"Enough," a stern voice boomed from the sky. Everyone looked up to see Qing Ti standing mid-air, like a divine being descending. "A bet is a bet. If the noble Divine Race cannot afford to lose, wouldn't it be a laughingstock if word got out?"
"Lord Qing Ti, that brat must have used some trickery."
"This City Lord has been watching the entire match. If he had used any tricks, it would not have escaped my eyes. Lan Hai was outmatched and deserved to die. All of you, disperse."
"Lord Qing Ti..."
"I said disperse. Did you not hear me?" Qing Ti instantly unleashed his imposing pressure. The assembled crowd felt as if a mountain had been placed on their backs, threatening to crush them.
A Si's face turned pale, and he was about to buckle under the pressure and kneel when he suddenly felt lighter. Looking up, he saw Xiao Man walking towards them slowly and unhurriedly.
"Boss Nangong!" A Si jumped up with joy. "Boss, did you see? I won! I displayed my divine might on the stage and defeated Lan Hai."
Xiao Man smiled and nodded. "I saw. Since you've won, let's head back."
The group immediately gathered around Xiao Man, ignoring Qing Ti's pressure. They walked with heads held high and chests puffed out, like generals returning from a great victory.
Qing Ti's expression was grim. He retracted his pressure and looked at the onlookers. "Normally, when you bully the people of Zhongzhou Street, I turn a blind eye and pretend not to see. Now that Zhongzhou Street has gained a perfect-stage Divine Transformation realm expert, if you still foolishly throw yourselves at her, don't blame me for not warning you."
"Lord Qing Ti, is Lan Hai's death just going to be overlooked like this?"
"He was outmatched and still went to provoke. If he shouldn't die, then who should?" Qing Ti said coldly, showing no concern for the death of his own kin.
Although the Lan Clan members were displeased, they dared not retort. "Yes, Lord Qing Ti."
"Lord Qing Ti, my Chi Clan has recently encountered a strange matter. I don't know if I should speak of it."
"Since you don't know whether to speak of it or not, then don't," Qing Ti said impatiently. He only wished for the inner city to be as calm as the surface, but these people always seemed to create trouble for him. Su Dan Novel Network.
The Chi Clan Leader remained silent. Chi Yuan and a small team had gone out to search for the Boundless Purple Crystal and had been missing for several days. They had searched the entire Futu Mountain but had found no trace of Chi Yuan and his group. He suspected they had met with foul play, and the perpetrators were from Zhongzhou Street, but he lacked evidence and had not dared to confront them.
"Lord Qing Ti, this matter..."
"I said, if it's not something to be spoken of, don't speak of it. If it's someone not to be provoked, then don't provoke them," Qing Ti emphasized. "Before Nangong Yu enters Futu City, no one is to cause trouble for Zhongzhou Street."
"Yes, Lord Qing Ti."
Seeing that no one dared to object further, Qing Ti vanished. After Qing Ti departed, the leaders of the Lan and Chi Clans walked out together.
"Chi Li, what happened to your Chi Clan?" the Lan Clan Leader asked in a low voice. The Chi Clan and the Lan Clan detested mortals the most, and their members had often bullied those from Zhongzhou Street.
Chi Li sighed deeply, his gaze directed towards Zhongzhou Street. "My grandson, Chi Yuan, went out mining with his men ten days ago and has not returned. I've had people search every mine, large and small, on Futu Mountain, but I haven't found any trace of him. I suspect he has been killed."
"Chi Yuan is missing, but this isn't disappearance... or is it..." The Lan Clan Leader was about to suggest reporting to Lord Qing Ti, but considering Qing Ti's attitude, he stopped himself. "Could he have been captured?"
"If he was captured, they would surely negotiate with our Chi Clan. But ten days have passed, and there has been no news. Furthermore, before the incident, Chi Yuan had led people to Zhongzhou Street to demand the Boundless Purple Crystal, and they had a conflict with the people of Zhongzhou Street."
"It must be the people of Zhongzhou Street!" a gleam flashed in Lan Hai's eyes. "Chi Yuan is at the early stage of Divine Transformation. Whoever killed him must be that newly arrived perfect-stage Divine Transformation expert."
"I also suspect that person, but I have no evidence, and their cultivation is too high. Unless Lord Qing Ti intervenes, we are no match for her," Chi Li said with great distress. After all, Chi Yuan was his grandson, and he hoped for his safety.
"How about we capture someone from Zhongzhou Street and interrogate them?" Lan Hai's eyes moved, a plan forming in his mind. "Let's capture someone first and interrogate them by force. Once we have evidence, we can then approach Lord Qing Ti and ask him to personally deal with this newcomer."
"But those despicable humans, they always go out in groups. Capturing one might not be easy."
"Don't worry. As long as they dare to leave Zhongzhou Street, we have ways to capture them," the Lan Clan Leader said with a cold smile. "Once they are outside Zhongzhou Street, it becomes our territory. Even if they possess extraordinary abilities, they will have nowhere to use them. The crucial point is to find Chi Yuan's whereabouts as soon as possible. If we delay too long, things might escalate even if they aren't serious yet."
Chi Li, who was already worried about his grandson's dark guards, was swayed by the Lan Clan Leader's suggestion and decided to take a risk and capture someone for questioning.
In the Chi Clan's dungeon, Zhou A Si was suspended from torture instruments, his body covered in wounds. If he weren't still breathing, one would think he was a corpse.
"Speak, where is Chi Yuan?"
Zhou A Si struggled to open his swollen eyes, but could only manage a slit. He could only vaguely see a figure before him. "I've told you, I don't know."
"Did you capture him?"
Zhou A Si lowered his head. He felt as if every bone in his body was broken. The pain made even breathing excruciating, and he couldn't circulate the spiritual energy within him. However, he knew that the Chi Clan's actions against him were certainly instigated by the Lan Clan.
"Even if you kill me, I won't know," Zhou A Si gasped. "Just because I can beat Lan Hai doesn't mean I can beat Chi Yuan."
"Didn't your Zhongzhou Street get a new peak Divine Transformation realm expert? Did she capture Chi Yuan?"
"She barely leaves Zhongzhou Street on a normal day. Where would she go to capture Chi Yuan?" Blood trickled from Zhou A Si's mouth. "Why don't you think about who benefits the most from Chi Yuan's misfortune?"
"Sowing discord?"
"Is it necessary?" Zhou A Si coughed twice, spitting out another mouthful of blood. He drooped his head and said weakly, "I know there's no way out for me now that I'm in your hands. It doesn't matter. Boss Nangong will avenge me. By then, your entire Chi Clan will be buried with me."
Chi Li's brow furrowed. Qing Ti's warning still echoed in his ears. If they killed Zhou A Si, and that newcomer truly sought revenge, his Chi Clan might suffer losses. With this thought, Chi Li began to regret capturing and brutalizing the person without evidence. Now, it seemed difficult to explain.