“Master! Save me!!”
The moment those words left his mouth, Chu Fan felt utterly humiliated. But he also knew that if he didn’t cry out, his end would only be even more miserable.
Su Ming, who had been approaching him, also paused upon hearing that. He truly hadn’t expected Chu Fan to be so frightened he’d cry for his master.
“Chu Fan, are you still nursing?” Su Ming mocked coldly.
“Don’t get cocky, Su Ming. Just wait until my master arrives—let’s see how long you stay arrogant!” Chu Fan retorted, though the words sounded ridiculous.
Competing as peers, and you go calling for a senior? What a joke. And are you sure you want to compete with my backing?
“Who dares harm my disciple?!”
A furious roar erupted from Azure Sun Peak. The next moment, that voice swept in like a storm and materialized before Su Ming. The man who appeared looked to be in his prime—it was none other than Chu Fan’s master, Ye Nantian.
In the original novel, this man was fiercely protective of his disciple. He even gave up his 4th stage Star Realm cultivation to protect Chu Fan.
“Xiao Fan?! Such cruelty, and among fellow disciples no less!” After inspecting Chu Fan’s injuries, Ye Nantian immediately took out a spiritual pill to stabilize him, then glared murderously at Su Ming. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you pay for this insult!”
Seeing him stare so fiercely, Su Ming had to admit he felt a bit envious. In his previous life on Earth, he was an orphan, drifting place to place without ever knowing what it meant to have a family. In this life, he had parents, but whether he could even meet them was still uncertain.
“Just because you were born noble, you think you can act without consequence? If the Trinity Saint Sect hadn’t taken you in, you’d be nothing more than a discarded orphan!”
“What did you say?” Su Ming’s eyes narrowed in displeasure.
“Oh? Hit a sore spot? If your parents hadn’t abandoned you, why haven’t they visited you once in all your years in the Trinity Saint Sect?”
“No matter. What your parents failed to teach you, I’ll gladly teach in their place!”
As he spoke, Ye Nantian raised his hand, clearly about to seize Su Ming.
“If your filthy hand so much as touches the Young Master, I’ll slice off each of your fingers.”
Uncle Meng appeared in front of Su Ming, fully unleashing his aura. Sensing Uncle Meng’s realm, Ye Nantian’s face turned grim and he hastily withdrew his hand. A bead of cold sweat rolled down his forehead.
This man… was at the peak of the Star Realm—the same realm as the strongest cultivators in the Trinity Saint Sect!
After forcing Ye Nantian back, Uncle Meng quickly turned to Su Ming. “Young Master, forgive this old servant’s tardiness.”
“So you have a powerful backer. No wonder you’re so arrogant,” Ye Nantian growled, though he quietly stepped in front of Chu Fan and Chu Yiyi.
“A filthy-mouthed wretch like you is fit to teach disciples? I should rip that tongue out right now!” Uncle Meng glared at Ye Nantian, ready to strike at any moment.
Just as the atmosphere grew tense, Li Jianping suddenly arrived. “Private duels are forbidden in the Trinity Saint Sect! Do you think the sect’s rules are nothing?!”
“The sect has stood for generations because all disciples act with unity and discipline! The lot of you clearly have no respect for me or the sect! Cease this madness at once!”
Su Ming sneered inwardly. Li Jianping had clearly been watching from the sidelines—otherwise, how could he appear so ‘just in time’?
Upholding sect rules? No. He was just trying to shield Ye Nantian and the others. If Su Ming had been at a disadvantage, Li Jianping would’ve stayed silent.
But now, hiding behind the banner of rules, he stepped in too late.
So Su Ming spoke up, “Since the Sect Master values sect rules so much, I have a question—what is the punishment for attempting to seize the Three Saints Golden Lotus?”
Li Jianping frowned, sensing something was wrong, but still answered, “Anyone attempting to seize the Three Saints Golden Lotus shall have their Qi Sea crippled and be expelled from the sect.”
“Good. I now report Azure Sun Peak disciples Chu Fan and Chu Yiyi for attempting to seize my Three Saints Golden Lotus. I request the Sect Master to enforce the rules fairly.”
“You orphaned brat, how dare you slander my disciples?!” Ye Nantian snapped, nearly losing control again—until Li Jianping shot him a sharp glare, then turned to Su Ming.
“Su Ming, accusations require proof. Even with your special status, the Trinity Saint Sect won’t allow truth and lies to be reversed.”
“The proof is right here.” As Su Ming spoke, a small crystal stone appeared in his hand—a recording stone.
Everyone present recognized what it was. With a surge of spiritual Qi, the stone projected its contents—exactly the moment when Chu Fan provoked Su Ming and attacked first.
“Sect Master, you wanted proof, and I’ve given it. Chu Fan clearly attacked me first. Now act according to the rules. If you can’t, I’ll do it myself. Uncle Meng, please assist.”
Su Ming knew better than to give them time to wiggle out of this. If they delayed even a moment, the matter would spiral into a stalemate.
“Your disciple dared to assault the Young Master of my house. Clearly, he’s grown tired of living!” Uncle Meng struck toward Chu Fan. Li Jianping quickly intervened to block the blow.
After one clash, the two separated. Li Jianping looked at Uncle Meng with heavy eyes. They were both peak Star Realm, but clearly, Uncle Meng held the upper hand.
He had known Su Ming had a Dao Guardian, but never imagined one of this caliber.
Su Ming narrowed his eyes at Li Jianping. “Sect Master, are you not going to give me a proper explanation?”
“I think this was simply a minor conflict between fellow disciples, not quite an attempt to seize a sect treasure…” It was clear Li Jianping intended to cover it up completely.
“Is that so? Then handle it as a conflict between disciples. According to sect rules, he should be sent to Flame Prison Cliff for three months, right? Since the Sect Master is so devoted to fairness, surely you won’t bend the rules?”
Flame Prison Cliff was the sect’s punishment grounds. Not only was the spiritual Qi there sparse, but toxic flames constantly erupted within. Even Longevity Realm cultivators who spent three months there barely escaped with their lives—let alone one at the Extraordinary Realm.
Ironically, this was the place Li Jianping had threatened to send Su Ming before. Now the one being sent was Chu Fan.
Hearing this, Chu Fan’s expression changed drastically. At his current level, three months in Flame Prison Cliff would be no different than death. Not to mention, he’d miss the upcoming sect competition.
Ye Nantian was about to erupt, but Li Jianping stopped him.
“I understand. Then let’s proceed as you said.”
He realized now that Su Ming had come fully prepared. If they kept dragging this out, the topic would circle back to attempting to steal the Three Saints Golden Lotus.
Better to retreat and give in—for now. He could still maneuver things from behind the scenes to protect Chu Fan.
What he didn’t realize was that his retreat played right into Su Ming’s hands.
Su Ming had never truly expected to pin the crime of stealing the lotus on Chu Fan. What he wanted was to personally throw the Child of Destiny into Flame Prison Cliff and let him suffer the burning poison firsthand!
“Uncle Meng, I’ll trouble you to escort these two to Flame Prison Cliff.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, both Li Jianping and Ye Nantian’s expressions changed. If Uncle Meng took charge, they’d lose all chance of interfering. But now that the sentence had been declared, they had no ground to object.
“Young Master, I worry that once I leave, these two might try something against you…”
“It’s fine. I carry a treasure gifted by my parents. If they dare make a move, not just the Trinity Saint Sect, but even the entire Heaven Primordial Continent will become a smoldering memory!”
Come. Let’s see whose backing is stronger!