Chapter 746: Sima Qingtian's Ambition

In the garden.

A breeze rustled through, sending ripples across the lake’s surface and making the flowers and grass tremble slightly.

But everyone in the garden was dumbstruck, as if they had been hit by an Immobilization Spell.

At the focal point of everyone’s gazes…

Beitang Jian was frozen in his attack stance, a savage look still on his face.

However… in front of Beitang Jian, Jiang Chen had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, standing just an arm’s length away.

The banana in his hand was pressed squarely against Beitang Jian’s forehead.

The banana was soft.

Nearly half of it was already crushed, turning into a white, sticky pulp that slid down from Beitang Jian’s forehead, trickling along his nose. DRIP. DRIP. It splattered onto his chest, but Beitang Jian didn’t react at all. He just stared, wide-eyed, gasping for breath.

GULP!

No one knew who had just swallowed, but the sound was like a stone dropped into a quiet well, sending ripples through the silence.

“Fuck!”

“He… he won? He really won with just a banana?”

“Unbelievable… That’s just a banana! If it had been a Profound Weapon, wouldn’t Beitang Jian be dead right now?”

Even the Six Extremes Geniuses like Sima Lingkong and the others looked at each other in shock.

This was simply too terrifying!

Facing one of the strongest of Coastal City’s younger generation, the esteemed Six Extremes Genius Beitang Jian, Jiang Chen had dispatched him with just a banana.

Jiang Chen pulled the banana back and said lightly, “You lost.”

“Lost? I… I lost just like that? To a… banana?”

Beitang Jian’s face was blank.

His eyes were unfocused, having lost their usual sharp glint, like a puppet that had lost its soul.

He couldn’t believe he had actually lost.

Lost in a contest of the Sword Dao, the art in which he took the most pride.

More importantly, his opponent had used only a banana!

Beitang Jian looked up at Jiang Chen dazedly, his expression incredibly complex. He tightened his grip on his longsword several times, wanting to launch a sneak attack as Jiang Chen turned away and kill this guy who had humiliated him repeatedly. But the cold banana juice dripping down his forehead made him too afraid to move.

Finally, he lowered his sword, letting it hang by his side, and said in a heavy voice, “I lost.”

“You’ll be glad for your wise decision. If you had tried to kill me just now, you’d already be a cold corpse,” Jiang Chen said lightly, a smirk playing on his lips.

A look of terror appeared on Beitang Jian’s face.

He had no doubt that Jiang Chen could have killed him. Taking a deep breath, he bowed deeply to Jiang Chen. Then, with a complex expression, he turned to Beitang Fengyun at the side. After a moment of silence, he said, “Fengyun, my cousin, everything in the past was my fault. From now on, I will be in your care.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Beitang Jian deliberately walked over to Beitang Fengyun’s side and stood there like a loyal bodyguard, as close as a shadow.

Beitang Fengyun was completely dumbfounded, and it took him a moment to snap out of it. He then turned to look at Jiang Chen, his face filled with excitement and gratitude.

The onlookers were overcome with emotion.

Someone as powerful as Beitang Jian had been defeated by Jiang Chen. Who among them would dare to voice any dissent?

Princess Luohua took a deep breath. She hadn’t expected Jiang Chen to be so formidable. Just as she was about to speak, her expression shifted, becoming respectful. After a moment, Princess Luohua glanced toward the depths of the City Lord’s Mansion, gave a slight nod, and said to Jiang Chen, “Young Master Jiang, my father requests your presence.”

“The City Lord of Coastal City?”

Jiang Chen was taken aback, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.

Although the Heavenly Wrath had erased some of the crowd’s memories of him comprehending the Heaven-Soaring Sword Dao, he couldn’t be sure if others outside the garden knew about it.

After a moment of hesitation, Jiang Chen said in a low voice, “Lead the way.”

“Young Master Jiang, please follow me!” Princess Luohua said respectfully.

Jiang Chen nodded, then looked at Beitang Fengyun. “Fengyun, you’ve been away from home for a long time. Go back and handle your family matters first, then wait for me at the Seven-Star Tower!”

“Yes, Young Master Jiang!” Beitang Fengyun said respectfully.

Yiluo followed closely behind him. Princess Luohua frowned slightly, but seeing that Jiang Chen said nothing, she hesitated for a moment and didn’t say anything either.

「Not long after…」

They arrived at the deepest part of the City Lord’s Mansion, in a quiet, secluded courtyard.

There was a flowerbed in front of the courtyard.

Princess Luohua said, “My father is waiting for you inside…” After a pause, she looked at Yiluo, who was following Jiang Chen closely. “Miss, how about you stay here and admire the flowers with me?”

Yiluo looked at Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen smiled. “It’s fine. You can wait for me here.”

