"Number Nine?"
"What does that mean? Was that Consultant Chen Feng's voice just now?"
"Everyone look at the sky, is that Consultant Chen Feng?"
The people of Liyue Harbor noticed the huge phantom in the sky and couldn't help but feel surprised.
"Wait a minute, I think I've heard the name Number Nine somewhere before..."
Suddenly, someone remembered the news they had heard recently, and their heart instantly filled with horror.
"Consultant Chen Feng is actually a member of that faction. It's over, we're screwed this time!"
"Fontaine, Sumeru... Now it's Liyue's turn?"
"I should have taken my whole family and run away!"
Soon after, the informed ones revealed the truth to the others, leaving the people of Liyue Harbor completely dumbfounded.
Consultant Chen Feng actually hailed from a terrifying faction that had nearly destroyed Fontaine and Sumeru, yet they had even regarded him as their savior?
Ningguang and Keqing walked outside, their faces grim as they looked at the phantom in the sky; their worst premonitions had truly been fulfilled. Chen Feng had hidden himself far deeper than Ningguang had ever expected.
She had already suspected that Chen Feng might be a Numbered Member, but she never expected him to turn against Liyue. All his previous actions had been a disguise.
What a brilliant tactic, not blindly concealing his information, but openly displaying it, and then mixing in some false clues to mislead them.
"Ningguang, Chen Feng seems to be at the summit of Mt. Tianheng right now."
"I'm afraid Director Hu saw through Chen Feng's disguise, forcing him to reveal himself earlier than planned."
Ningguang spoke softly, then formed a bright yellow hand seal, controlling the Jade Chamber to swiftly move toward Mt. Tianheng.
"Ningguang, how much power does the Jade Chamber have left?"
"Less than ten percent."
Ningguang slowly uttered this heavy answer.
"Two days ago, almost all the Jade Chamber's energy was completely depleted, leaving only a small amount of levitation energy."
"There is absolutely no time to recharge in such a short period. At most, it can launch a single attack that might barely threaten a god, and then its energy will be completely exhausted again."
Ningguang took a deep breath, then continued.
"At that point, if the situation becomes extremely dire, I will have no choice but to bring the Jade Chamber down again."
"Ningguang..."
Keqing looked at Ningguang with a complex expression, then continued.
"If the Jade Chamber is destroyed again this time, you won't be able to build a third one for a long while, will you?"
Although Ningguang's wealth was terrifying, the Jade Chamber was a gold-devouring beast, and Ningguang had invested nearly half of her savings into it.
"If that moment truly comes, I will have no other choice."
Sensing Ningguang's resolve, Keqing nodded, then turned her gaze back to the giant phantom in the sky.
Keqing never expected Chen Feng to hide himself so well, playing her like a fool. A sense of betrayal welled up within her, leaving a bitter taste in her heart.
On the other side, Cloud Retainer rose from her residence in Liyue Harbor, her face filled with fury as she stared at Chen Feng's giant phantom in the sky.
"To dare trifle with this Adeptus so! Chen Feng, you little brat, I will not let this go!"
"Little Ping, let's go! Let this brat learn that we Adepti are not to be trifled with!"
The moment Cloud Retainer finished speaking, she and another figure from Liyue Harbor transformed into two streaks of light of different colors, racing toward Mt. Tianheng.
As for the other Adepti, they had already returned, but upon sensing the commotion on Mt. Tianheng, they were now hurrying over with all their might.
Chen Feng's grand self-introduction had completely sent Liyue into a frenzy.
The perspective shifted back to the summit of Mt. Tianheng. Hu Tao's aura had now condensed to its absolute peak, her emotions finally stabilizing. Her eyes, filled with fury and sorrow, were fixed on Chen Feng as she spoke.
"Chen Feng, since you insist on disrupting the order of life and death, do not blame this Director for disregarding our past friendship."
With that, Hu Tao transformed into a giant Spirit Butterfly, flapping its wings fiercely in Chen Feng's direction. The action whipped up fierce winds and heatwaves, and the rising flames even threatened to eclipse the sun's brilliance for a fleeting moment.
In response, Chen Feng merely lifted his arm, and immediately, the giant phantom followed suit. It crossed its arm in front of Chen Feng, effortlessly blocking Hu Tao's attack.
