This incident made many people even more fearful of the Infinite Demon Palace, but there were also some who secretly felt delighted.
Putting everything else aside, with the fall of the Lei Family, the huge Lei Yuan City suddenly became leaderless. For hundreds of miles around, no one was in charge anymore.
This opened up a golden opportunity for many families and sects to grow.
The effects ran deep, and many ancient families began carefully inspecting their direct descendants, afraid that someone like Lei Jie might appear and bring them great trouble.
As for the name Ye Chen, it spread far and wide because of this event, but it was in a bad way. His name became infamous, and people avoided him like the plague. More and more people came to dislike him.
…
In Songfeng City, Ye Chen led a group of his "brothers" after hunting a fierce beast. They returned full of spoils.
"Come on, today we're going to taste some beast meat."
Ye Chen smiled and said to the group following him.
"This is great! Following Big Brother Ye means meat to eat and wine to drink. It's definitely the best!"
"I heard beast meat is full of spiritual energy. We're in for a treat today!"
The group was cheerful and excited as they entered the city.
Ye Chen felt very satisfied.
His little gang had grown to more than thirty people now, and the number was still rising.
The one with the strongest background was, of course, Lei Jie.
Aside from him, a few others were from powerful families too, families with at least one Extinction Realm expert guarding them.
If he managed these relationships well, all the forces behind these people could become valuable assets in Ye Chen's hands.
"Hehe… Su Ming, you didn't expect this, did you? My power is growing fast."
"Though I'm still not a match for the Infinite Demon Palace, just give me some more time…"
"If I can pull in a few more heirs from Ancient Families and Holy Sons or Daughters from Dao Sects, your Infinite Demon Palace will be in deep trouble!"
A gleam of pride flickered in Ye Chen's eyes.
The group marched toward a restaurant.
*Bang!*
Suddenly, a loud sonic boom came from above.
Right after, a terrifying pressure swept down like a storm.
*Whoosh!*
An old man floated high above Songfeng City.
His aura was mysterious and overwhelming, just his presence made people feel crushed.
Ye Chen's eyes narrowed in shock.
An Extinction Realm expert?
The old man scanned the city, then locked his gaze on Ye Chen's group.
"Wang Song, come here!"
With a sudden grab, he pulled someone up from the group Ye Chen was walking with.
Ye Chen was startled, but the person caught had already spoken. "Grandpa? Why are you here?"
"Enough nonsense. Come home with me this instant."
The old man's voice was low and angry.
"What? I'm not going back, at least not now! I want to train with Big Brother Ye."
Wang Song quickly shook his head, struggling to break free.
What welcomed him instead was a hard kidney touching slap.
*Smack!*
The force of the slap was brutal, it left Wang Song dazed.
"Fool! Do you want our Wang Family to be destroyed?!"
The old man roared, "You're going home right now! Three years of isolation, no stepping outside!"
Wang Song was stunned.
His grandfather had always doted on him. He had never even raised his voice before.
But today, he not only hit him, he also grounded him?
"Grandpa Wang, what's going on?"
Ye Chen finally spoke.
From the way they spoke, he now understood the old man's identity, Wang Song's grandfather, a true Extinction Realm powerhouse.
Ye Chen had hoped to get close to him and use him as a strong ally.
"You're Ye Chen?"
The old man's cold gaze swept over Ye Chen, with a flash of killing intent, though he quickly restrained it.
"For my grandson's sake, I won't kill you today."
"But if you ever contact Wang Song again… be prepared to die!"
*Boom!*
He slammed his palm down!
The street below exploded, leaving behind a massive crater.
Ye Chen turned pale with fright.
What just happened?
Why was Grandpa Wang so hostile?
"B-Big Brother Ye, look at this…"
Suddenly, someone behind him stuttered.
The man looked terrified, as if he had seen something too horrifying to believe.
He handed Ye Chen a jade slip with trembling hands.
Ye Chen took one look, and his mind instantly went blank.
The Lei Family… wiped out?
Destroyed with just one palm??
Ye Chen was shocked.
His eyes stared blankly ahead, and after a long while, he clenched his teeth, eyes filled with blood-red rage.
"Su Ming… it was you?!"
Ye Chen was furious and horrified.
He had thought the Lei Clan would become a powerful support for him. He was planning to use them to connect with other powerful Ancient Families.
But in just one day, they were gone!
His fury surged, but so did fear.
The strength of Infinite Demon Palace was beyond imagination.
"Su Ming, at any cost, I want you dead!"
Ye Chen's eyes turned blood red with hatred, filled with killing intent.
The news spread fast, and Ye Chen's followers were scared stiff.
That was the Lei Family!
Among Ye Chen's group, Lei Jie was the most respected after Ye Chen himself.
Many had flattered Lei Jie, hoping to use his family's power.
In fact, Lei Jie was one of the main reasons so many people followed Ye Chen in the first place.
Without the Lei Family, even with great talent, Ye Chen had no real foundation. Why would so many follow him?
But now… the Lei Family was gone.
The clan leader, Lei Xingshan, was dead.
Ye Chen's biggest source of support had collapsed overnight.
And all of it was because Lei Jie had been following Ye Chen.
Even an Ancient Family couldn't survive this, everyone began thinking about their own backgrounds…
Many of them looked alarmed, and a few stood up.
"Big Brother Ye, m-my family wants me back. I have to leave."
"Me too."
"Brother Ye, my family's… also got some issues. I need to check. I'll come back, I promise."
One after another, people who once followed Ye Chen made excuses and left as quickly as possible.
After the first few, the rest didn't even bother making up lies.
They looked at Ye Chen as if he were a poisonous snake and fled in panic.
In just a short time, all of Ye Chen's followers had vanished like thin air.
Brotherhood, loyalty.... maybe it all once mattered.
Back when they thought following Ye Chen would bring great fortune.
But now… with the instant fall of the Lei Family right before their eyes, they had no choice but leave Ye Chen in dust.