Medicine Destiny was a meticulous person. Despite being in a state of panic and worry, he quickly regained his composure.
The fact that he had obtained the inheritance was something that had just happened, and Yun Xiao hadn’t even been present at the time.
Since Medicine Destiny hadn’t mentioned it himself, how did Yun Xiao know about it?
Yun Xiao was momentarily stunned by the question but quickly explained, "I just happened to overhear it."
Happened to overhear?
The Alchemy Emperor Manor wasn’t particularly large, but it wasn’t small either. The distance between Yao Niming’s residence and the guest quarters was considerable.
If Yun Xiao had truly overheard it by chance, the only possibility was that he had been eavesdropping.
Though Medicine Destiny lacked talent in alchemy, he wasn’t a fool. Given the current circumstances, he couldn’t press further and chose to accept Yun Xiao’s explanation for now.
Medicine Destiny looked up at the sky, where the terrifying aura of the heavenly punishment continued to intensify, his heart filled with dread.
He wasn’t alone—everyone else’s eyes were also brimming with fear.
The power of this heavenly punishment was far beyond their imagination. In fact, they felt that under its might, even a peak-level Emperor Realm expert would be utterly annihilated.
"It’s over!"
"Even if Chen Chang’an is at the peak of the Emperor Realm, he probably can’t withstand this heavenly punishment."
"The power of the heavenly punishment is still growing. It truly intends to take the Alchemy Emperor’s life!"
"Defying the heavens and provoking divine wrath—no one can save him now!"
"I feel like the Alchemy Emperor City might be destroyed!"
"Should we retreat further away?"
"Agreed. This place is no longer safe."
The crowd, sensing the danger of remaining in the city, swiftly flew toward the outskirts.
Medicine Destiny was torn between his master and the other inhabitants of the Alchemy Emperor City. After some deliberation, he decided to follow his master’s instructions and evacuate the city’s residents as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, Da Huang, along with Kuang Zhongtang and Gu Xian'er, had already fled dozens of kilometers away.
"What a bunch of fools. This is a heavenly punishment—staying in the Alchemy Emperor City is no different from staying in the Alchemy Emperor Manor!"
"The only difference is that when they die, they’ll have more people to keep them company in the afterlife."
This was no joke. From the very beginning, Da Huang could tell that this heavenly punishment was exceptionally powerful.
Staying in the Alchemy Emperor City wasn’t safe—heck, even their current location didn’t feel entirely secure.
If not for Kuang Zhongtang and Gu Xian'er stopping him, Da Huang would have fled as far as possible.
"Let me make this clear—if the heavenly punishment descends and its power is too overwhelming, don’t stop me from running."
"Chen Chang’an won’t die, but I’m not ready to kick the bucket yet," Da Huang grumbled.
"Chen Chang’an will really be fine?"
"Even such a terrifying heavenly punishment won’t harm him in the slightest?"
Kuang Zhongtang was deeply concerned about this question.
"Well… I think it probably won’t hurt him," Da Huang replied uncertainly.
Yet this very uncertainty shattered Kuang Zhongtang’s confidence.
If even the heavenly punishment couldn’t take Chen Chang’an down, what was the point of challenging him? Was he just setting himself up for misery?
"Senior Da Huang, let me ask you one thing—is Chen Chang’an… even human?"
Kuang Zhongtang was extremely curious. No ordinary human could be this strong—Chen Chang’an’s physical prowess was downright absurd.
"Of course he’s human. He’s just… so strong that he doesn’t seem like one."
Da Huang was fairly certain about this, having known Chen Chang’an since childhood. Besides, Chen Chang’an even had descendants in his family.
"Definitely doesn’t seem human!"
Inside the Alchemy Emperor Manor, Yao Niming wore a bitter smile. What unspeakable evil had he committed to deserve such wrath from the heavens?
"I just wanted to live. Is that such an unforgivable sin?"
"In this world, countless sinners exist—yet when have the heavens ever punished them?"
"Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous!"
Yao Niming stared at the heavenly punishment gathering in the sky, his face twisted with mockery. The world was unjust—but what could he do?
Even as an Emperor Realm expert, facing the will of the heavens, he was no different from an ordinary mortal.
Just a slightly stronger mortal, that’s all!
Seeing the grief and indignation in Yao Niming’s eyes, Chen Chang’an patted his shoulder with a smile.
