"Your excellency, there seems to be some misunderstanding. Please allow our sect to explain the situation," Cang Xuanzi said, taking a deep breath before cupping his fists towards Li Xuan.
"Has Yao'er met with misfortune?" Li Xuan asked sternly, his face chilling as he continued, "If you have harmed her, I will raze your sect to the ground today, even if it means my death!"
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. For years, how had the Cangyun Sect ever been subjected to such humiliation? In the Tianyun Kingdom, the Cangyun Sect could even disregard the royal family. Yet, here they were, being threatened by a mere youth.
Cang Xuanzi's eye twitched, clearly shocked by Li Xuan's words. However, he understood that the youth before him possessed the strength to back his threats. Even if they could suppress him with the combined might of their sect, how could they withstand the wrath of the person or power behind him?
What kind of formidable existence could cultivate such an exceptional disciple?
With this thought, Cang Xuanzi, though unwilling, could only cup his fists and say, "Your excellency, to be frank, after your sister was brought back by Elder Liu Qing, she was quite restless for a few days. She refused to stay at Cangyun Sect, saying she wanted to return to accompany her brother... which I presume is you. It was only after Junior Sister Bi Luoyun spoke with her that she agreed to stay."
"Since my sister stayed, where is she now?" Li Xuan looked at Cang Xuanzi.
A hint of helplessness flashed in Cang Xuanzi's eyes. "After agreeing to stay, your sister cultivated with utmost diligence. In less than half a month, she broke through to the initial Ling realm. Our sect was overjoyed to receive such a gifted disciple. Junior Sister even took her as a personal disciple and doted on her."
"Get to the point," Li Xuan interrupted, his gaze gradually losing some of its ferocity.
"A month ago, for reasons unknown, your sister's strength surged, and she directly broke through to the King Wu realm. As she was breaking through, a celestial phenomenon occurred. While our sect was celebrating, a woman suddenly appeared and took your sister away," Cang Xuanzi said with a bitter expression.
"The mighty Cangyun Sect couldn't even protect one disciple?" Li Xuan asked, incredulous. In the Tianyun Kingdom, Cangyun Sect was a top-tier power.
"Your excellency, every word I speak is the truth. We naturally did not wish to lose such an exceptional disciple, but that woman in black was incredibly powerful. To be completely honest, even our sect's Grand Elder intervened, yet he was severely wounded by her. To this day, the Grand Elder has not fully recovered," Cang Xuanzi said with a wry smile.
"A woman in black? If you say she was so powerful, why didn't she destroy your Cangyun Sect?" Li Xuan asked, puzzled.
"The woman in black's sole objective, from beginning to end, seemed to be your sister. In fact, if your sister hadn't spoken up in the end, Cangyun Sect might truly have ceased to exist," Cang Xuanzi sighed.
"If that's the case, why did you attack me earlier?" Li Xuan now believed Cang Xuanzi's words. His gaze shifted to the two gatekeeping disciples who had guided him. Logically, since Li Yao had been taken away by the woman in black and had even saved the Cangyun Sect, these disciples should have been grateful.
"Your excellency, not many knew of this matter... and combined with our intentional suppression of the news, the outer disciples were almost entirely unaware. After all, it was too humiliating, and I feared that my disciples would be distracted and lose focus in their cultivation. Thus, we decided to publicly announce that your sister had betrayed the sect, which led to the incident." Cang Xuanzi said with a bitter smile.
If they had known earlier that Li Yao's brother was so powerful, they wouldn't have devised such a foolish plan to save face. Now, their pride had been trampled upon.
"You wanted to disassociate yourselves from Yao'er, afraid that the woman in black would come looking for you again," Li Xuan said, a hint of disdain in his eyes. He then subtly gestured, looking at Cang Xuanzi and asking, "Li Cheng Yun, is he present?"
"Li Cheng Yun? Who is that?" Cang Xuanzi looked stunned before glancing at an elder beside him.
