The Deputy Lord was overjoyed. "Guards, take the four elders away and see that they're well looked after."
He put clear emphasis on the words "well looked after."
Earlier, Elder Zhou and the other three had shown him no respect and left him humiliated in front of everyone. But with Zhou having advanced to Yang Venerable, there had been nothing he could do about it.
Now that he had his chance, he meant to vent his anger properly—and curry favor with Xu Yi while he was at it.
He'd come to see that someone as vengeful, sinister, and ruthless as Xu Yi was absolutely not to be offended.
With one strike, Xu Yi had shattered the Qi Seas of all four. Elder Zhou and the others were no longer a concern.
Having achieved his main objective, Xu Yi didn't linger at the Sacrificial Guard Office. Though the Deputy Lord repeatedly urged him to stay, Xu Yi pleaded that he still had urgent matters to handle and left on his own, leaving behind a crowd of stunned onlookers—and another tale to be told.
When he returned to Cold Sun Peak, Steward Fang was the first to greet him. He'd already received the news and was beside himself with joy. He showered Xu Yi with praise. "Our sect leader is a genius, brilliant and bold, with wisdom like a god's. I, Fang, admire you from the bottom of my heart."
Xu Yi waved a hand and laughed. "Old Fang, how come you've started giving me this kind of flattery too?"
Steward Fang replied, "I'm not praising you falsely. I just feel that you're becoming more and more adept at handling these kinds of contests. In the past, you'd surely have started by tricking Elder Zhou and the others into fighting you to