“Is this truly the character of the Taixuan Holy Land? One of the six great sacred grounds of the Eastern Wilderness, and yet you bully the weak, grovel before the powerful, and push your own daughter into a pit of fire?”
“From beginning to end, has a single soul even bothered to ask if the Holy Maiden is willing? Today, I will see justice done for her!”
“This status as a disciple of the Taixuan Holy Land—I want no part of it!”
“But mark my words: the humiliation I suffer today, I, Ye Chen, shall repay in full in the days to come!”
The resplendent hall was crowded and noisy. A determined young man with delicate features and a defiant expression stood with his fists clenched, roaring in anger and frustration.
His name was Ye Chen, a mere inner sect disciple.
“Audacious! A lowly disciple dares to defy the Holy Master? I think you’ve lived quite long enough!”
Nearby, an inner sect elder with a terrifying aura and an ugly, ashen expression tried to silence the young man. This was the main hall of the Taixuan Holy Land, one of the six great sacred grounds of the Eastern Wilderness. How could a mere inner sect disciple be allowed to behave so insolently here?
Worse yet, today was the grand ceremony for the conferment of the Holy Son. Luminaries from across the realm had been invited to witness the occasion. Now, they were all watching this farce from the sidelines with growing amusement. If not for the need to maintain a shred of dignity, the Elder would have long since struck this tactless brat dead with a single blow.
Groups of inner sect and personal disciples pointed and whispered, looking at the determined young man as though he were a fool.
“Is Ye Chen insane? To barge into the hall and spout such drivel?”
“His strength was quite impressive among the inner sect disciples. I even heard an elder wanted to take him as a personal disciple, but that seems out of the question now,” someone sneered.
“I think he really is tired of living. If he angers that Young Lord, our entire Taixuan Holy Land could suffer,” a nearby personal disciple said angrily, worried about the consequences.
If Ye Chen’s outburst displeased that mysterious Young Lord, it might not be just the Taixuan Holy Land that suffered. The entire Eastern Wilderness could be in trouble. That was why the disciple wished he could kill Ye Chen himself.
The elders and disciples from the visiting powers watched with amusement. Many looked at Ye Chen as though he were a monkey. Of all the things a mere inner sect disciple could do, why had he chosen to defy the Taixuan Holy Master?
“Ye Chen, is it? I remember you. You came from a small place in the Tianqing Region, took part in the Hundred Dynasties War, and finally gained admission to our Taixuan Holy Land… And now you tell me you want to renounce your place here?”
A middle-aged man seated at the head of the hall had spoken. Golden light flickered in his eyes as he opened and closed them. His aura was as deep and vast as an abyss and a sea, divine radiance flowing over him. His imposing presence inspired awe without any display of anger. Clearly, he was an extraordinarily powerful cultivator.
He was the Holy Master of the Taixuan Holy Land.
As he spoke, the Great Hall fell into a deathly silence. The whispers of the guests died in their throats.
Buzz!
Ye Chen felt an imposing pressure, and sweat ran down his forehead. Even so, he refused to yield. He had strong grounds for confidence.
“Holy Master, I seek only justice for the Holy Maiden! I cannot stand idly by and watch her be cast into the flames!” Ye Chen’s voice was ringing and righteous, saturated with the fervor of a man who believed he held the moral high ground.
As he spoke, his gaze drifted involuntarily toward a woman standing at the front of the assembly.
The woman was beautiful, her features exquisite. Her eyes were like autumn waters, her brows like distant hills. Smooth black hair framed a fair, luminous face. Her flowing white robes lent her an ethereal air, and she was calm and serene, like a fairy from the highest heavens who had accidentally descended into the mortal world.
Throughout everything happening in the hall, her expression had remained calm.
“Into the flames? You dare…”
The Taixuan Holy Master’s expression darkened, showing his displeasure.
At that moment, the true nature of the conflict became clear to the onlookers. Mocking smiles spread through the crowd. All this talk of ‘justice’ was nothing more than the bitter lashing out of a man whose unrequited crush was being handed over to another.
Many of the younger disciples felt a similar pang of jealousy, but they were not fools. They knew the reality of the world. The identity of the man the Holy Maiden was being sent to was so exalted that even their Holy Master had to treat him with the utmost subservience.
At that moment, many people turned their eyes toward a young man seated just behind the Holy Master.
He sat with lowered eyes, sipping his tea as though none of this concerned him.
His name was Gu Changge.