Chapter 606: Standoff

Time passed slowly.

Twenty hours later.

The massive Magnetic Storm Thunder Prison halted before a glass-like barrier of rules, unable to advance further.

Chen Yan walked out of the Magnetic Storm Thunder Prison, flew slowly to the barrier, touched it with one hand, and pressed down forcefully.

Boom!

An incomparably heavy sound reverberated, but the barrier remained completely unaffected.

Chen Yan furrowed his brows.

The Dark-Devouring Mother Nest was protected by the Purple Universe World-Fixing Mirror; it was impossible for outsiders to strike at it.

Through the transparent barrier of rules, Chen Yan looked inside.

On the distant earth, a pitch-black forest lay dormant, as if wrapped layer upon layer in a massive sheet of ink-colored cloth.

Branches and leaves were intertwined and crisscrossed, clawing and stretching wantonly; above the vast forest, there were countless branches twisting like pitch-black giant snakes, piercing into the high heavens.

Immediately following.

A human figure walked out from within the pitch-black forest.

He wore red robes, had delicate features, a trace of an eerie smile at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes flashed with two points of scarlet from time to time.

It was Chi Xue.

Seeing Chen Yan outside the barrier of rules from afar, Chi Xue first revealed an expression of surprise, then waved his hand in a friendly manner and said softly:

"You've come."

He looked at Chen Yan, then his gaze bypassed Chen Yan to look at the newborn Magnetic Storm Thunder Prison behind him, as well as those Universe Clan turrets and thunder-ball creatures.

His expression trembled slightly.

At this moment, even Chi Xue was incomparably surprised.

He had not expected that in such a short time, Chen Yan had actually developed to this extent.

But soon, a smile rose on his face once again.

Chen Yan waved one hand, and one by one, the Backfire Soldier Husks entered the Magnetic Storm Thunder Prison and brought Yu Qing and the others out.

The moment Yu Qing came out, a glimmer of hope instantly appeared on his face.

"Chi Xue, save us!"

Ji Hun, Ji Chuxi, and the others were also somewhat expectant.

But soon, they all shut their mouths in unison; they also realized that their lives were still at the mercy of Chen Yan's whim.

"People." Chen Yan spoke calmly.

He only said one word, but the meaning was very clear.

Exchange.

Chen Yan did not care about the life or death of Ji Chuxi and the others; he had come only to bring Qi Fan and the others back as quickly as possible.

As Chen Yan's voice fell, Chi Xue smiled until his eyes narrowed.

The hope in the eyes of Yu Qing and the others reached its peak.

And it was at this time.

Two groups of people flew out from the side of the dark forest.

One side was the Five Clans Creation Realm experts, and the other side was precisely Qi Fan and the others.

"Qi Fan!" Seeing that Qi Fan was unharmed, Zhang Chao instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

Qi Fan looked at Chen Yan from afar, his expression trembling, and an inexplicable meaning appeared in his eyes.

Beside Qi Fan, the other nine Great Xia Creation Realm experts looked at Chen Yan's army, their expressions shaken one by one.

That massive thunder ball spanning the heavens, those thousands of thunder-ball creatures, the high-tech turrets, and the dozens of Backfire Soldier Husks.

They found it hard to imagine that Chen Yan had actually assembled such a massive force in such a short time.

And they never expected that Chen Yan would actually come.

They were Creation Realm experts, but they were also human.

Everyone came to the Five Clans Conflict partly to complete the Great Xia's mission, and partly to cultivate themselves and become more powerful.

And... to survive.

They had thought they would definitely die.

"He actually... really came."

A female Creation Realm expert named Lu Jingqiu covered her red lips; under the intense fluctuation of her emotions, her tears could no longer be held back.

She had thought Chen Yan had already left the Dark-Devouring Mother Nest domain.

She had thought she was certain to die.

Qi Fan's expression was also trembling at this moment; he gazed at Chen Yan and remained silent for a long time.

Until a certain moment.

"Did that letter of mine not reach Backfire Castle?" he asked in a heavy voice.

"It reached it," Chen Yan said indifferently.

"Since it reached it, why did you have to come here?" Qi Fan took a deep breath:

"You have already assembled such a massive force; as long as you continue to develop, who can stop you?

Why did you have to come here, why did you have to come here?!"

