In Wan Quan's fury, a terrifying blast of Qi swept through the entire hall. All the disciples with weaker cultivation retreated in horror, afraid of becoming fish caught in the crossfire.
True Person Changyue gave Yang Zhen a long look, then stood in front of him and said to Wan Quan, "Sect Master Wan, every accusation requires evidence. On the word of your disciple alone, you want my Shangyuan Sect to give you an explanation. Isn't that a little too overbearing?"
Boom!
A violent surge of true essence erupted from True Person Changyue as well, standing against Wan Quan's.
The terrifying waves of Qi unleashed by the two were like a raging tornado, their clearly divided forces a dreadful sight.
Yang Zhen couldn't see through either of their cultivation levels. He only felt that, beneath the fluctuations of such power, he seemed utterly incapable of fighting back.
This feeling is a little hard to bear. Sure enough, I need to hurry up and cultivate.
The two vast waves of Qi surged and rolled, contending for dominance in the hall, neither giving an inch. Everyone else watched in dumbfounded horror.
Lu Chenghui raised a hand and waved it, sending a terrifying wave of Qi like a coiling dragon to separate their opposing presences. He smiled like an old fox. Yang Zhen secretly cultivating another sect's cultivation method or martial skill would have been a grave taboo, but learning someone's martial skill right in front of them was no taboo. It was an enormous merit.
"Sect Master Wan, please calm down. This matter is far too bizarre. Even if you or I watched someone countless times, we still couldn't learn their cultivation methods and martial skills. Why don't we hear what Yang Zhen has to say?"
After what had happened with the Great Evolution Wind and Thunder Sword, Lu Chenghui truly had high expectations of Yang Zhen. Still, as he had said, this matter was far too bizarre. Even so, seeing Wan Quan and Duan Langcai so furious was rather satisfying. If Lu Chenghui hadn't kept a straight face, he might have burst out laughing on the spot.
Even so, the flesh on Lu Chenghui's face was close to twitching.
Wan Quan also knew he couldn't gain the upper hand here alone, so he withdrew his presence and stared coldly at Yang Zhen. "Then let him speak for himself. If he really did secretly learn my sect's Ghost Shadow Sword, I trust Sect Master Lu knows what to do."
Lu Chenghui snorted softly and asked Yang Zhen with an odd expression, "Yang Zhen, tell us what happened. Don't worry. If you've done nothing wrong, no one can hurt you in the Shangyuan Sect!"
As the master of the Shangyuan Sect, Lu Chenghui certainly had a commanding presence. His words rang out with force, turning Wan Quan's face livid, though he could do nothing about it.
Those were exactly the words Yang Zhen had been waiting for. Now, it was as if he had the entire Shangyuan Sect behind him. There was no need to fear Wan Quan bristling his beard and glaring.
If Lu Chenghui had refused to distinguish right from wrong, Yang Zhen could only have fought his way out. He might have suffered serious injuries, or even died outright, but there was no way he would accept being wronged and humiliated.
Even if he died, Yang Zhen was confident he could drag a few old fellows down with him. The power unleashed by detonating his true essence was no joke.
Now that Lu Chenghui was willing to risk offending the Sword Attendant Sect to protect him, Yang Zhen felt a sense of belonging to the Shangyuan Sect for the first time.
Under everyone's gaze, Yang Zhen put on an aggrieved expression. "A few days ago, I stumbled into a cave and actually found Spirit-Cleansing Marrow inside. I wanted to collect it and bring it back, but who would have thought Senior Brother Duan would enter just then? Without bothering to find out what was going on, he called this disciple 'Grandfather'..."
"Bastard!" Wan Quan barked. "Why would Langcai call you 'Grandfather' for no reason?"
Looking utterly innocent, Yang Zhen muttered, "Senior Brother Duan goes his own way, and everyone knows what kind of person he is. Who can make sense of what he does?"
"Utter nonsense!" Wan Quan sneered. "Let me ask you, then. What about the Ghost Shadow Sword you've mastered?"
Yang Zhen looked bewildered. "What Ghost Shadow Sword?"
Seeing this, Duan Langcai hurriedly pointed at Yang Zhen. "Yang Zhen, do you dare do it but not own up to it? You pretended to be an ancestor of my Sword Attendant Sect and tricked me out of the Ghost Shadow Sword. My injuries were inflicted by the Ghost Shadow Sword. No matter how you try to argue, that's an indisputable fact."
