"Brother Feng, even if the imperial throne changes hands, you are merely an outsider. How could you possibly become entangled in this matter, and even suffer such grievous injuries?"

Ling Feng fixed his gaze on Feng Yan with confusion written across his face.

Feng Yan sighed softly. "If it were only a simple change of rulers, it would not have come to this. But do you know that behind the sudden death of the previous King of Tianbai lies a massive conspiracy? And the person responsible is someone both of us know very well."

He clenched his left fist tightly and spoke through gritted teeth. "It was that same man who destroyed my right arm!"

"Who?" Ling Feng drew a deep breath as a faint sense of dread rose in his chest.

"Yan Jinghong! That devil!"

Feng Yan let out another sigh, as if mourning the arm he had lost.

"Yan Jinghong? How could it be him?"

Ling Feng's eyes filled with disbelief. Yan Jinghong had some talent, that much was true. However, back on Tianluo Island, Feng Yan had consumed a vast number of heavenly treasures. As long as he refined them properly, it should not have taken long for him to break through into the Human Emperor realm.

Even now, although Feng Yan looked weak, he had already stepped into the early tier of the Human Emperor realm. Cultivation did not lie.

With Yan Jinghong's strength, how could he possibly defeat Feng Yan after Feng Yan had reached the level of a Human Emperor?

From the very beginning, Feng Yan had always been stronger than Yan Jinghong.

"It was indeed Yan Jinghong!"

Feng Yan drew in a deep breath and continued through clenched teeth. "Compared with the time we met on the Battlefield of the Gods and Demons, he seems like a completely different person. He has become colder, far more ruthless, and unimaginably powerful!"

"Do you know that he completely purged the entire imperial capital in less than a month? First, he struck the divine guardian sect, Cangqiong Sect. Sect Leader Yue Zhonglian was defeated by a single palm strike. He is likely still hanging from a tower inside the palace, exposed to the blazing sun every day while being whipped again and again. Yet Yan Jinghong refuses to kill him. He keeps him alive purely to intimidate the court!"

"After that, he placed the Fourth Prince on the throne. In truth, that so called ruler is nothing more than his puppet. The power of the Tianbai Empire has already fallen into the hands of the Yan family!"

"How did things end up like this?"

Ling Feng frowned deeply. No matter what, the former King of Tianbai had been the Empress Dowager's own son. No matter how obsessed she was with power, she should never have allowed Yan Jinghong to do something like this.

The methods were crude and brutal. Yan Jinghong's actions were no different from those of a demon king.

What troubled Ling Feng even more was Yue Zhonglian being hung in the palace as a public warning. What had happened to the others of the Cangqiong Sect? What about Yue Yunlan? And Brother Wen, Wen Tingguang?

The more he thought about it, the deeper his frown became.

"And then? What happened next?" Ling Feng asked urgently and anxiously.

Lin Mu and Li Fei exchanged glances. Even though they were outsiders to the matter, they could tell that the situation within the Tianbai Empire had become extremely dire.

"Now the entire Tianbai Imperial capital has fallen silent. No one dares utter a single word of criticism. Yan Jinghong already controls more than half of the empire. The only force still resisting him is probably Tianmang Fortress in the south."

Feng Yan sighed before continuing slowly. "At the time, I was traveling through Nanjiang for training. By chance, I met several of your friends there. Brother Li Bufan, Brother Jiang Xiaofan, and also Jingwang. Mo Feng was there as well."

"It's them! How are they now?"

Ling Feng's heart tightened. Every one of them was a companion he valued deeply.

"After Jingwang learned that the old king had died suddenly and the Yan family had seized control of the court, he raised troops in rebellion with Tianmang Fortress as his base. As for me, I underestimated Yan Jinghong. I believed he was still the man who once lost to me. Together with several Human Emperor experts from the fortress, I secretly infiltrated the imperial capital. We hoped to contact other Human Emperors in the city and unite against him. Unfortunately..."

Feng Yan's voice turned bitter. "That was when I encountered Yan Jinghong. He destroyed my arm but spared my life. Instead, he sent me to find you. He said he wants to challenge you. If you do not wish to watch your companions and masters die one by one, you must return to the Tianbai Empire immediately and face him in battle!"

"Yan Jinghong!"

Ling Feng clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. If he had known this would happen, he would have killed Yan Jinghong without hesitation back then!

But how had Yan Jinghong suddenly become so powerful? The Tianbai Empire was not lacking in peak Human Emperor experts. Could none of them stop him?

"Brother Feng, what about my master, Yan Cangtian? Do you have any news of him?"

For Ling Feng, Elder Yan held a place that went far beyond that of a master. The bond between them was closer to that of father and son.

"I do not know. Since he is related to you, he should be safe for the moment. But if this drags on, that may not remain true."

Feng Yan sighed softly. "Yan Jinghong is simply too powerful. At the time I had just broken through to the Human Emperor realm and was filled with confidence. Yet before him, I could not even withstand a single move. If he had truly wanted to kill me, I would already be dead. He seems to know you entered the Dongling Immortal Pool, which is why he sent me to find you and bring you back."

"I am sorry, Brother Feng. You suffered because of me!"

Ling Feng looked at Feng Yan with deep guilt in his eyes. "Don't worr, I swear I will restore your right arm no matter the cost!"

"What is the loss of an arm compared to what you have done for me? If not for you, my entire Feng family would already have been wiped out!"

Feng Yan glanced at his missing arm, his expression dimming slightly. A severed limb could sometimes be reattached, but his arm had long since been reduced to ashes. There was nothing left to reconnect.

"Brother Ling, what do you plan to do now?"

"What else is there to do? An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!"

Ling Feng clenched his fists as killing intent flickered in his eyes. "Whoever harms the people around me will pay the price!"

"Junior Brother Ling, this may not be the right time, but I must remind you of something." Li Fei bit her lip before speaking seriously. "The Sunset Heaven Selection is about to begin. If you return to the Tianbai Empire now, you may miss this opportunity."

"If I can abandon my companions, then even if I become the strongest person alive, what would there be left for me to protect?"

Ling Feng's gaze hardened.

"And besides, I may not miss it. Hmph! Yan Jinghong escaped once because I showed mercy. He won't have another chance this time!"

"Brother Ling, Yan Jinghong truly has become terrifying. You must not underestimate him!" Feng Yan warned gravely.

"He is not the only one who has grown stronger."

Ling Feng rose to his feet and spoke slowly. "He lost to me once, and he will never have the chance to stand above me. This time he will remember that lesson for the rest of his life!"

After drawing a slow breath, Ling Feng turned toward Feng Yan. "Brother Feng, stay here and recover from your injuries."

"Sigh..."

Feng Yan sighed. He wanted to return with Ling Feng, but in his current state he would only become a burden.

"Brother Ling, if you happen to meet Fatty Huang and the others at Tianmang Fortress, tell them I am fine!"

"I will if I see them."

Ling Feng nodded. His heart was already heavy with worry for the companions he had left behind in the Tianbai Empire. Without wasting another moment, he prepared to depart immediately.

"Brother Ling, something this interesting cannot possibly leave me behind."

Lin Mu darted forward in a single step and blocked Ling Feng's path.

"Next time!"

Ling Feng had no mood for Lin Mu's antics. His figure flashed and transformed into a bolt of lightning, vanishing into the distant horizon in the blink of an eye.