NOVPUBChapter 242
Terrified, Dugu Yun quickly left the area. His current identity couldn’t be exposed. If it were, he would face pursuit from all sides. Even with all the trump cards he held, escaping would be difficult, especially with the involvement of powerful forces.
Not even his master, Cang Lao, could ensure his survival in such a situation.
No matter how prideful Dugu Yun was, he understood the consequences of being discovered here. If his identity were revealed, it would be a fight to the death.
“Master, that man must be Jiang Chen! He recognized me!” Dugu Yun gasped for breath after distancing himself from the Divine Stone Pavilion and ensuring he was safe.
“What makes you so sure?” Cang Lao was slightly surprised, as he hadn’t noticed anything peculiar about Jiang Chen.
“I’m certain! The one who stood up to the Vermillion Bird Saintess was Yan Ruyu! I would recognize her anywhere, even if she turned to ash!” Dugu Yun said through clenched teeth.
“Yan Ruyu is one of Jiang Chen’s followers. Only the Holy Son, Jiang Chen, could have someone like her by his side. There can be no other explanation!”
Even though Dugu Yun couldn’t directly sense Jiang Chen’s identity, he had deduced it based on Yan Ruyu’s presence.
“Jiang Chen is here?” Cang Lao mused. “That does make sense. If you were able to recognize him, you’ve certainly made some progress.”
“However,” Cang Lao continued, “if he really recognized you, why didn’t he expose your identity? If he knew who you were, it doesn’t make sense for him to stay silent. That’s not very logical.”
Cang Lao pondered for a moment, feeling that something was off. If Jiang Chen had truly recognized Dugu Yun, why hadn’t he acted? With Jiang Chen’s strength and status, revealing Dugu Yun’s identity or taking action would have been easy. Letting Dugu Yun walk away seemed unusual.
“I’m not sure,” Dugu Yun replied, uncertainty creeping into his voice. “But his eyes… they told me he knew. Maybe he didn’t see me as a threat. Perhaps he didn’t think I was worth bothering with.”
Dugu Yun’s voice grew quieter as he spoke, his teeth clenched in frustration. If Jiang Chen hadn’t considered him a worthy opponent, it meant he hadn’t even been seen as a rival.
Reflecting on it, Dugu Yun realized that he had no real enmity with Jiang Chen, no real intersection between their lives. His grudge was one-sided.
“Don’t overthink it,” Cang Lao said calmly. “You’ve been under a lot of pressure lately, which is probably why you’re imagining things. It’s unlikely he recognized you. If he had, we wouldn’t have been able to leave so easily.”
“Given our notorious reputation, if our identities were exposed, there would be no end to the pursuit we’d face.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Dugu Yun replied, beginning to doubt himself. Perhaps he really had been too tense.
—
On the other side of the conflict, the Vermillion Bird Saintess eyed Yan Ruyu with suspicion. She couldn’t determine who Yan Ruyu was or whether she had some hidden backing.
How dare she stand against her so brazenly? If it was the former, her background had to be formidable. If it was the latter, she would certainly not let Yan Ruyu go unpunished.
However, the situation was delicate. Yan Ruyu had been pressing her aggressively, and retreating now would damage her pride. If word of this spread, she would lose face.
“Summon the people from the Divine Stone Pavilion,” the Vermillion Bird Saintess commanded her subordinate with a dark expression.
In no time, the staff of the Divine Stone Pavilion hurried over, already sweating profusely from the tension in the air. They had arrived earlier but didn’t dare intervene, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire.
“Saintess,” the person in charge of the Divine Stone Pavilion greeted nervously.
“Who saw the stone first?” the Vermillion Bird Saintess asked coldly.
Her words caused an uproar among the crowd. It was clear she was planning to use her influence to suppress the situation. However, no one dared speak up. After all, her status was undeniable.
