Chapter 303: Chapter Seven: Fame Spreads Through Lancheng

Under the watchful eyes of spectators on the walls of Lancheng and the guards at the East Gate, the black-haired man Luo Feng took only a few steps before entering the East Gate and reuniting with Di Qing, who had already been waiting there.

“Luo Feng, you won—you utterly crushed him!” Di Qing was even more excited than Luo Feng. “Before the eyes of countless cultivators, you completely overwhelmed Elder Tianhe! This battle will surely spread throughout Lancheng within a day.”

Luo Feng smiled.

If the fight had taken place in some remote wilderness, intelligence organizations might still have questioned whether it was real.

But this confrontation happened right outside the East Gate, with hundreds of thousands of witnesses—this battle was undeniably real.

“I’ve made my name in Lancheng by stepping on Elder Tianhe,” Luo Feng thought. That had always been part of his plan. If you already possess Elder-level power, why bother struggling through hunts just to gather resources? That would be pitiful.

Moreover, the Elder hunting zones are unpredictable in risk. Unless his power breaks through further, Luo Feng had no intention of continuing to hunt.

“Let’s go handle the spoils.”

Riding the Tai Xu Ming Tong vessel, Luo Feng and Di Qing swiftly departed the East Gate, heading straight toward the Hunyuan Hall in the inner city.

The departure of the Tai Xu Ming Tong vessel was witnessed by the hundreds of thousands of onlookers.

“Impressive.”

“That giant furry claw must be a powerful secret treasure. As soon as it appeared, it utterly shattered Elder Tianhe!”

“It’s just the power of the treasure—he probably doesn’t even match Elder Tianhe’s foundational accumulation.”

“Elder Tianhe’s ‘Eternal Night Ming Yan Body’ supposedly required exchanging for a high-grade Hunyuan life bloodline—its value far exceeds many secret treasures. Without the Eternal Night Ming Yan Body, Elder Tianhe wouldn’t have been worthy of making Luo Feng, the Divine Emperor, use that claw treasure.”

“This Luo Feng Divine Emperor fought bare-handed until the very end before using the claw treasure.”

“Elder Tianhe didn’t even show all his strength—his avatar in the Dark Sacred Realm is his true peak.”

The cultivators were divided in debate.

Elder-level beings are already high-ranking in Lancheng—objects of reverence for countless weaker cultivators. Their battles are studied meticulously for long ages.

…

A cave dwelling in the inner city.

Yu Yong, the master of Ku Mo, resided here.

“Elder Tianhe lost to Luo Feng Divine Emperor?” Yu Yong, residing in the inner city, had been unable to reach the East Gate in time to watch the battle, so he purchased the detailed combat footage from an intelligence organization.

With so many witnesses, the combat footage sold cheaply.

“That single giant claw strike shattered Elder Tianhe?” Yu Yong, after watching the entire battle, felt a chill—“If I’d faced Luo Feng, I’d have been torn apart by one swipe.”

He had no avatar, and his foundational accumulation was nowhere near Elder Tianhe’s.

Elder Tianhe had escaped Luo Feng’s grasp—he had no such ability.

“The path of cultivation is incredibly dangerous.”

“One misstep, and all is lost!”

Yu Yong was extremely cautious.

Since arriving in the Jiuhe Sacred Realm, he preferred to advance slowly, cautiously, avoiding excessive risk. But Ku Mo joined the Guifang, engaged in prolonged raids, acquired Guifang resources, and reached the mid-stage Divine Emperor Dao-seeker level—nearly catching up to his master Yu Yong.

“Haste makes waste. Slower might let you go farther.” Yu Yong felt the vast bloodline within him nearing perfection. “My Hunyuan bloodline is weaker than Elder Tianhe’s. But after countless eons of refinement and unlocking potential, I’ve finally reached the half-Hunyuan level.”

He had reached the half-Hunyuan level only a few dozen cycles ago.

He had spent all his time studying secret methods to maximize his bloodline’s potential. But upon hearing of Luo Feng’s battle with Elder Tianhe, Yu Yong suddenly developed a desire to go to the Dark Sacred Realm.

“At the half-Hunyuan level, to break free from the cage? The Dark Sacred Realm holds the greatest opportunities.”

“Even brilliant talents like Luo Feng struggle to break free. My talent is far weaker—if I don’t fight now, I’ll have zero hope left.”

Deep longing burned in Yu Yong’s eyes.

Before the chance to break free from the cage, he would risk everything. His path of growth was filled with too many regrets.

“Huh.”

On the very day Luo Feng’s name spread through Lancheng, the half-Hunyuan bloodline cultivator Yu Yong quietly departed the city alone in a flying vessel, preparing to use the Shengshan teleportation array to reach the Dark Sacred Realm.

Yu Yong flew out of the inner city in his vessel.

Meanwhile, Luo Feng and Di Qing rode the Tai Xu Ming Tong vessel into the inner city, heading straight for the Hunyuan Hall.

“Hmm?”

When Luo Feng and Di Qing arrived on the first floor of the Hunyuan Hall, they found all thirteen shop managers gathered there, actively welcoming Luo Feng.

“Greetings, Luo Feng Divine Emperor.”

“We’ve all heard of your victory over Elder Tianhe.” The managers were effusively enthusiastic. Previously, they had treated Luo Feng as an equal; now, they showed him greater respect.

They all served powerful factions. Naturally, they showed deference to Elder-level beings.

