Chapter 46

「Chī」

An arrow whizzed past Longchen’s waist. If he had been a step slower, it would have pierced him immediately.

Longchen tumbled awkwardly for a few rounds before lifting his head to look. The arrow, which Longchen had narrowly avoided, had struck Huang Shang’s thigh.

At that moment, Huang Shang’s mouth was wide open, his eyes devoid of any life, like those of a dead fish, staring blankly at the sky.

A strong, pungent smell spread from Huang Shang’s thigh. Despite controlling his breathing at the first moment, Longchen still felt dizzy, chest tight, and almost vomited.

"What a potent poison."

Longchen was shocked. The arrow was clearly coated with a powerful poison. Although he couldn’t determine the exact type of poison by its smell alone, the intensity of the poison indicated that it must have been extracted from a third-stage or higher magical beast, capable of killing anyone below the Blood Coagulation Realm instantly.

"Shameless!"

Master Yun Qi roared in anger, extending his hand to summon a flaming spear over ten feet long, aiming it at Wei Cang.

Wei Cang was surprised that Longchen had managed to dodge his attack. Seeing Master Yun Qi’s attack, he quickly retrieved the lightweight crossbow from which the poisoned arrow had been fired.

"Boom"

Wei Cang also summoned a flaming longsword, blocking Master Yun Qi’s spear with a loud explosion. Flames and heat waves surged in all directions.

Longchen, who was only a few dozen feet away, was immediately thrown back by the shockwave, already weakened as he was.

Just as Longchen thought he would be thrown to the ground like a rolling gourd, a soft, fragrant body suddenly pressed against his back, filling his nose with the scent of a maiden.

"Chu Yao"

Longchen turned his head and saw Chu Yao looking at him with concern. He was lying in her arms.

"Longchen... I’m sorry, it’s my fault."

Chu Yao’s voice trembled, tears streaming down her face like broken pearls. She knew that Longchen’s current predicament was largely due to her.

If not for her actions today, Longchen might not have been in such a situation, nearly losing his life several times. Thinking about it, her heart ached.

"Don’t say that. Xia Changfeng has always looked at me with disdain. This has nothing to do with you," Longchen consoled her.

He tried to stand up, but his body was weak and he had no strength. Leaning in Chu Yao’s arms, Longchen’s heart raced.

"Thank you, Longchen." Chu Yao knew that Longchen was deliberately comforting her, feeling both moved and ashamed.

"Boom"

Another explosion shattered the moment of tenderness. Longchen quickly looked in the direction of the sound.

Master Yun Qi’s spear, formed from alchemical fire, was now over ten feet long, glowing red and emitting intense heat, its power overwhelming.

This was a skill only Alchemy Masters could possess—Alchemical Fire Transformation. Although Alchemy Masters did not favor combat, it did not mean they lacked combat strength.

Their entire cultivation was focused on alchemical fire, which could not only be used for alchemy but also for combat, far surpassing those of the same realm.

Wei Cang’s face was extremely serious. Longchen could see that although Wei Cang was also an Alchemy Master with powerful alchemical fire, it was far less refined compared to Master Yun Qi.

Longchen wanted to mock Wei Cang, but he was too weak after the battle, and the last attack had almost drained all his strength, leaving him without the energy to speak.

Each time Master Yun Qi and Wei Cang’s flaming weapons clashed, an explosion echoed, the ground trembled, and the shockwaves forced everyone to retreat.

Both were presidents of the Alchemists’ Guild, highly respected figures. When such figures engaged in combat, even the nobles had never seen it before, all focusing intently on the scene.

"Wei Cang, you’ve lived for so long and still haven’t improved. Get lost—Flame Dragon Spear!"

Master Yun Qi roared, his spear thrusting forward with a whistling wind, shattering the ground and releasing a dragon-shaped flame.

Wei Cang also roared, his sword transforming into a giant shield, blocking the attack.

"Bang"

The explosion was deafening, dust and flames rolling, the air seemingly ignited, making it hard to breathe.

"Yun Qi, you’ll pay for this."

Suddenly, a figure flew out of the flames, fleeing in a disheveled state. It was Wei Cang, leaving a threat before disappearing into the night.

As if he had anticipated this outcome, Master Yun Qi coldly glanced in the direction Wei Cang had gone and slowly turned to return to his seat.

For a moment, the entire venue was silent. People looked at Longchen, who was being supported by Chu Yao, and at Xia Changfeng, whose face was ashen, unable to say a word.

The Empress Dowager’s expression was also grim. The events of today had completely exceeded her expectations. She, the ruler of the Phoenix Empire, had been reduced to a supporting role.

"Longchen wins. This year’s Lantern Festival is over."

The Empress Dowager had to announce the result. As soon as she spoke, the entire venue erupted. All the young women, like a flood, rushed towards Longchen.

Longchen was startled. Before he could react, a young woman placed a flower garland on his head.

Longchen was taken aback, just as he was about to say something, another seven or eight young women rushed over, regardless of whether Longchen wanted it or not, and placed their handmade flower garlands on his head.

