"That territory shall be mine to rule, and from this day forth, they shall be reduced to slaves."
Chu Feng's words rang out like thunderclaps, resounding between heaven and earth.
Yet within the hearts of the Chu Heavenly Clan's members, those words were ten thousand times louder than any thunder — their very souls resonated with his declaration.
They had truly never expected that Chu Feng's method of revenge would be so absolute — to reclaim the territory that had always belonged to them. It was something they hadn't even dared to imagine.
But did they not want to take it back?
That land had been theirs from the very beginning.
"Hmph, what a pipe dream. The strongest expert of the Burning Plain Demon Clan is a rank nine Heavenly Immortal — what makes you think you can reclaim that territory?"
No sooner had Chu Feng finished speaking than someone doused the crowd with a bucket of cold water. That person was none other than Chu Hongyi.
But Chu Feng couldn't have cared less about Chu Hongyi.
When it came to family and friends, Chu Hongyi was overbearing, forceful, even utterly unreasonable. Yet toward enemies, he was so spineless that he didn't even dare offend those weaker than himself.
In Chu Feng's eyes, Chu Hongyi was no longer even worthy of having a conversation with him — a thorough and complete waste whom Chu Feng looked down upon from the bottom of his heart.
So Chu Feng acted as though he hadn't heard Chu Hongyi's mockery at all and addressed the crowd instead: "Is anyone willing to go with me?"
"Chu Feng, have you lost your mind?"
"So you want to go get yourself killed — that's your business. But now you're dragging everyone else along to die with you? Chu Feng, are you insane? Just leave. Nobody's going with you to throw away their lives." Chu Hongyi's voice dripped with sarcasm, and he spoke with absolute confidence.
He knew the Chu Heavenly Clan's members all too well. They were a bunch of cowards who feared death above all else — there was no way they would follow Chu Feng into danger.
"Chu Feng, I'm willing to go with you."
"Chu Feng, take me along."
"Count me in too."
Yet the moment Chu Hongyi finished speaking, multiple Chu Heavenly Clan members shouted their agreement and stepped toward Chu Feng, ready to follow him.
At first, those who cried out were the ones Chu Feng had saved before — people who felt gratitude toward him and had been thoroughly disillusioned with Chu Hongyi.
But as those individuals began to follow Chu Feng, more and more people chose to join him as well.
Even those whom Chu Feng had never saved on that day chose to follow him.
In the blink of an eye, the majority of the clan members present were standing at Chu Feng's side, while beside Chu Hongyi, only a handful of people remained.
"Have you all gone mad? You're going to follow him to your deaths?"
Chu Hongyi's eyes were bulging, his gaze filled with disbelief.
"So what if it means death? I've had enough of this groveling, cattle-to-the-slaughter life. Even if it kills me today, I'm going with Chu Feng. I want them to know that the people of our Chu Heavenly Clan are not cowards."
"Well said. Even if it means death, I'm going."
"That's right. Chu Hongyi, if you want to keep being a cowardly little turtle, go ahead — but I'm done playing along with you."
"Exactly. From now on, one word from Brother Chu Feng and I'll follow him through mountains of blades and seas of fire. But as for you, Chu Hongyi — no matter what you say, I won't listen to another word, because someone like you, who stands by and watches his own kin die, doesn't deserve to lead us, let alone boss Brother Chu Feng around."
Chu Hongyi had thought his words would change everyone's minds, but instead he was met with an endless barrage of condemnation.
"You — all of you —" Chu Hongyi's face turned green. The collective rebuke left him completely at a loss for words.
These were people who had once obeyed his every command without daring to utter a single word of dissent — and now they were publicly reprimanding him. He simply couldn't accept it.