But this was good too. Now I had nothing left to hold back for.
Chu Lu viciously cracked his neck and walked toward the stunned Xiao Yichen.
Xiao Yichen's face stiffened for a moment, then a trace of disdain surfaced. He seemed unwilling to believe that Chu Lu truly dared to kill him.
Yet just as Chu Lu raised his sword, intending to show him his resolve, an angry shout suddenly rang out from the horizon.
"Stop!"
The instant the voice rang out, several figures arrived at the Disciplinary Hall.
Once the disciples saw those figures clearly, their spirits immediately soared.
"Supreme Elders! They're the Supreme Elders!"
"Wonderful! We're saved now!"
"Six of them! A full six Supreme Elders at the Tribulation Stage. Even the Sect Leader wouldn't dare act rashly now, right?"
"Supreme Elders, seize the Sect Leader! She's gone mad!"
Amid the shrill cries rising one after another, the six immortal-looking old cultivators stared at the bloodstains within the Disciplinary Hall, their faces turning ashen.
Seeing this, Chu Lu remained composed. He cast the weak Xiao Yichen aside and looked at them. "Why have the six Supreme Elders come? Are you here to pass judgment on me as well?"
The leading Supreme Elder shook his head. "We merely sensed that the Immortal Locking Array had been broken and hurried over. We do not even know what happened, so how could we pass judgment?"
"I see. Then that works out perfectly. Everyone present is a witness," Chu Lu said. "Ask them, and you will know."
Hearing this, the Supreme Elder looked down at Xiao Yichen. "Elder Xiao, please explain the cause of this matter to me."
Xiao Yichen nodded and recounted everything from beginning to end.
The expressions of the six Supreme Elders grew rather subtle.
"Well?" Chu Lu asked. "What crime are you planning to convict me of?"
"Kill her!"
"Kill her!"
"Make her pay with her life for the Disciplinary Hall elders!"
The disciples were filled with righteous indignation, while Liu Yan'er secretly revealed a smile.
Yet the Supreme Elder shook his head. "The Sect Leader had cause to act. No matter what, Fan Bailu was the one who deceived his master and destroyed his ancestors first. The judgment of the three elders was also extremely unreasonable; they had clearly allowed personal feelings to sway them. Although the Sect Leader directly exterminated them, violating sect rules, she should still receive a lighter punishment. I believe guarding the Endless Sea for five years will suffice."
"What?!"
"Tch. She got off easy."
The disciples looked deeply dissatisfied, and Liu Yan'er's smile faded as well.
In contrast, Luo Qingdie within Chu Lu's body was exceptionally delighted.
She said, "Five years? Only five years? Isn't that the same as no punishment at all? Chu Lu, you're amazing! Your method actually worked."
But Chu Lu's face remained expressionless. He was not some fool like Luo Qingdie; there was no way he would be satisfied with this.
He looked at the six elders and asked, "A five-year punishment? Fine, I can accept that. But before that, I have a question."
He pointed at Liu Yan'er beside him. "She twisted right and wrong, slandered me with a mouthful of blood, and falsely accused me. What punishment should she receive?"
The moment those words came out, the entire scene erupted.
"You're pushing your luck! Your punishment has already been waived, yet you're still hounding the matter without end."
"What did little Yan'er do wrong? What are you punishing her for?"
"As expected, you're narrow-minded! As expected, you're jealous of little Yan'er's beauty!"
"Supreme Elders, you must not listen to the words of this despicable and shameless villain!"
The disciples erupted in fury.
Liu Yan'er also put on a pitiful, delicate appearance at the right moment. "Sect Leader, you truly still refuse to let me go."
That instantly added fuel to the flames, making everyone even angrier.
The Supreme Elder frowned slightly as well. Looking at Liu Yan'er, he was just about to impose a heavy punishment and end everything.
But at that moment, Liu Yan'er looked back at him. Her eyes were slightly red, tears pooling within them, her gaze brimming with profound helplessness and confusion, like an injured fawn lost in a dark forest.
The Supreme Elder's heart immediately softened. "Twisting right and wrong is indeed not conduct befitting a disciple of this sect. She shall be punished by facing the wall in reflection at the rear mountain for one month."
Liu Yan'er looked as though tears might fall at any moment and answered pitifully, "Yes."
The disciples felt particularly distressed for her, but they also understood that the Supreme Elder had already been lenient. Thus, they merely snorted coldly and said nothing.
But just then, they heard a sentence—a somewhat familiar sentence—from Chu Lu's mouth.
"Have the six elders made your decision? You won't change it?" Chu Lu drawled.
The expressions of the disciples immediately became subtle.
They were not only shocked that Chu Lu had refused to accept this muddled, conciliatory punishment, but also because Chu Lu had said something similar before violently slaughtering the Disciplinary Hall elders.
"This is already the best possible punishment." A trace of displeasure appeared on the Supreme Elder's face. He believed he had already favored Chu Lu enough, so he felt that Chu Lu's question was rather like refusing a face offered to him. "Sect Leader, please do not lead yourself astray."
"I understand." Chu Lu nodded. Then, just as the Supreme Elder assumed Chu Lu had accepted and revealed a satisfied expression, he raised his sword and pointed it at the six Supreme Elders. "You gloss over the serious and dwell on the trivial, handle matters perfunctorily, and only seek to smooth things over. You deserve to die too!"
Crash!
Though the disciples had vaguely anticipated it, when they truly saw Chu Lu say such words, their faces filled with shock.
The six Supreme Elders were equally livid.
"Preposterous! Utterly preposterous!" The leading Supreme Elder trembled with rage. "It seems you think your punishment was too light. Fine! Fine! We will immediately escort you to the Sword Execution Platform, where you will suffer the punishment of being skinned and having your bones carved away!"
"Supreme Elders, let us attack!"
The six Supreme Elders immediately joined forces. The spiritual power of six Tribulation Stage cultivators reverberated throughout the Disciplinary Hall, and that terrifying pressure was nearly suffocating.
Seeing this scene, the disciples revealed fervent expressions and began shouting encouragement.
Yet in the face of their attack, Chu Lu merely slowly raised his sword.
Phoenix Arrives!
Swish.
Six heads fell neatly to the ground, while a spray of blood shot into the air.
The disciples, who had been cheering fervently just moments ago, instantly froze.
The Supreme Elders were dead? The Supreme Elders were dead!? Those were six whole Tribulation Stage cultivators! They just died like that? So the Sect Leader... was this powerful? Was the Mahayana Stage... this terrifying?
Then they saw Chu Lu shake the blood from his sword before turning to look at them.
"Next, it will be your turn." Chu Lu said expressionlessly, "You've been yapping and cursing without stop over there. I've found you unpleasant to look at for a long time!"
The disciples were so frightened that their legs went limp. Forget running—some of their trousers had even darkened in color.
"Enough!" At that moment, Xiao Yichen stepped forward and stood before everyone. "Have you made enough trouble?"
His tone was like that of an adult scolding a crying, tantrum-throwing child.
That made Chu Lu laugh.
No, how could someone at the Nascent Soul Stage feel so good about himself? Was he not afraid I'd cut him down with one strike?
"And what if I have? What if I haven't?" Chu Lu asked.
"Stop pretending." Xiao Yichen's face was filled with disgust. "Today, you acted completely out of character. First you killed Fan Bailu, then the three elders of the Disciplinary Hall, and now you have killed six Supreme Elders. I know exactly what you were doing all this for."
"Huh?" Chu Lu was startled.
Before you continue