His voice was heavy to the extreme.

Chen Yan's arrival left him both moved and helpless.

His meaning was already very clear: he wanted Chen Yan not to worry about them.

The initial goal of their group was to hold back Chi Xue and give Chen Yan time to develop.

Chen Yan had successfully built up his forces, so their mission was complete.

Behind Qi Fan, nine Creation Realm experts of Great Xia watched Chen Yan from afar, their expressions currently shaken.

They had thought they were going to die.

They had already prepared themselves to face death.

Yet at this moment, someone had actually traveled ten thousand miles to arrive here; this scene filled them with a complex mix of emotions.

"Why go to such lengths?" Qi Fan's lips trembled at this moment:

"You and I haven't even spoken, and you don't even know the names of these people behind me."

His voice fell, but Chen Yan did not speak.

At the same time, the ten Creation Realm experts of the Five Clans who had appeared alongside Qi Fan and the others stood in front of them.

Time fell into silence.

Yu Qing and the others' hearts were beating violently.

As expected, they were to be used to exchange for the Great Xia Creation Realm experts.

Chi Xue and the others had indeed suppressed the Great Xia Creation Realm experts.

Ke Qingxuan and the others looked at Chen Yan; only now did they understand why Chen Yan had kept Chi Yuexi and the others.

So, the young Divine General had already foreseen this scene.

"Chi Xue, exchange quickly!" Ji Hun spoke with some agitation.

He had thought he was no longer afraid of death, but while imprisoned by Chen Yan, he had worried every single moment that he would die in the next instant.

He understood now that he was just a coward.

He wanted to live.

Now, he finally had hope for survival.

Yu Qing also had tears streaming down, looking at Chi Xue with agitation.

Yet at this very moment.

A low roar resounded.

"It's useless!" Qi Fan's eyes overflowed with killing intent:

"These ten Five Clans Creation Realm experts are already dead; they have been turned into puppets by Chi Xue. Chi Xue is determined to block us!"

As Qi Fan's voice fell, the expressions of Yu Qing and the others froze instantly, and one by one, they widened their eyes and looked toward the direction behind Chi Xue.

Immediately following, the faces of Ji Chuxi, Ji Hun, and the others turned deathly pale.

"Chi Xue, you, you, you, you... how could you..."

Ji Hun was struck by a mix of shock and rage, his nostrils flaring violently from rapid breathing as he pointed at Chi Xue:

"You killed them!!!"

He was incredulous and furious; among those ten Creation Realm experts, his younger brother was still there.

At this moment, although their bodies seemed to be radiating blood energy, they clearly had no life left in them.

If this isn't a puppet, what is it?

"How could you dare to do this? They were all Creation Realm experts, Creation Realm experts!" Ji Chuxi's eyes turned red.

The Creation Realm was the supreme combat power in the world, and there were not many of them in total.

The Five Clans had only brought in fewer than two hundred in total, and ten had died at the hands of their own, Chi Xue.

Yu Qing's pupils contracted sharply, her face turned deathly pale to the extreme.

She had been fantasizing about being rescued by Chi Xue.

But seeing this scene, she was already in despair.

If Chi Xue could kill his own people like this, how could he care about them?

Chen Yan had traveled ten thousand miles to save people, but Chi Xue had killed his own people from the very beginning.

The contrast between the two leaders brought a strong sense of tearing to everyone present.

A trace of a smile appeared on the corner of Chi Xue's mouth as he shrugged:

"If I said I didn't mean it, would you believe me?"

His voice fell, and Yu Qing nearly fainted.

Chen Yan's expression was calm:

"Exchange?"

Chen Yan saw the situation clearly.

Currently, his side was blocked by the rule barrier, but those inside could come out.

But Chi Xue would never let Qi Fan and the others leave easily.

Chi Xue had initiated a domain battle, protected by the Purple Firmament World-Fixing Mirror; outsiders could not actively attack him unless Chi Xue took the initiative to attack others.

A smile appeared on the corner of Chi Xue's mouth, and instead, he sat cross-legged in the void.

"How about we play a game?" He looked at Chen Yan with interest.

Chen Yan looked down at Chi Xue from above:

"Speak."

A trace of a smile appeared on the corner of Chi Xue's mouth:

"If those ten people can force me to make a move, I will agree to the exchange; if they can't even force me to do so by the end, then there will be no exchange."

