With just a few short sentences, Ye Feng had provoked everyone's fury.
Had Luo Xingcai not still been there, the people of the Law Enforcement Lineage would probably have already attacked.
[Ding, Humiliation Points +2,500] [Ding, Humiliation Points +2,500]
The system's continuous notifications prompted Jiang Yantian to increase the pressure.
Ye Feng struggled to get up, only for his entire face to be pressed against the ground.
The dirt covered half her face, which was still sinking deeper.
"Elder Jiang!" Luo Xingcai called out in warning.
If this continued, Ye Feng's head would probably burst.
The pressure of a Nascent Soul expert was not something a Foundation Establishment disciple could withstand.
Naturally, Jiang Yantian would not continue. Taking Luo Xingcai's warning as his cue, he waved his hand and withdrew the pressure.
"Ye Feng, considering that we're fellow disciples, and given the special circumstances, I'll let you off this once!"
"Everyone, go back and rest now. I'll report Hua Jiao's matter to the sect master. This isn't something you need to worry about!"
Jiang Yantian swept his gaze around. Those who had gathered lowered their heads, bowed, and only then left.
"Master, you should go back and rest too. Leave the rest to me. There are a few things I want to clear up with Ye Feng."
Luo Xingcai nodded.
She trusted Jiang Yantian.
Hua Jiao's death should have been the work of the Spirit Devourer inside the Forbidden Ground. It could not have resulted from human interference.
Once Luo Xingcai had also left, Jiang Yantian flicked his hand, sending Ye Feng flying backward into a large tree.
She clutched her chest in agony, but her gaze remained resolute.
Jiang Yantian walked up, raised his foot, and planted it on her ankle, slowly grinding it back and forth.
"Ugh... ah..." Ye Feng could not help crying out in pain, yet she kept gritting her teeth and enduring it.
Jiang Yantian sighed. "Senior brother, you shouldn't keep pointing your spear at me."
"Even if I did kill her, I still can't stand others pointing fingers at me."
Ye Feng froze, staring at Jiang Yantian with wide eyes. "You... what did you say?"
"I said, I was the one who killed her. I'm petty. She insulted me like that, so of course I could only kill her."
"I was so wronged, being insulted like that for absolutely no reason. So I devoured her soul."
"Don't worry. She didn't suffer much. She cried and cried, and then she was gone!"
"Oh, right, what was she shouting before she died? 'Brother Ye Feng, save me...' Heh, hahahaha!"
Ye Feng trembled all over, her mouth hanging wide open. "Jiao... Jiaojiao..."
"She was actually quite wronged too. Spoiled rotten since childhood-but who told her father to call me his brother? It's only natural for me to discipline my brother's daughter, isn't it?"
[Ding, killing the body and destroying the heart, Humiliation Points +10,000] [Ding, the fated protagonist's hatred is skyrocketing, Humiliation Points ×0.5!]
Jiang Yantian helped Ye Feng up and brushed the dirt off her clothes. "Senior brother, you can understand me, right? Now tell me, 'Hua Jiao deserved to die. Good riddance,' and I'll let you go."
Ye Feng's eyes widened, as though a knife had pierced her heart.
"Jiang Yantian, you..."
"Say it. Hurry up and say it. Once you've said it, this matter will be over!" A faint smile rested on Jiang Yantian's face.
From elsewhere, it looked instead as though the two were chatting and laughing, their old grievances thawed away.
Ye Feng truly was about to erupt.
But just then, Elder Long inside the Spirit-Fusing Mirror suddenly communicated through his soul. "Young friend, you can't fight a villain like this head-on. You're not strong enough yet!"
"Endure. You must endure. Once you leave the Spirit-Imprisoning Forbidden Land and return to the sect, go straight into seclusion. I'll help you!"
Hearing Elder Long's words, Ye Feng gritted her teeth once more.
Suppressing her grief, she slowly said, "Hua Jiao deserved to die. Good riddance!"
"I didn't catch that. Say it again!" Jiang Yantian leaned closer with a smile.
