"Cut the nonsense. That Black Flame Ghost Sword is a treasured artifact of our Chu Heavenly Clan, and it belongs to our Chu Heavenly Clan alone," said one of the young Chu Heavenly Clan members.
"Even if the Black Flame Ghost Sword is your Chu Heavenly Clan's treasured artifact, so what? I obtained it from this Illusory Dream Blood Lotus—not from your Chu Heavenly Clan. Why should I hand it over?" Chu Feng said.
"Hmph, Chu Feng. It seems you still don't understand whose territory this Great Thousand Upper Realm is," Chu Huanyu said coldly.
Hearing this, Chu Feng let out a cold laugh and said, "Threatening me? Sorry, but Chu Feng has never been afraid of such things."
"However, this was crafted by Senior Chu Hanxian, and out of respect for Senior Chu Hanxian, I'll give you an opportunity to take back this Black Flame Ghost Sword."
"Chu Feng, he's…"
Hearing these words, the onlookers all froze, a hint of disappointment in their eyes.
They had instinctively assumed Chu Feng was about to back down. If Chu Feng did capitulate, then the image they held of him—the one who feared nothing in heaven or earth—would inevitably be shattered.
But just as everyone believed Chu Feng was cowed by the Chu Heavenly Clan's power and was about to concede, he reversed the Black Flame Ghost Sword in his hand, gripping the blade itself so that the hilt faced the Chu Heavenly Clan juniors.
"Enter this blood fog and come stand before me, and the Black Flame Ghost Sword is yours."
"You—!"
The moment Chu Feng said those words, every Chu Heavenly Clan junior, Chu Huanyu included, furrowed their brows deeply.
If they dared to enter the blood fog, would they even need to ask Chu Feng for the sword?
Chu Feng's words had truly backed them into a corner.
Seeing that none of the Chu Heavenly Clan juniors had anything to say, the smile on Chu Feng's lips only grew wider. He couldn't help but remark, "I've given you the opportunity. What a pity—none of you are up to the task."
"Chu Feng, you are going too far!"
Chu Huanyu and numerous other Chu Heavenly Clan juniors were all flushed with rage.
Being humiliated by Chu Feng in front of so many people—they simply could not contain their fury.
Yet, with Chu Feng standing within the blood fog, they dared not approach. Despite their anger, they were utterly helpless, and that only fueled their fury further.
"Young friends of the Chu Heavenly Clan, don't be angry. I will take care of this Chu Feng for you."
But just then, a voice suddenly rang out. Moments later, several figures appeared in the distant sky.
It was a contingent of troops, arranged in neat formation, standing upon the void—they were clearly well-trained, and their strength was extraordinary.
The moment this force appeared, everyone within the area felt themselves suppressed by an invisible aura. Their power was far too overwhelming.
And the banners fluttering in the wind made their origin plain to all.
The Gold Stone Royal Clan. These people hailed from the Gold Stone Royal Clan.
Moreover, their leader was a Venerable Realm expert—the patriarch of the Gold Stone Royal Clan.
"The Gold Stone Royal Clan?"
"They never left! They really are going after Chu Feng!"
When the Gold Stone Royal Clan's forces appeared, many people broke into a cold sweat on Chu Feng's behalf.
In truth, if anyone else had wanted to deal with Chu Feng, the crowd might not have been quite so anxious. But this was the full might of the Gold Stone Royal Clan. The one who had spoken up to deal with Chu Feng was the patriarch of the Gold Stone Royal Clan—a Venerable Realm expert.
With a Venerable Realm expert targeting Chu Feng, who could possibly protect him?
Elder Xingyi could not. Even the Ghost Sect Hall Master would not be able to.
"Patriarch of the Gold Stone Clan, young friend Chu Feng merely won some Immortal Martial Stones from your son. To go after him over something so trivial—that seems rather petty, and unworthy of your status," the Ghost Sect Hall Master said, his words laced with no small measure of mockery.
However, the patriarch of the Gold Stone Royal Clan simply smiled faintly. "You really think I'm going after this Chu Feng just over that little matter?"
"Is it not because of that?"
"If it's not, then I'd trouble you to give me a reason why I shouldn't deal with Chu Feng. Otherwise… I absolutely will not stand by and do nothing," the Ghost Sect Hall Master declared.
The moment he spoke those words, a stir rippled through the crowd.
After all, the Ghost Sect Hall Master's words made it clear to everyone that he intended to protect Chu Feng.
Facing the patriarch of the Gold Stone Royal Clan, the Ghost Sect Hall Master dared to challenge him like this—such courage commanded respect.
"That's right! To go after Young Hero Chu Feng, there must at least be a reason!"
Soon after, the surrounding onlookers echoed their agreement.
The truth was, most of them didn't believe what the patriarch of the Gold Stone Royal Clan had said. Nearly everyone suspected that he was simply seeking revenge because Chu Feng had won a massive amount of Immortal Martial Stones from his son. As for his claim that it wasn't about that—they simply didn't buy it.
Faced with the crowd's doubts, the patriarch of the Gold Stone Royal Clan uttered a single sentence.