Lin Tian was unclear, and the several Lin Family Elders were also unclear, but the former saw the somewhat intimate manner between him and Lin Ke'er earlier and immediately understood.
It was Ke'er who had invited this helper, and such a heavyweight figure at that. This was truly a blessing for the Lin Family.
The several family Elders couldn't help but quietly ask Patriarch Lin Tian: "Patriarch, do you know the Battle Saint King?"
Hearing the trace of disbelief in their words, Lin Tian couldn't help but feel a flicker of pride in his heart. Although he didn't know him, didn't his daughter knowing him equate to him knowing him?
These old fellows, though also formidable Elders within the family and its main pillars, had always held some prejudice against him. Especially after the family ancestor passed away and the family began to decline under his leadership, they had no intention of supporting him. If not for them all being part of the same family, they would have likely left long ago.
Now, he could also use the face of the Battle Saint King to deal a heavy blow to these old fellows. Lin Tian's expression remained unchanged on the surface as he said indifferently, "I don't know him, but Ke'er does. Otherwise, do you think the Battle Saint King would intervene in this matter for no reason?"
Hearing this, the three Elders gave awkward smiles but did not retort, for it was indeed true. Moreover, the Battle Saint King truly being Lin Ke'er's friend was absolutely a great joyous event for the Lin Family.
Even though Lin Tian and the others knew it was impossible to recruit a major figure like the Battle Saint King into the Lin Family, his mere appearance was already an immense honor.
Lin Tian even noticed that the look in his daughter's eyes when she gazed at the Battle Saint King clearly contained a hint of affection. He had already begun to think: if he betrothed Ke'er to the Battle Saint King, pulling this great deity onto the Lin Family's war chariot, wouldn't that be even better?
Not only him, but other high-ranking members of the Lin Family also thought this way. Being able to recruit the Battle Saint King to join the Lin Family would absolutely be the greatest blessing.
"Battle Saint King, please show mercy!"
At this moment, Meng Ao hurriedly spoke up to plead. He couldn't just watch as the clan Elder was killed by Ye Chen. That was the Meng Family's heritage, a powerful overlord.
Even the Imperial Court's Supreme Elder hurriedly spoke: "Saint King, please stay your hand."
He deeply understood what kind of authority the Battle Saint King held within the Imperial Dynasty—truly one person below, ten thousand above.
Only beneath the Heavenly King ancestor.
The Meng Family clan Elder, whose life was being held in someone's grasp, naturally also hurriedly begged for mercy. Upon learning he was the Battle Saint King, any so-called hatred had long vanished, and indeed, none could arise. When a person was powerful to an insurmountable degree, no hatred could be born.
But Ye Chen said ruthlessly, "Since he revealed killing intent towards me and made a move to kill, how can I spare him? Otherwise, wouldn't everyone in the world think this Battle Saint King is easy to bully?"
"Your Highness Saint King, don't kill—"
The Meng Family clan Elder, sensing the killing intent emanating from Ye Chen, immediately cried out. But before he could finish his sentence, his head separated from his body. The severed head soared high into the air as a pillar of blood spurted forth.
Then, with a point of a finger, a beam of finger light shot to the heavens.
Pfft—
That head exploded. A thousand, ten thousand peach blossoms bloomed forth, a scene of tragic beauty. Even his Primordial Spirit was completely annihilated.
The Meng Family clan Elder, an overlord of his generation, had thus perished, his Dao extinguished.
The entire central square fell into silence, so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Everyone stared dumbfounded at the Battle Saint King, somewhat terrified.
An overlord! Previously so arrogant and unstoppable, yet not long after, he had fallen, so cleanly and decisively.
But no one dared to oppose. The Meng Family didn't dare, nor did the Imperial Dynasty's Supreme Elder.
Ye Chen then looked towards Meng Ao's son and said to Lin Ke'er, "Miss Ke'er, how would you like to deal with him? Should he be killed?"
Lin Ke'er was slightly taken aback, feeling a pang of sadness at Ye Chen's somewhat distant form of address. But hearing his words, she immediately widened her almond-shaped eyes, glaring angrily at Meng Ao's son, Meng Hua, and said, "Brother Qian, I want to cripple him, make him unable to cultivate for the rest of his life."
Meng Hua's face immediately changed color. Having his cultivation crippled was even worse than being killed. He hurriedly looked towards his own father.
And Meng Ao also paled, urgently saying, "Battle Saint King, you have already killed one of my Meng Family's clan Elders. Do you truly intend to wipe us out completely? Lin Family, you also shouldn't push people too far."
"Wipe out completely? Push people too far?" Lin Tian snorted coldly. "Weren't you acting the same way before? Why were you unwilling to spare our Lin Family? Why did you want to wipe us out completely and push us too far?"
This statement immediately left the Meng Family members speechless.
Ye Chen spoke even more directly: "If you dare say one more word, I won't mind annihilating the entire Meng Family."
The entire venue fell silent, everyone looking at the Battle Saint King in shock and awe.
This was what it meant to be forceful, what it meant to be domineering!
The prestigious Meng Family had actually been threatened to this extent. Meng Ao's heart was filled with rage, but upon meeting the Battle Saint King's indifferent, merciless gaze, it instantly melted away, replaced more by a deep-seated fear from the depths of his soul.
Because he believed the Battle Saint King truly was capable of doing it, and the Imperial Dynasty would not offend the Battle Saint King for his sake.
Because the cost of offending him was far greater than the entire Meng Family.
Ye Chen flicked his finger, landing it on Meng Hua. Immediately, the latter's entire body shuddered. All thirty-six thousand pores on his body erupted with streams of vital essence—the power within his body—rapidly draining away.
His realm quickly shattered, falling from Divine Transformation to Demigod, then from Demigod to Xiantian, to Houtian, and finally from Houtian to a mere mortal. Dozens of years of arduous cultivation dissipated in the space of a single finger flick.
Meng Hua screamed madly. This was an immensely painful matter, but with the Battle Saint King personally acting, he could only watch helplessly as it all unfolded before his eyes.
He could only blame himself for offending the Battle Saint King.
"From today onwards, let the Lin Family completely take charge of this spatial gate. Both today and in the future."
Finally, Ye Chen spoke very indifferently to the Supreme Elder, leaving everyone dumbfounded. He was simply many times more overbearing than the Meng Family had been.
The Supreme Elder opened his mouth, then could only give a bitter smile and say, "Rest assured, Saint King. From now on, it will always be under the Lin Family's control."
"No, Supreme Elder, shouldn't it be our Meng Family? It was the Supreme Sovereign who personally issued the decree," Meng Ao pressed with reddened eyes. An overlord had been killed, his son crippled, and now even the right to take over the spatial gate was being stripped away. How could the Meng Family withstand such successive blows?
The Supreme Sovereign? Even the Heavenly King ancestor had to give face to this Battle Saint King. The Supreme Elder swept a pitying glance at him. "From now on, it will be the Lin Family taking charge. Didn't you hear?"
Hearing the Imperial Court's Supreme Elder say this, the Meng Family members' expressions turned extremely ugly. But due to the other's status, they dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction. Moreover, what made them even more apprehensive was the Battle Saint King.
Given the Meng Family's status, it was truly difficult to muster even a shred of desire for revenge. There was only a trace of hatred left. In the end, they could only lead the group of Meng Family members away in dejection.