Tower of Heaven

When Atlas looked over at the source of the voice, he wondered if his greatest problem in the Feng Clan would be telling its members apart.

Feng Yaohua and Feng Qingru had a uniqueness to their appearances. They also had their own auras that clearly delineated them from everyone else.

The woman who had just appeared, along with the three people around her, all looked like carbon copies of each other. It was as if they were the most basic form a phoenix could take as a human.

"Feng Jiahui, didn't anyone tell you not to butt into conversations that don't concern you? Run along, now. Otherwise, I am afraid you won't have the time to find a reason to avoid the combat circuit. We know how you are in a fight, after all."

The woman named Feng Jiahui sneered.

"You're one to talk, Yaohua. Of course, you are the first one who spread her legs the moment a man arrives in the palace."

Her eyes shifted to Atlas with obvious mockery as she scanned him up and down.

"What, did you bring him to brag to everyone else that you are a loose woman? If you were going to do something like that, you should have at least brought a man who wasn't too scared to hide his face."

"No, no."

Feng Yaohua shook her head in exacerbation.

"So, I don't know if you are aware of this, but there's actually this crazy concept called friendship that exists in the world. I know it's foreign to you, since you only like to keep dogs and pigs around you, but I believe that you'll eventually know what it means."

Smiling happily, she moved her gaze condescendingly over the group of four.

"And, aside from being my friend, Atlas is both a guest of our clan who has been accepted by the Elders and the savior of both mine and Qingru's lives. Are you saying that I should treat him harshly? Or, are you saying that our Feng Clan is known for ignoring benevolence and treating others like they are beneath us?"

The atmosphere between the two women was cold enough to be hot. Sparks flew between them as Feng Jiahui crossed her arms in front of her stomach and harrumphed.

"Just as always, you are pathetic with words. You said he is a guest of our clan that has been accepted by the Elders? Do not speak nonsense. This man is an enemy and a weakling who has only come here to be dominated by our power."

"Pfft…!"

Atlas turned his head away quickly. They couldn't see his expression, but he'd been unable to hold in that small spurt of laughter.

Feng Jiahui's eyes sharpened into points.

"What is so funny to you, peasant?"

"Ah, are you addressing me?"

Atlas pointed to himself and cocked his head.

"I understand that you have your own squabbles within your clan, but isn't it a bit much to be speaking ill of people you do not know? What if I was some old Immortal who was disguising myself to see the true nature of your clan? You have made quite the disappointing first impression, you know?"

He spoke as if he was serious, but everyone present figured that he had to be sarcastic. Feng Jiahui rolled her eyes, barely even finding it worth the time to respond to him.

"We all know that you aren't some kind of Immortal. You are just a sacrifice sent by that bastard dragon as a consolation prize."

Atlas raised an eyebrow.

'Is she really stupid?'

Even he was able to see the subtle messages Alaric was sending to the Feng Clan by sending him with a challenge token. There was no way that this person who acted like she had some status in the clan was unable to reach the same conclusions, right?

'Well, if she was able to make those conclusions, she wouldn't have been stupid enough to tarnish her clan's image by acting so uncouth in front of a guest.'

He figured that every influence had people like this. He didn't even consider the Elder from before stupid. She was taking her grudges out on him, sure, but at the end of the day, she never went too far.

Feng Jiahui, on the other hand, was constantly on the verge of saying something that could ruin her life forever.

"I would advise you to not make such scenes in the future. Not everyone in this world is kind enough to bear your rudeness without retaliating."

"Hah!"

Feng Jiahui smirked as if he'd made the funniest joke she'd heard in a long time.

"Are you saying that I should fear retaliation? From you?"

Not once did she consider that he was a strong person.

Why?

Because his aura was so weak.

Outwardly, he didn't project any sort of charm. Every cultivator had their own aura that represented their strength and character. It was the same concept as the carefree aura felt from Feng Yaohua and the quiet aura felt from Feng Qingru.

Because they were not too much stronger or weaker than Atlas, he could clearly sense the nature of their auras. In the same way, anyone similar in strength to Atlas could feel the nature of his own.

However, that very nature was that of a subdued blade. It was a blade that looked serene on the surface, but if one dug deep enough, one would be able to see the bloody nightmare coating its edge.

Feng Yaohua sensed this aura and refused to acknowledge it because of their positive relationship. Feng Qingru was similar, but she was more intimidated by it, which was what Atlas assumed as the reason for her quietness in this particular interaction.

As for Feng Jiahui…

Well, she'd been able to sense that his aura had a subdued nature…

However, let alone the bloody edge of the blade, she didn't even sense the sword itself.

Feng Yaohua said that she was looking for excuses to escape the combat circuit, but…

Was she really someone who deserved to be placed in the bracket at all?

No, did she even deserve to be walking so freely through the palace when she was such a bad representation of the clan?

'But it also could be that she is a true representation of the current Feng Clan, and those like Feng Yaohua are a rarer breed.'

It had to be that something in Atlas' eyes showed off his inner thoughts. Perhaps, without intending it, he had begun to look at her with the same gaze he used against wild beasts and objects.

She was worth nothing. She was meaningless because she did not fit Atlas' image of what a true cultivator should be.

In his eyes, she was nothing more than a poser staining the Feng Clan with her presence.

Feng Jiahui saw that look. She saw a man view her as nothing, and something within her mind snapped.

"You dog!"

She snarled, losing the poise she was trying so hard to pretend she had. Enjoy exclusive chapters from empire

"Avert your eyes this instant, or you will learn what happens when you offend a phoenix."

Not only did Atlas' eyes dull, but Feng Yaohua's face also fell much further than it had before.

Threatening him with such words when the combat circuit was around the corner…Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Really, was she trying to die?