Zhang Xuan clasped his fist respectfully and asked, “Will you allow me to speak first?”
One of the Ancient Sages harrumphed coldly. “This is a matter among the Ancient Sages! Who do you think you are to interfere in our discussions?”
He was already growing impatient with this impertinent young man.
Putting aside how he had exploited them earlier by selling them the slots at exorbitant prices, just the fact that he had personally brought the Spirit God of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe into the Prime Hall to steal the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn was enough for him to be branded as an unpardonable criminal of mankind!
The Great Codex of Spring and Autumn was a treasure left behind by Kong shi, and the fate of mankind banked on it. Yet, it had fallen into the hands of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, thus placing the fate of mankind in jeopardy.
After sinning so terribly, he still had the cheek to interfere in their affairs and save Sovereign Chen Yong. Filled with rage, he turned to the young man and hollered at him.
Huala!
Barely after those words were spoken, a saber flashed across the air. Alarmed, the Ancient Sage hurriedly backed away, but even so, he was still cut by the edge of the blade. Fresh blood trickled down from his arm.
Turning back to look, he saw the young man wielding a saber that emanated a sinister light from its blade.
“Am I qualified now?” Zhang Xuan remarked coldly.
“You are courting death!”
As a proud Ancient Sage, there was no way that he could stand being assaulted by a junior many generations younger than him, not to mention that the junior was a mere Great Sage!
Were it not for the fact that he had sustained severe injuries from the fight with Sovereign Chen Yong earlier, there was no way that an artifact that had barely reached Ancient Sage could possibly have harmed him!
Ancient Sage Yan Qing raised his hand to calm down the raging Ancient Sage before turning to Zhang Xuan with a deep frown. “What do you intend to say?”
He did not expect the young man to be so extreme as to harm one of his comrades over something as minor as this.
“Sovereign Chen Yong mustn’t be killed just yet!” Zhang Xuan said.
“He mustn’t be killed?” The Ancient Sage who had just been injured by the Infernal Blacksaber flew into a rage after hearing those words. Flinging his sleeves, he roared, “Do you know how many experts of mankind he has killed over the years? As a master teacher, how can you plead for mercy for him instead of avenging your comrades? Zhang Hongtian, is these the kind of principles that your Zhang Clan and the Master Teacher Pavilion pass down to juniors?”
Zhang Hongtian was not so shallow as to be provoked by the Ancient Sage’s words so easily, but the slight frown between his brows showed his incomprehension toward the actions of his descendant.
As long as Sovereign Chen Yong was around, the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe would only grow stronger and stronger. He was the figure who held the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe together, and it was under his leadership that countless humans had been killed across many battlefields over the years. It had not been easy for them to acquire this opportunity to get rid of Sovereign Chen Yong, and there was no way that they were going to allow this opportunity to slip through their fingers so easily.
If they allowed this tiger to return to his mountain, there was no telling how many more humans would be killed once he recovered from his injuries.
This descendant of his had displayed keen discernment in his judgement thus far, so why would he suddenly become so foolish when it came to this matter?
“Please don’t drag the Zhang Clan and the Master Teacher Pavilion into this matter. This is my individual decision, and it has nothing to do with them!” Zhang Xuan replied sharply.
There were several major reasons that he was determined to save Sovereign Chen Yong, and the greatest one was Luo Ruoxin. The latter had been serving as Luo Ruoxin’s subordinate for a period of time, so if anyone in this world had a clue as to how he could get to her, it would definitely be Sovereign Chen Yong!
If Sovereign Chen Yong died there, his final clue would effectively be severed. This was something that he could not allow to happen.
“Individual decision? As a mere Great Sage, do you think that the decisions you make can sway the minds of us Ancient Sages?” another human Ancient Sage scoffed in response to Zhang Xuan’s words. “Do you think that you are worthy of standing in our midst just because you have an Ancient Sage weapon? You really think too highly of yourself!”
“You’re right. There’s no way I would be qualified to speak to you all just because I have an Ancient Sage artifact…” Zhang Xuan swept his gaze across the Ancient Sages around him before raising the Infernal Blacksaber once more.
Si la!
The saber sliced through space and time, arriving right before Old Geezer Yu in an instant.
“The heck!” Old Geezer Yu cursed indignantly.
Screw you! Even if you wish to establish your strength and make others value your opinion, you don’t have to use me as a punching bag. There are so many other people that you can hack, so why me?
How the heck did I offend you?
