Heading to the Green Wood Illusion Forest

Before Feng Zhuo could push his way out of the crowd, he heard the conversation turn to him.

A shifty-eyed senior disciple, plainly well along in years, deliberately raised his voice. "If we're talking about the most talented of the personal disciples, I'd say it has to be Senior Brother Feng Zhuo of Carefree Peak!"

The disciples around him exchanged bewildered looks. "Carefree Peak? Feng Zhuo? Who's that?"

The shifty-eyed disciple's eyes darted around. He cupped his hands with an air of affected solemnity. "Why, it's Senior Brother Feng! The one Sect Master Lingxiaozi personally put in a good word for at the master selection ceremony and sent to Carefree Peak!"

"Pfft, so he's just someone with connections!"

Someone immediately chimed in sarcastically, "I heard the master of Carefree Peak is the sect master's junior brother under the same master. Isn't it obvious he got in through the back door?"

The sour remarks were like sparks, instantly igniting the discontent of the disciples gathered around.

"Tsk, tsk. Even the sect master of the Supreme One Divine Sect, one of the six great sects, has to do him a favor. This Senior Brother Feng must have quite the background~"

"Who knows if he only got into the sect through his family's connections..."

Seeing that he had achieved the desired effect, the rat-eyed disciple lowered his voice again, acting all mysterious. "Do you know about the Azure Cloud Pavilion auction a few days ago?"

"You mean... the one with the Dark Nether Sword Token?!" a disciple in the know cried out.

"That's right!"

The rat-eyed disciple slapped his thigh. "That was the Dark Nether Sword Token, a treasure you might not see in ten thousand years! They say a mysterious youth got his hands on it in the end..."

The surrounding disciples erupted in an uproar.

To low-level sword cultivators, the Dark Nether Sword Token was no different from a divine artifact appearing in the world.

"If I could just lay eyes on it, I could die without regrets..."

"I heard that youth threw out a bid of a hundred and eighty million high-grade Spirit Stones! How lavish must he be..."

"Wait-"

A quick-witted disciple suddenly caught on. "Senior Brother, do you mean... the Dark Nether Sword Token ended up in Feng Zhuo's hands?"

The rat-eyed disciple glanced furtively from side to side like a thief and lowered his voice. "I'll only say this once... I heard Senior Brother Chu originally won it at auction, but Carefree Peak used its connections to the sect master to force Senior Brother Chu to hand the sword token over!"

"What?!"

"How outrageous!"

The sword cultivators of Heaven-Soaring Peak erupted.

In their eyes, Chu Yunfei was both a model of the sword path and a kind senior brother to everyone in the sect.

Now that they had heard their idol had been humiliated, they were so angry that the scabbards in their hands trembled.

Feng Zhuo heard every word from where he stood nearby and sneered inwardly.

He had wondered why people had come to Carefree Peak every day these past few months to deliver written challenges. Chu Yunfei had truly mastered the art of killing with a borrowed knife!

A cold light flashed in Feng Zhuo's eyes. Fortunately, he had taken extra precautions when he accompanied his junior brother to the auction that day.

"Junior brothers."

Feng Zhuo suddenly spoke, his voice clear. "I have something to say about the Dark Nether Sword Token."

He took a Jade Slip from his storage ring and activated it with spiritual power. The Jade Slip projected a clear image with sound:

Inside the Azure Cloud Pavilion auction hall, private box A-5 bid a hundred and thirty million high-grade Spirit Stones.

The voice belonged to their familiar Senior Brother Chu.

Private box A-1 bid a hundred and eighty million high-grade Spirit Stones.

And finally came the scene of the Dark Nether Sword Token being handed over.

However, Feng Zhuo had worried that someone might harm his junior brother, so he had only recorded two pairs of hands.

"As it happens, I was there that day."

Feng Zhuo took out a gold-stamped certificate. "This is the proof of purchase issued by the Azure Cloud Pavilion. It clearly states: [Private box A-1, one hundred and eighty million high-grade Spirit Stones, personally purchased by Cang **]."

He tapped the certificate with a fingertip, and its counterfeit-proof Azure Cloud seal immediately glowed.

"Here's the funny thing."

Feng Zhuo looked at the rat-eyed disciple with the ghost of a smile. "Where did you hear that Senior Brother Chu won the sword token at auction, junior brother? As far as I know, he was in private box A-5, and his highest bid was only a hundred and thirty million Spirit Stones."

An uproar swept through the crowd.

The rat-eyed disciple saw things were going badly and turned to slip away.

"Not so fast." A streak of golden light suddenly flew from Feng Zhuo's sleeve and turned into a rope that bound the man.

