The imposing Jade Peak Seal that was descending halted as if slamming into an immovable object. The majesty that it had previously accumulated all but disappeared as the Jade Peak Seal began to tremble.
Under the disbelieving eyes of all the disciples, the Jade Peak Seal shattered into countless pieces.
None felt it more so than Tianyi. Although the Jade Peak Seal shattered, it only caused Tianyi to be unable to summon it for a period of time. The Peak Seal Artifact wasn’t something that could be easily destroyed even by an Immortal Emperors. It was something Immortal Monarchs could wield to increase their strength to become a Half Immortal Emperor after all.
But Tianyi’s face became slightly pale. He used his spiritual sense to control the Jade Peak Seal, but his expression quickly returned to normal. He didn’t use much spiritual power and mostly relied on the accumulated power within the Jade Peak Seal.
A man in his mid thirties appeared in front of Lovespot. He had a handsome appearance and a dignified air to him. Wearing a red shu brocade robe with numerous elaborate patterns, Elder Redseal truly gave off the air of an expert. Tianyi upon seeing him stood up from his seat. Even though Elder Redseal had his faults, he was still the Head Elder of Justice Hall.
Elder Redseal glanced at his grandson, the face that was about thirty percent similar to Lovespot, and released a sigh of relief.
“Grandfather, that bastard wanted to kill me! Punish him, Chain him to the Infinity Lightning Pillar!” The fear previously felt by Lovespot all converted into anger.
Elder Redseal’s handsome face frowned as he glared at Tianyi. “Do you admit your crimes?”
Tianyi gave a gentle smile. “Crimes? What crime have I committed?”
“Attempting to murder a fellow sect member!”
Tianyi laughed as if he just heard the funniest joke in the world. “Elder, I was only trying to teach “senior brother” Lovespot a lesson. He besmirched my mother, after all.”
Elder Redseal actually frowned at that. “Audacious! Bringing out the Jade Peak Seal is evidence enough!”
“The Jade Peak Seal is an Immortal Artifact, but didn’t senior brother Lovespot also bring out two Immortal Artifacts? Since he brought out an Immortal Artifact, I simply brought out mine.” Tianyi rebutted. “Right, I would like to report senior brother Lovespot as well.”
Anger colored Elder Redseal’s eyes. “What report!? Disciple Lovespot has not done anything to warrant such a thing.”
“Not today, of course. I prevent him from touching my junior sister. Your grandson dared to lay his hands on my mother’s second disciple. But since I stopped him, I won’t report that. I’ll report all the crimes he committed before. I’m sure I don’t need to remind Elder of those actions he took before?” Tianyi said, his smile slightly sinister.
“A bunch of nonsense! Fan’er was framed by those with impure desires!” Elder Redseal’s vulgar words caused all the onlookers’ hearts to chill.
This was the Elder in charge of Justice Hall? The Head Elder of Justice Hall should be impartial and fair, but who knew how often Elder Redseal had secretly paid off the victim or sentenced an innocent?
“Fine,” Tianyi said. “But he is committing a crime right now. Using an art to mesmerize his fellow disciples counts as an unprovoked assault, does it not?”
“Indeed, earlier when he was walking towards this disciple, he tried to increase the power of his charm on me. If it weren’t for senior brother’s aid, I would have fallen for it.” Daoyi spoke up at this moment, her eyes chilly.
“What does a little girl like you know! Fan’er isn’t doing on purpose. He can’t control so he cannot be judged for this!” Elder Redseal’s face started to turn red from anger. He was a dignified Immortal Monarch and Head Elder when had anyone, especially a mere mortal, dare to talk to him like this? But he was barely able to hold his head high because of all the sins his grandson committed.
Tianyi smiled derisively. Just as he was about to speak, Elder Redseal attacked.
It was an action that Tianyi never expected. Even if Elder Redseal was an Immortal Monarch and Head Elder, he was still the son of a Grand Elder! None of the spectators expected this either, and they watched with open mouths as Tianyi flew backward. The force caused his Thunder Throne Mk II to shatter from the Tianyi crashing through it.
“Senior brother!” Daoyi cried out and ran towards Tianyi. Xia Yushan, who saw this scene, tightened his hands within his sleeves, his eyes murky and unclear.
“Impudent, audacious, arrogant to the extreme, daring to question a decision made by an Elder and speaking falsehood. Consider this your lesson!” Elder Redseal waved his sleeve turned away. His eyes contained a trace of hatred within.
“Grandfather, that girl-” Lovespot wanted to speak, but one look from Elder Redseal silenced him. Lovespot noticed something wrong with his usual doting grandfather. His state appearing extremely abnormal.
