The Sect Was About to Be Shaken

"Why?" Duanmu Lei frowned slightly.

"Ye Tianhong, as the Hall Master of the Internal Affairs Hall, is the guardian of the sect's rites and rules. Yet he disregarded the sect's regulations and arbitrarily suppressed the award ceremony. That is the first charge."

Chu Tian raised his head and met Duanmu Lei's eyes. "Saint Ancestor Duanmu once left behind an ancestral decree: the sect's upper ranks must devote themselves to safeguarding the cultivation of younger disciples. They must not abuse their authority or suppress the younger generation. Only by allowing talented disciples to rise above the rest could the sect prosper generation after generation, for a thousand autumns and ten thousand ages."

"Yet the Sect Master, under the banner of the sect's greater good, attempted to gouge out the Eye of the Heavenly Dao between my brows to curry favor with the Cihang Sacred Sect. This was tramping upon the sect's interests, disrespecting the ancestral decree, and damaging the unity within the sect. That is the second charge."

"Saint Ancestor Duanmu himself suffered suppression within the sect in his youth. After becoming Sect Master and leading the sect out of adversity, he specifically left behind this ancestral decree. No one may violate it."

"As the sect's Holy Son, though I am still young, I am unwilling to wallow with those who possess none of a true powerhouse's bearing and who violate the ancestral decree."

"These rewards and honors disgust me. I would rather have none of them."

Chu Tian's voice was not loud, but Duanmu Lei was one of the sect's higher-ups and had come in person. Hengtian Hall had long since fallen silent. At that moment, Chu Tian's words were like thunderclaps, ringing clearly in the ears of countless disciples.

At that moment, the many disciples within Hengtian Hall were all dumbfounded.

The sheer amount of information in Chu Tian's words was more than they could digest at once.

The Sect Master wanted to dig out the divine eye between the Little Holy Son's brows to curry favor with the Cihang Sacred Sect?

To those who had grown up within the Sacred Heaven Sect's territory and then joined the sect, this was a bolt from the blue!

"Chu Tian, how dare you humiliate my father like this and mock the Sect Master? Do you know this is the grave crime of defying authority?"

Ye Feng's rage surged to the heavens. Hearing his father slandered so viciously, he could no longer endure it. With an angry shout, he instantly appeared before Chu Tian and swung a slap at his face.

"As your elder brother, I'll teach you today how to know your place, understand proper etiquette, and respect your elders."

"Impudence."

The smile vanished from Duanmu Lei's face, and his expression darkened slightly. With a casual wave of his hand, a streak of azure light flashed past. The fluctuations of rule Dao intent rippled out, and Ye Feng spat blood as he was sent flying.

"Ye Feng, you have quite the nerve. You dared to attack the sect's Holy Son right before me. Do you truly think that I, the Deputy Hall Master of the Internal Affairs Hall, cannot deal with you, the Sect Master's son and the Ye Family's young master?" Duanmu Lei's voice was icy.

The Internal Affairs Hall was responsible for rewards and punishments, penalties, and the establishment of the sect's rites and order. The sect's Holy Son was the face of the entire sect. Ye Feng had dared to attack Chu Tian in front of him, with so many people watching. He had not merely struck Chu Tian—he had slapped Duanmu Lei across the face.

Ye Feng coughed up blood, staining his white robe red. His hair was disheveled, and he looked utterly miserable, no longer possessing his former imposing might. Upon hearing Duanmu Lei's cold words, his face turned even paler. He immediately clasped his fists. "Uncle Lei, please forgive me. My anger clouded my mind for a moment, and I acted without reason."

"But Chu Tian slandered the Sect Master and defied the Internal Affairs Hall's orders. That too is a grave crime. Earlier, he even attacked and injured my cousin Ye Wu without cause. This is a serious offense."

"Please, Uncle Lei, capture Chu Tian first and uphold the Sect Master's dignity. Otherwise, if this matter spreads, the consequences will be unthinkable."

