Just as Yi Tianyun was about to step forward and say something, the Great Elder moved to stand in front of He Qianhan. With a grim expression, he stared at the Second Elder and his group, saying, "Are you certain about this? You may refuse to acknowledge the Profound Celestial Spirit King’s last wish, but I will. He is the Profound Celestial Spirit King’s successor. Unless he is willing to hand it over, no one can force him in the slightest! Moreover, the Profound Celestial Spirit King stated that it would only be passed down to his own disciple, and not to others. I believe there was a reason for that!"

Of course, Yi Tianyun knew the reason. ’The Profound Celestial Divine Technique is incomplete! The later sections are completely missing, which means cultivation stops at the Void Spirit Stage. While that’s already a very high level of cultivation, it was nowhere near enough to satisfy the Profound Celestial Spirit King.’

’That’s why the Profound Celestial Divine Technique isn’t suitable for widespread practice, especially not for the disciples of the Celestial Extreme Mansion. Not only do they not meet the requirements, but problems could easily arise. The only way the Profound Celestial Divine Technique could ever be perfected is if it’s passed down from one generation of his personal disciples to the next, improving it along the way.’

’To put it bluntly, it was fine to let his own disciples suffer the burden, but he wouldn’t drag down the other disciples of the Celestial Extreme Mansion, or even his own descendants.’

"Great Elder, it seems you intend to oppose the entire Celestial Extreme Mansion," the Second Elder said, his gaze turning cold. "Never mind me; even the Mansion Master supports this. For a long time, we’ve wondered where the Profound Celestial Divine Technique had disappeared to. As a member of our mansion, if the Profound Celestial Spirit King were alive today, he would undoubtedly choose to support us!"

He spoke with conviction and a veneer of righteousness, tying every word to the Celestial Extreme Mansion as if everything he did was for its sake.

"Second Elder, do you think I can’t see what you’re thinking?" He Qianhan cut straight to the heart of the matter. "You’re all just after the Profound Celestial Divine Technique! You haven’t had a breakthrough in years, so you’re pinning your hopes on cultivating this Divine Technique! You pay lip service to our ancestors and the Celestial Extreme Mansion, but have you honored our ancestor’s last wish? If you actually obtained the Profound Celestial Divine Technique, would you really be willing to share it with any disciple?"

"Of course, we would! As long as a disciple’s talent is sufficiently astounding and their contributions are great enough, they will be able to cultivate the Profound Celestial Divine Technique!" the Second Elder declared righteously.

"Hold on." Yi Tianyun stepped forward, raising a hand to stop their bickering and drawing everyone’s attention. "Can you cut the crap? I don’t care what you’re doing for the sake of the mansion. I’m the successor now, and only I know how to cultivate the Profound Celestial Divine Technique. Whether or not I give it to you depends entirely on my mood. Got it?"

"Rest assured, I have a hundred ways to make you talk!" A vicious glint flashed through the Second Elder’s eyes.

"And I have a hundred ways to beat you half to death," Yi Tianyun sneered. "You think you’ve got what it takes? Come on, try me." He took a few steps forward, positioning himself in front of the Great Elder’s group and daring them to make a move.

"Such arrogance! To think the Profound Celestial Spirit King’s Profound Celestial Divine Technique ended up with a piece of trash like you! In that case, I’ll cleanse the sect on the Profound Celestial Spirit King’s behalf today!" The Second Elder let out a cold laugh. Stomping on the ground, he shot toward Yi Tianyun, his hand transforming into an eagle’s claw as he reached out to grab him, kicking up a gale force wind.

The Great Elder swiftly moved in front of Yi Tianyun and said coldly, "Second Elder, calm down!"

"Great Elder, it seems you refuse to see reason. Very well, then face me!" The Second Elder paid the Great Elder no mind as his aura exploded outward, becoming vastly stronger than before. He was clearly preparing to unleash his full power.

The Great Elder’s aura flared in response. He stood his ground in front of Yi Tianyun, clearly siding with those who supported the Profound Celestial Spirit King’s last wish.

