Chapter 233: Chapter 232: You’re the Lucky One

Betraying the sect had only one outcome: having one’s cultivation crippled. This was the most severe punishment. A life could be spared, but their cultivation had to be destroyed. Otherwise, if people could join and leave as they pleased, what would they take the sect for?

Unless one received permission to keep their cultivation, any who betrayed the sect would have it crippled! This was considered the lightest sentence; a more serious offense meant certain death.

Yi Tianyun didn’t kill Zhang Bin; he merely crippled his cultivation. This would undoubtedly ensure the lesson was seared into his memory. Celestial Extreme Mansion might be weak, but for him to betray them so casually was unforgivable.

As the Mansion Master of the Celestial Extreme Mansion, he had to be the one to personally cleanse the sect.

"My cultivation! My cultivation..." Zhang Bin cried out in agony. "Steward Xiang, he crippled my cultivation! I’m a cripple now..."

It was possible to rebuild one’s cultivation, but that would take countless years. Unless he had a Heaven-defying Divine Pill to aid him, he was no different from a cripple. By the time he regained his original cultivation level, how old would he be?

His future prospects would be dim, let alone ever becoming a powerful expert.

The crowd glanced over, their eyes wide with shock. They never expected Celestial Extreme Mansion to actually dare to strike someone from Divine Rune Mansion. This completely defied their expectations. They had assumed Celestial Extreme Mansion would swallow their pride and endure the humiliation, but who knew they would actually fight back? They had some backbone after all.

Watching Yi Tianyun, Yu Shiqian frowned. Something seemed to flicker at the edge of her memory, but she couldn’t quite grasp it.

"Sister, what’s wrong?" Zhao Yu asked from beside her.

"It’s nothing. I just feel like that young man looks familiar..." Yu Shiqian said, shaking her head. "I must be mistaken..."

"Sister, don’t tell me you’re interested in him?" Zhao Yu said with a smile, sizing up Yi Tianyun. "He’s so young, yet so daring. He has no idea what kind of trouble he’s stirring up. They’re from the Divine Rune Mansion; this is far too reckless. And the Celestial Extreme Mansion’s elders aren’t even stopping him. They’re really asking for huge trouble."

Yu Shiqian nodded in agreement. She also thought Yi Tianyun was being too reckless. Being spirited at a young age was a good thing, but it could also attract a mountain of trouble.

"Celestial Extreme Mansion, you must have a death wish!" Steward Xiang said coldly. "Are you trying to make an enemy of our Divine Rune Mansion? Elders of the Celestial Extreme Mansion, did you instruct your disciple to do this?"

The Great Elder said nothing. ’Yi Tianyun is our Mansion Master, not some disciple... When the Mansion Master acts, the elders simply follow.’

Steward Xiang glanced at the Great Elder and his group. Noticing their silence and the cold stares directed at him, he sneered, "So you did order your disciple to attack. Fine. I’ll give you one chance. Cripple both of his hands and his cultivation, and I’ll pretend this never happened before my Mansion Master gets here!"

SLAP!

Before Steward Xiang could even see what was happening, a heavy hand struck him squarely across the face. The force sent him flying backward, skidding a great distance before he slammed into a stone pillar, spitting out a mouthful of broken teeth.

Everyone who saw this was stunned. They had expected Celestial Extreme Mansion to bow their heads and apologize, or for the Great Elder to step forward and smooth things over. But that didn’t happen. Instead, they slapped Steward Xiang and sent him flying.

"They didn’t order me to do anything. I just felt like it," Yi Tianyun said calmly. "Besides, I really don’t like the look of you. Poaching disciples from other sects and acting so smug about it."

The crowd was left speechless. This young man was just too arrogant. He even dared to strike a steward whose cultivation clearly wasn’t low! The fact that someone so young was already at the Core Formation Stage made them see him in a new light. When had Celestial Extreme Mansion recruited such a genius disciple?

