"Wh-wh-what's going on?" Wang Qiang asked, thoroughly confused.
"Hey, you two brats — do you have a death wish? When people from the Lu Yang Hall pass through, everyone must kneel in submission. If you don't want to kneel, then hide somewhere fast!"
Suddenly, a middle-aged man with a thick beard not far away shouted the warning.
Although he had the appearance of a middle-aged man, his actual age was at least two hundred years old — well past the years of being considered a junior.
"What? You have to kneel and submit just because they're passing through? That's... that's outrageously arrogant!"
"I refuse to believe that nonsense. I'm not kneeling — let's see... see what he can do about it." Far from being intimidated, Wang Qiang was riled up instead. He planted his hands on his hips, tilted his chin skyward, and struck a pose that radiated total fearlessness.
"Damn, you ugly freak who doesn't even wear clothes — are you seriously tired of living?" Seeing that Wang Qiang not only refused to hide but was putting on such an absurd display, the bearded man actually grew anxious.
"Oh-ho, and who... who are you calling ugly?" Insulted by the middle-aged man's remark, Wang Qiang immediately took offense and began striding toward the man.
Chu Feng shook his head with a chuckle. He could tell that Wang Qiang wasn't truly looking for trouble — after all, the man had been kind enough to warn them. Wang Qiang merely needed a pretext to gracefully back down. In truth, he wanted to hide too.
As for Chu Feng, before he understood exactly who or what this so-called Lu Yang Hall was, he naturally wouldn't take any unnecessary risks. Being newcomers, caution was the wiser course.
So Chu Feng followed Wang Qiang to the spot where the bearded man was hiding.
"What's this? I give you a friendly warning and you come looking for a fight?"
"Come on, come on — I don't like bullying the weak or picking on those younger than me, but for an ignorant lout like you, this old Liu has never been the type to hold back."
Seeing Wang Qiang stride over with such hostility, the bearded man stood his ground without fear. He placed his hands on his hips, jutted his chin forward, and released a pressure that unmistakably marked him as a Half-Emperor of the third rank.
At this sight, Chu Feng had to suppress a smirk. Both he and Wang Qiang had long since seen through the man's cultivation level. Yet here he was, deliberately flaunting his aura — clearly, he was quite confident in his strength.
At the very least, he didn't regard Chu Feng or Wang Qiang as any kind of threat.
"Now look here, uncle, don't get the wrong idea. I'm not looking for a fight — I just want to reason with you."
"You... you're the one who said it yourself. You and I have no grudge, no enmity, so how can you launch a personal... personal attack the very moment we meet?" Wang Qiang said with an indignant expression.
"Fine, fine — since when is telling the truth not allowed?" The bearded man shot back, equally defiant. But then his expression suddenly changed, and he lowered his voice: "I'll settle the score with you brats later."
With that, the man carefully cast his gaze toward the horizon and, at the same time, pressed himself deeper into hiding.
Chu Feng and Wang Qiang both turned their eyes in the same direction, because at that moment, not only were the piercing bells growing louder and louder — a massive procession was surging across the sky in grand fashion.
The procession was shrouded in a cover of violet clouds, rendering everything beyond it invisible. All one could make out were the banners fluttering in the wind, each emblazoned with the words "Lu Yang Hall," along with the thunderous sound of countless footsteps treading upon the air.
However, with his Heavenly Eyes activated, Chu Feng pierced straight through the veil.
Within those violet clouds, demon beasts and humans traveled side by side. But whether demon beast or human, they all wore identical garments — it was clear they belonged to the same faction.
Back on the Martial Sacred Continent, demon beasts and humans had always been in separate camps. A faction where both races served together was an exceedingly rare sight.
Moreover, the people in this faction were all powerful. Every single one — demon beast and human alike — was an expert of the Martial Emperor realm. And there were no fewer than eight thousand of them.