Too Ashamed to Show One's Face

"This!"

"How can there be so many demon corpses!"

"The number of these demon corpses is staggering, and their aura is even more terrifying!"

Gazing at the mountain of demon corpses, everyone was shocked and lost their composure. A closer look made their eyelids twitch violently, and the edge of the withered forest echoed with various exclamations of astonishment.

Old Guo's eyes were also trembling as he urgently looked towards Yi Feng.

"Yi... Young Friend Yi, where did these demon corpses come from?!"

As soon as the words fell, everyone tensely fixed their gaze on him.

Beside the rattan table.

Yi Feng, who had been sitting quietly, was filled with frustration and had no mind for conversation, but he responded subconsciously.

"I just killed them a moment ago."

"You said you needed demon corpses, so I brought them back along the way."

"Just killed." "Along the way."

The offhand remark, delivered so lightly, once again stunned everyone. Even Old Guo felt his head buzzing, completely frozen by the rattan table!

"This..."

For a full several breaths.

Everyone stood rooted to the spot, their exchanged glances filled with shock.

Quietly looking back at the several demon corpses nearby, their pupils began to tremble incessantly, their throats working. When their eyes fell once more on the terrifying severed head of the Two-Faced Giant Demon, Old Guo couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath of cold air!

"Hiss!!!"

That was a Two-Faced Giant Demon!

It was no exaggeration to say that if such a demonic creature appeared, even they had no certainty of victory. And now, its head and body were separated right before their eyes.

This was simply unbelievable!

Even more frightening was that aside from the Two-Faced Demon, the other demon corpses had also been incredibly powerful in life. Yet now, they had all been beheaded and brought back!

A single person had slaughtered the ancient demons of the Demon-Suppressing Prison!

Judging from his spotless appearance and relaxed tone, it seemed no more difficult than killing a chicken...

That was just downright absurd!

Guo Jiannan had never expected that this outsider cultivator would be so terrifyingly powerful, strong beyond his comprehension!

The forest edge suddenly became eerily quiet; everyone was utterly dumbfounded.

At this moment.

They finally realized that Yi Feng's strength was fearsomely formidable. To have annihilated the ancient demons in such a short time meant he was an existence far beyond their ability to compare with!

Guo Jiannan trembled, leaning on his cane, and the more he looked, the more awestruck and terrified he became!

He's just too strong...

Amidst the shock, he recalled his own earlier words.

His old face suddenly grew hot with shame, and his palms began to sweat.

To have dared boast about taking in such a peerless expert as a disciple... he truly hadn't known his own limits, making it utterly mortifying. If this got out, his old face would have nowhere to hide!

And to think he had the nerve to praise the senior earlier as having "good potential." In the senior's eyes, with his own meager cultivation after all these years, he probably didn't even qualify as having "potential"...

The more he thought, the more awkward he felt.

Guo Jiannan hastily bowed his head in salute, his eyes full of trepidation!

"Senior, please forgive this offense..."

"I failed to recognize a true mountain. My earlier disrespectful and presumptuous words, I beg for your magnanimous understanding!"

His solemn voice acted like a wake-up call, startling the stunned crowd from their daze.

Coming to their senses, they hurriedly saluted, bowing humbly in submission.

"Senior, forgive us. We are filled with fear and respect."

Suddenly.

Several old men were bowing before him. Yi Feng stared, dumbfounded.

He quickly rose to help them up, his face awkward.

"Everyone..."

"I just killed a few demons and brought them back as agreed. For such a trivial matter, why such grand courtesy?"

Such a trivial matter.

Just listen to what he's saying!

He clearly annihilated the ancient demons of the Demon-Suppressing Prison, yet could speak of it so lightly and calmly. All the prodigies and powerful experts he had seen in his life couldn't hold a candle to this one.

Having lived for tens of thousands of years, he might as well have lived it all in vain!

Guo Jiannan's eyes trembled upon hearing this, and he bent his body even lower.

"Senior, you jest..."

"These demons are the formidable existences we spoke of. For you, senior, to bring back their corpses is of immense help for us to recover our cultivation. It is akin to a grace of rebirth!"

"Our vision was shallow. We were disrespectful time and again. Out of gratitude and shame, we should all offer you a deep bow!"

As these words were spoken, the others immediately chimed in nervously.

"Senior's grace of rebirth is something we can never repay. Please accept our bow!"

With that, a group of old men lowered their heads to kowtow.

Hearing these words and witnessing such a scene.

Yi Feng was completely stunned.

Nani...

After all this fuss, the demons he just killed were the strongest ones? The legendary, terrifyingly powerful ancient demon monsters were just these trash he casually chopped down?

If that was the case.

Then the strongest existence in the Demon-Suppressing Prison was only at this level. And as for these old men, they were probably even worse than the demonic trash?

Holy shit...

Damn!

Realizing this belatedly, Yi Feng's eyes filled with bewilderment, and he plopped back down onto the rattan chair.

He had thought the Demon-Suppressing Prison, being so boastfully impressive, would offer a chance to find death. Even the demons that the legendary Old Guo feared should have been quite strong.

Who would have thought he'd finish them off without even trying hard?

How was he supposed to play this game now?

With the ancient demons wiped out, who else could he fight?

He couldn't very well force Old Guo to fight, could he?

Better forget it. Bullying a frail old man would be a terrible reputation. Even if he disregarded reputation, the old man probably couldn't harm a hair on his head anyway.

Finding death was just too difficult.

Sigh...

The dumbfounded Yi Feng sat in silent stupefaction, his eyes filled with the loneliness of snow and helpless resignation.

Fortunately, after all this time, he was used to all sorts of disappointing situations. His expectations weren't that high to begin with, so he wasn't too upset now. He had pretty much come to accept the ways of the world.

After just a few breaths, Yi Feng had already come to terms with the awkward reality.

"Thud! Thud!"

Hearing the dull thuds from the ground, Yi Feng finally snapped back to attention.

Seeing a group of elders bowing before him was truly embarrassing. He could no longer sit comfortably and quickly stood up to help them.

"Old Guo, there's no need for this. Please rise quickly."

The old fellow really did have a frail physique. Even if he insisted on bowing, Yi Feng's gentle assistance made it impossible for his dry-boned frame to resist, and he had to rise with the guiding force.

As their eyes met, Guo Jiannan was filled with emotion.

This helping hand made him personally experience the difference between heaven and earth. Even with close contact, he could hardly sense Senior Yi Feng's specific cultivation level. It was truly the extremely high realm of the Great Dao simplified, returning to pristine simplicity—a realm he simply couldn't compare to.

Before this person.

What did cultivating for tens of thousands of years count for? Nothing but an ant!

What was even rarer was that this senior bore no grudge for their disrespect and had even casually slain demons to bestow upon them an opportunity. Such bearing was humbling.

This was a true peerless master.

Recalling his earlier boasts about his own past fame, he felt utterly mortified.

Guo Jiannan's old face was already flushed with shame, and he could only turn his head slightly to cup his fists in salute.

"Senior's breadth of mind is vast. This old man is ashamed!"

Tree Venerable and the others also saluted again, their eyes full of reverence and submission.

"Senior's kindness is as weighty as a mountain; we are utterly ashamed! From now on, if senior has any orders, we will strive to repay even at the cost of our lives, and dare not show the slightest disobedience!"

"If we break this vow, may heaven and earth strike us down!"

The old men grew more and more impassioned as they spoke, crowding around to salute and thump their chests!

Surrounded on all sides, Yi Feng couldn't handle such enthusiasm. After all, he was still young, and this sudden promotion in seniority felt hard to accept.

Returning their salutes with cupped fists, he could only laugh and try to console them.

"Everyone."

"I appreciate your gratitude. But this was just a trivial effort, no need for such formality. You also don't need to call me senior."

Who knew that as soon as the words left his mouth, Guo Jiannan would be the first to solemnly cup his fists!

"Senior!"

"In our path of cultivation, we have always upheld the principle that the strong are revered. Our own cultivation is still shallow, so it is only right and proper that we address you as Elder. You have bestowed grace upon us without expecting anything in return, and we are already deeply ashamed. If we were to show even the slightest disrespect, what face would we have to accept such kindness? How could we continue living in this world?"

As these words were spoken, Tree Venerable and the others all nodded solemnly in agreement.

"Indeed! Although our cultivation is meager, we understand the meaning of gratitude and righteousness!"

"The strong are revered; this is the natural order!"

"Elder, please do not humble yourself further before us!"

"If you refuse our respectful greeting, we would rather let our life force regress and wither away to nothing in this Demon-Suppressing Prison than have the audacity to accept the opportunity you have bestowed!"

Faced with the solemn expressions in the aged gazes of several men, Yi Feng was left with no room for argument.

After a moment of helpless contemplation, he could only reluctantly nod in acquiescence.

"I understand your sentiments."

"However, our meeting here is a matter of fate; we are, in a way, comrades in misfortune. The bond forged in such circumstances far surpasses mundane hierarchies of seniority. I truly cannot accept being called 'Elder.' If nothing else, let us each take a step back and interact as peers."

"You may address me as Brother Yi. How does that sound?"

"If even this is unacceptable, then it would mean you do not wish for any friendship with me!"

Guo Jiannan and the others exchanged glances upon hearing this, the shock in their eyes growing even deeper.

With their insignificant level of cultivation, to have encountered a lofty expert like Elder Yi Feng and, by a twist of fate, obtained the Demon Corpse was already a dream-like opportunity. How could they dare to hope for something like friendship?

To put it bluntly, they had enough self-awareness to know they existed on an entirely different level from Elder Yi Feng. How could they possibly aspire to more?

The term "friendship" held an immeasurable value.

This was an immense honor, a blessing beyond what countless others could even dream of!

Only a fool would refuse!

With things having reached this point,

the group was utterly convinced and could only gather their courage to bow in salute.

"In that case... we will presume upon your kindness."

"We pay our respects to... Brother Yi!"

Witnessing the group of old men nervously paying their respects, Yi Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly having a bunch of old 'younger brothers' still felt a bit strange, but it was certainly better than having a group of white-haired juniors.

Well, when in the Primordial Star, one must adapt.

Amused and exasperated, Yi Feng managed a smile and returned the salute with clasped fists.

"My worthy brothers, greetings to you all."