The moment the thought crossed his mind, the arrow was about to leave the bowstring.
Just then, a sharp shout rang through the void: "Jiang Chen, hold!"
The voice boomed like a great drum or a massive bell, reverberating through the air and rolling outward like thunder.
Hmm?
Jiang Chen's ears twitched. He activated his Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil and gazed into the distance, where he saw a streak of green light shoot through the sky. The Fengjiao Five-Winged Beast carried the old Grand Tutor
If it had been anyone else — even if the King of the Tiangui Kingdom himself had arrived — Jiang Chen would not have so much as furrowed his brow. He would have released the kill shot without hesitation.
But the old Grand Tutor Ye Chonglou was the sole exception.
In the Tiangui Kingdom, there was no one whose face Jiang Chen needed to save — except this old man's. That was a debt of respect he simply had to honor.
He held the bowstring taut, keeping the arrow in place without releasing it, but he did not lower the bow.
Below, the army of Golden-Winged Sword Birds maintained their formation without the slightest relaxation.
"Old Grand Tutor, what brings you here?" Jiang Chen didn't know the old man had rushed back from the Treasure Tree Sect. He assumed he had come from the Grand Tutor's Villa.
The old man smiled bitterly. "I was at the Treasure Tree Sect when one of my informants told me that someone from the Tie family had taken advantage of my absence to sneak into the Royal Capital and cause trouble. I guessed they might be targeting you, so I hurried back. But I never expected…"
Even the old Grand Tutor was stunned. He had rushed back out of worry that Jiang Chen might be in danger.
What he hadn't anticipated was that Jiang Chen wasn't in danger at all — not the slightest bit.
The ones in danger were actually the so-called geniuses of the Treasure Tree Sect, the direct-line descendant of the Tie family, Tie Dazhi!
This scene was something the old Grand Tutor could barely believe with his own eyes.
He knew Jiang Chen was formidable. He knew the young man had tremendous potential. But only after witnessing Jiang Chen's methods firsthand did he realize he had underestimated this youth far more than he thought.
Even though he had already tried to set his expectations high, he had still fallen short.
A genius of the Earth Spirit Realm, two opponents at the fifth and fourth levels of the Spirit Realm, plus a whole group of Spirit Realm cultivators — all of them had been cornered to the brink of annihilation at the gates of the Jiang residence by Jiang Chen alone!
Had he not seen it with his own eyes, the old Grand Tutor would have found it impossible to believe.
But seeing was believing, after all.
The old Grand Tutor suppressed the storm raging inside him and floated above the formation. His gaze was cool and detached as he looked at Tie Dazhi and Zhou Yi, who were cornered like trapped beasts.
Tie Dazhi had been arrogant and domineering, but before the old Grand Tutor Ye Chonglou, he didn't even have the courage to meet the man's eyes.
Zhou Yi's face was full of bitterness. He called out in a trembling voice, "Old Grand Tutor…"
"Tsk, tsk. Here I thought every disciple of your sect looked down on everyone and couldn't be bothered with this old man. So you do know who I am after all?"
Zhou Yi knew the old man was speaking ironically. Flushing with embarrassment, he said, "Old Grand Tutor, your fame resonates like thunder both within and outside the sect."
"Does it?" The old man gave a soft snort. "Resonates like thunder? I doubt it. I once said that I consider Jiang Chen as my own nephew, and anyone who targets him targets me. I imagine those words flew right past your ears."
"We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare." Zhou Yi forced a bitter smile. "We came this time to investigate the cause of the Qianlan Northern Palace Master's death. We never intended for things to escalate this far."
"Hah! So I've wronged you, have I?" The old man's tone turned cold.
"No, no — when it comes down to it, we're partly at fault. We were too rash and failed to communicate properly with Jiang Chen." A man under the eaves had no choice but to bow his head.
"Coward!" The old man flew into a sudden rage and roared. "The Treasure Tree Sect is supposed to be a great power, yet it produces cowards like you? Do you think I've gone senile? Do you think I'll stand here while you lie through your teeth? Investigating the Qianlan Northern Palace Master's death — how righteous that sounds. Don't think I don't know the truth. You took advantage of my visit to the Treasure Tree Sect and tried to hit the Royal Capital before I could respond. You just didn't expect that your skills fell short and you ended up smashing your own foot with the rock."
Zhou Yi was struck speechless.
At this point, he knew that any more excuses would only anger the old Grand Tutor further.
He had been afraid of the old man showing up earlier, but now he actually felt that perhaps the old Grand Tutor's arrival wasn't entirely bad.
Before, he'd feared the old man's appearance because they had been certain of victory and wanted a quick resolution before the Grand Tutor could interfere.
Now, with the old Grand Tutor here, Zhou Yi realized that a situation where death had seemed certain might actually have gained a sliver of hope.
If the old Grand Tutor hadn't stopped Jiang Chen just now, that arrow would have been loosed, and he or Tie Dazhi — or both — would be lying dead on the ground.
"Old Grand Tutor, these scoundrels are completely lawless! If we don't crush their arrogance now, they'll only grow more brazen in the future!"
Jiang Chen shot forward, the killing intent still written plainly on his face.
Zhou Yi shuddered. Right now, he genuinely feared Jiang Chen. And he feared even more that the old Grand Tutor might wash his hands of the matter, or worse, egg Jiang Chen on to finish them off.
"Jiang Chen, killing them would be easy. But petty characters like them are a dime a dozen in the sect. You could kill them one after another and never run out."
The old Grand Tutor suddenly transmitted his voice to Jiang Chen. "The Grand Selection is about to begin. If you kill them, it will inevitably draw out Grand Elder Tie Long, the head of the Tie family. I'm not afraid of Tie Long myself. But if you kill his grandson, he'll mobilize every resource he has to suppress you. He could even set up countless obstacles for you during the Grand Selection, catching you off guard at every turn."
Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow and transmitted back, "Even if I spare Tie Dazhi, the Tie family won't let things rest. That man has the heart of a viper and a scorpion. Letting him go is like releasing a tiger back into the mountains."
"Ha ha. Jiang Chen, if you release him, Tie Dazhi and Tie Can will certainly continue targeting you. But at least Tie Long himself won't be drawn into it. Tie Can and Tie Dazhi have limited influence. Even if they want to trip you up during the Grand Selection, their voice in the matter is small."