Chapter 193: Negotiations Fail

The Alchemy Sect ranks thirteenth in the entire cultivation world, yet its reputation is no less impressive than that of the top three super sects. The reason is simple: most of the weapons, armor, and other equipment used by cultivators across the world are crafted by them.

Although thirteenth doesn’t sound like a high rank, achieving it among thousands of different factions in the cultivation world speaks volumes. The Alchemy Sect has millions of disciples, with thousands of branches spread throughout the cultivation world. It has twelve elders—nine of whom are ImmortalImmortalImmortal, and the other three are powerful beings at the Great Perfection stage. Its sect leader is also at the early Great Perfection stage. Additionally, there are hundreds of guardians at the Tribulation stage stationed at key branches.

The branch on Agri Planet is a particularly important stronghold for the Alchemy Sect. Here, materials can be purchased without questioning their origin. Even if it’s clear they’re stolen goods, no one else will know if bought here, and even if they do, no one will intervene.

In fact, this branch functions more like a source for special materials—many items unobtainable elsewhere can be found here. Often, these materials have questionable origins. That’s why there are three guardians here, all of them at the late Tribulation stage. For most branches on third-tier planets, having just one guardian at the early Tribulation stage is already quite good. This shows how significant this branch is to the Alchemy Sect.

At that moment, Ye Feng stood at the entrance of the branch, looking up at the three-meter-high gate. Flanking the gate were towering walls that separated the interior from the outside world, while above the gate were three bold characters carved into it: “Alchemy Sect.”

Ye Feng turned to Yue Ming and asked, “Is this the place?”

Yue Ming nodded nervously. Clearly, this place exuded immense pressure, making him feel uneasy.

“Let’s go in,” Ye Feng said, stepping forward and knocking firmly on the door three times using the doorbell.

“They have three guardians at the Tribulation stage. Are we really going in like this?” Yue Ming grew even more anxious seeing Ye Feng’s reckless behavior.

“How about you go back first? I’ll figure out the rest,” Ye Feng said, turning to look at Yue Ming.

Yue Ming hesitated for a moment, clearly struggling internally. On one hand, he was worried that if things went wrong, the three experts at the Tribulation stage would have the upper hand. On the other hand, he wanted to know why Ye Feng was so confident in coming here, seemingly not giving those three experts any thought at all.

At that moment, the sound of a latch being undone came from the other side of the door, followed by a slight creak as it swung open before them.

Two tall men in golden armor blocked the entrance at that moment, staring at them coldly. One of them asked in a deep, resonant voice, “Who are you? What brings you to our Alchemy Sect?”

“My name is Blade Edge. I want to see your three guardians on Agri Planet!” Ye Feng straightened out his purpose.

“See the three guardians? Do you have an invitation? Who recommended you?” The other man in golden armor frowned slightly.

“Listen, I don’t need any invitation, nor do I need anyone to recommend me. I just want to see your three guardians—that’s all!” Ye Feng’s expression darkened; he was annoyed by their persistence.

“Sorry, without an invitation, the guardians won’t see anyone!” The two men in golden armor insisted.

A fierce glint flashed in Ye Feng’s eyes, and a deadly coldness instantly enveloped the two men. With a killing intent akin to that of a beast, how could two cultivators at the Diversion stage resist? In an instant, the two men lost their fighting ability and collapsed to the ground.

They had placed cultivators at the entrance at the Diversion stage because the Alchemy Sect hadn’t expected anyone to actually dare to break in. But now it turned out they had miscalculated.

After the two lost their combat ability, Ye Feng lifted one of them by the chin. “Tell me, where are your guardians now?”

“In the conference hall in the north!” The man in golden armor, worried that Ye Feng might harm him, quickly replied.

“Thank you! If you had been more obedient earlier, you wouldn’t have had to go through such trouble.” Ye Feng patted the golden helmet on the man’s head, then turned to Yue Ming with a smile. “Let’s go!”

At the entrance to the conference hall, Ye Feng didn’t knock this time—he simply pushed the door open and went in.

“Who are you, and why are you in my Alchemy Sect?” The three immediately turned their attention to Ye Feng.

When they saw Yue Ming behind Ye Feng, the three seemed to understand something.

“I’m Dao Feng. Basically, all the items that Yue Ming sold before were provided by me!” Ye Feng glanced coldly at the three of them. “Some time ago, I had some personal matters to attend to, so I wasn’t here. But after returning, Yue Ming told me that you took my ten-thousand-year meteorite iron.”