With that, Duan Langcai turned to Wan Quan. "Sect Master, Master, Yang Zhen definitely knows the Ghost Shadow Sword. Every word this disciple has said is true. If I have lied, I am willing to suffer the agony of ten thousand tribulations scourging my body, to die with my Dao extinguished and fall forever into reincarnation."
As soon as he finished speaking, a muffled rumble of thunder suddenly sounded overhead, and a terrifying heavenly might rolled forth.
Yang Zhen jumped in fright and immediately swallowed the vicious oath that had likewise been on the tip of his tongue. It really does thunder! Looks like I can't casually swear vicious oaths anymore.
Seeing that Duan Langcai had actually sworn such a vicious oath, everyone's expressions turned somewhat grim, and they all looked at Yang Zhen.
"Yang Zhen, have you ever learned the Ghost Shadow Sword?" Lu Chenghui asked with a frown.
Yang Zhen sneered. "Sect Master, Master, the Sword Attendant Sect's Ghost Shadow Sword is nothing but a trash Earth Grade martial skill. This disciple wouldn't even spare it a glance."
Everyone sucked in a breath. If he wouldn't even spare an Earth Grade martial skill a glance, what martial skill would catch his eye?
Duan Langcai sneered repeatedly and glanced overhead, still shaken. Only when he saw that no lightning had struck did he sneer at Yang Zhen and say, "Do you dare swear a vicious oath?"
Yang Zhen smiled nonchalantly. "Why wouldn't I? If I, Yang Zhen, have cultivated the Sword Attendant Sect's Earth Grade Ghost Shadow Sword, let me suffer the Heavenly Punishment Lightning Tribulation, my soul be utterly destroyed, and I be doomed beyond redemption!"
The Heavenly Punishment Lightning Tribulation! Utter destruction of the soul!
Those two fates, feared by every cultivator on the Youzhou Continent, came from Yang Zhen's mouth, each word ringing like thunder. Everyone's faces filled with horror, and they drew in a collective breath.
"You..." Duan Langcai pointed at Yang Zhen in fury and stared up at the sky, seemingly wondering why the Heavenly Punishment Lightning Tribulation hadn't struck the bastard dead.
After waiting a long while with no Heavenly Punishment Lightning Tribulation in sight, Duan Langcai dropped to his knees before Wan Quan with a thud and wailed, "Sect Master, Master, my injuries were definitely inflicted by the Ghost Shadow Sword. You have to stand up for me! Please, Sect Master, Master, make a move and force this treacherous, cunning Yang Zhen to reveal his Ghost Shadow Sword."
Seeing that Wan Quan's face had turned black, Lu Chenghui knew that continuing to wrangle like this would get them nowhere. He turned to Yang Zhen and asked, "Yang Zhen, let me ask you: have you cultivated a martial skill similar to the Ghost Shadow Sword?"
Wan Quan snorted coldly and stared at Lu Chenghui. "Sect Master Lu, isn't that question a little too much of a joke? If Yang Zhen had cultivated the Ghost Shadow Sword, would he dare admit it?"
Yang Zhen looked deeply aggrieved, then put on an embarrassed expression and said to Lu Chenghui with an air of studied propriety, "Sect Master, Master, this disciple really has cultivated a martial skill much like the Ghost Shadow Sword!"
I wouldn't dare admit it?
Not only do I dare admit it, I can even swindle you until you're limping!
Pfft!
Everyone sprayed spit across the floor in astonishment, then looked at Wan Quan with glee at his misfortune.
This was face-slapping, naked face-slapping-a slap that shook the mountains, landing squarely on Wan Quan's face with a resounding smack.
The expression on Wan Quan's face was a spectacle: white tinged with red, red tinged with black.
Duan Langcai didn't notice Wan Quan's expression. He pointed at Yang Zhen excitedly and said, "He admitted it! Sect Master, Master, he admitted it! Hurry and kill him!"
"Shut up!" Wan Quan trembled with rage and glared at Duan Langcai, frustrated that iron would not become steel. His fury made his head ache.
Though Wan Quan was beside himself with anger, he knew this was no time to rebuke Duan Langcai. Fixing his eyes on Yang Zhen, he asked, "Where did you learn that martial skill?"
Everyone in the hall watched Yang Zhen, and the silence was a little frightening.
Everyone knew that how today's affair developed depended entirely on Yang Zhen's answer.
Only Liu Ruoning looked at Yang Zhen with an odd expression, struggling to hold back her laughter.
Yang Zhen took a deep breath, a nostalgic look appearing on his face. In a low voice, he slowly began, "It was a night of wind and rain. I was out enjoying myself on the back mountain..."
(End of chapter)