Villain : After Slacking Off, The Protagonist Collapse-Chapter 309

Chapter 309: Swallowing the Stars, the Might of an Emperor!

Both voices rang out nearly simultaneously.

The Golden-Winged Roc King, mistakenly assuming that the Pure Yang Holy Son was about to strike a killing blow, hurriedly issued his threat. He couldn’t afford to let Tianyang Zhenren die in front of him.

As the heir of an ancient emperor being, Tianyang Zhenren’s identity was far from ordinary. His close ties to the Emperor of Yin Yang Sea meant that any harm to him would bring wrath upon them all.

If the Emperor’s fury were to descend, the Golden-Winged Roc Clan would have no means of withstanding it.

As their words fell into silence, the atmosphere grew heavy, so quiet that the sound of a pin drop could be heard.

—

The crowd’s gaze turned toward the Golden-Winged Roc King and his companions. Many onlookers wore bemused expressions.

The Pure Yang Holy Son had already decided not to kill Tianyang Zhenren, yet here was the Golden-Winged Roc King issuing an untimely threat.

What was his intent? Was he trying to provoke the Pure Yang Holy Son into abandoning his decision and killing Tianyang Zhenren outright? Did the two have some sort of unresolved grudge?

To many, the timing of the Golden-Winged Roc King’s words seemed too coincidental, as if he were deliberately trying to anger the Pure Yang Holy Son.

In truth, it was merely a misunderstanding. The Golden-Winged Roc King had spoken up under the false impression that the Pure Yang Holy Son was preparing to kill Tianyang Zhenren.

Unfortunately, the overlap in timing made the situation exceedingly awkward.

As expected, the Pure Yang Holy Son and Qin Ershi’s expressions grew increasingly cold.

“Are you threatening me?” the Pure Yang Holy Son asked, his grip tightening on Tianyang Zhenren. His voice was icy, his demeanor unyielding.

No one liked being threatened, least of all someone as proud as the Pure Yang Holy Son.

Hearing their exchange, the Golden-Winged Roc King instantly regretted his earlier outburst.

’If only I had waited a little longer before speaking, this whole situation could have been resolved without such turbulence,’ he thought to himself.

Yet, true to the Golden-Winged Roc Clan’s prideful nature, the Roc King refused to acknowledge his mistake. With a cold snort, he replied, “I’m merely reminding you.”

The arrogance of the Golden-Winged Roc Clan shone through in the Roc King’s response. Like many of his kind, he was haughty and unwilling to admit fault, unless faced with overwhelming power.

The clan had bowed to the Supreme of Yin Yang Sea’s strength, but only because they had no choice.

“What if I kill him anyway?” the Pure Yang Holy Son asked with a faint, knife-edged smile. “Would you try to kill me?”

He continued, his tone sharp and taunting. “But it seems to me you lack the ability to do so.”

“I could walk out of here unscathed, but you? I doubt you’d make it far.”

The Pure Yang Holy Son’s aura intensified as he spoke, his voice laced with menace. “Consider your next words carefully. Recklessness might cost you a price you can’t afford to pay.”

Originally, the Pure Yang Holy Son had intended to let Tianyang Zhenren live, viewing the matter as resolved after venting Qin Ershi’s grievances. He had no desire to provoke unnecessary conflict with a forbidden zone.

But now that the Golden-Winged Roc King had interfered, the situation had changed.

While he would tread carefully with the forbidden zones, the Golden-Winged Roc Clan was a different matter entirely.

With the alliance of the Primordial Holy Land standing atop the Nine Heavens Realm, only the forbidden zones were truly worthy of concern. Others, like the Golden-Winged Roc Clan, were inconsequential.

“Price? How laughable!” the Golden-Winged Roc King sneered, his gaze defiant as he looked down on the Pure Yang Holy Son. His tone dripped with arrogance. “What price could there possibly be that I cannot afford?”

“Are you representing the Pure Yang Holy Land? Or perhaps…” His voice trailed off, hesitation creeping into his tone.

“Are you speaking on behalf of the Primordial Holy Son?”

As he uttered the last phrase, the Roc King’s confidence visibly wavered. He hesitated, debating whether to finish his statement.

The Pure Yang Holy Son and the Pure Yang Holy Land were figures he could belittle.

But the Primordial Holy Son was an entirely different matter. Jiang Chen’s identity and power cast a long shadow, even over the arrogant Golden-Winged Roc King.

Despite the backing of the Ancient Emperor of Yin Yang Sea, Jiang Chen’s overwhelming reputation and unparalleled combat prowess left the Roc King apprehensive.

