Chapter 75: The Righteous and Dignified Eldest Prince

His gaze swept over all the council elders and true disciples before landing on his son, Qi Cang. But it only stayed there for a second. Xu Yuancan and Lu Zhong and the others had bitter and gloomy expressions. Qi Yuansheng’s simple words made them understand everything. Yes, they forgot, the Palace Master of the Eight Clouds Hall is not just a mascot. Qi Cang has factions, Ling Yi has followers, the Great Elder and Lu Zhong and others have disciples and connections. But in this Eight Clouds Hall, whose influence could surpass the Palace Master? None, neither openly nor covertly. Qi Cang’s little schemes in Qinglan Prefecture could never have been hidden from him. From that time onwards, Feixian Sect probably came under this Palace Master’s radar. Ling Yi’s attempt to intercept also couldn’t escape his notice. This deeply hidden hunter had always been silent, merely watching the two groups plan and scheme. In his eyes, Qi Cang and Ling Yi’s conspiracies were just little tricks of the younger generation. And now, the ring had finally fallen into his hands. Brother Cheng stood there, feeling a sense of enlightenment while also a bit inexplicable. What exactly happened? Wasn’t it agreed that I’m the protagonist? Why is no one trying to kill me? Why are you fighting among yourselves? Just for that ring? A ring with some spirit stones, elixirs, and clothes? Is Eight Clouds Hall really that poor? Fighting endlessly for such a common storage ring, even deploying the sect protection array, almost crushing each other’s brains? It’s a miracle this sect has survived for over 40,000 years! Now I’m standing idle, not even considered a side character—just a background prop, and nobody cares about that, a bit awkward indeed. Clap, clap, clap! Amidst the silence, the clapping sound of the Eldest Prince Xiang Ba was exceptionally harsh. "Eldest Prince, this is an internal affair of our Eight Clouds Hall, and I hope Your Highness will not interfere!" Qi Yuansheng’s expression didn’t change, it was impossible that this matter wouldn’t alert the Eldest Prince. This was always within his expectations. "Internal affair?" Xiang Ba floated in front of him, while the corner of his eye fell on Jiang Cheng. "How come I remember that the ring in your hand initially belonged to Sect Leader Jiang?" "What do you mean?" By this point, Qi Yuansheng also knew that it was impossible to maintain a facade of respect with the Eldest Prince, so his tone naturally turned cold. In the face of treasures, everything else is just an illusion. "What do I mean?" Xiang Ba raised his hand to point at Jiang Cheng, his tone turning righteous and indignant. "I just can’t stand you prestigious sects bullying and robbing a young sect leader." Pointed out like this, Brother Cheng felt a bit more aware. Is it finally my turn to make an appearance? But brother, isn’t calling me a young sect leader a bit too dismissive? "If I hadn’t seen it, it could have been ignored, but seeing it, I can’t just let it go!" His words were thunderous, filled with righteousness. If someone saw this for the first time, they might really think he was here to uphold justice. But those present weren’t new to the cultivation realm and wouldn’t be swayed by a few pretty words. Qi Yuansheng even sneered. "Heh, Xiang Ba, if you want the ring, just say so, why use such a lofty excuse?" Does he take him for a three-year-old child? Wanting to snatch it and still looking for a high-sounding reason, being a hypocrite while erecting a monument of virtue. "It seems you don’t want to hand it over?" As Xiang Ba finished speaking, his four Celestial Fate realm guards had already spread out, blocking Qi Yuansheng’s retreat. On the Eight Clouds Hall’s side, the Elders were still hesitating. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to support Qi Yuansheng, but the enemy was too powerful. Among the Eldest Prince’s guards, the weakest was still Celestial Fate Sixth Layer, stronger than anyone here. If a fight really broke out, the consequences would be disastrous. "You seem to have forgotten, this is Eight Clouds Hall." Qi Yuansheng chuckled quietly, in his palm, a floating transparent spirit crystal rotated slowly, serving as the control core of the sect protection array. If he activated the sect protection array, then... The chances of survival for the Eldest Prince’s group were grim, after all, as strong as they were, they were still within the Celestial Fate realm. "Qi Yuansheng, dare you to activate it and see!" Xiang Ba’s tone suddenly turned harsh, which was actually why he hadn’t immediately ordered his palace guards to act. This was indeed Eight Clouds Hall, Qi Yuansheng’s home court advantage was too strong. If he had known about the ring earlier, giving him ample time to prepare, there might have been a chance. But he got the news too late, now he could only rely on intimidating them. "Qi Yuansheng, you should know, our Qianxing Dynasty has a Daoist Palace Venerable stationed!" "Unless the ring contains a world-class treasure beyond the limits of a Tier Nine Spiritual Artifact, handing it over is the wisest choice." A Tier Nine Spirit Talisman equals a full strike of a Daoist Palace Realm, ultimately still less than a genuine Daoist Palace Realm expert. "Xiang Ba, do you really think I dare not?" Qi Yuansheng faced two choices before him. Hand over the ring. Or use the array to trap and kill the Eldest Prince’s group here. Of course, he didn’t want to hand it over. But the latter choice had a major flaw, there were too many people here. Unless he silenced everyone, the news would eventually reach the Qianxing Dynasty, and by then the Daoist Palace Realm would intervene... If this ring contained treasures beyond spiritual artifacts, he might gamble everything! Even if he had to sacrifice the foundation of Eight Clouds Hall, he wouldn’t hesitate! In the stalemate, he activated his spiritual power with great anticipation, breaking the ring’s restriction, probing inside for ’treasures.’ Then, in the next moment, his expression became extraordinarily wonderful. There was shock, disbelief, confusion, daze... The ups and downs of life were indeed too thrilling; he felt he had never experienced such intense emotional changes in his life. Inside the ring were only a hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones, fifty bottles of fifth-grade pills, and a few sets of clothes. No Tier Nine Spirit Talisman, no Tier Nine Spiritual Artifact, and not even any other dazzling rare treasures. This was less than a percent of his personal collection. He had just used the grand array for this, watched his son have an arm severed, activated an array to eliminate the sect’s top true disciple, and offended the Eldest Prince? He suddenly looked towards Jiang Cheng in the distance, his gaze like the flames of hell, filled with uncontrollable rage! Betrayed! This ’cunning and treacherous’ kid used a fake ring to lure him in, fooling everyone completely! A single fake ring caused internal strife within Eight Clouds Hall, truly vicious! "You accursed little thief!" Brother Cheng could feel the fiery gaze hot enough to melt rocks; he felt very innocent. Is he out of his mind, someone stealing my ring and then staring at me like a patricidal enemy? Isn’t that too unreasonable? I haven’t even done anything. "Qi Yuansheng, I’d advise you to think carefully..." Xiang Ba still didn’t know there was nothing valuable in the ring and was still thinking of using intimidation. Because he wasn’t sure whether Qi Yuansheng would activate the array to kill everyone here, he could only bring up the authority of the Daoist Palace Realm to suppress him. "Ha..." Qi Yuansheng suddenly seemed to have aged hundreds of years. "Since you want it, then take it." Under the eyes of the stunned, envious, or eager onlookers, he tossed the ring over.