Upon hearing this, the person in charge of the Divine Stone Pavilion became extremely nervous. He glanced at the black-haired girl and then at Yan Ruyu, but when his eyes finally fell on the icy expression of the Vermillion Bird Saintess, his heart sank.
After a moment of hesitation, he spoke softly, “The Saintess saw it first.”
As his words fell, the surroundings became silent. The crowd, mouths slightly open, sighed but said nothing. This was the norm; with the status of the Vermillion Bird Saintess, no one expected the official to side against her.
“You heard him!” the middle-aged man barked, feeling confident as he glared at the black-haired girl. “Hand over the stone!”
“He’s lying! I’ve already paid for it! This divine stone is mine!” The black-haired girl’s face was full of grievance. She couldn’t understand why, even after she had paid for the stone, it could still be taken from her.
“Hand it over! Or don’t blame us for being impolite. The consequences will be more than you can bear!” The middle-aged man’s voice was low and threatening.
At that moment, Yan Ruyu remained silent for a while before finally revealing her face. She spoke coldly, “Look at me and tell me again whose stone this is.”
As Yan Ruyu removed her veil, her breathtaking beauty was revealed, immediately plunging the surroundings into silence. Many people’s eyes widened in shock, unable to believe what they were seeing.
At the same time, their gazes shifted from Yan Ruyu to Jiang Chen. If Yan Ruyu was here, then the man beside her could only be the Holy Son of the Primordial Holy Land.
Instantly, everyone fell silent. The person in charge of the Divine Stone Pavilion trembled, his body shaking uncontrollably as he fought back his fear. He quickly said, “Naturally, this stone belongs to this young lady! I made a mistake earlier!”
“I’m getting old, my eyesight is failing me. Please forgive me for my mistake!”
The man wasn’t a fool. Seeing Yan Ruyu, he quickly realized that the man next to her was undoubtedly Jiang Chen. Faced with a choice between Jiang Chen and the Vermillion Bird Saintess, the decision was clear, even with his eyes closed.
“Yan Ruyu… the Holy Son of the Primordial Holy Land!” The Vermillion Bird Saintess’s body trembled, her pupils shrinking as she cast a sharp glance toward Jiang Chen.
Her heart sank. She hadn’t expected the Holy Son himself to be here. If it were only Yan Ruyu, she wouldn’t have cared much as her status is far superior to Yan Ruyu’s.
However, things were different if Jiang Chen was involved. Despite the alliance between the Ancient Imperial Clan and the Primordial Holy Land, they still feared Jiang Chen, especially because of his Heavenly Tribulation.
If they provoked him, he could bring his tribulation to their territory during his breakthrough. Not even the alliance could protect them from such a disaster.
“The Primordial Holy Land wields such great power, doesn’t it? Even a mere follower dares to act this way!” The Vermillion Bird Saintess gritted her teeth, her heart filled with frustration and anger.
The fact that she was being pressured by Yan Ruyu was hard to accept, and what made it worse was that Jiang Chen hadn’t even deigned to speak. Did she not even deserve the respect of having Jiang Chen acknowledge her presence?
“No matter how powerful the Vermillion Bird Clan is, it pales in comparison to the Primordial Holy Land!” Yan Ruyu retorted with a mocking tone, unafraid of the Saintess’s venomous words.
“You may rely on the Primordial Holy Land to protect her now, but what about in the future?” The Vermillion Bird Saintess’s gaze shifted to the black-haired girl, her eyes filled with killing intent. “You can protect her for a moment, but can you protect her for a lifetime?”
All of this was the fault of the black-haired girl. If she had obediently handed over the stone, none of this would have happened.
“If she suffers any harm…” A cold, indifferent voice echoed through the air, causing space itself to tremble. “I guarantee that within a single day, the Vermillion Bird Clan will be wiped out completely!”
As Jiang Chen’s calm voice resonated, the entire area fell into an eerie silence. The atmosphere was so still that one could hear a pin drop.
