"Dongfang Yuanfei? He's still alive! Wasn't he seriously injured and presumed dead years ago? How is this possible?" A Fang family elder echoed the shock, his eyes flashing with apprehension.
"That's my father's voice! Wonderful, my father's injuries have finally healed." Feeling the immense aura, Dongfang Batian couldn't help but smile joyfully.
"The old city lord has come out of seclusion!" Han Yun said happily, finally feeling at ease.
"It's the old city lord! Fantastic! The old city lord has come out of seclusion!" The three elders and guards of the main city cheered excitedly.
"Father, what's going on? Wasn't Dongfang Yuanfei seriously injured and dead years ago? How is he still alive?" Fang Yunchong asked Fang Qingde in shock.
"I don't know either," Fang Qingde replied solemnly, his eyes fixed on the main city.
"Whoosh!"
A figure appeared with a swoosh. The person was an elderly man in a blue and white robe—Dongfang City's old city lord, Dongfang Yuanfei.
"Fang Qingde, the Dongfang family has stood here for hundreds of years. A small family like yours can't hope to contend with us," Dongfang Yuanfei said coldly, his imposing aura not inferior to Fang Qingde's.
"Mid-Nascent Soul stage. This old man's cultivation hasn't improved at all. It seems he has only been healing these past years! With Han Yun here as well, there's no guarantee of victory if I act rashly," Fang Qingde thought to himself.
"Let's go!" Fang Qingde said coldly, casting a venomous glance at Dongfang Yuanfei before turning to leave.
"What? Leave? Father, we can't just let this go! If they reveal the flower thief incident, how can I face anyone? Our Fang family will be ridiculed," Fang Yunchong said anxiously.
"Young master, we are currently at a disadvantage. We have to retreat," an elder said.
"Hmph!" Fang Qingde snorted, flicking his sleeve as he flew away, followed by the three elders who grabbed Fang Yunchong and left.
"Grandfather, why did you let them go?" Dongfang Xue asked urgently, seemingly dissatisfied with Dongfang Yuanfei's decision to let Fang Qingde and the others leave.
Dongfang Yuanfei looked at Dongfang Xue and smiled faintly. "Xue'er, it's been a few years. You've grown up and become more beautiful."
"Xue'er, your grandfather has his reasons," Dongfang Batian quickly said.
"Congratulations on coming out of seclusion, old city lord," Han Yun said with a smile as he approached.
Dongfang Yuanfei looked at Han Yun and smiled happily. "Old Han, it was thanks to your healing pills back then. Otherwise, I might not be here today."
"You're too kind, old city lord," Han Yun said with a faint smile.
"Grandfather, you still haven't said why you let the Fang family leave," Dongfang Xue asked again.
Hearing this, Dongfang Yuanfei lovingly patted Dongfang Xue's head and smiled. "You all saw it just now. That young man has reached the Out-of-Body stage in his cultivation. His strength is such that he could kill us with a wave of his hand. It was precisely because of this person secretly aiding the Fang family that I dared not act rashly. Even if I did, there was no guarantee of defeating Fang Qingde."
"The old city lord is right. We don't know who is behind the Fang family. It's also strange that Xiao Chen recognized that Wind Commander and seemed to have a deep hatred for him, making him lose his reason," Han Yun nodded in agreement with Dongfang Yuanfei.
"And the power Xiao Chen unleashed in his rage was terrifying! We don't even know what kind of power it was," Dongfang Batian added quickly, shivering at the memory of Xiao Chen's explosive power.
"I saw everything just now. How is Xiao Chen's injury?" Dongfang Yuanfei asked, his expression turning slightly serious.
"He's taken a few healing pills. I wanted to use my true essence to help heal him, but the mysterious violent force within him repelled my true essence," Han Yun said.
Dongfang Yuanfei nodded and said, "Xiao Chen is extraordinary. Take him down for treatment. As for the Fang family, we need the combined strength of everyone in Dongfang City and the surrounding towns to deal with them. Regarding the flower thief incident, I heard everything clearly. Spread the news immediately. Since the Fang family has a powerful backer, we must rally more people to deal with them."
"Now that it's confirmed Fang Yunchong is the flower thief, I must take this news back to Baihua Town. With everyone in Baihua Town testifying, the Fang family will have no place to stand! Old city lord, city lord, I'll return to Baihua Town now. Please take care of Xiao Chen, little brother," Han Yun nodded, then took his leave.
