Even if you combined every nightmare Wang Han had ever experienced in his entire life, they probably wouldn't come close to the terror of that single moment.
A third-stage Emperor realm powerhouse—the very patron Wang Han had just latched onto—had been destroyed right before his eyes, virtually without any resistance, by that utterly terrifying force.
That was a third-stage Emperor realm powerhouse!
Wang Han's heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys seemed to tremble in unison, and even his pores felt like they were quivering.
Boundless terror, infinite despair—his entire body was consumed by them.
Never mind Wang Han; even Ling Bi'er had thought she was hallucinating in that instant. It wasn't until the restriction attack dissipated that she snapped out of her overwhelming shock.
"Junior Brother, what… what just happened?" Ling Bi'er whispered in disbelief.
"That old man likes to act superior. We just let him experience what it feels like when that backfires spectacularly," Jiang Chen said with a faint smile, his cold gaze piercing toward Wang Han.
Wang Han met that icy stare and his knees buckled. He couldn't hold himself up at all, dropping straight to his knees.
His mental fortitude collapsed completely in that moment. All his confidence, all his arrogance, all his sense of invincibility—every last shred of it was obliterated by Jiang Chen right then and there.
"Wang Han, now tell me—who can still save you?" Jiang Chen's tone was flat, indifferent.
Wang Han's face was ashen. Suddenly he threw his head back and roared: "Jiang Chen, what are you so smug about? You're strong, fine—but can one man be stronger than the Crimson Cauldron Middle Domain? Do you think only the Zither Demon Sect Master came to the Myriad Manifestations Domain? Wrong! The entire Crimson Cauldron Middle Domain—nearly twenty fourth-rank sects in total—have all invaded the Myriad Manifestations Domain. The Myriad Manifestations Domain is finished! I, Wang Han, read the situation and endured humiliation for what? To preserve the legacy of the Myriad Manifestations Domain!"
Even now, Wang Han was still trying to wriggle out of it with desperate lies.
But Jiang Chen—how could he possibly believe such sophistry?
"Endured humiliation, you say? You led enemies from the Crimson Cauldron Middle Domain right to the Myriad Manifestations Domain's Extreme Ground to hunt down its disciples, and you call that enduring humiliation?"
Wang Han laughed like a madman: "The victor is king and the loser is a bandit. Jiang Chen, you beat me—nothing left to say. If you're going to kill me, just do it. Why toy with me?"
Jiang Chen's expression turned cold: "Wang Han, at this point, avoiding death is not an option. Talk. What exactly is happening out there?"
"Out there? Hahaha, out there? Out there, I'd guess most of the Myriad Manifestations Domain's sects are already wiped out! Yes, your Dan Qian Palace people were clever and broke through early. But where can they flee to? Nearly twenty fourth-rank sects are storming in. Their fourth-rank sects are even more powerful than the Great Sacred Hall. What does the Myriad Manifestations Domain have to fight them with? Dan Chi, that old bastard, did break through—but escaping alive? Impossible! Because another Emperor realm powerhouse has already taken troops to hunt them down! Hahaha, Jiang Chen, my Sacred Sword Palace has been destroyed—did you think your Dan Qian Palace would be spared? Keep dreaming!"
Wang Han was like a cornered tiger gone mad, clearly aware he was dead either way, so instead of begging for mercy he poured out everything in a frenzy.
But as he gesticulated wildly, his throat suddenly went cold.
He reached up to touch it—and found an arrow lodged there, piercing clean through his neck.
The next instant, a flash of blade light, and Wang Han's severed head shot skyward.
After finishing off Wang Han, Jiang Chen swept his hand out, seized the corpse, and ground it to ash in midair.
"Sister, we don't have a moment to lose. We need to get out quickly," Jiang Chen said without further hesitation.
Ling Bi'er had been through so many upheavals in rapid succession that she felt slightly dizzy, but she nodded instinctively and followed Jiang Chen as he headed out.
The moment they stepped out of the palace, Ling Bi'er watched it vanish with a thunderous collapse.
"Junior Brother… the palace?" Ling Bi'er was baffled.
Jiang Chen smiled. "I've already put it away."
"Put it away? Could this… this palace be some kind of dimensional space?" Ling Bi'er was stunned.
A dimensional space—much like a storage ring—was nothing unfamiliar to her.
But a storage ring? They didn't have anywhere near that much area. And could a storage ring contain a personal cultivation cave? With such powerful restriction attacks, no less?
That was clearly a full-fledged abode—a portable cultivation abode.
"Sister, the matter of this palace is extremely sensitive. If word got out, the consequences would be endless." Jiang Chen understood the gravity of the situation and chose not to elaborate with Ling Bi'er. He didn't want to drag her into any trouble on his account.
When Ling Bi'er heard him say that, she quickly replied: "Ah? Then I won't ask. I won't mention it to anyone in the future either."
"Mm. When the time is right, I'll explain everything to you."
The two talked as they hurried out of the Outer Extreme Ground. When they reached the Inner Extreme Ground, they passed several slain geniuses from the Myriad Manifestations Domain along the way.
"This is all Wang Jianyu's doing!" Ling Bi'er said, her delicate brows furrowed.
Jiang Chen had no time to dwell on anger right now: "There should be a teleportation point up ahead. Let's get out quickly."
But Ling Bi'er said: "Junior Brother, don't rush. If we go through the teleportation array right now, we'll land right outside and could walk straight into an ambush. I think we should retrace our steps. We still have two days—as long as we push hard, we can make it out before the Myriad Manifestations Extreme Ground closes."
Jiang Chen thought it over and admitted it made sense.