"Absolute scum," Ying Mingchao snarled with fury.
"If I'm not mistaken, it should be the work of the Soul Infant Sect," Chu Feng said. Within the scope of what he currently knew, the Soul Infant Sect was the first thing that came to mind.
"The Soul Infant Sect is still in the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm? They haven't been destroyed yet?" Ying Mingchao asked.
"No. They've been hiding themselves well all this time. Most people don't even know the Soul Infant Sect exists," Chu Feng replied.
"Damnable. What have these so-called righteous sects been doing all these years?" Ying Mingchao's eyes burned with rage, and then he said to Chu Feng, "Actually, the reason I founded Hero City back then was to wipe out the Soul Infant Sect. I just never expected that I would later be ambushed by the Kong Heavenly Clan and the Zhou Heavenly Clan."
"I assumed that after so many years, the Soul Infant Sect would have been destroyed long ago. I can't believe that while those four great powers still stand, they haven't accomplished a single thing of worth."
"Senior, don't you think the wish you failed to fulfill back then should be fulfilled now?" Chu Feng said suddenly.
Seeing the scene before him — all those lives extinguished — Chu Feng felt more and more strongly that the Soul Infant Sect needed to be eliminated as soon as possible.
True, destroying the Soul Infant Sect was a task his father had entrusted to him, and Chu Feng wanted to complete it with his own hands.
But he could not find a single reason to let the Soul Infant Sect continue to exist, to continue committing atrocities.
So even if he could not finish that mission himself, he still hoped the Soul Infant Sect would be wiped out as quickly as possible, so that no more innocent children would suffer such a fate.
Disputes among martial cultivators could be tolerated. But those who mangled infants to advance their own cultivation — that could not be tolerated.
This was something the entire martial cultivation world refused to tolerate.
And now, Ying Mingchao was the person best equipped to destroy the Soul Infant Sect. That was why Chu Feng wanted to join forces with him and borrow his strength to eradicate the Soul Infant Sect — the greatest blight upon the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm.
Upon hearing Chu Feng's words, Ying Mingchao closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.
It took a long while before he gradually calmed down. And when he opened his eyes once more, his gaze was no longer consumed by despair. Instead, it blazed with a sharp, resolute light.
Whoosh—
In a single motion, Ying Mingchao untied the Universe Bag from his waist and tossed it to Chu Feng.
"I told you that if you rescued me, I would repay you. Take it — all of it," Ying Mingchao said.
"Senior, there's no need. I didn't save you back then because I wanted anything in return. I was simply fulfilling a request on someone's behalf," Chu Feng said, preparing to hand the Universe Bag back.
"If you want me to destroy the Soul Infant Sect, then accept it," Ying Mingchao said.
Chu Feng paused for a moment, then smiled and shook his head. "Senior, it seems you've given me a reason I can't refuse."
"Then take it. Accept it, and help me rebuild Hero City."
"I believe that not all of my old brothers could have been killed by the Kong Heavenly Clan and the Zhou Heavenly Clan. They must still be somewhere in the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm, and I will call them back."
"This time, I won't wait any longer. I will also unite every force in the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm. I want to destroy the Soul Infant Sect as soon as possible," Ying Mingchao declared.
"Good. I'll handle this matter alongside you," Chu Feng said.
After that, Ying Mingchao returned to the former site of Hero City.
As they had expected, Hero City had long since been razed to the ground. What had once been a glorious district had become a barren wasteland. Within a radius of thousands of miles, not a single soul lingered. No one dared to appear here, fearing that they would be mistaken for remnants of Hero City and slaughtered by the Kong Heavenly Clan or the Zhou Heavenly Clan.
However, Ying Mingchao was a Spirit World Master, and Chu Feng was also a Spirit World Master.
With the skills the two of them possessed, rebuilding a city from scratch was simplicity itself.
Drawing upon his memories, Ying Mingchao reconstructed Hero City as it had been.
The only difference from the old Hero City was that a grand palace now stood where the main hall had once been.
This was a palace Ying Mingchao had built with his own hands — a palace tailored specifically for Chu Feng.
Although Chu Feng had said he had no intention of joining Hero City, Ying Mingchao insisted it did not matter.
Chu Feng did not need to formally join Hero City. But the gates of Hero City would always stand open for him, and Hero City would forever be his home.
……
It was worth noting that not long after Hero City was rebuilt, people began arriving.
Some were survivors of Hero City who had served under Ying Mingchao in the past. Others had no connection to Ying Mingchao at all — they had simply come out of curiosity.
Through his inquiries, Chu Feng learned from these people that they had come upon hearing the news that Ying Mingchao was still alive.
They knew that Ying Mingchao had been ambushed by the Kong Heavenly Clan and the Zhou Heavenly Clan all those years ago.
They also knew that it was Ying Mingchao who had destroyed the Kong Heavenly Clan.
And this version of events was entirely favorable to Ying Mingchao — it even restored his reputation from a thousand years ago.