“Mm!”

Yiluo nodded, her expression cold and unapproachable.

Jiang Chen went to the front of the room, paused for a moment, and said, “This junior pays his respects to Lord Sima!”

“Come in!”

Sima Qingtian’s voice came from inside, and the door opened automatically.

Jiang Chen stepped inside.

The room was very simple, with only a bed, a table, and two stools.

At this moment, the Overlord of Coastal City, Sima Qingtian, was sitting on one of the stools. He looked up at Jiang Chen and revealed a gentle smile. “Young friend, please, have a seat.”

“Thank you, Lord Sima!”

Jiang Chen sat on the stool.

“Try this tea!” Sima Qingtian pointed to a teacup on the table, which was steaming.

Jiang Chen frowned, drained the cup in one gulp, and felt a warmth spread through his body.

“This tea is called Sea View. It grows on our Coastal City’s most famous Sea View Rock, nourished daily by the winds of the Azure Sky Sea. It is full of Spiritual Qi,” Sima Qingtian explained, pouring another cup for Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen didn’t touch the teacup again, his gaze fixed intently on Sima Qingtian.

This Sima Qingtian was an existence even more powerful than Duann Tianya, yet he was being so warm toward him. This set Jiang Chen’s mind racing. The two stared at each other in silence for a moment before Sima Qingtian broke into a smile. “To have such a mindset at such a young age… Young friend, you are truly the genius capable of summoning Heavenly Wrath!”

Jiang Chen’s heart skipped a beat. So Sima Qingtian really did know he was the one who had summoned the Heavenly Wrath.

His expression turned a little grim.

Sima Qingtian smiled. “Young friend, no need to worry. Right now, in all of Coastal City, only this old man knows you are the one who summoned the Heavenly Wrath. As for the other family powers, this old man has already sent word; they will not dare investigate your identity. What’s more, when the Heavenly Wrath appears, unless one is a master at Domain Seventh Refinement or above, all information about it will be forcibly erased from their minds. This old man was only able to preserve that sliver of memory thanks to an Exotic Treasure!”

Jiang Chen was unmoved. “Lord Sima, may I ask why you have summoned this junior?”

Sima Qingtian was taken aback, not expecting Jiang Chen to be so calm. He nodded to himself and said, “This old man simply hopes that you, young friend, can represent our Coastal City and go to Celestial Drum City to participate in the Holy War!”

“Represent Coastal City?” Jiang Chen was taken aback.

Sima Qingtian gave a bitter smile. “Young friend, there is something you don’t know. The reason my Coastal City has stood for so many years is entirely due to this old man’s close relationship with a Vice City Lord in Celestial Drum City. However, this Vice City Lord is nearing the end of his lifespan. Once he passes away, I fear my Coastal City will be indefensible. But if Coastal City can produce a genius who joins one of the Four Great Holy Lands, then no one else would dare to have designs on us!”

Jiang Chen came to a sudden realization.

The competition between the major powers in Zhongzhou is particularly fierce. Once a backer is lost, a resource-rich place like Coastal City, controlled by Sima Qingtian, would definitely change hands in an instant.

Sima Qingtian struck while the iron was hot. “Rest assured, young friend, if you are willing to represent Coastal City in the war, this old man will naturally not be stingy. This is something I’ve prepared for you…” Sima Qingtian took out a Storage Ring and placed it in front of Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen was taken aback, refined the ring, and his expression changed slightly.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Chen nodded. “Alright. I agree.”

“That’s wonderful! Young friend, if there is anything else you need, just ask! As long as it is within my power, I, Sima Qingtian, will surely prepare it for you!” Sima Qingtian said hurriedly, his face ecstatic.

Jiang Chen said, “I want to meditate on Sea View Rock for ten days. After ten days, I will set out for Celestial Drum City!”

“Meditate on Sea View Rock for ten days? No problem! Young friend, you can go there directly. I will immediately send someone with my decree to Sea View Rock. Absolutely no one will dare disturb you!” Sima Qingtian said, gritting his teeth.

“In that case, I, Jiang, will take my leave!”

Jiang Chen left immediately.

Watching Jiang Chen’s departing figure, the smile on Sima Qingtian’s face faded, replaced by a cold, sinister expression. ‘Qin Yulong, you want to drive me to my death and seize my Coastal City, don’t you? Hmph. With young friend Jiang Chen’s help, I’d like to see how you’ll take it from me! If he can join one of the Four Great Holy Lands, Coastal City will receive immense rewards. We might even advance and become a Second-class power…’

Even Jiang Chen himself probably didn’t know that he had now reached a point where he could influence the promotion of a Third-class power…

[This was yesterday’s five chapters. There will be five more today.]