Zhen didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the sight of this oppression — NPCs bullying other NPCs.
They really didn't seem like NPCs at all.
Not wanting to get involved, Zhen quietly walked away.
If he helped the innkeeper, he feared that people from the Hundred Flame Sect would constantly come looking for him, demanding an explanation.
As he left, he actually encountered even more disciples from the sect. Some were merely 12 or 13 years old, yet they acted as if they owned the place, despite only being in the First or Second Stage of the Qi Master Realm.
They shamelessly ordered the townspeople to serve them.
Of course, there wasn't any visible damage, as the town had clearly surrendered without resistance.
The disciples from the Sacred Cloud Sect were probably already far away by now.
"Hm, what are they doing?" Zhen wondered as he saw many disciples from the Hundred Flame Sect gathered at the city lord's residence.
These weren't the young disciples — most of them appeared to be in their 30s and looked like senior members.
Zhen even saw a few middle-aged and elderly men among them.
The townspeople watched from a distance, too afraid to approach.
Apparently, even the city lord had fled without a trace.
However, it turned out that his residence housed a hidden formation belonging to the Sacred Cloud Sect.
The people from the Hundred Flame Sect were now trying to destroy it.
'All this just because of a conflict between the young masters of their sects…' Zhen didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Boom!
Right as that thought crossed his mind, a sudden explosion of Qi and Spiritual Energy erupted, blasting apart the roof of the city lord's residence.
Each surge of Qi and Spirit Energy burst again, turning the air into a chaotic mess.
"The formation's been destroyed," one townsperson said.
"How did it happen so fast?"
"It must be that golden egg they brought, it's something truly magical."
As people chatted, another group from the Hundred Flame Sect emerged from the residence.
Those outside had merely been stationed as guards — the main group had gone inside.
Zhen quickly narrowed his eyes when he spotted a red-haired man who looked to be in his thirties.
His skin was pale and his frame rather thin. However, his aura radiated intense heat that felt extremely dangerous, as if it could burn one's very soul — a perfect match for his ever-cold eyes.
Zhen, who had never felt threatened by anyone before, suddenly felt immense danger.
But what drew Zhen's attention the most was the reddish-gold egg with black markings that the man carried.
It was large, about the size of a human head.
Zhen felt a majestic aura from the egg, as if it housed a divine creature from a higher world.
How had this egg managed to destroy the hidden formation so quickly?
Did it already possess such great power even while still in the shell?
Strangely, Zhen then felt as if the egg had eyes — eyes that were watching him.
It was a faint feeling, but he was certain. That feeling even grew stronger with time.
'Maybe the creature inside already has strong awareness and can observe the outside world. I must have sensed its gaze because my instincts are sharper,' he thought, since no one else seemed to notice anything.
From some murmured conversations, Zhen eventually learned the red-haired man's identity.
His name was Yan Long, the younger brother of the Hundred Flame Sect Master.
He was highly influential in the sect because his talent surpassed even his older brother's.
His cultivation was lower only because he was much younger, and it was said that he had been cultivating in the Thousand Flame Sect — a giant sect that supported the Hundred Flame Sect — nearly all the time.
"Senior Yan, next we'll head to Summer City. That city is completely unguarded by the Sacred Cloud Sect," said an old man accompanying Yan Long as they passed by Zhen.
Though older, the man acted like a junior in front of Yan Long.
Yan Long merely nodded slightly without saying a word, his expression remaining cold.
He and the others moved to the right courtyard of the city lord's residence.
That area was the largest, and the sect's riding birds were waiting there.
It seemed they were planning to fly straight to Summer City.
That was the city where Tang Xin was located.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Yan Long and the others leaped onto their birds. A moment later, the birds soared into the sky.
Boom!
Something unexpected happened just as they flew past the forest outside the city.
Suddenly, a massive fist appeared in front of them, striking directly at their group.
Zhen's eyes widened in shock as several people instantly turned into clouds of blood, even before the fist actually made contact.
"Yan Long! Do you think you can do as you please in our sect's territory?!" a majestic voice boomed as the giant fist struck toward Yan Long.
The bird he was riding also turned into blood mist, but Yan Long managed to stay airborne.
Still, he couldn't evade the fist, which clearly came from someone stronger than him.
His body was sent flying hard, causing the reddish-gold egg in his hand to fall.
"Hahaha! Is this the Golden Crow egg?"
An elderly man with white hair appeared and reached out to grab the egg.
It seemed he was the one who had released that giant fist.
"Yun Mao, don't think you can take it!" Yan Long roared in fury.
He suddenly charged toward the old man, his body turning into a massive wave of flames.
"You're only in the First Stage — you think you can fight me?" Yun Mao sneered.
He grabbed the egg first, then pointed his hand at the incoming flames.
Shua! Shua!
Suddenly, his hand released a wave of clouds far larger than the fire wave.
As the flames approached, the clouds turned to water and doused the fire, causing it to shrink rapidly.
"Hahaha! As if he could ever beat Elder Yun!"
The townspeople of Spring City were thrilled by the sight.
"Of course! The Sacred Cloud Sect has always been stronger than the Hundred Flame Sect. It's only because of support from the Thousand Flame Sect that they got pushed back."
"Now that they're taking action, the Hundred Flame Sect won't win so easily!"
"Right! Things might turn around!"
"..."
As people busied themselves with chatter, from the shrinking fire wave suddenly shot out a red spear, flying toward Yun Mao with the speed of lightning, flames propelling it from its tail.
Moreover, the pressure from the spear was so intense that the air and even the city trembled, making it hard to breathe.
What shocked everyone the most was Yun Mao's expression — he looked frightened.
"You actually have a Tier-4 Weapon," he muttered.
Rather than face it, Yun Mao turned and tried to escape as fast as possible.
But the spear struck his shoulder, piercing through it, then ignited flames that burned it to ash.
In an instant, he had a massive open wound on his shoulder.
"Yan Long, you bastard!" Yun Mao cursed as he fled.
However, Yan Long didn't look calm at all.
The golden egg had fallen — and it had landed somewhere in the forest beside the city.
"Help me find the egg!" he shouted to the Hundred Flame Sect members.
They immediately rushed into the forest.