The hall was dead silent.
No one dared to speak.
No one even dared to breathe too loudly.
At that moment, everyone understood one thing clearly.
Bai Zihan would not forgive.
If there was someone no matter who it is, their status, background or talent, they could escape Bai Zihan’s retribution once he set his mind on it.
Even Bai Xueqing, the genius sister of his, more valued at Bai Clan, couldn’t stop Bai Zihan.
Perhaps there was only one person who could intervene without much consequence — Grand Elder Bai Ren.
Even if he acted forcefully, he wouldn’t lose face. As the Grand Elder, he had the authority to stop Bai Zihan if he believed he was making a rash decision.
But that was only if he wanted to stop him.
Rather than intervening, Bai Ren actually looked proud.
He nodded in agreement with Bai Zihan’s words, and in his heart, he believed — this was how the heir of their Bai Clan should act.
Fearless. Decisive. Merciless toward their enemies.
Offending the Shen Clan? Making them an enemy?
So what?
If they wanted to, the Bai Clan could wipe the Shen Clan out with ease.
Grand Elder Bai Ren had always believed in finishing things thoroughly — no debts left behind.
Previously, he had a negative opinion about Bai Zihan because of his cultivation talent and reputation and thought of him as a lazy, senseless troublemaker.
But that has all changed now.
Even without much cultivation talent, he believed that the character Bai Zihan showed was epitome of who their Bai Clan’s future leader should be.
Tian Yuheng slowly withdrew his hand and said nothing more.
After all, it was simple: offend the Bai Clan or offend the Shen Clan.
Between the two, offending the Shen Clan was the obvious choice — especially when Shen Liang was the one at fault.
Tian Yuheng didn’t think the Shen Clan had much ground to stand on regarding Shen Liang’s punishment — it was his own fault, and he had brought it upon himself.
They wouldn’t have a justifiable reason to wage war against the Heaven Sword Sect either.
And even if they did try to fight, the Shen Clan didn’t have the strength to destroy the Heaven Sword Sect — unlike the Bai Clan.
The Bai Clan had both the justification and the power to do as they pleased — even if that meant going against the Heaven Sword Sect, especially if Tian Yuheng mishandled the situation here.
Bai Zihan’s gaze fell on Shen Liang, who was caught in place by Elder Yu..
Bai Zihan walked towards him and his intention was clear. Bai Zihan want to take Shen Liang’s arm/
Shen Liang glared at him with burning hatred.
“Bai Zihan, do you think you can take my arm? Don’t overestimate yourself!”
He roared, his Nascent Soul cultivation flaring violently.
Even after being exposed and pinned down for breaking sect rules and scheming against another disciple — all thanks to Bai Zihan — But he still underestimated him.
Shen Liang believed Bai Zihan was just a weakling. Maybe he couldn’t outsmart him, but when it came to strength, he was certain there was no way he’d ever lose to him.
He broke free of Elder Yu’s hands and glared at Bai Zihan, daring him to come closer.
There was no way he would just let this happen — not because of some punishment, not because of his uncle, and certainly not because of someone he saw as beneath him.
Elder Yu was stumped about what to do. She wanted to restrain Shen Liang again though more forcefully this time.
However, before she could do that, Bai Zihan made his move. Bai Zihan knew he couldn’t overpower Shen Liang by himself.
But he never planned to.
“Grand Elder!”
He didn’t need to say anything more.
Grand Elder Bai Ren, seated in the corner like a slumbering beast, finally opened his eyes.
A terrifying aura pressed down.
Boom!
Shen Liang’s body instantly buckled under the weight, forcing him to his knees.
Elder Yu quickly retreated from Shen Liang, dragging Mei Rulan along a bit forcefully, as she clearly had no desire to be anywhere near the scene.
“ARGH!”
Shen Liang howled, his cultivation meaningless in front of that oppressive force.
“How about now?”
Bai Zihan said mockingly as he walked toward him.
In Shen Liang’s current state, even a child could kill him.
Shen Liang’s face twisted into raw terror.
“No! No! You can’t! I’m a Core Disciple! I’m the Shen Clan’s genius! I—!”
He shrieked, scrambling for anything — pride, status, fear — to stop what was coming.
“Bai Zihan, think carefully!” he gasped desperately.
“Your Bai Clan isn’t invincible! If you do this, you’ll make an enemy of the Shen Clan! You could have an ally instead!”
