Chapter 1031: Visitors to the Prison

“It seems impossible to persuade Young Master Kai Xin to hand over the stele he’s holding,” Shi Feixuan said slowly, staring into Kai Xin’s eyes after a moment of silence.

Kai Xin smiled faintly. “I’m sorry too. Miss Shi is a distinguished disciple of Ci Hang Jing Zhai and seems determined to obtain that stele. But since the other two are still in the Evil King’s hands, it seems unnecessary for us to argue over just one stele each.”

“You’re right, Young Master Kai Xin,” Shi Feixuan said solemnly, picking up the stele in her hand. “Now that the Evil King is wounded and has fled, he will surely seek a hidden place to cultivate and master the profound techniques left by the ancient monk on those steles. Instead of arguing here, we should return to our respective sects and discuss how to handle this stele…”

“You’re right, Miss Shi. If the Evil King obtains the ancient monk’s relics, his strength will surely grow greatly, and the righteous martial communities of the Central Plains must be on guard!”

Kai Xin also didn’t dare defy fate by trying to take the other stele from Shi Feixuan—offending Ci Hang Jing Zhai would mean offending all the righteous forces in the Central Plains. Bending down, he took out the stele from his bosom and said, “I can’t stay any longer. I’ll leave now and return to Shaolin. Goodbye, Miss Shi! We’ll meet again someday!”

“Goodbye.” Though reluctant, Shi Feixuan was severely injured and not confident enough to defeat Kai Xin. She could only nod, turn around, and leave gracefully.

After Shi Feixuan left, Kai Xin glanced back at the Thousand Buddha Cluster once more! Since all four steles had been removed from the Arhat Formation, countless powerful energies within it vanished, and many Arhat statues collapsed. The Thousand Buddha Cluster no longer existed in reality.

“The Thousand Buddha Cluster is gone! There’s no way to track Shi Zhi Xuan! I can’t force my way to take the stele from Shi Feixuan either… Well, if I can only get one stele, I’ll just take it. I’ll find a place to study it carefully and see what secrets it holds. Maybe it can help me improve my strength.”

With that thought, Kai Xin put on his human mask again, took the stele, and quickly fled…

Kai Xin and Shi Feixuan left one after another and disappeared.

After watching from a distance for a long time, Luo Zhi Heng finally stepped out quietly, supporting the severely injured but still alive female mechanic. The two looked at each other, their faces filled with disappointment.

“We’ve worked hard for over a month, yet the mission still failed…”

“Who is that guy? We came all this way only to have part of our efforts stolen by some sudden appearance.”

“Do you still want to settle accounts with him?” The female mechanic shook her head with a bitter smile.

Hearing this, Luo Zhiheng’s expression instantly collapsed: “If even Shi Zhi Xuan can be repelled, such a skilled opponent—none of us combined could stand a chance against him. I just wonder when in the Central Plains did such a formidable expert appear?” “Weren’t you saying earlier you wanted to see what he would explode? How come you don’t even know his name? Didn’t you touch him?” “Good thing I didn’t. Otherwise, I’d be dead right now…” Luo Zhiheng looked utterly helpless. … “If you log off, the stone tablet will appear automatically at your offline location in one hour…” “It seems we need to speed up eating.” On the way back to the capital, Kai Xin realized helplessly that this item was indeed no ordinary task item. But still, with his current strength, he wasn’t afraid at all outside. Moreover, since the Prophets and the First-Class Hall were likely focused on Xi Feng Lou and the Emperor, he made smooth progress and returned to the capital, back to the main hall of Xi Feng Lou. “This is the main hall of Xi Feng Lou. Strangers are not allowed in!” Before even approaching the main hall’s gate, a group of people rushed out, staring warily at Kai Xin wearing a human skin mask, with swords drawn—creating a tense atmosphere. Kai Xin was stunned. It seemed the atmosphere in Xi Feng Lou had become even more tense. “…” He stopped immediately and quietly took out a token, waving it in front of the group of Xi Feng Lou disciples. “Xi!” The bold, striking characters exuded an air of martial might and authority. The disciples of Xi Feng Lou were shocked and quickly subdued their hostile attitudes, their wary gazes softening. “So it’s a distinguished guest from our Xi Feng Lou… Sorry!!” “Please come in.” The group quickly stepped aside. Kai Xin nodded slightly. This token had been personally handed to him by Mei Ying Tuo Feng Ling. With it, he could enter and exit the main hall of Xi Feng Lou and all its branches freely, and it also allowed him to use the gang’s prison. Naturally, the disciples of Xi Feng Lou recognized it. As Kai Xin entered the main hall with the group, he suddenly noticed that the number of disciples there had increased significantly. Each of them seemed to be facing a great threat, and among them were many with unsteady steps and pale faces. Worrying, Kai Xin quietly asked the people around him, “Has anything happened at Xi Feng Lou these past two days?” “…” The disciples around him all showed expressions of anger and hatred. Someone couldn’t help but answer:

