"Xiao Fan, don't be rude!"

At this moment.

A crisp female voice came from the carriage behind. The curtain lifted, revealing a young girl in a picture-perfect blue dress. Smiling gently, she said to Ye Qingchen with full apologies:

"Young master, my younger brother has been spoiled by our parents since childhood, and his personality is somewhat arrogant and peculiar. I ask you not to blame him!"

The girl's humble demeanor made even Old Li quite apprehensive.

It must be known.

The children of these major races and families often look down on others with an air of superiority, as if they don't regard anyone in their eyes. How could they be so humble?

"You've exaggerated!"

Ye Qingchen smiled slightly.

He's not the type to kill at a whim; only when others humiliate him will he retaliate. Moreover, the other party has already apologized, so there's no need to hold onto it.

"I am Zhou Jing, and this is my younger brother Zhou Long," the girl nodded and introduced herself, then suddenly asked: "Are you also going to Xingyue City?"

"Yes!"

Ye Qingchen did not hide anything.

He made his way openly along the journey, with no intention of concealing his whereabouts. Otherwise, the Spirit Coffin Sect wouldn't have received the news and pre-emptively sealed Xingyue City.

Zhou Jing sweetly smiled, saying: "Currently, Xingyue City is completely locked down; entry is allowed, but no exit. You are alone, and it will be difficult to enter the city. Why not travel with us? My Zhou family has some influence in Xingyue City; surely the Spirit Coffin Sect would allow us entry!"

"Sister, didn't you hear what that kid just said?" Zhou Long interjected, taunting Ye Qingchen with a disdainful look and said: "He said, when the Spirit Coffin Sect sees him, they will open the city gates and respectfully welcome him!"

"Zhou Long!"

Zhou Jing raised her brows and scolded, seeing Zhou Long shrink his neck and not dare to speak further. She continued to Ye Qingchen: "I implore you to give us a chance to make amends!"

Ye Qingchen originally intended to refuse, but after a second thought, he nodded and said:

"Alright!"

Zhou Jing saw this and was overjoyed, asking with a smile: "May I ask for your esteemed name?"

"My surname is Ye, as for my name..." Ye Qingchen shook his head but did not speak further.

Zhou Jing, seeing this, did not press further, assuming Ye Qingchen must have an unspeakable reason.

Nevertheless, Zhou Long, growing more displeased, muttered 'a sneak' under his breath, then discreetly approached Zhou Jing:

"Sister, why do you want to bring this kid along? He doesn't dress like a wealthy man and doesn't even have an ounce of energy; he isn't even a cultivator, just a common person..."

Zhou Jing shook her head and said, "You don't understand. I observed this Young Master Ye; he has extraordinary conversation skills and an uncommon temperament. He must not be a mere ordinary person. Your previous words may have potentially caused our family great trouble!"

Zhou Long pursed his lips, cast another glance at Ye Qingchen, and clearly didn't believe he had such great ability.

But Zhou Jing remained silent.

Ye Qingchen's demeanor and presence were something she hadn't seen among her peers, and even among the older generation, he was unmatched. If someone claimed he was an ordinary person, she wouldn't believe it.

Meanwhile.

The group traveled together toward Xingyue City.

The distance from here to Xingyue City wasn't far, and they reached the city gate in half a day.

"The defense is indeed quite stringent!"

Standing under the city wall, Ye Qingchen discovered the Spirit Coffin Sect's defenses were several times stricter than he had imagined. Aside from the heavily armed members of the Sect, the massive bed crossbows mounted on the walls were known to be lethal weapons, capable of killing even Profound Pill Realm experts!

Besides that.

There were some elder-level figures guarding the walls.

"I'll go and call the gate!"

Zhou Long announced and walked toward the city gate. He approached a Spirit Coffin Sect disciple, saying: "I am from the Zhou Family in Xingyue City. Please be considerate and allow us entry."

Unexpectedly.

The disciple merely glanced sidelong at Zhou Long and solemnly said: "The Spirit Coffin Sect commands, Xingyue City only allows exit, not entry. I don't care which family you belong to; no one may enter the city gates!"

Ah!

How could this be?

Zhou Long was stunned.

He thought that mentioning his family would surely grant them entry into Xingyue City, as the Spirit Coffin Sect would afford them some courtesy. But unexpectedly, they were ruthlessly rejected.

"Brother, please make an exception." Zhou Long dared not act out and could only quietly plead: "My father is Zhou Zhongtian, who has consistently worked for the Spirit Coffin Sect; I ask for some consideration!"

