Chapter 82: Leaving Water Peak
"Luo Fengyang, quite the airs you put on!"
Suddenly, Elder Du appeared. He approached from afar like a large bird, landing in a few bounds until he was positioned in front of Ye Yunfei, releasing his own spiritual pressure to counter Luo Fengyang's.
Instantly, Ye Yunfei felt the overwhelming pressure on him lighten.
"Du Changqing, Ye Yunfei publicly injured and crippled over a dozen of my Water Peak disciples! His methods were cruel and vicious. Do you intend to shield him?!" Luo Fengyang roared angrily.
"Old man Luo, the disciples of your Water Peak privately set up a torture chamber and beat a fellow disciple to such a state," Ye Yunfei took a step forward, pointing at A Niu who was covered in blood, and asked in a loud, clear voice. "What crime do they deserve?"
"Hmph! There's a reason for everything. Li Yichen was a disciple of my Water Peak. His sudden death naturally needs a thorough investigation. This A Niu is deeply implicated in Li Yichen's death. Naturally, we have to apprehend and question him. Therefore, our Water Peak disciples did nothing wrong." Luo Fengyang snorted coldly.
He was the master of Water Peak; his words naturally favored his own disciples.
"Haha, a fine 'reason for everything' indeed. If A Niu were implicated in Li Yichen's death, the sect's Punishment Hall would naturally step in to conduct an investigation. What right do your Water Peak disciples have to privately establish a torture chamber and extract confessions by force? Are we to assume the Tianyuan Sect's Punishment Hall is just for decoration?" Ye Yunfei sneered.
"Insolence! How dare you quibble in front of me! Ye Yunfei, confess truthfully! Did you kill my Water Peak disciple, Li Yichen?!" Seeing that Ye Yunfei actually dared to openly defy him like this, Luo Fengyang grew increasingly furious and demanded sternly.
"Yes, it was me. Those dozen or so lackeys of Li Yichen were also killed by me." Ye Yunfei smiled coldly and nodded in affirmation.
"Good! Very good! Du Changqing, you heard that! Ye Yunfei has been in the sect for only a few days, yet he has already viciously slaughtered over a dozen of our Water Peak disciples. This person's nature is cruel, savage, and thirsty for blood. If this continues, who knows how many more of our Tianyuan Sect disciples will die tragically at his hands! Du Changqing, do you still intend to shield him?!" Luo Fengyang roared in fury.
Elder Du was momentarily at a loss for a reply, because Ye Yunfei truly had killed over a dozen Water Peak disciples.
"Old man, what would you do if someone went to great lengths trying to kill you? Li Yichen colluded with Deacon Liu from the Mission Hall to assign me a mission—to go to the Demon Trapping Cliff in the Back Mountain to collect Sky Demon Fruit. Then, he brought over a dozen disciples to tail us to the Back Mountain, forming the Five Dragon Divine Water Formation to kill me and A Niu. Should I have stood there motionless and let him kill me instead of killing him?" Ye Yunfei let out a cold laugh as he spoke.
"What? Ye Yunfei, the mission assigned to you by the Mission Hall was to go to the Demon Trapping Cliff in the Back Mountain? How preposterous! Our Tianyuan Sect has long-standing rules prohibiting any disciple from approaching the Demon Trapping Cliff! Deacon Liu actually dared to assign you such a task? Such reckless audacity!" Hearing this, Elder Du flew into a rage.
"The mission jade slip from the Mission Hall is here. You'll understand once you see it, Elder Du." Ye Yunfei took out a jade slip and handed it to Elder Du.
"Deacon Liu! Come here immediately!" Elder Du grabbed the mission jade slip, gave it a cursory scan, and immediately roared.
The events at Water Peak had already spread throughout the entire Tianyuan Sect, attracting countless onlookers. Deacon Liu was also among the crowd, and upon hearing Elder Du's furious roar, his face instantly turned deathly pale.
He knew the situation had spiraled out of control. Back then, Li Yichen had told him that Ye Yunfei was merely a new disciple who had just entered the sect, of lowly status, and that even if something happened, the sect wouldn't bother investigating. Moreover, Li Yichen had bribed him with considerable wealth, so Deacon Liu had disregarded the sect's prohibition and assigned Ye Yunfei a mission to the Demon Trapping Cliff. But he never imagined things would escalate to this point. Deacon Liu was filled with immense regret! However, now, under the watchful eyes of the public, there was no way for him to slip away. He could only approach Elder Du with trembling fear.
"Deacon Liu, explain this! The sect has repeatedly issued strict orders that no disciple is to approach the Demon Trapping Cliff! Violators are to be expelled from the sect immediately! And you? You actually deceived a new disciple into going to the Demon Trapping Cliff! This is a major crime!" Elder Du roared, hurling the mission jade slip at Deacon Liu's forehead, which immediately started bleeding.
"Elder Du, please calm your anger! I was confused for a moment. Please spare me this once! I won't dare to do it again!" Deacon Liu's face was pale as he knelt before Elder Du with a *thud*.
