As soon as the Emperor spoke, the complexions of the ancestors of the four great factions, already ashen, turned the color of a bruised purple eggplant. Their stunned, slack-jawed expressions were as spectacular as could be.
Five million Mystic Pearls. While it was half less than the demanded ten million, they could technically afford it. However, that was the collective savings accumulated by their ancestors over nearly a millennium. To hand it over would mean a thousand years of their ancestors' efforts amounted to nothing, leaving their nearly millennium-old factions as hollow shells.
Yet, since the Emperor himself had spoken, they dared not disobey in the slightest. After all, living a wretched life was better than a glorious death. Though their hearts bled at surrendering all their wealth, it was still far better than being exterminated.
Seeing the Emperor's sincerity, the Demon Monkey King, who knew the true extent of the five factions' wealth, softened his rage. A faint smile appeared on his face. "Fine. Since you've asked, this king will naturally give you face. Yuan Gang Sect, White Treasure Cult, Carefree Valley, Fire God Gate—each faction will pay five million Mystic Pearls. However, the Jie Clan must hand over ten million Mystic Pearls. Take it or leave it."
"What? Ten million Mystic Pearls?! You might as well kill me!"
Hearing this, Jie Xingpeng felt an urge to vomit blood. While it was true the Jie Clan possessed the reserves for ten million Mystic Pearls, actually paying it would completely deplete their foundation, leaving nothing behind. Without vast wealth backing them, how would the younger generation cultivate? How would they maintain their standing? Lacking cultivation conditions superior to other factions, their juniors would struggle to rival the Spirit World Guild, let alone maintain their current glorious status. They would likely decline into a mere first-rate power.
"Jie Xingpeng, do you want to protect these ten million Mystic Pearls, or save your Jie Clan?" The Emperor shot him a fierce glare.
"Your Majesty, this humble one wishes to save the Jie Clan." Though unwilling, Jie Xingpeng understood the situation clearly. The logic was simple: losing the ten million Mystic Pearls would hinder the clan's development for centuries, perhaps even a millennium. But if the clan were destroyed, everything would be lost—even their current wealth would be plundered. The choice was painfully easy.
After Jie Xingpeng agreed, the Demon Monkey King imposed another condition: he demanded the thirty million Mystic Pearls within ten days, or he would not relent.
This threw the Jie Clan and the four factions into despair. While they could technically raise the sum, it required selling off many treasures—a true fire-sale effort that demanded time. Furthermore, their factions were scattered across the continent. Delivering the pearls to the Monkey King within ten days was an impossible task.
In this critical moment, the Emperor of the Jiang Dynasty stepped forward with a solution: the Jiang Dynasty would front the thirty million Mystic Pearls. They would advance the sum to the Demon Monkey King immediately, but the Jie Clan and the four factions were obligated to repay the Jiang Dynasty later.
The Demon Monkey King only cared about the quantity, not the source. As long as the pearls arrived in full, everything was fine. He readily agreed to the Emperor's proposal without objection.
Thus, the Demon Monkey King, Chu Feng, Zi Ling, Zhang Tianyi, and Gu Tianchen were all invited as guests to the Jiang Dynasty to collect the thirty million Mystic Pearls. Though the Jiang Dynasty was a formidable and intimidating place, with the unstoppable Demon Monkey King present, Chu Feng and the others felt completely secure. They boarded the Jiang Dynasty's war chariot without a second thought, heading to this colossal powerhouse of the Nine Provinces Continent.
After Chu Feng and the others departed, the Jie Clan, Yuan Gang Sect, Fire God Gate, White Treasure Cult, and Carefree Valley, having survived only by paying a fortune, began leading their elite troops back to their respective territories in a subdued manner.
Recall how, when the five great factions formed an alliance to attack the Spirit World Guild, they had been incredibly boastful, eager to proclaim their glorious feat to the world. Yet never did they imagine that Chu Feng's appearance would lead to their current downfall: crushing defeat, near annihilation, the death of four sect masters, and the demise of the Jie Clan's ancestor who had been in seclusion for a century.
If this news spread, their reputations would be utterly ruined, making them laughingstocks. Thus, they maintained an extreme low profile, hoping to keep the disaster quiet.
But while some mourned, others celebrated. As the five factions retreated quietly, trying to conceal their defeat, the Spirit World Guild dispatched every messenger bird to broadcast the event widely.
Consequently, news of the five factions' defeat at the hands of the Spirit World Guild, and the fall of the century-old genius Jie Shi and the four faction leaders, quickly spread across the Nine Provinces Continent.
To further emphasize their strength, the Spirit World Guild heavily publicized the deeds of Chu Feng and the Demon Monkey King.
This revealed that the Demon Monkey King was the mysterious powerhouse who had defeated Jie Shi and Gu Tianchen a century ago—the true ruler of Myriad Demon Mountain and Chu Feng's sworn brother.
Due to this complex relationship, when people learned the full story, they naturally hailed Chu Feng as the greatest contributor to the Spirit World Guild's victory over the five great factions.
Especially once the truth behind the five factions' original wanted poster for Chu Feng was uncovered, his image in the public eye underwent a complete reversal.
He was no longer a bloodthirsty demon who killed without blinking, but a fearless youth who dared to fight against tyranny—a textbook hero who had become a positive role model.
In the past, if a child misbehaved, elders would say, "Stop crying, or Chu Feng will come get you!" And the children would instantly clamp their mouths shut, terrified, showing just how fearsome his reputation once was.
Now, it was entirely different. If a child cried, an elder would say, "Don't cry. Come, let me tell you the story of the young hero Chu Feng, who bravely fought the forces of evil."
Hearing this, the child would immediately stop crying, sit on the ground, eyes wide with excitement, eagerly waiting for the tale of Chu Feng.
As for those who already admired him, they became even more fervent. Large numbers of young people packed their bags and headed for Qingzhou.
Not for any other reason than rumors claiming Chu Feng intended to rebuild the Azure Dragon Sect. Those who admired him naturally rushed to join his ranks.
In short, Chu Feng had completely transformed from the negative figure of the past into a positive hero, etching his name deeply into the legendary tales of the Nine Provinces Continent.