"Traitor!"
"Rebel!"
"Scum!"
"Turncoat!"
Inside the treasury, Cang Juezi was going mad, spitting out a string of curses.
He never imagined that his risky assassination attempt on Ying Chen would only make him a pawn of the Grand Elder!
He was filled with regret, wishing he hadn't listened to the Grand Elder's slanderous words!
Alas, it was too late.
Desperate, Cang Juezi turned to look at the Dragon-Shattering Stone, weighing tens of thousands of pounds.
This was a mechanism set up at the founding of the Shennong Sect, never activated in all these years.
It could only be triggered when the Shennong Sect was on the brink of annihilation. For once the Dragon-Shattering Stone was lowered, it could never be raised again.
"Even as a ghost... I will never forgive you!" Cang Juezi's gaze seemed to pierce through the Dragon-Shattering Stone, seeing the triumphant Grand Elder outside.
In contrast to the Grand Elder's impotent fury, Ying Chen remained exceptionally calm.
It was as if Ying Chen had no idea what the lowering of the Dragon-Shattering Stone truly signified.
He was still in the mood to settle his score with Cang Juezi.
"How do you think I should deal with you?"
Ying Chen flicked his fingers lightly, and the Xuanpin Lieque Sword immediately vibrated.
In the next second, it detached from Cang Juezi's hand and landed in Ying Chen's.
"New swords often need to be tempered with blood. Shall I use you to test mine?"
Ying Chen admired the Xuanpin Lieque Sword and said leisurely.
However, Cang Juezi, who had always been a coward, was surprisingly resolute this time: "Hmph, death is death. To die by your sword is at least better than being trapped and dying in this place!"
"Come on, it'll be perfect to use my blood to consecrate the flying sword I refined, a fitting match!"
"If I so much as frown, I'm your grandson!"
After speaking, Cang Juezi straightened his neck, signaling Ying Chen to make his move.
To his surprise, Ying Chen let out a sneer: "You want to be my grandson? Don't flatter yourself. You're not worthy."
"..." If he could defeat Ying Chen, Cang Juezi would have given him a hefty slap.
Not even worthy of being his grandson?
There had to be a limit to insulting someone!
Little did Cang Juezi know, Ying Chen wasn't insulting him, but telling the truth.
Given Cang Juezi's age, he would at most be an eighty-generation great-grandson to Ying Chen.
"If you could get out, what would you want to do most?"
Ying Chen suddenly posed a peculiar question.
It was as if they weren't in a life-and-death struggle but were having a heart-to-heart chat on a deserted island.
"Get out? Heh. How little do you think of the Dragon-Shattering Stone set by my sect's ancestor?" Cang Juezi sneered first.
Then he continued: "If I could really get out, the very first thing I would do is eliminate that dog, the Grand Elder!"
"As for the second thing..."
Cang Juezi looked at Ying Chen.
"Kill me?" Ying Chen asked playfully.
"No, no, no. If we can truly get out, it would prove you can even open the Dragon-Shattering Stone. Such power is already close to our Shennong Sect's founding ancestor. How would I dare to harbor any ill intentions towards you?"
"I would only kneel and call you ancestor, and pledge my loyalty to you forever."
"However, you probably wouldn't accept a disciple like me, would you? After all, I went back on my word and deceived you. You'd be doing me a favor if you just gave me a quick death."
Ying Chen gave a meaningful smile and remained silent.
Then, Ying Chen took out the Soul-Purifying Grass from his怀中 and plucked three leaves.
A ball of flame ignited at his fingertips, setting the three leaves ablaze.
In the next second, a mist permeated the entire treasury.
Cang Juezi felt his soul incredibly refreshed, as if all his worries and distracting thoughts had vanished, leaving only a heart devoted to the pursuit of the Dao.
However, only a small portion of the mist filling the room flowed towards Cang Juezi; the vast majority flowed towards Ying Chen.
It entered Ying Chen's body and disappeared.
