Chu Yunfei's lips twitched slightly, and he touched the bridge of his nose.
He had uttered that word to the lecherous man outside the mansion last night, never expecting retribution to come so swiftly.
It spun precisely and landed squarely on his face.
"How stingy."
Chu Yunfei muttered to himself.
Within his sea of consciousness, the Divine Cauldron of Heavenly Mandate shone with a brilliant azure light.
A graceful dragon girl phantom appeared, laughing in exasperation, her snow-white hands firmly gripping her slender waist.
You say I'm stingy?
"Last night, I kindly tried to discuss things with you, but you not only refused by uttering the word 'get lost,' but also sealed your mind completely."
"You treat me like a thief, so who's the petty one here?!"
Chu Yunfei was completely speechless.
He simply couldn't comprehend what was inside the mother dragon's brain.
What's so interesting about those private matters of lovemaking between men and women?
He doesn't have the perverse pleasure of attracting attention, so refusing is only natural.
Xiaoxiao Dragon, however, was unconvinced. In her opinion, it was nothing more than physical bumps and bruises; a few glances wouldn't hurt her.
Although she occasionally felt her cheeks burning and her heart pounding, it didn't dampen her enthusiasm for watching the spectacle.
Seeing that this ancestor wouldn't let go, Chu Yunfei's eyes flickered, and he made up his mind.
"Alright, alright, consider it a debt I owe you."
Chu Yunfei cleared his throat and coaxed, "If there's a chance next time... I'll show you, is that alright?"
Xiaoxiao Dragon's beautiful eyes suddenly lit up.
But then, she narrowed her eyes warily, scrutinizing him suspiciously. "Are you sure? You're always so cunning, aren't you trying to trick me?"
Chu Yunfei raised his hand and patted his chest, his expression unchanged, exuding righteousness.
"I, Chu Yunfei, have always been a man of my word. When have I ever broken my promise?"
However...
He changed the subject slightly. "There's no such thing as a free show; you have to exchange it for an ancient elixir formula."
Xiaoxiao Dragon spun half a circle in the void, thought about it, and realized that this deal didn't seem to be a bad one.
Anyway, those prescriptions would just gather dust in my head.
"Make a deal!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the Divine Cauldron trembled slightly.
Buzz!
A faint, ancient golden light pierced through the Divine Sea and went straight into the depths of Chu Yunfei's divine sense.
The massive flow of information quickly unfolded, revealing a prescription exuding the aura of antiquity.
Grade 5 Ancient Spirit-Exploding Pill.
After consumption, it can instantly increase a martial artist's spiritual power by 70%, without any stagnation.
Its enhanced efficacy is more than twice that of other similar-level explosive spirit pills currently on the market.
Even more miraculously, because its pharmacology follows the principle of using yin to nourish yang, the success rate of elixirs is three times higher than that of ordinary fifth-grade elixir formulas.
Chu Yunfei carefully examined the combination of medicinal herbs and nodded with satisfaction.
This generous gift was more than enough to offset the favor Wen Jiao had done in collecting demon beast corpses and spiritual medicines; it even brought the Pill Pavilion an immense fortune.
"Alright, here's your stuff."
Xiaoxiao Dragon gave a haughty snort, "If you dare to renege on your debt, I'll skin you alive."
Chu Yunfei grinned but did not reply.
He wasn't in a hurry to go out and give the pill formula to Wen Jiao. He would be in seclusion for the next few days anyway, so it wouldn't be too late to give it to her after he came out of seclusion.
Chu Yunfei flipped his hand and took out the silver-white communication jade slip, sending a divine thought to Lin Wanyin.
" Aunt Lin, I need to go into seclusion for the next few days. I will come to find you after I emerge from seclusion."
The jade slip emitted soft light, then fell silent.
Chu Yunfei took a deep breath, cleared his mind, and slowly closed his eyes.
The vast and boundless dark golden Divine Sea within his body surged violently, and the Boundless Creation Scripture was activated to its limit.
