Chapter 164: Swords Draw Blood in the Side Hall

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Swords Draw Blood in the Side Hall

No one else interfered in the following matches. With her Cultivation at Nascent Soul Realm Tier Four, Yun Xi was drawn against two Golden Core Realm opponents and smoothly won both bouts, successfully advancing to the top fifty.

Also advancing to the top fifty was Chen Qi’an of Zi Wu Gate.

Chen Qi’an was definitely a dark horse who had emerged from the Six Sects and Eight Gates this year. After only three short years of Cultivation, he had already stepped into the Golden Core Realm.

But looking at the others from the Six Sects and Eight Gates who had advanced to the top fifty, which one of them wasn’t already at least a little famous?

However, aside from when he or Yun Xi were competing, Chu Fan’s attention wasn’t on the Martial Arts Arena. The rest of the time, his focus was entirely on the side hall where the forty Sect Leaders were gathered.

With his current Level 30 Spiritual Power, he wouldn’t dare boast that no one in the entire Eastern Domain had higher Spiritual Power than him, but at least among those who were publicly known, there truly wasn’t a single one.

Therefore, here at the Cyan Cloud Sect, as long as he didn’t project his Spiritual Power into their few forbidden areas, his Spiritual Power could move about as if it were an uninhabited realm.

Thus, even though he was sitting in his seat at the Martial Arts Arena, he could see everything happening inside the side hall with perfect clarity.

The scene in the side hall on this second day was far more clamorous than yesterday.

Right from the start, Zou Yuting of the Chenqing Sect raised an objection, saying, "Sect Leader Cheng, regarding the matter you proposed yesterday, I went back and discussed it with two of my Elders all night. I have three questions for you, and I hope you can resolve my doubts."

"Sect Leader Zou, please speak freely!" Cheng Shimo said.

"First, destroying the Red Blood Mansion is the very matter we are here to discuss. Once we actually destroy the Red Blood Mansion, Great Xia will not have contributed an ounce of effort. On what grounds should they be the ones to distribute resources to us?"

"Yes, exactly!" many people chimed in, agreeing enthusiastically.

Cheng Shimo didn’t speak, waiting instead for Zou Yuting to continue.

Zou Yuting held up two fingers and said, "Second, for thousands of years, our many Sects have been people beyond the reach of worldly laws. We are not bound by them. After supporting Great Xia in unifying the Eastern Domain, why is it that not only do we not receive any benefits, but we will also be subject to their control?"

This time, even more people’s gazes shifted back and forth between Zou Yuting and Cheng Shimo.

"Third, Cheng Shimo, did you receive some kind of benefit from that Queen of the Shuoyue Kingdom?"

"Sect Leader Zou, I can answer all of your questions one by one." Cheng Shimo stood up and paced back and forth a few times in the open space in the middle of the room.

"Regarding your first point..."

Just as Cheng Shimo began to speak, Jing’an suddenly stood up and said, "Allow me to address the first point for everyone!"

The moment Jing’an rose, he captured everyone’s attention.

Jing’an spoke without a trace of fear, "As for destroying the Red Blood Mansion, my lord made arrangements long ago. We won’t need a single one of you to lift a finger. If none of you believe me, then in half a month, if the Red Blood Mansion has not been destroyed, everything we’ve discussed can be considered null and void. However, if my lord succeeds, I hope you will all earnestly implement the matters we’ve discussed over these two days."

"As for the third point, I might as well address that too. My wife has never even met Sect Leader Cheng. However, before her coronation ceremony, she did meet a few assassins. As for the identity of those assassins, should I reveal it here and now?"

As Jing’an spoke, his sharp gaze swept across the room.

Before him were thirty-nine Sect Leaders, sixteen of whom had higher Cultivation than him. ’But what did he have to fear?’ His confidence came from Ying Xiao, from his lord. No one present could do anything to him, Jing’an.

It had to be said that aside from a few individuals, Jing’an’s explanation of the first point stunned everyone else in the room.

’Without relying on any of the Sects present, that "lord" could destroy the Red Blood Mansion with his own power alone?’

’Are you sure he isn’t just bullshitting?’

