Lantern Festival ends

Long Chen rolled away in a sorry state for a few turns before raising his eyes to look; the arrow, having been dodged by Long Chen, struck directly into Huang Shang's thigh.

At this moment, Huang Shang's mouth was wide open, and his eyes had lost their luster, staring blankly at the sky like the eyes of a dead fish.

A thick, fishy stench spread from Huang Shang's thigh. Although Long Chen held his breath the instant it started, he still felt a wave of dizziness and nausea, his chest feeling tight.

"What potent poison."

Long Chen was inwardly horrified; the arrow was clearly coated in a deadly poison. Although he couldn't accurately determine what kind of poison it was just from the smell,

its intensity meant it must have been brewed using the venom of a Demonic Beast of the third rank or higher. Anyone below the Blood Condensation Realm would die instantly upon contact.

"Shameless."

Just then, Great Master Yun Qi let out an angry shout. Extending his large hand, a flaming spear over a zhang long shot toward Wei Cang.

Seeing that Long Chen had actually dodged his strike, Wei Cang couldn't help but be shocked. Seeing Yun Qi attacking, he hurriedly withdrew the delicately crafted hand crossbow in his hand; the poisonous arrow from earlier had been fired from it.

"Boom."

Wei Cang also reached out and summoned a flaming longsword, heavily bracing it against the spear, creating a loud explosion. Sparks flew everywhere, and boundless heat waves surged outward.

Long Chen was the closest, only about a dozen zhang away. Already extremely weak, he was immediately sent flying by the shockwave.

Just as Long Chen thought he was about to be sent tumbling across the ground, a soft, fragrant body suddenly pressed tightly against his back, his nose filled with the faint scent of a maiden.

"Chu Yao."

Long Chen looked back and saw Chu Yao looking at him with a face full of concern; he was lying in her arms.

"Long Chen… I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

Chu Yao cried out softly, tears streaming down like broken pearls. She knew that Long Chen ending up in such a state was largely because of her.

If not for her actions today, perhaps Long Chen wouldn't have ended up like this. Thinking about how he had nearly lost his life several times, her heart ached.

"What are you saying? That bastard Xia Changfeng has long looked at me with displeasure; this matter has nothing to do with you," Long Chen comforted her.

He wanted to stand up, but he didn't have a shred of strength in his whole body. Leaning in Chu Yao's embrace, Long Chen couldn't help but feel his heart pounding wildly.

"Long Chen, thank you." Chu Yao knew Long Chen was intentionally comforting her, and she couldn't help but feel both moved and ashamed.

"Boom."

Another loud explosion shattered the slight stirring of romance in Long Chen's heart, and he hurriedly looked toward the sound.

At this moment, Great Master Yun Qi held a spear condensed from Alchemy flame that had already reached over three zhang in length. It was fire-red all over, with scorching shockwaves and a monstrous aura.

That was an ability only reachable by an Alchemist—Alchemy Flame Manifestation. Alchemists do not like to fight, but that does not mean their combat power is not strong.

An Alchemist's lifelong cultivation is concentrated in their Alchemy flame. Not only can it be used for Alchemy, but when used in combat, its power far exceeds that of the same rank.

Wei Cang's expression was extremely grave. Long Chen could see that although Wei Cang was also an Alchemist with a powerful Alchemy flame, when it came to purity, he was more than a notch inferior to Great Master Yun Qi.

Long Chen wanted to mock Wei Cang a few times, but the post-battle weakness and that final strike had almost exhausted all his strength; he didn't even have the energy to shout.

Every time the flaming weapons in Yun Qi and Wei Cang's hands clashed, they emitted a loud explosion, causing the earth to tremble. The rolling shockwaves were unbearable, forcing people to retreat one after another.

Both of them were presidents of the Alchemist Association with noble status. Such figures taking action was something not only the young people but even the princes and marquises had never seen before, and they were all watching with rapt attention.

