Chapter 776: Could It Be Him

"You... you have some nerve to humiliate me like this! I am the grandniece of the Empress Dowager! You—!"

Yan Shuying trembled with rage. How dare these people treat her with such contempt!

"Enough. A bet is a bet. There are plenty of witnesses here—you were the one who broke it first!"

Lin Mochen crossed his arms and sneered.

"This divine beast hasn't eaten human flesh in a long time. This little girl looks tender and juicy—should be delicious."

The Despicable Donkey also stepped forward, opening his "bloody maw" as if he were about to bite Yan Shuying's head off in one gulp.

This donkey loved nothing more than stirring up trouble, and tormenting someone like this was an opportunity he wouldn't miss.

Yan Shuying's face turned deathly pale. She was terrified they might actually break her legs—or worse, that the black demonic beast might really take a bite out of her.

Though she was spoiled and scheming, she was still just a teenage girl who had never faced such a situation before. Tears streamed down her face in fear.

"Let it go, Ling Feng. She is still the Empress Dowager's people—we can't push this too far."

Gu Tengfeng stepped forward and patted Ling Feng's shoulder, signaling him to stop before provoking the Empress Dowager's wrath.

"I know my limits." Ling Feng nodded, then looked at Yan Shuying indifferently. "I've never been fond of kowtowing and groveling. Forget kneeling—just call me 'master' three times, and you can leave."

Hearing that Ling Feng was willing to compromise and spare her the humiliation of kneeling, Yan Shuying gritted her teeth and forced out three barely audible words.

"Master... Master... Master."

With each word, she could hear her own teeth grinding, as if she might shatter them from sheer fury.

"

Hmph.

" Ling Feng didn't press further. "From now on, if you see me on the street, you'd better steer clear. Otherwise, those three words might not be enough next time."

Yan Shuying shot Ling Feng a venomous glare, swallowing her rage before storming off.

"Brother Feng, that woman is definitely going to seek revenge," Lin Mochen whispered.

"Let her. With her level of skill, she'll only humiliate herself further."

Ling Feng shrugged. He knew very well that the Empress Dowager still wanted the so-called "secrets" from

The Profound Art of Acupuncture and Moxibustion

—so for now, she wouldn't move against him.

As long as Yan Shuying's petty squabbles didn't go too far, the Empress Dowager would turn a blind eye.

Right now, the most important thing was still improving their strength for the upcoming matches against the other academies' strongest sword teams. The ultimate goal remained defeating the so-called "Unbeatable Legend"—the Royal Sword Team.

"Whatever. Those idiots ruined the mood anyway."

Ling Feng shook his head. "Captain, I'll head back first."

"

Mm.

That's fine." Gu Tengfeng nodded. "Everyone's had enough to drink. Let's all rest up. Tomorrow, I'll check the Mission Hall for suitable Elder Missions. Let's use this time to improve as much as possible."

"We'll follow Boss Gu's arrangements!"

"

Ugh,

more training..."

...

The group dispersed to their respective residences, while Ling Feng returned to Tianxuan Garden with the Despicable Donkey and Tuoba Yan.

After giving Tuoba Yan some pills to restore her spiritual consciousness, Ling Feng urged her to rest early. Tonight, he wouldn't visit Yan Cangtian's medicinal herb garden—no need to drag her along.

Then, it was time to "settle accounts" with that despicable donkey.

"Alright, explain yourself. Before you left, you swore up and down you wouldn't cause trouble. Since when does a divine beast like you go back on its word like it's nothing?"

Ling Feng glared at Despicable Donkey, who was lounging with Little Qiongqi in his arms, looking utterly unrepentant.

"This divine beast did promise not to cause trouble—but that was about old grudges! As the saying goes, 'A gentleman must repay his debts.' This divine beast was merely acting as a gentleman should!"

Ling Feng's lips twitched. This donkey could spin straw into gold with his silver tongue—arguing with him was pointless.

"

Hehe,

but I'm guessing it was you who got that sky-tier kill order revoked, right?" Despicable Donkey raised an eyebrow, grinning. "Not bad, kid. You've got some honor. Though this divine beast's godly might could've crushed those fools, mercy is a virtue. You saved those ignorant Human Emperors—consider it a good deed."

"..."

Ling Feng was once again stunned by the depths of this donkey's shamelessness. How could any creature be this thick-skinned?

He rolled his eyes. "The kill order was revoked over ten days ago. Even if you were chased all the way to the Western Wilderness, you shouldn't have taken this long to return. Out with it—where else did you go? What trouble did you stir up?"

"Kid, do you really think this divine beast goes around looking for fights?"

"Absolutely. Without a doubt."

"

Tch!

" Despicable Donkey lifted his head dramatically, sighing. "The world mocks me for my madness, but I mock the world for its blindness!"

"..." Ling Feng kicked Despicable Donkey's rear. "Cut the nonsense. If you don't explain properly, you're not getting any treasures from the Battlefield of the Gods and Demons!"

"

Hehehe!

"

Despicable Donkey rubbed his hooves together eagerly, swallowing hard before speaking. "Ling Feng, this divine beast destroyed a cult and beat their leader half to death! How is that 'causing trouble'? That's called heroism!"

"A cult?" Ling Feng's eyelids twitched. "What exactly happened?"

Despicable Donkey recounted his experiences in Wuxi Town and his battle with the Blood Sword Heavenly Lord, finishing with a flourish. "Back in the day, this divine beast was Tianbai Emperor's most powerful guardian beast! Protecting this land is my sacred duty! No need to praise my nobility—just hand over the treasures!"

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Ling Feng gave him a sidelong glance, muttering to himself, "The Blood God Cult... Blood Sword Heavenly Lord?"

"

Pah!

That guy was trash. Calling himself a 'Blood Sword Heavenly Lord'? What a joke." Despicable Donkey scoffed. "He was being controlled by some weird blood-red long sword and didn't even realize he was dying. Pathetic."

"A blood-red long sword?"

Ling Feng's heart skipped a beat, a bad premonition rising in his chest. "Describe that sword in detail."

"It was just a red sword with a bunch of cracks all over it. Then these disgusting tentacles sprouted out and wrapped around that so-called 'Blood Sword Heavenly Lord.' Definitely not a good thing."

Despicable Donkey paused, then added, "

Oh,

right—that guy seemed to recognize me. The moment he saw this divine beast, he turned tail and ran. Useless in a fight, but damn, could he run!"

"A recently risen cult... in the Western Wilderness... a blood sword... and he recognized Despicable Donkey..."

Ling Feng's mind raced, piecing together the clues. Suddenly, his pupils contracted sharply.

"Could it be him?"

Back then, apart from himself and Tuoba Yan, there had been one other person who entered Great Emperor Tiance's tomb.

That person was none other than the greedy, treasure-obsessed Lay Practitioner Qingling—Li Qingling.

Ling Feng had assumed the man had died in the imperial tomb. But what if he had survived... and brought that demonic sword out with him?

Everything—the Blood God Cult, the Blood Sword Heavenly Lord—would fit perfectly.