An intense, terrifying killing intent continued to spread, its ferocity beyond measure.
The temperature of the heavens and earth seemed to drop sharply in an instant. Everyone felt a chilling, murderous aura permeating the air, sending shivers down their spines. Even young supremes like Fei Tuo were no exception, a trace of horror flickering in their eyes.
This Battle Saint King was frighteningly formidable beyond imagination.
As for young elites of the Dan Emperor Clan like Dan Xian, they trembled uncontrollably. While their cultivation could be considered impressive in its own right, compared to a supreme young genius like Ye Chen, the gap was simply too vast.
To put it bluntly, even if they all attacked together, they wouldn't last more than a few exchanges against Ye Chen—they would be instantly annihilated.
Feeling the overwhelming, peak-level killing intent emanating from the Battle Saint King, even Dan Xian, their leader, felt a surge of fear deep within. He stared at Ye Chen with dread, but then remembered this was the Dan Emperor Clan's territory. A cold sneer returned to his face. "You wouldn't dare! This is the Dan Emperor Clan!"
"Whether I dare or not, you're welcome to test me," Ye Chen replied coldly, yet the killing intent around him grew even denser, causing many to change their expressions.
Was the Battle Saint King truly bold enough to kill the young elites of the Dan Emperor Clan?
"Second Brother!"
The other imperial clan prodigies looked to Dan Xian. Dan Xian snorted. "Hmph, this is the Tianyi Market. Even I, as a member of the Dan Emperor Clan, cannot break the rules and act."
His words, however, carried a hint of retreat, clearly indicating he didn't dare.
In response, Ye Chen merely gave an indifferent smile. The terrifying killing intent that had enveloped the area receded like a tide, vanishing without a trace. Only when they felt the sunlight fall upon them again did everyone sense a sliver of warmth.
It was no wonder—the aura Ye Chen had projected was simply too terrifying.
"Although I dare not act in the Tianyi Market, I'm not willing to leave just yet. Let's see what kind of supreme treasure a junior from a broken cosmos like you can cut out," Dan Xian decided to stay, intending to mock Ye Chen thoroughly when he failed to extract any rare treasure.
"Oh? Are you provoking me?" A faint, devilish curve lifted the corner of Ye Chen's mouth.
Seeing this, people like Will couldn't help but feel a headache coming on for those Dan Emperor Clan elites across the way. Anyone familiar with Ye Chen knew that whenever he revealed such a devilish smile, it usually meant trouble for his enemies.
Dan Xian sneered. "That's right, I am provoking you. What of it?"
"Nothing much. Dare to make a wager with me?" Ye Chen said slowly.
"What kind of wager?"
"We'll wager on whether this Chaos Primordial Stone of mine can yield any rare treasure," Ye Chen said. "If it contains a rare treasure, and its value exceeds fifty million jin of spirit stones, you pay me an equivalent treasure worth fifty million jin. If it doesn't, I'll pay you a supreme treasure worth fifty million divine spirit sources. How about it?"
As soon as the words fell, the scene erupted in an uproar. For the Battle Saint King to open a wager at the level of fifty million jin of divine spirit sources was no small matter.
"Fifty million jin?!"
Not to mention others, even the group of young imperial clan elites couldn't help but suck in a cold breath. Even a top-tier elite like Dan Xian, one of the best in the Dan Emperor Clan, felt his eyebrows twitch rapidly.
"What, you don't dare? If you don't, just pretend I never said it," Ye Chen chuckled, but in Dan Xian's eyes, it carried a hint of contempt and disdain.
Although fifty million jin of spirit stones was a colossal fortune even for Dan Xian, being provoked like this, especially in front of so many people, left him no choice but to accept. Gritting his teeth, he snorted coldly. "Fifty million jin it is, then. Let's see what kind of world-shaking treasure you can possibly cut out."
Ye Chen smiled faintly but didn't open the stone immediately. Instead, he looked at the other young elites of the Dan Emperor Clan and Fei Tuo. "Do you all want to join the wager? I'll accept any bet. Whatever you wager, I'll match it."
"A treasure equivalent to fifty million jin... Is the Battle Saint King really that confident?"
"No doubt. In my opinion, the Battle Saint King is probably just trying to scare them. That Stone-within-Stone likely contains no rare treasure at all, let alone a treasure worth over fifty million jin of spirit stones. For such a small stone, unless it contains Chaos Immortal Gold..."
"Should we join the bet too? I think the odds of winning are pretty high."
...
Among the crowd, many onlookers whispered amongst themselves, also speculating whether the Battle Saint King was merely bluffing the Dan Emperor Clan members. Quite a few also hoped to seize the chance to place a bet and make a hefty profit.
Ye Chen naturally heard them. He looked at the others in the crowd. "Everyone, you can place bets too. Same rule: whatever you bet, I'll match it. This is the Dan Emperor Clan's turf; I wouldn't dare run. Can't you see the Dan Emperor Clan disciples are betting too?"
Originally hesitant, the various experts, upon hearing this, rushed forward to place their bets. They directly opened their internal spaces, taking out many precious treasures—some were divine materials for artifact forging, some were alchemy recipes, others were high-grade pills, and there were even some special secret treasures. Each item was extraordinary. They placed their bets one after another.
In an instant, over thirty people had placed bets against Ye Chen losing, with the total wager amount reaching over seven hundred million in equivalent treasure value. Various treasures piled up like a small mountain, their radiant light dazzling and mesmerizing, leaving people speechless.
This level of wealth undoubtedly far surpassed the treasure vaults of ordinary Great Powers.
"I say, Qian Yue, are you really sure about this?" Will couldn't help but break into a cold sweat privately, because this was simply too insane.
If they lost, this would be the prelude to a hasty escape.
Ye Chen transmitted his voice. "Don't worry. The more the merrier. Let's earn enough in one go. We'll have more capital for tonight's auction."
Hearing this, Will couldn't help but cast a sympathetic glance at those guys continuously tossing out one treasure after another.
Poor fellows. They still didn't realize they were being scammed by this little Yue who had dark hands and an even darker heart. A classic case of being sold and still helping count the money.
Finally, Fei Tuo also produced treasures worth fifty million jin. The other Dan Emperor Clan elites did the same, spurred on by Dan Xian, they all joined in.
An unprecedented, massive wager began.
"Alright, we've all placed our bets, Battle Saint King. Now let us see how you plan to turn the tables," Dan Xian sneered coldly, as if already seeing the dawn of victory and the Battle Saint King's endless regret and dejection.
However, when he saw the Battle Saint King maintaining a faint smile from beginning to end, for some reason, a profound sense of regret welled up within him. He felt as if the one who would lose this time wasn't the Battle Saint King, but himself and everyone who had placed a bet.
But it was too late now. All he could pray for was that the Battle Saint King absolutely must not cut out any priceless treasure.
"Since that's the case, I shall fulfill all your wishes."
Ye Chen smiled, turned around, and directly slapped his palm toward the Stone-within-Stone, decisively and completely cutting it open.