He tried to bargain, tried to tempt Bai Zihan.
But Bai Zihan wasn’t listening.
He wouldn’t have gone this far if he cared about the Shen Clan’s opinion.
To him, they weren’t worth more than his revenge.
Bai Zihan lazily pulled out his sword from his storage ring.
The cold blade flashed under the hall’s light.
“NO! NO, NO, DON’T—!”
Shen Liang’s screams echoed through the hall.
Just as Bai Zihan raised his sword—
A violent surge of spiritual pressure exploded from Elder Shen!
“STOP—!”
Elder Shen roared, lunging forward to save his nephew.
But—
Boom!!
Before he could even take two steps, a terrifying force crushed down.
Grand Elder Bai Ren flicked his sleeve casually.
Elder Shen was smashed into the ground like a dead dog, similar to how Shen Liang was.
“Stay still,” Bai Ren said coldly, his voice like rolling thunder.
“You’re lucky we’re only taking the hand, not the head.”
Even though Elder Shen was a powerhouse in his own right, in front of Bai Ren, he was nothing — a toddler before a mountain.
Coughing blood, Elder Shen could only glare helplessly as Bai Zihan stood before Shen Liang.
Shen Liang shrieked, struggling madly, but there was no way that he could free himself from Grand Elder Bai Ren’s restraint.
“Bai Zihan, think carefully! Please, I’ll apologize! Just let me go this once!”
Seeing Bai Zihan approaching, Shen Liang couldn’t hold onto his pride any longer and began to beg.
“Please! I’m begging you!”
He didn’t care that countless disciples and elders were watching — he didn’t want to be a cripple.
Bai Zihan just gave him a smile before his sword flashing mercilessly.
Without hesitation—
Slick—!!
A flash of silver.
Puchi—!
A spray of blood arced through the air.
Shen Liang’s right hand was cleanly severed at the wrist, thudding wetly to the polished floor.
“AAAAARGHH!!”
Shen Liang collapsed, writhing and sobbing like a wounded beast.
Several disciples turned their heads away, unable to bear the sight.
But Bai Zihan didn’t even blink.
He stood there, completely unmoved.
Because to him, this wasn’t cruelty.
It was justice.
The sharp scent of blood filled the hall.
Grand Elder Bai Ren has stopped restraining Shen Liang as his hand has already been severed.
Elder Yu quickly came over and calmly sealed Shen Liang’s meridians to stop the bleeding.
Bai Zihan flicked the blood from his blade with a lazy motion, as if brushing dirt from his sleeve.
The deed was done.
And the hall remained deathly silent.
Everyone was thinking the same thing — Bai Zihan really dared to do what he said he would.
He had actually cut off the hand of Shen Liang, one of the top geniuses, respected and feared by countless disciples.
Even if they had been schemed against like Bai Zihan, none of them believed they would have had the guts to do what he had just done.
Most would’ve been satisfied if Shen Liang was just stripped of his status.
But Bai Zihan took it a step further.
He took Shen Liang’s right hand — his future.
This completely shattered their opinion of Bai Zihan.
The young master they once looked down on as just some spoiled brat from a prestigious clan… now appeared before them as a terrifying figure.
They were still in the process of comprehending what was happening.
No one dared even think of speaking.
The only sound in the Punishment Hall was Shen Liang’s wails of pain.
“AAAAHHHH!”
Shen Liang was experiencing pain like never before.
But more than the pain of having his hand cut off, the horrifying reality finally sank in — this wasn’t a nightmare.
He had truly lost his right hand. He had really become a cripple.
A genius of the Shen Clan and the Heaven Sword Sect, Shen Liang’s future had once been brighter than anyone’s, and his reputation soared as high as the sky.
But today, he had lost everything.
As the pain dulled slightly thanks to Elder Yu’s emergency healing, Shen Liang’s eyes burned with hatred toward Bai Zihan.
“BAI ZIHAN!”
Shen Liang roared at the top of his lungs.
“You and I are irreconcilable! I won’t stop until I kill you!”
He spat the words out, glaring at Bai Zihan with pure venom.
“Hmph!”
Bai Zihan just smirked and mocked, “What can a cripple even do?”
His mocking words stabbed deeper than any sword, a brutal reminder about what has happened to Shen Liang.