Back on Prosperous Stone Immortal Star, the battle between Jiang Chen and Shen Xin was reaching its end.

After a full day of fighting, their strength—once at the Void Tribulation level—had dropped to the Nirvana Cleansing realm.

Jiang Chen suddenly used what looked like a secret art to boost his power. His face turned pale, his breathing unsteady, as if he was about to collapse.

"Bao Rui! Help me!" Shen Xin shouted. He looked just as worn out, and this time it wasn’t an act—he was truly close to his limit.

"Alright!"

Bao Rui, who had been watching from afar all day, finally stepped in.

Whoosh!

He turned into a streak of light and rushed into the battlefield, joining forces with Shen Xin. The two of them pressed Jiang Chen hard, attacking without pause.

"Damn it!" Jiang Chen cursed, his expression tense. "If I hadn’t used up my trump cards dealing with the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace and the Purple Crest Immortal Sect, you two would already be dead!"

He turned and fled, looking flustered.

"Where do you think you’re going!?"

Shen Xin shot forward at full speed, chasing him down.

Jiang Chen kept up the act. His movements slowed, his aura weakened bit by bit, as if the backlash from the secret art was catching up to him.

It didn’t take long before Shen Xin caught up and cut off his path.

"Jiang Chen! You’re finished!"

Bao Rui had no idea any of this was an act. He was thrilled. He rushed forward and unleashed spell after spell, blasting Jiang Chen without holding back.

"Aagh—! This isn’t fair!"

Jiang Chen gave it everything. His face twisted with anger and unwillingness, as if he couldn’t accept losing like this.

Then, as if he had no strength left, he stopped resisting.

Shen Xin moved in at once and captured him, binding him with a rope-like immortal tool.

Bao Rui stared at the tied-up Jiang Chen and burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! Jiang Chen, even you have a day like this!"

He stepped closer, eyes full of mockery.

"When you killed Liang Youwen and the others, weren’t you so arrogant? So untouchable? Now that you’re in our hands, how does it feel?"

He had no idea that, in the eyes of both Jiang Chen and Shen Xin, he looked like a complete fool.

"Enough. We can’t waste time," Shen Xin said, showing a hint of strain as if he were barely holding on. "I’m taking Jiang Chen back right away. Bao Rui, go activate the interstellar teleportation array."

"Okay!"

Bao Rui’s expression turned serious. He understood how dangerous Jiang Chen was. If Jiang Chen recovered even a little, things could turn bad fast.

Without delay, the group headed toward the arctic isolated island.

On the way, Shen Xin contacted Feng Haojin, the deputy leader of the Profound Jade Immortal Alliance, along with the strategist Old Yu. He informed them that Jiang Chen had been captured.

The news caught both of them off guard—in a good way.

At first, they had only expected Shen Xin to stall Jiang Chen, keep him from leaving Prosperous Stone Immortal Star, and gather information. The thought of capturing him alive hadn’t even crossed their minds.

Even so, Feng Haojin and Old Yu remained cautious.

Not long after, Bao Rui sent his own message, confirming everything Shen Xin had reported.

Only then did Feng Haojin fully believe it.

He quickly sent a reply, praising Shen Xin for the achievement before asking for the details of the fight.

When he learned that Jiang Chen had exhausted his main trump cards while killing Liang Youwen, You Shaojun, and the others—and was captured alive afterward—Feng Haojin and Old Yu finally felt at ease.

Shen Xin then brought up using Jiang Chen as leverage to exchange for Zhu Zhongming.

Feng Haojin had already been thinking about releasing Zhu Zhongming, so he agreed without hesitation. He arranged to meet at the Interstellar Teleportation Hall on Divine Lands Immortal Star.

After the communication ended, Bao Rui finished activating the interstellar teleportation array.

Boom!

A bright, twisting pillar of light shot into the sky.

Shen Xin stepped onto the array with Jiang Chen and Bao Rui.

Prosperous Stone Immortal Star... farewell, Jiang Chen thought, casting one last glance at the planet.

The next moment, his body felt weightless.

In the blink of an eye, the world around him changed.

The moment they landed, Jiang Chen quietly spread out his divine sense, covering the entire unfamiliar planet.

It was lively and full of people. A Nirvana Cleansing realm powerhouse stood guard over it.

But this wasn’t their final stop.

Jiang Chen, Shen Xin, and Bao Rui went through three more interstellar teleportations before they finally arrived at Divine Lands Immortal Star.

Each planet along the way was thriving with life. Jiang Chen swept them all with his divine sense, careful and thorough. Still, he didn’t find any supporting characters on those worlds.

When they reached Divine Lands Immortal Star, he finally sensed the second supporting character—Yu Qiran, better known as Old Yu, Feng Haojin’s strategist.

Feng Haojin himself didn’t come. He had to remain at Phoenix Cry Immortal Star.

Aside from Yu Qiran, every Nirvana Cleansing realm cultivator stationed on Divine Lands Immortal Star was present.

They were the guardians of the Heavenly Purgatory Prison.

In total, there were three of them—each at the Late-stage of the Nirvana Cleansing realm.

With Yu Qiran and Bao Rui included, Jiang Chen was now facing five Nirvana Cleansing realm cultivators.

On the surface, it looked like a tight situation.

But for someone at Jiang Chen’s level, it felt a little too simple.

Outside the entrance of the Heavenly Purgatory Prison, Shen Xin stood beside him, escorting him like a prisoner. On the other side stood Yu Qiran, Bao Rui, and the three Late-stage Nirvana Cleansing realm guardians.

Yu Qiran stepped forward and looked Jiang Chen up and down, eyes cold.

"So you’re Jiang Chen?"

He pointed straight at him.

"You dared to wipe out all the Nirvana Cleansing realm powerhouses on a life planet under our Profound Jade Immortal Alliance. You really think you can get away with that?"

His gaze hardened.

"Someone like you deserves the harshest punishment our alliance can give."

The three guardians beside him stared at Jiang Chen as well, their expressions dark, as if ready to move at any moment.

Shen Xin frowned slightly.

"Let’s not forget what matters most," he said, looking at them. "Where is my senior brother, Zhu Zhongming? Release him first."

"Of course, of course." Yu Qiran’s attitude shifted quickly. "Don’t worry, Daoist Shen."

"Daoist Zhu Zhongming has been safe the entire time. We’ll release him immediately."

He turned and gave the three guardians a nod.

"Please wait a moment."

The three late-stage Nirvana Cleansing guardians acknowledged Shen Xin with a brief nod, then turned and entered the Heavenly Purgatory Prison.

Yu Qiran turned back to Jiang Chen, contempt clear on his face.

"Jiang Chen, you little brat. Do you see this?" He gestured toward the massive structure behind him. "This is the Heavenly Purgatory Prison—the most secure prison in the entire Profound Jade Immortal Domain."

He sneered.

"Soon, you’ll be thrown inside. You’ll go through endless torture, and in the end, you won’t even have a whole corpse left."

He took a step closer, eyes cold.

"You dared to kill people from the Profound Jade Immortal Domain. This is the price."

From the way he looked at Jiang Chen, it was obvious he would’ve liked to tear him apart on the spot.

Jiang Chen raised his head, a fierce light flashing in his eyes, as if he was barely holding himself back.

"Old man, watch what you say. Words can come back to bite you," he shot back. "If I ever turn this around, I’ll cut you into ten thousand pieces."

Yu Qiran burst out laughing.

"Turn it around? Look at you." He glanced at Jiang Chen from head to toe, as if examining a dying man. "In this state, and you still dare to talk big? You really are ridiculous."