# Chapter 1826: Nine-Step Saint King Kneels
Kong Hongbi, along with Guo Song and Yuan Che from the Bright Hall's One Hundred and Eight Sacred Generals, sat near the entrance. Although their cultivation was strong, there were no weaklings in Tianjue Pavilion.
Therefore, the three of them were not particularly conspicuous.
Over the years, Kong Hongbi had clearly suffered quite a few setbacks. His originally unruly temperament had changed considerably, and he spoke with a serious expression: "Too many powerful cultivators have gathered in the Eastern Domain Sacred City. This place is a den of trouble. We should hurry to Yunwu Commandery and not linger here."
Guo Song lowered his voice: "Vice Hall Master, are you truly willing to hand over the Divine Stone to Zhang Ruochen?"
Having broken through to the Saint King realm, Kong Hongbi had been promoted to Vice Hall Master of Bright Hall.
He was now one of the few powerful figures in Bright Hall.
Kong Hongbi was naturally very unwilling. After all, when he first met Zhang Ruochen, the latter was as weak as a flea. Who could have imagined that Zhang Ruochen would become so formidable now, like an insurmountable divine mountain blocking his path, leaving him only able to look up in awe.
Yuan Che squinted with a smile and offered an idea: "Why don't we hide the Divine Stone and claim it was stolen by cultivators from another realm? Bright Hall is in need of personnel right now, so the Sacred Ancestor certainly won't punish us severely."
"This plan is feasible. The Divine Stone of our Bright Hall must never be handed over to an outsider." Guo Song said with righteous indignation.
"Do you think the Sacred Ancestor is so easy to fool?"
Kong Hongbi glared at Yuan Che and Guo Song, then slowly continued: "Zhang Ruochen may not have seen a Divine Stone before."
"What does Vice Hall Master mean?" Guo Song and Yuan Che asked in unison.
Kong Hongbi said: "Even I am seeing a Divine Stone for the first time. Legend has it that Zhang Ruochen's cultivation has reached a terrifyingly high level, but that was achieved through rapid improvement in a short time. Whether in foundation or experience, he is far inferior to us. It's very possible that he has never seen a Divine Stone."
Yuan Che showed a thoughtful expression and smiled: "I understand. Vice Hall Master means we can give Zhang Ruochen a fake Divine Stone, since he won't be able to tell the difference. However, creating a convincing fake is not easy. After all, Zhang Ruochen is no fool."
Kong Hongbi said: "There is a type of strange stone in the world called Divine Light Stone. This kind of stone is born where a deity has fallen, retaining a trace of sacred aura. Divine Light Stones and Divine Stones look extremely similar, but their value is worlds apart."
"Using a Divine Light Stone to replace the Divine Stone and giving it to Zhang Ruochen. Heh heh, brilliant. Vice Hall Master's methods are truly brilliant." Yuan Che flattered with a laugh.
A smug smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of Kong Hongbi's mouth. He said: "Earlier, I went to the Black Market to purchase the Divine Light Stone. Let's go. We'll head to Yunwu Commandery now and give the Divine Light Stone to Zhang Ruochen, letting this Sacred Bright Crown Prince be happy for nothing. If he thinks he can take things from our Bright Hall, he's dreaming."
Before Kong Hongbi and his two companions could leave Tianjue Pavilion, Hua Cangying blocked their path.
"Three gentlemen, how about a chat in the private room upstairs?"
Hua Cangying wore a smile and made a gesture of invitation.
Kong Hongbi frowned: "We don't seem to know each other, do we?"
"After spending some time together, we will." Hua Cangying said.
Kong Hongbi knew the other party was a formidable figure and didn't want to offend him, so he cupped his hands and smiled: "Thank you for the kind offer, brother. However, I have urgent matters to attend to. We can meet another time."
As he spoke, Kong Hongbi walked around Hua Cangying and headed outside.
As he passed by Hua Cangying, both Kong Hongbi, Yuan Che, and Guo Song were extremely tense, their heartbeats quickening.
Hua Cangying inviting them to the private room upstairs could not possibly be a good thing.
Could it be that Hua Cangying knew they were carrying a Divine Stone?
A strange smile appeared on Hua Cangying's face. He gently fanned the white bone folding fan in his hand, and instantly a gust of yin wind swept toward Kong Hongbi, Yuan Che, and Guo Song.
"Not good."
Kong Hongbi's expression changed drastically. He was about to flee when he found that the scene before him had undergone a earth-shattering transformation.
All around was dark and gloomy, with fierce yin winds howling. A battalion of white bone yin soldiers surrounded the three of them, letting out earth-shaking roars before charging at them.
In the clouds, Hua Cangying's figure appeared, hundreds of feet tall, like a giant looking down at them.
"Where do you three think you're going?"
Hua Cangying extended a pale, bone-white hand, pressing down toward the tops of their heads, about to capture them.
Kong Hongbi, Yuan Che, and Guo Song were terrified to the extreme. They wanted to resist, but under the suppression of Hua Cangying's powerful cultivation, the three of them couldn't move at all.
"Break."
Just then, a resonant voice rang out.
Instantly, the world of rolling dark clouds and tens of thousands of white bone yin soldiers vanished completely.
Kong Hongbi, Yuan Che, and Guo Song felt the pressure on them lighten. They looked around and found themselves still in Tianjue Pavilion. Clearly, Hua Cangying had just used a spiritual power attack, trapping them in an illusion.
Someone had saved them.
Kong Hongbi and his two companions looked toward their savior, their gazes fixed on Xie Chengzi.
Hua Cangying also stared at Xie Chengzi, furious beyond measure. He roared: "Is there no end to this? Why do you oppose me at every turn?"
