I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 248 - 243: Quite the Popularity

This was a matter for the younger generation. If the two of them were to interfere, it would be a case of the old bullying the young. First, they disdained such an act. Second, it would look as if they believed Celestial Heart Castle was defenseless.

"Long Xi, my relationship with Wang Meng has our sect’s blessing. The reason I came back was to ask for the Ancestor’s consent."

Yang Ying said.

Lingdu Shan clapped his hands sharply. "There we go! A teacher for a day is a father for life. All you two need is Elder Yang’s consent, and then everyone will be happy."

Having started this, and seeing that these two didn’t dare do anything to him, Long Xi’s confidence swelled. ’There’s no way in hell the Ancestor will agree to this.’

"Elder Ling is right. Yang Ying, I won’t say anything about what you do at the Holy Hall, but back in Celestial Heart Castle, you have to follow the castle’s rules. The Ancestor hasn’t agreed yet! This guy’s origins are a mystery. A Holy Hall Elder? How come I’ve never heard of him? For all we know, he’s just some fraud from who-knows-where. The world is full of cheats and swindlers these days. And you’re an heir of Celestial Heart Castle. Who knows what he’s really after?"

Long Xi spoke with righteous conviction, though in his heart, he felt a twinge of guilt. He didn’t want to speak to Yang Ying this way, but he believed it was for her own good. ’How could this guy possibly be an Elder? The Holy Hall has standards, after all.’

Lingdu Shan was an Evil Cultivator, someone who should have absolutely no connection to the Holy Hall. The friendlier their relationship, the more it proved there was something wrong with this Wang Meng. Since when could a Holy Hall disciple associate with an Evil Cultivator Elder?

"Lady Yang Ying, I think Brother Xi is right. The outside world is a treacherous place, not as simple as life inside the Holy Hall."

Long Qing said, "My apologies, Elders, but this junior is truly suspicious. Holy Hall disciples don’t associate with Evil Cultivators, do they? This man’s identity is highly questionable."

The surrounding crowd began to murmur amongst themselves. This Wang Meng was so young, and from the flash of skill he’d shown just now, he seemed to be at only the Twentieth Layer or so. While that was impressive, it was a far cry from an Elder. For the Holy Hall, one needed to be at least at the Thirtieth Layer, or have performed some great service. At his age, how was that possible?

Seeing Wang Meng remain silent, the crowd’s suspicions grew even stronger.

"Celestial Heart Castle has no place for a fraud to be causing trouble!" Jiang Hu added in a deep voice.

In an instant, Wang Meng became the target of everyone’s condemnation. Lingdu Shan and Kuigang looked at each other, at a loss. Their relationship with Wang Meng stemmed from a secret they couldn’t speak of, so they had no way to explain. As for whether Wang Meng was an Elder, their word meant nothing. Evil Cultivators couldn’t serve as witnesses for the Holy Hall.

Yang Ying started to speak up for him, but Wang Meng gripped her hand. At that moment, the Long brothers’ eyes looked ready to burst into flames. Wang Meng said coolly, "Who I am is none of your fucking business."

Long Xi gave a cold laugh. "Here in Celestial Heart Castle, it is my business. If you’re a fraud, don’t blame me for being merciless."

Wang Meng couldn’t help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at? Don’t think you can play dumb and get away with this!" Seeing that neither Lingdu Shan nor Kuigang had any intention of intervening, Long Xi felt completely assured.

"Long Xi, why bother? Ying’Er is my woman. It’s useless no matter what you try. Stand aside. A toad lusting after a swan’s flesh. If this weren’t your turf, I’d have thrown you out by now!"

Wang Meng wrapped a domineering arm around Yang Ying’s waist in a blatant display of provocation.

Yang Ying was a little surprised herself. In the past, Wang Meng would have endured this kind of situation. This was Celestial Heart Castle, after all, and even a mighty dragon can’t crush a local snake. But a sweet feeling blossomed in her heart.

Deep down, Yang Ying loved this fearless, heaven-and-earth-defying type, a man full of an adventurous spirit.

Long Xi threw his head back and laughed as if he’d just heard the greatest joke in the world. For things to escalate this far, this guy was clearly courting death. "You’re a dead man today!"

The people of Celestial Heart Castle glared at him like tigers stalking their prey. They couldn’t imagine what gave this seemingly calm man the audacity to cause trouble in Celestial Heart Castle. Did he not even have respect for the Celestial Heart Ancestor?

