Chapter 58: Chapter 54 Madness
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Just as Ye Chen confronted Zhou Yuntian, eight streaks of light flew through the sky, landing next to the figure of Zhou Yuntian, who stood in the void, revealing their figures.
These eight people were none other than the Sect Master and the seven Elders of the Qingyun Sect.
As soon as the Sect Master and Elders of the Qingyun Sect landed in the sky, they all looked towards Ye Chen simultaneously.
The terrifying wave of energy provoked by Ye Chen's lightning-fast exchange with Zhou Yuntian had been clearly witnessed by all of them, who were following behind Zhou Yuntian.
None of the eight had anticipated that this nominal disciple of their sect could react to Zhou Yuntian's attack so swiftly and remain unscathed under his assault.
Even if, as Zhou Yuntian claimed, Ye Chen had relied on a Spirit Talisman to withstand the attack, the time it took to activate the talisman and defend against the Heaven-Supporting Giant Hand was nearly instantaneous.
Such a reaction speed, even among the strongest within the True Qi Realm, the twelfth layer of True Qi, there were few who could achieve it!
They observed that Ye Chen was only at the sixth layer of True Qi, how could he possibly react so quickly?
This truly shocked them!
Seeing Ye Chen facing the mid-stage Spirit Sea Realm expert Zhou Yuntian without fear, a thought even flickered through their minds, could this youth, in addition to his incredibly quick reactions, have other means to challenge Zhou Yuntian?
Otherwise, how would he dare speak to Zhou Yuntian like this?
"Impossible! There absolutely can't be any other means that would allow someone in the True Qi Realm to contend with a mid-stage Spirit Sea Realm expert."
"I'm afraid that this Ye Chen is merely bluffing to the very end."
After giving Ye Chen a deep look, these individuals all shook their heads simultaneously, finding the ridiculous notion that had just crossed their minds laughable.
True Qi Realm challenging the mid-stage Spirit Sea Realm?
Such a scenario was something they had never witnessed happen.
They also couldn't believe such a situation would occur!
"Presumably Ye Chen is just bluffing, waiting for us to back him up..."
"However, he's likely to be disappointed."
The Sect Master and Elders of the Qingyun Sect looked at Ye Chen, murmuring in their hearts.
"Sect Master!"
"Elder Wan! Elder Lin! Elder Wang..."
On the sect's plaza, disciples of the Qingyun Sect, seeing their rarely seen Sect Master and Elders all appearing in the plaza's sky, began to bow and salute them from below.
Out of the nine Spirit Sea Realm experts of the Qingyun Sect, except for Xiao Long, the foremost inner disciple who had just entered the Spirit Sea Realm, the other eight had all gathered.
Eight Spirit Sea Realm experts, together with Zhou Yuntian, the mid-stage Spirit Sea Realm master, now stood in the sky above the plaza.
This was a scene that the Qingyun Sect had never seen before!
Watching the nine masters focus their attention on that youth, countless disciples felt their hearts surge with excitement. If they could, like Ye Chen, draw the gaze of nine Spirit Sea Realm masters, they felt that even dying would be worth it!
In the sky above.
With the Sect Master and the seven Elders arriving simultaneously, Zhou Yuntian couldn't just attack directly anymore, though he had long since reached an understanding with these eight over the matter of Ye Chen. Still, at Qingyun Sect, in the presence of all these eyes at the sect's plaza, he needed to show some respect to the Qingyun Sect's Sect Master and Elders.
"Elder Luo Kun, as for this nominal disciple Ye Chen of your sect, who killed my child, what do you think should be done?" Zhou Yuntian, standing in the void, boomed his voice in all directions, asking Sect Master Luo Kun of the Qingyun Sect.
Hearing Zhou Yuntian's question, all the Qingyun Sect disciples on the plaza turned their eyes towards their Sect Master.
Ye Chen was a disciple of their Qingyun Sect.
They too wanted to know, under such circumstances, whether their Sect Master would protect his own disciple or would he yield under the might of the Heavenly Net Sect and give up on Ye Chen.
Ye Chen also looked towards these grand figures of the Qingyun Sect whom he had never met before.
Seeing these eight people standing alongside Zhou Yuntian, Ye Chen had already faintly anticipated some outcomes, but he still wanted to see how the Qingyun Sect's Sect Master would respond.
In the sky above, Sect Master Luo Kun of the Qingyun Sect, his eyes converging on Ye Chen.
He was somewhat surprised and taken aback by this youth who was only a nominal disciple of their sect, a prodigy who was rumored to have slain Zhou Hai, a seventh-layer True Qi practitioner, with a mere fifth-layer True Qi, and who had enraged Zhou Yuntian to madness and just now had incredibly quick reactions to block Zhou Yuntian's strike.
He knew that Ye Chen was likely a genius that had been buried within their sect.
However...
What of it if he was a genius? Luo Kun had seen countless fallen geniuses.
Compared to his relationship with the Spirit Sea Realm expert Zhou Yuntian, compared to a seventh-ranked sect like the Heavenly Net Sect, even if Ye Chen was as strong a genius as any, he was still an unripe one.
To give up on him wasn't such a big deal.
