Chapter 48: A Pack of Barking Town Dogs, Daring to Howl So Wildly!

By the time things had developed to this point, all the officials and ministers of the Great Qian Dynasty were dumbfounded.

The Acting Sect Master of Shangqing Sect, who had just been exuding overwhelming divine might, was now being held down on the water’s surface and repeatedly slapped in the face.

Daoist Yuqing was even more miserable, his face covered in tears and snot, nose bruised and eyes swollen.

There was no trace left of the lofty demeanor he had displayed moments ago.

Gu Fan burst into hearty laughter at the sight of this scene—he couldn’t be more elated.

He had sensed Zhu Yang’s presence long before entering the Autumn Wild Hunt.

Perhaps it was because his main cultivation technique was the Soul Devouring Technique, which made him extremely sensitive in terms of soul perception.

Therefore, he was able to accurately identify Zhu Yang’s aura.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to proceed in this manner today.

However, it wasn’t as if he didn’t have any backup plans. Worst-case scenario, he could retreat back to the Apocalypse world.

If that happened, he could hack away at zombies for a few more years and return to instantly dominate the battlefield again.

At that moment, he turned his gaze toward the others who had been demanding the return of their storage pouches.

Killing intent surged in his expression!

“Come on! Didn’t you all want your storage pouches back? Then come fight me!! Without the old dog from Shangqing Sect bullying the weak, let’s fight on equal terms!”

With that, he tossed all the storage pouches to the ground.

“Come and defeat me! Kill me! Not only can you take your storage pouches, you can even take my head! If you’ve got guts, come on! Come!!”

Boom!!

Gu Fan erupted with full power.

The green lotus swayed constantly as his combat power climbed once again.

His tenfold combat aura burst forth completely!

The entire high platform on the water began to crack continuously, with enormous fissures spreading in all directions.

The edges had already begun to collapse and sink into the water.

The manifestation of the green lotus phenomenon brought with it an ancient, profound, and obscure aura.

Vast and terrifying, connecting heaven and earth!

For a moment, everyone instinctively took a step back.

The oppressive might that looked down on all peers pressed down upon everyone present!

Immediately, pained expressions appeared on their faces!

The pain came not only from the flesh…

But also from the crushing pressure upon their souls.

Like beings of different dimensions, high-dimensional existence crushing the low.

Everyone stared at that green lotus reaching for the heavens.

Uncontrollable thoughts of submission rose in their hearts.

Those with weaker wills even began to bend at the waist, wanting to kneel!

“Hahaha! Not a single one of you dares fight? Truly a pack of barking town dogs! What can you do besides yap like mutts? I say the so-called Righteous Path of this world is a damn joke!”

With those words, all the young disciples present revealed expressions of fury and shame!

To be scolded to their faces by a demonic cultivator—it was a disgraceful humiliation.

But in the face of Gu Fan’s overwhelming strength, they couldn’t even muster the courage to fight, let alone resist the urge to kneel!

On the other side, Daoist Yuqing was already beaten into delirium atop the water.

Zhu Yang had no intention of actually killing him. With a high kick, he sent Yuqing flying back to the high platform.

Emperor Kunwu, seated at the central throne, could only smile bitterly.

A perfectly good Autumn Wild Hunt had devolved into chaos, though thankfully the Crown Prince had already been chosen—everything else was trivial.

“Gentlemen, I believe this is quite enough. How about we end things here for today?”

“Among cultivators, strength reigns supreme. The victor has the right to deal with the spoils of war. Looked at from another angle, for the Shangqing Sect, this might not be a bad thing—knowing shame and striving forward, wouldn’t nurturing a genius to reclaim their honor in the future be more meaningful? Consider it as giving me some face—let us not continue further, alright?”

Daoist Yuqing had been beaten so badly that his mind was reeling, especially from Zhu Yang’s ferocity.

Just moments ago, he had truly thought he was going to be killed on the spot.

Now that someone had stepped in to mediate, how could he dare say no?

“I agree!”

Zhu Yang, having vented his anger, was also in a much better mood.

With a smile, he said:

“I was just joking around with Daoist Yuqing earlier, naturally I won’t pursue it further.”

