Chapter 161 – "A Petty Man in Power"
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Before the eyes of all, Chen Fei—the greatest hero of Yellow Mist City, the man who had saved everyone—was forcibly taken away by Long Qingchuang and the rest of the Qinling faction.
Many wanted to stop it, but they simply didn’t have the strength.
Miao Yue was the first to rush forward, but before she could even get close, she was struck and sent flying by the aura released by Long Qingchuang. Her fate was unknown—alive or dead.
Li Zhong also charged forward recklessly, only to be blasted away just the same.
“Grandfather!” Lu Yijun stood in front of Lu Hengshi, his face twisted with anger. He was deeply indebted to Chen Fei, yet he could only watch helplessly as his benefactor was taken away.
“That’s a Supreme Elder of Qinling.”
“We’ll have to think of a plan later,” Lu Hengshi said with a sigh. Against someone of that level, they were as helpless as mortals against the heavens.
With Chen Fei taken away, the Su family lost their luster. Meanwhile, Ye Bufan, just before leaving, was granted a token by Long Yan.
“My grandfather said the City Lord’s Mansion took the lead against the evil cultivators. This token is your reward!”
“With this token, you may request anything within Qinling’s domain, and it shall not be refused.”
Long Yan’s words echoed in Ye Bufan’s ears like divine grace. Holding the token tightly, he bowed repeatedly before the Qinling cultivators, kowtowing until blood streamed from his forehead.
Only when they couldn’t bear to watch any longer did Ye Bufan stop.
Gripping the Qinling Token, bloodied but laughing wildly, Ye Bufan scanned the crowd and sneered, “Yellow Mist City is still the Ye family’s domain. Su family, Merchant Corps, Dance Bureau—you just wait!”
At this moment, Ye Bufan was arrogantly drunk on power. With Qinling backing him and the token in hand—an item capable of destroying entire factions—even the Daqing royal court would have to tread carefully.
“A petty man intoxicated by success!”
“If not for Chen Fei, you’d have long become blood food in the afterlife. And now you shamelessly threaten the Su family and the Merchant Corps?”
These words came from Lu Yijun, who had just stepped out, his eyes cold as he stared down Ye Bufan. “Anyone who dares harm the friends and family of my brother Chen Fei, Silver Moon Academy will not spare them!”
“And the Myriad Nations Chamber of Commerce as well!”
Li Qingyi followed, sweeping her gaze around. “President Chen Fei is one of us. Now that he’s been taken by Qinling, we will not sit idly by.”
The appearance of these two major powers was like ice water dousing Ye Bufan’s moment of glory.
Ye Bufan stared at them in disbelief. “You’re going to oppose Qinling?”
“You think you’re worthy of representing Qinling?” Lu Yijun mocked. “You really think just holding that chicken feather gives you the power to overturn the heavens?”
“If you don’t believe me, try it. Even if I kill you right now, I doubt anyone from Qinling would bother to avenge you.”
Lu Yijun sneered but didn’t strike—at least not yet. To act against Ye Bufan now would be to slap Qinling in the face, and Qinling wouldn’t ignore that.
However, unless they killed or crippled him, Qinling likely wouldn’t bother getting involved. After all, the token was merely a means of consolidating loyalty.
Ye Bufan, afraid to directly confront a young master like Lu Yijun with powerful backing, slunk away toward the City Lord’s Mansion.
At that moment, the mansion had temporarily fallen under the control of General Yuantong, one of the Empire’s Guardian Generals. He was thoroughly investigating everyone inside.
Only after Ye Bufan returned with the Qinling Token did General Yuantong suspend the investigation and release everyone.
The appearance of the token in Ye Bufan’s hands proved that the City Lord’s Mansion had earned merit, not guilt. The position of City Lord could not be altered now—it would be inherited by the bearer of the token.
Seeing this, General Yuantong left a few trusted subordinates to hold the fort before returning to Tianyuan City with Lu Hengshi and the others.
Chen Fei had never expected his first departure from Yellow Mist City to be like this.
At this moment, he was completely restrained—unable to release a single trace of spiritual or mental energy. This was the greatest crisis he’d faced since arriving in this world.
He had been too careless, revealing too much of his strength, drawing the attention of Qinling’s high-level figures.
But the opportunities in the secret realm had been far too important.
And when evil cultivators had threatened to massacre the city, with so many innocent lives pleading for help, how could he have turned a blind eye?
Even if he had to do it all again, he wouldn’t change a thing.
Along the way, Meng Cheng—who knew of Su Han’s existence and secrets—was constantly plotting, trying to extract her whereabouts from Chen Fei.
After leaving the secret realm and failing to see Su Han, he began to suspect she had escaped ahead of time.
Ambitious, Meng Cheng resolved that after returning, he would do everything in his power to break through to the Spirit Realm—then he could hunt down Su Han and seize her Phoenix bloodline.
Chen Fei’s capture was inseparable from Meng Cheng’s scheming.
Qin Heng and others wanted to save Chen Fei, but their voices carried no weight with someone like Long Qingchuang.
However, Qin Heng made up his mind. Once they returned to their sect, he would ask his master to intervene—at least to ensure Chen Fei’s survival.
At that very moment, while everyone believed the entrance to the secret realm had closed for good, a faint light once again shimmered at the exit.
The fluctuation was so subtle that no one in Yellow Mist City noticed.
“Your Excellency!”
“I have fulfilled my promise. I hope you won’t forget our agreement.”
Within the secret realm, a wisp of the soul of Qin Meng—the realm’s former master—glimmered with light as she bowed toward a figure bathed in firelight.
“Don’t worry,” the figure replied with a graceful nod. “A promise is a promise. I will do my best to find a worthy successor for your legacy.”
“Many thanks, Exalted One.” Qin Meng’s soul fragment smiled.
