Yu Xu Palace.
Huanglong Zhenren walked in from outside the palace.
"Your disciple Huanglong pays his respects to Master. May I ask why Master summoned me?"
Huanglong Zhenren was quite puzzled.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at East Emperor Taiyi and Xuan Jun beside him.
At that moment, his confusion only deepened.
What were members of the Demon Race doing at Kunlun Mountain?
"Huanglong, have you killed anyone from the Demon Race?"
Yuanshi's question made Huanglong freeze for a moment before he instinctively answered,
"No."
He had been recuperating at his Dojo lately. When had he ever killed anyone from the Demon Race?
Huanglong Zhenren's denial instantly made Xuan Jun lose his composure.
"You..."
Xuan Jun was just about to step forward when East Emperor Taiyi pressed him back.
East Emperor Taiyi looked at Huanglong Zhenren, his brilliant gold eyes full of coldness.
"Huanglong Zhenren, think carefully about what you did at Lingganhu."
"Do you dare claim you didn't kill anyone from the Demon Race?!"
Hearing East Emperor Taiyi's question, Huanglong Zhenren suddenly recalled what had happened.
"You mean the Xuan Sha Mang?!"
Ever since returning from Lingganhu, he had focused all his thoughts on Lu Changsheng.
As for the larger and smaller Xuan Sha Mang, he hadn't given them a second thought.
Huanglong Zhenren had never imagined that the death of the Xuan Sha Mang would lead to this.
"Good. You remember now."
"If you kill someone from the Demon Race, you'll pay the price!"
East Emperor Taiyi's words were too much for Huanglong to bear.
It was true that he had killed the Xuan Sha Mang.
But he hadn't gotten the Xuanling Fruit.
Lu Changsheng had reaped the benefits, yet now Huanglong Zhenren had to bear the consequences?
What kind of logic was that?!
"That's not how it happened!"
Huanglong Zhenren snapped.
"Since you know what happened at Lingganhu, then you should know there was someone else there that day!"
East Emperor Taiyi paused.
When he had used the Chaos Bell to manifest the events of the past, there had indeed been someone else at Lingganhu besides Huanglong Zhenren and the Xuan Sha Mang.
But so what?
"So what if there was someone else? You only need to tell This Emperor whether you killed the Xuan Sha Mang!"
Huanglong Zhenren clenched his fists.
"But..."
"Answer This Emperor. Did you kill it or not?!"
East Emperor Taiyi barked.
"I did..."
Huanglong Zhenren's face was full of helplessness.
He would have liked to argue with East Emperor Taiyi some more.
But just as East Emperor Taiyi had said, no matter what, the Xuan Sha Mang had died by his hand.
And now, in Yu Xu Palace, he didn't dare reveal anything about Lu Changsheng.
If Master found out that he hadn't gotten the Xuanling Fruit and had instead lost to a Heaven Immortal—
and that he still didn't know who that person was—
he was certain Master wouldn't let him off lightly before investigating Lu Changsheng's identity.
For now, he could only take responsibility for the Xuan Sha Mang's death.
He would settle this score with Lu Changsheng!
Once he found Lu Changsheng, he'd make him pay a hundredfold!
East Emperor Taiyi then turned to Yuanshi.
"The facts are clear. Huanglong Zhenren killed someone and stole their treasure. The evidence is conclusive. I ask that the Saint hand him over to the Demon Race Heavenly Court."
At this, Huanglong Zhenren looked nervously at Yuanshi.
Yuanshi replied without expression,
"East Emperor Taiyi, you seem to have misunderstood something."
"When did I ever say I would hand Huanglong Zhenren over to you?"
Huanglong Zhenren let out a long breath. What had he been thinking? How could Master possibly hand him over?
"In Honghuang, the strong have always ruled. Killing for treasure happens all the time."
"If your people couldn't protect their treasure, then they were too weak. You can't blame anyone else."
By now, Yuanshi understood what had happened.
It all stemmed from the Xuanling Fruit.
The Xuanling Fruit had never been Huanglong Zhenren's destined opportunity.
Back then, Huanglong Zhenren had asked for his help, so he had casually divined the matter.
A dispute over it had been only to be expected.
He simply hadn't expected this matter to involve the Demon Race Heavenly Court.
Xuan Jun was trembling all over, his body taut.
