The Saint Martial Dynasty spanned eight million square kilometers.

The dynasty ruled over ten prefectures, a hundred commanderies, and three thousand cities, with a population exceeding one billion. It was considered a Lower-Class Dynasty in the Eastern Continent of the Qiankun Continent.

The Imperial Capital, as the heart of the dynasty, was the most prosperous place.

It was also a land where experts were as numerous as trees in a forest, a gathering place for geniuses.

When Jiang Chen and his group were still ten kilometers from the Imperial Capital, they could already see a majestic city lying prone on the horizon like a primeval Ancient Beast. It stretched as far as the eye could see, its edges lost to the distance.

As they drew closer...

They were completely captivated by the Imperial Capital’s grandeur!

On the eastern side alone, there were nine gates. Each gate stood two hundred meters high and one hundred meters wide, large enough for more than a hundred people to enter side-by-side.

Two squads of soldiers guarded the city gates.

Every one of them wore gleaming battle armor, and not a single one had a cultivation lower than the Martial Arts Fifth Stage. The two Captain Level soldiers, in particular, radiated vigorous energy, as fierce as dragons or tigers. They were experts of the Martial Arts Ninth Stage!

One must understand that in Yandu City, a Martial Arts Ninth Stage expert was already considered among the top echelons.

Such strength was enough to support a first-class family.

Yet in the Imperial Capital, such an expert was merely a Captain Level soldier.

"This city is huge!" Jiang Chen exclaimed in awe.

The Black Emperor curled its lip. "This is nothing. Back in my day, I followed the Celestial Demon Emperor Venerable and visited countless places. Take the Imperial City of Ancient Imperial City, the capital of the Ancient Imperial Dynasty in Zhongzhou. Its gates alone were ten kilometers wide, and its walls pierced the clouds. The soldiers there all had mounts, and the weakest of them were Tier Three High-Level Beast Kings!"

Jiang Chen couldn’t help but be startled. ’The weakest mounts are Tier Three High-Level Beast Kings?’

’Doesn’t that mean they use Heavenly Destiny Realm experts just to guard the gates?’

’Just how powerful must that Ancient Imperial Dynasty be?’

"Hey, what are you lot doing? Don’t you know this is a restricted area by the city gate? Loitering is forbidden!" a cold voice rang out.

A young soldier in battle armor wore a contemptuous look on his face. He glanced at Jiang Chen before his eyes landed on Xiao Qingyi.

Even though Xiao Qingyi’s face was covered by a veil.

Her graceful figure and saintly aura, like a newly blossomed Clear Lotus, were enough to mesmerize anyone, making it impossible to look away.

Xiao Qingyi’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. She took a step back, hiding behind Jiang Chen.

A hint of displeasure flashed in Jiang Chen’s eyes. He said flatly, "My apologies. We’re new here and didn’t know the rules. We’ll be on our way."

"Uh..."

The young soldier snapped back to reality. Seeing Jiang Chen taking her hand to leave, a flash of jealousy appeared in his eyes. His expression darkened as he shouted, "Stop! Who said you could leave!"

"Hmm?"

Jiang Chen looked at the young soldier. "You’re stopping me. Is there something you need?"

The young soldier nodded and said indifferently, "The Imperial Capital is an important place. First-time entrants must pay an entry fee and register their identities!"

"Then lead the way," Jiang Chen nodded.

The young soldier led Jiang Chen to the side of the gate. With an eager smile on his face, he looked at Xiao Qingyi. "Miss, may I ask your name and where you’re from?"

Jiang Chen said, "We’re from—"

"Shut up! I wasn’t asking you!" the young soldier barked, cutting Jiang Chen off. His smile returned, and his gaze grew even more heated. "Miss, please, you tell me!"

"Xiao Qingyi, from Yandu City in Yulan Mansion," Xiao Qingyi said, her voice cold. She frowned, her dislike for the young soldier growing.

"Xiao Qingyi? A lovely name... Miss Qingyi, has anyone ever told you that you have a beautiful voice? Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Luo Ben, from the Luo Family, one of the Ten Great Aristocratic Families of the Imperial Capital. If you ever run into any trouble in the Imperial Capital that you can’t solve, Miss Qingyi, you can always come find me!" Luo Ben said with a warm smile, taking out a Token and handing it to Xiao Qingyi.

Xiao Qingyi reached out to take the Token, but Luo Ben held onto it tightly, refusing to let go.

While gripping the Token with a smile on his face, his hand unconsciously moved to caress the back of Xiao Qingyi’s.

However...

Before his hand could touch Xiao Qingyi, a sharp pain shot through his wrist, contorting his face. Jiang Chen had seized his wrist with one hand, his expression ice-cold. "You’d better keep your filthy paws to yourself. Otherwise, I don’t mind making you lose them forever."

Luo Ben’s face twitched in pain as he glared at Jiang Chen with venomous eyes.

’This country bumpkin actually has so much strength,’ he thought, shocked.

But...

’This is the Imperial Capital!’ Thinking of the Luo Family behind him, Luo Ben snarled venomously, "Let go, you brat! Let me go! If you don’t, I’ll have your life..."

"Noisy!"

Jiang Chen snorted coldly. With a flick of his wrist, a crisp CRACK echoed as Luo Ben’s wrist snapped.

