Cang Juezi took a lot of effort to see Aunt Tang lying among the crowd.
A slight twitch at the corner of his eye: "So it was him!"
But in the next second, he asked with confusion: "No, didn't you say he was only at the sixth stage of術法 (Shu Fa)? Why can he withstand my seventh-stage power? He doesn't look like sixth stage at all, but more like ninth stage!"
"What?" Aunt Tang was startled.
The ninth stage of術法 (Shu Fa), like the ninth stage of martial arts, was the highest realm, known as Heavenly rank. Both in the術法 (Shu Fa) and martial arts worlds, Heavenly rank experts were rare. Such people either remained hidden or, when they emerged, they would bring about great upheaval! Not to mention the small Shen Nong Sect, even the Five Great Sects would greet such a person with a smile!
Aunt Tang felt a pang of bitterness. What sin had she committed in her past life to introduce a Heavenly rank expert into the sect? What was the difference between that and leading a wolf into a flock of sheep? And she was the traitor!
Thinking of this, Aunt Tang quickly tried to shift the blame: "Sect Master, I don't think he's at the ninth stage of術法 (Shu Fa) at all. The reason is simple: such top experts, who are rarely seen, associate with the rich and powerful. Just like dragons in the sky only make friends with other dragons, never with small loaches in the mud. And this person is very familiar with the Jiang Hai Min family. This time, he came for Min Zi Qiong's daughter and happened to want to rob our sect of its spiritual medicine. Oh, and look at that shifty-eyed fellow beside him, he's Min Zi Qiong's brother!"
Aunt Tang said, pointing at Min Zi Qing. Min Zi Qing was furious upon hearing this. Who was he calling shifty-eyed? He was clearly rat-faced and beady-eyed, or rather, eagle-eyed and wolf-visaged! But Min Zi Qing was so frightened by this unprecedented scene that he dared not retort. To outsiders, it was as if Min Zi Qing had implicitly agreed with Aunt Tang's words.
"Is that so?" Cang Juezi raised an eyebrow upon hearing Aunt Tang's words. In fact, he was just guessing and looking for an excuse to save face, not truly believing that Ying Chen was at the ninth stage of術法 (Shu Fa). If he had genuinely believed Ying Chen was at the ninth stage, he would have fled long ago. How could he stand here and pontificate?
"So, fellow Daoist, you are here for that little girl! This woman..." Cang Juezi looked at Ying Chen and was about to say, "If this woman catches your fancy, feel free to take her back," but his gaze fell upon the arriving figures of other elders. He immediately felt more confident and changed his tune: "This woman has been taken in as a disciple by our Shen Nong Sect. From now on, she severs all worldly ties and dedicates herself to the Dao. Therefore, if you wish to take her away, I regret to inform you that I cannot comply!"
*Whoosh!*
Nine figures landed one after another, appearing before the crowd. Including Aunt Tang, who was already present, all ten elders of the Shen Nong Sect were here! One of the elders' eyes flickered, and he cupped his fists towards Cang Juezi: "Sect Master, we have witnessed the entire scene just now. We agree with Elder Tang's deduction that this person is definitely not at the ninth stage of術法 (Shu Fa)! As for why he could withstand your Thunder Law without a scratch, there is only one reason – this fellow must possess a supreme treasure!"
At this statement, Cang Juezi's expression drastically changed. A glint of greed surged in his eyes. A supreme treasure that could withstand his Thunder Law strike? That was an absolute priceless artifact! After all, his Thunder Law had once shattered a medium-grade magical artifact of an enemy! If Ying Chen's magical artifact could withstand his Thunder Law, it could only be of a higher grade than a medium-grade artifact! It was highly likely to be a rare high-grade artifact! Cang Juezi had spent all sorts of heavenly materials and earthly treasures, and painstakingly refined the Xuan Pin Lie Que Sword for so long, yet it was only a medium-grade artifact that was close to a high-grade one! Most high-grade artifacts were monopolized by the Five Great Sects. Now, a high-grade defensive artifact was presented before Cang Juezi, how could he not be tempted? With this high-grade defensive artifact paired with the offensive Xuan Pin Lie Que Sword, he would be invincible in both offense and defense!
The thought of it made Cang Juezi uncontrollably excited. His gaze towards Ying Chen was exactly the same as Ying Chen's when he first heard the name of the Shen Nong Sect. Both of them considered the other a bringer of wealth!
"Hmph! Esteemed elders, this scoundrel has insulted our sect, injured our disciples, and shattered our Ming Xue Bell. His crimes are heinous and unforgivable! Against such a shameless wretch, we need not adhere to any martial ethics. Everyone, listen to my command, form ranks, and eliminate this villain!" Cang Juezi suddenly raised his voice, disregarding his sect's image, willing to surround and kill Ying Chen to obtain his high-grade artifact!
"Is this still the Shen Nong Sect? This is simply a den of bandits!" someone whispered from the crowd, clearly disgusted by the Shen Nong Sect's avaricious behavior. But before his voice faded, his friend covered his mouth: "Shush! Do you not want to live? This is Shen Nong Sect territory! Even if you want to speak ill of them, wait until you leave the Shen Nong Sect!"
Alas, it was too late. A grinning elder from the Shen Nong Sect looked at the speaker: "You call our Shen Nong Sect a den of bandits? Then let me show you how bandits deal with those who cannot control their tongues!" With that, the elder flashed and appeared beside the speaker. He condensed a fireball at his fingertip and shoved it fiercely into the speaker's mouth!
"Ah!" With a scream, the speaker was reduced to ashes. The others trembled and were utterly terrified by this sight!
"Once a divine healer with benevolent hands, now treats human lives as mere grass, disregarding them," Ying Chen said slowly as he witnessed this. In the next second, Ying Chen disappeared from his spot.
"Not good!" The elder who had just killed the man's expression changed. But before he could flee, a hand emerged from behind him and gripped his neck! It was Ying Chen! Even though they were dozens of meters apart, Ying Chen seemed to have shrunk the ground and instantly appeared beside the elder! *Snap!* Ying Chen's fingertip ignited a flame, which looked much smaller and had an abnormal color, a sinister, eerie green. Upon seeing this flame, everyone in the Shen Nong Sect's expressions shifted collectively.
"Zi Zhu Ming Huo!" It was rumored that this flame was extremely difficult to refine. Once refined, it was only the size of a candle flame, but its destructive power was astonishing! Once touched by this flame, it would be like an unremovable parasite, impossible to get rid of. And it would spread along the body until every inch of skin was covered by this flame! The pain was simply indescribable!
"No..." The elder who had just killed someone wailed in terror, looking at the flame dancing on Ying Chen's fingertip. But no matter how he struggled, he could not break free from Ying Chen's grasp. He could only watch helplessly as Ying Chen expressionlessly pried open his mouth and shoved this Zi Zhu Ming Huo into it!