Chapter 234: Chapter 233: Presenting Gifts

Yi Tianyun’s audacity left many dumbfounded. Even with the Mansion Master’s personal arrival, he showed no fear and, if anything, grew even more defiant.

But they didn’t know this wasn’t Yi Tianyun being arrogant; it was the Divine Rune Mansion that had gone too far! People spoke as if Yi Tianyun enjoyed causing trouble, but if Lin Feng hadn’t been so tyrannical, he couldn’t have been bothered to even hit the man. It would have just dirtied his hands.

’I wanted to keep a low profile, but they kept forcing my hand. In that case, they can’t blame me.’

Many people shook their heads at the sight. ’The Celestial Extreme Mansion is finished,’ they thought. ’Not only is this young man doomed, but the Celestial Extreme Mansion will have to pay a terrible price. Without hefty compensation, how could they possibly appease the Divine Rune Mansion’s fury?’

"You’ve got some nerve, kid!" Nan Fengyun glared at him, then turned to the Great Elder of the Celestial Extreme Mansion. "You all seem quite confident. Do you have a powerful backer?"

The Great Elder gave a wry smile. ’Since when have we had a backer?’ he thought. They were simply following Yi Tianyun’s instructions.

"Southern Mansion Master, that is something you don’t need to know." The Great Elder’s expression remained impassive, ready to act on Yi Tianyun’s every command.

"Excellent!" Nan Fengyun said coldly. "After this is over, I will personally pay the Celestial Extreme Mansion a visit. We’ll see just what kind of powerful backer you have then!"

Nearby, Zhao Yu was watching intently and couldn’t help but turn to discuss it.

"Sister, isn’t that young man a bit too arrogant? He’s not even afraid of the Southern Mansion Master?" Zhao Yu’s eyes were filled with shock. ’I would never dare to act like that if I were in his shoes.’

"Perhaps he’s acting under someone’s orders, or maybe he really does have a powerful backer," Yu Shiqian said, shaking her head. She felt there was no need to dwell on the outcome. ’The Celestial Extreme Mansion is surely done for.’

The members of the Star Pavilion were even more shocked. They had originally considered stepping in to protect Yi Tianyun, but now, they didn’t dare. Yi Tianyun had burned his bridges completely. Intervening now would mean openly opposing the Divine Rune Mansion, something they would never do.

"Pavilion Master Li, this Yi Keqing... *sigh*." Elder Yun shook his head. ’It’s not that we’re being cold, but Yi Tianyun killed their Direct Disciple. This isn’t something we can resolve just by talking our way out of it.’

"I never expected this Yi Keqing to be such a magnet for trouble..." Li Tianlong gave a wry smile. He originally planned to mediate the issue with Steward Xiang, something he was capable of handling. But the murder of a Direct Disciple? He was truly powerless to interfere.

The Star Pavilion had always maintained its neutrality. Calming frayed tempers was one thing, but the murder of a Direct Disciple was not so easily smoothed over. One misstep, and it would look like the Star Pavilion was Yi Tianyun’s backer. He couldn’t bear that responsibility.

Just then, a handsome, middle-aged man emerged from the palace. It was Cheng Fen, a minister of the Netherworld Empire! He exuded the immense aura of an Upper-Ranker, naturally imposing without any sign of anger. The moment he appeared, a powerful pressure emanated from him, weighing heavily on everyone present.

He stepped out, scanned the crowd, and gave a slight nod, seemingly satisfied with what he saw.

"Greetings, Lord Cheng!"

The factions at the front of the hall immediately began to call out respectfully, and the others quickly followed. Willing or not, everyone had to shout the greeting. To do otherwise would be to disrespect the Netherworld Empire.

Even the Mansion Masters had to show deference to Cheng Fen; such was the gap between their factions. One couldn’t even kill an ordinary Netherworld Empire Guard casually. As the saying goes, you look at the master before you beat his dog. Angering the Netherworld Empire would have tragic consequences.

"Good. All the Mansion Masters are here. I am pleased." Cheng Fen’s expression was nonchalant as he slowly addressed them. "I invited a total of fifteen factions this time. One of them, however, was most tactless. They even injured our envoy. We... dealt with them before the start of this evening’s festivities. That faction no longer exists, which is why I’m a bit late."

He recounted this astonishing event in a completely flat tone. ’A third-rank faction, wiped out just like that?’ The Netherworld Empire only ever invited third-rank factions, looking down on anything second-rank or below. This meant that there were only fifteen such factions in the entire Celestial Realm Continent.

Looking around, there were indeed fourteen factions of varying sizes present. The spacious hall accommodated them all with ease.

This reminded Yi Tianyun of the injured Giant Eagle he had seen upon entering the city. ’That must have been the result of the third-rank faction’s resistance,’ he mused. Their end was so simple and brutal—total annihilation.

"I have invited you all here today to discuss a matter. This matter is, in fact, an order given to me by the Great Emperor." He deliberately emphasized the words "Great Emperor" to make one thing clear: the consequences for defying an order from the Great Emperor need not be spoken aloud.

Everyone’s hearts clenched. They grew tense, wondering what he was about to announce.

"Oh, and by a remarkable coincidence, today just so happens to be my birthday..." Cheng Fen said with a smile. "What a coincidence, indeed. I’d almost forgotten."

Everyone was taken aback. ’His birthday? Weren’t we supposed to be discussing official business?’

Just then, someone jolted with realization and hurried forward. "Congratulations, Lord Cheng! This is a hundred-year spirit ginseng we specially prepared for Your Lordship. It can replenish one’s Blood Qi, extend one’s life, and even stabilize one’s cultivation."

One of the Mansion Masters, reacting instantly, presented a hundred-year spirit ginseng.

"Oh, you shouldn’t have..." Cheng Fen beamed, his eyes crinkling with delight. "But this hundred-year spirit ginseng is quite nice. I’ve always been fond of it." He gave that Mansion Master an appreciative glance, and the man fawned all the more. Earning Lord Cheng’s favor would be a tremendous boon.

Only then did it dawn on the others how utterly shameless Cheng Fen was. The Netherworld Emperor had sent him to make an announcement, but he’d suddenly brought up his birthday. He was clearly using this as an opportunity to solicit gifts!

Yet, they couldn’t refuse. And who could have prepared a gift? It was all so sudden. Then again, it wasn’t *that* sudden. Cheng Fen couldn’t very well have summoned them all here just by announcing it was his birthday, could he?

That would have been too blatant. He was just using the pretext of delivering the Netherworld Emperor’s message to celebrate his birthday on the side. It was a perfect scheme.

Thankfully, someone had caught on quickly and was the first to present a gift, much to the envy of the other Mansion Masters. This meant he would receive more of Lord Cheng’s attention.

"Lord Cheng, this is a high-grade Soul Artifact! It contains the blood of the Dragon Race and can unleash Long Wei when attacking, intimidating the enemy!" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Lord Cheng, this is a three-hundred-year-old Jade Spirit Grass we specially prepared. It can..."

One after another, they scrambled forward to present their gifts. The scene, however, made Yi Tianyun frown. ’This Cheng Fen is truly shameless,’ he thought. ’But not giving him a gift isn’t an option. It would be the same as angering a minister of the Netherworld Empire.’