As soon as Zhang Xian finished speaking, the great hall fell into a heavy, suffocating silence.

Usually, such matters were resolved on the spot. The Muling Sect had already adopted a very humble stance. Even if Zhang Xian had killed the man right then and there, no one would have objected.

However, taking the prisoner away was a different matter entirely; it was equivalent to grinding the Muling Sect’s face into the dirt.

“This…” Lu Qing said awkwardly. “Esteemed Zhang Zhenren, perhaps you still have concerns? We could interrogate him right here.”

“Oh, I suspect he hasn’t told the whole truth,” Zhang Xian replied with a thin smile. “I’m a naturally suspicious person, always prone to conspiracy theories. To be honest, I’m on good terms with the people from that minor world. I won’t feel at ease until this is thoroughly investigated.”

The Golden Core elder spoke up, his voice stern. “After all, he is a disciple of our Muling Sect. It is inappropriate for you to take him. If you are uneasy, stay for a few days. We can interrogate him together.”

“Inappropriate? In what way?”

“It conflicts with our regulations,” Lu Qing replied. “Disciples must be dealt with by the sect or handed to the city lord of this jurisdiction. This is against protocol. I hope you understand.”

Zhang Xian grinned widely. “Sect Leader Lu, you see it yourself. I’ve brought two Supervisors, one of whom is your teacher’s daughter. Do us a favor; it’s just one disciple. The Yunmiao Sect wouldn’t stoop so low as to covet anything from you.”

“After all, rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Don’t you agree?”

His words carried a sharp edge of arrogance. The elders present bristled with indignation but remained silent, stifled by the Yunmiao Sect’s superior status.

Lu Qing’s expression soured. He stared at Zhang Xian for a long moment before shaking his head. “Zhang Zhenren, we have received you with courtesy. Your proposal is rejected.”

“Oh?” Zhang Xian looked genuinely surprised. “So little face given?”

“Among the sects of the Southern Region, there is no such precedent,” the Golden Core elder admonished. “Though your sect is powerful, you should still know your limits.”

“Good! Very good!”

Zhang Xian began to pace. His footsteps seemed to tread upon the hearts of everyone in the room. No one could have imagined that the man who had just been joking about sworn brotherhood could turn so aggressive so quickly.

“Then how about this? I possess a soul-searching secret technique. I’ll extract his soul right here and interrogate it. That way, I’ll be satisfied. What do you think?”

“Soul-searching!!” The hall erupted in shock.

“That is a forbidden technique of the evil sects!” the Golden Core elder roared, his face turning cold. “It is an abomination! How could a disciple of the Yunmiao Sect know such a thing?”

Evil sect techniques were universally condemned in the Southern Region. If Zhang Xian truly practiced such arts, he was effectively signing his own death warrant.

“Tsk, I just happened to learn it,” Zhang Xian said casually. “Whether a technique is evil depends on the user.”

He pointed at the kneeling disciple. “He won’t survive this anyway. I’ll just search his soul, then the Sect Leader can execute him. The matter ends there.”

Upon hearing “soul-searching,” the disciple’s face turned ghostly pale. He moved to sever his own heart meridian, but Zhang Xian casually pressed a palm strike down on him, rendering him immobile.

“A Yunmiao Sect disciple practicing evil arts? Does your esteemed sect not care?” Lu Qing stared at Liu Qingxuan, his face dark.

Liu Qingxuan’s heart sank into a panic. If Zhang Xian truly used soul-searching, the six major powers would join forces to eliminate him without negotiation, regardless of his background.

“Of course we care,” Li Fuxi spoke up calmly before Liu Qingxuan could find her voice. “If he truly knows soul-searching, I will personally apprehend him and return him to our sect for public judgment.”

A playful smile touched Zhang Xian’s lips as he looked at Lu Qing. “Sect Leader, why are you so nervous? If I use the technique, it clears your name while forcing me into exile. It’s a double win for you, isn’t it?”

Lu Qing’s expression shifted between suspicion and shock. He forced himself to remain calm. “Hmph! I know you’re bluffing! My Muling Sect has a clear conscience! If you dare, search him!”

“Straightforward!” Zhang Xian laughed. He slammed his palm onto the disciple’s head and shouted, “Speak! Who ordered you?”

The disciple convulsed. His eyes rolled back into his head, and blood spurted from his nose. Gurgling sounds rose from his throat. “It was… the Sect Leader…”

The hall exploded. The elders were horrified—he actually knew soul-searching? And he was doing it publicly?