"AARGH..."

Luo Ben screamed in agony.

"What’s going on?"

"Luo Ben? Your hand is broken? Who did this..."

The guards on the side finally reacted, and twenty soldiers instantly surrounded them.

Clutching his broken hand, Luo Ben stared at Jiang Chen with a sinister expression. "It was this brat! He ambushed me! Brothers, get him! Kill this little bastard for me!" His eyes were filled with rage and hatred. "You little mutt, how dare you oppose me! I’ll make you wish you were dead! In a moment, I’ll have my men capture you, cripple your cultivation, and take your woman right in front of you!"

Luo Ben was from the Luo Family, a noble of high status, so none of the soldiers dared to offend him.

One by one, they drew their weapons and surrounded Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen’s icy gaze shot past the crowd and locked onto Luo Ben. He said coldly, "Cripple my cultivation? And you’re still thinking about Qingyi? In that case, I’ll cripple you first!"

Before his voice had even faded, Jiang Chen’s figure transformed into a bolt of lightning and shot forward. The twenty soldiers didn’t even have time to react before Jiang Chen was already in front of Luo Ben.

Under Jiang Chen’s cold stare, Luo Ben trembled all over. The aura of death enveloped his body and soul, and his face turned pale. "Y-y-you, what are you trying to do? This is the Imperial Capital! If you dare to touch me, I guarantee you’ll die without a burial place..."

"So you do know this is the Imperial Capital? The Imperial Capital is at the feet of the Celestial Emperor. As a soldier of the dynasty, instead of enforcing the law impartially, you’re here harming the innocent. Even if this matter were brought before the Jinluan Hall, you would be the one at fault!"

Jiang Chen snorted. This Luo Ben had tried to cripple him and had designs on Qingyi—an unforgivable crime. The cold light in his eyes grew even sharper. "You want to cripple my cultivation, so I’ll cripple you first. You dared to have indecent thoughts about Qingyi, so I’ll put an end to them for good!"

SHHIIING—

A Sword Finger jabbed forward, piercing into Luo Ben’s lower abdomen with a PFFT. His Dantian was instantly shattered.

Immediately after, he lifted his right foot and brought it down hard.

BANG—

The kick landed squarely between Luo Ben’s legs. The sound of eggs shattering made the faces of the twenty surrounding soldiers change, and they all instinctively clamped their legs together.

"AARGH..."

Luo Ben shrieked in agony, curling up on the ground and writhing in unbearable pain.

Jiang Chen gave him one last cold glance.

Just as he was about to turn, he saw the twenty soldiers, weapons in hand, still surrounding him. He couldn’t help but say, "Move, or end up like him!"

"You..."

"Brat, don’t be so arrogant! You dare to openly attack a soldier of the dynasty in broad daylight! We must apprehend you to uphold military law!"

Facing the twenty murderous soldiers, Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes.

The commotion here had also attracted the attention of passersby. When they saw Luo Ben howling on the ground, their expressions all changed.

"Holy shit, that kid’s got balls! He actually dared to attack someone from the Luo Family?"

"Hmph, a country bumpkin who doesn’t know what’s good for him. He probably has no idea how the Luo Family operates. When their experts arrive, it’ll be his funeral!"

"Sigh... I’ve heard of that Luo Ben. He’s always been arrogant and domineering, relying on his status as a Luo Family disciple to bully men and prey on women. He finally hit a steel plate this time. But that young man was too reckless. To openly cripple Luo Ben... he won’t be alive for much longer!"

The Luo Family was one of the Ten Great Aristocratic Families of the Imperial Capital, possessing immense power and an extremely overbearing nature.

Jiang Chen had actually crippled Luo Ben.

This was tantamount to a public provocation of the Luo Family. In the eyes of the crowd, Jiang Chen was a dead man.

Surrounded by the soldiers, Jiang Chen’s face remained calm. He didn’t make a move immediately. After all, this was the Imperial Capital, where experts were as numerous as a forest. If he went too far and attracted the top masters, he would be powerless to resist.

As for surrendering without a fight?

Those four words did not exist in Jiang Chen’s dictionary!

He glanced at the Black Emperor, his True Essence stirring as he sent a secret message. The Black Emperor nodded, transformed into a streak of Flowing Light, and disappeared into the crowd, flying deeper into the Imperial Capital.

A short while later, a rumbling sound approached from the distance. A group of soldiers dressed in Cyan Armor and riding Tier One High-level Demon Beast Thunderfire Griffins arrived, radiating killing intent.

The leader of the group had an aura approaching the True Martial Realm Eighth Stage and bore some resemblance to Luo Ben. He spotted the blood-soaked Luo Ben at a glance, and his eyes turned cold as he let out a furious roar: "I don’t care who you are! If you dare to harm my little brother, I’ll make your entire family pay with their lives!"

"Is that Luo Hao?"

"I can’t believe even Luo Hao came. He’s at the True Martial Realm Eighth Stage, a peerless genius who’s just shy of making it onto the Spirit List."

"Sigh, this outsider is a dead man!"

The crowd was completely stunned by Luo Hao’s powerful aura, letting out gasps of shock.

Jiang Chen glanced coldly at Luo Hao, the corner of his mouth lifting in a smirk. He replied nonchalantly, "Make my entire family pay? You? You’re not worthy."