The door of the private room was violently pushed open. Five cultivators stormed in, full of hostility. At their head was the shopkeeper who had spoken with Xiangyun earlier. His expression was calm, as if everything were under his control.

Just as he was about to speak, Qi Yuan cut in. "These people really don't know how to run a business. At the very least, they should've waited until we finished spending money and boosted the GDP before coming to make trouble. If you are too impatient, you will never accomplish anything big."

He sighed morosely. Speak of the devil. They had just discussed that someone would come looking for trouble, and sure enough, trouble arrived immediately.

The shopkeeper paused, slightly confused. He didn't quite understand Qi Yuan's words.

"The Linglong Flask, a treasure of Wangxian Tower, has gone missing. A waiter witnessed you taking it. Please come with us," he said slowly.

Qi Yuan rubbed his nose. "You'd better stop talking. Every time you speak, my nose grows longer."

The shopkeeper frowned. Talking to someone on a completely different wavelength felt deeply unpleasant. He waved his hand and a nervous-looking waiter entered the room.

As soon as the waiter came in, he immediately pointed at Qi Yuan and Rogue Immortal. "Shopkeeper! It was them! I saw it with my own eyes, they stole the Linglong Flask!"

Since the door remained open, cultivators outside could clearly hear the conversation. Plenty of people loved watching drama and gossip. Thus, many cultivators quietly paid attention to what was happening in the room.

"Someone actually stole the treasured Linglong Flask of Wangxian Tower!"

"That person has incredible nerve!"

"Wait... that man looks like Feng Xie. He actually came out of seclusion?"

"This matter seems suspicious."

Some people watched the scene unfold from a distance.

Among them, a green-robed man frowned, looking concerned. "Wangxian Tower belongs to the Phoenix Palace. This matter is not so simple."

"Ye He, are you saying they're targeting Feng Xie?" another man asked angrily.

"Yes. The people of the Phoenix Palace are growing increasingly full of themselves. Lord Wind is also that person's descendant, and yet..." Ye He said with dissatisfaction.

Undercurrents constantly surged in the Phoenix Heaven. The Phoenix Palace often secretly repressed the disciples of Wenfeng Mountain, which Ye He’s clan had a fairly good relationship with. In fact, he was also an acquaintance of Feng Xie. Now that Feng Xie was being targeted, the situation seemed extremely dangerous.

Meanwhile, Feng Xie said angrily, "You randomly picked my two brothers and accused them of stealing the Linglong Flask. How does that count as evidence?"

The shopkeeper remained calm. "These two cultivators are suspicious. If they wish to prove their innocence, they must hand over their storage bags for inspection."

His tone carried arrogance and authority. Clearly, he had come here to pick a fight.

"Since when does innocence require proof?" Feng Xie said coldly.

Although he had long expected this, he still felt furious that it had happened. This was precisely why he had always remained in seclusion on Wenfeng Mountain, rarely going out or making friends. He was afraid he would drag others into trouble. Before meeting Qi Yuan and the others, he had already voiced such concerns.

At that moment, Xiangyun’s sarcastic voice resounded. "If you don’t prove your innocence, wouldn’t false accusations ruin you?"

"I originally came to Wangxian Tower to meet friends, but the ninth-floor private rooms were already full. Fortunately, you have quite the interesting company. Stealing the Linglong Flask freed up a room for me. I should really thank you for that." He walked over, appearing extremely smug as he smiled brightly at Feng Xie. Lastly, he took out a spiritual stone. "Here. Consider it as payment for giving me your room."

He obviously knew how to humiliate people. Most people in such a situation could only swallow their anger.

Xiangyun said arrogantly, "I advise you to confess quickly. You'll suffer less pain that way. Worse, your sects might also be implicated. Things won’t remain so simple at that point." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

In the cultivation world, the strong always ruled. The Bright Palace would still exercise some caution toward certain Yin Spirit forces, but the Phoenix Palace had no such restraints.

Xiangyun acted humble like a servant before true power, yet was arrogant to the extreme toward those beneath him. Fawning over the powerful and trampling the weak was his specialty.

The shopkeeper said indifferently, "If you two confess and commit suicide to apologize, your sects won't be implicated. Otherwise..."

Several cultivators behind him released powerful auras, their expressions hostile.

Seeing this, Ye He quickly stepped forward, frowning. "I can testify that after they entered the room, they never left. This must be a misunderstanding."

His sudden intervention surprised everyone.

The shopkeeper froze briefly.

Xiangyun raised an eyebrow and glowered at him. "Ye He, do you know what you're saying?"

Ye He's identity was somewhat special. When that Mythic expert died, he left behind his daughter, Jasmine, as well as a disciple who later became the founding ancestor of Ye He’s sect. Though said disciple wasn’t particularly friendly with Jasmine, he was rather close to Lord Wind. As a result, the Phoenix Palace's attitude toward Ye He's faction had always been ambiguous.

"I'm only stating the truth," Ye He said firmly, prepared to help Feng Xie.

Feng Xie gazed at Ye He with gratitude. At a time like this, anyone willing to speak up for him was truly a trustworthy friend.

The shopkeeper said slowly to Ye He, "The Biluo Sect and Wenfeng Mountain have always been on good terms. Your words cannot be considered reliable. I prefer to believe my waiter."

"You've gone too far!" Ye He blurted out. "The reputation of the Phoenix Palace is being ruined by people like you. If Senior Taifeng were still alive, he would definitely kill you on the spot for abusing your power and bullying people!"

Taifeng was none other than the legendary expert on everyone’s lips. He was also the only Mythic cultivator the Phoenix Heaven had ever had. Although he had died during the Great Calamity, several Great Venerables in Phoenix Heaven were connected to him. The ancestor of Biluo Sect was his disciple. Lord Wind of Wenfeng Mountain was rumored to be his illegitimate son. Jasmine of the Phoenix Palace was his daughter and successor.

Xiangyun said coldly, "Jasmine is Taifeng's daughter. If he were alive and saw his disciple colluding with outsiders to seize his inheritance, he would likely wipe out your Biluo Sect with a single palm strike!"

The Phoenix Palace had never acknowledged Lord Wind as Taifeng’s illegitimate son, nor had Jasmine ever recognized him as her brother.

The rest of the cultivators began arguing intensely.