Chapter 341: Coercion
Ye Chen's voice, bolstered by his potent Spiritual Power, boomed across the land without restraint.
Instantly, every Cultivator in Flame City was startled!
Countless stunned gazes turned toward the center of Flame City.
That was the territory of the Sacred Temple, a place revered as a Sacred Land by the countless Cultivators in Flame City.
Yet today, someone actually dared to cause trouble on the Sacred Temple's grounds?
This was a spectacle not seen in centuries. Instantly, countless figures took to the sky, all streaking toward the city center.
Meanwhile, Mo Tianyun and his group, who had been tracking Ye Chen, and Hongyu Pill Venerable were also stunned.
How could they fail to recognize his voice? The one causing trouble at the Sacred Temple was none other than Ye Chen.
'The Sacred Temple provoked Young Master Ye?'
Hongyu Pill Venerable's eyes glinted. She seemed to pay the Sacred Temple no mind at all, muttering to herself in a cold tone, 'The Sacred Temple wouldn't dare to act recklessly. Otherwise, the consequences would be more than they could bear.'
Elsewhere, Mo Tianyun and his group also furrowed their brows in confusion.
"Fine. Let's go see this so-called number one power in Yan Province."
Mo Tianyun's aura was formidable. As a deacon of the Demon Exorcism Institute, he held this supposed number one power in Yan Province—despite its immense influence in the eastern part of the dynasty—in complete disregard.
...
"Kid, you actually dared to show up!"
"Do you have any idea where you are? Causing trouble at our Sacred Temple... you must have a death wish!"
In the central plaza of Flame City, the Sacred Temple's innumerable powerful Monks pointed and roared in fury at Ye Chen, who hovered in the air above them.
Although the aura emanating from Chi Ming was terrifying, this was their Sacred Temple's home turf, after all.
They were full of bravado, acting as if they looked down on everyone!
"Hmph!"
"Are you deaf?! Didn't you hear what my Master said?!"
Chi Ming was enraged. Gripping his Blazing Flame War Spear, he stamped his foot hard in mid-air!
BOOM!
Following the earth-shattering roar, a monstrous sea of fire unleashed a scorching heatwave, surging down to blanket everything.
The sheer scale of the attack drained the color from the faces of the Sacred Temple's experts, and they were horrified.
'This handsome, red-haired young man before us is actually a Great Power of the Divine Might Realm?!'
'And from the way he talks, he's merely a servant?'
It was simply inconceivable.
The sea of fire was terrifyingly powerful, seeming to incinerate the very air. As far as the eye could see, the world was filled with a torrent of brilliant flames.
A single glance was enough to make the eyes of countless Monks sting. The light from the flames was so fearsome that their skin felt as if it were burning.
Even the few Saint Monks guarding the Sacred Temple were so shocked their expressions changed drastically.
"You will not run rampant here!"
At this critical moment, Lord Shakyamuni's eyes flashed as he made his move!
He activated the Sacred Temple's Guardian Array. A golden halo pulsed with immeasurable power, and from within the dazzling Buddhist light, countless towering, illusory Buddhas seemed to stride forth.
The many phantoms struck out in unison, intercepting the onrushing sea of fire.
Seeing this, the experts in the Sacred Temple finally breathed a sigh of relief, but a deep sense of dread still filled their hearts.
"Enough! Don't you want to save her?"
Seeing that Chi Ming was about to strike again, Lord Shakyamuni's expression shifted. With a wave of his hand, a beam of Buddhist light swept up the Realm Spirit and brought her to his side.
"It's the Realm Spirit!"
Having followed Ye Chen for so long, Chi Ming naturally knew the Realm Spirit's identity. His gaze turned savage, as if he might lunge forward at any moment to snatch her back from Lord Shakyamuni.
A glint flashed in Ye Chen's eyes, but he remained silent.
The Realm Spirit's expression remained as cold and indifferent as ever. Her white robes fluttered in the wind, and her exposed arms were paler than frost and snow.
Her devastating beauty was such that even the Monks of the Sacred Temple couldn't help but be captivated.
"If you dare make another move, I will kill her this instant," Lord Shakyamuni said coolly, a hint of a sneer in his voice.
"The so-called number one power in Yan Province, stooping to such underhanded tactics. How utterly shameless!"
A muscle in Chi Ming's jaw twitched, and he gritted his teeth in fury.
"Dealing with evildoers like you naturally requires unconventional methods."
Lord Shakyamuni said nonchalantly.
"It seems Master Jialan isn't here," Ye Chen said suddenly, sizing up Lord Shakyamuni.
Master Jialan was the abbot of the Sacred Temple, its true leader.
If Master Jialan had been at the Sacred Temple, he and a Great Saint Monk like Lord Shakyamuni would have likely attacked long ago to capture Ye Chen and Chi Ming.
They wouldn't have let Lord Shakyamuni stand here resorting to underhanded threats.
Hearing Ye Chen's words, Lord Shakyamuni's expression flickered, but he said calmly, "Even though the Abbot is not present, with the power of the Guardian Array, dealing with the two of you is still no difficult task."
"But since I have leverage over you, I'm more than happy to take the easier path. Besides, I feel no guilt threatening the likes of a Demon Cultivator and a Fiend Cultivator."
"Heh…" Hearing this, Ye Chen couldn't help but laugh. "Such sanctimonious words. It seems the so-called righteous sects of this world are rarely what they claim to be."
"Enough!" Lord Shakyamuni frowned. "Let me be clear. If you want to save her, send one of you over in exchange!"
"Preferably, you!" As he finished, he shot Ye Chen a pointed look, a grim light flashing in his eyes.
"An exchange?"
Ye Chen smiled. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the two Saint Monks whose cultivation had been sealed from his Chaos Suppressing Prison Cauldron.
Seeing this, the crowd of experts in the Sacred Temple immediately broke into an uproar.
Lord Shakyamuni's gaze turned bone-chillingly cold.
"I have some of your people as well. Two Saint Monks, in fact."
"Given their status in the Sacred Temple, they should be more than enough for an exchange, wouldn't you agree?"
"Unless, of course, you no longer care about their lives."
Ye Chen said coolly.
Hearing this, the faces of the two Saint Monks beside him paled, their hearts filled with both indignation and shame.
For two men of their status to be held hostage by a mere youth was an undeniable humiliation.
It was not just a loss of face for them, but it also brought shame upon the Sacred Temple, the so-called number one power in Yan Province.
"Lord Shakyamuni, those are two of our Saint Monks! They're in that villain's hands! We must get them back!"
"Yes, he's right! If we can't even rescue our own comrades on our own turf, it will be a great blow to the Sacred Temple's prestige."
"..."
The experts in the Sacred Temple all began speaking at once, trying to persuade Lord Shakyamuni.
Lord Shakyamuni fell silent.
In truth, he had initially assumed those two had already died at Ye Chen's hands.
He never imagined they had actually been captured by Ye Chen.
And now, they were being used as hostages to threaten the Temple!
This truly put Lord Shakyamuni in a difficult position.