Tianyi coughed up blood. Or rather, his body’s equivalent of blood. It was pitched black yet shone with countless motes of light like a liquified night sky.
Inside his body, his nine cores had dimmed, and a few even had cracks on their surface. His five Nascent Souls had become blurry and seemed able to disappear at any moment. The light of the milky way within his cosmos had dimmed. But soon, the Five Nascent Sous were no longer blurry, the cracks on his nine cores mended, and stars in the cosmos blinked as they slowly recovered.
Tianyi, with Daoyi’s help, stood back up. He wanted to cripple my cultivation! Bastard!
Although it seemed that Tianyi had healed, he was clear that it was only superficial at best. Beneath the smooth surface of his nine cores, cracks remained, and his five Nascent Souls were still unstable.
Elder Redseal paused in his steps as he turned back. His eyes betrayed his surprise at Tianyi able to retain consciousness. No, before that, he could feel that Tianyi’s realm was still at the Nascent Soul Realm. He clenched his right hand, and immortal qi began to gather.
“Elder Redseal, that’s enough.”
A clear voice caused everyone to break out of their shock. Tianyi and Daoyi felt their bodies shook as they recognize the owner of that voice and turned to see an elderly lady walking forward.
“So it’s Elder Meng,” Elder Redseal said as he dispersed the qi in his palm. “Why has Elder come out of seclusion? Your injuries should not have fully healed yet.”
Elder Meng showed no change in expression as she walked forward and aided Tianyi in standing up. “I had thought that young master would be safe within the sect, but it seems like some people are too hasty.”
Elder Redseal’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know what Elder Meng is talking about. I am simply teaching an unruly disciple a lesson.”
Elder Meng smiled, but that smiled didn’t reach her eyes. “Grand Elder Xi will sure to thank Elder Redseal for your actions.”
“Hmpf!” Elder Redseal flew off into the distance and took his grandson with him.
“Junior brother, are you okay?” Xia Yushan came up when Elder Redseal left.
“I’m not fine,” Tianyi said, his face still pale. “I just received an attack from an Immortal Monarch. Bastard, if it weren’t because my cultivation method was special, I would have been crippled!”
The disciples gathered sucked in a cold breath at Tianyi’s words.
“Senior brother Xia, why didn’t you speak up when Elder Redseal was obviously flipping black and white?” Daoyi asked, displeased.
Xia Yushan showed a bitter smile. “How can I easily do that? Elder Redseal is in charge of Justice Hall if he takes my words and attacks my master. Then I would have brought unnecessary trouble.”
“So you can watch him bully my senior brother? I can understand others not standing up, but I thought we were friends.” Daoyi’s voice was cold as she looked at Xia Yushan. Xia Yushan felt his breath hitch in and a dark emotion just shy of erupting welled within him.
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Tianyi said and stopped the two. He felt lightheaded like he was drunk. “Senior brother is the Eldest Disciple. The things he has to consider is much more than we know. Senior brother, I need to go back to recuperate.”
Xia Yushan prevented the negative emotions from bursting out and gave a smile resembling warm jade. “Of course, you should quickly return and heal yourself.”
Once Tianyi left with Daoyi and Elder Meng, the gathering lost its meaning. But the things that happened today would no doubt spread throughout the sect.
“Grandfather, who was that? That Elder didn’t seem like an Immortal. Why did you let them go?” Lovespot’s words contained some accusations.
“Fan’er, his status isn’t ordinary. I can’t go too far. Otherwise…” Elder Redseal frowned. Going too far? Perhaps he had already done so.
Within the sect, who didn’t know that Tianyi was Sword Empress Xi’s only son? Just that, Xi Tianyi wasn’t one that caused trouble like many descendants of Elders, so Grand Elder Xi never had to take action.
Because she never had to take action, many people didn’t know the extent of Mengfei’s love towards Tianyi. His earlier actions had some intent of probing Mengfei’s actions. But there was a more primal reason for his outburst, one that was brought about by Tianyi’s face.
“His status? How can he compare to you, grandfather? Just cripple and ruin him!” Lovespot gnashed his teeth together in anger as he thought of how he lost face in front of all those people gathered today.
“Stupid! That scourge is Grand Elder Xi’s son!” Elder Redseal rebuked. He usually doted on his grandson, but today he was actually reprimanding Lovespot.
Although he wasn’t afraid of Grand Elder Xi, her influence wasn’t something he could easily fight against. If it weren’t for him having an excuse of having his grandson assaulted and Tianyi’s attitude, he wouldn’t have tried to destroy Tianyi’s cultivation as a probe.
