"That's not necessarily the case. Whether he's just putting up a brave front or not, I think it's best to let him speak for himself..."
The wolf-headed, man-bodied Langye sneered with sinister contempt. His eyes flickered toward Chen Fei, and a corner of his fanged mouth curled into a cold smirk. "Well, kid? You called us to a halt. Are you going to bet or not!? Don't tell me Tian Zheng really hit the nail on the head, eh? HAHAHA..." His laughter was brimming with naked disdain and mockery.
If Chen Fei was merely bluffing and spouting empty words, their purpose for coming here would be completely fulfilled. They would have trampled all over the dignity of both Chen Fei and the Exquisite Sect, leaving them utterly humiliated and without a shred of face.
Hearing such calculating words, Li Manlou's expression turned grim and ugly. The other party was practically pushing them to their doom. If Chen Fei agreed to the bet, things might be alright. But if he refused, wouldn't that play right into the hands of the Purple Flame Palace, turning them into a massive laughingstock and causing them to lose all face?
And yet, while that was true, he knew Chen Fei was formidable. He had single-handedly defeated two Purple Flame Palace disciples whose combined strength was comparable to the Peak of Qi Refining Sixth Layer, gravely injuring them both. But so what?
After all, strength is strength, and talent is talent; the two should not be conflated. The Blue Qi Spirit Root was exceedingly rare, universally acknowledged as a supreme talent. Otherwise, in the several hundred years the Spirit Measuring Pillar had stood here, it wouldn't have gathered so few names—barely more than ten...
As the thought crossed his mind, Li Manlou sighed inwardly. He sent a low-voiced message to Chen Fei using a voice transmission technique, "Forget it. Don't act on impulse."
He didn't want Chen Fei to act rashly, and he certainly didn't want to see him lose even more face, forced to kneel and kowtow in utter disgrace!
"HEHE..."
Seeing Li Manlou's suppressed sigh and his subtle communication with Chen Fei, Langye let out a cold laugh, his posture straightening with arrogance. He was, of course, well aware of how exceedingly rare individuals with a Blue Qi Spirit Root were. Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought Sunx Tianzheng here to cause such a scene. His only goal was to watch Li Manlou and the others be humiliated.
And now, it seemed his objective had been achieved.
After all, he didn't believe for a second that Chen Fei could leave his name on the Spirit Measuring Pillar. And if he couldn't, what use was his current strength? Would the Purple Flame Palace really be intimidated by a junior like him? Please, don't be ridiculous. That's not a funny joke at all...
A Loose Cultivator versus a powerful faction is like an ant versus an elephant. No matter how strong you appear now, it's completely useless!
You're just trash. An ant not even worth mentioning.
"Senior, rest assured," Chen Fei, Young Master Chen, said, his eyes narrowing as his mouth curled into a faint, mocking smile. "They are merely a few clowns jumping up and down. Making them destroy their own reputations will be all too easy. As simple as crushing an ant."
"You motherf— Hmph! You, with the surname Chen, I know you're arrogant, but if you have the guts, try crushing me right now! All you can do is run your mouth. You're pathetic!" The normally haughty Sunx Tianzheng could no longer contain his fury, yelling from behind Langye's back.
"Is that so? Why don't we have a little one-on-one session, then? Hiding behind someone else like a mangy dog, borrowing their might to act all high and mighty... It's a wonder you even have the nerve to speak. Your face—no, your hide is truly thick."
When it came to verbal sparring, our Chen Fei, Young Master Chen, was no ordinary opponent. The moment these words left his mouth, Sunx Tianzheng's face flushed as red as a monkey's rear, his eyes spitting fire, enraged to his very core.
Aside from him, the rest of the crowd fell deathly silent, their expressions strange. They exchanged glances, each seeing the peculiar look in the others' eyes.
"You little punk, isn't your mouth a bit too foul!?"
Just as an eerie silence fell over the area, a voice finally broke it—a voice so cold it seemed to grind its teeth, carrying a chilling and furious intent that echoed heavily in everyone's ears.
The wolf-faced Langye, a Qi Refining Eighth Layer Powerhouse from the Purple Flame Palace, bared his fangs. His complexion was as black as the bottom of a pot. A terrifying aura of Demon Qi, so dense it seemed tangible, radiated from him, thick with killing intent.
He clearly hadn't expected Chen Fei to be so articulate and sharp-tongued. In just a few sentences, he had turned things around to make it seem like the Purple Flame Palace were the ones who should be ashamed.
This reversal made the gazes fixed on him from all directions feel as sharp as needles piercing his skin. How could Langye not be seething with thunderous rage?
BOOM!
In his fury, Langye could no longer contain his murderous intent. He struck out instantly, a claw tearing through the air. A terrifying claw mark wreathed in roiling Demon Qi shot forth! The stench of death even wafted from the attack, chilling to the bone.
CLANG!
BANG!
However, just as the claw attack shot out, a silver-white gleam of light swept down and struck it mid-air. Sparks flew as a deafening clang rang out, knocking Langye's claw off its trajectory! The one who had acted was, of course, Li Manlou.
The silver-white gleam whirled in the air a few times before returning to his hand, revealing itself to be the Silver Short Sword, a Mid-Grade Magic Artifact. Li Manlou first glanced at Chen Fei, then turned to Langye and said coldly, "Do you really take me, Li Manlou, for a mere decoration?"
"Li Manlou, hand that boy over to the Purple Flame Palace, and I guarantee we will never trouble you again! How about it?" Langye's body trembled as he spoke through gritted teeth. His strength was comparable to Li Manlou's, so he knew that if Li Manlou was determined to protect Chen Fei, he had no real chance of killing him.
In response to this offer, however, Li Manlou simply gave a contemptuous, cold laugh, as if he couldn't be bothered to waste any more words. Spiritual Energy surged through his body and his gaze sharpened. With a SWOOSH, the Silver Short Sword in his hand shot toward the sky once more. A terrifyingly powerful fluctuation swept out from it, and its domineering Sword Qi locked firmly onto Langye, completely preventing him from making a move against Chen Fei.