At that moment, Qi Yuan’s eyes widened as he smiled brightly. "You're from the Phoenix Palace?"

Xiangyun froze slightly, then sneered. "If you already know, why haven’t you killed yourself yet?"

"It's all a misunderstanding," Qi Yuan said with a radiant smile. "Actually, I can probably count as half a member of the Phoenix Palace myself."

Xiangyun and the shopkeeper exchanged confused glances. "Hmph. Half a member of the Phoenix Palace? And you think you're worthy of claiming connections?"

Xiangyun quickly thought it over. He had never seen this man among the second generation of the Phoenix Palace disciples. At most, he had to be someone of extremely low status, which meant he could easily be bullied.

Qi Yuan sneered back. "So you must have quite a high status in the Phoenix Palace? Come on then, tell me. Who's backing you there?"

Xiangyun appeared disdainful. "My father is Venerable Xiangshan, an elder of the Phoenix Palace. So tell me, do I not have the right to represent the Phoenix Palace in cleaning dirt?"

Aside from Jasmine, the Phoenix Palace had five Yin Spirit Venerables. Xiangshan was one of them.

Qi Yuan stared at him arrogantly. "Just the son of an elder, yet you dare act so presumptuous? Do you even know who I am?"

His demeanor resembled a spoiled young master. Even Xiangyun was momentarily intimidated. Could he be some elder's illegitimate son?

Even so, Xiangyun wasn't afraid. "I'd like to know, who exactly is backing you?"

Ye He was stunned by how things had escalated. Rogue Immortal was equally bewildered.

The onlookers nearby watched with great interest.

"Interesting. Is this an internal Phoenix Palace conflict?"

"Too bad for that young man. Even if he's an elder's illegitimate son, publicly dining with Feng Xie means he'll have no good ending in the Phoenix Palace."

No one had high hopes for Qi Yuan. Suppressing Wenfeng Mountain was considered politically correct in Phoenix Heaven, and any Phoenix Palace member caught associating with Feng Xie faced punishment.

Qi Yuan smirked. "I'm afraid if I tell you, you'll be shocked."

Having a powerful backer really felt good. Whenever someone caused trouble, he could just shout something like "My father is ***!" and everything would be solved. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a father.

Xiangyun only sneered. The shopkeeper watched as if it were a show.

"Well then," Qi Yuan said helplessly. "If you still refuse to admit your mistake, I guess I'll have to call for help."

Xiangyun looked at him as if he were a clown.

Others grew excited.

"Fight! Fight!"

"Who knew eating a meal would come with entertainment?!"

"Too bad. Ancestor Xiangyun already has the advantage in this confrontation."

Neither wealthy nor powerful, everyone understood the conflict between the Phoenix Palace and Wenfeng Mountain. Even if Qi Yuan's backer were another Yin Spirit cultivator, he still wouldn't match Xiangyun. He was just humiliating himself by calling for help.

Suddenly, Qi Yuan turned to Great Sun Flame Emperor. "The Phoenix Palace is in Qinghong City?"

Great Sun Flame Emperor nodded. Both the Phoenix Palace and the Seeking Dao Palace were located there. Qinghong City was the number one city of the Phoenix Heaven.

The surrounding cultivators snickered. Claiming to be from the Phoenix Palace when he doesn’t even know it’s in Qinghong City?

Nothing could have prepared them for what was about to unfold.

A terrifying aura radiated from Qi Yuan as a thick blood stench hung in the air. His robe instantly turned blood-red.

Following that, a voice that seemed capable of piercing the heavens exploded in every cultivator's ears. "Great Venerable Jasmine! Didn't you secretly admire me? Now that I, the Blood-Clothed Sword God, have arrived at Wangxian Tower, won't you come out to see me?!"

His voice, a storm of bloodlust, rolled across the entirety of Qinghong City.

Every cultivator and ordinary person heard the transmission. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Blood-Clothed Sword God?!"

"The Blood-Clothed Sword God is here!"

"That killing god has arrived!"

Of course, the Seeking Dao Palace and the Phoenix Palace were no exception.

***

Inside the Seeking Dao Palace, a towering man frowned deeply, before closing his eyes again.

***

Inside the Phoenix Palace, several elders appeared stunned. If the Blood-Clothed Sword God has arrived, shouldn't he have quietly met Great Venerable Jasmine? Why would he do something like this?

***

Deep within the Phoenix Palace, a woman in a multicolored robe lounged languidly on a couch, her elegant form stretched out with provocative ease.

Her eyes narrowed in amusement. "Interesting."

***

Meanwhile, inside Wangxian Tower, every cultivator was shocked, especially Xiangyun. "You... you're the Blood-Clothed Sword God?!"

Impossible! How could the tyrant of the Eastern Lands himself appear before me?!

The Blood-Clothed Sword God had gained notoriety even in Phoenix Heaven. After Jasmine rejected Wujun for him, everyone clamored to investigate him. That was how they learned that he was a true killing god.

To earn such a title, an ordinary Yin Spirit cultivator would likely have to slay others of the same level, or perhaps even cultivators from the Violet Palace. However, the Blood-Clothed Sword God was different.

He killed Yin Spirits, Violet Palace, Core Formation, and Foundation Establishment cultivators alike. His reasons for killing were simple. Anyone who insulted him on the Divine Flower Society forum would soon find him appearing at their door with a funeral band playing the suona. Thus, he became extremely famous in the Phoenix Heaven, and even gained many fans.

At that moment, the rest of the cultivators turned pale.

"He's the Blood-Clothed Sword God!"

"He's actually the Blood-Clothed Sword God?!"

"I didn't say anything bad about him just now, right?"

"Handsome and imposing indeed! No wonder Great Venerable Jasmine likes him!"

Xiangyun's legs began trembling uncontrollably. The shopkeeper was drenched in sweat.

A man's reputation was like a tree's shadow. Anyone familiar with the Blood-Clothed Sword God knew all too well the extent of his ruthlessness. He was a monstrous killer who slaughtered without restraint. No one even knew how many Yin Spirits he had killed. According to rumors, he had slain over a hundred Violet Palace cultivators, single-handedly setting the Eastern Lands' cultivation world back ten thousand years.

Qi Yuan stood there, enveloped in a dense aura of killing intent and the stench of blood. Who else could possess such a terrifying presence? [1]

Xiangyun had expected the other party to have a powerful background, but not to this extreme?! Now, he was stuck riding a tiger he couldn't dismount from.

His face twisted painfully. "M-misunderstanding... this is all a misunderstanding."

He simply couldn't understand how the mighty Blood-Clothed Sword God, an existence comparable to a Great Venerable, would consider someone like Feng Xie a brother.

1. ***E/N: Qi Yuan would play low honor on RDR 2 ☜