The Spirit Butterfly vanished into a ball of orange-red fire, leaving only Hu Tao gripping her Staff of Homa with both hands before her body, struggling to hold her ground.
Now, Hu Tao was incredibly close to Chen Feng, only about one meter away. This was the first time they had been so close since Chen Feng had completely shown his hand.
Yet even at this distance of one meter, though Hu Tao pushed her physical strength to its absolute limit, she could not advance an inch, as if separated by an impassable chasm.
Sweat already covered Hu Tao's forehead. The oppressive aura Chen Feng emitted was now several times stronger than before, letting Hu Tao truly feel just how powerful he was.
Chen Feng wasn't even taking this seriously, yet he was already exerting unimaginable pressure on her.
It must be noted that after sending off so many of the deceased earlier and finally erupting with her suppressed emotions, Hu Tao was now much stronger than before. However, she still stood no chance against Chen Feng, unable to even make him take her seriously.
After a few seconds of stalemate, Chen Feng casually waved his hand. The next instant, a powerful shockwave erupted where Hu Tao's attack met the phantom. Hu Tao felt an irresistible force thrust her backward.
She took several heavy steps across the ground, skidding to a halt as she left a visible furrow in the earth.
Hu Tao panted slightly. She had poured all her strength into the previous attack, but Chen Feng's overwhelming power was still beyond her expectations.
"Director Hu Tao, if you want to stop me, this isn't enough."
Hearing these words, Hu Tao charged forward again with her Staff of Homa. Yet, just as before, she was repelled by that same irresistible force.
"Director Hu Tao, if this is the extent of your resolve, I'm truly disappointed."
"You can be stronger than this, can't you?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to stop me?"
"Or perhaps you need my help?"
After speaking, Chen Feng shook his head and once again looked at Hu Tao with cold indifference.
"In that case, let me choose a suitable opponent for you, Director Hu Tao."
Upon hearing Chen Feng's words, Hu Tao's body tensed slightly, and a sudden sense of dread filled her mind.
Sure enough, the next second, her intuition was confirmed.
Chen Feng opened a black vortex beside him, from which a figure slowly emerged.
"Grand-Grandpa..."
Staring at the newly appeared figure, Hu Tao's eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
"Child, I never expected that we, grandfather and granddaughter, would meet again."
Hu Tao's grandfather sighed gently. The moment he appeared here, he understood everything. He knew he had been brought here as Hu Tao's enemy.
"Has Liyue already changed this much?"
"Child, just what kind of being are you fighting?"
Hu Tao's grandfather's voice was filled with worry. He sensed the aura radiating from Chen Feng, a power that made his heart tremble.
A being with such power could destroy an entire nation without even breaking a sweat.
"This is impossible..."
Hu Tao murmured softly. Her grandfather had clearly passed away years ago, yet now he stood before her, looking no different from a living person, showing none of the traits a spirit should possess.
At first, Hu Tao doubted his identity, but within a few short sentences, she realized that the figure before her was indeed her long-deceased grandfather.
What was going on? Was this Chen Feng's true ability?
"Child, you must be the 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, running it all on your own now."
"I am so sorry to have you take over everything at the parlor at such a young age."
"If only Grandpa could have lived a few more years."
Seeing the clothes Hu Tao was wearing, her grandfather spoke with a hint of self-reproach, his eyes filled with heartache as he looked at her.
When Hu Tao became the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor back then, she was only thirteen years old. He could not imagine how heavy a burden she had carried on her shoulders.
But at that time, his own life was at its end, and he was completely powerless to do anything about it. This was his greatest regret.
Hearing these words, two streams of hot tears flowed down Hu Tao's cheeks.
If the situation had been different, how Hu Tao wished she could have poured her heart out to her grandfather about the hardships and a few interesting things she had experienced over the years.
To talk about the current prosperity of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"Let's end the small talk here."
"Director Hu, I hope this opponent will satisfy you."
"As long as you can send him back to the afterlife, I promise to reduce the number of sacrifices written in the Death Note by half."
After speaking, Chen Feng paused for a moment, then looked at Hu Tao coldly and spoke again.
"This is already a very generous offer, Director Hu. You should seize the opportunity."
