"Esteemed Dean, please quell your anger. What I, Ye Qingyun, did was merely to seek justice for Liu Ruxue."
Qin Anlan was the chief culprit behind the destruction of the Liu Family and bore a grudge of clan destruction with Liu Ruxue. If she fell into Qin Anlan's hands, she would surely suffer a fate worse than death."
"Surely, Esteemed Dean, you would not wish outsiders to believe that you feared Qin Anlan's tyrannical power and therefore chose to sacrifice a disciple of Heavenly Firmament Academy."
Ye Qingyun's words rang out forcefully, righteous and impassioned, making him look like the Embodiment of Justice.
As he spoke, his gaze instinctively fell upon the white-clad woman not far away.
The woman was exceedingly beautiful.
Her features were exquisite, her skin like congealed cream.
Her beautiful eyes were like autumn waters, glimmering with a captivating radiance.
Her flowing white robes lent her an otherworldly, transcendent air.
She was like the Mystic Maiden of the Nine Heavens fallen into the mortal realm, standing alone and apart from the world.
This woman was none other than—
One of the parties involved in this incident.
Liu Ruxue.
Faced with everything unfolding before her, Liu Ruxue remained utterly calm, showing no reaction.
Yet upon closer inspection, it was not hard to notice—
That within those beautiful eyes was a towering fury.
Her fair little hands were clenched tightly.
In her agitation, her entire body trembled without cease.
She merely forced down the anger in her heart so that no one else would notice it.
A fate worse than death in Qin Anlan's hands?
Fear Qin Anlan's tyrannical power?
"Ye Qingyun, you have some nerve."
Hearing Ye Qingyun speak without restraint, before the Left Prime Minister could make any response—
The First Prince at the side had already become somewhat enraged.
At this moment, many people had finally understood what was going on.
Strange smiles appeared on their faces, even carrying undisguised mockery.
Ye Qingyun had said a whole basketful of words.
But was it not simply because he had watched helplessly as the woman he fancied was sent to Qin Anlan's side to become his maid?
That was why he felt dissatisfied and indignant.
Quite a few young disciples of Heavenly Firmament Academy also felt a measure of envy and jealousy.
After all—
That was Liu Ruxue.
One of the Three Golden Flowers of Heavenly Firmament Academy.
Yet she had now become the maid of Qin Anlan, the Young Lord of the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo.
Though they too felt somewhat envious and jealous—
They did not reveal it as openly as Ye Qingyun had.
Nor would they be as brainless as Ye Qingyun.
Daring to openly defy so many great figures.
They were not fools.
That was the Young Lord of the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo, one of the most powerful people in the Heavenly Flame Empire.
What he held in his hand was the Empress's Imperial Decree.
Even the dean of Heavenly Firmament Academy and the Left Prime Minister would not dare say such words openly.
And at this moment—
Everyone's gazes turned in unspoken accord toward—
The young man who had remained seated, silently savoring his cold tea without saying a word, as though he did not care about this matter in the slightest.
The Young Lord of the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo.
Qin Anlan.
A faint, placid smile always rested upon that flawless face.
Upon closer inspection, it was not hard to see—
That he cared nothing for any of it.
He was a lofty, unfathomable existence, Within Sight but Beyond Reach.
It was as though he had already placed himself outside the affair.
He had not taken anything happening in the hall to heart at all.
The fine show being staged in the hall today had naturally been arranged by Qin Anlan.
Did the Child of Destiny not enjoy showing off, slapping faces, and stealing the limelight?
As an Arch-Villain who delighted in helping others, how could he fail to fulfill the other party's wish?
That was how the present scene had come to be.
"Qin Anlan, will you only hide behind others?"
"If you are a man, then Fight to the Death with me, Ye Qingyun. Let us face each other fairly, like men."
Seeing that Qin Anlan remained unmoved, Ye Qingyun grew increasingly frustrated and shouted several more times.
