"Everyone of the Totem Dragon Clan, what are you doing?"
"Could it be that you are not descendants of the Dragon Clan? If you truly were, how could you possibly be bound by dragon whiskers?"
From the distance, another mocking voice suddenly rang out.
Looking in that direction, far away on the horizon, thirteen elderly figures stood suspended in the sky.
They were so distant that anyone lacking sufficient cultivation wouldn't even be able to detect them.
But Chu Feng and the others could see them clearly.
The thirteen wore uniform attire, yet they were not members of the Totem Dragon Clan. They were all from the Firmament Immortal Sect.
"Him?"
Chu Feng immediately recognized one among them.
It was a bald old man—Qin Changhong, the Hall Master of the Punishment Hall of the Firmament Immortal Sect.
Previously, before Chu Feng had deciphered the code of the Nine Heavens Secret Land, he had been transported from that place to the Firmament Galaxy. As it happened, the teleportation gate had deposited him within forbidden grounds occupied by the Firmament Immortal Sect. There, he had encountered Xia Xingchen, a defector from the Firmament Immortal Sect, and Qin Changhong had pursued them. To force Xia Xingchen out, Qin Changhong had subjected Chu Feng to a brutal round of torture.
That old man had been ruthless beyond measure, subjecting Chu Feng to every inhuman method the Punishment Hall had to offer.
That torture had nearly broken Chu Feng.
It was only his willpower that had kept him sane—anyone else, even if they survived, would have gone mad.
He never imagined that Qin Changhong would end up here.
Most strikingly, given Qin Changhong's status and standing, among these thirteen he could only take a position toward the rear. The three who led them were also elderly, but their bearing and presence were unmistakably far superior to Qin Changhong's.
"The Firmament Immortal Sect—why are you here?"
When the Totem Dragon Clan members laid eyes on the thirteen elders of the Firmament Immortal Sect, their surprise was palpable. Some even called out the identities of the newcomers.
It turned out the three elders at the forefront were all among the Firmament Immortal Sect's Ten Direction Immortal Venerables.
Chu Feng had heard of the Ten Direction Immortal Venerables before—they were the strongest fighting force of the Firmament Immortal Sect, second only to its Sect Master.
"Heh…"
But just as the Totem Dragon Clan members were reeling from the unexpected revelation, the Totem Dragon Clan Chief let out a soft laugh.
"So it was your Firmament Immortal Sect helping Dragon Scale against our Totem Dragon Clan."
The moment those words left the Clan Chief's lips, realization dawned on the Totem Dragon Clan members.
In that battle, the betrayal from within had indeed caught them off guard. But there had been another reason for their defeat: a group of powerful masked figures had aided Dragon Scale's rebellion. Those figures had used a wide variety of martial techniques and disguised their weapons, leaving their true identities a mystery.
Now, the truth was finally laid bare.
It had been the Firmament Immortal Sect backing Dragon Scale's treachery.
"As expected of a Clan Chief—your mind works faster than most," the foremost elder of the Firmament Immortal Sect said with a faint smile.
He did not deny it. At this point, there was no need for denial. They had come here today to annihilate the Totem Dragon Clan Chief and his followers.
"So the Firmament Immortal Sect was involved in Dragon Scale's rebellion. No wonder…"
Now, Chu Feng's own doubts were resolved.
When Dragon Scale had insisted that the Totem Dragon Clan Chief and the others could not be allowed to leave, there had clearly been something he wasn't saying. That hidden concern, Chu Feng now understood, was the Firmament Immortal Sect.
The Firmament Immortal Sect must have had its own reasons for aiding Dragon Scale—there was undoubtedly profit to be had. It was entirely possible that Dragon Scale was nothing more than their puppet. Even now, despite his position as the Totem Dragon Clan Chief, he likely had no real autonomy.
At the same time, Chu Feng recalled that when he had caused havoc at the Seven Realms Sacred Palace, the Sect Master of the Firmament Immortal Sect had been present. At the time, he hadn't thought much of it, assuming the old man simply enjoyed being where the action was. But now, looking back, that had been exactly when the rebellion was unfolding within the Totem Dragon Clan. The Firmament Immortal Sect Master had deliberately shown himself at the Seven Realms Sacred Palace at that moment—most likely to distance himself from suspicion.
But how had the Firmament Immortal Sect's people found their way here?
Could Dragon Scale have tipped them off? And if so, would the Firmament Immortal Sect truly act on Dragon Scale's behalf?