Luo Feng looked at the thirteen managers and smiled. “You’re well-informed.”

The thirteen factions monopolizing the purchase of low-grade Hunyuan life corpses had backgrounds and foundations no less formidable than the Chongchao, Wan Ying Xiaolou, or Guifang.

After all, when it came to gathering resources, theft and raiding could never match the profits of monopolizing Hunyuan life materials.

“Luo Feng Divine Emperor, after your recent hunt, you must have some spoils?” Old friend Bu You smiled.

“Yes, a few.” Luo Feng nodded. “Take a look—what prices can you offer?” He then displayed his spoils.

A late-stage Divine Emperor Blood Demon E Li Si, fifteen Frost Soul Watchers, and several early-stage Divine Emperor prey—including the Blood Demon’s venom—Luo Feng revealed them all.

“A late-stage Divine Emperor Blood Demon? A precious find!” Each manager’s eyes burned with desire.

For poison cultivators, the corpse of the Blood Demon E Li Si was treasure in every part.

“The corpse, the merit, and the venom—I’ll offer 160 million Hunyuan Crystals,” Bu You immediately offered a sincere price.

“165 million Hunyuan Crystals,” another immediately countered higher.

“I’ll offer 180 million Hunyuan Crystals!” A rock giantess declared—shocking the other managers, for this price meant not just no profit, but a loss.

The rock giantess smiled at Luo Feng: “My ‘Star Yi Elder’ sends greetings to Luo Feng Divine Emperor.”

“Star Yi Elder?” Luo Feng understood—it was a gesture of goodwill.

Star Yi Elder.

Expert in life healing and all kinds of venom—a terrifying Elder among the top twenty in Lancheng, whose power and status rivaled that of the Guifang Lord.

!

For Star Yi Elder, a master of venom, 180 million Hunyuan Crystals for a late-stage Divine Emperor Blood Demon was no loss.

These top-twenty Elders were all unfathomable, nearing the power of the three Hall Masters.

Star Yi Elder cultivated two Dao paths; so did the Guifang Lord. Both had reached late-stage Divine Emperor in both paths and developed powerful combined secret arts—making their strength nearly rival the three Hall Masters.

Since most Elders were originally from the Source World and possessed avatars, they were bound by interests, not coercion.

Even the three Hall Masters could not force the Guifang Lord or Star Yi Elder.

“Star Yi Elder is quite courteous to me,” Luo Feng thought.

“Thank Star Yi Elder for me,” Luo Feng smiled.

Ultimately, under the enthusiastic bidding of the thirteen managers, the spoils fetched far more than expected—395 million Hunyuan Crystals.

After the transaction, Luo Feng and Di Qing departed the Hunyuan Hall together.

“How can they trade like this? They’re willing to lose money just to buy?” Di Qing couldn’t believe it. The price of low-grade Hunyuan life corpses was transparent, with minimal variance—but this sale was tens of millions higher than estimated.

They weren’t just giving up profit—they were taking a loss.

“Only this once,” Luo Feng said. “Their Elder patrons are showing me goodwill, so they’re willing to break even. But next time I hunt… it’ll be normal trade.”

“Here’s your share,” Luo Feng handed Di Qing a bag of Hunyuan Crystals.

Di Qing glanced inside—39.5 million Hunyuan Crystals.

He felt a pang of awe. Partnering with a terrifying powerhouse—even a tenth of the spoils was enormous.

As a mid-stage Divine Emperor Dao-seeker, his normal hunts required teaming up with several peers just to kill one ‘mid-stage low-grade Hunyuan life.’ The process was fraught with danger.

One failure meant his avatar died and all his belongings were lost. Hunting was always a gamble—profit and loss intertwined.

Accumulating 39.5 million Hunyuan Crystals was no easy feat.

“This is our last team-up,” Di Qing said, smiling as he held the bag. “I’ve made a fortune. For a long time, I won’t have to worry about resources again.”

To break into mid-stage Divine Emperor, he had exhausted all his reserves. Now, he was replenished.

“I won’t hunt for a while. Next time I go out, want to come along and see something real?” Luo Feng smiled. His next hunt would come only after a fundamental breakthrough.

“No, no—I’d just hold you back. I won’t go,” Di Qing immediately refused.

“Hahaha…” Luo Feng laughed. “I’ll go check out other merchants first.”

“Alright,” Di Qing nodded, then asked, “By the way, are you changing your cave dwelling? With your power, staying in my cave isn’t appropriate anymore.”

That cave had been rented by Di Qing when he was an early-stage Divine Emperor. For Luo Feng to still live there, even as a roommate, was truly unsuitable.

Luo Feng nodded. “I do plan to move to a new cave.”

The energy supply in Di Qing’s cave was insufficient—he already struggled to absorb enough. As his power grows further, his energy demands will only increase.

Di Qing nodded.

In the end, they must part ways.

“When I move, I’ll reserve space in my new cave for you, Di Ming, and Di Fu,” Luo Feng said. “Want to live together?”

Di Qing smiled. “Of course! Who would refuse living with an Elder?”

Luo Feng nodded, then flew off.

Di Qing watched his departing figure.

“This is the path of cultivation,” Di Qing thought. “There is gathering, and there is parting.”

Different talent leads to different paths.

Perhaps at some stage you become companions and walk together for a while—but eventually, you must part.

“At least I once walked alongside Luo Feng, sharing a stretch of the cultivation path,” Di Qing smiled, then turned and left.

(End of Chapter)