Chapter 245: Chapter 158: What? That Demon Cultivator Has Already Been Dealt With?

This had practically become common knowledge.

But now, Xiao Chen from Li State had shattered this "common knowledge."

How could they not be shocked?

Grand Elder Yao Dehai was utterly dumbfounded. If he hadn’t heard it from Yang Huai’an himself, he never would have believed something so outrageous.

The first time he’d seen the name Xiao Chen was in a letter from the Chen Family.

In the letter, Chen Tianyuan had specifically asked him to help look after Chen Zhi’an, Chen Zhiquan, and Xiao Chen.

This was especially true for Xiao Chen, who was an alchemy genius.

Thus, they required special protection and shouldn’t be assigned to any place too dangerous.

Yao Dehai sat to the side, pondering for a long while, but he couldn’t figure it out. ’Since Xiao Chen is so powerful, was it really necessary to pull strings for him in advance?’

Topping the last monthly report had been shocking enough.

But now someone was telling him that Xiao Chen hadn’t even been using his true strength back then.

’Is this really the kind of power an Alchemist should have?’

Fortunately, he didn’t forget to speak up for this quasi-ally of his. "Fellow elders, with the matter of the stolen Flame Crystal Stones successfully resolved, Xiao Chen has rendered a great service."

"He came all the way from Li State. According to the standard rules, anything obtained from killing a Demon Cultivator belongs to the killer as spoils of war."

"If we send someone to retrieve the Flame Crystal Stones later, I believe we should offer him some compensation."

As Yao Dehai finished speaking, he shot a meaningful glance at Elder Qiu, who was sitting beside him.

Normally, the other elders would voice their opposition to such a proposal in order to conserve the sect’s resources.

Sect Leader Gong Lingfeng, in particular, had been cutting various expenses recently to stockpile resources for the war.

But it didn’t matter. This was the perfect opportunity for him to speak up and secure resources for Xiao Chen.

When word of this got out, it would be seen as a gesture of goodwill and an attempt to foster a closer relationship.

However, what Yao Dehai didn’t expect was that before Elder Qiu could chime in, Gong Lingfeng nodded first. "Indeed. We should compensate him with some Spirit Stones."

"Recovering the Flame Crystal Stones so promptly very likely averted a major tragedy."

"In my opinion, we can offer him double the buyback price."

?

Gong Lingfeng’s statement left Yao Dehai completely baffled. ’What do you mean by this?’

It wasn’t just him; the other elders also sensed that something was amiss.

’Could it be that this Xiao Chen also has connections with the Sect Leader?’

Gong Lingfeng ignored them, however, and settled the matter after a glance around the room. "Since no one objects, it’s decided."

He then rose and went to the rear hall to report the news to Thunder Sound True Man.

"What? That Demon Cultivator has already been dealt with?"

Hearing this, Thunder Sound True Man couldn’t help but frown. "What happened? Tell me in detail."

Master Gongliang had provided two divination results. To avoid any interference, he had given specific instructions not to alter the first outcome.

Gong Lingfeng had always been reliable and would never act rashly on his own.

But the problem now was that the first outcome had been changed regardless.

’If that’s the case, can the second outcome still be trusted?’

After listening carefully to Gong Lingfeng’s account, Thunder Sound True Man’s frown deepened.

Based on the current intelligence, the way events had unfolded was completely different from the divination, which meant a new variable had appeared.

’Could it be that this cultivator named Xiao Chen is the variable in this Demonic Calamity?’

"Bring me the file on Xiao Chen."

Gong Lingfeng quickly delivered a Jade Disc. The information it contained was almost identical to the Li Huo Sect’s records on Xiao Chen.

It also included an additional battle record from a public confrontation.

Thunder Sound True Man tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair. His eyes immediately fell on the words "low-grade Wood Spirit Root."

Although Xiao Chen’s rise had been exceptionally fast, and he must have had his share of fortuitous encounters, his Spiritual Root alone meant he could not be the variable capable of influencing the Demonic Calamity.

Only a Golden Core could fight a Golden Core.

Only a Golden Core could truly affect the future course of this Demonic Calamity. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

And a cultivator with a low-grade Wood Spirit Root who relied on collecting vast amounts of Spiritual Objects to cultivate could never reach the Golden Core realm.

There had to be some other reason for the current outcome.