“The dozen or so gangs in the capital are opportunists. Just a few days ago, they cooperated with us to take on Yipin Tang, but now that Yipin Tang is growing strong and Xifeng Lou is suffering, they’ve all turned to side with Yipin Tang to suppress us… Now, our brothers outside the city are in danger at every turn.”
“Those bastards! Once this is over, we’ll wipe out those traitors from Yipin Tang—none of those dozen gangs in the capital will get away!” someone snapped angrily, but those around them all looked gloomy upon hearing this.
Kai Xin quickly noticed this unusual atmosphere and couldn’t help but feel concerned.
Yipin Tang’s strength was already on par with Xifeng Lou’s, and now, with the backing of those dozen capital gangs and allies like the Blood Alliance, the morale of Xifeng Lou’s disciples was extremely low.
It seemed even they began to doubt whether Xifeng Lou could survive this crisis.
Although Kai Xin was also troubled, he knew the situation was far too unfavorable for Xifeng Lou to even compete with Yipin Tang…
All they could do now was wait quietly, waiting for the Evil Emperor to arrive in the Central Plains, waiting for the Central Plains to turn in their allegiance, waiting for the time to sweep away all rumors and fully expose the sinister true faces of Yipin Tang and Meng Yun.
Putting oneself in a desperate situation to find a way out—this was the only chance left for Xifeng Lou and the Central Plains!
“What has Emperor Yi been doing these days?” Kai Xin asked.
The people around him shook their heads in confusion. “After killing a group of Yipin Tang experts at first and destroying a few unimportant branch temples, Emperor Yi disappeared too…”
“…”
Hearing this, Kai Xin frowned slightly but said nothing more. He turned and headed toward the gang prison deep within Xifeng Lou’s main hall.
The disciples of Xifeng Lou watched as this man, without any sign of the gang’s emblem on him, walked through the corridors as if no one else was there before disappearing from sight. Doubt gradually appeared in their eyes.
“Who is he?” someone couldn’t help but ask.
Others also broke the silence. “He seems quite imposing.”
“Mm, when talking to him, I always feel pressured, but not in a way that makes me dislike him. I end up answering his questions without realizing it… It’s strange.”
“Me too.”
“He must be the leader of some gang…”
“Could he be an ally contacted by the master?” As the group discussed, a voice came from the back, resolving their doubts: “Stop guessing. He’s a guest invited by the master a few days ago—a master expert.”
“A master expert?”
“A guest?”

“What do you know? Tell us quickly.” Many people couldn’t help but feel curious upon hearing these words.
The Xifeng Tower was filled with skilled experts, and currently, there was only one person in the entire Central Plains whom the Shadow could personally invite—namely the Emperor. So when they heard that this person was a distinguished expert personally invited by the tower’s master, everyone became excited.
That person was actually only temporarily in charge of welcoming Happy into the gang’s prison. But ever since Happy obtained the token and learned the location of the prison, he stopped paying attention, so he wasn’t aware of Happy’s identity. All he knew was that the tower’s master valued this person greatly.
“Secret. Can’t say.”
“Tch, we’re all brothers here. Why hide from us?”
The more mysterious the speaker became, the more curiosity it sparked among the Xifeng Tower’s disciples, who couldn’t help but gather closer.
The man was bombarded with questions.
“Actually, I don’t know his exact identity either. But you should know that since we declared war on Yipin Hall, the tower’s master gave us an order…”
“Are you talking about…”
Many in the crowd seemed to guess something, their eyes lighting up, though they hesitated to speak.
“That’s right, that very order. On the day of the war, the master temporarily stopped us from using contribution points to enter the prison for training… I also took this person to the prison on that day…”
“Damn it!”
“All of us can’t enter the prison, yet he has the right?”
“Are you trying to say that the master closed the prison temporarily just for him? So he can train there alone?” Many people were stunned as they speculated this shocking fact.
“You know what? That kid seemed to be heading toward the prison just now.”
“Oh, right!”
“Who is this guy anyway?”
“Such a big deal! Why does our master value him so much?”
Curiosity and gossip burned brightly in everyone’s hearts…
…
Happy, of course, had no idea that his presence had sparked endless speculation among the Xifeng Tower’s disciples. Desiring to find a quiet place to study the stone tablet in his arms, he headed straight into the gang’s prison without stopping.
To Happy’s surprise, when he returned to the prison, he immediately noticed someone else there!
To be precise, what first caught his attention was a sword intent that shouldn’t have been there—a remarkably powerful and sharp sword intent!

The moment he entered the gang prison, the sword intent locked onto him from afar!
His body trembled slightly as he looked happily and in surprise toward the depths of the prison…
A man dressed in purple-black brocade robes stood there like a sword drawn from its sheath—his sharp gaze piercing through the darkness, full of authority!