Chapter 1446: Donghuang Xuanyi

"Junior Brother Ling! (Brother Ling!)"

Everyone shot to their feet and stared at Ling Feng in disbelief.

Chu Tiange blinked in shock.

"Junior Brother Ling, how did you come back so quickly? What did Supreme Elder Xu say?"

Ling Feng raised his brows and took out the Astral Dragon Shield, laughing as he held it up.

"Take a look at this!"

"Astral Dragon Shield!"

Everyone's pupils shrank.

Since Supreme Elder Xu had given this shield to Ling Feng, it meant his merit had been acknowledged.

"It is all settled now. The rewards this time are quite generous. Fifty thousand war points, and that is not even counting the smaller gains."

Ling Feng smiled lightly.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Back at the Dongling Immortal Pool, he had been worrying about how to gather one hundred thousand contribution points to qualify for the inner sect assessment. This single mission alone had earned him fifty thousand war points, which was nearly equal to five million contribution points.

It felt like becoming rich overnight!

"Fi... fifty thousand contribution points?"

Xu Xinghe blinked repeatedly, staring at Ling Feng as if he had misheard.

"What contribution points? Those are war points. Fifty thousand war points!"

Lin Mu corrected him, then burst into laughter.

"Brother Ling, you really did it this time! You are loaded now!"

A collective gasp spread through the room.

Fifty thousand war points!

That was equivalent to five million contribution points. Among those present, the wealthiest were Chu Tiange and Fairy Qingping, both ranked within the top thirty of the Creation Star Ranking. Even combined, their wealth still fell slightly short of Ling Feng's.

"Brother Ling, why did those old fogies suddenly accept your merit?" Lin Mu could not help asking.

Everyone else turned to look at Ling Feng, clearly curious.

"Probably because I am handsome."

Ling Feng clicked his tongue and brushed it off.

He did not want to go into detail. The fewer rumors that spread, the better.

Deep down, he still wanted nothing to do with Saint Lady Hui Yue.

This time, she had helped him, so they were even. If she tried to block him from meeting Tuoba Yan again, then there would be nothing left to say.

In the end, strength decided everything.

He might not be her match now, but he believed that even someone like her would one day become nothing more than a stepping stone for him.

And that day would not be far off.

"

Tch!

"

His answer immediately drew a wave of disdainful looks.

Ling Feng only smiled and turned toward Fairy Qingping.

"Senior Sister Yu, I borrowed one hundred war points from you back then. I will return two hundred now. Also, Supreme Elder Xu has granted me access to a higher-tier treasury. If there is anything you want, just tell me. If you need to borrow war points, do not hesitate."

He then looked at everyone and said loudly, "The same goes for all of you. Since we are a team, we should help each other."

"Haha, long live Junior Brother Ling!"

The disciples cheered and rushed forward. They lifted Ling Feng high into the air, tossing him up and catching him again and again.

Laughter filled the cave.

Off to the side, Fairy Qingping, Li Fei, and Princess Qian Ling stood quietly, watching.

A simple thought rose in their hearts.

Being on the same team as Ling Feng felt good!

...

In the blink of an eye, about ten days passed.

Some celebrated while others grew resentful.

Ling Feng's group was thriving, riding high on their success. At the same time, many veteran elites felt nothing but hostility toward this rising team.

Yin Jian, Feng Shaoan, and Su Ming were all among the top of the veteran elites. Yet even with their lineup, they failed to claim the top merit and only gained minor achievements.

It was a heavy blow to their pride.

Feng Shaoan suffered the most. Because he had spoken up for Ling Feng, he faced exclusion from many veteran elites.

As for Yin Jian, he accepted another mission and left Mountain City soon after, distancing himself from the situation.

What happened in the Dead Soul Devil Abyss was something he did not want to mention.

Ling Feng's monstrous talent had deeply shaken his pride.

At that moment, inside a spacious and lavishly decorated stone chamber.

"

Hehe,

a mere green kid actually took the top merit and even received fifty thousand war points."

A burly man in black dragon-eagle armor sat inside. A long scar stretched across his left cheek, adding to his fierce presence.

He was one of the standout figures among the veteran elites.

Though he was not listed among the Heaven Slaying Ten Absolutes, his cultivation had reached the peak of the first level of the Divine Destiny Realm. Among disciples, he was undoubtedly one of the strongest.

Whether peak Human Emperor or Extreme Human Emperor, they were still Human Emperors. Only by stepping into the Great Emperor realm could one truly ascend and become a pillar of the Dongling Immortal Pool.

This man was one of those pillars.

He was a core force of the Hall of War.

"Senior Brother Donghuang, I heard that kid only managed to kill those Barbarian Divine Guards with help from Saint Lady Hui Yue. In the end, he is just living off someone else."

A thin, sharp-faced disciple spoke in a low voice beside him.

"

Hmph

. That goes without saying."

Donghuang Xuanyi let out a cold laugh.

"A mere Spiritual Sea Realm brat. How capable could he be?"

His voice turned colder.

"I once thought Feng Shaoan had some worth. I even expected him to match me after reaching the Great Emperor realm. Who would have thought he would turn out so useless, unable to deal with even a Spiritual Sea Realm disciple."

"And that Yin Jian is no better. He could not even keep a junior in check and let the top merit slip away. They have completely embarrassed us veteran elites!"

"Exactly. Those newcomers are getting more arrogant by the day. They do not respect us seniors at all!"

The thin disciple frowned.

"Just yesterday, Ling Feng snatched a rare treasure I had my eye on. I tried to reason with him, but not only did he refuse, he told me to get lost. He even said we old-timers only rely on having spent more time in the Land of War and have no real ability."

"I can swallow it if he insults me, but he dragged all the senior brothers into it. How can he speak like that when there are so many talented experts here?"

"This is outrageous!"

Donghuang Xuanyi slammed his hand onto the table.

"A mere rookie who got lucky with a bit of merit. He really thinks he is someone important."

He sneered.

"Good. Very good. I will personally go meet this brat and teach him what this place really is. The Hall of War is not somewhere rookies can act arrogant!"

"Exactly. Let them learn what it means to respect their seniors."

The thin man's eyes flashed with satisfaction, and a sly smile crept onto his lips.

His name was Yuwen Liang, and he was the cousin of Yuwen Changkong.

After returning from the Dead Soul Devil Abyss, Yuwen Changkong showed no gratitude. Instead, he urged his cousin to stir up trouble and deepen the conflict between Ling Feng and the veteran elites.

His intentions could not be more malicious.

As for Donghuang Xuanyi, he was known for his fiery temper. A few provoking words were enough to set him off.

Everything was unfolding exactly as the Yuwen brothers had planned.