"The world has never been fair."
"Truth is determined by strength."
"If your fists are hard enough, even the wrong becomes right!"
Yao Niming could only sigh helplessly at Chen Chang’an’s words. While the logic made sense, no matter how strong one was, they still existed within the bounds of this world.
And in this world, the ultimate truth… was the will of the heavens!
"Look, it’s still gathering."
"I’m starting to wonder if I’ve truly committed some unforgivable atrocity."
The heavenly punishment in the sky still hadn’t descended. Instead, it continued to accumulate energy, growing ever more terrifying.
Chen Chang’an also found this strange. At its current level of power, obliterating Yao Niming would be effortless—so why was it still holding back?
"Isn’t this a bit excessive?"
"Enough is enough!"
Chen Chang’an couldn’t help but mutter these words at the sky.
To Yao Niming’s astonishment, the moment Chen Chang’an spoke, the heavenly punishment actually quieted down, ceasing its energy accumulation.
"You…"
"What’s going on? Does it listen to you?"
Not only was Yao Niming shocked, but Chen Chang’an was also taken aback. It was just a casual remark—how did it actually stop?
"This… must be a coincidence, right?"
"There’s no way it actually obeys me."
"If it really listened, I’d just tell it to scram." Chen Chang’an shook his head with a wry smile. Beside him, Yao Niming instinctively looked up again.
Seeing that the heavenly punishment hadn’t dissipated, Yao Niming sighed and shook his head. Had he been overthinking things?
"It’s coming!"
Chen Chang’an had been closely watching the heavenly punishment. The moment it stopped gathering energy, the next step was its descent!
"Alright, I—"
"Stay right where you are!"
Yao Niming had been about to charge into the sky, intending to face the heavenly punishment head-on. This had been his plan from the start—if he died, the punishment would vanish, and Chen Chang’an would be safe.
But he had underestimated Chen Chang’an’s vigilance. From the very beginning, Chen Chang’an had been prepared for this move.
The instant Yao Niming made his move, Chen Chang’an grabbed him and pinned him down, simultaneously casting a soul-sealing technique to immobilize Yao Niming’s soul.
Though Yao Niming was on the verge of collapse, he was still an Emperor Realm expert—restraining him physically would be difficult. Thus, Chen Chang’an targeted his soul instead.
Chen Chang’an’s soul was extraordinarily powerful, and with the soul-sealing technique, he could briefly suppress even an Emperor like Yao Niming.
"Chen Chang’an, what are you doing?!"
"Let me go!"
Yao Niming knew Chen Chang’an was strong, but he hadn’t expected to be completely immobilized. With his soul sealed, his body felt like a puppet with its strings cut—utterly powerless, he collapsed to the ground.
"Take a rest. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice how broken your body is?"
"You may possess the Emperor’s realm, but even someone in the Immortal Realm could kill you now."
Yao Niming’s body had deteriorated to its limit. Forcing himself to fight would be fatal, but if someone attacked him, he would die just the same.
While not just anyone could kill him, anyone in the Immortal Realm would have more than enough power to end him—let alone the Heavenly Punishment.
"You’ll die!"
"I won’t."
Chen Chang'an smiled faintly before soaring into the sky, rising until he stood suspended in the air.
"Is that… Chen Chang'an?"
"Don’t tell me he plans to face the Heavenly Punishment alone?"
"Holy shit, is he trying to get himself killed?"
Though the distance was great, anyone with even a hint of strength could clearly see Chen Chang'an standing defiantly against the Heavenly Punishment.
"If Chen Chang'an and the Alchemy Emperor joined forces, they might stand a chance. But with just him alone… the odds are grim."
"Ah, is the Grand Profound Realm about to lose another supreme powerhouse?"
No one believed Chen Chang'an had the power to survive such a terrifying Heavenly Punishment.
Even Gu Xian'er and Kuang Zhongtang were tense, their eyes locked onto Chen Chang'an in the sky, silently praying for him.
"It’s coming!"
Da Huang’s expression suddenly shifted—the Heavenly Punishment’s power was even more terrifying than he had imagined.
Boom!
A deafening roar split the heavens as a monstrous bolt of divine lightning descended, aimed directly at Chen Chang'an.
Boom!
Another thunderous explosion followed as the lightning struck Chen Chang'an squarely, erupting into a devastating blast of energy.
"Not good!"
"Fall back, now!"