At this moment, everyone shifted their gaze toward Liu Xiaoli and the others.
Those who had only arrived recently to spectate were fine, but the bystanders who had earlier mocked Liu Xiaoli and her companions all wore ashen expressions, their hearts flooded with dread.
In particular, that member of Heroes City who had not only refused Liu Xiaoli and her group but even insulted them — despite his powerful cultivation, his face had gone deathly pale. Beads of cold sweat kept falling from his forehead, and even the hand he raised to wipe them was trembling slightly.
Because they had been disrespectful to Chu Feng's friends, they knew they had committed a monstrous error.
They feared — all of them feared that Chu Feng would strike against them.
And what they feared even more was that if Chu Feng did act against them, no one would step in to stop him.
Even if he killed them, not a single person would say Chu Feng was in the wrong.
And so, at this moment, every one of them felt as though an invisible blade rested against their necks, as though they could die at any moment.
However, Chu Feng did nothing of the sort. Instead, he walked over to Liu Xiaoli and the others, an apologetic look on his face as he said:
"I came out too late and let you suffer."
"Chu Feng, what are you saying? Just being able to see you again makes me more than happy enough," Liu Xiaoli said with a beaming smile.
"Young friend Chu Feng, are you really going to refuse the Formation Saintess's reconciliation on our account? That was so many treasures..."
However, before Liu Xiaoli could continue, the elders of the Red Butterfly Association spoke up, their faces full of heartache.
To them, a little humiliation was nothing, but those treasures — especially the legendary Mandarin Duck Hatred among them — were things they could never obtain in their entire lifetimes.
Chu Feng had given up all of those treasures because of them, and they truly felt deeply guilty.
"Are treasures more important than friendship?" Chu Feng asked with a smile.
At that, everyone from the Red Butterfly Association froze.
Even the spectators present were momentarily stunned.
Friendship?
In the world of martial cultivators, was friendship truly important?
It was — for some people, friendship was indeed as heavy as a thousand catties. But even so, it had its limits.
And so, while friendship might matter, it was not the most important thing. The most important thing was power. It was cultivation.
Therefore, in the world of martial cultivators, many people betrayed friendship for the sake of profit.
Even those closest to them by blood would turn their blades upon one another for the sake of gain.
However, for Chu Feng to remain completely unmoved in the face of a treasure like the Mandarin Duck Hatred...
It was clear that the weight of friendship in his heart had truly reached a pricelessness beyond measure.
This left everyone present marveling—even stunned—filled with genuine admiration from the depths of their hearts.
After all, it was something none of them could have done themselves.
"Lord Chu Feng, I'm sorry, I am truly, deeply sorry."
"I had no idea these people were your friends. If I had known... I never would have dared refuse them."
Just then, the member of Hero City who had previously turned away Liu Xiaoli and the others came running over with an eager, fawning expression.
"It's actually Lord Xu Lian!"
Seeing this middle-aged man, quite a few people gasped in surprise.
This Hero City member held the authority to accept or reject aspirants, which already made him no ordinary figure.
But comparatively speaking, this man named Xu Lian was someone of considerable standing in the Hundred Refinements Ordinary World as well.
He possessed peak Martial Ancestor cultivation and was among the more outstanding of the independent cultivators in the Hundred Refinements Ordinary World.
Crack—
Yet, at that very moment, Chu Feng swung a slap that landed squarely across Xu Lian's face.
The onlookers' jaws dropped, and even Liu Xiaoli and the others were startled.
That was no ordinary member of Hero City—that was Xu Lian.
When Chu Feng had disciplined them, they had nothing to say, but for him to slap Xu Lian like this? They were genuinely shocked.
"Lord Chu Feng, you..."
Xu Lian was frozen in place, caught completely off guard by the sudden turn of events.
The scene before him left him utterly at a loss.
"Whether you agree to let them join Hero City is your business. It's not my concern."
"But... you insulted my friend, and I cannot stand by and do nothing. That slap was merely a warning. If there is a next time, I will cut out your tongue." Chu Feng said coldly.