What worried him more was the sudden appearance of Elder Meng. Even before he became an Immortal, Elder Meng seemed to have always existed in the Buzhou Immortal Sect. Her age was seemingly as old as the creation of the sect or even older!
“Grand Elder Xi? Xi Mengfei?” Lovespot said from shock, but soon his shock turned into lust. “Is it true that she is the most beautiful woman in the world?”
“Fan’er! Don’t speak her name!” Elder Redseal quickly clamped his hand over Lovespot’s mouth. He looked around as if searching for something before releasing a breath of relief.
“Grandfather, what’s wrong?” Lovespot asked. He just said a name; what could happen?
Elder Redseal gave an unprecedented show of seriousness. “You shouldn’t speak her name carelessly. In the past, her enemies casually said her name, and from the opposite end of the realm, she killed them by summoning her sword. Anyone who spoke her name will alert her to their presence! Luckily it seems that she is preoccupied at this moment. If she disliked it and killed you, even I would not be able to stop it.”
“How can it be possible? Even if she is a Grand Elder, she can’t arbitrarily kill me. I’m your grandson!” Lovespot said, aghast.
“But if she did, I wouldn’t be able to do much to her. So don’t ever speak her name again.” Elder Redseal said, his voice stern and strict like never before.
“Alright, alright! I heard you the first time, grandfather.” Lovespot said, annoyed. He seemed that have thought of something and said. “Grandfather, I heard she isn’t in the sect. We should get rid of that bastard while we still can!”
Elder Redseal frowned. “I’ve told you to it’s impossible to ruin the scourge much less kill him. This is an action of harming the enemy by a thousand but harming ourselves by eight hundred. Perhaps we might even be dealt worse than a thousand we dealt depending on how Grand Elder Xi reacts. Besides, even now it’s not so simple, that Elder Meng who protected him isn’t someone that I can casually act against.”
“How can that be?” Lovespot said, shocked. His grandfather, in his eyes, was invincible. “Then, we have to teach that bastard a lesson, at least!”
Suddenly an idea morphed inside Lovespot’s head. “Grandfather, if we capture Tianyi, can I make her give her body to me-“
Lovespot didn’t have time to finish as his mouth was clamped shut by Elder Redseal, his face unprecedently pale. “Quiet! I can give a blind eye to your affairs when you are dealing with mortals. Don’t even think about bedding a True Immortal, much less Grand Elder Xi!”
He felt his stomach twist in pain, hearing those daring words of his grandson. Just where did he go wrong?
“Then, I want that Xi Tianyi to die! I don’t care how. He must pay the price for making me lose face!” Lovespot said.
“How can that be possible. In terms of status, I can’t compare to Grand Elder Xi. Immortal Monarchs are rare, but there are over ten in the sect while there are only three Immortal Emperors.” Elder Redseal said.
Lovesopt frowned, obviously unwilling. “Grandfather, I want to break into the Unity Realm as soon as possible.”
“Fan’er, your foundation isn’t as stable as it should be. You should at least wait a few more years.” Elder Redseal said, worry evident in his tone.
“I don’t care. I need to break through as soon as possible. Hmpf, if mother and father were still here, how would anyone dare to resist me!”
“…alright,” Elder Redseal relented. Whenever Lovespot brought out his deceased daughter and son-in-law, he could never say no to Lovespot’s wants. “Give me some time to find some girls with Water Spiritual Veins for you.”
“Thank you, grandfather; you’re the best.” Lovespot showed a face full of joy. Those with Water Spiritual Veins had an innate beauty that others could not compare. Suddenly a thought occurred to Lovespot. “About that bastard’s junior sister, even if I can’t ruin him-“
“Stupid child. We can’t touch them right now, just wait till Grand Elder Xi comes out. It all depends on her attitude. I you really can’t wait, I’ll find some girls with beauty greater than that girl. She isn’t anything special.” Elder Redseal consoled with a gentle smile, but inside he was frowning. He had taken the first action against Tianyi, but if he stretched his hand towards Daoyi then there would be even greater pressure on him. Right now, he needed to contact his associates to discuss the matter with Tianyi.
If Grand Elder Xi didn’t take action, then they would know that she didn’t place much importance on her son, and they would be able to eliminate one more scourge of the Dragon Emperor.
If Grand Elder Xi did show displeasure. Elder Redseal wasn’t afraid; he was the Head Elder of Punishment Hall. It was a position that not even a Grand Elder can easily touch. Besides, he hadn’t even been able to cripple Tianyi.