The meditation room fell silent once more.
Four days passed in the blink of an eye.
The atmosphere within the Great Qian Imperial City grew increasingly oppressive and tense each day.
Only two days left until the Seven Sects Grand Competition!
The once orderly streets and alleys are now packed with powerful figures from various factions.
Elders of sects, renowned Rogue Cultivator, and young talents from various prominent families can be seen everywhere.
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, and clashes and conflicts were commonplace.
If this place weren't under the very nose of the Great Qian Imperial Family, with the city guards patrolling day and night, these martial arts practitioners, who live on the edge of death, would probably have already started fighting in the streets.
At this moment, inside an extremely luxurious restaurant in the south of the city.
The air was filled with the aroma of wine, and the noise was deafening.
"Hey, have you heard? The Jade Firmament Sect... has been completely wiped out."
In the center of the hall, a middle-aged Rogue Cultivator with a stubble beard took a big gulp of strong liquor and, in a low voice, dropped a bombshell.
boom!
The previously noisy hall fell into a sudden, deathly silence.
Immediately afterwards, a deafening uproar swept through the area like boiling water splattering.
The seven major sects of the Eastern Continent have stood in a tripartite balance for at least a thousand years.
I've never heard of a top sect being wiped out overnight!
"Are you drunk?"
A young man carrying a heavy sword at the next table immediately sneered and retorted, " The Jade Firmament Sect is the orthodox lineage of alchemy, with more than a dozen Divine Sea Realm experts within its ranks, and Dao Mysterious Realm patriarch guarding the back mountain. Who has the ability to destroy them?"
I swear on my life.
The Rogue Cultivator, his neck flushed, slammed his fist on the table and roared, "The information leaked from within the seven sects' higher-ups; it's absolutely genuine!"
" The Jade Firmament Sect's mountain gate was smashed, and all tens of thousands of disciples, along with Danyuanzi and the Dao Profound Ancestor who was in seclusion... were wiped out."
hiss...!
Gasps of shock echoed through the hall.
Even the few old monsters at the Divine Sea Realm who were sitting quietly in the corner drinking wine couldn't help but tremble involuntarily with their hands holding their wine cups.
"Not a single chicken or dog was spared... Who did this?"
"The major sects sent experts to investigate a few days ago. They said the scene was spotless, with no survivors left, and not even a trace of the murderer was found."
"That's too ruthless... The world of the Eastern Continent is truly about to change."
"Alas, with the fall of the Jade Firmament Sect, the price of pills in the Eastern Continent is likely to skyrocket."
"What's there to be afraid of? The supply of pills won't stop; we still have the Pill Pavilion to back us up, right?"
The discussion subsided slightly, and the topic quickly shifted to the upcoming grand event.
"Now that the Jade Firmament Sect is gone, won't the Seven Sects Grand Competition in two days be missing one sect? Everyone, who do you think will take the top spot this year?"
"Is there even a need to guess? It must be Li Tianxing, the Holy Son of the Heavenly Evil Devil Sect."
A gaunt old man stroked his beard and asserted, "This person was able to defeat Divine Sea Realm Third Level head-on half a year ago. His methods are ruthless and unparalleled. In previous years, the Demonic Sect has won the most championships in the Grand Competition. There will be no surprises this year."
"Maybe not."
Another young cultivator shook his head, a hint of longing in his eyes. "That newly promoted Holy Situ Shuang'er, Heavenly Sword Sect, has been quite the sensation lately."
"Rumor has it that this woman possesses unparalleled beauty and an extraordinary physique. Recently, during a sparring match within the sect, she effortlessly defeated an elder at the Divine Sea Realm Third Level."
"The entire Heavenly Sword Sect cherishes her like a precious jewel; I believe she has a very good chance of reaching the pinnacle."
"Tsk tsk, stunningly beautiful, and with strength that surpasses her peers, she truly is a chosen one of heaven..."
