The figure that appeared within the formation was recognized by many present — it was Long Chengyu.
"Long Chengyu? He's not dead?"
"Wasn't there a rebellion in the Totem Dragon Clan?"
Seeing Long Chengyu, the crowd erupted into discussion.
Meanwhile, outside was in an even greater uproar.
Because outside, not only had a massive crowd gathered, but they could all see the ranking board.
The examination rankings had changed.
Originally, the tenth position belonged to Qin Shu.
But now it had changed — tenth place was Long Chengyu.
"Long Chengyu?"
Seeing that name, most people were merely surprised.
But for some of the higher-ups from the Celestial Immortal Sect, their expressions turned extremely ugly.
"That Long Lin actually dared to let Long Chengyu escape?"
They were well aware of the Totem Dragon Clan's situation.
According to the Celestial Immortal Sect's wishes, the clan should have been eradicated root and branch to eliminate any future trouble.
But Long Lin had insisted on keeping them imprisoned, claiming their lives would be useful for the time being.
Yet now Long Chengyu had broken free, which meant Long Lin had deceived them.
Although they had been providing covert assistance and cooperating with Long Lin as partners, in the eyes of the Celestial Immortal Sect, Long Lin was nothing more than a puppet.
A puppet daring to do something like this naturally warranted punishment.
Meanwhile, atop the Peak of Nine Heavens.
Those geniuses, remarkably, did not a single one go to greet Long Chengyu.
There were two main reasons for this.
First, Long Chengyu had never been one to make friends in the first place — practically none of those present were his acquaintances.
But given Long Chengyu's status and fame, in better times, many people would have actively sought to befriend him.
Yet no one did now.
Why?
This brought them to the second reason — the change in his standing.
With the Totem Dragon Clan's rebellion, even if Long Chengyu was still alive, the fact remained that he had lost his power and influence.
Most importantly, there was Chu Feng.
Everyone in the vast cultivation world knew that Long Chengyu and Chu Feng were close friends.
And who had Chu Feng offended?
The Seven Realms Holy Palace!!!
Forget the current Long Chengyu — even the Totem Dragon Clan at the height of its power wouldn't dare offend the Seven Realms Holy Palace.
Every single person present, without exception, had no desire to make an enemy of the Seven Realms Holy Palace.
So simply because of his friendship with Chu Feng, no one dared to get close to him.
In short, they were afraid of the Seven Realms Holy Palace.
But before long, two figures appeared and strode quickly toward Long Chengyu.
They were two young monks, disciples of the Peak of Nine Heavens.
"Congratulations, Benefactor Long, on reaching the Peak of Nine Heavens. We have prepared a place for you to rest — please come with us," the two young monks said respectfully.
"Wait a moment — I'm expecting two people," Long Chengyu said.
"Of course."
The two young monks nodded slightly and stepped to the side.
"Expecting two people? Did more youngsters from the Totem Dragon Clan come as well?" the crowd speculated.
After a brief wait, the teleportation formation stirred once more, and Long Muxi stepped out.
"Long Muxi?"
Seeing Long Muxi, the crowd began buzzing again.
Qin Shu in particular regarded Long Muxi with a complicated expression.
Long Muxi had long been famous, but few people knew what she looked like.
Even within the Totem Dragon Clan, barely anyone had seen her true face.
It was only during the Painter Mountain affair that people finally learned her appearance, and from that point on, her portrait spread far and wide.
More and more people came to know what Long Muxi looked like.
Qin Shu had actually seen Long Muxi back in the Ancient Realm.
It was just that at the time, no one had known who she was.
Seeing Long Muxi again, Qin Shu couldn't help but recall those events.
Long Muxi hadn't made the ranking board, so the people outside didn't know she had reached the Peak of Nine Heavens.
But before long, every single person outside saw the ranking board change once more.
This time, it was the first position that changed.
Chu Feng!!!
Chu Feng had appeared at the top of the rankings.
"Chu Feng?"
"He… he's not dead?"
Compared to Long Chengyu, Chu Feng's appearance caused a far greater sensation.
Every faction had previously been convinced that Chu Feng was dead.
Yet now not only was he alive, he had appeared here — and claimed first place in the examination?
Even the Master of the Seven Realms Holy Palace, who already knew Chu Feng was alive, stared at the ranking board with fury in his eyes, his fists clenched tightly beneath his sleeves.
Right now, no one wanted Chu Feng in the spotlight more than he did — or rather, no one wanted him to *lose* the spotlight more.
But this Chu Feng simply refused to stop stealing the limelight, over and over again.
He had even reached the Peak of Nine Heavens right under his nose, which infuriated the Master to no end.
Meanwhile, atop the Peak of Nine Heavens, an equally explosive commotion broke out.
Because Chu Feng had already emerged from the teleportation formation and now stood in the plaza.
Everyone marveled at the fact that Chu Feng was still alive.
But while the others merely expressed astonishment, Qin Shu's expression was far more complex.
His eyes burned with rage and his face twisted into a savage grimace, yet a cold smile nonetheless crept across the corner of his lips.
The grudge from the Ancient Realm — he had never forgotten it.
He had thought there would be no chance for revenge, yet here was Chu Feng once again handing him that very opportunity.
"Brother." Qin Shu turned to Qin Xuan.
"Now may not be the right time to act," Qin Xuan said in a low voice.
"Are you afraid of that Long Chengyu?" Qin Shu asked.
"Not afraid, exactly — let's just wait and observe for now. After all, the Seven Realms Holy Palace has sent quite a few people, and we can't steal their thunder."
Qin Xuan communicated through a secret transmission.