From within Ying Chen, a faint hum could be heard from time to time, as if a colossal beast was slowly awakening inside him.
……………………………
Inside the Shennong Sect's main hall.
All the disciples were present, paying respects to the new Sect Leader with shocked expressions.
The Grand Elder, having successfully ascended, was in high spirits. He waved his hand grandly, "Bring them here!"
Following his command, four people were brought forward.
They were Min Ziqing, Professor Li, and the young couple!
The four were mistaken for Ying Chen's accomplices and arrested by order of the Grand Elder.
Now, the Grand Elder intended to put them on trial and execute them publicly!
On one hand, it was to make an example of them, and on the other, it was a way to inform all disciples of the sect that he had killed Ying Chen's associates and avenged the former Sect Leader, Cang Juezi!
His succession to the position of Sect Leader was therefore legitimate and unquestionable!
"Don't be afraid, Nannan. Uncle is here."
Min Ziqing held a little girl in his arms.
The little girl looked terrified but couldn't utter a sound.
She could only bury her head deep into Min Ziqing's embrace.
This little girl was the one Ying Chen had been searching for.
Alas, as soon as Min Ziqing had taken her out, thinking they could be reunited, such a scene unfolded immediately.
"Do you four plead guilty?"
The Grand Elder asked disdainfully, sitting on the Sect Leader's throne from a high vantage point.
"May I ask, esteemed elder, what crime have we committed?" The young couple, unaware of what was happening, had the wife step forward and ask.
But the moment she finished speaking, the Grand Elder vanished from his throne.
*Slap!*
A resounding slap echoed throughout the hall.
The Grand Elder had suddenly appeared before the wife, striking her to the ground!
"What did you just call me?"
"Just for that address, you deserve to die!"
The Grand Elder's eyes gleamed with a cold light as he spoke.
The wife lay on the ground, blood flowing from her cheeks and mouth, a pathetic sight.
Yet, there was still a look of confusion in her eyes. She didn't understand what she had done wrong to provoke such an attack from the Grand Elder.
"Kill me if you want! Don't touch my wife!"
Her husband stepped forward, shielding her.
"Oh, quite affectionate, aren't we? In that case, I'll send you both to your deaths!"
The Grand Elder chuckled menacingly.
Then, he suddenly waved his hand!
"Guards, send these four to the Sky Lantern Pillar!"
"Execute them with the Sky Lantern Punishment to avenge Sect Leader Cang Juezi!"
"As for this little girl..."
The Grand Elder looked at Nannan.
"Since she is now a disciple of this sect, she shall remain! When she grows up, she will be made to atone for her sins!"
"Yes!" Four disciples immediately stepped forward, preparing to escort the four for the Sky Lantern Punishment.
The Sky Lantern Punishment was the most brutal form of punishment in the Shennong Sect, originally used only to punish traitors.
The condemned were bound to a lantern pole, their entire bodies doused with a mysterious oil.
Once lit, not only would their physical bodies suffer, but their souls would also burn, doubling the agony.
Crucially, the oil would burn for a full day and night before finally killing the person.
It was a true state of "unable to live, unable to die."
Even the Shennong Sect disciples present couldn't help but shudder at the mention of the Sky Lantern Punishment.
It was a testament to how terrifying the punishment was.
"If you dare to touch me, my brother-in-law will take your lives when he returns!"
Min Ziqing, tightly holding Nannan, retreated repeatedly, issuing a warning.
He didn't hesitate, nor did he seek Ying Chen's permission, simply declaring Ying Chen his brother-in-law.
"Hahaha... Stop dreaming! You'll never see him again in this lifetime!"
"That's a ten-thousand-pound Dragon-Shattering Stone! Even if he's a prodigy skilled in both martial arts and cultivation, he won't be able to open it!"
"Therefore, the four of you are doomed!"
The Grand Elder roared with manic laughter.
However, before his laughter could finish, a deafening roar suddenly echoed from afar.
It was like the thunder of early spring, heralding the end of winter and the arrival of spring!
It shook the entire hall!