Feeling the long whip around his neck tightening to the point where he almost couldn't breathe, Andrew hurriedly ordered, "Quick, do as he says."

This strategy of capturing the ringleader first was executed beautifully. Xiao Tian nodded at Melinda, then continued, "Sun Bo, take the people and leave first!"

At this moment, a mocking voice rang out, "Tsk tsk tsk, do you think you can leave just because you said so?"

——

Since setting off, Celestial Punishment Daoist had been traveling day and night, begrudging even the time for eating and sleeping, causing the disciples to constantly complain. Yun You and the other two, who were less advanced in their martial arts, were so exhausted that they didn't even have the strength to speak.

Seeing Yun You collapsed on the ground like a dead dog, Celestial Punishment Daoist earnestly warned, "From now on, we will encounter many masters, so be careful not to stir up trouble."

Yun You, panting heavily while lying on the ground, replied irritably, "Do you think I have the energy to cause any trouble now?"

Celestial Punishment Daoist nodded, "I'm just reminding you, otherwise with your temperament..."

Realizing that Celestial Punishment Daoist was about to start lecturing endlessly, Yun You quickly raised his hand in surrender, calling out to Yun He and Yun Mie, "Please stop, I need to go to the restroom, I've already memorized what you were going to say!"

"Restroom?" Celestial Punishment Daoist raised an eyebrow, "Do you need to take two secretaries with you to the restroom?"

Yet, somehow, the three suddenly found the strength to disappear in the blink of an eye, leaving Celestial Punishment Daoist to lament that perhaps he wasn't strict enough!

However, if the disciples heard this, who knows if they would rally against it, for this life of perpetual marching except for meals and sleep had everyone fuming with trapped frustration!

...

Seeing the three tied up and beaten as if they were pigs, Celestial Punishment Daoist, after a moment of shock, immediately unleashed his full intimidation, making the disciples fall silent in fear.

"Who are you?" Celestial Punishment Daoist looked at the accusing and uncompromising person before him, forcefully suppressing his inner anger, and asked word by word.

"We are from the Dao Yi Sect, and these three bastards are yours, right?" a young man, looking to be in his twenties, said angrily and accusingly.

Celestial Punishment Daoist hadn't expected such impudence from the outset and immediately exerted his full atmosphere of dominance.

No matter how impressive, the opponent was just a young man in his twenties and couldn't withstand his years of built momentum, causing him to involuntarily retreat, his face flushed as if it would drip blood.

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, the pressure on the young man, repelled by Celestial Punishment Daoist's might, vanished instantly, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Uncle Master Saintly Sea?! Why are you here?!"

Upon hearing Saintly Sea, Celestial Punishment Daoist felt a surge of familiarity, yet couldn't recall exactly who it was at the moment.

Soon, he saw a path open up among the young men across from him, revealing a man with chiseled features, wielding a duster, stepping out.

Celestial Punishment Daoist immediately recognized him and his face turned extremely grim, indeed, old acquaintances meet again, and the unpleasant events from several years ago resurfaced like a film before his eyes.

Amidst his thoughts, Saintly Sea Daoist irritably scolded his disciples, "If I hadn't come, you'd all have been killed and disposed of without a trace by now!"

Upon hearing Saintly Sea Daoist's reprimand, none of the disciples dared to speak, all lowering their heads in silence.

"Saintly Sea, why did you let your disciples harm ours? What's the reason?" Celestial Punishment Daoist demanded angrily, "If you don't make things clear today, don't expect any of you to wash your hands of this!"

"Heh, Celestial Punishment, I didn't expect the Kunlun Sect to still be so rogue after a few years. Clearly, it's your disciples who peeped at our Secret Technique, and instead of properly educating them when caught, you act like you're in the right!"

Saintly Sea Daoist, showing no signs of backing down, retorted, "With such a sect and attitude, what future can you expect?!"

Celestial Punishment Daoist's gaze turned icy cold instantly, never anticipating that the other would boldly mock and completely close off all room for negotiation in just a few sentences. Yet, at this point, he couldn't back down.

Even if Yun You and the others were at fault, he couldn't tarnish the sect's reputation, and if there was to be punishment, it had to be meted out by the Kunlun Sect!

"It seems you've truly improved over the years!" Celestial Punishment Daoist said coldly, "But do you think our Kunlun Sect has been standing still?"

"You lost to us several years ago, and a few years later, you're still nothing but losers!" Celestial Punishment Daoist looked at Yun You with complex emotions, having endured a series of devastating setbacks in less than half a month, his heart felt like it was bleeding.

Yet at this moment, there was no room for reckless actions, only strategic thinking from a broader perspective, prioritizing the resolution of the Saintly Sea Daoist quandary first.

"Heh!" Saintly Sea Daoist let out a forced laugh, the mockery undeniable, "It seems you are stubbornly unreasonable, so there's nothing more to say, let's get to it!"

As Saintly Sea Daoist's words fell, he waved his duster, unleashing a deep blue energy that appeared like a monstrous wave ready to engulf anything at any moment!

Celestial Punishment Daoist frowned but showed no panic, spreading his hand, which caused the sword behind him to buzz, landing precisely into his grip.

With sword in hand, Celestial Punishment Daoist moved forward against Saintly Sea Daoist's Sea of True Qi, having previously witnessed his techniques, he advanced confidently.

As the sword made contact with the blue Sea of True Qi, Celestial Punishment Daoist immediately sensed something amiss; every move felt met with resistance, drastically reducing the power of his sword momentum, and slowing his actions severalfold.

"It seems you haven't wasted these years!" Celestial Punishment Daoist praised, then suddenly shouted, "But do you think I've made no progress at all?!"

As Celestial Punishment Daoist's words settled, his momentum surged violently, with a flick of his sword, he sliced a gap in Saintly Sea Daoist's Sea of True Qi, then quickly retracted it back.

Saintly Sea Daoist frowned, but he wasn't too surprised by the result, never expecting to defeat the opponent with just this.

Of course, he didn't believe Celestial Punishment Daoist had already exerted his full strength just now!

Both sides were merely testing, probing each other's limits, inferring the upper limits from subtleties.

Celestial Punishment Daoist's momentary bravado was indeed commanding, yet he also sensed some seriousness in his heart. The rapid progress of Saintly Sea Daoist over the years was truly remarkable.

Evidently, the pressure from the deaths of Saintly Radiance Zhenren and others became motivation, leading to his current prowess growth!

With a heart full of vengeance, Celestial Punishment Daoist had no choice but to step back for now, dismissing the notion to act, opting to first assess the situation.