Xie Chengzi said: "Our Highness wishes to invite these three gentlemen to the private room upstairs for a chat."
Hua Cangying confronted Xie Chengzi directly: "There should be some order of precedence, shouldn't there? I invited them first."
"In that case, we'll have to fight to decide who gets the three of them?" Xie Chengzi said with a cold laugh.
"Just what I wanted."
Hua Cangying had been holding back for a long time. If it weren't for his fear of the Tianjue Pavilion Master, he would have clashed with them long ago. How could he have yielded at every turn?
Since the other party had proposed a fight, it was the perfect opportunity to teach them a harsh lesson.
"You want to fight? I'll fight you."
Xiang Chunan jumped down from the fifth-floor private room. With a thunderous crash, he landed on the first floor, causing the entire Tianjue Pavilion to shake violently.
He directly pulled out the metal demon crown, gripping it in his hand, ready to smash it toward Hua Cangying.
The red-robed man Luo Yi chased down to the first floor and stopped Xiang Chunan: "Brother Xiang, unless absolutely necessary, don't use a Supreme Sacred Artifact. Let me talk to him."
"Don't stop me. Let me suppress and kill him." Xiang Chunan roared.
"Calm down, calm down."
Luo Yi blocked Xiang Chunan and appeared opposite Hua Cangying.
A look of shock appeared in Hua Cangying's eyes as he stared at the demon crown in Xiang Chunan's hand, wondering if it was truly a Supreme Sacred Artifact.
Luo Yi cupped his hands toward Hua Cangying and smiled: "This brother of mine has a bit of a hot temper. Please don't take it to heart."
Hua Cangying thought to himself that the two seniors, the Traveler and the Walker from the Dark Divine Palace, were still stationed upstairs. Even if they really had a Supreme Sacred Artifact, it wasn't anything to fear.
Hua Cangying's heart settled slightly. He puffed out his chest and said: "In Tianjue Pavilion, Hua doesn't want to cause more trouble, so naturally I won't bother with a reckless fool. But I must take these three with me. Anyone who dares to stop me will die."
Just as all the cultivators in Tianjue Pavilion thought Hua Cangying had the upper hand...
Without any warning—
"Thud." Hua Cangying knelt before Luo Yi.
"Look, Hua Cangying is kneeling on the ground!"
"Heavens, am I hallucinating?"
...
...
Hua Cangying's sudden change in attitude was so dramatic that jaws dropped everywhere. Countless cultivators were dumbfounded.
One must know that this was a Nine-Step Saint King. Even a Great Saint might not be able to make him kneel. But now, Hua Cangying was kneeling like a grandson, kowtowing incessantly.
What was going on?
On the fourth floor of Tianjue Pavilion, the Pavilion Master Jiang Yunchong stood with his hands behind his back, smiling as he observed Luo Yi.
Jiang Hai, standing behind Jiang Yunchong, was quite surprised: "Pavilion Master, what kind of technique is this? The Way of the Mind?"
No one believed that a powerful cultivator like Hua Cangying would truly kneel to Luo Yi. He must have been ambushed, caught by some kind of technique.
Jiang Yunchong shook his head: "It's not the Way of the Mind. It should be the Soul Control Great Art."
"To use the Soul Control Great Art to control a Nine-Step Saint King, how powerful must his spiritual power be? Could he be the legendary Heart Demon?"
Jiang Yunchong gently touched the bridge of his nose: "Whether he is the Heart Demon remains to be seen, but he definitely used the Soul Control Great Art, and he succeeded by borrowing a yin-cold attribute treasure. That treasure is no ordinary item. This person is extremely dangerous."
"Should we warn Zhang Ruochen?" Jiang Hai asked.
Jiang Yunchong shook his head: "Zhang Ruochen has weathered countless storms. He's not so easily defeated. He may have already seen through some clues, including our identities."
"How did you kneel down, kid? Are you afraid of your Grandpa Xiang?" Xiang Chunan walked over to Hua Cangying and kicked him, knocking him to the ground.
Luo Yi smiled and shook his head, then fixed his gaze on Kong Hongbi and the others: "Follow me."
It was a very casual statement, but it made Kong Hongbi and his companions dare not harbor any thoughts of defiance.
Kong Hongbi and his two companions were not reckless fools like Xiang Chunan. They had long been frightened out of their wits by Luo Yi's methods. Since this person could make Hua Cangying kneel, dealing with them would be even easier.
Kong Hongbi obediently followed behind Luo Yi and asked: "Sir, what business do you have with us?"
"It's not me. The Highness upstairs wishes to see you." Luo Yi said.
What kind of extraordinary figure was that Highness, to have so many remarkable individuals around him? Kong Hongbi's heart grew even more uneasy.
The Traveler and the Walker of the Dark Divine Palace had already walked out of their private room, standing behind the railing on the fifth floor of Tianjue Pavilion, watching Luo Yi, Xiang Chunan, Xie Chengzi, and the others ascend the stairs.
That Hua Cangying had been subdued caught them off guard.
However, the two of them did not make a move. The Tianjue Pavilion Master was putting considerable pressure on them. If the situation escalated further, it would be strange if the Pavilion Master didn't intervene.
The Traveler said: "What is this person's background? Have you seen through him?"
The Walker's pupils flickered with golden light spots. He shook his head gently: "Very strange. It's as if a layer of fog shrouds him. I can't see any clues."
The Traveler said: "Then forget it. Let's endure for now. When Divine Cliff arrives, we'll settle accounts with them. By then, we can also investigate the Tianjue Pavilion Master's identity. A powerful cultivator like that couldn't have appeared out of nowhere."