"Look, so many people can bear witness — you can't deny it. So... if young friend Chu Feng is able to break this formation, then even if you don't eat shit, you should at least apologize."
"Everyone, am I right?" Elder Huang Guan spoke up once more.
"Right!" the crowd responded in unison, their voices even louder than before.
Seeing this, Elder Yue Ling's face turned ashen, his expression extremely unpleasant.
Regardless of anything, he was a prominent elder of the Heavenly Dao Palace. As for Chu Feng, no matter how you looked at it, he was still a junior. Just because of a few words, he was being asked to apologize to Chu Feng — this was simply unreasonable, and he refused to do it.
"Th-that... Elder Huang Guan makes much more sense than that old man," Wang Qiang ran up to Elder Huang Guan and showered him with praise, and between his compliments, he didn't forget to take a jab at Elder Yue Ling.
Seeing how Wang Qiang called him "old man" at every turn but addressed the elders of the Netherworld Palace with proper titles — such a stark contrast made Elder Yue Ling even more displeased.
"Fine. If young friend Chu Feng can break this formation, I will publicly apologize to young friend Chu Feng." Out of face, Elder Yue Ling agreed.
However, the moment those words left his mouth, he added: "But if young friend Chu Feng cannot break this formation, I want this little beast to kneel and apologize to me." Elder Yue Ling pointed at Wang Qiang.
"Apologize then! You think I'm sc-sc-scared of you?" Wang Qiang looked completely unfazed.
"Elder Yue Ling, you don't need to apologize to me. But if I succeed, you must apologize to my friend," Chu Feng said.
"On what grounds?" Elder Yue Ling's brow furrowed immediately.
Not just him — many people present looked confused. Elder Yue Ling had indeed said words that looked down on Chu Feng, so the apology should be directed at Chu Feng. Why was Chu Feng suddenly making this kind of demand?
"Wang Qiang is still a junior, young in age. Even if he speaks without thinking, as an elder, you should be understanding."
"But you are an elder of the Heavenly Dao Palace, and yet you called a junior a 'little beast.' I believe that is very inappropriate — it is an insult to a junior. Your behavior truly falls short of what an elder should embody," Chu Feng said.
Hearing this, people suddenly understood, and they admired Chu Feng all the more. They hadn't expected him to care so much about his friend.
As for Wang Qiang, he was so moved he was on the verge of tears, furiously wiping his eyes and sniffling — though he wasn't actually crying and had no real snot. The fellow simply loved to put on a show.
"Well said, young friend Chu Feng!" Elder Huang Guan clapped and cheered once more, and after his words, many others voiced their agreement. Chu Feng's various displays had truly made everyone see him in a new light.
At this moment, Elder Yue Ling's face was iron-blue, utterly wretched. He truly hadn't expected that a junior like Chu Feng could command such influence. In his daily life, wherever he went, people flattered him endlessly. When he said one, no one dared say two. But today, he had lost to Chu Feng in terms of popular support — it left him deeply unwilling and utterly unconvinced.
"Young friend Chu Feng, since you want to stand up for your friend, I'll give you that face and do as you say." Elder Yue Ling finally agreed. But those words were spoken through gritted teeth.
In truth, his earlier refusal had simply been because he didn't want to bow his head to a junior — it felt deeply humiliating. But in reality, he truly looked down on Chu Feng's mastery of formation arts. So he agreed in the end because he wanted to make Chu Feng look bad. He wanted those who held Chu Feng in high regard to see that Chu Feng was not as powerful as they imagined. He wanted even more for Wang Qiang to kneel and admit his fault publicly, and for everyone to know that Wang Qiang's request for an apology was actually Chu Feng's doing — brought about by Chu Feng's arrogance.
"Well then... it seems I'm going to disappoint Elder Yue Ling," Chu Feng said with a faint smile. Then he raised his palm, and with a sharp whoosh, a streak of golden light shot like an arrow into the barrier formation that sealed off the path ahead.
Buzz—
In that instant, the formation barrier that had been deemed impregnable...