Chu Yao stood to the side, smiling, her eyes filled with amusement, but her face also showed a sense of pride.

"Hey..."

Longchen was already covered in flower garlands, with no more space to hang them. Just as he was about to tell the enthusiastic young women, the sky suddenly darkened, and a shower of flower garlands rained down.

Some young women, seeing the crowd, became impatient and threw their flower garlands directly at Longchen.

One led the way, and the others followed, throwing their flower garlands. In an instant, hundreds of flower garlands flew, and when the crowd dispersed, Longchen had disappeared, buried under the flower garlands.

In the Phoenix Empire, women were direct in expressing their love. Even knowing that Longchen had already expressed his love to Chu Yao, it did not affect their admiration for him.

Handsome, powerful, and loyal, Longchen had fought bravely for his loved one and his brothers, defying death. His courage and determination had touched the hearts of most young women.

When Longchen finally struggled out of the pile of flowers, the crowd had already dispersed, and Chu Yao was nowhere to be seen. Only Yu Fat and the others came over to pull him out.

"Brother Long, you’re my idol," Yu Fat said excitedly.

The others felt the same. Longchen’s performance today had stunned everyone, making him seem like a reincarnated war god, filling them with pride.

Longchen smiled and looked around, noticing that the Empress Dowager, the nobles, the princes, and Master Yun Qi had all left, and Chu Yao was also gone.

"Brother Long, when you were buried, the Third Princess was called away by the Empress Dowager. I saw that the Empress Dowager’s expression was very grim. The Third Princess might have a hard time ahead," Monkey said worriedly.

Normally, they would not dare to discuss royal matters, but Longchen’s performance today had stirred their ambitions, and they no longer held back.

Prince Xia Changfeng of the Xia Kingdom had come to the Phoenix Empire primarily to propose to the Third Princess. Although no official announcement had been made, it was rumored that the Empress Dowager had already agreed.

Now, the Third Princess had openly shown her affection for Longchen during the Lantern Festival, effectively slapping the Empress Dowager and Prince Xia Changfeng in the face. It was no wonder the Empress Dowager’s expression was so grim.

With Master Yun Qi’s support, they were safe for the moment, but Master Yun Qi was from the Alchemists’ Guild, a neutral force that would not interfere in imperial affairs, let alone in family matters.

So Monkey’s concerns were justified. Hearing this, Longchen’s joy from his victory diminished significantly.

However, Longchen did not regret it. For a girl who had declared her love to him without reservation, he would rather die than betray her.

Seeing that the entire square was empty except for some soldiers dismantling the decorations and clearing the debris, and that Huang Shang’s body had already been removed,

"Let’s go back. How’s your injury, Shifeng?" Longchen asked, standing up with Monkey’s help.

"I’m fine, Longchen, I..."

Shifeng was ashamed. If not for him, Longchen would not have been tricked into this situation and nearly lost his life.

"Brothers don’t need to say useless things. If you’re a brother, get well and improve your cultivation to avenge this," Longchen said, waving his hand.

"Revenge? Isn’t Huang Shang dead?" Yu Fat asked, surprised.

Longchen smiled but said nothing, leaving the others to wonder if he had something else in mind.

"Alright, take me and Shifeng back. We need to rest. To be honest, I feel like my bones are about to fall apart," Longchen said with a smile.

The others quickly came to support Longchen, who was not seriously injured but was completely drained of energy.

After they left, a figure slowly appeared in a dark corner, watching the direction in which Longchen and the others had disappeared.

"Who would have thought that Longchen has grown to this extent. Could it be that he was hiding his true strength all along?"

The figure was none other than the current Fourth Prince. Longchen’s performance today had surprised everyone, including him.

"If that’s true, this young man has deep scheming," the Fourth Prince mused.

"Sir, should we eliminate him secretly?"

A shadow lingered in the darkness behind the Fourth Prince, unnoticed until it spoke.

"Not yet. Although he surprised me today, his weakness is also exposed. No matter how strong a person is, once their weakness is revealed, they are no longer to be feared.

Although there was an unexpected turn of events, it might not be a bad thing. If we use it well, it could bring us unexpected benefits," the Fourth Prince said with a faint smile.

That night, Longchen did not return home but sent a message through Monkey, saying he was studying with Master Yun Qi at the Alchemists’ Guild.

The events of the day were too significant, and he did not want to face his mother immediately, especially with his injuries, which would only make her worry.

That night, Longchen went to Shifeng’s house. Shifeng had only a few broken bones, and the internal injuries had been treated with Longchen’s medicinal pills, leaving no serious issues.

The broken bones would heal in a few days. Although Shifeng had suffered a crushing defeat, it would be beneficial for his growth, as a strong person needs to be tempered.

Shifeng’s father arranged a quiet room for Longchen. By the time he returned to Shifeng’s house, Longchen had recovered some of his strength.

With everyone dismissed, Longchen slowly took out a jade bottle from his ring, which emitted a faint, scorching heat.

"Hehe, I can’t wait until morning for this good stuff!"