Great Villain: Starting by Humiliating the Son of the Heavenly Fate

Chapter 94: The Swamp’s Collapse Unveils the Underground Palace

'Incredible!'

'The Heavenly Origin realm is now within arm's reach!'

'And not to forget, the Burning World Red Lotus!'

A smirk tugged at the corners of Jiang Chen's lips. Without delay, he extended his right hand, from which sprouted a crimson flame.

Puff! Puff!

The embers flickered, minute yet potent.

Their force had amplified, more than twice its initial might!

This concealed power, a weapon Jiang Chen had never wielded in combat, had amplified in intensity!

Given Jiang Chen's full-throttled attack, he could summon the formidable strength of the Heavenly Origin realm.

This implied that future confrontations with Ye Fan would be considerably less challenging.

'Ye Fan!'

'I've ascended in strength, what about you?'

Jiang Chen's gaze, guided by his divine sense, drilled into the depths of the swamp where Ye Fan lurked, his eyes flashing with an icy derision.

Ye Fan had only just completed mending his injuries.

However, in that very instant...

Splash! Splash!

An unexpected quiver started shaking the entirety of the swamp!

Under the influence of an unseen force, the extraordinarily thick mud began to churn, gradually shaping into a vast whirlpool!

"What in the heavens is happening!?"

"What's wrong with this swamp?"

Ye Fan's countenance contorted in shock. His eyes darted about, yet failed to pinpoint the cause of the anomaly in the swamp.

Nevertheless.

Having weathered countless crises and emerged largely unscathed, he remained relatively unperturbed.

Simultaneously.

'The swamp is in upheaval!'

'Could this be yet another fortuitous event for Ye Fan!?'

'Is this the clichd narrative of plummeting off a cliff, discovering a grotto, and laying hands on treasures!?'

'...'

Jiang Chen was struck with a gut feeling that the turmoil in the swamp was triggered by Ye Fan's Heavenly Fate Value.

Otherwise.

The swamp had remained tranquil for so long.

Why did it suddenly plunge into chaos shortly after Ye Fan sought refuge within its depths?

In that moment.

An aura, heavy with grandeur and laced with an indefinable enigma, subtly suffused the surroundings.

Jiang Chen meticulously tuned his senses to it and discovered that this aura originated from beneath the earth's crust.

'Swamp, whirlpool, subterranean!'

'This swamp is on the brink of a collapse!'

'With the swamp's imminent downfall, as per the original storyline, Ye Fan will undoubtedly stumble upon that grand opportunity!'

Jiang Chen's eyebrows arched upwards, his eyes flickering with an ineffable expression.

This Ye Fan.

Had stumbled upon yet another opportunity.

The frequency was indeed astounding!

However, Jiang Chen also understood that this might be tied to the environment encompassing Ye Fan.

This Cave Heaven secret realm, replete with various opportunities, resembled a vast dungeon, and in the original narrative, it served as Ye Fan's stomping ground!

At this moment.

Ye Fan also discerned that the mud encircling his form was swiftly sinking, and his body was being pulled down in its wake.

'I'm sinking underground!'

'No matter, I won't be entombed alive anyway.'

'In fact, plunging deeper underground provides a strategic advantage for me to elude Jiang Chen's pursuit!'

'I just hope the upheaval in the swamp remains subtle, so as to not draw Jiang Chen's attention.'

'...'

With this line of thought, Ye Fan did not resist the pulling force of the sinking mud.

Swiftly.

The entire swamp morphed into a massive whirlpool, with innumerable bubbles surfacing.

Immediately thereafter.

The water level of the swamp slightly receded, and then all motion ceased.

Subterranean.

Carried by the relentless pull of the mud, Ye Fan descended into a fissure with a resonant rumble!

The ensuing moment.

His feet registered the touch of firm ground, the mud overhead ceased its downward slide, while the surrounding mire continued its sideward flow.

As it transpired.

Beneath his soles lay a hanging stone bridge.

Before him extended a passageway, while his rear was flanked by the mountain's inner wall.

'What is this locale!?'

'Does it resemble an ancient underground palace?'

'This stone bridge... Upon a mere glance, it's evident it's a relic of the Cave Heaven secret realm. Perhaps, I might uncover some opportunities here!'

Ye Fan's gaze roved around, and a wave of exhilaration swelled within his chest.

Subsequently.

He recalled the over ten inner cores of monsters that Jiang Chen had absconded with, as well as the mysterious giant egg, and a swell of anger surged in his heart, prompting him to unconsciously clench his fists.

