Chapter 286 The Guard Captain's Dilemma
"Senior Brother, we can't let this brat humiliate us like this! Even if he's the Bai Clan's heir, so what?!"
"That's right!" another echoed, stepping forward.
"If we cower here, who will respect the Azure Sun Holy Sect in the future?!"
The senior disciple's face darkened. He opened his mouth to stop them-but it was too late.
Several disciples had already rushed forward.
Some rushed to lift Elder Wu, desperate to pull him out from under Bai Zihan's foot. Others brandished their weapons, Qi flaring as they lunged at him.
The ground shook as blades of light, fiery fists, and roaring qi techniques hurtled toward Bai Zihan.
"Idiots!"
Those attacking him were only in Nascent Soul Realm and Soul Formation Realm, far from being strong enough to fight against him.
With a flick of his wrist, his sword sang-an arc of silver light cut through the air, shattering their techniques as though they were nothing but mist.
The shockwave blasted several disciples back, sending them crashing into the ground with bone-jarring force.
"Arghh!"
"Guhh-!"
Blood sprayed from their mouths as they coughed violently, bodies writhing in pain.
One disciple managed to reach Elder Wu's side, his trembling hands trying to tug the half-dead elder away.
But before he could even drag him an inch, Bai Zihan's foot pressed down harder.
The old man screamed, blood bubbling from his lips. The disciple froze, eyes wide with horror.
"Don't touch what's mine!"
Bai Zihan's cold voice stabbed into his ears.
An instant later, the disciple was kicked aside, his ribs snapping audibly before he crashed into a shattered boulder.
The others charged again, screaming with desperation.
"Die, Bai Zihan!"
They swung their swords in unison, glowing arcs descending from both sides.
But Bai Zihan didn't even look at them. His sword hand flicked lazily.
Clang! Clang!
Both weapons were knocked flying, spinning end over end before stabbing uselessly into the dirt.
Boom!
The two disciples were flattened into the cracked ground, blood gushing from their noses and mouths as the earth caved beneath them.
In mere breaths, the proud Azure Sun Holy Sect disciples were left sprawled, groaning, broken, and defeated.
The senior disciple clenched his fists, his face pale.
Fear crawled up his spine as Bai Zihan's gaze slid toward him, sharp as a blade.
(How can this be?!!)
While he couldn't claim that their disciples were the finest among the Competition-after all, many had been eliminated early-they were still
considered geniuses in their own right.
Facing them together should have been more than enough to pressure anyone.
Should have been. But it wasn't.
Bai Zihan dismantled them with ease, as if their efforts carried no more weight than dust in the wind.
Just then-
"Stop!"
A thunderous shout split the air.
A squad of armored guards rushed onto the scene, golden spears gleaming in
hand.
Their leader, a tall man with a stern expression, swept his eyes across the bloodied disciples, the mangled Elder Wu, and finally, the calm youth standing at the center of it all.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
The guard captain barked.
His aura surged, suppressing the tension like a heavy storm cloud.
More guards fanned out, blocking all exits, their sharp gazes flickering between Bai Zihan and the Azure Sun disciples.
"The Competition has just ended, and you dare cause such chaos under Capital City?! Don't you have any respect for the Laws?"
The Azure Sun disciples froze.
Their anger and humiliation were still burning-but now, under the weight of
the guards' presence, they dared not move rashly.
The senior disciple bowed quickly, voice urgent.
"Sir, it was Bai Zihan! He... he attacked our Elder Wu without provocation! We
were only trying to rescue him!"
All eyes turned toward Bai Zihan.
He merely smirked, sword still in hand, standing as if none of this had anything
to do with him.
The guard captain's cold gaze swept once more across the battlefield, lingering on the crumpled, half-dead man beneath Bai Zihan's boot.
His brows furrowed. His pupils narrowed.
"...That old man... could it be... Elder Wu of the Azure Sun Holy Sect?"
The question rang like a bell.
The Azure Sun disciples stiffened, exchanging uneasy glances. Their pride burned at being forced to admit it, but they had no choice.
"... Yes," the senior disciple finally muttered, his face twisting with embarrassment and anger.
"That is Elder Wu!"
The guards collectively inhaled, shock flashing across their expressions. Even the guard captain's stern mask cracked as he took in the sight.