After his gaze lingered on Ye Chen for a few moments, Luo Kun turned his head towards Zhou Yuntian, smiling lightly as he said, "Murder pays for life, this Ye Chen, I leave to Zhou to deal with!"
"He is merely a nominal disciple, not even counted as a formal disciple of our sect!"
"Now, I announce, Ye Chen is expelled from the sect, from now on, he is no longer a person of our Qingyun Sect!"
Sect Master Luo Kun of the Qingyun Sect didn't speak a word in defense of Ye Chen, and he didn't even show a hint of pleading.
With a wave of his hand, he had severed all ties with Ye Chen.
Clearly, he had completely given up on Ye Chen!
"Hum!"
Luo Kun's words suddenly swept a sense of sorrow through the hearts of the disciples gathered in the Qingyun Sect's square, like a hare mourning the death of a fox.
"The Sect Master... he..."
Today, because of external pressure, their Sect Master could abandon Ye Chen, and tomorrow, he might just as readily abandon them.
For a moment, the Qingyun Sect disciples eerily quieted down.
Ye Chen, hearing Luo Kun's words, clenched his fists abruptly, then relaxed them.
"So be it!"
"Such a sect, I have no reason to remain attached to!"
With this thought flashing through his mind, the shadow that had suddenly arisen in his heart dispersed quite a bit.
A Qingyun Sect like this, not worth joining!
He, Ye Chen, from this moment forth, would have nothing more to do with Qingyun Sect!
Ye Chen's gaze shifted from Luo Kun, the Sect Master of Qingyun Sect, directly onto Zhou Yuntian.
"Zhou Yuntian, all this you've said, isn't it just to kill me under the guise of righteousness?"
"Your son can chase after me to kill, but I can't fight back to kill him? Does his life, by nature, have more value than mine?"
"In the end, it's all because you abuse your power, holding others' lives in no regard. You want to let strength do the talking, then show me your strength. All else is empty talk!"
Ye Chen directly addressed Zhou Yuntian.
"Strength?"
In the sky, Zhou Yuntian looked down at Ye Chen, his ridicule unceasing.
By now, even the Qingyun Sect's Sect Master no longer concerned himself with this Ye Chen. Zhou Yuntian didn't care what tricks Ye Chen might still play.
"Yes, I abuse the power I possess, so what about it?"
"I'm a Spirit Sea Realm powerhouse; my son's life does, of course, have more value than yours!"
"By killing my Hai'er, you should have known this day would come! Had you obediently accepted death back then, you wouldn't have dragged your parents into this."
"Ye Chen, let me tell you, today I will not only execute you, but also make your parents accompany you in death. The lives of all three of you lowlifes will soothe the spirit of my Hai'er in heaven!"
Boom!
As Zhou Yuntian spoke, he waved the sleeve of his blood robe, and a surge of True Qi enveloped the area. The immense pressure made it difficult for all the disciples in the square to even breathe.
However, what made it even harder for the disciples to breathe was what Zhou Yuntian had said.
Zhou Yuntian was determined to kill not only Ye Chen but also Ye Chen's father and mother, completely!
Even the disciples of the Heavenly Net Sect were shocked; they had thought their Elder captured Ye Chen's parents to lure Ye Chen into showing himself, but now it seemed their Elder had intended to kill from the very beginning!
Boom!
As Zhou Yuntian uttered those words, Ye Chen's heart felt as though it had been struck by a bolt of lightning.
Zhou Yuntian had captured his parents and now, even after he appeared, planned to execute them as well!
This completely crossed the line for Ye Chen; was Zhou Yuntian arrogant or mad, truly thinking himself unbeatable?
"Boom!"
Ye Chen's complexion turned ashen in an instant, and from the energy center between his eyebrows, a vast and boundless sword qi spirit liquid crazily surged into the flying sword "Crimson Fire."
"Zhou Yuntian, you are far too presumptuous!"
"Even at the risk of damaging my life-linked flying sword, even if I can't kill you, Zhou Yuntian, I'll destroy it by self-detonation to take you down!"
"Crimson Fire, prepare for battle!"
True Qi roared around Ye Chen's body, enveloping him like raging flames, preparing him for the fight.
He was ready for battle, waiting for Zhou Yuntian's momentary lapse to unleash the three great powers of the flying sword and slay Zhou Yuntian!
Zhou Yuntian's words had ignited Ye Chen's resolve to risk everything.
Even if he ended up injured by the self-explosion of his flying sword, he would not let his parents suffer or die at Zhou Yuntian's hands!
Heaven and earth.
Zhou Yuntian and Ye Chen were already brimming with the intent to fight.
The next instant could be the moment of the thunderous strike!
But just then, suddenly, a clear and piercing eagle's cry rang through the sky.
Afterward, the voice of a young girl echoed across the entire Qingyun Sect's square.
"An Elder of the Heavenly Net Sect? What grandeur indeed!"
"Even I, as the Sect Master of Taixuan Sect, would not dare to claim my life more noble by measure!"
Boom!
Accompanying the young voice that spread in all directions, a majestic and extraordinary giant white eagle, carrying a twelve or thirteen-year-old sword-bearing girl, shot across the sky, arriving above the square.