When
At the time, however, it had been nothing more than a fleeting notion—not yet refined, not yet complete.
It wasn't until every piece of the puzzle had been carefully devised and he had left Tai'a City that Jiang Chen finally resolved to carry through with this insane gambit.
From Ling Su's account, he knew that the mind-bewildering miasma in Wailing Infant Valley was terrifying. Ling Su had only recently entered the valley at that time, hadn't even gone deep—had barely ventured past the outer rim—and had already been poisoned.
Jiang Chen, on the other hand, had led this pack of pursuers straight into the heart of Wailing Infant Valley, pushing a hundred or two hundred li inward until he found the spot where the miasma was at its most concentrated.
Such a fearsome mind-bewildering miasma would, almost imperceptibly, bring even Emperor Realm powerhouses to their knees.
What's more, every last one of these people had their attention fixed squarely on him. Not a single one of them considered that the valley itself might pose a threat.
If they were on guard against anything, it would have been Jiang Chen's formations or some hidden scheme on his part.
Just as Jiang Chen had guessed: they were wary, yes, but their wariness was directed at him personally, not at Wailing Infant Valley itself.
Jiang Chen had exploited that psychological blind spot, delivering a devastating counterstroke in one fell swoop.
His bickering with them, watching them turn on each other like dogs—even activating the Grand Wuxiang Formation Array at the end—every bit of it had been a ploy to buy time.
Time, so the poison would have a chance to take hold.
Everything had unfolded exactly as Jiang Chen had foreseen, seamless and virtually flawless. Without drawing a single drop of blood, he had sent both waves of pursuers to their graves in Wailing Infant Valley.
Elder Hao refused to give up. A final glimmer of desperate hope flickered in his eyes. "Jiang Chen, there's no deep, irreconcilable blood feud between us. Just get me out of here, and I swear—I'll personally recommend you to the Nine Yang Heavenly Sect. With your talent, you'd be fully qualified to rank among the Ten Great Direct Disciples! As for
Elder Hao blinked rapidly, his eyes darting.
Gong Wuji erupted in furious curses: "You coward, Hao!"
But at this moment, they had already realized with bitter despair that the mind-bewildering miasma had invaded their spiritual consciousness. They no longer had even the strength to deliver a final blow.
Elder Hao paid no attention whatsoever to Gong Wuji's abuse. Mustering the last of his strength, he pleaded desperately: "Young Hero Jiang—Young Chen! I,
It had to be said that Elder Hao possessed quick wits under pressure, and his offer was genuinely tempting.
Yet on Jiang Chen's face, there was nothing but a faint, detached hint of mockery—no useful information, no softening of his resolve.
Elder Hao grew frantic, terror swelling inside him. The desperate will to survive overpowered every last shred of dignity and shame.
His knees buckled, and Elder Hao dropped to the ground. "Young Chen! I, Hao Yi, am willing to submit to you as my master—to serve you as a slave and servant! I swear absolute loyalty. Should I harbor even the tiniest thought of betrayal, may the heavens and earth pass judgment upon me."
A slave and servant?
Over on the other side,
"Shut your mouth! If it weren't for your troublemaking nephew, would any of this have happened?" Elder Hao snapped back in rage.
But no matter how he begged and bargained, Jiang Chen remained utterly unmoved.
Even if he wanted to take on a few servants, Jiang Chen would never have chosen someone like Hao Yi. A man who betrayed his own out of cowardice now would just as easily betray his new master later.
Jiang Chen had no intention of leaving such a ticking time bomb at his side.
"Elder Hao, there's a saying—'you won't die if you don court death.' If you hadn't been so hell-bent on coming after me, you wouldn't have ended up on this road to ruin. Go on, then. Die in peace."
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "For the sake of your pleas, I'll make an exception and leave your body intact."
With those words, his gaze turned cold. He turned it upon Gong Wuji, upon the men of the Thunder Sound Sect and the Giant Kun Sect.
Gong Wuji's expression shifted. In his current state, he was utterly powerless—his spiritual consciousness had been completely seized by the mind-bewildering miasma, leaving him unable to move.
Seeing Jiang Chen's hostile gaze settle upon him, this man who had dominated half a lifetime as a ruthless powerbroker could not suppress the prickling sensation creeping across his scalp.
He knew. Jiang Chen was about to make his move.
"Gong Wuji. You felt pretty mighty destroying my Dan Qian Palace, didn't you? Slaughtering people felt good, did it? You thought everyone from the Myriad Phenomena Domain was nothing but ants beneath your feet?"
Jiang Chen's tone grew ever colder. "Well? Now that your own life is worth less than an ant's—how does that feel?"
Even the strongest man, when a blade hangs over his head, feels fear.
In this moment, Gong Wuji was engulfed by terror. He found it all absurd—could barely accept that this was happening. He, a Dharma King of a First-Rank Sect, an Emperor Realm powerhouse, a figure who had roamed freely across the Divine Abyss Continent, was being crushed like nothing by a boy from a lower domain?
He could not accept it!
Gong Wuji's eyes bloodshot, he let out a hoarse scream: "Boy, don't get cocky! Offend the Indestructible Heavenly Capital, and you might gloat for now—but one day, you will learn what true regret means!"
Jiang Chen's voice was ice. "Even if that day comes, you won't be alive to see it."
In the next instant, a flash of light erupted in his hand. The Moon-Shattering Flying Knife streaked into the air.
A blinding arc of golden light whipped around Gong Wuji's neck.