“You’re Dao Feng?!” asked the white-haired old man among them. They hadn’t expected that the man before them was also a powerful warrior in the later stage of the Tribulation Crossing. “Were those rare items that appeared at Yue Ming’s place some time ago provided by you?”

“That’s right,” Ye Feng shrugged. “I suppose you know very well why I’ve come here.”

“I don’t know if the claim that you lost 300 jin of meteorite iron is true or not. If it is, you should be aware that the piece taken from Yue Ming isn’t the same one you lost.” Ye Feng’s expression remained calm. “My purpose here is simple: return the meteorite iron to us and apologize. I can pretend this never happened.”

“That’s impossible!” immediately replied one of the young-looking men among them.

“Oh, impossible? Is that your answer?” Ye Feng’s lips curled slightly as he looked at the other two.

“That meteorite iron has already been sent back to our headquarters. It was thrown into the refining furnace that very day, and it’s probably already been turned into a weapon now.” The middle-aged man frowned. His intuition told him that this guy named Dao Feng was definitely someone not to be trifled with.

Upon hearing this, a sharp glint appeared in Ye Feng’s eyes. “Since it’s already been used, I have nothing more to say. Pay 1,000 medium-grade spirit crystals and apologize!”

“Hey, are you really stupid or just pretending to be?” The young man looked at Ye Feng with disdain. “Don’t you understand the rules of Agri Planet? Whatever ends up in someone’s hands belongs to them. Although that meteorite iron isn’t the one we lost, since we took it from you, it’s ours. You should know we never intended to buy it from you in the first place. And expecting us to apologize? That’s just daydreaming!”

“You’d better go back and act like this never happened. The three of us are in the later stages of the tribulation, while you’re alone. If you attack, you have no chance of winning!” The middle-aged man frowned slightly. “Our Alchemy Sect is a renowned and legitimate sect in the entire cultivation world. If the three of us guardians apologize to you, it would be as if the entire Alchemy Sect were apologizing to you—something that’s impossible. Moreover, giving you spirit crystals is also out of the question, because that would mean admitting that the meteorite was taken from you. We must make everyone outside believe that we’re simply retrieving what belongs to us, so that our Alchemy Sect’s reputation won’t be damaged.”
“Young man, we don’t want outsiders to know about this. So, please refrain from saying anything that could harm the reputation of our Alchemy Sect. Otherwise, the consequences will be severe!” The old man’s words carried a clear threat.
“What a so-called rule of Agri Planet, what a so-called legitimate sect, what a so-called reputation of your Alchemy Sect!” Ye Feng shook his head and laughed loudly. “Isn’t your behavior already nothing but forced seizure? The reputation of an Alchemy Sect isn’t just something said—it’s built through actions. What you’ve done has already damaged its reputation.”
“I came here originally to give you a chance to atone. But the three of you show no sign of remorse. Since you claim this is Agri Planet’s rule—whomever gets it keeps it—then from now on, we’ll follow Agri Planet’s rules!” A cold glint flashed in Ye Feng’s eyes as he glanced coldly at the three present, then waved his sleeve and left with Yue Ming.
“He seems unwilling to give up easily!” The middle-aged man looked worried, feeling a sense of unease.
“And so what? Does he really dare to attack us?” The young man showed disdain.
“If he doesn’t spread the news and leaves this matter alone, we shouldn’t mention it again. But if he tries to make it public, we’ll have to eliminate him! We can’t allow anything to harm the reputation of our Alchemy Sect!” The old man stared in the direction Ye Feng had left, his eyes filled with ferocity. “Have someone keep an eye on him. Notify us immediately if he does anything!”
Ye Feng’s expression darkened, though he had expected this outcome long ago.

“Mr. Blade, let’s just drop this matter…” Yue Ming interceded, “Money can always be made back; making enemies with them isn’t a wise move! The Alchemy Sect is ranked thirteenth among all the cultivation sects in the world, its fame rivaling that of the top three super sects. It has extensive connections throughout the cultivation community. Moreover, it has twelve elders, all of whom are ImmortalImmortalImmortal or powerful beings at the Great Vehicle stage…”
“I know. You don’t need to worry about this. I’ll handle it!” Ye Feng nodded expressionlessly. “According to the rules of Agri Planet!”