"Grandpa, your injuries..." Mu Xian’Er cried out in alarm from the side.

Just as the two were about to clash, a figure suddenly shot forward at an even greater speed, swinging a hand toward the Second Elder’s face.

SLAP!

The crisp, almost musical sound echoed throughout the hall. The Second Elder was sent flying by the slap, slamming heavily into a wall. With a muffled grunt, he slid to the floor, blood pouring from his mouth. His head was lolled to one side as if it had been knocked out of shape.

"That’s one way: a slap to the face. I’ve gotten into the habit of slapping people lately. Some people just won’t learn otherwise. You’re pretty thick-skinned, though, lying without even batting an eye."

Yi Tianyun stepped out. He had moved with such astonishing speed that no one had even been able to react.

The Second Elder struggled to his feet and roared, "You bastard, die!" He slammed a palm on the ground, and the power of the Spirit Pill Stage launched him into the air. He shot down toward Yi Tianyun like a pouncing tiger.

A cold glint flashed in Yi Tianyun’s eyes. He stomped the ground and shot forward, closing the distance to the Second Elder at an even greater speed. He lashed out with a vicious kick, moving with the speed of lightning—so fast it was just a blur.

BAM!

The Second Elder was sent flying like a ball, crashing into the wall once again. A large section of his chest was caved in; it was impossible to tell how many ribs had been shattered by the kick.

"Method number two: a kick that sends you flying!"

Yi Tianyun stopped and continued walking toward the Second Elder. He Qianhan and the others were stunned. Yi Tianyun’s power was terrifying; he had effortlessly suppressed the Second Elder! The Second Elder was at the fourth level of the Spirit Pill Stage. ’To crush him so easily... does that mean this young man’s cultivation has already reached the Spirit Pill Stage?’

"Save... save me..." the Second Elder rasped, weakly raising a hand to signal the Third Elder for help.

The Third Elder finally snapped out of it, staring at Yi Tianyun in horror. ’This brat must have completely mastered the Profound Celestial Spirit King’s Absolute Skill! He must have gotten his Treasures, too! Otherwise, there’s no way he could’ve reached this level of cultivation at such a young age...’

He quickly took out a Jade Pendant and crushed it in his hand. Glaring at Yi Tianyun, he said, "Not bad, kid. It seems we underestimated you. But you’re not getting away this time..." He licked his lips, his eyes on Yi Tianyun as if staring at a prize.

The words had barely left his mouth when several figures swarmed in from all directions. A few of them were dressed in black, their faces obscured, but they all radiated the aura of Spirit Pill Stage experts.

"Th-Those are Shadow Guards! From the Netherworld Empire!" the Great Elder roared. "You... you actually colluded with the Netherworld Empire... Don’t tell me... the ones who ambushed me two days ago were these Shadow Guards!"

"Haha, Great Elder, so you’re not a complete idiot," the Second Elder sneered. "You were lucky to have survived that ambush. We were originally going to wait a while longer before seizing control of the Celestial Extreme Mansion, but we didn’t expect the successor of the Profound Celestial Divine Technique to return. This is perfect. We can take care of everyone at once! Once we present the Profound Celestial Divine Technique to the Netherworld Emperor, we’ll surely receive a handsome reward!"

"Don’t tell me the Mansion Master..." The Great Elder’s face went pale.

"The Mansion Master?" the Second Elder sneered. "He’s been under our control for a long time. You all thought he was in seclusion? We broke his meridians and locked him in the dungeon ages ago. Tsk, tsk. He refused to surrender, and that’s what he gets!"

"You... you traitors!" The Great Elder’s face flushed red before he coughed up a mouthful of blood. His injuries were clearly severe.

"Grandpa..." Mu Xian’Er rushed over to support the Great Elder.

Yi Tianyun looked at the experts surrounding him and, contrary to expectations, smiled. ’Another wave of EXP...’ he thought. "For the Profound Celestial Spirit King’s sake, I was just going to teach you a lesson. But now, it looks like I’ll have to cleanse the sect myself!"