Chapter 40: Telling the Truth but No One Believes

Chapter 40: Telling the Truth but No One Believes

Chen Feng’s gaze fixed intently.

Ye Yunqi stood a few meters away with his group, his eyes icy and ruthless, surging like tidal waves, as if carrying the crushing force of the ocean, ready to engulf and shatter Chen Feng.

His killing intent was laid bare without the slightest concealment.

The surrounding air seemed coated in frost, chilling and oppressive.

A terrifying aura spread relentlessly, pressing down on the area. Over a hundred people watched intently, their eyes flickering with anticipation.

They all wondered—would these two come to blows right here?

After all, their grudge had existed for months.

"Chen Feng, it’s good to see you again," Ye Yunqi spoke, his words sounding like a greeting between old friends, but the cold, direct tone carried a ruthless killing intent that made it far from pleasant.

"I heard not only have your injuries healed, but you’ve also broken through and elevated your bloodline. Not bad—at least you won’t crumble at the slightest touch like before," Chen Feng said with a faint smile, his tone unhurried.

To strike a man is to avoid his face; to insult a man is to avoid his scars.

Yet Chen Feng’s words tore open Ye Yunqi’s freshly healed wounds, stabbing straight into his heart.

Months ago, in their battle, Ye Yunqi had been crushed by a single sword strike from Chen Feng, suffering severe injuries. The resentment had taken root deep within him—unless he personally defeated Chen Feng, it would never fade.

The surrounding crowd, aware of this history, erupted in murmurs.

This True Disciple of Juejian Peak truly had a sharp tongue.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Yunqi suppressed the surging rage and killing intent in his heart. Now was not the time to kill Chen Feng.

After all, within the Huntian Sect, combat was permitted, but killing was forbidden. Violating this rule would result in severe punishment.

Especially as True Disciples, whose status far surpassed that of ordinary disciples—even with his Saint-Level Bloodline, Ye Yunqi could not bear the consequences of killing another True Disciple of the same sect.

Not to mention, Chen Feng was Wang Yuandao’s closed-door disciple.

Mo Wusheng had already warned Ye Yunqi to endure for now and kill Chen Feng inside the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm.

"Empty words," Ye Yunqi sneered, forcing down his fury. "Chen Feng, you’d better not enter the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm. Otherwise, it will become your burial ground."

With that, Ye Yunqi turned to leave.

"Alright, then I won’t enter the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm," Chen Feng replied amiably.

Ye Yunqi nearly stumbled mid-step.

The crowd also wore expressions of astonishment.

This response from the True Disciple of Juejian Peak was utterly unexpected.

Shouldn’t he have countered Ye Yunqi’s words and refused to back down?

"My master hopes I’ll enter the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm. If he finds out I gave up because of threats, I wonder how he’d react..." Chen Feng muttered under his breath.

Everyone present had keen senses and heard his words clearly. Instantly, their expressions changed drastically.

Who didn’t know who Chen Feng’s master was?

That man, whose remaining lifespan was less than ten years, wielded a sword so formidable that his strength rivaled that of a Dao Integration Realm expert.

Such a person with limited lifespan yet immense power—who could withstand their wrath if they were to unleash it?

"This kid is truly lacking martial virtue."

"Devious... utterly devious..."

"This guy is not to be provoked."

For a moment, the gazes of the gathered prodigies fixed on Chen Feng were filled with strangeness and wariness.

As for Ye Yunqi, his face turned ashen, nearly spitting blood in frustration.

Wang Yuandao's strength far surpassed that of his own master—if he truly directed his anger, what could possibly stop him?

But to turn around now and speak kindly to Chen Feng, begging him to enter the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm?

Impossible!

Taking a deep breath, Ye Yunqi stepped forward again, his expression darkening to the extreme.

He refused to believe Chen Feng would truly give up the chance to enter the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm.

After all, the Hidden Dragon Secret Realm only opened once every hundred years, representing a tremendous opportunity for those in the Body Forging Realm.

Of course, Chen Feng had no intention of actually giving it up—his words were merely meant to provoke Ye Yunqi.

Since they couldn’t fight, at least he could still use his words.

Closing his eyes once more, Chen Feng cleared his mind and resumed contemplating the mysteries of the First Form of the Juejian Thirteen Swords.

From time to time, voices sounded at the entrance as True Disciples from various peaks arrived. Of course, aside from True Disciples, some Core Disciples also came along to witness the event.

However, only those in the Body Forging Realm were invited, and all accompanying individuals were also restricted to the same realm.

"Quasi-Sect Heir Xiao Xuanwu of Gu Yuan Peak has arrived..."

As the announcement echoed, the crowd's attention shifted back to the entrance. Chen Feng also paused his contemplation, opening his eyes to observe.

A Quasi-Sect Heir—this meant the person's Innate Divine Trait had reached the Saint-Grade level.

This was fundamentally different from someone like Ye Yunqi, who had broken through and risen to Saint-Grade afterward.

Ye Yunqi's advancement was a post-birth elevation—his potential and ceiling were inevitably inferior compared to those born with a Saint-Grade Divine Trait.

Xiao Xuanwu's towering, mountain-like figure strode into the Shenglong Garden, exuding an overwhelming pressure that seemed to suppress everything in its path.

"Such an intense aura..."

Chen Feng's senses were exceptionally sharp, and he couldn't help but feel inwardly shocked, deducing that Xiao Xuanwu had likely reached the Eleventh Transformation of the Body Forging Realm.

Moreover, Chen Feng knew that Xiao Xuanwu had entered the Huntian Sect in the same batch as him, hailed as a prodigy from the Dao Academy's main branch—the only one among their generation to directly strike the drum five times.

