Villain : After Slacking Off, The Protagonist Collapse

Chapter 250

As for the ancient imperial clans, they were merely spectators, enjoying the spectacle and fanning the flames. They didn’t care whether the Ye family was shameless, so long as it created a chance to damage any faction of the human race. In fact, many among them hoped that Ye Tian would end up clashing with Jiang Chen.

Many powerful figures even wished for Ye Tian and Jiang Chen to face off. If he could defeat Jiang Chen, they would exploit the opportunity to launch a verbal attack, aiming to shatter Jiang Chen’s Dao heart.

“Add two Saint Weapons to the stakes, and I’ll consider accepting your challenge!” Jiang Chen stated calmly. “But first, Ye Qing must face Yan Ruyu.”

Jiang Chen, however, didn’t take Ye Tian seriously. As long as the plot advanced and allowed him to receive his reward, the rest didn’t matter. If Ye Tian wanted to embarrass himself, Jiang Chen had no objections, though he certainly wouldn’t agree to fight without securing some extra gains.

Confident that the Ye family would accept, Jiang Chen knew they were desperate to reclaim some face after the Pure Yang Holy Son had belittled them.

“Agreed!” Ye Tian answered without hesitation, brimming with confidence.

He believed that defeating Jiang Chen would be effortless due to his overwhelming advantage in cultivation—a full realm above Jiang Chen, not to mention his status as a peerless prodigy. If he couldn’t win with such an advantage, he might as well be ashamed enough to smash his head against a wall.

“Bring out the weapons first,” Jiang Chen responded coolly. “Given how shameless the Ye family is, if you decide to bail, our Primordial Holy Land wouldn’t waste resources to chase after two Saint Weapons; it’s not worth the trouble.”

The crowd erupted into laughter, waves of amusement sweeping across the entire sky. Jiang Chen’s remark had pinned the Ye family firmly to a pillar of shame. From then on, anyone discussing the Ye family would inevitably bring up the word “shameless.”

“Our Ye family could never be short of two Saint Weapons!” Ye Tian and Ye Qing nearly spat blood in their rage, their eyes blazing with fury as they longed to silence Jiang Chen on the spot.

“Whether you’re short or not is one thing; whether you’re trustworthy is another,” Jiang Chen replied indifferently, which sent the crowd into another fit of laughter.

For the Ye family, however, this was a stinging humiliation, felt keenly even by the human alliance’s other faction leaders who couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.

The Ye family had spent hundreds of years building its legacy, yet here they were, struggling against a twenty-year-old. This constant disgrace made them question whether an alliance with the Ye family was wise at all.

Compared to the Primordial Holy Land, the Ye family seemed inferior in terms of power, heritage, talent, and strategy. Such an alliance hardly seemed hopeful, though it wasn’t as if they had other options.

They, too, would have preferred an alliance with the Primordial Holy Land—if only they’d been accepted.

The Ye family acted quickly, and soon, two Saint Weapons floated in the sky above.

“Our Saint Weapons are here. Where are yours, Primordial Holy Land?” Ye Tian’s eyes glared coldly at the pavilion, emanating a murderous intent.

“We don’t have any,” Jiang Chen replied, voice calm. “Anyone here willing to lend me two Saint Weapons? Our Holy Land is somewhat poor; we rely on Emperor Weapons for defense. I’ll repay anyone who lends with five million divine sources as a rental fee.”

The crowd collectively raised their eyebrows in amusement, struggling to contain their laughter. Was Jiang Chen trying to flaunt his wealth? Who would believe that the notoriously wealthy Primordial Holy Land lacked Saint Weapons? And who used Emperor Weapons for personal defense?

“I’ll lend one!”

“Take mine too, Holy Son!”

“Don’t anyone try to stop me—Holy Son Jiang Chen is my brother, and this Saint Weapon is his to borrow!”

“Whoever stops me will face my clan’s wrath!”

In no time, dozens of Saint Weapons floated above, their powerful auras pressing down from all directions, making it difficult for the crowd to breathe.

Seeing this, both generations of Ye family godsons fell silent, as did many of the human alliance’s successors, as if struck speechless. The show of support was overwhelming. Saint Weapons were incredibly precious; few even had the privilege of glimpsing one. Yet Jiang Chen’s casual request had summoned dozens.

Even some members of the ancient imperial clans had contributed, which left the Ye family heirs feeling bitter.