Li Fuxi remained seated, but sword energy began to swirl around her. Liu Qingxuan’s knuckles turned white. She was terrified that Zhang Xian had just ruined his life.

Ignoring them, Zhang Xian pressed harder. “Why?”

The disciple sprayed bloody foam. “Uh… Sect Leader wanted… to arrange…”

Before he could finish, Lu Qing and the Golden Core elder moved with explosive killing intent.

“Boom!”

Li Fuxi reacted instantly, an ice-blue barrier flying from her sleeve to protect the disciple. At that exact moment, the sky blazed with golden light. A massive swastika dharma seal enveloped the entire Muling Sect like a celestial prison.

“Amitabha.”

A handsome, bald youth in earth-yellow robes strode into the hall. A faint red mark at the corner of his eye gave him a subtly demonic air.

Zhang Xian looked at the massive seal covering the dome. “Really? You’re going to fight here? You don’t want your sect anymore?”

Lu Qing and the elders said nothing, their spiritual energy reaching a breaking point.

The monk shook his head. “Fellow Daoist, the soul-searching evil technique is intolerable to the Heavenly Dao. This poor monk has come to slay a demon.”

He bowed toward Li Fuxi. “Fuxi, it has been a long time.”

“Jian Chen, are you the mastermind behind this?” Li Fuxi asked coldly.

“A bright mirror reflects dust, yet remains unstained,” the monk recited. “I am merely a passerby slaying a demon.”

“All flash, no substance,” Zhang Xian rolled his eyes. “Master, who is this bald guy?”

“A loser from Mountain Chan Monastery who fell by my hand.”

“Oh, then I’m relieved.” Zhang Xian smiled at the tense crowd. “Everyone relax. It’s all a misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding? You are a demon!” the Golden Core elder cursed.

Zhang Xian raised his hand. A voice suddenly emitted from his palm—the exact voice and tone of the disciple: “Sect Leader wanted to arrange…”

“A cheap parlor trick,” Zhang Xian mocked. “Since there are no demons here, why don’t we all just disperse?”

“You dare mock me!” Lu Qing roared, veins bulging at his temples.

“Ai.” Jian Chen sighed.

The golden light intensified. Suddenly, the auras of Lu Qing and the Golden Core elder skyrocketed. They had been concealing their strength; Lu Qing was actually in the mid-Golden Core stage, his power no weaker than Liu Qingxuan’s.

Jian Chen bowed to Li Fuxi, then lunged—not at her, but toward Zhang Xian.

Lu Qing intercepted Liu Qingxuan while the other elder charged Li Fuxi. Li Fuxi’s twin swords shot through the air, repelling the elder while slashing at Jian Chen’s back.

Suddenly, the disciple on the ground erupted in golden light and exploded.

“Boom!”

Zhang Xian summoned a top-grade defensive artifact, but it shattered instantly against the force. At the same time, Jian Chen ignored Li Fuxi’s sword and struck. A golden lotus bloomed in his palm as a Buddhist seal fell from the sky.

The seal struck just as the disciple exploded. Zhang Xian was caught in the center and blasted into dust.

“Zhang Xian!” Liu Qingxuan screamed, tears bursting from her eyes as she struck out in a fit of Hatred.

Li Fuxi’s expression remained stony, but her aura surged. She had wounded Jian Chen, but he laughed through the blood.

“Fuxi, your spiritual roots have improved! And you cultivate the Nine Turns Jade Condensation Sutra… such an excellent furnace technique. I shall gratefully accept your primal yin!”

Li Fuxi’s sword intent pierced the heavens, but Jian Chen’s wounds were bizzarely healing as they fought.

“Lu Qing! Capture the woman!” Jian Chen shouted.

Liu Qingxuan, unskilled in direct combat, was being pushed back by Lu Qing and the other elder. Only the Orange Heart Pendant—a gift from Zhang Xian—protected her. Her heart was filled with grief; the man who gave her the pendant had just been turned to ash.

Suddenly—Rumble! A five-colored spiritual light streaked across the sky like heavenly punishment. It struck the swastika formation with a deafening roar.

The residual force blasted the entire Green Wood Ridge mountain away, leaving only the ruins of the great hall.

As the dust settled, a familiar figure appeared, riding a sword. It was Zhang Xian.

“So awesome. The formation still didn’t shatter?”

He shook his head, his tone helpless. “You two are truly unreliable. You both said you had this handled, and now look—crashed and burned, just as expected.”