Powerful figures from the Nine Halls had sought to take him as a disciple, but in the end, Xiao Xuanwu chose to become a disciple under the master of Gu Yuan Peak.

After all, Gu Yuan Peak stood as the leader of the seventy-two peaks, its overall strength no less than that of the Nine Halls, and its peak master was a formidable expert in the Dao Integration Realm.

Xiao Xuanwu swept his gaze across the room before striding inside and taking a seat—coincidentally, not far from Chen Feng.

"I am Xiao Xuanwu of Gu Yuan Peak. How should I address you, junior brother?" Xiao Xuanwu's eyes settled on Chen Feng, a faint smile appearing after a brief moment of observation.

"Chen Feng of Juejian Peak," Chen Feng replied calmly.

"It's you!" Xiao Xuanwu's eyes narrowed slightly, a trace of surprise flashing across his face before two beams of sharp light seemed to shoot from his pupils, piercing through everything as if trying to see through Chen Feng completely.

"I had heard of Junior Brother Chen Feng's reputation long ago and looked forward to meeting you one day. Today, my wish has finally come true." Xiao Xuanwu found himself completely unable to see through Chen Feng, which secretly surprised him. With a faint smile, he continued, "Moreover, it seems we are fated to be seated next to each other."

Chen Feng thought this Xiao Xuanwu was quite talkative and seemed friendly.

"Junior Brother Chen, my Innate Divine Trait is the Heavenly Apex Sacred Body. I wonder what your hidden divine trait is?" After a brief silence, Xiao Xuanwu seemed unable to suppress his curiosity and finally asked.

Those nearby who heard Xiao Xuanwu's words immediately turned their gazes toward Chen Feng.

They, too, were curious about what kind of hidden divine trait Chen Feng possessed.

Ye Yunqi also fixed his eyes on Chen Feng. Among everyone present, he was undoubtedly the most familiar with Chen Feng.

A waste from a remote border town of the Great Xia Kingdom, yet he had risen to prominence in such a short time—there was no way there wasn’t something unusual about him.

Either he had stumbled upon some heaven-defying opportunity, but in such a small place, what kind of heaven-defying opportunity could there be? Most likely, he had awakened some kind of hidden divine trait, one that was difficult to detect. Thus, Ye Yunqi was also extremely curious.

"What if I told you I don’t have any divine trait? Would you believe me?" Chen Feng stared at Xiao Xuanwu with utmost sincerity.

"It seems Junior Brother Chen’s divine trait is a secret." Xiao Xuanwu frowned briefly before relaxing again, smiling. "Very well, then I’ll have to wait until another time to witness what kind of divine trait you possess."

Chen Feng felt helpless.

He told the truth, yet no one was willing to believe him. Did he have to fabricate a lie instead?

Fine, believe it or not—there was no need to explain further.

Perhaps sensing Chen Feng’s lack of openness, Xiao Xuanwu stopped speaking to him, and Chen Feng naturally had no reason to force conversation.

At last, hundreds of people gathered in the Shenglong Garden, each one a prodigy with a divine trait, extraordinary in their own right.

Each person exuded a unique aura, and the convergence of hundreds of these auras intertwined above the Shenglong Garden, giving rise to radiant streams of light—an utterly magnificent sight.

However, these were not all the Body Forging Realm disciples of the Huntian Sect who possessed divine traits. A significant number of Core Disciples had not come, not because they didn’t want to, but because they weren’t qualified.

A mighty dragon’s roar suddenly resounded through the air, shaking the surroundings.

A 10-meter-long black flood dragon tore through the clouds, swiftly descending upon the Shenglong Garden, stirring a tempestuous wind that swept through everything.

An overwhelming pressure radiated from the black flood dragon, suppressing all in its vicinity.

Its scales gleamed with an eerie, bone-chilling darkness, and its cold, merciless eyes made it impossible for anyone to meet its gaze.

On the back of this black flood dragon sat a figure.

Clad in a black battle robe embroidered with golden dragon patterns, the man appeared to be around twenty years old. His chiseled features were as unyielding as forged steel, exuding boundless dominance. His piercing eyes shimmered with an intense brilliance, and his towering frame, with shoulders broad enough to carry mountains, emanated an aura of immense power and authority.

Everyone knew—this was the main figure of today’s grand celebration.

The Quasi-Sect Heir of the Canglong True Hall… no, to be precise, he was now a Sect Heir Candidate: Yuan Hualong.

A supreme prodigy whose cultivation had broken through to the Body Forging Twelve Transformations.

Yuan Hualong's eyes, brimming with boundless dominance, swept slowly across the crowd. Everyone felt his gaze as if it were tangible, carrying an astonishing pressure that made their hearts skip a beat. Only a handful could calmly meet his stare.

With a light leap, Yuan Hualong descended from the back of the black flood dragon.

The black flood dragon let out another earth-shaking roar before leaping forward. Its 10-meter-long, agile body moved with an incredibly graceful and nimble posture, evoking an involuntary sense of admiration. The flood dragon swiftly soared into the sky, piercing through the clouds once more before vanishing from sight.

Chen Feng withdrew his gaze, his mind now stirring with thoughts.

"Impressive. The Wanwu Pavilion seems to have a top-grade movement technique called the Heaven and Earth Wandering Dragon. Perhaps I can exchange for it and cultivate it..."

Indeed, a top-grade martial art required 10,000 Contribution Points to exchange, but he still had plenty left—enough to make the trade.

As he pondered, Yuan Hualong flicked his sleeve, and an overwhelmingly domineering voice rang out.