His voice fell.

Ji Chuxi roared instantly:

"Chi Xue, stop messing around!"

His voice had just fallen when Chi Xue's phantom instantly appeared before Ji Chuxi.

Chen Yan's expression was calm; Chi Xue was protected by the rules, and no one could strike at him unless Chi Xue acted first.

Ji Chuxi's expression trembled:

"What are you doing?!"

With a *slap*.

Chi Xue's right hand suddenly grabbed onto Ji Chuxi's forehead.

"Ahhhhh!!!" Ji Chuxi screamed, wanting to resist, but unable to muster any strength at all.

"Chi Xue!!!" Ji Hun roared.

Being in close contact with Chi Xue, Yu Qing's face turned deathly pale.

"Save me!" Ji Chuxi looked at Chen Yan:

"Save me!"

At this moment, although Chen Yan could not strike at Chi Xue, he was fully capable of taking Ji Chuxi and fleeing.

However, Chen Yan made no move.

Until the next moment.

With a *slap*, Ji Chuxi's skull was pried open by Chi Xue.

With a *boom*.

Ji Chuxi's brain shattered, and blood splattered everywhere.

Chi Xue's excited voice rang out:

"How is it, want to play, want to play?"

He came before Chen Yan, and Ke Qingxuan and the others' expressions instantly turned cold, ready to strike at any moment.

Chi Xue had already thoroughly studied the rules of the Purple Universe World-Fixing Mirror.

Everyone's heart sank.

Could this be the purpose of Chi Xue initiating a domain battle?

Others could not strike at Chi Xue, and even if Chi Xue came right in front of them, they could not attack.

Unless Chi Xue acted first, but if your strength was inferior to Chi Xue's, then it was simply a dead end.

The current Chi Xue was practically a ticking time bomb.

The opponent was ranked seventh on the Creation Realm Board and was extremely skilled in spatial arrays, with immense speed; even if one wanted to flee, one could not.

At this moment.

Even Qi Fan and the others had extremely grim expressions, almost ready to explode and rush toward Chen Yan.

Yet at this very moment.

Chen Yan slightly raised his hand, stopping Ke Qingxuan and the others.

He looked at Chi Xue:

"You turn Five-Clan Creation Realm experts into puppets, and you describe it as playing?"

Chi Xue laughed:

"Chen Yan, don't you feel tired living your life?"

He spread his arms:

"Why live so tiredly? The world is a great chessboard; why must you and I jump into this great chessboard?

Can't we simply participate in a brilliantly laid game, a game where only one of us can survive?"

He smiled, resting his chin on his hand: "If you kill me, then this game will be perfect enough.

If I kill you, then it means..."

The smile in his eyes vanished, and he looked at Chen Yan indifferently:

"You disappointed me, making this game no longer perfect."

Chen Yan narrowed his eyes, but the next moment, he suddenly smiled:

"Ridiculous."

"What is so ridiculous?" Chi Xue raised his head:

"Bound by Great Xia, bound by morality, aren't you ridiculous?"

Chen Yan's brows lifted slightly:

"You are wrong."

"Wrong about what?"

"It is not Great Xia that binds me." Chen Yan's eyes revealed a cold intent:

"It is that the world is about to be destroyed, the great era is about to perish, and so I was born."

Chi Xue narrowed his eyes, but the smile in his eyes remained.

He reached out a hand, wanting to grab at Chen Yan, but the next instant he withdrew it.

He sensed something and looked at Chen Yan in disbelief, his pupils trembling slightly, but the smile remained.

Just as he was about to strike, Chen Yan's aura changed.

It was as if a heaven-propping scarlet giant beast had already bared its fangs at Chi Xue.

This was something only Chi Xue could sense.

A smile appeared on the corner of Chi Xue's mouth, a very intense smile; he, ranked seventh on the Creation Realm Board, had actually sensed an extremely intense danger from Chen Yan.

What kind of danger was it?

He paced back and forth in the void, looking around while deep in thought.

The next moment, his gaze inadvertently swept over Chen Yan's clothes and the pitch-black ring on his index finger.

Everyone watched in trepidation.

Yet Chen Yan did not make a single move, merely watching Chi Xue quietly.