Afterward, as the dignitary from the Black Demon Palace departed with a critically injured Luo Zun, the dark clouds looming over the Tiger Leopard Hall headquarters finally dispersed.

From another perspective, however, one could say the clouds hanging over their heads had only grown denser, threatening to collapse upon them. After all, under these circumstances, everyone knew that the day's events were more than enough to spell utter disaster for this behemoth that had once dominated the Dark World of the Three Provinces of Lingnan, ensuring its complete destruction.

Thus, under the cold, indifferent gazes of Ming Daochuan and the others, the men from the Tiger Leopard Hall headquarters fled like dogs who had lost their homes, disheveled and trembling with terror. They had barely left the troubled grounds when they were suddenly intercepted by a group of soldiers from a special forces unit, each wielding a gun and exuding a chilling demeanor.

"You..." Witnessing this, the fleeing members of Tiger Leopard Hall looked on with despair. Dazed and demoralized, they never expected someone would be lying in wait for them. In other words, their escape was impossible.

Their only hope was if some among them could muster the courage to turn back and fight Chen Fei, Ming Daochuan, and the others to the death. But was that realistic? Even their Innate Level leaders were almost all dead, and Lord Luo Zun himself had nearly perished. What were these small fries in comparison?

It's all because of that little bastard, damn him! The thought enraged many of the Tiger Leopard Hall members, but they only dared to curse him in their hearts, too afraid to let any of it show on their faces.

"Surrender peacefully and you might have a chance to live. Otherwise, prepare to lose your heads right now. Get down!" A burly man with a sullen face, wielding a domineering long saber, barked the order from among the cold, armed soldiers. This man was none other than Qiy Army, the third elder of the Qiy Family of Yellow Snake Mountain in Lingnan, who had nearly died at Chen Fei's hands before pledging his loyalty.

Observing the astonishing aura now flowing from his body, it appeared he had unexpectedly reached the Innate Early Stage of an Ancient Martial Artist.

"You're... Qiy Army! You actually..." Upon seeing Qiy Army and sensing the startling Innate Realm aura he emanated, the men's faces changed dramatically. With looks of resignation and despair, they placed their hands behind their heads and squatted down, choosing to surrender. Now that things had come to this, what else could they do? They didn't want to die for nothing.

"Hmph!"

Seeing this, the sullen-faced Qiy Army snorted coldly and ordered the Flying Leopard members behind him, "Go and arrest them. Did you bring enough equipment?" Immediately, numerous members of the Flying Leopard swarmed the surrendered Tiger Leopard Hall men, cuffing them with special-issue handcuffs that would make resistance nearly impossible.

As they worked, one member responded to Qiy Army's question, reporting, "Sir, we prepared a hundred pairs of the H-model handcuffs in advance. It seems that's more than enough. There's no need to use this model on the others."

These were special H-model handcuffs developed by a special department of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, specifically designed for Ancient Martial Artists or Ability Users. Anyone at the Half-Step Innate level or below would find it extremely difficult to break free. As for the Tiger Leopard Hall members who were at the Half-Step Innate or even Half-Step Innate Peak level, they were already frightened out of their wits. Besides, Qiy Army, now at the Innate Early Stage, was more than enough to keep them in line.

Thus, under the leadership of Qiy Army and the Flying Leopard members, a force of several hundred to nearly a thousand armed soldiers led the despairing members of Tiger Leopard Hall away. What awaited them was undoubtedly severe legal punishment and imprisonment.

「Meanwhile, on the other side.」

After finishing his "private chat" with the dignitary from the Black Demon Palace, Chen Fei reappeared before everyone, unharmed. He then began to walk slowly toward Zhou Ye.

"You, you... what do you want?"

Seeing Chen Fei approach, Zhou Ye, the former vice hall master and Innate Mid-Stage Expert of Tiger Leopard Hall, turned ashen. He trembled uncontrollably from head to toe, his heels quivering. He knew with absolute certainty that Tiger Leopard Hall was utterly defeated and would be erased from the Martial Forest.

And as for him, Zhou Ye… he had not only clashed with the young man before but had also played the mantis stalking the cicada, only to be outsmarted by the oriole from behind when he snatched the young man's prize.

The mere thought of it made his face drain of all color, and he couldn't stop shaking.

"What do I want? Come on, don't tell me your memory is so poor that you've forgotten the warning I gave you that day. What do you have to say for yourself now? Did you really think having a piece of trash like Luo Zun for a backer meant you could do whatever you wanted without restraint? Heh..." Chen Fei's gaze was ice-cold as he stared at the Innate Middle Stage Zhou Ye, a sneer twisting his lips.