“Enough, enough,” Jiang Chen finally said with a sigh. “You’re lending so many; are you trying to bankrupt the Ye family? Even if they sold their entire clan, they wouldn’t be able to exchange for this many Saint Weapons.”

“It’s a pity,” he continued with a sigh, “that the Ye family lacks the courage to bet on this scale.”

Ye Tian and his companions ignored his jab. Two Saint Weapons were more than sufficient—they couldn’t afford any more than that. Although they could have offered an Emperor Weapon, no one would want it.

Emperor Weapons bore their own will, and once they acknowledged the Ye family, it would be challenging to repurpose them.

Casually, Jiang Chen selected two Saint Weapons, indifferent to their origin.

“Aren’t you worried Jiang Chen might lose?” Ye Tian sneered, his eyes narrowing. “Do you all really believe he can defeat me?”

It wasn’t Jiang Chen’s charisma that irked him; it was the others’ unwavering confidence in Jiang Chen, as if his victory were certain.

“And why can’t he win?” retorted the Holy Son of Pure Yang with a laugh. “Do you truly believe the Primordial Holy Son would lose to you? Just because of your cultivation level?”

“Apologies, but a few years ago, the Holy Son could crush Saint Kings with ease. Now, five years later, do you think any Saint King can stand against him?”

Having witnessed Jiang Chen’s battles, every force present knew that his strength was as boundless as it was terrifying.

Five years ago, Jiang Chen had stepped into the Saint Realm, easily crushing Saint Kings at will. Now, after five years of growth, his strength was bound to be terrifying.

Some questioned what a mere five years could change. For an ordinary cultivator, indeed, it wouldn’t make much difference. But for Jiang Chen, things were different. Knowing this, the crowd eagerly threw out their Saint Weapons, hoping to profit from a guaranteed victory.

Although five million divine sources weren’t a substantial amount for most of them, earning it for little effort was worthwhile. More importantly, they were adding fuel to the fire.

The ancient imperial clans, in particular, were eager to see Jiang Chen and Ye Tian fight to the bitter end, as it would ultimately not affect them.

In one of the pavilions, Jin Changhe chuckled softly, “The Ye family is too arrogant and naive, being completely played by the Primordial Holy Son. After today, their reputation will be thoroughly ruined.”

“The Ye family’s arrogance led them to provoke the one person they shouldn’t have, Jiang Chen. Don’t they realize that his sharp tongue is deadlier than his cultivation? Even the Holy Son of Pure Yang can’t compare!”

Those present had experienced Jiang Chen’s sharp words firsthand at past gatherings of prodigies. With just a few sentences, he could easily provoke them, and since then, they’d learned to hold back when dealing with him, avoiding verbal duels unless they absolutely couldn’t contain themselves. Yet, they often ended up bested.

“This time, the Ye family has truly disgraced themselves,” Bai Chen remarked calmly.

“And I sense that the Primordial Holy Son’s confidence is well-founded—Ye Tian likely has no chance of winning. Should he lose, the blow to Ye Tian could be severe enough to taint his Dao heart, maybe even causing him to collapse entirely.”

The stakes had become so high for Ye Tian that only victory would suffice. Losing to Jiang Chen would be a tremendous blow, one that could shatter even the strongest spirit.

The thought alone made Bai Chen and the others uneasy, as they imagined facing such a defeat themselves. Ye Tian would face ridicule from countless others—a pressure that would be hard to bear for anyone, let alone someone as proud as him.

“They brought this on themselves,” Huang Qingtian commented with a calm expression, his gaze fixed on Jiang Chen’s pavilion, eyes deep in thought. Perhaps he was recalling his own past encounter with Jiang Chen. “Back then, did you hide your strength, or was that truly your limit?” he wondered inwardly.

Initially, he’d thought he was on par with Jiang Chen, but as time passed, he began to doubt. Perhaps Jiang Chen had held back, or maybe he had advanced at an astonishing pace.

On the other side, Jiang Chen called out, “Get on with it! Stop wasting time!” seeing that Ye Qing was still hesitant to make a move.

“Hmph!” Ye Qing scoffed, releasing his pent-up frustration. His eyes, wild like those of a crazed beast, locked onto Yan Ruyu as he coldly declared, “Rest assured, the humiliation Jiang Chen has brought upon us—I’ll repay it in full!”

Yan Ruyu raised an eyebrow and replied, “I doubt you have the ability.”

“Courting death!” Ye Qing growled, his anger exploding as if someone had struck his reverse scale, launching himself at her in a frenzy.