After saying that, he looked at Gu Fan and Lin Yi still acting ferociously down below and showed a trace of ‘apology.’

“Ai, these young disciples of the sect just like to fool around. They’re usually quite easygoing. I’ll tell them to behave.”

As he finished speaking, Zhu Yang called off the two of them.

But his words made those nearby feel deeply uncomfortable.

You call what these two have done ‘fooling around’? ‘Easygoing’?

Never mind how many people they killed on the way to the capital…

Upon arriving in the Imperial City, they immediately challenged the strongholds of three sects.

And now in the Autumn Wild Hunt, they had slaughtered every single contestant.

This hell of a situation you call ‘fooling around’?

Down below, Gu Fan and Lin Yi also knew when to stop after hearing Zhu Yang’s words.

First, Lin Yi’s arms were injured; second, Gu Fan’s green lotus enhancement had just expired.

At this moment, Lin Yi leaned closer to Gu Fan and whispered:

“Brother Gu, did you know my master was coming?”

“If I didn’t know, how would I dare lead you to confront someone in the True Yang Realm head-on? We’re demonic cultivators, not fools. We only act this brazenly when we have backing.”

However, Gu Fan hadn’t expected Zhu Yang’s strength to be so overwhelming—he could even beat down that old man from the Shangqing Sect.

At this time, Zhu Yang’s voice rang out again.

“You two, come up here to my side.”

Gu Fan didn’t stand on ceremony and flew directly up onto the high platform.

After the two landed, Zhu Yang feigned displeasure.

“Daoist Yuqing, look at what you’ve done to my two juniors—don’t you think you owe us something?”

Daoist Yuqing’s face was still swollen.

Even after using spiritual energy to ease the swelling, his entire head was still covered in bruises and dark patches.

Facing Zhu Yang’s somewhat threatening gaze, he dared not put up any resistance.

He immediately threw out two golden pills.

“Shangqing Sect’s restorative sacred pill—Spirit-nurturing Pill.”

Zhu Yang examined them and, after confirming there was no problem, tossed them to the two youths.

“Alright then, barely acceptable.”

This remark made Daoist Yuqing so angry that he nearly coughed up blood again.

The Spirit-nurturing Pill was a top-tier elixir—even he had only a few!

And yet this was called ‘barely acceptable’?

At this point, Emperor Kunwu also summoned the Second Prince, Zhou Rong, onto the platform.

Amid the envious gazes of the other three princes, Zhou Rong ascended unflinchingly and saluted the crowd.

“Today, the Autumn Wild Hunt concludes. The victor, Zhou Rong, shall assume the position of Eastern Palace Crown Prince!”

In the next instant, all the officials kneeled.

“We obey, Your Majesty!”

…

The conclusion of the Autumn Wild Hunt marked the formal confirmation of the Crown Prince.

Thus, a grand banquet was held that night.

Naturally, big shots like Zhu Yang and Emperor Kunwu did not attend, which made Zhou Rong the center of attention at the feast.

Many who had previously been neutral came forward to flatter him, and even some supporters of the other princes came to express their loyalty.

As for Gu Fan and Lin Yi, they simply feasted heartily on the delicious dishes covering the table—no one dared approach them casually.

“Brother Gu, as cultivators, we technically don’t need to eat. Why do you seem to enjoy food even more than mortals?”

“You don’t understand. We cultivate not to turn ourselves into emotionless statues. It’s about defining ourselves as humans. The day you feel no interest in anything you once cared about, that’s the day your cultivation has gone astray.”

“Oh…”

Lin Yi pondered the thought but still couldn’t quite grasp it.

At that moment, someone approached.

The two of them looked up—it was none other than the Second Prince, Zhou Rong!

“This is the first time in my life I’ve received so much attention—it’s a bit overwhelming.”

“Haha, everyone has a first time. You’ll get used to it.”

Zhou Rong didn’t act pretentious at all and casually sat down beside the two.

Gu Fan smiled and raised a cup of wine.

“No matter what, congratulations to Your Highness the Second Prince for ascending to the position of Crown Prince.”

“Haha, let’s skip the formalities between us. If not for you two risking your lives to help me, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep