Da Huang's voice was piercingly loud.
However, the moment Da Huang started shouting, Yao Niming and the others immediately flew back into the Alchemy Emperor Manor without hesitation.
They had no intention of being threatened by Da Huang into joining the shouting—that would have been far too embarrassing!
"What are you standing around for?"
"You came here fleeing for your life, and now you won’t even shout with me? Show some loyalty, will you?"
Everyone else had run off, but Fan Yi, severely injured and unable to escape in time, was forcibly recruited by Da Huang.
Fan Yi wore an awkward expression—should he shout or not?
Da Huang was a dog; it didn’t care about shame. But Fan Yi certainly did.
"Hmm?"
"What’s with that look?"
"Are you doubting Da Huang? Or are you doubting me?"
"Am I not majestic? Not domineering? Not invincible? Not absolutely legendary?"
Chen Chang'an's words left Fan Yi with no room for rebuttal. Since resistance was futile, he might as well embrace the situation.
And so, Da Huang and Fan Yi followed behind Chen Chang'an, shouting as they walked, their voices echoing through every street and alley of Alchemy Emperor City until the entire city knew of their proclamation.
At that moment, Alchemy Emperor City erupted in excitement.
"He won?"
"Chen Chang'an won?"
"It must be true. I can sense that the overwhelming aura outside the city has vanished."
"Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying. How is Chen Chang'an this strong?"
"Of course! Don’t forget, Chen Chang'an is someone who doesn’t even fear divine retribution."
"Pah! Weren’t you the one cowering in fear earlier, ready to run? Now you’re singing his praises? Have you no shame?"
"I—how is that shameless? I was just—"
"Enough arguing. The crisis in Alchemy Emperor City is over. We… we’re not going to die!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Chen Chang'an is majestic!"
"Chen Chang'an is domineering!"
"Chen Chang'an—!"
The citizens of Alchemy Emperor City burst into spontaneous cheers, and soon, the name "Chen Chang'an" reverberated through every corner of the city.
Meanwhile, an elderly man, walking unsteadily, slowly made his way out of Alchemy Emperor City’s gates.
Inside the city, his steps had been feeble, but the moment he passed through the gates, he vanished without a trace.
Chen Chang'an glanced back toward the city gates, then smiled faintly and paid it no further mind.
"Your subordinate greets the Palace Master."
A hundred thousand kilometers outside Alchemy Emperor City, the Left Protector of the Blood Slaughter Hall stood respectfully before the elderly man.
"Well done," the old man said with a satisfied nod.
"From this day forward, the Blood Slaughter Hall is entirely under my control."
Praise from the old man filled the Left Protector with excitement. "This subordinate only did what was expected," he said hastily.
"Good. Proceed as planned."
"As for that Chen Chang'an… do not provoke him for now."
"I am not yet fully confident in dealing with him."
"That man’s strength and cunning are anything but ordinary."
"Yes, this subordinate understands. But if Chen Chang'an learns that all members of the Blood Slaughter Hall have been killed, what if—"
"No need to worry. Simply lay low for a while."
"Yes, this subordinate knows what to do."
"Palace Master, what about you—?"
"My affairs are not for you to question."
"Yes, this subordinate merely—"
Before the Left Protector could finish, the old man’s eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious.
Seeing this, the Left Protector fell silent. He glanced at the unconscious old man on the ground, then struck without hesitation, killing him instantly.
Alchemy Emperor Manor
"What?"
"You’re saying Long Wuqi was likely in Alchemy Emperor City this entire time?"
"Are you certain?"
Chen Chang'an's words left Yao Niming and the others utterly stunned.
Long Wuqi had truly been here, hiding within Alchemy Emperor City?
How had Chen Chang'an discovered this? And if he had, why hadn’t he stopped him?
"It’s just a guess. It may not have been him."
"Besides, even if I had acted, I couldn’t have kept him here. He wasn’t physically present—just a wisp of his soul, possessing an old man."
"By now, that old man is likely already dead."
"So even if I had killed him, it wouldn’t have affected Long Wuqi much."
"He was watching everything from within Alchemy Emperor City—everything that happened outside, including all our conversations." Chen Chang'an spoke calmly.
"If that’s the case, then Yun Xiao definitely isn’t Long Wuqi?"
"Then who the hell is Yun Xiao?" Lie Zhankuang asked, puzzled.
"Who said Yun Xiao couldn’t be Long Wuqi?"
"Or to put it another way—who can confirm that Long Wuqi… is just one person?"
The moment these words were spoken, everyone’s minds reeled. Fan Yi was the first to grasp the implication.
"You mean… Long Wuqi has the ability to possess multiple people at once?"
"If that’s true, that’s horrifying!"
"He could be in different places, at different times, wearing different faces, doing countless unrelated things?"
"And no one would ever connect them all to a single person?"
"That’s terrifying beyond belief!" Fan Yi exclaimed, his face pale with shock.
Fan Yi found himself drenched in cold sweat without realizing it, for he understood all too well the implications of this.
In the current Central Heaven Domain, it was highly likely that Long Wuqi had planted seeds everywhere, that his schemes could be lurking anywhere.
Even more terrifying—he might be present anywhere, in any form!
The most frightening part was that no one knew what identities he had assumed over the years, where he had been, or what he had done.
Unknown!
Everything was unknown!
But could one really doubt everything?
Fan Yi almost wished he had never learned of this, never heard these words. From this moment on, he would question everything.
This seed of suspicion would make him see Long Wuqi in every person, in every event.
"Clever people often have one fatal flaw—they think too much."
"You don’t need to follow his example."
"It’s easy to scare yourself to death."
"In truth, it’s not as terrifying as it seems. Though Long Wuqi may have done many things over these millennia, his targets likely weren’t top-tier powers or experts."
"Cases of Long Wuqi possessing someone also wouldn’t happen frequently—after all, not everyone can be fooled by him."
"He would certainly act with extreme caution. Only when he reaches a point of complete recklessness might he act without restraint."
"But clearly, he hasn’t reached that point yet."
"Any powerful method must have its flaws."
"Long Wuqi must have weaknesses too."
Chen Chang'an's words reassured the others. They agreed that if Fan Yi’s suspicions were true, Long Wuqi would be far too formidable.
If he were that powerful, why bother with these underhanded schemes?
"Brother Chen, I don’t understand. Since you’ve already discovered him, why say so much?"
"Wouldn’t he have heard everything?"
"Oh, and that time I called him an ugly bastard—did he hear that too?" Lie Zhankuang asked curiously.
Mentioning this, Chen Chang'an couldn’t help but chuckle. Lie Zhankuang’s insult had indeed caused a flicker of reaction on the face of the old man possessed by Long Wuqi.
Clearly, Long Wuqi was particularly sensitive to the word "ugly."
As for Chen Chang'an’s earlier words, some of them had been deliberately spoken for the enemy’s ears.
"Let’s set aside other matters for now."
"Based on my deduction, the other party likely won’t make any further moves against Alchemy Emperor City."
"After all, regardless of who he originally intended to target, his goal has already been achieved."
"Whether it was the Blood Slaughter Hall or Alchemy Emperor City, the destruction of either would have served his purpose."
"Still, we must remain vigilant!"
"After all, I can’t stay here forever—so all of you must be extra cautious!"
Hearing Chen Chang'an’s words, Yao Niming nodded. Indeed, they couldn’t afford to let their guard down.
But given the current state of Alchemy Emperor City…
"Ah… The title of ‘Undying Alchemy Emperor’ is probably nothing more than an empty name now," Yao Niming sighed helplessly.
"No. In the past, perhaps. But starting today, your title will carry even greater weight."
"So, you must make full use of your reputation and strengthen Alchemy Emperor City."
"Don’t forget—in the battle between the Blood Slaughter Hall and Alchemy Emperor City, it was the Blood Slaughter Hall that lost!"