Medical Sage

He was quite clever, directly claiming the pearl was Chen Fei’s. He made a clear distinction.

”Found a treasure?” Taking the Flame Demon Pearl back from the last person’s hands, Chen Fei squeezed it, felt it for a moment, and then casually stored it away. He said indifferently, ”Now that the trouble blocking the way has vanished, shouldn’t you all proceed?”

Omado was clearly taken aback. His gaze shifted toward Chen Fei with hesitation as he asked, ”Then what about you, Mr. Chen?”

”What I intend to do shouldn’t concern you, should it, Mr. Omado?” Hearing this, Chen Fei, Young Master Chen, gave him a dismissive glance and spoke in a frigid voice.

”Yes, yes...” Omado shuddered and hurriedly refrained from saying anything more. Afterward, he and the other two left with hesitant expressions.

As Chen Fei watched their figures slowly move toward the towering black palace, gradually fading into the oppressive mist, Young Master Chen narrowed his eyes and murmured to himself, ”This damned place seems even more bizarre and troublesome than I initially guessed.”

It turned out he had long felt that there was something majorly wrong with this place. The fact that it had existed for decades, nearly a century, with its Formation still operational, was enough to send shivers down his spine. He knew very well that this was definitely not a Great Formation a mere Late Stage Qi Refining being could set up, so he had prepared himself long ago. This place... was probably far more complex than Old Bat had described.

But even with such mental preparation, he was still somewhat distressed by the spectacle he had just witnessed. This was a sealed area suppressed by the Northern Grand Formation, yet inexplicably, a Flame Demon—a creature of legend—had emerged. What did this mean? Did it mean the Great Formation was truly on the verge of collapse? Or had the being in the deepest part, despite being suppressed for nearly a hundred years, managed to retain so much power? If that was the case, just how strong was that creature at its peak? What level of being was it? The thought alone was almost too frightening to contemplate.

”Let’s look around the outer area first. Maybe I can find some clues or leads...” Murmuring to himself once more, he chose a direction and moved toward the area outside the towering black palace.

Strictly speaking, the area where he stood was completely enveloped by the outermost layer of the Great Formation. With his Formation Cultivation Level, although not impressive, he might still find some clues or discover some hints if he looked around carefully. As he felt more and more that something was amiss, he decided it was best to be cautious.

「...」

This was a square hall. Its dim walls were etched with streaks of bloodstains, ancient and dry. They even appeared cracked, clearly having been there for a very, very long time. In such a gloomy atmosphere, the marks felt all the more oppressive.

At this moment, a scattering of ten or twenty people had gathered in the hall, some seated, some standing.

Most of these Cultivators were either pale-faced or spattered with blood, having clearly endured bitter battles to reach this place. Their expressions were grim, panicked, or simply bewildered. A few of them huddled together, whispering amongst themselves. The atmosphere in the hall was palpably oppressive.

The Brad Family’s Prince Schumacher and three powerful Grand Dukes were also present. However, their clothes were not disheveled, and they seemed to have encountered no difficult battles. Or, if they had, they overcame them with ease.

Not far from them sat Holy Magister Melsdom. He was expressionless beneath a Magic Shield, and parts of his long robe were charred and tattered, prompting shocked glances from some of the others.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps, TAP... TAP... came from the direction of the main entrance, and three grim-faced individuals walked in.

These three were none other than Omado and his companions, who had been with Chen Fei earlier. They were all wounded from the previous battle. Upon entering, their eyes held a mix of anger and hesitation, but they froze when they saw that most of the people inside were also injured. They seemed to realize something was amiss, and the dissatisfaction they were about to express was forcibly held back.

At that moment, Prince Schumacher, who had been meditating on the ground with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his blood-red eyes. When he saw it was only Omado’s group of three, a flicker of disappointment crossed his face. ”You encountered that Flame Demon too?” he asked coldly.

Omado and his companions were startled for a moment, then immediately nodded. ”Yes. Prince Schumacher, you too?”

”Just the three of you?” Schumacher interrupted them, asking bluntly, ”With just the three of you, you shouldn’t be a match for that Flame Demon, right?”

Anger and humiliation flared on the faces of Omado and his companions. They knew Schumacher’s words were true, however, and there was no refuting it. Swallowing his anger, Omado took a deep breath. ”It was Mr. Chen who defeated the Flame Demon. He rescued us.”

”’Defeated?’” Prince Schumacher raised his eyebrows, a strange look in his eyes. The others present also looked surprised. They had all *escaped* from the Flame Demon, not defeated it. Yet now Omado had used the word ”defeated”! Mr. Chen? That Easterner!?

”Yes, Mr. Chen defeated it,” Omado nodded, but he didn’t elaborate on the details, deliberately holding something back.

”Where is he then?” Prince Schumacher pressed.

”Him? Prince, are you talking about Mr. Chen? After defeating the Flame Demon, he didn’t come with us. I think he must have been injured too,” Omado guessed with some hesitation.

”’He didn’t come with you? He was injured?’” Hearing Omado’s response, Schumacher frowned and his eyes flashed, but his expression quickly became unreadable. However, at that moment, a cold, questioning voice suddenly rang out in the oppressive hall.

”Prince, I think you owe us all an explanation, don’t you? Wasn’t it said that only the Demon of the Holy Domain was sealed here? Then what is this Flame Demon that we all encountered?” Holy Magister Melsdom said coldly. Many others voiced their agreement.

”Yes, Prince Schumacher, that’s not what you told us! Why didn’t you say there would be such powerful creatures in here?”

”Exactly! The Flame Demon is supposed to be a native of the upper worlds. Why is it here?”

”Prince, you definitely owe us an explanation!”

”An explanation?”

Hearing the sudden clamor, Prince Schumacher’s face grew cold and indifferent. His gaze swept over the crowd before he said sternly and unapologetically, ”I remember reminding you all before we entered to be careful, that it would be dangerous. However, it seems that none of you took my words seriously, did you?”

Hearing this, the crowd’s expressions stiffened and grew somber. They recalled that Schumacher did seem to have warned them beforehand.

”But at that time, Prince, you didn’t tell us the danger would be a legendary species of demonic creature!” Holy Magister Melsdom, however, seemed unwilling to let the matter rest. He stood up, an interrogating glare on his face. ”If you had clearly told us we would suffer so many casualties, do you think we wouldn’t have taken it seriously?” In his view, if not for Schumacher’s deliberate concealment, he never would have been injured.

Hearing Melsdom’s accusation, Schumacher’s brows furrowed. He suppressed his inner anger and explained, ”That’s because the first time we came here, we didn’t encounter these Flame Demons. We encountered other things, but nothing this powerful.”

”No, you’re lying!” Holy Magister Melsdom retorted, his tone utterly dismissive.

”What do you mean, Melsdom? Are you saying I did this on purpose?” Schumacher finally snapped, his voice laced with a cold fury.

Instantly, the atmosphere in the hall grew tense, as if a fight could break out at any moment.