Standoff at the Mountain Gate, Strife Within the Sword Pavilion

Outside the Heavenly Star Pavilion's Mountain Gate, the air bristled with drawn swords and bent bows.

Light flowed through the Five-Element Mountain-Guarding Formation, sealing off the inside from the outside. Ye Yun stood at the formation's nexus with his hand on his sword, his expression stern. Sword Qi remained sheathed around him, yet he radiated rock-solid resolve. Shi Meng stood beside him, glaring with bell-sized eyes at the Heavenly Sword Pavilion cultivators outside the formation, his clenched fists cracking. At some unknown moment, Mo Yu had quietly appeared in the shadows outside the formation. His presence was barely perceptible, but he had locked onto several of the opposing elders with the strongest auras.

Outside the formation, the Heavenly Sword Pavilion delegation bore down aggressively, led by the green-robed Elder Yan. His face was rigid, three long strands of beard hanging from his chin, and his gaze was sharp as a hawk's. He unleashed the pressure of the mid Void Insight stage without restraint, attempting to batter the Heavenly Star Pavilion's mountain-guarding formation. Yet the flowing five-element radiance held it firmly at bay, darkening his expression further.

Uncle Chen and Uncle Li, supported by two Heavenly Sword Pavilion disciples, looked ashen, their auras disordered. They had clearly suffered serious injuries. When they saw Lin Qingxue suddenly appear, urgency flared in their eyes. They tried to speak, but a sweep of Elder Yan's icy gaze made them lower their heads dejectedly again.

"Qingxue!" Elder Yan's gaze landed on Lin Qingxue first. His voice was stern, his accusation brooking no argument. "You privately allied yourself with someone of unknown origins, left the sect without permission, and even leaked vital intelligence concerning the sect's survival to an outsider! As your guards, Chen Shan and Li Hai not only failed to dissuade you, but helped a tyrant do evil! Do you acknowledge your crime?!"

His words rang with righteous severity, directly branding "forming an alliance" and "leaking intelligence" as grave crimes. More pointedly, he aimed his attack squarely at Ye Chen, that "person of unknown origins."

Lin Qingxue's lovely face paled, not from fear, but from anger and disappointment. She drew a deep breath, suppressed her surging emotions, and stepped forward to bow, neither servile nor overbearing. "Elder Yan, I allied with Pavilion Master Ye of the Heavenly Star Pavilion on our pavilion master's orders, to seek outside support for the sect and stand together against the Sacred Emperor Palace! How was that 'private'? As for intelligence, Pavilion Master Ye and I are allies. Sharing what each of us knows is only right. How is that 'leaking'? Uncle Chen and Uncle Li protected me loyally throughout the journey. Why did you injure them without distinguishing right from wrong?!"

Her words were clear and well-reasoned, and she invoked Pavilion Master Lingyun Sword Emperor, immediately bringing uncertainty to the faces of some disciples behind Elder Yan.

Elder Yan's face darkened. He snorted coldly. "On the pavilion master's orders? The pavilion master is in seclusion, comprehending the sword path. When did he issue such reckless orders to you? As the enforcement elder, I oversee the sect's rules. How could I allow you to hide behind honeyed words! You have entangled yourself with this Ye Chen of unknown origins. Who knows what ulterior motives you harbor? How could our Heavenly Sword Pavilion's thousand-year spotless reputation be associated with people who hide their heads and tails and act so deviously?!"

He not only repudiated Lin Qingxue, but disparaged Ye Chen and the Heavenly Star Pavilion as utterly worthless, his words steeped in prejudice and hostility.

"Elder Yan! Young Master Ye saved my life, and he helped me fulfill the crucial mission of seeking aid in the Northern Border! The Heavenly Star Pavilion is powerful, and Young Master Ye's cultivation reaches the heavens. They are ideal allies against the Sacred Emperor Palace! Is such slander any way to treat a guest? Is it the conduct of a wise man?!" Lin Qingxue trembled with anger. Never had she imagined the opposition to the alliance within her sect would be so fierce that, just as she returned with vital intelligence about their ally after rendering a service to the sect, they would tear away all pretense and come attacking their doorstep!

"Enough!" Elder Yan barked. His mid Void Insight stage pressure abruptly intensified, bearing down on Lin Qingxue like a mountain. "That wretch has bewitched your mind! Today, I will take you back to the sect to face the wall and reflect on your transgressions! As for this Heavenly Star Pavilion..."

His icy gaze turned toward Ye Chen, who had been silently watching, and Emperor Xuanwu behind him, who looked ordinary yet instinctively stirred a trace of dread within him.

"So you are Ye Chen? You bewitched a disciple of my Heavenly Sword Pavilion, stole our sect's secrets, and ran wild in the Northern Border and the Fallen Star Sea, stirring up storms wherever you went. Such intentions deserve death! In consideration of the little kindness you once showed Qingxue, if you immediately dissolve this so-called 'alliance' with our Heavenly Sword Pavilion, surrender all intelligence you obtained from her, seal your own cultivation, and accompany me back to the Heavenly Sword Pavilion for investigation, I may consider leniency!"

