At this moment, Bai Ruochen, Long Chenyi, and nearly everyone present had fixed their gaze upon Chu Feng. They all sensed that whatever Chu Feng was about to say would send shockwaves through the crowd.
"Since everyone wants to know so badly, I won't hide it any longer."
"In truth, it's quite simple. The so-called peerless genius in your eyes — the monstrous talent 'Yuan Qing' who is said to rival Lord Qingxuontian — is no genius at all. He's nothing but trash."
"Moreover, he isn't just trash. He is a despicable, shameless, disgustingly hypocritical lowlife through and through."
"His triggering of the Ancient Immortal Needle was a lie. His seizing of the Commander's Banner was a lie. Every single honor on his head is a lie — stolen from someone else, pilfered from someone else."
"He has no real ability, so how could he dare to fight me? He doesn't possess the skills you all expect, so how could he dare face me in a life-and-death battle right in front of you?" Chu Feng's voice grew louder and louder, each word ringing clear, shaking not only the sky above but also striking at the hearts of all who listened.
"What? Yuan Qing's honors are fake? Does that mean he never triggered the Ancient Immortal Needle, and never seized the Commander's Banner?"
"What on earth is going on? Why does Chu Feng say Yuan Qing's honors were stolen and pilfered? Could it be that the person who did all of that wasn't Yuan Qing — that Yuan Qing simply claimed someone else's achievements?"
"But then whose achievements did Yuan Qing steal? Who is the real peerless genius?"
The moment these words left Chu Feng's mouth, an uproar erupted. Everyone's expression changed drastically. They had considered that Yuan Qing feared Chu Feng perhaps because he knew Chu Feng was too strong and that he might not be Chu Feng's match.
But they had never imagined that everything about Yuan Qing was fabricated — that he was no peerless genius at all, but a disgustingly hypocritical, utterly shameless, despicable scoundrel.
"Chu Feng, you're full of it! You can insult us all you like, but we will absolutely not permit you to slander our Junior Brother Yuan Qing!" The disciples of the Stargazing Pavilion could no longer sit still. Utterly convinced of Yuan Qing's innocence, they believed Chu Feng was lying — that he was seizing this opportunity to attack Yuan Qing, and that the truly despicable one was Chu Feng himself.
"Chu Feng, you may eat whatever food you like, but you had better watch your tongue. If you dare spout such nonsense again — attacking someone's character, slandering their reputation — then don't blame me for carrying out my duty as an elder and showing you no mercy."
In truth, it wasn't only the disciples of the Stargazing Pavilion who were outraged. The elders, too, had reached their breaking point. Those elders at the Half-Emperor level, in particular, made no effort to conceal their fury.
Their wrath surged skyward, plunging the heavens overhead into darkness. Bolts of lightning crackled through the clouds, the spectacle so terrifying that it seemed as though Chu Feng would be struck down the moment he dared say another word against Yuan Qing.
"Ha — haha — hahahaha — HAHAHAHAHA…" Yet facing this display, Chu Feng showed not a shred of fear. Instead, he burst into wild, frenzied laughter once more.
He laughed for a good while before abruptly cutting himself off, his sharp brows drawing together as his gaze turned grave. He looked straight at the elders of the Stargazing Pavilion and raised his voice:
"You all keep claiming that I'm attacking Yuan Qing's character and slandering his reputation. So let me ask you this: which one of you actually witnessed Yuan Qing trigger the Ancient Immortal Needle with your own eyes? Which one of you saw Yuan Qing seize the Commander's Banner? You only saw the result — but did any of you see the process?"
"This…"
"None of us saw the process, but the result speaks for itself. Whether it was triggering the Ancient Immortal Needle or seizing the Commander's Banner — Yuan Qing did it."
"As elders, we can vouch for this on our honor. Yuan Qing hails from our Stargazing Pavilion. We know his character, and we trust his character."