'This time around!'

'I made a swift and extensive escape, and by sheer chance, I plunged into this place.'

'My opportunity will not be usurped by Jiang Chen again!'

Ye Fan gritted his teeth, then expanded his divine sense to its fullest extent and advanced towards the front of the stone bridge.

Above ground.

'I can't locate Ye Fan with my divine sense!'

'It appears that the place where Ye Fan fell is considerably distant from the surface.'

Jiang Chen drew a deep breath, then circulated his Yuan Power and activated the protective robe draped over his form, the Carefree Heavenly Extreme Robe!

He yearned to continue the pursuit!

Yet, to ward off potential hazards.

He resolved to momentarily go all out and utilize all the treasures he had recently acquired.

Not just that.

He also diverted a fraction of his attention to focus on his dantian and the meridians threading through his body.

So that he could initiate his cultivation method at a moment's notice and ascend to the true Heavenly Origin realm!

Subsequently.

"Black Crystal Sky Piercing Shuttle, advance!"

Jiang Chen manipulated the Black Crystal Sky Piercing Shuttle, plunging headfirst into the swamp.

Promptly.

He sunk to the deepest reaches of the swamp and made contact with a sturdy stone slab!

'It's a contraption!'

'This contraption wasn't triggered by Ye Fan.'

'It appears it may have been activated by the others... perhaps it's the Starry Abyss Sect, the Floating Spirit Sect, and the rest who fled earlier.'

After some reflection, Jiang Chen didn't hastily attempt to dismantle the contraption. Instead, he surveyed the surroundings and discovered a slim fissure.

The contraption was the kind that opened and closed from both sides towards the center.

There was an extremely thin, narrow slit in the middle.

'Spirit Condensation Bianstone Jade!'

Jiang Chen activated an even more potent divine sense, which slipped through the crevices and detected the scenario below - a stone bridge and some footprints.

It was evident.

Those footprints were Ye Fan's handiwork.

Tracking Ye Fan's path with his divine sense, Jiang Chen soon discerned Ye Fan's silhouette.

He observed as Ye Fan had already ventured into a passage, cautiously navigating through the enveloping darkness.

'Allow him to advance a little further, then discover a means to descend!'

Jiang Chen contemplated to himself, then patiently bided his time.

Simultaneously.

Not a great distance from the swamp, in an even more subterranean area.

A substantial group of individuals congregated in a vast underground plaza.

As Jiang Chen had speculated, these individuals were indeed disciples from the Starry Abyss Sect, the Floating Spirit Sect, the Ice Heart School, the Purple Bamboo Spirit Mountain, and the Azure Jade Sect.

At this juncture.

The predicament for the disciples from all the major sects was less than ideal.

Among them.

The Starry Abyss Sect and the Floating Spirit Sect had managed to retain their strength most effectively.

Yet, both sects only had roughly fifteen members remaining.

Duan Ziming, Mu Tao, and the true disciples from both sects were still present.

The principal disciples of the Ice Heart School, the Purple Bamboo Spirit Mountain, and the Azure Jade Sect had also survived, but all their true disciples were absent, with merely a handful of ordinary disciples lingering by their side.

Especially the Purple Bamboo Spirit Mountain, their situation was the most dire!

In total, only six disciples from the Purple Bamboo Spirit Mountain remained.

The Azure Jade Sect was down to eight survivors.

Consequently, much like the other fallen disciples in that cave mansion 'dungeon', they found themselves compelled to form a temporary alliance once more.

At this moment.

Everyone was positioned in the subterranean square, encircled by the lifeless forms of blood-colored humanoid monsters.

The monstrous corpses were bleeding profusely, their blood forming into uncanny patterns through the fissures on the square's stone floor.

Directly ahead of the square.

The once fully sealed, hefty iron wall had ascended to the height of a person, unveiling an exceptionally wide passageway.

"At last, a passage has materialized!"

"Had a passage not emerged soon, I would have succumbed to despair!"

An Azure Jade Sect disciple exclaimed, his voice ringing with palpable exhilaration.

"Fool, the passage only unveils itself once all these monsters are eradicated!"

Xu Yuan, the chief disciple of the Azure Jade Sect, stated icily, "The underground vestige we've unearthed is evidently a legacy riddled with trials!"

"Above ground in the world outside, Heavenly Origin realm spiritual plants are ubiquitous."

"I am eager to discover the grand opportunities that this subterranean vestige harbors!"

Duan Ziming focused intently on the passageway ahead, his eyes glinting with a stirring mixture of anticipation and desire.

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