And so, Chu Feng made a decision.
It was a spur-of-the-moment choice — an act of mercy, perhaps, or meddlesome overreach.
But right here, right now, Chu Feng simply wanted to do this one thing.
He wanted to take charge of the matter.
"Whoever obtained a blank token inside that grand hall earlier, hand it over yourselves." Chu Feng's gaze swept across the members of the Ancient Race.
Among the Ancient Race cultivators, some signaled with their eyes, while others secretly transmitted their voices.
In the end, the accusations all pointed toward three red-robed figures.
Those three seemed genuinely frightened — or perhaps they knew there was no escape. Not a single one tried to weasel their way out.
They each reached into their Universe Bags, retrieved their respective blank tokens, and handed them to Chu Feng.
The conical hats of the other two red-robed figures had fallen off as well, but Chu Feng couldn't make out their true faces.
They were bruised and swollen beyond recognition — beaten into the likeness of pigs.
While none of their lives had been threatened, the superficial injuries were severe enough. They both limped as they walked, which suggested their souls had been somewhat harmed too.
It was Qin Xuan who had done that.
Although these three red-robed figures were the ringleaders behind the bullying of the present-era martial cultivators, when it came time for payback, the only ones who truly dared to strike at them were Chu Feng and Qin Xuan.
As for Yuwen Yanri, he hadn't raised a hand from beginning to end.
He wasn't afraid of retaliation, of course — he simply saw no need.
"Young Hero Chu Feng, we were blind and foolish."
The plumper of the red-robed figures presented his token while wearing that battered, pig-like face, flashing Chu Feng a toothy grin.
Immediately after, the second red-robed figure sidled over as well.
He too broke into a wide grin — missing several teeth, yet beaming so brightly it looked utterly comical. "Well, I suppose we've become acquainted through a little scrap."
The one Chu Feng had pinned beneath his foot said nothing, but silently held out his token as well.
The three of them handed over a total of thirty-six tokens — the exact count from that grand hall.
"Do you admit your mistake?" Chu Feng asked.
"It was all a misunderstanding — a misunderstanding." The two red-robed figures smiled brightly, though their expressions couldn't quite hide the awkwardness.
Chu Feng had seen that kind of smile countless times. It was the look of people who had gone completely meek and just wanted the whole affair swept under the rug.
The sight of it thrilled the present-era martial cultivators to no end.
Watching these three grovel before Chu Feng like dogs wagging their tails was somehow even more satisfying than beating the Ancient Race cultivators themselves.
Truly, the most reliable truth in the world of martial cultivation would always be brute force.
"Whether it's a 'misunderstanding' or not, you know perfectly well in your hearts. But if you've genuinely realized your error, then hand over everything you have — all of your treasures."
As Chu Feng said this, his gaze deliberately circled across the assembled members of the Ancient Race.
The moment those words left his mouth, every last Ancient Race cultivator's expression changed.
"Young Hero Chu Feng, you... you wouldn't be trying to rob us, would you?"
The plumper red-robed figure's expression turned visibly strained.
"What an ugly way to put it. Robbery? This is called compensation," Chu Feng replied.
"Young Hero Chu Feng, we've already taken a pretty beating. Isn't this over yet?"
The red-robed figure said this with a bitter smile, sounding almost aggrieved.
"Your grudge has been settled — that chapter is closed."
"But just because the matter has passed doesn't mean what you did was right. Your earlier insolence offended me."
"However, I'm in a good mood, and I don't intend to push things to the bitter end. So I'm giving you a chance to make amends and earn a place in my good graces."
"Tell me — does anyone not wish to seize this opportunity?"
As soon as Chu Feng finished speaking, killing intent surged forth.
It was both a threat and a warning.
"We'll seize it, we'll seize it!"
The red-robed figure dropped all pretense and was the first to present his Universe Bag.
Seeing this, the others followed suit one after another, offering up their own Universe Bags.
Even those Ancient Race martial cultivators who had never bullied the present-era cultivators handed over their bags as well.