"Wei Cang, you have lived for so many years and still haven't made any progress. Get lost—Flame Dragon Pierce."

With a loud shout, Yun Qi suddenly thrust his spear forward. The whistling wind tore through the Void Realm and shattered the ground as a dragon-shaped flame erupted from the tip.

Seeing this, Wei Cang also let out a loud shout, and the longsword in his hand transformed into a giant shield, blocking desperately in front of him.

"Bang."

The explosion shook the heavens, and dust and flames rolled, as if the very air had been ignited, making it impossible to breathe.

"Yun Qi, just you wait."

Suddenly, a figure flew out from the flames and fled in a sorry state. That person was none other than Wei Cang, who left behind those words before disappearing into the night.

As if he had long expected this result, Great Master Yun Qi coldly glanced at the direction Wei Cang had left in before slowly turning back to his seat.

For a moment, the entire venue was silent. People looked at Long Chen, who was being supported by Chu Yao, and then at the livid Xia Changfeng, unable to say a word.

The Empress Dowager's expression was not good either. Today's events had completely exceeded her expectations; she, the ruler of the Phoenix Empire, had actually been reduced to a supporting role.

"Long Chen wins. This year's Lantern Festival ends here."

The Empress Dowager had no choice but to announce the result. As soon as her voice fell, the entire scene instantly boiled over. The young maidens in the venue surged toward Long Chen like a tide.

Long Chen was startled. Before he could even understand what was happening, a young maiden took the lead and placed a flower wreath on Long Chen's head.

Long Chen was stunned. Just as he was about to say something, seven or eight more maidens rushed up. Regardless of whether Long Chen was willing or not, they tied the flower wreaths they had made themselves onto Long Chen's head as if they were tying up a cow.

Chu Yao stood to the side, watching with a giggle. She didn't speak, her beautiful eyes filled with playfulness, but her pretty face carried a sense of pride.

"Hey…"

Long Chen was already covered in flower wreaths and had no room left to hang any more. He was just about to tell this group of enthusiastic maidens, but as soon as he spoke, the sky suddenly darkened as flower wreaths flew in from everywhere, covering the sky and earth.

It turned out that some of the maidens, seeing that there were too many people and they couldn't squeeze through, got anxious and simply threw the flower wreaths in their hands toward Long Chen.

With one leading, the other women suddenly realized and followed suit. In an instant, hundreds of flower wreaths flew over. When the crowd dispersed, Long Chen had already disappeared, having been forcefully buried by the flower wreaths.

The Phoenix Empire had a culture that valued martial arts, and women were very direct in expressing their love. Even knowing that Long Chen had already expressed his love to Chu Yao, it did not hinder their admiration for Long Chen in the slightest.

Handsome, powerful, valuing relationships and righteousness—for the sake of his beloved, for the sake of his brothers, daring to fight a Blood Condensation expert to the death, despising life and death—what kind of courage was that? It could be said that Long Chen's performance had touched the innocent hearts of most of the young maidens.

When Long Chen struggled to crawl out from the pile of flowers, the surrounding people had already dispersed, and Chu Yao was gone too. Only Fatty Yu and the others came over to pull Long Chen out.

"Brother Long, you are simply my idol," Fatty Yu said with an excited face.

The others were about the same. Today, Long Chen's performance had shocked everyone. Long Chen was simply the Reincarnation of a War God, making them feel incredibly proud.

Long Chen smiled slightly and looked around, discovering that the Empress Dowager and the other princes, ministers, and Great Master Yun Qi had all left. Even Chu Yao was gone.

"Brother Long, when you were buried just now, the Third Princess was called away by the Empress Dowager. I saw that the Empress Dowager's expression was very ugly; I'm afraid the Third Princess will have a hard time in the future," Monkey said with some worry.

If it were normal times, they wouldn't dare to speak recklessly about royal affairs, but today's performance by Long Chen had stirred their ambition, and they no longer had so many scruples.