Hearing Chen Feng's words, Hu Tao's heart was pierced with pain once again. She looked into Chen Feng's eyes, trying to find a trace of his former self, but no matter how hard she tried, she simply could not.
Gradually, the look in her eyes as she gazed at Chen Feng became utterly unfamiliar.
On one side was her own dearest kin, and on the other were the nearly ten thousand innocent lives of Liyue. Hu Tao's expression was one of immense pain, but the hand gripping the Staff of Homa was no longer trembling.
"I hope you keep your word..."
At this moment, Hu Tao's tone had also grown cold. The continuous blows, combined with the fact that she now had to personally send her own kin back to the afterlife, had completely shut off her heart.
"Of course I will keep my word. We've known each other for so long, Director Hu Tao, you are the one who knows this best, aren't you?"
"But you must hurry. If we drag this out for too long, I won't have enough time to erase the name from the Death Note."
Immediately after Chen Feng spoke these words, Hu Tao moved, going all out from the very beginning.
Hu Tao's grandfather did not want to fight her, but his body was no longer under his own control.
She had thought this battle would be over quickly. However, to her surprise, her grandfather was able to exert tremendous strength in this state. If Hu Tao's own power had not grown considerably since before, the outcome of this battle would have likely been a crushing defeat.
"It's over."
Hu Tao pressed the Staff of Homa against her grandfather's neck, her eyes once again filling with immense sorrow.
Yet at this moment, her grandfather appeared utterly peaceful.
"Go on, child."
Hu Tao's grandfather looked at her with doting affection, his voice encouraging.
"Do what you must."
"Grandfather never belonged to this world to begin with. To be able to see you one last time is already a blessing beyond measure."
"The Directors of our Wangsheng Funeral Parlor have always been the guardians of the balance between Yin and Yang. Now is the time to fulfill this duty."
Hu Tao took a deep breath, and countless flames crawled up her grandfather's body. Bathed in the fire, the expression on his face was full of gratification and praise.
"Well done, child..."
After completing this task, the Staff of Homa fell from Hu Tao's hand to the ground, her eyes losing their focus.
Seeing Hu Tao in this state, a flicker of hesitation crossed Chen Feng's face, but it was quickly concealed.
"Well done."
"...Let those people go. That is what you promised me."
Thinking of the original terms, Hu Tao regained a small amount of her senses.
"Is that so?"
Chen Feng shook his head.
"It seems that is indeed the case."
"However, I've changed my mind."
Hearing Chen Feng's words, Hu Tao's eyes filled with utter despair.
"Chen Feng, why have you become like this?"
"Just how terrible are the memories you've recovered?"
Hu Tao asked, her voice trembling with despair. She snatched the Staff of Homa from the ground and charged at Chen Feng. However, completely drained of her strength, she was effortlessly thrown to the ground by his power, rolling dozens of meters down the mountain path before finally stopping as she grabbed a protruding rock.
"That's none of your concern, Director Hu."
After saying this, Chen Feng immediately turned his head and looked into the distance.
"It seems we have new guests."
Just as Chen Feng finished speaking, a jade-green crane, formed entirely of Anemo Energy and Adeptal Energy, charged toward him. But Chen Feng, with the phantom figure behind him, simply raised his hand and easily seized the crane, crushing it to pieces.
The crane's body exploded, unleashing a violent gale, yet it had no effect on Chen Feng.
Two streaks of light descended from the sky, landing directly in front of Hu Tao and shielding her behind them. Cloud Retainer glared at Chen Feng, her eyes burning with fury.
"Fine, fine, fine! This Adeptus was truly blind! So you're the true mastermind behind everything!"
"This Adeptus actually thought about introducing Ganyu to you, even thought about taking you as a disciple. Chen Feng, you really disguised yourself perfectly!"
Because her inner anger had reached its peak, Cloud Retainer became somewhat incoherent.
"Cloud Retainer, calm down."
Madame Ping comforted her from the side, then fixed her gaze on Chen Feng. Madame Ping, whose gaze was usually kind and compassionate, now looked at Chen Feng with eyes that were also very cold.
At this moment, Chen Feng suddenly spoke.
"Lord Cloud Retainer, that attack just now was your final power, wasn't it?"
"So what!"
Even after being seen through by Chen Feng, Cloud Retainer showed no cowardice.