Wocheng was moving quickly through the corridor.
"Man, this dimensional corridor travel is the most boring kind of travel…" he muttered.
After a short while, a portal activated in front of him. Wocheng took a token out of his pocket and held it up. The moment the gate recognized the token, it opened, and Wocheng stepped out of the portal.
As soon as he came out, he found himself among several floating islands. He walked forward along paths suspended in the air until he reached a very large gate. The guard posted at the gate immediately stopped him.
The guard frowned. "Stop. Show your identification."
Seeing this, Wocheng got a bit irritated, but he forced a smile and said,
"Hey, look, I'm not an enemy or anything."
He pulled out the same token again, held it out, and said,
"I'm also a member of the guild. You're really not going to let me in?"
The moment the guard saw the token, he practically froze. Stammering, he said,
"S‑sir… but Senior Yang has ordered that you be taken to the 'Black Water Chamber'. Please, cooperate."
Wocheng suddenly became very serious and said in a cold voice,
"Oh, really… is that so?"
Sweat started beading on the guard's forehead; his nervousness was obvious. Seeing that, Wocheng burst out laughing,
"Relax, man, I was just joking. Come on, let's go to the Black Water Chamber."
The guards escorted him to the Black Water Chamber. Once inside, one of them said,
"Sir Wocheng, look, our job ends here. If you permit, we'd like to go back now."
Wocheng shrugged.
"Fine, go. But what am I supposed to do here alone now?"
The guard replied,
"Please wait here until Mr. Yang arrives, sir."
Wocheng pulled a face.
"Okay… but I'm already bored."
Mustering a bit of courage, the guard said,
"Then I'll arrange something to entertain you, sir…"
Wocheng laughed.
"What are you talking about? Why would I need entertainment when you guys are all right here?"
Hearing that, all the guards started looking at each other, nodding their heads in a mix of embarrassment and nervousness.
Meanwhile, in the hall outside the Black Water Chamber—
Mr. Yang had just reached the chamber gate when suddenly a guard came running out in a panic, almost half-naked. Seeing him, the rest of the guards also came rushing out, all flustered.
"Stop." Yang's cold voice echoed, and all the guards froze on the spot.
At the same time, Wocheng also came running out from inside and shouted,
"So here you all are!"
Yang's gaze locked straight onto him. He gave a slight smile.
"So, it was you making such a racket in the Black Water Chamber. I was just wondering who had that much courage…"
The next instant, a powerful pressure—Yang's aura—exploded outward. The air itself seemed to grow heavy. Wocheng was forced several steps back and fell to the ground.
Yang increased the pressure even more. Wocheng's knees buckled and hit the floor on their own. His body started trembling, his breathing turned heavy.
Yang appeared right in front of him and placed one foot directly on Wocheng's head, as if to remind him of his place.
"What's wrong, dog?" Yang said with a cold laugh.
"What did you start thinking? That you've become really powerful? That you can do whatever you want?"
He leaned down and looked straight into Wocheng's eyes.
"Let me tell you the truth—you're nothing in our eyes. Even if you're some ranker, don't forget—there are plenty of people here ready to take your place."
Just then, a childlike voice rang out from a distance—light, but clear:
"Hey, Yang, aren't you ashamed? You're so powerful, and you're bullying a mere junior from the Qi Faction like this?"
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice. A boy who looked quite young was coming toward them, hopping and walking in a very casual manner. There was a childishness in his eyes, but the energy around him was nothing like a child's—deep, steady, dangerous.
Yang narrowed his eyes.
"Oh-ho… are you threatening me, Lancer?"
He paused for a moment, then spoke with a crooked smile,
"As far as I remember, you're from the Mana Council, aren't you?
So why exactly are you sticking your nose into the matters of us cultivators?"