Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

Lin Yun's performance had earned him a sliver of the Qingfeng Saint's goodwill. 'Young people like Lin Yun are truly a rare sight these days,' he thought. 'Even among the proud prodigies of the Central Domain, few could match him.'

Although he felt some goodwill toward Lin Yun, the Qingfeng Saint was eager to hear what he had to say. His expression remained unchanged, his voice still tinged with a hint of coldness as he said, "So what if I've come to the Eastern Domain for Cao Tianxing? And so what if it's for the Celestial Spirit Auction House?"

Hearing the Qingfeng Saint's words, Lin Yun smiled faintly. "Senior, if your visit is solely for Cao Tianxing, then please forgive my audacity, but you are no different from him—a mediocrity."

The moment Lin Yun spoke, Chairman Qian, who had just reached the main hall's entrance, stumbled and collapsed to the ground in terror. Lin Yun had actually dared to call a Saint a mediocrity to his face...

However, the Qingfeng Saint didn't explode with rage as Chairman Qian had expected. Instead, he let out a hearty laugh. "Haha, do you have any idea? You're the first person who has ever dared to call me a mediocrity."

It was only natural that the Qingfeng Saint didn't fly into a rage. As a Saint, he had his pride. It would have been strange for him to get angry at every little provocation from a mere Celestial Spirit Realm brat like Lin Yun. It was like asking if a Divine Dragon would bother getting angry at a common earth snake.

"Senior, please forgive my audacity, but I am only speaking the truth," Lin Yun said with a bow, seeing that the Qingfeng Saint had not gotten angry.

"Continue." Growing more and more interested in Lin Yun, the Qingfeng Saint gestured for him to keep talking.

At this, Lin Yun's expression remained calm as he went on, "If your visit is for the sake of the Celestial Spirit Auction House, then what importance does Cao Tianxing's death hold for you, Senior? Rather than entrusting a crucial position like the head of the Eastern Domain to a mediocrity like Cao Tianxing, why not give it to someone more capable?"

Hearing this, the Qingfeng Saint guessed Lin Yun's intentions. For the first time, a smile touched his lips. He pointed at Chairman Qian outside the door and said, "You want to prop up Chairman Qian?"

"That's right." Without denying it, Lin Yun boldly admitted it.

'I've already figured out his plan.' The Qingfeng Saint was now certain that Lin Yun had orchestrated Cao Tianxing's murder. But as Lin Yun had said, none of that mattered. 'Who was Cao Tianxing anyway?' The Saint couldn't care less whether he lived or died. Compared to Cao Tianxing, he was far more interested in Lin Yun now.

"Haha, boy, do you have any idea how high the position of Eastern Domain Head is within the Celestial Spirit Auction House? A mere Celestial Spirit Realm brat like you wants to decide who becomes the head of my Celestial Spirit Auction House's Eastern Domain?" the Qingfeng Saint said with a loud laugh.

For Lin Yun to have a Celestial Spirit Realm cultivation at his age was already quite impressive. However, in the Central Domain, such a cultivation level was far from the top. The Central Domain had plenty of Demon Fiends whose cultivation at Lin Yun's age had been far higher than his.

With only a Celestial Spirit Realm Minor Achievement cultivation, Lin Yun wanted to promote Chairman Qian. To the Qingfeng Saint, this was simply a joke. 'Although it would only take a single word from me for the Dragon Head to approve the new Eastern Domain Head, why should I help Lin Yun?'

Still looking at the Qingfeng Saint calmly, Lin Yun said slowly, "Senior, I know you are impartial, but all of this is predicated on what's best for the Celestial Spirit Auction, isn't it?"

"Chairman Qian's cultivation may not be high, but I'm sure you are aware of his management skills, Senior. The Celestial Spirit Auction House in Wind City sends almost as much money to headquarters each year as the other four cities combined. Tell me, Senior, what's wrong with putting a man like that in the position of Eastern Domain Head?"

"I have to admit, your words have some merit. However, I am here to investigate Cao Tianxing's death. The new head of the Eastern Domain is not my concern," the Qingfeng Saint said.

"That's right, your purpose here is to investigate Cao Tianxing's death, Senior. But forgive my audacity, couldn't Cao Tianxing have died at the hands of the Qing Zhu Association? Don't you want a win-win situation, Senior?"

"Insolent!" The Qingfeng Saint roared as soon as Lin Yun finished speaking. 'Is this boy trying to tell me what to do? Does he really think I'll let him manipulate me with just a few words?'

"Lin Yun, the Dragon Head himself appointed Cao Tianxing as the head of the Eastern Domain. Regardless of what kind of person he was, he was not yours to kill." The Qingfeng Saint's voice turned cold again as he looked at Lin Yun.

This was what it was like to speak with a Saint—like accompanying a tiger. As the most supreme experts on the Celestial Spirit Continent, their mercurial moods were to be expected.

Facing the once again angered Qingfeng Saint, Lin Yun didn't back down in the slightest. Instead, he met the challenge head-on.

"Senior, didn't Cao Tianxing deserve to die?"

"I don't care if Cao Tianxing deserved to die or not. Today, I'll deal with you first and take your head back to the Central Domain." As he spoke, the Qingfeng Saint prepared to strike.

Facing the might that once again erupted from the Qingfeng Saint, Lin Yun shouted, "Utterly decadent! I was originally going to offer you a treasure to help you break through to the Celestial Saint Realm, Senior. But since it has come to this, go ahead and kill me!"

Hearing Lin Yun's words, the Qingfeng Saint's already raised hand slowly lowered. Of all that Lin Yun had said, only one phrase truly registered: help him break through to the Celestial Saint Realm.

At the Saint Realm, every small step forward was incredibly difficult. Take the Qingfeng Saint himself—he had been stuck in the Earth Saint Realm for nearly two hundred years.

His long failure to break through to the Celestial Saint Realm wasn't due to a lack of talent, but a lack of opportunity. Anyone who could reach the Saint Realm was a Demon Fiend in their own right; their aptitude and talent were beyond question, as was their diligence.

"Hmph, you're a mere Celestial Spirit Realm ant. How could you possibly help me break through to the Celestial Saint Realm?" Although he had temporarily retracted his aura, the Qingfeng Saint's voice was still cold, his tone carrying the clear threat that he would kill Lin Yun if he dared to lie.

From the moment their conversation began until now, it was unclear whether the Qingfeng Saint hadn't noticed or simply refused to admit it.

From the very beginning, Lin Yun had been controlling the pace and initiative of the entire conversation.

Normally, as a holder of the Celestial Spirit Auction House's Gold Order and an Earth Saint Realm cultivator, the Qingfeng Saint shouldn't have had to expend so much effort talking to a brat like Lin Yun.

Yet the reality was the exact opposite. Facing Lin Yun, the Qingfeng Saint found himself in an extremely conflicted position.

On one hand, he admired Lin Yun; on the other, he was furious with him. Now, because Lin Yun claimed he could help him break through to the Celestial Saint Realm, he couldn't bring himself to kill him.

The initiative was entirely in Lin Yun's hands. Even though the Qingfeng Saint had the power to crush Lin Yun with ease, it was useless at this moment. He could only listen as Lin Yun continued to speak.

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