Great Xia Prince Xia Changfeng had come to Phoenix this time mainly to propose marriage to the Third Princess. Although no exact news had come out yet, it was said that the Empress Dowager had already nodded in agreement.

Now that the Third Princess had publicly shown favor to Long Chen at the Lantern Festival, it was tantamount to slapping the Empress Dowager and Xia Changfeng in the face. It would be strange if the Empress Dowager's expression was good.

While they were here, they had Great Master Yun Qi backing them, but Great Master Yun Qi was, after all, from the Alchemist Association—a neutral force that would never interfere in the Empire's affairs, let alone someone else's family matters.

Therefore, the worries of Monkey and the others were normal. Hearing this, the joy of Long Chen's recent victory also disappeared by more than half.

However, Long Chen did not regret it. For a lovely person who had confessed her love to him regardless of the cost, even if he died, he absolutely could not let her down.

Seeing that the people in the entire square had already left, only some soldiers remained, dismantling the surrounding decorations and some broken trash. Huang Shang's corpse had also long been removed.

"Let's go, let's go back first. Shi Feng, how is your injury?" Long Chen stood up with Monkey's support and said.

"I'm fine, Long Chen, I…" Shi Feng was a bit ashamed. If it weren't for him today, Long Chen wouldn't have fallen for this trap at all, and he almost lost his life.

"Between brothers, there's no need to say useless words. If you are a brother, just heal your wounds, improve your cultivation, and get revenge," Long Chen waved his hand and said.

"Revenge? Isn't Huang Shang dead?" Fatty Yu asked with some surprise.

Long Chen smiled slightly and didn't speak. Everyone couldn't help but be shocked. Could it be that Long Chen wanted to…?

"Alright, you guys take me and Shi Feng back. We need to recuperate. To tell you the truth, I feel like my bones are about to fall apart now," Long Chen laughed.

Everyone hurriedly came up to support Long Chen. In fact, Long Chen's injuries weren't very serious; the key was that he had exhausted his strength, and he didn't have a shred of energy left in his whole body.

After the group slowly left, a person slowly appeared in a dark corner. He watched the direction in which Long Chen and the others disappeared and couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"I really didn't expect that Long Chen would actually grow to such a degree. Could it be that he has been hiding it all along?"

That person was none other than the current Fourth Prince. Long Chen's performance today was beyond everyone's expectations, including his own.

"If it is true, then this kid has very deep schemes," the Fourth Prince couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"My Lord, should we secretly eliminate him?"

Behind the Fourth Prince, a shadow lingered in the darkness. If he hadn't made a sound, no one would have ever noticed him.

"No rush for now. Although he surprised me today, his weaknesses have also been fully exposed. No matter how powerful a person is, once they have weaknesses, there is nothing to fear.

Although there were some unexpected turns, this change might not be a bad thing. If utilized well, it will bring us unexpected gains," a faint smile appeared on the Fourth Prince's face.

Long Chen didn't go home that day, but instead asked Monkey to send a message to his family, saying that he was learning from Great Master Yun Qi at the Alchemist Association.

Today's events had caused too much of a stir; he didn't want to face his mother as soon as he got back. Besides, he was covered in injuries now, and his mother would be sad if she saw them.

That night, Long Chen went to Shi Feng's house. Shi Feng only had a few fractures. As for the internal organ injuries, under Long Chen's Medicinal Pill, they were no longer a major issue.

A few fractures only needed a few days of recuperation to heal. Although Shi Feng had been badly defeated this time, it was beneficial rather than harmful for his path of growth; the strong need to be tempered.

That night, Shi Feng's father arranged a quiet room for Long Chen. When he returned to Shi Feng's house, Long Chen's strength had already recovered a little.

The people around were all sent away. Long Chen slowly took a jade bottle out of his ring, from which a trace of scorching fluctuation emanated.

Hehe, I can't wait until daybreak for good things!