"May I ask, who among you is Brother Yun Xiao?"

Just as the situation in the field became a bit peculiar, a voice arose from the crowd. Soon, an elderly man with a celestial demeanor and a kind face emerged.

"That's Ouyang Wantong, the Sect Master of the Shenxiao Sect!"

Xue Ningxiang, always the most perceptive observer, immediately introduced the celestial-looking elder to the others. The initial impression of this Ouyang Wantong seemed favorable to the women.

Perhaps it was due to Ouyang Wantong's celestial and Taoist appearance, or maybe it was because of how he referred to Yun Xiao. Since he called Yun Xiao "brother," it was unlikely that he would act against Yun Xiao like Wu Zhukong or Wei Duzheng.

"May I ask... cough cough... who might you be, senior... cough cough..."

At this moment, Yun Xiao lay on the ground, unable to rise. He barely managed to speak a few words before coughing up several mouthfuls of blood, causing everyone's expression to change.

By this point, everyone understood that the youth with the extremely weak aura, who seemed like he might faint at any moment, was indeed Yun Xiao, whose fame had risen rapidly on the Tenglong Continent recently.

Many had speculated on Yun Xiao's condition, but they hadn't expected that his injuries weren't solely caused by the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit—Wuyan Palace and the Spirit Fighting Commerce were also involved.

As people witnessed Yun Xiao's state, their reactions varied. Those without enmity towards him, such as the sect leaders, couldn't help but sigh inwardly, admiring this youth who had truly fought desperately for the human tribe.

As for the Zhao Family, Sky Thunder Valley, or Thunder Sound Mountain sects, their eyes flickered, since they had various grudges, big or small, with Yun Xiao.

However, given the gathering of the four top forces and eleven first-class forces, and Yun Xiao's significant contribution to saving humanity, they all hid their desire for revenge deep within.

For a moment, everyone stood in a daze, while only the Shenxiao Sect's master, who looked like he could be Yun Xiao's grandfather, approached him with a sigh, calling him brother as he quickly helped Yun Xiao up.

"Brother Yun Xiao, were these injuries caused by the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit?"

The Shenxiao Sect had long been in the intelligence business, and since this time it was Yun Xiao who entrusted Wu Yingjiang to spread the news, the sect leader was undoubtedly the most informed about the situation on Impermanence Island. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Now that there were no trace of strange spirits on the island, only some lingering aura remained, Ouyang Wantong felt a significant weight lift from his heart. Yun Xiao's injuries were a symbol of the mission's success.

"Hey, Master Ouyang, you're mistaken this time. Yun Xiao's injuries weren't solely caused by the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit!"

Upon hearing Ouyang Wantong's question, Yun Xiao did not respond, breathless. Instead, Qingmu Wu, the Dean of the Sky Poison Institute, smirked coldly and glanced with disdain and anger at Wu Zhukong and Wei Duzheng.

"Everyone, Yun Xiao acted on his own this time and inadvertently allowed the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit to escape, leaving a great hidden danger to our human tribe. Shouldn't Lianyun Mountain give an explanation?"

As a power holder of a top force on the continent, Wu Zhukong reacted swiftly. He wouldn't allow Qingmu Wu to reveal the truth, and quickly placed the blame for the escape of the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit on Yun Xiao.

"Palace Master Wu is right; Yun Xiao was overconfident and entered the lake alone, awakening the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit. We failed to stop it from escaping, and the main reason lies with Yun Xiao's reckless actions, so Lianyun Mountain must bear full responsibility!"

Wei Duzheng bore a deep hatred for Yun Xiao, and naturally seized the opportunity to criticize him, mixing some facts in his accusations, making Qingmu Wu turn pale with anger, yet unable to refute them.

"What? The Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit actually escaped?!"

However, people like Li Yunfan and Destroyer Venerable were concerned with another aspect of the issue, which was the escape of the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit—this meant another horrifying outbreak of the strange spirit might happen in the near future.

"Yun Xiao, why didn't you wait for us before taking action? Do you realize the extent of the disaster you've caused?"

Amid everyone's contemplative silence, an angry voice filled with the sound of wind and thunder echoed out.

As they looked over, they saw a silver-robed elder, with silver hair and visible traces of wind and thunder around him, exuding an intimidating aura.

"The old man speaking is Duan Zixiao, the Valley Master of Sky Thunder Valley, an early-stage Lingyun Realm expert!"

As she listened to the words of that silver-robed elderly man, Xue Ningxiang couldn't help but pout. She now understood the longstanding grudge between Sky Thunder Valley and Yun Xiao, so it was expected that the old man would take this opportunity to criticize Yun Xiao.

The speaker was none other than Duan Zixiao, the Valley Master of Sky Thunder Valley. It could be said that from the time Yun Xiao first arrived on the Tenglong Continent, the enmity with Sky Thunder Valley had already run deep.

