To the right of the green-robed elder stood Ling Huangyi. Dressed in white robes with a jade belt wrapped around his waist, his expression was utterly placid, making him appear remarkably unassuming by comparison.
"This rebellious disciple of mine dared to trespass into your Scripture Pavilion and injure the people of your mansion. Such a crime is truly unforgivable. I have already tied him up and sealed all the meridians in his body. He is entirely at your disposal, Mansion Master," the green-robed elder, Hann Shan, chuckled lightly.
"That’s right, I’m at your disposal!" Pang Bai echoed lazily from the side, a frivolous smirk tugging at his lips. So what if he had secretly snuck into the Scripture Pavilion? He was also the one who started the raging inferno, and the assassination attempt on Lin Beichen tonight had been the Celestial Thunder Sect’s doing as well.
If this old man hadn’t been so fortunate, the Celestial Thunder Sect’s Outer Sect assassins would have claimed his life long ago.
"Is Elder Hann aware that according to the ironclad laws of my military, such behavior warrants immediate execution without pardon?!" Lin Beichen said coldly, showing no fear despite their formidable backgrounds. Having spent his entire life commanding armies, he saw right through tonight’s conspiracy. These people wanted to use the fire to completely eradicate the Divine General’s Mansion.
"Old man, sneaking into the Scripture Pavilion was my fault. I admit it. But asking for my head in return is a bit too vicious, don’t you think?" Pang Bai sneered. Raising his eyes, he stared mockingly at Lin Beichen. "Elder Mansion Master, you might want to kill me, but you need the guts to do it first!"
"Insolent! It is not your place to speak here! Shut your mouth!" Hann Shan scolded, glaring at Pang Bai with a face full of anger.
Turning back to Lin Beichen, he added, "Mansion Master, this rebellious disciple is entirely at your mercy today. Even if you choose to behead him as a public warning, I will have no complaints!
"Although Pang Bai is a Prince of the Great Chu Dynasty and my Direct Disciple, he must be punished for his wrongdoings. This is the unalterable law of the world." Hann Shan looked like the picture of righteousness, yet as he spoke, a Martial Pattern flashed briefly across his forehead.
Celestial Element Realm, Sixth Heaven!
Standing in the grand hall, Lin Beichen frowned. One could not find a single Celestial Element Sixth Heaven expert in the entire Great Xia Dynasty. This Hann Shan truly lived up to his title as an Elder of the Celestial Thunder Sect.
"Mansion Master, Senior Brother Pang is indeed guilty, but the Divine General’s Mansion hasn’t suffered any severe losses. There’s no need to escalate this to the point of bloodshed. If you can spare his life, feel free to state whatever demands you have!" Ling Huangyi chuckled from the side, offering both parties a graceful way out.
BANG!
With a loud crash, the main doors of the hall were violently pushed open. Lin Huang walked in silently. His gaze swept over Hann Shan and the others, each of his steps heavy and laced with hidden killing intent.
Hann Shan frowned, a flash of gloom sweeping through his eyes.
"Demands? The Divine General’s Mansion’s only demand is for him to die!" Lin Huang declared. His expression was calm, yet his words dripped with murderous intent.
"Who are you, brat, to boldly decide my fate?!" Pang Bai sneered, looking incomparably arrogant.
"A defeated nation has no right to be arrogant." Lin Huang walked down the steps, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on Pang Bai. "If the Divine General’s Mansion hadn’t withdrawn its troops back then, what foothold would your Great Chu Dynasty have left? How dare you provoke the dignified Divine General’s Mansion!"
"You..." Pang Bai’s face contorted with rage.
"Lin Huang, the Great Xia and Great Chu Dynasties are allies now. Please watch your tongue," Ling Huangyi warned, his expression darkening slightly.
"Third Prince, this is the business of the Divine General’s Mansion. It has nothing to do with you," Lin Huang replied with a smile.
Ling Huangyi was the Third Prince of the Great Xia Dynasty. He had been accepted into the Celestial Thunder Sect since childhood. While not as breathtakingly talented as Lin Cangxue, his strength had long since broken through to the Earth Element Realm, earning him the status of an Inner Sect Disciple.