Not a single Sect present dared to claim they could destroy the Red Blood Mansion with the full strength of their entire Sect.

’Just who was this "lord" that Jing’an spoke of?’

At this moment, Cheng Shimo also picked up the thread of conversation, saying, "As for the second point, do I even need to address it? Didn’t I explain it clearly on the first day? What has the Eastern Domain become? Without rules to bind us, look at what those Cultivators are doing in the mortal world! Is the Red Blood Mansion the only one making life unbearable for the common people? Of everyone present, who dares to beat their chest and say that the disciples from their sect who go down the mountain for training have never committed a single evil act?"

"In the past, the Six Sects and Eight Gates had an agreement that even when disciples went down the mountain, they were not to reveal their identity as Cultivators and were not to harm the people of the mortal world in the slightest. But in recent years, who has been abiding by this agreement?"

"When the people of the entire Eastern Domain see us Cultivators as ferocious beasts to be avoided at all costs, do you think our legacies won’t be severed?"

Wu Guanghai, the Sect Leader of the Fiery Fire Sect, let out a sinister laugh. "Sect Leader Cheng, you’re quite skilled at twisting the argument. What Sect Leader Zou just asked was, after supporting Great Xia’s unification of the Eastern Domain, we’re also supposed to support them enacting laws? Isn’t that just finding a new master to put over our own heads? Why are you talking about those ants?"

"Ants? So the disciples of the Fiery Fire Sect can just recklessly take human lives in the mortal world?" Jing’an suddenly retorted in a cold voice.

"Jing’an, what right do you have to lecture me?" Wu Guanghai roared.

"What right do I have? A fine question. Then let’s first take a look at what your Fiery Fire Sect has been doing all these years!" Jing’an directly pulled a thick stack of papers from his Storage Ring.

He held the stack of papers in his hand and said, "Recorded on these pages are the evil deeds committed by your Fiery Fire Sect over the years, and this is only a partial list. I really want to know, is the Fiery Fire Sect a prestigious and righteous sect, or an Evil Sect even worse than the Red Blood Mansion?"

Wu Guanghai, enraged, lunged to grab Jing’an, and once again, Ying Xiao’s Sword appeared in a way no one could have anticipated.

"It seems some people never learn their lesson," Ying Xiao said, his voice ice-cold.

With Ying Xiao’s Sword pressed against him, Wu Guanghai immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

"Wu Guanghai, this is the second time you have disrupted the order of this meeting. Furthermore, given the evil deeds committed by your Fiery Fire Sect in the Eastern Domain—so numerous they could not all be recorded—even dying a hundred times would not be enough for you, the Sect Leader. Originally, my lord was considering giving you a chance to turn over a new leaf. It seems that won’t be necessary."

Hearing the tone of Jing’an’s voice, everyone realized something was wrong.

Zou Yuting of the Chenqing Sect and Fan Yingbiao of the Xuanming Sect shouted at the same time, "Jing’an, what do you think you’re doing?"

"Zhou Yi, on behalf of my lord, carry out the sentence!"

The words had barely left Jing’an’s lips. Before anyone had time to stop it, before Wu Guanghai himself could even react, his head—eyes still wide open—had already separated from his body and slammed onto the floor.

The sound of the head hitting the floor seemed to strike a blow to the heart of everyone present.

"How audacious!"

Several Sect Leaders who were on good terms with Wu Guanghai instantly surrounded Jing’an and Ying Xiao.

Even Cheng Shimo and Lü Hongshao had never imagined that Jing’an and Ying Xiao would actually dare to kill someone here.

"Jing’an! Zhou Yi! Do you think there’s no one left in our Eastern Domain?" Shui Zebo roared at them.

Lü Hongshao, playing the good cop, hurried to push past Shui Zetian, Zou Yuting, and the others. He stepped in front of Jing’an and forced a smile, saying, "Everyone, please calm down, calm down. Killing someone in front of so many of us Sect Leaders is certainly wrong. At the very least, it undermines the unity of the Eastern Domain’s Cultivation Sects. However, since Sect Leader Jing has concrete evidence that Wu Guanghai deserved to die, why don’t we let him explain first?"