Slap!

As soon as he finished speaking, the disciple had already slapped him hard on the face, "Didn't you hear what I said? The Sect Leader has ordered that no one may enter."

Zhou Long is youthful and impulsive.

He always assumed his family's influence was substantial, and in Xingyue City, he could have his way. But now not only was he refused, but he was also publicly slapped. He felt his anger rise.

"You're just a small gatekeeping disciple of the Spirit Coffin Sect; what are you being arrogant about here?"

As soon as these words were spoken.

Zhou Jing's face changed dramatically.

Her younger brother was spoiled at home and didn't understand how terrifying the Spirit Coffin Sect was.

Sure enough.

The disciple sneered and said:

"It seems you're still not convinced! I told you to scram earlier, but you refused; now it's too late even if you want to leave! Men, these people are trying to force their way into Xingyue City, kill them all!"

As soon as the words fell.

The other gatekeeping disciples, having noticed the situation, started walking over.

"Young hero, my brother did not recognize Mount Tai, please forgive him!" Zhou Jing hastily stepped forward, carefully handing over a piece of fine jade, "I beg for your mercy!"

The disciple, seeing this, finally softened his icy expression slightly and said, "Wise of you! Considering it's your brother's first offense and his good attitude in admitting it, we'll let it go. But he still needs to be punished... If you wanted to force your way into Xingyue City, you should be punished!"

He spoke while pointing at several flagpoles on the city wall, saying:

"Men, hang him up there for seven days!"

Everyone looked at those flagpoles, nearly a hundred meters high. If someone were hung there for seven days, they might not die, but they'd likely be left with only a breath of life.

Zhou Long's face changed even more dramatically.

The Spirit Coffin Sect disciples around them looked proud.

Lately, as the Spirit Coffin Sect faced repeated setbacks and its reputation suffered greatly, many were beginning to stir. They set these rules to serve as a warning:

Do you dare to offend my Spirit Coffin Sect?

There's only one path—death!

"Aren't those the siblings from the Zhou Family?"

"What's going on with them?"

"This is really unwise, offending the Spirit Coffin Sect at this critical moment? It's a sure path to death!"

Some people trying to enter the city and being stopped also shook their heads and sighed.

Upon seeing these people talking, Zhou Jing's heart sank.

Among them, many had family power even greater than the Zhou Family, and they were also stopped outside the city. What could she do? But at this moment, she could only speak with a forced smile:

"This brother, my brother is ignorant, I apologize to you!"

"Oh?"

The disciple, hearing this, glanced at Zhou Jing and saw her dressed elegantly in azure, and his heart burned, "If you are willing to accompany me for three months, then I might spare him!"

"What?"

Zhou Jing's face instantly changed to one of shock.

She knew all too well how terrifying the Spirit Coffin Sect was. If she refused now, Zhou Long would almost certainly not escape death. But if she agreed, her fate wouldn't be much better!

In the midst of this dilemma.

Ye Qingchen, standing nearby, couldn't take it any longer and said coldly:

"Doesn't the Spirit Coffin Sect fear inciting public outrage by doing this? They just want to enter the city, yet you block them outside, want to hang them from flagpoles, and demand someone accompany you for three months! Isn't that too much?"

As soon as he spoke.

The whole crowd was in an uproar.

Everyone looked at Ye Qingchen with the eyes of someone looking at a 'madman'."

Where is this place?

This is Xingyue City!

This is the headquarters of the Spirit Coffin Sect!

The city sealing was personally ordered by the Sect Leader of the Spirit Coffin Sect, allowing no one to enter or force their way in. If you dared to disobey, not only could you be killed on the spot, but they could also destroy your entire family, and no one would dare say 'no'!"

Zhou Jing's eyes widened even more, initially planning to turn big troubles into small ones, and small ones into nothing. By saying this, she effectively rebuked the Spirit Coffin Sect in public. How could they possibly let it slide?"

Zhou Long beside her was even more frightened, his legs trembling, not daring to imagine what might happen next.

As expected!

The disciple's face turned cold as he growled, "You dare speak such words?"

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Ye Qingchen's face remained calm, "It's not just you, a regular Spirit Coffin Sect disciple. Even if your Hall Master, Elders, or Sect Leader came, I would still dare to speak!"

Hearing this, the disciple trembled inside as a bad premonition surfaced in his mind.

Before he could speak.

Ye Qingchen had already stepped forward, suddenly shouting:

"Ye Qingchen of Cyan Continent, here to visit the Spirit Coffin Sect!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.