CHAPTER 126: CHAPTER 126: FALLING OUT_1

TAP! TAP!

In anxious anticipation, the sound of footsteps finally drew near.

Qin Feiyang turned his head toward the entrance.

Luo Xiong, Elder He, and an old man with a black face entered the hall one after another.

The black-faced man wore a long black robe and had black hair. His skin was also black, and even his breath seemed tinged with black. He looked like a lump of charcoal.

Qin Feiyang glanced over and noticed that Luo Xiong’s expression was somewhat grim.

The three seated themselves in chairs to the side.

Luo Xiong said, "Jian Haotian, let me introduce you. That old man with the skin issue is Jia Hei; he’s also a Law Enforcement Elder of the Elixir King Palace."

Fake black? He’s obviously truly black. I just wonder if his heart is black too.

Qin Feiyang chuckled to himself and cupped his hands. "Greetings, Elder Jia."

"Hmph." Jia Hei responded indifferently, his aged face devoid of any smile, appearing rather aloof.

Elder He asked, "Jian Haotian, do you know why we summoned you here?"

Qin Feiyang shook his head.

Elder He stated, "I’ll be direct. We want the Netherworld Demon Flame."

Just as I thought!

Qin Feiyang’s eyes narrowed slightly. The inevitable had finally arrived.

Luo Xiong frowned, then said with a forced smile, "Haotian, Zuo An has already claimed ownership of the Netherworld Demon Flame, so you can’t control it anyway. Keeping it will only be a burden. Why not hand it over to them?"

"That’s right," Elder He chimed in. "You know Lin Han has been coveting the Netherworld Demon Flame. Although he failed this time, he’ll certainly try again. It’s truly unsafe for you to keep it."

Qin Feiyang frowned.

Elder He continued, "I, this Elder, know you are certainly unwilling, but this is the Chief Hall Master’s decision. As a Disciple of the Elixir King Palace, you should obey unconditionally. Of course, we won’t treat you unfairly. From now on, you can freely consult all the Elixir Formulas in the Elixir King Palace. We will also arrange the best Alchemy room for you. Furthermore, you will be directly promoted to a Core Disciple." Elder He laid out one tempting offer after another.

Anyone else would likely agree without hesitation, but to Qin Feiyang, these offers were useless.

He glanced at the three and said calmly, "With my talent for Alchemy, becoming a Core Disciple, securing a good Alchemy room, and accessing those Elixir Formulas don’t seem like difficult tasks for me."

Elder He’s eyebrow twitched, and he was about to erupt in anger.

Luo Xiong said, "Elder He, don’t be so quick to anger. Although Jian Haotian’s words are somewhat arrogant, he indeed possesses the capital to be so."

Jia Hei stated flatly, "No matter how talented one is, or how high their spiritual power, without the Elixir King Palace’s nurturing, it’s difficult to achieve great things."

Qin Feiyang laughed. So, this is a naked threat. If he didn’t hand over the Netherworld Demon Flame today, the Elixir King Palace would stop training him. Since things had come to this, he had nothing more to consider.

"Let me be blunt," Qin Feiyang declared, his gaze fixed coldly on the three, his attitude resolute. "I risked my life, barely managing to obtain the Netherworld Demon Flame. Although I can’t claim ownership of it yet, that’s merely a matter of time. Therefore, it’s absolutely impossible for me to hand it over!"

A cold glint flashed in Jia Hei’s aged eyes. "Do you understand the consequences of your actions?" he asked grimly.

"Don’t threaten me," Qin Feiyang retorted, meeting Jia Hei’s gaze fearlessly. "Are you implying I can’t survive if I leave the Elixir King Palace?"

"You will regret this!" Jia Hei bit out each word, his tone bone-chillingly cold.

"Regret?" Qin Feiyang scoffed. "We shall see then. Let’s find out who will be the one to regret this in the end."

"Good! Excellent!" Jia Hei stood up abruptly, his voice sharp. "Congratulations, you’ve thoroughly enraged this Elder!" A towering aura erupted from him, pressing down on Qin Feiyang.

"And congratulations to you for thoroughly angering me. I have no desire to stay in this trash heap any longer!" Qin Feiyang sneered, turning to walk out.

He had initially thought the people of the Elixir King Palace would be like Luo Xiong from the Elixir Palace, or like Feng Cheng and Elder Mo. He expected them to be approachable, reasonable, and understanding. Clearly, he had overestimated them. He wouldn’t want to stay in such a place, no matter how many benefits they offered.

"The Elixir King Palace is not a place you can simply come and go as you please!" Jia Hei roared in fury. How dare he call the Elixir King Palace a trash heap? Truly an arrogant fool who doesn’t know his own limits!

He took a step and instantly appeared behind Qin Feiyang, his aged hand shooting out to grab Qin Feiyang’s arm.

"Elder Jia, stop!" Luo Xiong’s expression changed drastically. He shot to his feet, shouting urgently.

The severity of the situation had far exceeded his expectations.

"It’s useless! No one can stop me today!" Jia Hei, already incandescent with rage, paid no heed.

Just as Jia Hei was about to seize him, Qin Feiyang suddenly vanished without a trace.

"Eh?" Jia Hei’s eyes widened in utter disbelief.

Elder He also jolted upright, his gaze sweeping every corner of the main hall.

Luo Xiong silently sighed in relief, though a look of bewildered surprise also crossed his face. He was right here a moment ago! How did he vanish so completely in an instant? Where did that boy go?

SWOOSH!

Qin Feiyang reappeared out of thin air. "Don’t waste your energy," he said flatly. "You can’t catch me."

