Forced Detention

"Stop him." Jia Xing Tian flicked his sleeve, his voice cold.

Chu Chen shook his head as a stream of pure Dou Qi within his body gathered toward his spine. In the next second, a pair of purple wings radiating brilliant crystalline light abruptly manifested, propelling him into the air!

"You cannot stop me."

His emerald pupils flickered slightly as Chu Chen stared down at the iron cavalry below. Immediately, a volley of pitch-black spears was hurled fiercely into the sky. Chu Chen’s expression turned cold.

Dou Qi rapidly condensed in his hand. His body twisted slightly as he pulled his arm back to build momentum, then suddenly struck out. Though it was a short burst of power, it erupted with an incredibly surging majesty.

A large amount of scorching mist sprayed from his palm, the flames within the white smoke suddenly illuminating the surrounding sky. The fiery aura roared, and the sounds of metal clashing echoed through the air.

The incoming spears were instantly diverted. After a series of sharp clangs, they plunged haphazardly into the ground, causing the iron cavalry's offensive to falter.

Having temporarily suppressed the crowd, Chu Chen looked coldly toward Jia Xing Tian. "It seems Jia Lao has chosen a side."

"My apologies, but Gu He is a vital figure of our Empire. Until this matter is clarified, you cannot leave," Jia Xing Tian replied.

Facing a peak Dou Huang expert and two Dou Wangs—no, perhaps three, as Nalan Jie, in his capacity as the Lionheart Marshal of the Jia Ma Empire, would naturally stand with Jia Xing Tian. They were currently in the capital; it wouldn't be long before more experts arrived. Pill King Gu He held immense prestige here; if the truth were twisted, Chu Chen would fall into a very dangerous situation.

Chu Chen indifferently scanned the cavalry below. He knew he couldn't stay here for long! His eyes narrowed and then suddenly snapped wide. His wings flapped violently, his extreme speed turning him into a black shadow as he decisively charged toward the exit of the Alchemist Association!

"Forgive me, little fellow." As Jia Xing Tian’s voice faded, the Dou Qi in his body instantly exploded. The dust on the ground began to move, surging toward Chu Chen in the sky.

His aged hand, resembling dry tree bark, reached out. The dust filling the sky transformed into a giant hand, rapidly appearing above Chu Chen’s head.

Seeing the giant sand hand blocking his path, Chu Chen frowned. He spun the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade in his hand to block in front of him, forced to halt his flight. The dust collided; this time, Jia Xing Tian did not use his full strength, clearly intending only to restrain Chu Chen.

The sand hand exploded in front of him, momentarily obscuring his vision, but Chu Chen did not hesitate. He immediately changed direction and dove toward a building shaped like a medicinal cauldron.

"Don't waste your effort."

Yan Shi laughed loudly, watching Chu Chen’s hurried escape. He stomped heavily on the eaves of a building, and a lion's roar carrying a sonic Dou Technique resonated behind Chu Chen.

This was an area-of-effect attack. Chu Chen couldn't react in time; his figure stalled in mid-air as he tightly covered his ears. Sensing the air pressure around him vanish, Chu Chen intended to accelerate, only to find that his body could not move. Looking down, he saw that at some point, a ring of sand Dou Qi had tightly coiled around his waist. Ropes of sand from the ground connected to his waist, making it difficult for him to move.

"Leaving in such a hurry... you must have a guilty conscience, brat." Yan Shi had now arrived in front of Chu Chen, holding a golden tiger-head greatsword.

Everyone below frowned. Yan Shi’s words were indeed logical. If one's heart was upright, why be afraid? Why was Chu Chen so desperate to leave? None of the young people spoke up for him now. Among the crowd from the Alchemist Association, Tie Mi Er showed a look of regret. He had greatly admired this young man and hadn't expected him to provoke a grand figure like Pill King Gu He.

"Could there be some misunderstanding? How could he possibly command the leader of the Snake-People?" Tie Mi Er spoke up, unexpectedly being the first to break the silence.

"Aren't you all curious about who his wife actually is?" Yan Shi asked with a cold sneer.

"Who is she?"

"She is the legendary and infamous Queen Medusa of the Snake-People tribes!"

"Queen Medusa!" A series of sharp gasps rang out. This answer was like a bolt of thunder from the nine heavens, leaving everyone's minds blank for a moment.

"Queen Medusa! This... how is that possible?" Jia Xing Tian’s pupils constricted abruptly, his face filled with shock and disbelief.

Queen Medusa and Chu Chen were husband and wife? These two names seemed impossible to link. How could a human conquer that kind of woman? If Yan Shi hadn't said it himself, Jia Xing Tian would definitely not have believed it. He turned his gaze toward Gu He, who nodded slightly in confirmation. When he looked at Hai Bo Dong, he saw the Ice Emperor turn his head away, remaining silent.

"Could it be true?" Jia Xing Tian couldn't help but exclaim.

At this moment, Nalan Yanran suddenly remembered the woman wearing the red veil. The "wife" Chu Chen spoke of was her. She hadn't expected that she had once interacted with a figure who was almost a legend.

"Jia Lao, we absolutely cannot release the tiger back to the mountain! If today's matter reaches the Snake-People tribes, I fear a great disaster will erupt!" Yan Shi said seriously.

"Capture him." After a moment of silence, Jia Xing Tian nodded to Yan Shi. Nalan Jie hesitated slightly; after all, this little fellow had saved his life. However, he could not refuse Jia Lao’s command.

"Forgive me. I will definitely speak for you later." Nalan Jie clenched his fist and then suddenly released it, rushing toward Chu Chen. The aura on his body exploded, sweeping through the surrounding space.

Two Dou Huangs dealing with a young man at the Dou Ling level was truly overestimating him. Not a few people felt this was making a mountain out of a molehill.

"Things have become a bit troublesome. These two old fellows are veterans of the battlefield; their physical strength and combat experience are terrifying." Hai Bo Dong stood in mid-air, his heart full of hesitation. On one side was Chu Chen, who had helped him restore his strength; on the other were his long-time friends and Gu He, who possessed immense influence.

"Old man, do you still have the shame to call yourself the Ice Emperor? You're as slow as a woman." Just as the two Dou Huangs charged, a purple light slowly manifested in front of Chu Chen. Purple wings burned with flames, looking majestic and full of domineering aura.