But deep down, most of them sighed in pity. Once the Mansion Master of the Divine Rune Mansion arrived, Celestial Extreme Mansion was finished. If this were the Celestial Extreme Mansion of old, this act might not have mattered. But now that they had fallen into decline and become a mere second-rate faction, wasn’t this just asking to be annihilated?

"You... you...!" Steward Xiang scrambled to his feet, furious. Just as he was about to retaliate, he looked up, and his expression shifted to one of delighted surprise. He rushed forward. "Mansion Master, you’ve arrived! These people from Celestial Extreme Mansion are outrageously arrogant! They dared to cripple our disciple and even struck me!"

Nan Fengyun’s gaze grew cold as he led a group to stand before Yi Tianyun and his contingent. ’I recognize one of them,’ Yi Tianyun thought, ’the Spirit Pill Stage expert I kicked away before. It seems he has returned with his Mansion Master. So, the Mansion Master of the Divine Rune Mansion is Nan Fengyun. His cultivation is decent, at the third layer of the Core Transformation Stage—quite a bit stronger than Cyan Profound Mansion’s.’

’The Mansion Master of Cyan Profound Mansion isn’t even at the Core Transformation Stage; only their Ancestor Level figures are. The Mansion Master of Divine Rune Mansion not only has high cultivation but is also a Fifth Grade Divine Rune Master, giving him an extremely high status. As for their Ancestor Level experts, their power goes without saying.’

"Which one of you killed my Direct Disciple!" Nan Fengyun glared at them, his powerful aura instantly bearing down. The Great Elder’s expression changed. ’It’s finally happened. The Mansion Master of the Divine Rune Mansion has come in person—a Core Transformation Stage expert, an existence we can only look up to in awe.’

His aura alone was enough to crush them, but Yi Tianyun’s expression remained calm, utterly unfazed.

"Killed his Direct Disciple!?"

The onlookers’ hearts leaped in shock. They thought Nan Fengyun was just here to reclaim some face, but he was actually here for revenge! They thought striking Steward Xiang was bad enough, but to think they had also killed Nan Fengyun’s Direct Disciple... Weren’t they incredibly audacious?

Steward Xiang was stunned. Zhang Bin was stunned. ’No wonder he isn’t afraid of the Divine Rune Mansion,’ they both thought. ’If he dares to kill our Mansion Master’s Direct Disciple, why would he fear the Divine Rune Mansion?’ 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Just then, the Spirit Pill Stage expert beside Nan Fengyun raised a finger, pointed at Yi Tianyun, and rasped in a grating voice, "He’s the one who killed him."

The sound that came from his throat was like a cracked gong. No wonder he rarely spoke; his voice was incredibly grating.

Instantly, all eyes fell on Yi Tianyun, leaving the crowd stunned yet again. So this young man was truly fearless, daring to kill even Nan Fengyun’s Direct Disciple. He acted as if he owned the place. What was truly strange was that the elders behind him made no move to stop him.

"You’re the one who killed him?" Nan Fengyun stared at him, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes. "Fine. A life for a life!"

With that, he lunged, his hand transforming into a Sharp Claw as he reached for Yi Tianyun’s shoulder. He was in no rush to kill Yi Tianyun; he wanted to make an example of him, to torture him viciously in front of everyone.

At that moment, a sharp roar suddenly echoed from above: "Halt!"

Nan Fengyun’s hand froze. He turned and looked up. The one who had shouted was none other than a Guard from the Netherworld Empire.

"Lord Cheng Fen is about to arrive! What’s all this ruckus? Show some decorum! This is Julong City, not your Divine Rune Mansion!" the Guard said coldly.

"Hmph!" Nan Fengyun retracted his hand and glared at Yi Tianyun. "Count yourself lucky. I’ll let you live for now. When this is over, you’re dead!"

"No, you’re the one who’s lucky," Yi Tianyun replied calmly.

Nan Fengyun nearly exploded with rage at his words, but he forced himself to hold back. This was not his territory, after all. If he provoked the wrath of the Netherworld Empire, he wouldn’t be able to handle the consequences.