Even if he suspected the Emperor had plans to eliminate Jiang Chen, the prospect of challenging him now was unthinkable.

Still, the Golden-Winged Roc King’s unyielding pride refused to let him back down. Though aware of the possible consequences, he pressed on, finishing his statement with bravado.

The crowd collectively held their breath, astonished at the Roc King’s boldness.

“Does he have a death wish?” someone muttered.

The Roc King had just crossed a line that no one dared to approach lightly. Could it be that he had some hidden trump card, or was he simply bluffing?

“Probably just posturing,” another speculated.

Though in the past, the Golden-Winged Roc Clan might have inspired some degree of fear or doubt, the events of a decade ago had changed everything.

The weight of Jiang Chen’s dominance still lingered in everyone’s minds.

The Golden-Winged Roc Clan, despite its lack of substantial backing, had always carried itself with an air of arrogance, often pretending to have powerful trump cards to intimidate others. For years, many factions were wary of them, assuming they had some hidden strength.

That illusion shattered when Jiang Chen exposed their bluff, revealing that their posturing was little more than hollow bravado.

After this revelation, the crowd’s perception of the Golden-Winged Roc King changed. As they watched him now, their expressions were tinged with skepticism.

“Little Ancestor!” Jin Changhe’s face turned pale, his voice trembling as he urgently whispered.

Though the Golden-Winged Roc Clan now had the backing of the Supreme of Yin Yang Sea, that support was unofficial and conditional. If they recklessly provoked the Primordial Holy Land and its Holy Son, the Supreme might not even intervene.

This could lead to utter disaster.

‘Why can’t we just keep a low profile?’ Jin Changhe thought in despair. ‘Why does the Roc King insist on creating trouble when all we need is to endure until we can rise again?’

Jiang Chen’s voice echoed throughout the battlefield, low and laden with authority, “Am I still not enough for you?”

The words sent a chill through the crowd, silencing even the faintest whispers. The sheer weight of Jiang Chen’s presence was palpable, striking fear into the hearts of everyone present.

The crowd’s expressions changed.

’So it’s true. Jiang Chen is stepping in for the Pure Yang Holy Son. The Golden-Winged Roc King will face the consequences of his arrogance.’

The Golden-Winged Roc King opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a word, Tianyang Zhenren interrupted him.

“Silence!” Tianyang Zhenren roared, his voice sharp and commanding, like a superior reprimanding a subordinate.

His face was ashen as he turned toward Jiang Chen’s direction, bowing slightly as he spoke in a tone laced with forced respect.

“The Golden-Winged Roc King has been dormant for many years and has yet to fully recover. His words are thoughtless and careless. I implore the Primordial Holy Son to overlook his offense.”

He paused for a moment, then added, “For the sake of his muddled state, I hope you can show magnanimity and let this matter rest.”

The crowd was stunned by Tianyang Zhenren’s behavior. Not only had he scolded the Golden-Winged Roc King as though the latter were beneath him, but he had also publicly admitted that the Roc King had acted foolishly.

The uncharacteristic deference and humility left everyone wondering:

“What’s going on between these two?”

“When did the Golden-Winged Roc King start taking orders from Tianyang Zhenren?”

“Are they allies, or is the Roc Clan now under the Yin Yang Sea’s thumb?”

“It doesn’t look like an alliance to me. The Roc King’s silence seems more like subservience.”

The murmurs of speculation spread through the crowd like wildfire.

The Golden-Winged Roc King’s face twisted with rage and humiliation as he listened to the discussions around him. He was furious with Tianyang Zhenren but had no outlet for his anger.

His suppressed fury caused his aura to surge uncontrollably, radiating a violent pressure that shook the ground and fractured the surrounding void.

The intense fluctuations drew even more attention, causing onlookers to eye him with a mix of curiosity and pity.

In contrast, Tianyang Zhenren’s internal frustration boiled over. His earlier defeat was already a significant loss of face, and now the Golden-Winged Roc King’s impulsiveness threatened to drag him down even further.

‘Without this Roc King, this would’ve just been an embarrassment,’ Tianyang Zhenren thought bitterly. ‘Now it’s turning into a death sentence.’

He was willing to risk offending the Roc King to save his own life.

“Interesting… an imperial ancient clan standing up for a forbidden zone,” Jiang Chen’s voice cut through the tense atmosphere like a blade.

“Should I assume this means the ancient imperial clans have joined forces with the forbidden zones? Or is it just the Golden-Winged Roc Clan acting independently?”

Though calm on the surface, Jiang Chen’s words carried an unmistakable weight of authority and menace. His killing intent rippled through the air, suffocating all those present.