Chu Tian smiled indifferently. "Every word I said is the truth and can withstand investigation. If even one word is slander, I will voluntarily resign from my position as Holy Son."

"Since the one ranked first on the Earth Ranking may make any request of the sect, then for the sake of the sect's fairness, I ask Uncle Lei to submit a request to the Elder Council. Have the Law Enforcement Hall, Internal Affairs Hall, and Judicial Hall jointly investigate this matter and get to the bottom of it."

"Let us see whether I, Chu Tian, have slandered Hall Master Ye Tianhong—and our esteemed Sect Master."

"Chu Tian, you..."

Ye Feng's face grew even paler. He had only just received a message from his father, Ye Tianxiong, urging him to return to the sect at once. He knew little of what had recently happened in the sect. Seeing Chu Tian press so aggressively, how could he dare agree?

Duanmu Lei fell silent before saying, "I will report the Little Holy Son's request truthfully to the Elder Council in accordance with the sect's regulations."

What had happened last night was top-secret within the sect, but Duanmu Lei was one of its higher-ups and had been present at the time, so he naturally knew about it.

The three great top-tier families had, overall, remained neutral on this matter, though they had leaned slightly toward the Ye Family.

After all, this was never an issue that should have been brought up for discussion.

Their attendance at the meeting, neither supporting nor opposing it, had itself represented a kind of stance.

Of course, they had only leaned ever so slightly.

The news had been restricted to the sect's upper ranks and classified as top secret. They had thought the matter would end there.

Yet who could have imagined that Chu Tian would be so forceful? Not only had he charged back to first place on the Earth Ranking the very next day, shaking the entire sect and forcing Ye Tianhong to hold the award ceremony, he had also laid the matter bare before so many people and made the entire sect discuss it.

Duanmu Lei could already imagine the enormous uproar that would be stirred once this matter spread and hundreds of thousands of disciples throughout the sect began discussing it.

However, Chu Tian was targeting Ye Tianxiong and the Ye Family, and he was acting according to the sect's rules. The first-ranked disciple on the Earth Ranking could make any request of the sect, and the sect had to fulfill it. Duanmu Lei was a member of the Duanmu Family and the Deputy Hall Master of the Internal Affairs Hall. Naturally, he would not risk the condemnation of all under heaven by openly opposing Chu Tian for the sake of the Ye Family.

Duanmu Lei looked at Chu Tian. His calm eyes held emotions such as shock and astonishment.

Chu Tian's forceful and domineering display had truly overturned his impression of the Chu Family. After all, the Chu Family's rules had always placed maintaining the sect's stability and unity above all else.

Chu Tian's way of doing things was almost the complete opposite of Chu Tianwang's. Without the slightest mercy, he tore apart the fig leaf concealing the discord between the two Founding Families, exposing the conflict between the Chu Family and the Ye Family before everyone in the sect.

"Uncle Lei, I still have matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."

Chu Tian's expression was calm, as if he had merely said something insignificant. He clasped his fists in salute, then turned and left.

Hui Mei sucked in a cold breath. He was of noble birth and no fool, so he naturally understood just how great a stir Chu Tian's words would cause.

He believed himself to be lawless enough, yet he would never have dared to behave so recklessly within the Cihang Sacred Sect.

Compared to Chu Tian, his own actions were as childish as children playing house.

Thus, throughout the entire exchange, he had obediently stood behind Chu Tian and did not dare interrupt.

Seeing Chu Tian leave, he hurriedly chased after him. Scratching his head, he sighed, "Big Brother, why doesn't my Cihang Sacred Sect have rules like this? Otherwise, I'd definitely charge to first place on the Earth Ranking and make them let me get engaged to my cousin."

"The sect is about to be shaken." Duanmu Lei muttered softly, then flew toward the Internal Affairs Hall.

In the sky, the setting sun at dusk was red as blood. Its light lay spread across the sect's towering peaks like a ribbon of scarlet silk, as though warning everyone that a raging storm was about to arrive.