He knew there was absolutely no way to deny this. The mission jade slip was right here as evidence.
"Scram!" Elder Du kicked Deacon Liu away.
"Elder Luo, save me! Li Yichen made me do this!" Deacon Liu scrambled to Luo Fengyang's side, begging for help.
"Get lost!" Luo Fengyang's face darkened as he kicked Deacon Liu away.
Truth be told, Deacon Liu was one of the main instigators behind today's events. His actions had caused Water Peak such a loss of face; Luo Fengyang wished he could slap him dead right there—how could he possibly help him?
"Old man, do you understand the situation now? Water Peak disciple Li Yichen meticulously conspired with Deacon Liu from the Mission Hall to set a trap and attempted to murder me and A Niu. You are the master of Water Peak, so you cannot escape responsibility for this matter. Now, I demand an explanation from you!" Ye Yunfei stepped forward again, fixing his gaze on Luo Fengyang as he demanded loudly.
For a moment, the entire square fell into dead silence.
One astonished gaze after another landed on Ye Yunfei.
A disciple actually dared to openly scold a sect elder in public! And demanded that Elder Luo give him an explanation! How utterly arrogant!
This was absolutely an unprecedented event in the history of the Tianyuan Sect.
"Hahaha... Good! Very good! At this rate, I, an elder of this sect, won't even have a place to stand!" Luo Fengyang laughed from sheer fury, his eyes burning with boundless rage. He was now brimming with murderous intent towards Ye Yunfei.
*BOOM!*
Rumbling spiritual power surged from his body like a collapsing mountain or a bursting dam, rushing towards Ye Yunfei with terrifying force.
"Luo Fengyang, what are you trying to do!" Elder Du stepped forward and also unleashed vast spiritual pressure to counter it.
The confrontation between the two elders shook the entire square, the ground trembling violently.
"Enough. With so many disciples watching, do you two elders not find it disgraceful to carry on like this in full public view?"
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
The sect leader of the Tianyuan Sect appeared, descending from the sky with measured steps.
Then, an old man with white hair and beard, accompanied by a woman in red robes, also flew over and landed in the square.
It was precisely the reclusive elder of the Tianyuan Sect and Long Yingying.
"The matter ends here today," the Tianyuan Sect leader declared in a voice resonant with authority.
"Deacon Liu from the Mission Hall is hereby stripped of his position immediately and handed over to the Punishment Hall for incarceration in the dungeons, pending further judgment!" the sect leader stated coolly, his gaze sweeping over Deacon Liu.
"Sect Leader, have mercy!" Deacon Liu's face turned ashen, and he collapsed limply to the ground. He knew he was finished.
"Sect Leader..." Luo Fengyang tried to speak.
"Elder Luo, no need to say more. The whole matter is quite clear. Although Ye Yunfei's actions were somewhat brutal, he was forced into it. Let it end here. Neither side should pursue the other's responsibility." The reclusive elder gestured for him to stop speaking.
Luo Fengyang had no choice but to hold his tongue.
This reclusive elder possessed the strongest strength within the Tianyuan Sect, and his status even surpassed that of the sect leader. Even if Luo Fengyang felt unjustly treated in his heart, he didn't dare offend him.
"Everyone, return. Make preparations. The Ladder Climbing Competition begins in just two days. For this competition, all disciples can participate. Ordinary disciples who perform excellently can be directly promoted to core disciples. Core disciples who perform well will be heavily rewarded by the sect." The reclusive elder swept his gaze over the disciples in the square and announced loudly.
Instantly, all the disciples in the square grew excited. Each one silently resolved to do their utmost during the upcoming competition in two days.
With both the sect leader and the reclusive elder stepping in to put an end to this, everyone knew the show was over.
However, everyone also understood that from today onward, the name Ye Yunfei would likely shake the entire Tianyuan Sect!
Afterwards, the crowd in the square began to disperse.
The Tianyuan Sect leader and the reclusive elder also departed. Before leaving, their gazes both intentionally or unintentionally lingered on Ye Yunfei for a moment.
"Your strength is quite impressive. Too bad it can't compare to mine. Just wait. During the Ladder Climbing Competition, I will crush you." Before leaving, Long Yingying said to Ye Yunfei, brimming with eagerness and dense fighting spirit.
Ye Yunfei shook his head with a faint smile.
People of the Battle Clan were all like this, exceptionally fond of combat.
"Hmph!" Luo Fengyang glared at Ye Yunfei, his eyes filled with immense fury, and then turned away in a sweep of his sleeves.
Li Chaofan stared at Ye Yunfei. Meeting Ye Yunfei's gaze, he raised his left hand and gently drew it across his own throat.
Clearly, he would not let this matter rest.
Ye Yunfei responded with a faint, disdainful smile.
"Ye Yunfei, let's return to Jin Peak," Elder Du said. Then, leading the Jin Peak disciples in a grand procession, he headed back to Jin Peak.