By this point, everyone could hear it plainly.
What courtesy?
What propriety?!
Both had long since vanished without a trace!
Though Ksitigarbha's words still maintained a veneer of courtesy, they now carried an unmistakably forceful edge.
The meaning beneath them was laid bare, too...
Unless Wuzhuang Temple gave them an explanation, the Buddhist School would not let this matter rest!
The cultivators watching from afar heard this, and their expressions shifted as whispers rose once more.
"What a Ksitigarbha! Not a drop could leak through those words!"
"He first lowered himself, addressing Zhen Yuanzi as 'senior' to show his respect."
"But then he abruptly changed tack, pointing straight at Qingfeng's violent attack and placing the Buddhist School squarely on the moral high ground."
"That final line, 'Could it be that you believe our Buddhist School has no one capable of standing up to you, senior?' backed Wuzhuang Temple directly into a corner. If Zhen Yuanzi didn't appear, he would cement his reputation for 'bullying the Buddhist School because it had no one to defend it'; if he did, he would play right into their hands."
"Tsk, tsk... Ksitigarbha's scheming truly runs as deep as his reputation suggests."
Everyone weighed their own thoughts, but their gazes focused ever more intently on Wuzhuang Temple, awaiting Zhen Yuanzi's response.
Yet.
One breath passed.
Two breaths.
Ten breaths.
Behind Wuzhuang Temple's tightly shut gates, all was silent.
There was no response.
Not even a trace of magic power fluctuation escaped.
It was as though Zhen Yuanzi truly was cultivating in seclusion, turning a deaf ear to everything happening outside.
Or perhaps...
He simply had no desire to bother with these people from the Buddhist School.
That silence stung more sharply than any words.
Ksitigarbha's expression darkened slightly.
A barely perceptible shadow flashed through his