"Bah!" At that moment, a middle-aged man suddenly smashed the cup in his hand and leaped to his feet, roaring: "That Chu Feng is nothing but a brat, and yet you lot make him sound like some unstoppable force. You even dare dream he could tear the White Zenith Sect apart? What a joke."
"In my opinion, all those rumors about Chu Feng are pure nonsense. I don't buy a single word of it."
"A sixteen-year-old brat and a fifteen-year-old girl turning the mighty Fire God Gate upside down? Digging up their ancestral graves? That's absolute rubbish — fabricated from thin air. All of it." The middle-aged man, as though drunk out of his mind, began making a scene right there in public.
"That's right, Er Niu, you're absolutely correct. That Chu Feng is just a brat — how could he compare to our Er Niu? Here, drink up!"
When people saw this, they burst out laughing. The crowd here was nothing more than a gathering of ruffians and scoundrels. Even if some of them possessed decent cultivation, they were all shameless troublemakers without exception.
They had no interest in proper etiquette — they only cared about having a good time however they pleased. So naturally, no one was going to argue over Chu Feng. Instead, they joined Er Niu in mocking him.
"You got it! If that Chu Feng dared show his face in front of me, I'd teach him such a lesson his own father wouldn't recognize him."
"Hell, is that little brat trying to defy heaven itself?" Buoyed by the crowd's praise, Er Niu grew even more emboldened. He climbed right onto the table and started bragging shamelessly.
"Has any of you actually seen Chu Feng?" Just then, Yan Yangtian, who had been sitting at the head seat in silence for quite some time, finally spoke up.
"Uh… no." Everyone shook their head in unison.
"Sect Master Yan, surely you've seen him?"
"Yeah, I heard Sect Master Yan himself came from Qingzhou. Could it be you've actually met Chu Feng?" the others asked with curiosity.
"Of course I have. The first time I laid eyes on Chu Feng, he was still a mere junior in the Yuan Wu Realm. And yet even then, he could effortlessly cut down someone at the Xuan Wu Realm."
"So let me tell you — never underestimate Chu Feng, because he truly possesses the heaven-defying abilities you've all heard about."
"Furthermore, that kid is ruthless and ruthless indeed. There's nothing he won't dare do. Anyone who crosses him ends up badly. Those words you just said — if he were to hear even half of them, it would be enough to cost you your lives."
Yan Yangtian spoke in a grave and solemn tone, his gaze heavy, as though he had already witnessed these men dying in agony before his very eyes.
*Gulp.* Someone involuntarily swallowed hard, and the rest of the crowd was thoroughly shaken. Even Er Niu froze in place, not daring to make a single move.
Of everyone present, Yan Yangtian was by far the most respected and influential figure. And since he hailed from Qingzhou himself, they believed every word he said. If he declared that Chu Feng was truly formidable, then they had no reason to doubt it.
"Haha, I'm just joking! How could I possibly have met Chu Feng? Qingzhou may not be enormous, but it's no small place either. When I was there, I spent all my time in seclusion training and kept an extremely low profile. I never once crossed paths with Chu Feng." Seeing the atmosphere growing far too cold, Yan Yangtian suddenly broke into hearty laughter.
"Ha ha! Sect Master is Sect Master indeed — your joke nearly gave us all heart attacks!"
"Come, pour the wine! Brothers, tonight we drink until we can't stand!" The crowd erupted into laughter once more.
As the drinking reached its peak, some of the men began losing their sense of propriety. Right there in the great hall, their predatory instincts flared — several of them started reaching out with their lecherous hands toward the civilian women.
Though some of these women knew these men were powerful, they were willing to follow them, believing that perhaps this could lead to a better life, one of luxury and prosperity.