Inside the main hall of the Luoyun Sect.
The faces of every Elder in the hall contorted in terror.
Just a moment ago, they had all distinctly felt an unimaginably terrifying surge of Evil Qi!
It was as if a slumbering Ancient Demon God had awakened in the world.
Though it lasted only a brief instant, the horrifying aura—powerful enough to seemingly sweep away everything in the world—still alarmed the Elders present!
'Was that an illusion?'
They couldn't believe it. The Evil Qi had appeared and vanished so quickly that it could have been mistaken for an illusion.
But how could everyone have the exact same illusion at the same time?
The Grand Elder's gaze swept across the hall. Seeing the looks of terror on their faces, he knew something was wrong.
With a grave expression, he said in a low voice, "This is highly unusual. I had best report this to the Sect Leader shortly."
"Oh, right. Has anyone been sent to deliver a meal to that little bastard?"
"He's severely injured and his meridians are completely destroyed. It would be a problem if he died in the herb garden."
Upon hearing this, an Elder immediately sneered. "Don't worry, Grand Elder. We won't let that boy die so easily."
"If we don't squeeze every last drop of value out of him, wouldn't all our years of raising him have been for nothing?"
The Grand Elder finally nodded, his face impassive. "Good."
'If Ye Chen were to die, things would get complicated.'
'After all, no one else was willing to do menial chores like weeding and tilling the soil.'
...
"Ye Chen, get the hell out here!"
"I, your Saint Heir, have come to personally deliver your meal. Aren't you going to hurry out and greet me?"
Outside the small wooden cabin in the herb garden, a group of people had gathered.
The man in the lead was dashing, with sharp brows and bright, star-like eyes, an unconcealable arrogance glinting within them.
It was none other than the Luoyun Sect's new Saint Heir, Li Feng!
After Ye Chen was deposed, the Grand Elder had immediately appointed his own grandson as the new Saint Heir.
As it happened, Li Feng's talent was exceptional, and he did not disappoint. Thus, it was only natural for him to take the position.
Today was, in fact, his very first day as the Saint Heir!
Many disciples flocked to Li Feng's side, surrounding him like stars around the moon as they all sneered at the small wooden cabin.
"Ye Chen, if you know what's good for you, hurry up and come out!"
"The Saint Heir is here! You, a mere commoner, should hurry and kneel in greeting!"
When the small cabin remained silent, Li Feng couldn't help but frown.
'Is he playing dead?'
'It's just a few severed meridians. Don't tell me he can't even walk anymore?'
"Saint Heir, I'll kick the door down and drag him out!" one of the other disciples said at once, eager to curry favor and impress the new Saint Heir.
"Fine."
Li Feng made no move to stop him, taking a step back with a look of cruel amusement on his face.
Just as the disciples were about to act, the cabin door swung open with a soft CREAK.
Ye Chen's figure appeared before them.
His clothes were tattered, and his body was covered in dried blood that caked his skin.
But what struck them as odd was that Ye Chen's eyes seemed to have grown much sharper!
He didn't look at all like a crippled man who had been beaten half to death, his meridians destroyed!
"So, you piece of trash aren't dead yet?"
"I've been calling you for ages. Why didn't you answer?"
Li Feng's voice was ice-cold. "Get over here and kneel to accept your punishment. Otherwise, you can just starve today."
"That's right, that's right!"
"The Saint Heir is magnanimous enough to personally bring you food! Get over here and thank him properly!"
The other disciples chimed in.
"A meal?"
Ye Chen paused.
He looked at Li Feng and saw that he was, in fact, carrying a wooden bucket.
A foul, rotten stench drifted out from the bucket.
It was, unmistakably, a bucket of swill!
Ye Chen's eyes turned glacial. He sneered inwardly.
'He knew it. As if the Luoyun Sect would ever be kind enough to bring him a meal.'
'They were just bringing him leftovers meant for livestock, mixed with garbage, to fill his belly.'
'To them, it was enough that he simply stayed alive to weed and till the herb garden every day.'
'As for his food, the viler, the better. It saved them money!'
"What are you standing around for?"
"Are you deaf? I'm talking to you."
When Ye Chen still didn't move, Li Feng's gaze turned frigid.
At his words, Ye Chen immediately started walking toward Li Feng.
Seeing this, smiles broke out on the faces of the crowd.
"That's more like it."
"From now on, I'll bring you food regularly every day. I'll never let you go hungry," Li Feng said nonchalantly.
The former Saint Heir, barely clinging to life in the herb garden, surviving on swill.
And what about him, the current Saint Heir? He was outside, living a carefree life, enjoying boundless respect.
The stark contrast gave Li Feng a sick sense of pleasure.
That was precisely why he had offered to personally deliver the swill to Ye Chen, despite his own "precious" status.
He wanted to witness with his own eyes the look on Ye Chen's face as he drank the swill—utterly humiliated, yet too afraid to resist!
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Ye Chen came to a stop right in front of Li Feng.
Li Feng's eyes widened, his face filled with a taunting smile.
He could already see it: Ye Chen, kneeling on the ground like a beaten dog, drinking the swill from the bucket.
However...
WHOOSH!
Ye Chen suddenly struck, his hand clamping around Li Feng's neck!
He moved so quickly that no one had time to react!
"Ye Chen... you..."
Li Feng's face instantly turned crimson. He desperately beat at Ye Chen's arm, only to find in horror that the man's hand was like an iron vise; even with all his strength, he couldn't break free!
"Saint Heir!"
The onlooking disciples' faces paled in shock.
As the new Saint Heir, Li Feng's cultivation had long ago reached the Blood Condensation Realm.
How could Ye Chen, with his crippled body, possibly overpower Li Feng in an instant?
'Just... what in the world was happening?'
The same question echoed in everyone's mind.
Throughout it all, Ye Chen's expression remained unchanged.
He watched Li Feng's terrified struggles without expression, then suddenly broke into a grin.
"Since you like swill so much, don't worry. I'll feed it to you."
With that, Ye Chen's free hand shot up, grabbing the wooden bucket and violently pouring its contents into Li Feng's mouth.
The swill—a foul-smelling, murky mix of garbage and animal carcasses—gushed into Li Feng's mouth.
Li Feng's entire face contorted, his once-handsome features now twisted and demonic.
"Ye... Ye Chen... I'm going to kill you..."
Forced to swallow more than half a bucket of swill, Li Feng was now dizzy, a wave of nausea wracking his body. He opened his mouth, trying to vomit.
"Kill me?"
"You're dreaming. This is your last meal."
With that, Ye Chen's hand tightened slightly, snapping Li Feng's neck before he tossed the body to the ground like a dead dog.
The Luoyun Sect's reigning Saint Heir, killed on the spot!