Feeling deeply stifled, Old Geezer Yu swiftly darted to the side.
While he was the least wounded, he had still sustained a fair amount of damage, causing his strength to be lowered to around thirty percent of his peak. Nevertheless, he was not an opponent that the Infernal Blacksaber, which had achieved a breakthrough to Ancient Sage not too long ago, could compare to.
Dodging the attack, Old Geezer Yu was just about to counterattack when his body suddenly froze. He felt himself being overwhelmed by a powerful aura.
“Sovereign Vicious?” Old Geezer Yu narrowed his eyes in horror.
Even though the aura was devoid of killing intent, as an Otherworldly Demon, he could instantaneously recognize it as his ancestor, Vicious, who had fought on equal grounds with Kong shi.
Due to the Zhenqi of Slaughter that the Otherworldly Demons practiced, the suppression exerted through bloodline was exceptionally powerful. This was also why the hierarchy was extremely rigid in the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe.
Puhe!
In the blink of an eye, the Infernal Blacksaber had already struck one of the flaws in his cultivation. His face turned pale, and fresh blood spewed out of his mouth. His body swiftly retreated into the distance before smashing heavily into the ground.
“Is such strength enough to qualify me to speak to you all?” Zhang Xuan asked coolly.
Old Geezer Yu was an Ancient Sage 3-dan Blood Reincarnation realm expert whereas the Infernal Blacksaber was an artifact that had just barely reached Ancient Sage. Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for the latter to injure Old Geezer Yu.
However, through Vicious’ suppression and exploiting the flaws in Old Geezer Yu’s cultivation, not to mention that the latter had sustained severe injuries in the fight with Sovereign Chen Yong, Zhang Xuan managed to pull the assault off.
“… Fine, we’ll acknowledge your strength. You are indeed qualified to speak with us. However, I expect you to come up with a sufficiently convincing reason that can persuade us!”
Even though Zhang Xuan’s movements were swift, the Ancient Sages were still able to notice that something was amiss. It was clear that the young man had some trump card other than the Infernal Blacksaber, and the two of them put together were enough to wound even Bo Yu. On that basis, it was clear that he was qualified to speak on equal terms with them.
Zhang Xuan looked over and said, “I don’t know about the matter of the Hundred Schools of Philosophers collaborating with Sovereign Chen Ling and Sovereign Chen Xing to deal with Sovereign Chen Yong. However, I believe that you should have felt Sovereign Chen Ling’s belligerence earlier. Do you really expect him to hold up to the end of his promise? Just think about it. Had Sovereign Chen Yong not injured him, do you think that you could trust him not to have made a move on the rest of us?”
The crowd fell silent upon hearing those words.
To be honest, if not for Sovereign Chen Yong’s trump card, it was very likely that Sovereign Chen Ling would have broken his promise and made a move on the rest of them.
Perhaps… that fellow might even have planned that from the very start. He had been biding his time till both they and Sovereign Chen Yong were severely injured so that he could kill two birds with one stone.
If they had lost their lives there, the Master Teacher Continent would have effectively lost its final layer of protection. There were still Ancient Sages who did not go to the Temple of Confucius for both the Hundred Schools of Philosophers and the Master Teacher Continent, but they were insufficient to pose a threat to the other two Sovereigns.
“Sovereign Chen Ling is someone who could betray even his own tribesmen. Do you think that he would have any qualms breaking his agreement with you? I know that you have probably taken some precautions to prevent him from reneging on his deal, and you might also see this as an ideal opportunity to assassinate Sovereign Chen Yong and unravel the unity of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe…
“If you had succeeded earlier without sustaining any wounds, it would indeed have been a good thing. You would have been able to exploit the temporary chaos amidst the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe from the loss of their highest leader to deal a decisive blow. However, that might not necessarily be so given the current state of affairs. Just imagine what will happen if Sovereign Chen Yong dies, and Sovereign Chen Ling returns to tell the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe that he was ambushed and killed by us, and that he was nearly killed too while trying to save him… If he were to do so, he will be able to swiftly build solidarity among the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe and unite them. I believe that you should be able to see the consequences of that even if I don’t elaborate further!” Zhang Xuan said.
“This…” Ancient Sage Yan Qing fell into deep contemplation.
Indeed. If Sovereign Chen Yong really died there, Sovereign Chen Ling could make use of that impetus to unite the entire Otherworldly Demonic Tribe. That would effectively place mankind into even deeper danger.
Swiftly approaching the end of this arc~~
