Sun Qingde's face turned ashen.
Caught by Ba Shanyue, he had nowhere to vent his anger.
A mere junior at the Rebirth Stage dared to act so arrogantly in front of him.
Unable to touch Ba Mingyang, he turned his gaze to Zhu Xiaosuo, who had reported the situation.
If it weren't for Zhu Xiaosuo speaking up, Ba Mingyang would already be a dead man.
"Ba Shanyue, I'll give you face; I can spare your son. But this boy beside him must die!"
Ba Shanyue was about to speak.
Sun Qingde said:
"Ba Shanyue, among cultivators, the rule is that one cannot threaten the same person twice over one matter. This talkative boy, you can't protect him."
Ba Mingyang immediately shouted:
"Impossible! What reason do you have to kill him? This is against the rules!"
Sun Qingde replied:
"Everyone just heard it; one of you two spoke disrespectfully about the Sect Elder. Now, tell me, were those words yours?"
Ba Mingyang was about to admit it but found he couldn't speak.
Someone had cast a binding spell on him!
Sun Qingde sneered:
"Ba Shanyue, you know how to adapt to circumstances."
Ba Mingyang glared at his father, able only to roar silently, unable to utter a word.
He was a man of pride.
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Not wanting others to say he relied solely on his father, he chose to mine Spirit Stones himself to earn cultivation resources.
He didn't mind appearing like a beggar.
Such a person would never allow Zhu Xiaosuo to become a scapegoat for saving him.
But Ba Shanyue only wanted to protect his son.
Though abandoning the cultivator who saved his son's life would damage his reputation,
What was reputation compared to the importance of his promising heir, Ba Mingyang?
He could only compensate Zhu Xiaosuo's family after his death.
Zhu Xiaosuo, still dazed from his injuries, hadn't grasped the situation.
He only knew he seemed to be the center of attention.
"Wait, Elder Sun! Please spare him!"
Zhu Xiaosuo saw another person step forward.
His heart trembled slightly.
He hadn't expected him to stand up for him.
Zhuang Yun.
Sun Qingde knew that anyone daring to step forward at this time must have some background. Suppressing his anger, he asked:
"Who are you?"
"Replying to the Elder, I am Disciple Zhuang Yun. My master is Wu Jinxiong."
Hearing Wu Jinxiong's name, Sun Qingde was momentarily stunned.
Clearly, he had some apprehension about this person.
"Wu Jinxiong, when did he start accepting disciples at the Rebirth Stage?"
He questioned.
Wu Jinxiong, as a cultivator at the Humbling the Present Stage, had always only accepted disciples at the Bone Transformation Stage.
Zhuang Yun awkwardly replied:
"Disciple... Disciple failed to break through to the Bone Transformation Stage."
"Huh? Failed? And you still dare to step forward? You have the nerve to call yourself Wu Jinxiong's disciple? Even if I kill you too, Wu Jinxiong wouldn't say much. Get lost!"
With that, Sun Qingde flicked his long sleeve, sending Zhuang Yun tumbling behind him.
"A useless Eighth Layer Rebirth Stage, protecting a useless Third Layer Rebirth Stage in front of me, do you really think my Humbling the Present Stage cultivation is made of mud?!"
Zhuang Yun hit the ground with a thud, seemingly in a bad state.
Zhu Xiaosuo looked at Zhuang Yun lying on the ground and sighed.
No matter what, his godfather had tried his best.
Though unsuccessful, he had helped Zhu Xiaosuo significantly.
In the brief moment Zhuang Yun had bought, Zhu Xiaosuo quickly cleared his mind, thinking of a strategy.
Zhu Xiaosuo immediately said:
"According to Sect Rule Seventy-Two, if a sect member disagrees with a charge, they can appeal for a review. I want to appeal! I don't believe I insulted the Sect Elder!"
Sun Qingde frowned:
"Heh, what a joke. A mere Third Layer Rebirth Stage kid teaching me, a Sect Elder, about sect rules? Kid, I've used sect rules to kill so many people I can't even count. Do you think memorizing a few rules in your favor can restrain me?"
Zhu Xiaosuo didn't respond, only continued:
"I want to appeal!"
Seeing this, Chen Guisou whispered:
"City Lord, should we continue recording with the Image Pearl? I think this little cultivator has something!"
"Do you need to say it? The moment he said 'sect rules,' I started the Image Pearl."
Chen Guisou sighed again:
"The City Lord is always a step ahead of his subordinates!"
Sun Qingde squinted his eyes:
"According to Sect Rule Seventy-Six, appeals by sect members are judged by a Sect Elder. I rule your appeal invalid."
"Elder Sun is mistaken. Sect Rule Seventy-Six states that appeals within the sect are resolved by a Sect Elder. Black Snow Ridge is not part of the sect's domain but belongs to the mundane realm, so this rule doesn't apply."
Sun Qingde watched Zhu Xiaosuo's struggle, unconcerned, still confident of victory:
"Unfortunately, the sect hasn't established rules for appeals outside the sect's domain. And I am a Sect Elder. Even outside the sect, I have the authority to act."
"No. Sect Rule Seventy-One clearly states that appeals are a matter of cultivator disputes. While the sect rules don't specify appeals in the mundane realm, there are explicit provisions for handling cultivator disputes in the mundane realm. Sect Rule One Hundred Ninety-Two states that disputes in the mundane realm are decided by the local sect representative."
The sect representative Zhu Xiaosuo belonged to was Ba Mingyang's father, Ba Shanyue.
Zhu Xiaosuo looked at Ba Shanyue.
Ba Shanyue laughed heartily after hearing this.
"Sun Qingde, now that the appeal is in my hands, what will you do?"
Sun Qingde hadn't expected Zhu Xiaosuo to cite the rules for cultivator disputes.
Being well-versed in sect rules, he naturally knew Zhu Xiaosuo wasn't making up rules; everything he said was correct.
How could a Rebirth Stage cultivator have the leisure to memorize sect rules? You're not even a sect disciple!
Shouldn't you be busy cultivating?
This was too absurd.
But the situation was still under Sun Qingde's control.
As a Sect Elder, he had adjudicated many sect matters.
Using sect rules to manipulate situations, eliminate enemies, he was more than adept.
When it came to exploiting sect rules for personal gain, he didn't think anyone could outdo him.
"What will I do? I'll resolve this appeal on the spot. According to Sect Rule Eight, disrespecting a Sect Elder results in a sect disciple's cultivation being abolished and expulsion from the sect, while non-sect members are killed on the spot. He just disobeyed my order, refusing to carry out the mission, which is disrespect!"
Ba Shanyue wanted to help Zhu Xiaosuo but was not skilled in handling disputes based on sect rules.
But Zhu Xiaosuo didn't expect Ba Shanyue to be able to help him.
When it comes to life and death, only oneself can be trusted.
"According to Sect Rule Five, all sect missions are communicated via Sound Transmission Talisman with the sect's anti-counterfeit mark. Elder Sun's verbal order has no recorded form and lacks the exclusive sect mission Sound Transmission Talisman, so it cannot be used as evidence in a cultivator dispute."
"Good!"
Ba Shanyue breathed a sigh of relief.
"Elder Sun, your order is not a formal mission, so his disobedience doesn't count as disrespect. What do you think?"
Sun Qingde, hearing this, didn't speak but instead smiled smugly.