swept toward the leaders of the other factions. "Every one of you puts on such a righteous, dignified air, insisting on parading a mask of moral superiority. Don't you ever get tired of pretending?"
"Being jealous of me, coveting my treasures, wanting to seize my wealth—these are perfectly understandable feelings. If you had the guts to simply come and take them by force, I'd at least respect your honesty. But no, you have to wrap yourselves in the banner of justice for the human race while doing it, and that's what truly makes one sick."
Jiang Chen's words flowed like rapid-fire crackling, and in a single breath, he had eviscerated every last one of them.
"Don't get the wrong idea—don't think I'm trying to scold you. In the past, I used to feel pity for your misfortune and anger at your spinelessness, and I'd occasionally have the urge to give you a piece of my mind. But now I see that you don't even deserve my criticism. As the supposed top powers of the human race, you've abandoned even the most fundamental principles of right and wrong. Scolding you would be like playing a lute for a cow!"
Jiang Chen's expression turned cold. "I don't care what motives brought you here today. Today, I'm going to teach you all a lesson—a vivid, unforgettable one. As for which of you will crawl away with your lives and which of you will be ground to dust, we shall see soon enough."
The moment his words fell, Jiang Chen's spiritual consciousness surged, sending a secret command to the Gold-Munching Mouse King!
The Gold-Munching Mouse King received Jiang Chen's mental transmission and immediately issued its own command. The entire clan of Gold-Munching Mice mobilized at once, and in an instant, the surrounding dozens of miles surged with their advance like floodwaters released from a dam.
Countless golden shadows flickered through the air, the blinding radiance rivaling the scorching sun of the Nine Heavens. The glare was so intense that everyone couldn't so much as keep their eyes open.
Those with trypophobia, upon witnessing this sight, were seized by bone-deep terror, goosebumps erupting across every inch of their skin.
Indeed, the Gold-Munching Mouse clan had undergone tremendous reproduction over the years, their numbers swelling enormously, and their overall evolution was strikingly evident.
Compared to the clan of old, their growth had increased at least tenfold.
As far as the eye could see, every space was packed with Gold-Munching Mice. Each individual mouse was not particularly large in size.
But when countless of them gathered together, filling every gap and crevice, they left virtually no empty space. They piled atop one another, layer upon layer, some stacked several times high.
Such density was nothing short of a nightmare!
Jiang Chen's gaze was cold and devoid of any human warmth. He regarded Emperor Danji's camp with detached indifference.
"Danji, every single day you scheme and plot against me, against my Glazed Jade City. But in my eyes, you're nothing more than a jumping clown—a pitiful creature who has failed to the utmost degree. Your only talent is infighting, and your ambitions, your grand aspirations, are nothing but a joke in my eyes! Remember this well—take a moment to truly appreciate just how powerless you are!"