"Li Cheng Yun... Sect Master, this disciple is an outer disciple. He seems to be... Elder Liu Qing's disciple. Elder Liu Qing and that disciple Li Cheng Yun, they were in the back mountain," an elder recalled, looking at Cang Xuanzi.
"Fetch Elder Liu Qing quickly! And Li Cheng Yun too!" Cang Xuanzi, finding Liu Qing nowhere in sight, instructed the elder beside him.
"Yes!" The elder turned and disappeared in an instant.
A moment later, the elder who had left rushed back, followed by two figures looking flustered, clearly unaware of what had happened.
"What in the world happened..." Seeing the outer disciples writhing in pain everywhere, even Liu Qing's eyelids twitched. He soon spotted Li Xuan and frowned, "It's you! You're still alive? No, how did you get to my Cangyun Sect?"
"Shut up!" Hearing Liu Qing's words, Cang Xuanzi immediately sensed the existing animosity between Liu Qing and Li Xuan. Li Xuan's hostility had clearly lessened, and if Liu Qing reignited it, it would be a disaster.
"Sect Master, this brat is that..." Liu Qing was taken aback, then pointed at Li Xuan and tried to speak again.
"I told you to shut up!" Cang Xuanzi inwardly cursed him as an idiot and, with a wave of his hand, incapacitated Liu Qing.
"Your excellency, Li Cheng Yun is here," Cang Xuanzi, regaining his composure, said to Li Xuan with a cupped fist.
Li Xuan's gaze had already fallen upon Li Cheng Yun. Although many years had passed, this person bore a strong resemblance to his memory.
"Li Yong, Li Xian, and Li Wen Tian have all been killed by me. Do you have any thoughts on this?" Li Xuan asked.
Li Cheng Yun's expression changed. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly shook his head. "No."
"You stubborn mule, not playing by the rules. Very well, if you have no thoughts, then so be it. Your lineage is now reduced to only you. I suggest you return to the Li family." Li Xuan was momentarily stunned. He had expected Li Cheng Yun to react with fury, giving him an excuse to eliminate him completely. But Li Cheng Yun endured it.
"Effective immediately, Li Cheng Yun is expelled from the Cangyun Sect!" Cang Xuanzi declared.
Li Cheng Yun gave a bitter smile, then bowed to Liu Qing and Cang Xuanzi before turning to leave.
Li Xuan did not stop Li Cheng Yun. His most cherished sister, Li Yao, had been taken away, and there was no one left in Qingcheng that Li Xuan needed to worry about. Li Cheng Yun's return would, in essence, only serve to revitalize the Li family.
Li Cheng Yun understood this implicitly. From the Sect Master's attitude towards Li Xuan, he knew that Li Xuan was no longer the child he once knew. Although Li Xuan had killed his father and two brothers, Li Xuan's sparing him clearly indicated they had offended Li Xuan.
The path of a spiritual master naturally granted a lifespan far exceeding that of mortals. Li Cheng Yun was only forty years old, still considered young among spiritual masters. With effort, he could still father ten or eight more children.
"A few months ago, you threw a punch at me. Today, I will throw one back. If you can withstand it, all past grievances will be settled," Li Xuan said, turning his gaze to Liu Qing. Cang Xuanzi's heart stirred, and the restraint on Liu Qing immediately dissipated.
Liu Qing, having recovered his senses, heard Li Xuan's words and quickly channeled his spiritual energy to defend himself.
Li Xuan took a deep breath and unleashed a punch. After the blow, Li Xuan turned to leave.
"Your excellency, please wait a moment." Seeing Li Xuan about to depart, Cang Xuanzi suddenly spoke as if remembering something. Li Xuan stopped and turned back, his gaze falling on Cang Xuanzi.
Cang Xuanzi swallowed and said, "Although our sect does not know the identity of that woman in black, judging by her methods, she seems to hail from the Central Region."
Li Xuan's brow furrowed slightly, and he slowly nodded.
"The Central Region, huh? I will go there. If I find my sister, I will owe Cangyun Sect a favor."
With that, Li Xuan turned and left without looking back.