Starting from Thunder King Valley, moving on to Bianlei City, and then the selection of disciples at the Meridian Refining Master Association, Yun Xiao successively took down four out of the five major Thunder Children of Sky Thunder Valley.

The remaining Thunder Child, Xu Changgui, also realized the threat of Yun Xiao, and retreated into his shell, otherwise, his fate might have been no different from the other four Thunder Children.

Such actions were practically a slap in the face for Sky Thunder Valley. However, later on, because Yun Xiao passed the selection for disciples at Lianyun Mountain, and eventually became the Direct Disciple of the Meridian Refining Master Association, this made them hesitant to act rashly.

Nonetheless, Valley Master Duan Zixiao, feeling deeply disgraced, constantly sought revenge against Yun Xiao. In his view, today seemed like a perfect opportunity.

Because this time, Duan Zixiao could see clearly that both Wuyan Palace and the Spirit Fighting Commerce were obviously very displeased with Yun Xiao. If he could ally with these two top forces, even the Meridian Refining Master Association would have to admit some inferiority.

In fact, it was mainly because the President of the Meridian Refining Master Guild hadn't come. If that top expert of the Heavenly List were present, even if Duan Zixiao were lent the courage, he wouldn't dare to act rashly.

"Duan Zixiao, it seems your courage is growing bigger!"

However, just as Duan Zixiao's words had barely fallen, the Hall Master of Xuanyin Hall, Xue Tianao, had already coolly interjected, with words full of threat but without explanation.

Seeing that it was this person speaking, Duan Zixiao involuntarily shrunk his neck, but sensing the auras of Wu Zhukong and Wei Duzheng, he still bravely retorted: "Did I say anything wrong? If only he had waited a little longer, how could he have let that Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit escape?"

"Valley Master Duan is absolutely right, this time the biggest responsibility lies with Yun Xiao. Just now, Palace Master Wu and I were about to question him, but unexpectedly, this child went mad, not only killing the Vice President of my commerce but also injuring Palace Master Fu, it's truly hateful!"

As Wei Duzheng spoke, his heart was filled with rage, and at this moment, he openly stated a fact with a sullen face, causing everyone around to gasp in astonishment.

"What? Lu Tianrun didn't die at the hands of the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit, but was killed by Yun Xiao?"

Originally, everyone believed that Lu Tianrun's death was caused by the Holy Grade Heavenly Spirit; they never expected that he was actually killed by Yun Xiao. Could that boy, whose presence seemed so depleted, really have such capability?

It's known that the heads of families like the Zhao and Chu are merely a notch above Lu Tianrun, the Vice President of the Spirit Fighting Commerce in the late-stage Floating Life Realm.

Since Yun Xiao could kill Lu Tianrun, doesn't that mean his strength is on par with or above theirs? This completely contradicts their previous assumptions.

The Valley Master of Sky Thunder Valley, Duan Zixiao, who moments ago was full of high spirits, suddenly felt a tingling scalp upon hearing this news.

Though he has reached the early stage of the Lingyun Realm, he doesn't have the absolute confidence to kill Lu Tianrun in such a short time.

Hence, Duan Zixiao had every reason to believe that if Yun Xiao were given more time, even he himself might not be a match for him. The potential of this young man was truly terrifying.

"These old bastards really are good at twisting black into white!"

The one speaking at this moment was Qian Sanyuan, the Vice President of Lianyun Mountain, but he also knew that no matter how much he explained, those who held grudges against Yun Xiao would still kick him when he's down, so he simply responded with a cold look.

"Yun Xiao is a disciple of Lianyun Mountain, and this time, he paid a heavy price to deal with the Strange Spirit. If you have any conscience left, you should know what to do. Otherwise, feel free to come at Lianyun Mountain!"

Although Qian Sanyuan usually seemed mild-tempered, once he exerted his authority, even the rebellious Qingmu Wu had to give him some respect. At this moment, his unspoken power served to deter some who intended to add insult to injury.

At this moment, Duan Zixiao finally realized that the Yun Xiao of today was no longer the lone figure when he first entered the Tenglong Continent.

Behind him stood not only the Meridian Refining Master Association but also the formidable Xuanyin Hall. Inquiring whether any sect or family on the entire Tenglong Continent could contend against the alliance of these two top powers?

Moreover, Lu Tianrun's body was still lying there coldly, which indicated that even if Wuyan Palace and the Spirit Fighting Commerce teamed up, they probably couldn't stand against Lianyun Mountain and Xuanyin Hall.

As Qian Sanyuan said, this incident clearly showed that it was crucial to eliminate the rampage of the Strange Spirit, and Yun Xiao's contribution was indispensable, almost at the cost of his life.

Wu Zhukong and Wei Duzheng were distorting the truth due to their private vendetta with Yun Xiao. At least most sects present remained objective, and at this moment, their eyes were filled with a hint of disdain when looking at the power holders of Wuyan Palace, Spirit Fighting Commerce, or Sky Thunder Valley.