Lingdu Shan and Kuigang were inwardly impressed but also felt he was going a bit too far. No matter what, one had to give some face to the Celestial Heart Ancestor.

As the two hesitated over whether to intervene, a cold, clear voice came from the doorway.

"Boy, you’d best remove those claws. Do you really think our Holy Hall has no one to answer to?"

Zhou Feng had arrived, his expression grim.

"Elder Zhou Feng of the Holy Hall has arrived."

Someone from one of the Three Great Sects had arrived.

Long Xi, who had been halfway through striking a pose, awkwardly lowered his hands. He stared at Wang Meng in disbelief. "Elder Zhou, is he really...?"

The moment he saw Zhou Feng, Zhan Wushuang felt his ears buzz... The First Pill Cultivation Elder of the Holy Hall, the Saint Cultivation Master of the Three Great Sects... ’The guy I was just running my mouth about is actually a Holy Hall... Elder? Is heaven playing a joke on me?’

Zhou Feng looked coolly at Long Xi. "Not only is Wang Meng a Holy Hall Elder, he is also the Law Enforcement Elder of Jiufen Hall, the number one expert of the younger generation, who led Thunderlight Hall to an eight-victory streak in the grand competition. Is this Celestial Heart Castle’s way of treating its guests?"

Today, Zhou Feng represented the Holy Hall and the Sword God, Xue Zhongnan. His single sentence was enough to make Long Xi break out in a cold sweat.

The Celestial Heart Ancestor was also feeling thoroughly vexed today. What was going on? It was one problem after another. The inner hall was actually less lively than the courtyard; although the representatives from the various sects and schools were making small talk, their attention was actually focused outside.

"Now I remember! Could this be the legendary Wang Meng?" Elder Mu Xijin of the Chanyin Sect suddenly said, clapping her hands lightly. Her feminine gesture left the crowd momentarily stunned.

All eyes were drawn to Mu Xijin. "You all may not have heard the name Thunderlight Hall. It was a Sub-Hall of the Holy Hall’s Jiufen Hall that was at the bottom of the rankings for years, even called the ’trash heap.’ But once this man arrived, he completely transformed Thunderlight Hall in just three short years. I’m sure you all know the rules of the Holy Hall’s grand competition. He led Thunderlight Hall from the very bottom all the way to Dao Guang Hall, and he even defeated Ning Zhiquan."

The entire inner hall instantly erupted into discussion. Yang Molong’s heart sank. He glanced at the Celestial Heart Ancestor and hurried outside to greet Zhou Feng. It would be especially unwise to offend the Holy Hall during such a sensitive time.

There were only a handful of truly outstanding disciples among the Three Sects and Five Schools. As one of the Three Sects, the Holy Hall received particular attention, so naturally, everyone was familiar with the name Ning Zhiquan.

For this man to have led Thunderlight Hall to victory over Dao Guang Hall... everyone’s first reaction was disbelief, yet they had no choice but to believe it.

Yang Yingtian was also furious. ’How could that boy Long Xi be so inept? He hadn’t even bothered to investigate his opponent properly.’

"Elder Zhou, please calm your anger. It’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding," Yang Molong said. However, he showed no intention of bowing his head. This was, after all, the Celestial Heart Ancestor’s birthday banquet; the other party couldn’t go too far.

Seeing Yang Molong come out, Zhou Feng knew he couldn’t completely refuse to give face, especially since he was at their doorstep.

"You’re too polite, Castle Lord Yang. Since it was a misunderstanding, we’ll let the matter drop."

"Haha, Elder Zhou is most magnanimous. Please, come inside."

"No need. Right here is fine." Zhou Feng pulled up a chair.

A flash of anger appeared in Yang Molong’s eyes, but he didn’t let it erupt. "The host accommodates the guest. Please, do as you wish, Elder Zhou."

Even if Wang Meng and Yang Ying were fools, they could sense something was off. This wasn’t a friendly birthday visit.

’Even if Elder Ling and Kuigang were backing him up, they wouldn’t just refuse to enter the hall. And Wang Meng knew Zhou Feng’s personality even better—he was a genuinely kind and decent person. For him to come for a birthday celebration like this...’

Zhou Feng winked. "Kid, I didn’t realize you were so popular."