When Kui saw Chen Kuang calmly step aside, he instinctively felt his heart jolt.
Could it be... the Martial Saint himself had really come?
The elders present all twitched slightly at the eyes, except for Yu Xiangsi, who was utterly bewildered:
This guy was clearly a Demon, and seemed to hold an old grudge against the Prince of Jingnan.
Earlier, when being hunted down, he hadn't taken a clear stance, so how could he suddenly now represent the Martial Saint?
But when they saw the figure standing behind Chen Kuang was merely a teenager in servant's garb..
"..."
Kui fell silent, the expressions of the other elders shifted subtly, but all their gazes instantly turned cold.
The one known as Fine Rain, previously the most senior in cultivation, had a proud temperament as well.
To him, this was nothing short of mockery, an insult.
His voice rose with disdain:
"You don't actually believe that dragging some random servant boy up here can pass for the Martial Saint, do you?"
"If you've got a grudge against the Martial Saint, then say it to his face. I'll even call someone to clean up your corpse afterward."
Xiangliu couldn't help but laugh:
"Don't tell me you're trying to bluff the Prince of Jingnan with a fake Martial Saint?"
Then he reined in his smile and said seriously:
"Let me remind you, don't take the rest of us for fools."
"We know full well that the Prince of Jingnan is here because of you. We could easily keep ourselves out of this mess. If you want us to help, this is the wrong approach."
Chen Kuang repeated calmly:
"'Keep yourselves out of this'..."
He swept his gaze across the room:
"Can you really? Wang Yangbo died inside Xuni Pavillion, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that."
Fine Rain said coldly:
"Wang Yangbo was killed by the Prince of Jingnan's deathsworn."
Chen Kuang shrugged:
"So what? You think the Department of Shennong will go after the Prince of Jingnan for it? No, they'll just pick a Demon from the Mountain-Sea Alliance to serve as a scapegoat, arrest them, and call it justice."
"This can't be the first or second time that's happened, right?"
"Are you all really planning to 'stay out of it' again?"
At this moment, Mo Xu, pushed out by Chen Kuang and surrounded by the elders, looked rather stiff, not quite like sitting on pins and needles, but clearly unsure what to do with his limbs.
Chen Kuang patted his shoulder in reassurance:
"I don't take you all for fools, but there's one undeniable truth."
"Now that Spiritual Energy is sealed, even beings like yourselves, whose bodies are innately powerful, still hesitated when I uttered the words 'Martial Saint.' You had to look with your own eyes before you could settle your hearts..."
Red Umbrella mused:
"That's true. But it was only a moment's hesitation. It doesn't prove anything."
"We saw through it. Others will too.
It's obvious that this is just an ordinary person. Let's not forget, Martial Saint Pavilion also has people within the Yang Kingdom."
Chen Kuang smiled cheerfully:
"An ordinary person?"
Fine Rain snapped:
"What, isn't he?"
Chen Kuang grinned:
"Then what if I said, this boy was once chosen by Martial Saint Pavilion to serve as a Divine Descent vessel, and was the very one who caused the Yangliang border canyon to collapse?"
Fine Rain was instantly speechless.
The moment those words fell, everyone in the room straightened up, and the way they looked at Mo Xu changed entirely.
If before, due to Chen Kuang's misleading setup, they'd written Mo Xu off as some random errand boy pulled in off the street, then now, that revelation not only completely overturned their impression, but elevated their appraisal of him to a new height.
Some even began scrutinizing him repeatedly, wondering what quality in this youth had made him worthy of selection by the Martial Saint.
Xiangliu hesitated for a moment, then said:
"It seems we were blind. Now that I look closer, this young man's physique does seem... quite extraordinary."
But Chen Kuang suddenly flashed another smile:
"Is that so?"
He said leisurely:
"Then what if I told you... everything I just said was made up on the spot?"
Xiangliu: "..."
The secret chamber fell silent again.
Fine Rain's eyes darkened, his fists clenched as he said coldly:
"You came here just to mess with us?"
"Perish the thought," Chen Kuang replied.
But from the look on his face, it was clear he didn't mean a word of it.
He turned to Kui:
"Alliance Master, I only want to point something out: At this moment, no one, not even you, can truly discern a person's identity, cultivation level, or history."
"If even you can't tell, then neither can anyone else."
Kui stepped forward, deep in thought:
"You intend to use this against the Martial Saint Pavilion?"
Chen Kuang nodded:
"Precisely."
Kui fell silent for a while, then shook his head:
"Impossible."
"The current sealing of the prefecture is only temporary. Even if the Mountain-Sea Alliance gains the upper hand for now, the moment the seal lifts, we will be isolated and helpless within all of the Yang Kingdom."
Though childlike in appearance, Kui had the mind of a seasoned strategist, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
Yes, even if they turned the tables now, the moment they stepped out of Zangfeng Prefecture, they would once again be a minority on the back foot.
Chen Kuang's eyes glinted. He stepped forward, crouched down, and locked eyes with Kui:
"Yes, the sealing is temporary. But there is one thing, once done, there's no going back."
"The Prince of Jingnan entered Rui'an prefecture without permission. He stepped into the Ancestral Temple, met with the Saint, and had her seal an entire prefecture..."
"All without the emperor's knowledge."
"Do you understand what that means?"
Fine Rain muttered irritably:
"It means rebellion. Do you really need to spell it out?"
Chen Kuang nodded:
"Yes. Rebellion."
Kui's pupils contracted and he immediately understood:
"You intend to borrow that momentum!"
Chen Kuang broke into a smile.
Exactly.
The Prince of Jingnan had borrowed the Saint's authority.
Then Chen Kuang, he would borrow the power of the entire world.
Inside Zangfeng Prefecture, he would leverage the Martial Saint Pavilion and the Mountain-Sea Alliance.
Outside it, he would call upon the Department of Shennong and imperial authority.
The Saint may command the laws of heaven and earth, but even a Saint cannot transcend the word "human."
Thus, Chen Kuang would maneuver within that gap and use combined internal and external pressure to shatter the Saint's cage!
"You brought in a Saint? Then I'll bring the entire the Yang Kingdom to crush you!"
Fine Rain pressed:
"Easy to say. But with Spiritual Energy sealed, we can't contact the outside world. How do you plan to 'borrow momentum'?"
Chen Kuang gave him a sidelong glance and said quietly:
"Good question. Come a little closer, and I'll whisper it to you and the Alliance Master."
Fine Rain hesitated but when Kui nodded slightly, he approached cautiously and crouched down as well.
Chen Kuang said calmly:
"That was a problem, until I saw you."
Then suddenly, he lunged up and slammed a fist into Fine Rain's throat!
There was no Spiritual Energy in the punch, and he couldn't fully apply the Descent from Tusita Heaven skill.
But the principles of layered force were the same.
He had been charging up this blow ever since he walked in.
It exploded like a mountain crashing down!
Combined with the hand-to-hand techniques and killing skills he'd mastered in his previous life, this strike shattered Fine Rain's windpipe in an instant!
From larynx to trachea, it all turned to pulp!
BOOM!!
Fine Rain flew backward, his neck crumpled, his bulging eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
He died without even closing them.
The other elders roared in rage and turned toward Chen Kuang:
"YOU-!!"
But Kui seemed unsurprised. His expression didn't shift at all.
Chen Kuang shook out his hand, it was nearly broken from the impact.
He exhaled:
"I was right... wasn't I, Censor Huanfu?"
Then, the broken neck of fine rain twisted unnaturally.
He stood up again in a smooth motion, gazed at Chen Kuang in true astonishment, and asked:
"How did you figure it out?"