At the same time, an image-recording jade floated in the air, recording the man's appearance, words, and actions in perfect detail.

"With the secret realm about to open, I had no wish to stir up further trouble."

Feng Zhuo swept his gaze over the crowd, his voice growing colder. "But under sect rules, anyone who slanders a personal disciple and sows discord among fellow disciples is to receive a hundred strokes of the staff and have their cultivation crippled!"

He looked at a Law Enforcement Hall disciple who had hurried over upon hearing the commotion. "Senior Brother, would you take this man and the image-recording jade back to the Law Enforcement Hall?"

The disciple cupped his fists and agreed.

Only then did Feng Zhuo turn and leave. His red robes fluttered as he tossed out a parting remark. "Junior brothers, blind worship isn't a good habit."

The commotion here had been minor and had yet to reach the gathering point.

Feng Zhuo passed through the bustling crowd and headed straight there.

The Green Wood Illusion Forest was jointly controlled by the Supreme One Divine Sect and the Purple Yang Pill Sect, another of the six sects. This time, each side had sent a hundred inner disciples and several personal disciples inside.

The Supreme One Divine Sect's group was led by Chu Yunfei and Senior Sister Yushang of Body Peak.

Feng Zhuo and Chu Yunfei were at odds, and aside from Yun Li, he had little friendship with the other personal disciples. He had even made enemies among them.

After joining the group, he headed straight for Yushang.

"Senior Sister Yushang."

"Junior Brother Feng, you came at just the right time."

Yushang smiled heartily, her wheat-colored skin glowing with health in the sunlight. "How has Shuanghua been lately?"

Body Peak's eldest senior sister was about the same age as Ling Shuanghua, and both were body cultivators, so they had naturally become close friends.

Not to mention that the pills Ling Shuanghua had sold her over the past few months had all been surprisingly good-though she didn't know that every one of those pills had been made by the Junior Brother Feng standing before her.

"Second Senior Sister is doing well."

Feng Zhuo lowered his voice and glanced meaningfully in Chu Yunfei's direction. "She just keeps saying certain people are an eyesore."

Yushang understood and raised a heroic brow.

As Ling Shuanghua's friend, she naturally knew how Carefree Peak felt about Chu Yunfei.

Seeing Chu Yunfei about to come over, she immediately stepped forward and blocked his way.

"Eldest Senior Brother!"

Yushang's voice rang out, drawing glances from the surrounding disciples. "This is my first time leading a group into a secret realm. I heard you led the group last time too? There are a few things I'd like to ask. Could you give me some pointers?"

The smile on Chu Yunfei's face froze.

He had wanted to take the opportunity to throw his weight around as the senior brother leading the group in front of Feng Zhuo, but under so many watchful eyes, he had no choice but to maintain his dignified bearing as eldest senior brother.

"Of course... of course."

He forced a faint smile. "Ask whatever you like, Junior Sister."

"Master, you hate that Golden Core Realm human cultivator?"

Yanba's muffled voice came from the pet beast pouch, accompanied by the crunching of spirit pills.

"The idiots who've come looking for trouble with you these past few months were all sent by the Golden Core Realm human cultivator you're talking about."

"What?!" Yanba immediately bristled, and even the Spirit Feeding Pill in his mouth lost its flavor.

"So it's that bastard who keeps sending people to disturb my dreams every day?! Master! Let me out! Just watch me roast him to charcoal!!"

Feng Zhuo used a little spiritual power to block his ears. He had known he shouldn't let Yanba spend too much time with Second Senior Sister. Bastard, calling himself "I, your grandpa"-Second Senior Sister must have taken Yanba to the gambling den at the foot of the mountain again!

"Hey! Wait! Wait! Master! My dear master!"

Sensing the pet beast pouch loosening, Yanba instantly lost his nerve. "I was just saying it! I didn't mean I wanted to get beaten up!"

Even if he was a calamity beast, he was only at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, a little baby less than a year old. He couldn't beat a Golden Core Realm sword cultivator who had already comprehended sword intent!!!

"Useless."

Feng Zhuo closed his eyes, hiding the faintest hint of a smile. "Once I reach Foundation Establishment, my junior brother and I plan to settle our grudge with him. Will you come with us?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Yanba knew how formidable his master was, and he knew how formidable his master's junior brother was too. He had no doubts whatsoever about two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators declaring that they would beat up a Golden Core Realm sword cultivator.

"Ah! My dear master! Your faithful servant is going to fall in love with you!"

Feng Zhuo was speechless. "Shut up!"