"If anything happens to Senior Brother Pang, it will become an international incident between our two dynasties," Ling Huangyi smiled back. "I’m afraid the Divine General’s Mansion cannot bear the consequences of such an outcome!"
"Whether we can bear them or not is a question for the six hundred thousand soldiers standing behind the Divine General’s Mansion," Lin Huang chuckled.
"Does that mean you dare to disregard my Celestial Thunder Sect as well?" the green-robed Elder Hann asked in a raspy voice. His seemingly cloudy eyes now radiated a piercing sharpness, scanning Lin Huang up and down like an eagle eyeing its prey.
"Elder Hann, surely you don’t intend to lower yourself to bully a junior?" Lin Huang turned his head, smiling.
"Of course not," Hann Shan affirmed. "However, if someone were to bully my, Hann Shan’s, Inner Chamber Disciple, how could I simply sit by and do nothing?"
The elder stared gloomily at Lin Huang and Lin Beichen. "I highly doubt there is a single person in the Great Xia Dynasty who can rival me." Hann Shan flicked his sleeve, blending threats with incentives. "Mansion Master Lin, if we drop this matter here and now, I can personally promise to allow the Young Master to enter the Celestial Thunder Sect for cultivation!"
Standing in the grand hall, Lin Beichen was visibly moved. The Celestial Thunder Sect was no ordinary, trifling faction; it was one of the illustrious Four Great Sects in the entire East Spirit Realm. It was rumored that their Sect Master, Hann Qingtian, had already reached the level of a Half-Step Martial Marquis. If Lin Huang could join them, his future achievements would be limitless!
"And if I refuse?" Lin Huang asked, completely unmoved. His words shattered Lin Beichen’s train of thought.
"Then I dare you to try. Pang Bai is standing right here. Let’s see you harm a single hair on his head." Hann Shan’s expression turned frigid, lethal intent washing over his dark, sullen face. "I truly cannot fathom who in this East Spirit Realm would dare oppose the Celestial Thunder Sect. Let alone a mere secular General’s Mansion!"
The elder’s face grew colder by the second. As a dignified Celestial Element Sixth Heaven expert, he was revered by tens of thousands wherever he went. What right did a mundane Divine General’s Mansion have to act so high and mighty? Simply because he was Lin Beichen, a measly Earth Element Peak Martial Artist?
"I’m right here! My neck is stuck out and waiting—kill me, I dare you!" Pang Bai laughed boisterously, his face plastered with open provocation.
"Young Master, you must think clearly about the consequences. Don’t be an ant trying to shake a mighty tree," Ling Huangyi said with a smile. "You cannot kill Senior Brother Pang."
"Since I can’t kill him, I’ll just have to do it and see exactly what these consequences are!" A brilliant smile bloomed on Lin Huang’s face. He drew a blade from the nearby weapon rack and stared straight at Hann Shan.
"Kill him if you want!" Hann Shan stood with his hands clasped behind his back and turned away, adopting a posture that suggested he would let them do as they pleased.
"Hahaha, come on, come on! End me with one strike!" Pang Bai was equally thrilled. He was absolutely certain that Lin Huang wouldn’t dare strike him. Aside from the other Three Great Sects and the Ten Great Dynasties, no one could withstand the fury of the Celestial Thunder Sect.
Inside the grand hall, Lin Beichen maintained a tranquil expression, showing no intention of stopping Lin Huang.
"I’m really going to kill him!" Lin Huang stated once more.
"If you’re a man, then do it, brat. What’s the difference between you and a whining woman right now?" Hann Shan sneered.
"Very well. I will respectfully obey!" As soon as his voice fell, Lin Huang swung the Instant Blade, slashing it viciously toward Pang Bai’s outstretched neck.
"You dare, little thief?!" Hann Shan’s complexion changed drastically, and lethal intent erupted from his eyes. His withered palm shot out, launching a fierce strike directly at Lin Huang.
Pang Bai’s eyes widened in sheer horror. He tried to flee, but bound tightly as he was, how could his speed possibly outmatch Lin Huang’s blade?
As for Ling Huangyi off to the side, he watched with anticipation as the blade descended, a faint smile creeping onto the corners of his mouth. He knew that the moment Lin Huang’s blade landed, the Divine General’s Mansion was utterly doomed...