"How is that possible?" Jia Hei stared fixedly at Qin Feiyang, his disbelief absolute. He comes and goes without a trace... Is this young man a phantom?

Qin Feiyang looked up at Luo Xiong. "Hall Master," he said, "I came back just to ask you one thing: do you also covet the Netherworld Demon Flame?"

"If I wanted it, I would have acted against you on our journey here," Luo Xiong sighed deeply. "Haotian, if you leave the Elixir King Palace, you’ll find it incredibly difficult to take even a single step. Give them the Netherworld Demon Flame. Consider it a favor to me."

Qin Feiyang shook his head. "I can agree to anything else, but the Netherworld Demon Flame is out of the question. Thank you for your care these past few months. Also, please convey my gratitude to Elder Mo."

After speaking, he turned to Elder He and Jia Hei.

"Elixir King Palace, mark my words! I, Jian Haotian, will make you regret this for the rest of your lives!"

With a furious roar, his long hair whipping about, he exuded an immense pressure that bore down on Jia Hei and Elder He, as if he were possessed by a god or demon.

The next moment, he vanished once more.

The roar reverberated in all directions, startling countless people!

"What happened?"

"Why is Brother Jian so enraged?"

Fatty, standing before a medicinal field, and Lu Hong, who had just stepped out of the reception hall, both looked toward the council hall, their eyes filled with bewildered shock. Wasn’t he supposed to be specially nurtured? How did they end up at odds like this?

"He’s rebelling! Rebelling!" Jia Hei was seething, his face even darker than before. He glared at Luo Xiong and roared, "Is this the person you brought? He’s nothing but an ill-mannered wild brat!"

WHOOSH!

At that moment, Qin Feiyang reappeared. However, he now resembled a ferocious beast, his eyes fixed deadly on Jia Hei! His eyes were bloodshot, a terrifying crimson!

He had planned to remain hidden and focus on transcribing the Counter Curse Manual. But he hadn’t expected Jia Hei to be cursing him out here! He might have ignored other insults, but the words "ill-mannered" and "bastard" were absolutely intolerable to him!

"Jia Hei, listen well! One day, I will personally kill you!" He offered a bone-chilling smile, then vanished once more.

But his cold, savage words, suffused with an overpowering killing intent, echoed in the hall, lingering long after he was gone.

"Come on then! If you have the guts, kill me right now!" Jia Hei bellowed, his fury making his hair stand on end.

"Enough!" Luo Xiong thundered.

"How dare you yell at me!" Jia Hei whirled towards him, his aged eyes glinting with a bone-chilling light.

"I objected to this from the start, even before the Chief Hall Master! I know Jian Haotian’s temperament too well; a fallout was inevitable. Besides, he acquired the Netherworld Demon Flame through his own efforts. By what right do we demand he surrender it? How does doing this make us any different from bandits? Yet, you all refused to listen, insisting he hand over the Netherworld Demon Flame. And now look what’s happened. A genius with Ninth Level spiritual power, a prodigy capable of concocting Top Grade elixirs—and you’ve chased him away! Are you satisfied with this outcome? Forget it. I’m done with this. In any case, I’ve fulfilled my duty. Whatever happens now is no longer my concern. I’ll collect the Elixir Flame and return to Black Bear City."

Having said his piece, Luo Xiong turned and left with a flick of his sleeves.

"Sigh..." Elder He lamented. "Perhaps we truly were wrong this time. Let’s go. We must see the Chief Hall Master and inquire about his thoughts."

Jia Hei swept his gaze across the hall one last time, his anger still simmering, then followed Elder He out.

「Inside the Ancient Castle.」

Qin Feiyang’s eyes were closed, his fists clenched so tightly they dripped blood!

The Wolf King beside him looked on with extreme anxiety.

After an unknown period, he finally opened his eyes, looked at the Wolf King, and asked, "White-Eyed Wolf, do you want to know my true identity?"

The Wolf King paused, then said, "If you want to tell me, Brother Wolf will listen. If you don’t, Brother Wolf won’t ask."

Qin Feiyang said, "Actually, I am indeed a Prince of the Great Qin Empire."

The Wolf King’s massive body shuddered, its eyes shining with a brilliant light!

"Among all the Princes, I am ranked fourteenth. Therefore, in the Imperial Capital, I was known as the Fourteenth Prince. Back then, my talent was extraordinary. By the age of ten, I had already reached the Nine-Star Martial Master realm. If not for... an accident, I would have been the next emperor of the Great Qin Empire."

"But..." At this, Qin Feiyang closed his eyes again, his face contorted with pain.

The Wolf King quickly said, "If you don’t want to recall it, then don’t. Regardless of what the future holds, Brother Wolf will always stand by you and help share your burdens."

"Thank you." Qin Feiyang opened his eyes, offering it a grateful look. "I truly don’t want to dwell on those memories right now. When I’m ready, I’ll tell you everything. For now, I can only tell you this: ’The most heartless are those of the imperial family.’"

The Wolf King’s pupils contracted. What on earth happened back then to make Qin Feiyang say such a thing?

It grinned, its wide mouth splitting into a roguish smile. "So, your background is that impressive! No wonder you have so many Perfect Martial Arts Techniques..."

"So..." the Wolf King continued, "look, Brother Wolf supports you so much. When you reclaim your empire and become the emperor, shouldn’t you grant Brother Wolf a title? Something like ’Imperial Guardian Beast’?"

"In your dreams!" Qin Feiyang rolled his eyes at it.

After composing himself, he began to transcribe the fifth stroke of the manual.

The world? He had no desire for it. All he wanted was to make those who had once harmed him pay the price!