But he had no place to speak here.
For now, he could only rely on East Emperor Taiyi.
East Emperor Taiyi had expected Yuanshi to respond this way.
"What the Saint Yuqing says is quite right. In Honghuang, the strong do rule."
"But an eye for an eye is only fair."
"Since the Chan Sect refuses to resolve this matter, the Demon Race Heavenly Court will have to handle it our own way."
"I hope Huanglong Zhenren can stay in—"
Before he could finish, Yuanshi's gaze turned cold.
"East Emperor Taiyi, are you threatening me?"
In an instant, all of Kunlun Mountain trembled.
A terrifying pressure swept through Yu Xu Palace.
At that moment, Huanglong Zhenren and Xuan Jun were both terrified and unable to move.
East Emperor Taiyi merely snorted. Blazing Great Sun Golden Flames rose around him, and the bell's chime reverberated across the mountain peak.
With the Chaos Bell, an Innate Supreme Treasure, resisting Yuanshi's pressure was no problem.
"This Emperor is merely stating a fact."
He had brought Xuan Jun here to resolve the matter.
Since Yuanshi had invoked the Law of the Jungle, what was wrong with the Demon Race taking revenge?
Yuanshi's expression grew somewhat grim, and his pressure slowly faded.
There was no denying that this was a difficult situation.
As East Emperor Taiyi had said, the Jade Void Twelve Immortals couldn't stay on Kunlun Mountain forever.
The moment they left, they would be targeted by the Demon Race.
Even if Guangchengzi and the others were powerful, they were no match for East Emperor Taiyi right now.
If Yuanshi stepped in, even if he could deal with East Emperor Taiyi, it wouldn't solve anything. It might even make the matter more troublesome.
Saints were powerful, but once a Saint intervened, the whole nature of the matter changed.
He hadn't expected something over a Xuanling Fruit to escalate this far.
"This began with Huanglong Zhenren, so Huanglong Zhenren should bring it to an end."
"A hundred years from now, Huanglong Zhenren and Xuan Jun will settle this matter in a battle."
"I accept the Saint's proposal for the battle."
East Emperor Taiyi agreed first.
"But This Emperor has one condition."
"I know the Saint Yuqing has many methods at his disposal, but the Demon Race Heavenly Court is no pushover either."
"So, for this battle, Huanglong Zhenren and Xuan Jun must rely solely on their own abilities. What do you say?"
It was only natural that East Emperor Taiyi would make this demand.
What if Yuanshi gave Huanglong Zhenren a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure or something? How could Xuan Jun win then?
Yuanshi gave it a moment's thought.
"Agreed."
"In that case, This Emperor will take his leave. I'll return to accept the challenge in a hundred years."
Having achieved his purpose, East Emperor Taiyi left with Xuan Jun.
As soon as East Emperor Taiyi was gone, Huanglong Zhenren turned to Yuanshi.
"Master, this was my fault..."
"Enough."
Yuanshi cut Huanglong Zhenren off.
"Since the cause was your pursuit of the Xuanling Fruit, you must now bear the consequences with the Demon Race."
Huanglong Zhenren's expression stiffened. He was on the verge of tears.
When had he gotten the Xuanling Fruit?
"Are you confident you can win this battle?"
Huanglong Zhenren thought it over.
"Your disciple sees that Xuan Jun is a Grand Unity Golden Immortal."
"In a battle at the same realm, your disciple has an eighty percent chance of victory."
He could sense that although Xuan Jun was also a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, his cultivation was higher than Huanglong's.
But how could he admit to lacking confidence in front of Yuanshi?
"Eighty percent?"
"You can only win this battle. You must not lose!"
Yuanshi's voice was icy.
This wasn't merely a grudge between Huanglong Zhenren and the Xuan Sha Mang. The Chan Sect's reputation was at stake as well.
If Huanglong Zhenren lost to the Demon Race, the Chan Sect's standing would inevitably suffer.
"I'll grant you a technique."
As Yuanshi spoke, golden light appeared in his right palm.
"Didn't East Emperor Taiyi just say that each side should rely on its own abilities?"
Huanglong Zhenren looked confused.
Hadn't they agreed that neither Master nor East Emperor Taiyi would interfere? So what was Master doing now?
"Ridiculous. Why should I abide by East Emperor Taiyi's rules?"
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