Hearing this, Zhou Ye's face filled with panic and despair. After a moment, he managed to choke out, "I was blind and failed to recognize a great man. The spiritual herb's temptation clouded my judgment. I will accept whatever punishment you decree today… but I beg you, please spare my life..."

He knew that what he did was a capital offense. If their positions were reversed and a treasure within his grasp was suddenly snatched away by a third party, he too would be filled with murderous intent. That was why he now faced this fate.

CLANG!

Before he could finish, Chen Fei, his face an emotionless mask, stared intently at him. The Mystic Stone Mirror appeared in his palm with a sudden flash of dark light. A sinister, heavy earthen-black ray, pulsing with formidable power, pointed sharply at Zhou Ye's brow. The thick, murderous aura radiating from it made his body tremble violently, his expression twisting into one of utter despair.

"Spare your life? Frankly, you're the cause of half of today's incident. They're all dead now, and you're asking me to spare you? Don't you think it's a bit ridiculous to say that now?" Chen Fei's face and tone grew colder by the second.

As he spoke, the killing intent he radiated intensified, causing Zhou Ye, who was at its center, to shudder. His face filled with terror, he stammered, "Wait! Wait, listen to me first! The magical herb… I haven't used it yet! It's in my laboratory right now…" He hurriedly blurted out the truth.

"What? You haven't wasted the Jinchan Moon Fruit?" Hearing this, Chen Fei's expression faltered for a second, an involuntary flicker of delight in his eyes. Then, his face hardened again as he said coldly, "Are you telling the truth?"

The Jinchan Moon Fruit was a Mid-Grade Human-Level Spiritual Herb. On an Earth where 99.999% of all Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were already extinct, it was incredibly rare. Even in the circles of low-level cultivators in the Mysterious Cultivation World, it was still a precious item. He had been so enraged, his killing intent so thick, because he assumed the herb had already been wasted. But now, to hear that it still existed was a welcome surprise.

After all, even at his current cultivation level, if he consumed that spiritual herb, he could use its potent medicinal effects to attempt a breakthrough to the peak of the Qi Refining Fifth Layer. If successful, he might not even fear those at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer or the Innate Later Stage, as he would be able to contend with them directly.

"Yes, yes! I know I was wrong about what happened before, but… but since the magical herb is still here, can you please spare my life? I'm willing to accept any punishment, just let me live," Zhou Ye pleaded, trembling. He was clearly terrified of dying.

"If the herb is truly there, then your death penalty may be waived, but you cannot escape punishment for your crimes. Where is the Jinchan Moon Fruit? Take me there now."

Hearing Chen Fei's chilling voice and his words, Zhou Ye, who had collapsed to the ground, froze for a moment. Then, he scrambled back to his feet, his face lit with excitement. "Thank you, thank you for your mercy, young brother! Please, follow me. The herb is in my laboratory right now."

"A laboratory?"

Chen Fei's brows furrowed slightly, but he said nothing. He followed Zhou Ye into the three-story building and down into the laboratory.

「」

On the other side, Yama, Ruan Jing, and the others hadn't followed them inside. Yama turned to Ming Daochuan, confused. "Senior brother, what is this Jinchan Moon Fruit?" He had apparently overheard the conversation between Chen Fei and Zhou Ye, but he had no idea what the item was.

"A very miraculous herb," Ming Daochuan explained slowly, having already been educated on the matter by Chen Fei. "In the terms used by those Qi Practitioners, that kind of miraculous herb would be called… a spiritual herb, I believe."

"Spiritual herb? Miraculous herb? Wait, could it be..." Hearing this, Ruan Jing first frowned in deep thought before his expression turned to one of delighted surprise, as if he had guessed something.

"Old Three, you know about it?" Yama asked, noticing his junior brother's reaction.

"Mhm, a little," Ruan Jing nodded. "I once had a rare opportunity to overhear a few words from an Honored Deity in Zhongnanhai… In any case, it must be something incredibly miraculous and powerful." As he mentioned "Zhongnanhai" and "Honored Deity," an unmistakable look of reverence flashed in his eyes.

After all, those figures held authority even above their "Four Departments of Capital City." Even the most powerful among them, the Dragon Group, could not compare. The implication of that was self-evident.

"A Zhongnanhai Honored Deity?" Upon hearing those words, even someone of Ming Daochuan's standing couldn't help but feel a flicker of something in his eyes. He was not unfamiliar with those beings. At that moment, Chen Fei had already followed Zhou Ye down into the basement laboratory.

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.