Chapter 868: The Order of Death!

"Master Ye, you have cured Ling'er, and we are endlessly grateful to you. But this Xie Ying is truly someone we cannot afford to provoke! You must leave now, get out of Yuncha City, go as far away as possible!" Lin Shuang also urged.

But before she could finish her words, a middle-aged man in light armor landed gracefully before Ye Yuan.

"Hahaha, without my consent, you can't leave even if you want to! Since you've issued a challenge, you must be prepared to die! Leave? Where can you go?" Xie Ying said arrogantly.

Yan Jun's eyes blazed with fury at the sight of Xie Ying, and he could no longer hold back: "Xie Ying! Was it you who kidnapped Ling'er?"

Yan Jun had expected Xie Ying to deny it, but instead he laughed loudly: "So what if it was? Have you prepared the Earth Essence Crystals I asked for? Don't blame me for not warning you—even though some fool has challenged me, when the time comes, I'll still send your daughter on her way. Don't think this kid can buy you time."

Xie Ying's frank admission only enraged Yan Jun further. If not for fear of the other's overwhelming strength, he would have rushed to fight to the death.

"You! I have no grudge against you—why do you keep targeting me!" Yan Jun roared.

Xie Ying looked at Yan Jun with pity and sneered: "Why? Hahaha, how ridiculous! Don't you know where you are? This is the Chaotic Demon Sea! In Yuncha City, I am the king! Everything you have is mine! What are a few Earth Essence Crystals? I'm not targeting you specifically—I'm targeting all you merchants who run goods here! You've grown rich off the resources of the Chaotic Demon Sea. So I raise you like livestock, and when you're fat enough, I butcher you. What's wrong with that?"

Such rhetoric might seem absurd in the outside world.

But in Yuncha City, it was not hard to understand.

This was evident from the faces of the onlookers.

They showed no pity for Yan Jun; instead, their gazes were cold and contemptuous.

Here, without strength, you were nothing but a lamb for the slaughter!

Here, reason never prevailed!

In Yuncha City, Xie Ying was the strongest, so whatever he did was right!

The reason he resorted to kidnapping was to avoid alarming the prey, allowing the merchants to be fattened up a little longer.

Yan Jun trembled with rage, but his eyes revealed only despair.

He had thought Earth Essence Crystals could solve everything. But he was wrong!

All these years, he had merely been livestock raised by others. He was just a particularly plump sheep, slaughtered twice by Xie Ying!

"You... if you have a problem with me, take it out on me! Why go after a defenseless little girl? Back then, Ling'er was just a baby in swaddling clothes!" Lin Shuang said, her voice trembling.

Xie Ying curled his lip in disdain: "A baby? In the Chaotic Demon Sea, lack of strength is the original sin! There is no mercy here, only power! You've lived in the Chaotic Demon Sea for so many years, and you still haven't figured that out? Idiots!"

"You! You devil! Brother Liu, I'll give you all my wealth—please, kill this devil for me!" Yan Jun could bear it no longer and offered his entire fortune to take Xie Ying's life.

Yan Jun himself was at the Heavenly Enlightenment Realm, but before Xie Ying, he was far too weak!

Even if he and his wife fought together, they stood no chance against Xie Ying. Their only option was to throw money at the problem.

Liu Yusheng's face darkened. He hadn't expected Ling'er's disappearance to involve Xie Ying.

Though he had used the Spirit Mind Symbiotic Array to scare off Tan Si earlier, facing the even more formidable Xie Ying, Liu Yusheng hesitated.

"Boss Yan, it's not that I, Liu Yusheng, am afraid of death! But... I really am no match for him! I might earn your money, but I wouldn't live to spend it!" Liu Yusheng said helplessly.

At these words, all strength seemed to drain from Yan Jun and Lin Shuang, and they involuntarily stepped back.

The Green Sea Mercenary Corps was his greatest hope, but if even Liu Yusheng refused to act, what hope was left?

Seeing this, Xie Ying grew even more smug and laughed loudly: "I told you, Yuncha City is my domain! What can a paltry mercenary corps do to me? Hmph! If you're smart, deliver the money to the designated place, and maybe you'll see your precious daughter again! But first, let me deal with this waste! How many years has it been since anyone dared challenge me!"

Xie Ying fixed his gaze on Ye Yuan, looking eager.

Since he had ascended the Earthly Fiend List, no one had challenged him. He hadn't expected someone to offer themselves as a practice target today.

His strength might be a bit lacking, but it was enough to make an example of him.

Ye Yuan had remained silent all along, wanting Yan Jun and his wife to understand the cruelty of the Chaotic Demon Sea.

This kind of money was not easy to earn!

Without sufficient strength, in the end, you would only draw water with a sieve.

Ye Yuan lifted his eyelids slightly and said, "Enough nonsense. Time to send you on your way. Will you hand over the Order of Death yourself, or should I come and take it?"

Xie Ying was taken aback, then looked at Ye Yuan as if he were an idiot: "You? You want my Order of Death? Go practice for another hundred years!"

This Order of Death was precisely Ye Yuan's second purpose in coming to Yuncha City!

Because only by possessing this order could one enter the Killing Plains. Otherwise, entering rashly would result in being erased!

Every city lord held an Order of Death. To obtain one and enter the Killing Plains, one had to kill the city lord!

If a new city lord entered the Killing Plains, the plains would send another token to the next city lord.

Of course, that process would involve another bloody struggle.

Yan Jun and his wife were dejected, but when they heard Ye Yuan's words, they were startled and quickly stepped forward to pull him back: "Master Ye, you are our family's benefactor. We cannot let you throw your life away! We will remember your kindness, but... we can only repay you in the next life!"

Ye Yuan smiled calmly and said, "Boss Yan, you worry too much. I came to Yuncha City specifically for the Order of Death. I just didn't expect Ling'er to be caught up in this. Since Xie Ying is behind it, it saves me a lot of trouble—two matters become one. Hmm... let his blood atone for the suffering Ling'er has endured all these years!"

Yan Jun was stunned and murmured, "But... but... he's an expert on the Earthly Fiend List! You're just an alchemist—you can't possibly defeat him!"

Ye Yuan patted Yan Jun lightly on the shoulder and said, "I think this time, you should have seen clearly what the Chaotic Demon Sea is. Once Ling'er is rescued, the three of you should leave this place and never return. This is no place for you."