Chapter Sixty-Four: The Strength of the Royal Family

As the shouts and curses from the crowd echoed, Feng Juechu steeled his heart, preparing to give the order to attack. But just as he was about to speak, a new troop of riders appeared in the distance, heading toward them. This unforeseen change caught him completely off guard, forcing him to swallow the command he was about to give. His gaze darkened as he stared intently at the approaching force behind his own. The black-clad man beside him also turned grim. The distance was too great for spiritual sense to reach, so he switched to the keen-eyed hawk vision technique to survey the newcomers.

Master Zhong, seeing that the other side was truly about to move, was preparing to order everyone to retreat into the valley as Li Xingyu had advised. But he too saw the approaching riders in the distance. At first, he suspected they were a hidden force arranged by the Tianfeng family and was unsure how to respond. Yet, noticing the puzzlement on Feng Juechu’s face, he realized these were not reinforcements arranged by him. Thus, he no longer rushed to order a retreat but instead chose to wait and see who these riders were.

Li Xingyu also used the hawk vision technique to peer into the distance. When he recognized several familiar faces among the new arrivals, his heart eased, and he whispered to himself, “So it’s them.” Hearing that Li Xingyu recognized the approaching force and seeing his expression relax, those around him, though unaware of the newcomers’ identities, understood they were likely allies, not enemies. This allowed everyone to breathe a sigh of relief. After all, unless forced to the brink, no one wished to fight desperately when the odds were clearly against them.

“Hahaha… In all my years, I have never seen the Ten Thousand Medicines Valley this lively. Fortunately, I hurried on the road; otherwise, missing such excitement would have been a lifelong regret,” Mu Chenhua laughed heartily, stopping three zhang away from the Tianfeng family’s people.

“Indeed, I’ve never seen such a spectacle either—truly worth the journey,” echoed Master Ouyang as he moved up beside Mu Chenhua. Then Patriarch Qin and Master Linglong appeared on either side, followed by the three who had accompanied Li Xingyu into the Divine Gift Mountains, as well as elite disciples from each of these factions. Upon learning of the events at the Ten Thousand Medicines Valley, they gathered immediately, discussed the situation, and decided to act together to aid Li Xingyu and the valley. Their goals were twofold: they did not wish to see the Tianfeng family grow too powerful, and, more importantly, they hoped to obtain further cultivation techniques from Li Xingyu. Thus, they could not allow him to fall into the Tianfeng family’s hands.

Their appearance instantly shifted the balance of power. The Mu clan had brought nearly half of their top experts, so now Li Xingyu’s side faintly surpassed the Tianfeng family in strength. Still, the Tianfeng family had mobilized most of their own, and being a single clan, their coordination was superior. Though the outcome of a true clash remained uncertain, the situation was now vastly different from before.

“Patriarch Mu, Master Ouyang, gentlemen, I am deeply grateful for your timely arrival. I shall never forget your assistance,” Li Xingyu said, then turned to Feng Juechu. “Patriarch Feng, everyone here knows what really happened with your young master, and I believe your real reasons for this great commotion are even more important. I will not pry nor seek to learn the truth behind it. I trust you are a wise man and can see that your original objective is now impossible to achieve. So I hope we all can sit down and discuss things calmly and rationally.” Although his side now had the upper hand, Li Xingyu still hoped to avoid major casualties among Patriarch Mu, Master Zhong, and their people. Moreover, should fighting erupt, it could draw in nearly half the factions within the Divine Gift Empire, making it difficult for Li Xingyu to remain in the empire afterward—a result he did not wish to see.

“You think a few casual words will make me retreat? You underestimate my Tianfeng family. If I could be frightened off so easily, how could my family ever maintain its standing in the empire?” replied Feng Juechu coldly. He knew the risks of fighting were now enormous, but as the head of the foremost family outside the imperial house, he could not simply back down without a word, for the sake of both his original goals and his family’s reputation.

“Old friend Feng, your spirit is undiminished from years past. Old friends Mu, Doctor Zhong, young friend Li, I hope you all can stay calm and grant me the honor of mediating this misunderstanding,” a powerful, confident, and commanding voice sounded from another direction. The crowd’s attention was focused on Mu Chenhua’s group, so no one had noticed a new party approaching from the right. Only when the leader spoke did they see over a dozen people, bearing the imperial banners, rapidly approaching from the Tianfeng family’s flank. Among these, except for a white-haired elder, all were innate-level experts. The speaker was none other than the current emperor, reputed to be the greatest innate cultivator in the Divine Gift Empire.

The emperor’s arrival shocked everyone, and all—including Feng Juechu and Mu Chenhua—immediately bowed. Upon recognizing the newcomers, Feng Juechu abandoned his original objectives altogether, now worrying whether the imperial house might seize this chance to move against the Tianfeng family. Although in this world the imperial house did not wield absolute authority as ancient emperors did on Earth, its strength and long-standing prestige were not to be underestimated—factors Feng Juechu could not ignore.

Meanwhile, both Li Xingyu and Elder Li of the Tianfeng family fixed their gaze on the white-haired elder among the imperial entourage. Elder Li was shocked to see this man appear, while Li Xingyu was stunned to realize that, aside from himself and the black-clad man opposite, there were other genuine cultivators on this planet. He had clearly underestimated the strength of the world’s top experts. Given the planet’s low spiritual energy, it should have been impossible for anyone to reach the Spirit Consolidation stage, nor had he heard of anyone acquiring and cultivating such techniques. But if he himself could, through extraordinary fortune, obtain cultivation methods and progress with the help of the Jade Ginseng, why shouldn’t others have the same chance? He realized he had been overconfident and naïve in his previous judgments and would need to be far more cautious in the future, never again estimating the strength of the pinnacle solely on hearsay or common standards.

In truth, Li Xingyu was overestimating the number and strength of the world’s top cultivators. To reach the Spirit Consolidation stage required not merely ordinary fortune, but a truly heaven-sent opportunity, which only the rarest few could encounter, and even fewer could succeed in seizing. The white-haired elder’s gaze swept briefly over Elder Li, indicating not only awareness of his presence but also of his true strength, so he paid little heed. Yet when his eyes fell upon Li Xingyu, he started, astonishment flashing in his eyes. After so many years of calm, even his heart was stirred. He knew this world far better than Li Xingyu; within the Divine Gift Empire and surrounding nations, aside from himself, there were no other Spirit Consolidation cultivators. He knew Elder Li of the Tianfeng family was not a true cultivator, but rather a rare demonic cultivator. Now, however, he discovered that Li Xingyu was indeed a Spirit Consolidation cultivator—and, judging by his youth, a prodigy. Though his own cultivation was slightly higher, he could sense that Li Xingyu’s true essence was even more refined and abundant than his own, and his spiritual sense stronger as well. He understood this meant either Li Xingyu’s techniques were far superior, or he himself was naturally far more suited to cultivation.

“Patriarch, I didn’t expect the imperial house to involve itself, nor for their greatest hidden master to be here. Our original goal is now absolutely unattainable, and today’s events cannot be forced. You should consider how to handle the aftermath. Leave Li Xingyu to me; I will find another time to deal with him, as I am determined to have him,” the black-clad man transmitted quietly to Feng Juechu, realizing that with the imperial house’s greatest recluse present, there was no chance of victory if they insisted on fighting.

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