He knew—
That in terms of Status and Position, he was utterly incapable of being mentioned in the same breath as Qin Anlan.
Moreover, Qin Anlan controlled the Empress's Imperial Decree.
Whether it was the Left Prime Minister or the First Prince, neither could openly become enemies with the Empress or the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate.
In the end, they would most likely still choose to sacrifice Liu Ruxue.
Liu Ruyan had already fallen into Qin Anlan's clutches, and her life or death remained unknown.
Ye Qingyun absolutely could not stand by and watch as Liu Ruxue was also bullied by Qin Anlan.
The only way to break the deadlock was himself.
Only by dueling Qin Anlan and defeating him openly and honorably could he preserve Liu Ruxue.
Although Qin Anlan, as the Young Lord of the Divine Marquis of Zhenguo's Estate, was famed far and wide—
He, Ye Qingyun, was also a peerless genius and the Senior Disciple of the Inner Sect at Heavenly Firmament Academy. He was no pushover.
Most importantly, Ye Qingyun possessed quite a few trump cards.
Even a Cross-Realm Challenge, or even Cross-Realm Killing, would pose no problem.
Unfortunately—
In the face of Ye Qingyun's provocation, Qin Anlan simply ignored him and offered no response whatsoever.
He could not even be bothered to cast a glance at him.
This naked contempt, this attitude of not taking Ye Qingyun to heart in the slightest, made Ye Qingyun burn with rage. His fists clenched until they crackled.
His face gradually twisted with extreme fury.
"Impudent! You dare be disrespectful to the Young Lord of the Divine Marquis!"
"What status do you possess to dare spout such nonsense and provoke the Young Lord of the Divine Marquis?"
Just then, a furious roar sounded from nearby.
That voice carried bone-piercing coldness and undisguised rage, along with an overwhelming pressure.
The speaker was none other than Luo Feng, the Direct Disciple of Heavenly Firmament Academy.
The disciples of Heavenly Firmament Academy were divided into Labor Disciples, Outer Sect Disciples, Inner Sect Disciples, and Direct Disciples.
As the Senior Disciple of the Inner Sect, Ye Qingyun basked in boundless glory and had long become a figure of immense popularity at Heavenly Firmament Academy.
Not only did he have a master known as the Number One Female Expert of Heavenly Firmament Academy, he had also earned the favor of the First Prince and the Left Prime Minister.
He had stolen all of Luo Feng's limelight.
Luo Feng had been worrying over how to find an opportunity to deal with Ye Qingyun.
Now, at this very moment—
Faced with the opportunity Ye Qingyun had personally created, how could Luo Feng possibly let it slip away?
"Ye Qingyun has dared, before the Esteemed Dean, His Highness the First Prince, and His Highness the Young Lord of the Divine Marquis, to provoke Heavenly Firmament Academy again and again. He even dares defy the Empress's Imperial Decree. His intentions deserve death."
"Guards, seize Ye Qingyun at once and throw him into Avici Hell to await punishment."
Just then, an elder of Heavenly Firmament Academy stepped forward and shouted sternly.
He would not pass up such an excellent opportunity to curry favor with Qin Anlan.
"Esteemed Dean, Ye Qingyun is arrogant and defiant. Not only has he contradicted you and the Young Lord of the Divine Marquis, he has even dared openly defy the Empress's Imperial Decree."
"Why not cripple his cultivation, break his sinews and bones, and expel him from Heavenly Firmament Academy?"
"That would also give the Young Lord of the Divine Marquis and the Empress an explanation."
Seeing this, the other elders of Heavenly Firmament Academy also stepped forward one after another.
Standing upon the Moral High Ground, they sternly and righteously denounced Ye Qingyun's conduct.
As for those who had not acted rashly, they belonged to the Left Prime Minister's and the First Prince's factions.
Before receiving the Left Prime Minister's specific orders, they did not know how to deal with someone as arrogant and overbearing as Ye Qingyun.
Before you continue