The rebuke rang out, stern and sharp, like a ruler striking or a Punishment Whip lashing down, with enough force to scour the very space around it.
When the voice first sounded, no one could tell where it came from. By the time it faded, a monk in black robes had appeared behind Kujue.
Of all the senior disciples of Kujue's generation, the first seat of Guanshi Courtyard, Kudi, looked the youngest by far.
Kujue was somewhat sallow and gaunt, while Kubing was so thin he looked like skin stretched over bones, with a sickly pallor. The abbot, Kuming, was a large, fat monk, but his face was perpetually clouded with worry, making him look seven or eight years older.
Only Kudi could be called handsome. Though he was usually rather stern, he was still the best-looking face among the monks of the Ku generation.
With the situation on the verge of exploding, Kudi, the first seat of Guanshi Courtyard, had arrived just in time. Yuan Ye could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Kujue alone kept charging forward as if he hadn't a clue, without even looking back.
He said only to Yuan Ye, "See that bald donkey behind me? He's always sneaking around and swiping things. Never learned a thing right from childhood. If you've got any treasures hidden in the Heavenly Horse Plateau, you'd better keep a close eye on him!"
As he spoke, he reached out and scooped Yuan Ye up, then tossed him toward Kudi like a human-shaped hidden weapon.
Kudi gently caught Yuan Ye with one hand, then formed the Fearless Seal with the other and pressed it down from afar.
As the hand seal descended, a gigantic golden hand appeared out of thin air before Kujue. Its upright palm blocked his way, towering