"Hua... Hua Jiao deserved to die. Good riddance!" Ye Feng's eyes were bloodshot. This time, tears truly rolled down her face.
Hua Jiao was her good friend, someone she considered a younger sister, and Hua Jiao loved her too. Now she had been implicated because of her and died unjustly, yet she was even insulting her.
[Ding, Humiliation Points multiplied. Ye Feng's heart is being torn apart, Humiliation Points +30,000]
"Yes, you're right. All right, since you agree too, that means this matter is over."
"Senior brother, go on. Get some proper rest and get yourself ready. We'll be setting out for the Forbidden Ground soon."
"I'll report Hua Jiao's matter when we return. The sect master understands the greater good. He'll certainly grant her a posthumous honor, so you can rest assured."
Like a walking corpse, Ye Feng left with lifeless eyes.
How he wished he were a Spirit Transformation expert right now, able to crush Jiang Yantian to death with one hand.
Unfortunately, that was far, far away.
After walking some distance, Ye Feng's gaze suddenly grew incredibly sharp.
"I have to get stronger. I have to get stronger!"
In the blink of an eye, it was nearly midnight.
Outside the Spirit-Imprisoning Forbidden Land, a vast, dark mass of people had already gathered.
They were all from the various major sects within the Flame Martial Kingdom.
This time, all ten great sects were present.
The disciples of each sect gathered together, while their guardian elders stood high in the air, looking down.
After all, the elders' duty was to handle unforeseen situations.
Everyone waited for the Forbidden Ground's restrictions to lift at midnight.
Of course, there were also a few minor sects and Rogue Cultivators.
These people relied on themselves. Unlike the major sects, they had no guardian elders.
And among the major sects, these elders naturally had their own agendas.
They were all Nascent Soul Cultivators. Ordinary opportunities held little appeal for them; they could leave those for the younger generation to compete over.
But if they truly encountered something they coveted, they naturally would not concern themselves with anything else. If it needed to be seized, they would seize it.
The disciples below were talking, and naturally, so were the elders in the air.
Jiang Yantian and Luo Xingcai, however, were relatively quiet.
She was stealing glances at him, while he pondered philosophical questions.
"Elder Luo, it's been years, yet you're as radiant as ever!"
Just then, a teasing voice rang out.
Luo Xingcai glanced over but paid it no heed.
Naturally, she knew the newcomer. He was Ao Kun, the young sect master of the Heavenly Saber Sect.
He was foul-mouthed and thick-skinned.
"Elder Luo, why are you ignoring me? Tsk, tsk, that figure of yours just keeps getting better!"
"Do you know why I came to serve as a guardian elder? It was all to see you."
"You probably have no idea how much I've missed you. Ever since we met at Fire God Mountain, I've lain awake all night, longing to behold your beauty once more."
Jiang Yantian also looked over, hostility in his gaze.
Too much nonsense.
Ao Kun did not so much as glance at Jiang Yantian, his eyes roving all over Luo Xingcai.
"Elder Luo-no, little sister Xingcai-once the disciples enter the Forbidden Ground, why don't we find somewhere to sit knee to knee and have a long talk? What do you say? Hehe!"
Everyone present knew perfectly well what sort of person the Heavenly Saber Sect's young sect master was.
They simply could not be bothered to meddle. Someone from the Mysterious Spirit Sect would handle it.
Below, Ye Feng naturally noticed what was happening above, and fury filled his heart.
He actually dared to flirt with his master. If only he were strong enough, he would go up and cut him down right now.
Above, just as Luo Xingcai was finding it somewhat unbearable, Jiang Yantian had already struck.
In a flash, he appeared behind Ao Kun, reached out, clamped a hand around his neck, and hurled him down from the mountain.
Caught completely off guard, Ao Kun was smashed downward by a terrifying force, turning into a streak of light that slammed into the ground.
In an instant, a deep crater appeared in the ground, thick dust billowing.
"So noisy!" Jiang Yantian's brows were tightly furrowed.
Everyone was dumbfounded. This unfamiliar elder from the Mysterious Spirit Sect was actually so terrifying-and so violent!