23: Rumors spread, foundations were shaken

While the competition within the Heavenly Illusion Sacred Realm was in full swing, a storm secretly orchestrated by Yun Feng was quietly escalating inside the City of Radiance.

Yun Feng was not satisfied with merely destroying a few properties belonging to the Ye Family and the Sacred Aristocratic Family. He knew that the real blow lay in shaking their Foundation

—the morale and reputation of their people.

His Divine Sense was like the most precise intelligence network, and combined with the System's monitoring and analysis of personnel movements and energy fluctuations among all major factions, he quickly locked onto some crucial information.

Partial accounts and contact information regarding the Ye Family's clandestine trade of prohibited materials (such as contaminated demon spirits and forbidden Medicinal Pills) with the Dark Guild.

Evidence suggesting the Sacred Aristocratic Family had repeatedly used its power to suppress and seize the shares of other small and medium-sized Families during the City Lord's Mansion's annual resource allocations.

And even a scandal involving a powerful Ye Family Elder having an affair with the wife of a high-ranking official in the City Lord's Mansion...

Some of this information was deduced by Yun Feng through the System's analysis of residual data from the outer Formations of the Ye Family and the Sacred Aristocratic Family, while others were pieced together from fragments of conversation he captured using his Divine Sense monitoring.

Although not irrefutable proof, it was enough to stir up monstrous waves.

Yun Feng did not appear himself; he chose the most effective and covert method

—using the power of Rule Energy to simulate anonymous communication talismans of varying identities and origins. He fragmented the information, mixing truth and falsehood, and precisely "delivered" it to the leaders of hostile factions who held grudges against the Ye Family and the Sacred Aristocratic Family, as well as to influential independent experts and intelligence brokers within the city.

Simultaneously, he "created" several "secret reports" that appeared to originate from different internal factions of the Dark Guild. These reports directly accused the Ye Family of planning to betray the Dark Guild after their cooperation, and alleged that the Sacred Aristocratic Family was preparing to ally with the City Lord's Mansion for a new round of purges against the Dark Guild.

Having completed all this, Yun Feng became an outside observer, quietly waiting for the situation to escalate.

Rumors and secrets are the fastest things to spread in the world.

Within a single day, explosive news began to circulate wildly among the upper circles of the City of Radiance.

"Did you hear? The Ye Family actually colluded with the Dark Guild to trade those uncontrollable demon spirits!"

"More than that! The Sacred Aristocratic Family has been seizing resources for years; the Li Family in the west of the city was ruined by them back then!"

"Tsk tsk, and that Elder Yemo of the Ye Family actually cuckolded the City Lord..."

"It seems the Dark Guild is in chaos too. I heard the Ye Family wants to double-cross them?"

The rumors, a mix of truth and fabrication, mutually reinforced each other, instantly pushing the Ye Family and the Sacred Aristocratic Family into the eye of the storm.

Especially the two points

—colluding with the Dark Guild and cuckolding the City Lord

—had crossed the line!

The stewards remaining at the Ye Family manor and the Sacred Aristocratic Family compound were overwhelmed. On one hand, they had to deal with the mess of destroyed properties, and on the other, they were exhausted responding to inquiries and covert investigations from various factions. Furthermore, they had to desperately suppress the escalating rumors, causing the morale within both Families to plummet and their reputations to suffer severe damage.

Although the City Lord's Mansion had not yet made a clear statement, the atmosphere had obviously become delicate, and their trust in the Ye Family and the Sacred Aristocratic Family had dropped to freezing point.

As for the Dark Guild, internal suspicion flared up; they were extremely wary of the Ye Family's cooperation and even began secretly investigating the source of those "secret reports."

[Successfully disseminated key information, triggering a crisis of trust for the Ye Family and the Sacred Aristocratic Family, shaking the Foundation of their power. Received Rule Energy feedback: 600 points!]

[Successfully provoked discord between the Dark Guild and the Ye Family, intensifying conflicts between the factions. Received Rule Energy feedback: 200 points!]

[Current Rule Energy: 2260 + 800 = 3060 / 5000.]

As the energy surged like a tide, Yun Feng could feel that his interference with the world's "plot" was deepening, and his rewards were growing larger.

At this moment, inside the Yun Family, Yun Fengs Grandfather and several Elders, who had been in seclusion, finally achieved their Breakthroughs one after another, supported by Yun Feng's generous expenditure of energy (another 500 points of Rule Energy were consumed for assistance) and the guidance of profound insights!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Several powerful auras shot up from the core secret chambers of the Yun Family. Although they were quickly concealed by the Formation, that momentary fluctuation still caused the entire Yun Family younger generation to feel awe and ecstasy!

The Family Head, Yun Fengs Grandfather, successfully achieved a Breakthrough to Gold Five-Star! He was only one step away from Legendary!

Three core Elders: two achieved a Breakthrough to Gold Three-Star, and one achieved a Breakthrough to Gold Two-Star!

The Yun Family's top-tier combat power had achieved a qualitative leap!

Coupled with Yun Feng, that unfathomable stabilizing force, the current Yun Family, in terms of high-end combat power, was now fearless against the Ye Family, the Sacred Aristocratic Family, or any other Peak Aristocratic Family!

When Yun Fengs Grandfather and the others emerged from seclusion, feeling the surging power within their bodies and their boundless confidence in the Family's future, their gratitude and reverence for Yun Feng were beyond words.

Yun Feng merely offered a few mild words of encouragement before refocusing his attention on the Secret Realm entrance.

He knew that the internal struggle should be nearing its end.

When Ye Han, Shen Fei, and the others emerged from the Secret Realm, carrying perhaps unsatisfactory harvests and a body full of injuries, what awaited them would be a completely different City of Radiance, and a Yun Family that had been thoroughly reborn and was ready to bare its fangs!

"Are you ready?" Yun Feng murmured to himself, his eyes calm and placid. "The storm I started is about to reach its climax."