In just one day, news spread from Dongfang City to towns within a few hundred miles that the Fang family had produced a flower thief young master. With all the cultivators in Baihua Town testifying, the evidence was irrefutable, instantly arousing public outrage. Everyone condemned the Fang family, which fell from grace, suffering ridicule and anger from countless cultivators.
"Who would have thought the Fang family would produce such a beast of a young master! It's one thing to be arrogant, but he's a flower thief too."
"Worse than an animal! He ruined 13 girls in Baihua Town! This beast must be eliminated! We can't let him harm others."
"That's right! We support the Dongfang City Lord! Eliminate the Fang family's beast!"
Unfortunately, the outrage was all talk. Despite their hatred, no one dared to confront the powerful Fang family directly.
In the Fang family hall, Fang Yunchong was anxious. "Father, what do we do? My secret is out. How can I face anyone? Everyone in Dongfang City and the surrounding area is cursing our family."
"Calm down! Does that old bastard Dongfang Yuanfei think he can defeat our family like this? Hmph! He's underestimating us. The longer we drag this out, the more it benefits us! Once we eliminate them, Dongfang City will be ours. Who will dare say anything then?" Fang Qingde snorted coldly, glaring at Fang Yunchong. "Useless fool, letting Xiao Chen catch you!"
"Family head, we can't beat them now, especially with Han Yun, an alchemist of the fourth rank. His influence is significant. We should ask Commander Feng to help us eliminate Dongfang Yuanfei," an elder suggested.
"The elder is right. Don't forget Xiao Chen's terrifying power. We must deal with the Dongfang family and also restrain the Xinglan Sect," Fang Qingde said coldly, his eyes flashing with cruelty. "Third Elder, go to Baihua Town. There should be disciples there purchasing items. Capture a few Xinglan Sect disciples to threaten that old fool Han Yun! This way, we can focus on dealing with the Dongfang family."
"Relying on others is useless! We have to depend on ourselves!" Fang Qingde snorted coldly, the killing intent in his eyes chilling to the bone.
Three days later, in the main city, Xiao Chen, who had been severely injured, miraculously recovered completely. This astonishing recovery shocked Dongfang Yuanfei, Dongfang Batian, and the others, who couldn't believe Xiao Chen could heal in just three days.
Xiao Chen's rapid recovery was due to the divine blood within him. The power of the divine blood had awakened, speeding up his healing process. Xiao Chen himself guessed it was the divine blood's awakening that had startled him. In the past, such severe injuries would take at least ten days to heal. Now, in just three days, he was fully healed, despite it being his most severe injury yet.
"Unbelievable, Xiao Chen. How did you recover in just three days?" Dongfang Batian asked in shock.
"Hehe, maybe it has to do with my constitution," Xiao Chen said with a faint smile, naturally not mentioning the divine blood.
"Xiao Chen's quick recovery might be linked to that mysterious power within him," Dongfang Yuanfei speculated but didn't voice it.
"Xiao Chen, do you have a deep grudge against that Wind Commander? Why did you lose control upon seeing him?" Dongfang Yuanfei asked curiously.
Xiao Chen nodded, smiling bitterly. "Yes, I do. I was originally a disciple of the Tianzhou Immortal Dao Sect, but three years ago, the sect was wiped out in one night by mysterious people. No one survived except me. That Wind Commander led the attack for the Feng Lingyu. The stone he took from me was a gift from the sect master when I joined the sect. I didn't know it was the Feng Lingyu."
"Because I was considered a waste, the sect master probably gave it to me, thinking no one would believe such an important item would be with someone like me. Sect Master Qingyang, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the Feng Lingyu has been taken," Xiao Chen thought, feeling a bit guilty.
"I see," Dongfang Yuanfei and the others nodded.
"Dongfang Yuanfei, do you have a plan to deal with the Fang family?" Xiao Chen asked.
"It's very simple!" Xiao Chen said with a faint smile. "Commander Feng is extremely arrogant. From the fact that he didn't intervene in the affairs between the Dongfang family and the Fang family a few days ago, we can see that he absolutely won't help the Fang family. Moreover, in his eyes, we are not even worthy opponents. Therefore, we need to take the initiative and attack the Fang family without hesitation, catching them completely off guard."