"Enjoy your glory for a few more days." As he watched the beam of light soaring into the sky, the smile on Chu Feng's lips deepened ever so slightly. His plan was actually quite simple — he intended to hand over the credit for seizing the Marshal's Banner to Yuan Qing, at least for now.
Once everyone believed that Yuan Qing was the one who had obtained the Marshal's Banner, they would shower him with praise and adulation. At that point, Yuan Qing would be elevated to dizzying heights. And knowing Yuan Qing's personality all too well, he would undoubtedly ride that wave of popularity to crush Chu Feng — and probably offend plenty of others in the process.
But once the timing was right, Chu Feng would strip away every shred of glory he had given Yuan Qing. When that day came, what would become of Yuan Qing? If nothing unexpected happened, a single word would suffice to describe his fate: miserable.
As the saying goes — the higher you fly, the harder you fall. And Chu Feng intended to make Yuan Qing's fall so devastating it would be unbearable to watch.
Such a worthless nobody, claiming credit that rightfully belonged to him, and having the audacity to act so arrogant about it — even daring to order him around. If Chu Feng didn't make sure he suffered a spectacular downfall, it simply wouldn't be his style.
"Whoosh!" But in that instant, Chu Feng's pupils contracted sharply. At the same time, his expression changed dramatically. He whipped his head around and shouted, "Who's there?!"
However, when Chu Feng turned around and scanned his surroundings with sharp, cautious eyes, he found nothing behind him but a few massive boulders. His brow furrowed involuntarily.
Just moments ago, he had clearly sensed someone watching him from behind. But now there wasn't a single soul in sight — he couldn't even detect the faintest trace of any aura.
"What's going on? Could it have been an illusion?" At that moment, Chu Feng fell deep into thought. He had a certain degree of confidence in his Mental Power — sensing errors were exceedingly rare for him.
So there were only two possibilities. Either his senses had truly deceived him this time, or there was someone with terrifyingly powerful cultivation who had just been watching him from the shadows.
"Which senior might this be? Might you reveal yourself?" Having considered the second possibility, Chu Feng hastily clasped his fists in a respectful salute and spoke in his most courteous tone.
After all, this was Green Wood Mountain. Even Martial Emperors existed here, so it was entirely plausible that someone could evade his detection. But if such a person truly existed, they would undoubtedly be a senior expert of Green Wood Mountain, and Chu Feng had no choice but to treat them with the utmost respect.
Yet after Chu Feng offered his salute, the only response was the howling wind and the faint glow emanating from the massive boulders behind him. There was no sound whatsoever.
This left Chu Feng feeling rather helpless. After weighing his plans once more, he had no choice but to move swiftly, dashing away from the area.
After Chu Feng departed, many people were drawn in by the dazzling light emanating from the massive boulder, eventually gathering before it to watch.
Because the Marshal's Banner had been claimed, the beam of light persisted for an extraordinarily long time. By the time the crowd had assembled, it was still blazing with resplendent brilliance.
"Heavens — the Marshal's Banner really has been found! I never expected it to be in such a remote place. That's different from previous years."
"Exactly. Wasn't the Marshal's Banner always hidden deep within the Stone Forest? Why was it placed in such an obscure location this year?"
"Forget all that — I'm more interested in knowing who actually solved the puzzle of the Marshal's Banner."
By now, the crowd had swelled from a handful to several hundred. Even Wang Yan, Jiang Hao, Huang Juan, and Bai Ruochen had been drawn to the scene.
After all, with the three Command Flags already revealed, the only thing these geniuses had left to look forward to was the Marshal's Banner. Now that it had appeared, they all wanted to know who was responsible — who had claimed this year's Marshal's Banner.
While the crowd buzzed with speculation, Yuan Qing had already regained consciousness within the beam of light. Though he was awake, he couldn't move a muscle — he couldn't even speak.
This meant he clearly heard every word the crowd outside was saying, and he now realized that in a daze, he had apparently obtained the Marshal's Banner.