In a corner of the table, several young cultivators exchanged smiles, their eyes filled with an envy that only men could understand.
"Hmph, you think the Divine Martial Sect is made of clay?"
Someone else chimed in, "Yesterday, Wu Changge, the Holy Son of the Divine Martial Sect, fought against Yin Hanmei, the Holy Daughter of the Puppet Sect, in the East City. Although neither of them used all their trump cards, the sheer power they exuded would have been enough to kill any ordinary Early Stage of the Divine Sea Realm."
Inside the hall, each side stuck to their own version of events, arguing heatedly until their faces were red with anger.
Just then, a mocking laugh suddenly rang out from the edge of the hall:
"In all this arguing, have you all forgotten about the Great Qian Prince Consort of the Qianlong Emperor?"
"Just half a month ago in the Jingyuan Hall of the Imperial Palace, he single-handedly defeated the Puppet Sect's battle puppet with his Heavenly Origin Realm body, and even severed the arm of Qin Hao, the Holy Son of the Cangyun Sect, with a single sword strike."
Upon hearing this, the once bustling hall fell strangely silent.
Chu Yunfei.
This name is like a thorn stuck in everyone's throat.
However, after a brief silence, an extremely grating sneer broke the stillness.
" Chu Yunfei? Hahahaha!"
By the window, a middle-aged Rogue Cultivator with a bare chest and a fierce face slammed a wine jar onto the table.
This person was surrounded by surging spiritual energy, clearly a master at the Eighth Level of the Heavenly Origin Realm.
"What a huge joke!"
"That kid is just using the royal family's name to bully others. Who really saw the truth of what happened at the Jingyuan Hall that day? Maybe the news was exaggerated by someone with ulterior motives after it was leaked."
The middle-aged Rogue Cultivator looked around, his eyes filled with disdain. "Besides, the Great Qian Imperial Family has already declared to the world that they don't recognize him as their son-in-law at all."
"Without the support of the Great Qian Imperial Family, what is Chu Yunfei? He's nothing but a stray dog, hiding and living in constant fear."
The middle-aged Rogue Cultivator became increasingly proud as he spoke, spitting as he spoke.
"Now that the Cangyun Sect and the Puppet Sect have put bounties on his head everywhere, he's probably terrified out of his wits and is cowering in some ditch, trembling with fear."
He slapped the broadsword at his waist, his face showing arrogance.
"If he dared to stand in front of me right now, I wouldn't even need the holy sons of the various sects to make a move; I could twist his dog's head off with one hand and use it as a chamber pot."
His voice was strong and clear, drawing sidelong glances and echoes from several nearby tables of Rogue Cultivator.
The middle-aged Rogue Cultivator's vanity was greatly satisfied; he held his chin high, smug and self-satisfied.
However.
"Pfft..."
A mocking laugh suddenly rang out from the cramped corner.
That laughter was extremely pleasant to hear.
Like shattered jade in an icy spring, or the whispers of a bewitching demon in the night, a single sound made the bones of all the cultivators in the hall go limp.
"That's really interesting."
The melodious woman's voice drifted out:
"A mere Eighth Level of the Heavenly Origin Realm piece of trash dares to bark and howl here."
"Boasting that he could defeat someone at the Heavenly Origin Ninth Layer half a month ago... aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew?"
quiet.
The once noisy and bustling hall fell into complete silence in that instant.
Everyone's gaze turned in unison to the most secluded, blind spot by the window, following the sound.
A slender and graceful figure sat quietly there.
The black dress, as dark as ink, hugged a breathtakingly alluring curve.
A thin, dark veil covered her face, obscuring most of her features, leaving only a slender, snow-white neck visible.
She didn't even turn around; she simply rested her snow-white chin on her left hand, gazing casually at the street scene outside the window.
Just that silhouette and that soft, seductive voice were enough to make everyone in the hall swallow hard and their throats bob.
"So... so alluring, a vixen..."