His words sounded lofty and righteous, but were domineering in the extreme. Not only did he demand that the alliance be torn up and the intelligence returned, he wanted Ye Chen to bind himself and submit to punishment. He plainly regarded the Heavenly Star Pavilion as a soft persimmon he could squeeze however he pleased.

At these words, everyone on the Heavenly Star Pavilion's side darkened.

Shi Meng shouted furiously, "That's dogshit spewing from your mother's mouth! You old fossil, how dare you speak to our young master like that?! Believe me, I'll flatten you with one punch!" Earthen-yellow light surged around him as he moved to charge out of the formation.

Ye Yun raised a hand to stop Shi Meng, then looked at Elder Yan with a gaze as cold as a blade. "Elder Yan, mind your words. Pavilion Master Ye is the master of our Heavenly Star Pavilion, and an ally acknowledged by both Miss Lin and our pavilion. We have no intention of interfering in your Heavenly Sword Pavilion's internal affairs. But anyone who dares disrespect our pavilion master makes an enemy of the Heavenly Star Pavilion!"

His words were as decisive as severing nails and cutting iron, carrying a stern sword intent. He did not shrink back in the slightest merely because his opponent was at the mid Void Insight stage.

Cold light flashed in Elder Yan's eyes. He had not expected a mere Spirit Transformation stage guardian from the Heavenly Star Pavilion to dare defy him so openly. "Your insignificant Heavenly Star Pavilion occupies no more than a little corner, yet you dare speak of being our 'enemy'? You truly know neither heaven's height nor earth's depth! Today, I will discipline this servant who knows nothing of rank and respect on your pavilion master's behalf!"

Before his words had faded, he pressed two fingers together like a sword. A streak of intensely condensed azure Sword Qi shot forth, carrying a fierce, air-rending sword intent straight toward Ye Yun! Swift as thunder and vicious beyond measure, the strike was clearly meant to cow the Heavenly Star Pavilion. He even intended to cripple Ye Yun!

How terrifying was an enraged strike from the mid Void Insight stage? Space rippled wherever the Sword Qi passed!

"Brother Ye Yun, watch out!" Lin Qingxue cried in horror, already too late to stop it.

The Heavenly Star Pavilion disciples also cried out in alarm.

Yet faced with this sudden, lethal sword strike, Ye Yun's expression remained unchanged. He did not retreat even half a step. Only icy calm filled his eyes, and the Ancient Sword in his hand had already slid half an inch from its sheath.

Just as the azure Sword Qi was about to reach him-

A slender hand appeared out of thin air before Ye Yun, as though it had always belonged there.

The hand was pale, its five fingers evenly proportioned. It simply opened casually toward the whistling azure Sword Qi, then gently closed.

"Pop."

It was like crushing a bubble.

That fierce Sword Qi, powerful enough to easily grievously injure or even kill someone at the Spirit Transformation peak, failed to stir so much as a ripple beneath that gentle grip. It vanished soundlessly, dissipating into the most primal particles of spiritual energy.

Elder Yan's pupils abruptly contracted!

Everyone from the Heavenly Sword Pavilion behind him stared, dumbstruck!

The owner of that hand was naturally Ye Chen. At some unknown moment, he had moved from Lin Qingxue's side to stand before Ye Yun. He slowly withdrew his hand, as though he had merely brushed away a speck of dust, and calmly regarded Elder Yan's drastically altered expression.

"Elder Yan, was it?" Ye Chen spoke evenly, yet his voice carried an invisible pressure. "You attacked one of my people before my Heavenly Star Pavilion's Mountain Gate. Who gave you the nerve?"

His tone was light, yet a chill climbed Elder Yan's spine! That casual crushing of his Sword Qi seemed effortless, but it contained a power of laws he could not comprehend at all! His opponent's control over power had reached an inconceivable realm!

But as the Heavenly Sword Pavilion's enforcement elder and a mighty cultivator at the mid Void Insight stage, how could he show fear under everyone's gaze?

"Ye Chen! You finally dared show yourself!" Elder Yan forcibly suppressed his horror and shouted, fierce in appearance but fainthearted within. "You openly challenged the authority of my Heavenly Sword Pavilion and even interfered with this elder's enforcement of its rules! It seems you are determined to make an enemy of our Heavenly Sword Pavilion!"

"An enemy?" Ye Chen shook his head lightly, a faint yet icy curve forming at his lips. "You do not represent the Heavenly Sword Pavilion."

His gaze swept over the Heavenly Sword Pavilion disciples behind Elder Yan, whose expressions varied, before finally settling on Lin Qingxue's pale face and the urgent plea in her eyes.

