"He killed someone... Yan Shouyi killed someone!"
"The folk sects are truly wicked, even Yan Shouyi dares to kill in broad daylight!"
"He killed the sect leader of the Laoshan Formation Sect! How could the Laoshan sect let this slide? This is a huge mess now!!"
Everyone present was utterly shocked.
When Yan Shouyi handed the child to Yu Lumening, everyone thought it was over, that this battle would absolutely not happen today.
However, the outcome took a shocking turn. From somewhere, another Yan Shouyi appeared, acting swiftly and decisively, backstabbing Hong Sifang and sending him to the afterlife!
This Yan Shouyi had his head bandaged, one eye blind, with blood that had turned black seeping from the eye socket. He looked very different from his usual self, appearing much more ferocious and manic.
How could there be two Yan Shouyis?
"You... Who are you?"
Hong Sifang felt his life force draining rapidly but still wanted to resolve his doubts.
Yan Shouyi whispered coldly into his ear, "What you see is merely a Dharma Body of mine, and I am the true self."
The true self had one blind eye, while the Dharma Body did not. The one who had appeared earlier was Yan Shouyi's Glacier Dharma Body.
He had been hiding in the shadows initially out of concern that Hong Sifang and his group might play dirty.
But as things developed, they turned out completely different from what he had anticipated.
Blood flowed from the sword's edge onto Yan Shouyi's hand.
Hong Sifang gritted his teeth and said, "You... You killed me. Aren't you afraid that the two factions will completely break ties? Are you going against our prestigious sects?"
"Heh," Yan Shouyi scoffed disdainfully, "If I didn't act today, would you have let us go?"
"You..."
"Stop talking. Save your strength to report to King Yama."
Yan Shouyi had no interest in listening to Hong Sifang's babbling.
He pulled out the Ancestral Dragon Sword and kicked Hong Sifang's corpse to the ground.
Then, the Glacier Dharma Body appeared beside him, returning the Soul Reaper Blade with its hands.
Yan Shouyi held the Ancestral Dragon Sword in his left hand and the Soul Reaper Blade in his right.
"Listen clearly, everyone! Ancestral Dragon in my left hand, Soul Reaper in my right. Ancestral Dragon punishes evil, Soul Reaper eliminates demons!"
The Ancestral Dragon Sword only killed the wicked.
The Soul Reaper Blade only executed evil spirits!
He stepped on Hong Sifang's corpse and loudly addressed the members of the Folk Research Society:
"I, Yan Shouyi, am willing to lay down my life for the folk sects, to the last drop of my blood! But the children are innocent. They should not bear the consequences of the grudges of the previous generation!"
"The prestigious sects have pushed us too far. I retreated again and again, but they only advanced! Today they demand the child, tomorrow they will demand my family, my friends!"
"It is better to fight back than to live a life of humiliation!"
"The folk sects have never been a low-class profession, nor are the prestigious sects inherently superior. Why should we endure insults and carry the stigma? Why is our dedication to the people met with only misfortune?!"
"They say this is the fate of the inheritors of folk sects, but I, Yan Shouyi, refuse to believe in such a fate!"
He lifted his foot and kicked Hong Sifang's corpse towards the more than four hundred disciples of the prestigious sects.
Then, he raised the Ancestral Dragon Sword and shouted to the members of the Folk Research Society behind him:
"What goes around comes around! Anyone who dares to harm us, we will repay tenfold! We will fight until they are afraid, until they are terrified, until they no longer look down on us, until every night they live in fear, their eyes are filled with our shadows! Let them live in our shadow for their entire lives!!!"
"Kill!!!!!"
The members of the Folk Research Society were all filled with righteous indignation!
All the grievances they had suffered erupted at this moment!
Led by Yan Shouyi, everyone surged past the gate, launching a counter-attack against the disciples of the prestigious sects!!
"Damn them!!"
Wang Jiwang spat, drew two switchblades, and led the charge!
Luo Ning smiled with satisfaction, "After holding back for so long, Yan Shouyi has finally woken up!"
Even Agong, who was the least inclined to fight, silently began summoning paper figures.
"They call us villains, then we shall be villains!"
Today, the Folk Research Society, all villains!
"They're mad, utterly mad!!"
The disciples of the prestigious sects retreated, screaming.
Compared to the seasoned travelers and folk sect inheritors, these disciples were merely flowers in a greenhouse, only skilled in theoretical warfare. Faced with true "villains," they immediately showed their true colors.
They realized now that the "kittens" they had been toying with could actually bite to death when provoked!
Within moments, over a dozen disciples of the prestigious sects fell!
This further amplified the fear within the crowd.
Yu Lumening stood amidst the crowd, his body enveloped by a golden light incantation, the surging tide unable to shake him.
He held the lotus, his expression incredibly complex.
Although he knew that the conflict between the two factions was bound to erupt one day, in the past days, both he and Yan Shouyi had been working to prevent this day from arriving.
Even if conflict was inevitable, it shouldn't start between them.
But Hong Sifang's demand for the child had driven Yan Shouyi to madness, making him reckless and prepared for a desperate battle.
"Heavenly Master, save us!"
A disciple rushed to Yu Lumening, kneeling and shouting, "You are the Heavenly Master! How can you stand by and watch the demonic folk sect members slaughter our prestigious sect disciples? Act quickly, kill Yan Shouyi!!"
In all reason and justice, Yu Lumening should have intervened.
But for the first time, he was so unwilling to stand with the people of the prestigious sects.
To force Yan Shouyi to his death, these people had resorted to all sorts of despicable and underhanded tactics.
Did they deserve to call themselves disciples of prestigious sects?
Did they deserve my help as the Heavenly Master?
"Yu Lumening!!"
Just as Yu Lumening was lost in thought, he saw Yan Shouyi's true form approaching him, wielding the Soul Reaper Blade.
"Give me back my child!!!"
Yu Lumening's pupils contracted.
Yan Shouyi is going to attack me?
This is impossible...
The next second, Yu Lumening noticed that Yan Shouyi was using the Soul Reaper Blade.
Ancestral Dragon punishes evil, Soul Reaper eliminates demons.
He was seeking me with the Soul Reaper Blade, not the Ancestral Dragon Sword, which meant he didn't truly intend to harm me.
The astute Yu Lumening immediately realized that Yan Shouyi was forcing him to leave quickly with the child.
This place was about to become a battlefield, and Yu Lumening, being in the midst of it, was destined to be unable to remain unscathed.
Only by being driven away could he extricate himself successfully.
Understanding this, Yu Lumening immediately retreated with the lotus.
Before Yan Shouyi could get closer, a golden light flashed around Yu Lumening, and he instantly vanished from his spot.