The mighty Elder Wu-Void Refinement Stage, a figure they all knew was leagues above themselves-now reduced to a battered wreck, his face unrecognizable, one arm missing, groaning pitifully under a junior's foot.
(How...? How did it come to this?)
The disciples, catching the guards' shaken expressions, quickly pressed their
advantage.
"Sir!" one shouted, his tone urgent. "You see it yourself! Bai Zihan has trampled upon our sect's honor and grievously injured our Elder!"
"Please, uphold the law of the Empire!" another cried, pointing at Bai Zihan,
hatred blazing in his eyes.
"Punish him! Restrain him! At the very least, rescue Elder Wu from his hands!"
The guards straightened, the weight of the disciples' words heavy in the air.
The captain's expression hardened once more.
He stepped forward, golden spear gleaming, his aura locking onto Bai Zihan like
a mountain bearing down.
This wasn't a conflict that could be easily resolved. It involved Bai Zihan- someone even the Imperial Family regarded with caution-and the Azure Sun
Holy Sect, one of the Empire's Major Sects.
The guard captain knew he had to tread carefully; a single misstep could lead
to severe consequences.
"Young Master Bai, his voice was grave, yet carried authority that could not be dismissed, "Step away from Elder Wu."
First and foremost, the most pressing matter was Elder Wu, who was still
suffering under Bai Zihan's foot.
By returning him, the guard captain expected the Azure Sun Holy Sect's disciples to calm down, after which they could proceed to resolve this matter.
All eyes bore down on Bai Zihan-disciples watching with hope and hatred, guards waiting in tense readiness.
Yet Bai Zihan stood calm, composed, his smirk only deepening as if this whole situation wasn't even worth his seriousness.
The guards' demand had barely settled when a ripple spread through the surrounding streets.
Whispers. Shouts. Footsteps.
A crowd has begun to form where Bai Zihan and Azure Sun Holy Sect stood.
"What's happening here?"
"Is that... the Azure Sun Holy Sect?"
"Is there a fight?"
The crowd swelled by the heartbeat, pressing in from alleys and rooftops.
And it only increased the moment people began to whisper about it being between Bai Zihan and Azure Sun Holy Sect.
Many had come to see what the infamous Bai Clan's heir is up to.
At the very center of it all stood Bai Zihan, his figure straight and unyielding, his
boot still pinning Elder Wu's battered body into the ground.
The elder's blood seeped slowly into the cracks of the stone, painting a
grotesque contrast to the calm, almost leisurely smile on Zihan's lips.
Gasps rippled through the onlookers as recognition dawned.
"That's... Elder Wu of Azure Sun?! Void Refinement Elder Wu?!"
"No way he looks like a beggar beaten in the streets!"
"He's missing an arm...! That-Bai Zihan did that?!" Shock gave way to exhilaration, disbelief curdling into fear.
For many, Elder Wu was a name spoken with awe-a Void Refinement Realm Cultvator, something that many wouldn't be able to reach.
Yet here, in the Capital's heart, he was nothing but a rag doll beneath a youth's
heel.
"And what happened to the disciple of Azure Sun Holy Sect's disciple? Did they also got beaten up?"
"Yeah! I was here when Bai Zihan started to beat them up."
"What? Bai Zihan did that? Wasn't he supposed to be weak? Isn't that why he hasn't participated in Dragon and Phoenix Competition."
"I don't know. Just know that those disciples together were no match for Bai
Zihan." The Azure Sun disciples' faces burned red with humiliation, yet their voices rose with righteous fury.
"You all see it! This Bai brat dares humiliate a Void Refinement elder!"
"He tramples on our Sect's honor before the eyes of the Capital! Is the Empire
truly going to allow this?!"
Their words spread like fuel over dry grass. The crowd erupted in speculation,
half in disbelief, half in anticipation.
The pressure thickened. The guards tried to stop the crowd from forming and
coming closer but weren't successful.
And yet-despite the suffocating weight of dozens of killing intents, despite the
rage of the disciples, despite the gathering storm of rumors and eyes-Bai
Zihan stood calm.
No fear. No hesitation.
Only the faint curve of his lips as he glanced at the growing crowd, as though
every whisper, every gasp, every horrified stare was nothing more than applause to a performance he had already orchestrated.
He raised his gaze, locking eyes with the guard captain.
"Step away?"
His voice carried, smooth and unhurried, reaching every ear in the square.
"And tell me, what makes you think that I will do that?"