"For Miss Lin's sake, I will give you one chance."

Ye Chen's voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Take your people and leave immediately. I can treat what happened today as though it never occurred."

"Otherwise..."

He paused, his gaze suddenly sharpening like a blade. A terrifying will, far vaster and deeper than Elder Yan's, seemingly originating from the very source of the universe, quietly spread outward. Though only a trace, it made the souls of every Heavenly Sword Pavilion cultivator present, Elder Yan included, tremble like ants facing the boundless heavens!

"I would not mind cleansing Lingyun Sword Emperor's household for him."

As his words fell, deathly silence engulfed the scene.

Elder Yan's face flushed red, then turned deathly pale. He sensed an unprecedented threat of death! The killing intent contained in those calm words was no empty threat! His intuition told him that if he dared say one more word, he might truly perish here today!

The disciples behind him fell silent as cicadas in winter, not even daring to breathe heavily.

Lin Qingxue watched Ye Chen's calm profile, which held supreme authority, with a hundred emotions tangled in her heart. There was gratitude, shock, and a trace of complicated bitterness. Her sect's internal strife had forced an outsider to uphold justice. How ironic.

Just as Elder Yan found himself riding a tiger he could not dismount, unable to advance or retreat-

"Junior Brother Yan, stop."

A gentle yet authoritative voice quietly sounded across the scene, like a spring breeze bringing nourishing rain.

The void rippled slightly, and a figure appeared out of thin air, standing precisely between Elder Yan and Ye Chen. He wore a green robe with an upright bearing, his face lean and refined, his warm gaze holding boundless sharpness.

The moment he appeared, the tension of drawn swords and bent bows seemed to be smoothed away by a gentle yet incredibly resilient sword intent.

The newcomer was none other than the master of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, Lingyun Sword Emperor!

"Pavilion Master!" Lin Qingxue exclaimed in delighted surprise.

"Greetings, Pavilion Master!" All the Heavenly Sword Pavilion disciples, Elder Yan included, hurriedly bowed. Elder Yan's expression only grew uglier.

Lingyun Sword Emperor first nodded slightly to Ye Chen, his tone gentle. "Young friend Ye, I have long admired your reputation. My sect's discipline has been lax. We have made a sorry spectacle before you."

Then he turned to Elder Yan. His gaze remained gentle, but carried unquestionable authority. "Junior Brother Yan, as the enforcement elder, you should be all the more discerning of right and wrong and mindful of the greater good. I knew of the alliance with the Heavenly Star Pavilion long ago and gave it my tacit approval. The intelligence and ally Qingxue brought back are a service to the sect, not a transgression. Your actions today went too far."

Elder Yan opened his mouth to argue, but beneath Lingyun Sword Emperor's calm, unfathomable gaze, he ultimately did not dare speak further. He merely lowered his head unwillingly. "Yes... Pavilion Master. I was rash."

Lingyun Sword Emperor then looked at the injured Uncle Chen and Uncle Li. With a wave of his hand, he sent two streams of pure sword essence into their bodies, helping stabilize their injuries. "Chen Shan and Li Hai rendered a service by protecting their charge. They will be rewarded upon our return."

Only after settling these matters did Lingyun Sword Emperor look at Ye Chen again, his face bearing sincere apology and appreciation. "Young friend Ye, I was in secluded contemplation and neglected discipline, allowing my disciples to offend you. I ask your understanding. Allying with the Heavenly Star Pavilion to stand against the Sacred Emperor Palace is a decision shared throughout our Heavenly Sword Pavilion. Elder Yan and the others may have doubts, but they do not reflect my wishes. I will certainly give you a proper accounting of today's incident."

His manner was sincere and his words fitting. He preserved his sect's dignity while showing Ye Chen ample respect, and made his firm commitment to the alliance clear.

Ye Chen regarded this towering figure of the righteous path whose fame resounded throughout the Primordial Wilderness. He could sense the vast, upright sword intent around him, perfectly harmonious and responsive to his will. He was indeed extraordinary, far stronger than the likes of Blood River Ancestor and Iceedge Divine General.

"You are too kind, Pavilion Master Lingyun." Ye Chen cupped his hands slightly in return. "It was a minor misunderstanding. Clearing it up is enough. The alliance between the Heavenly Star Pavilion and the Heavenly Sword Pavilion remains in effect."

"Excellent." Lingyun Sword Emperor smiled and nodded. Then his gaze seemingly swept unintentionally over Emperor Xuanwu, whose aura was deep and profound behind Ye Chen. An almost imperceptible hint of deeper meaning flashed in his eyes before he extended an invitation to Ye Chen.

"Young friend Ye, since you are here, why not come to our Heavenly Sword Pavilion's Azure Cloud Peak for a conversation? Regarding the Sacred Emperor Palace, the Fallen Star Sea, and... certain ancient secrets, perhaps we could have a proper discussion."