Zuo Datong, who was laying flat on the ground begging Elder Hu Sheng, did not notice the man coming in and continued bawling his eyes out.
Elder Hu Sheng was slightly embarrassed, but continued to maintain his stature as he sat there unmoving. "Mantian, you’re back, it’s good to see that you are fine." He said flatly.
Zuo Datong’s cries stopped instantly, almost as if he was a cock who had its throat stepped on.
After which, he rose and began to tremble.
The fear in his heart had reached a maximum!
Zhao Mantian flashed a smile at Hu Sheng and bowed, clasping his fist, "Mantian requests an audience with Elder Hu Sheng."
Hu Sheng nodded and said, "It’s good that you’re back, next time... don’t be so foolish! I’m sure that you’ve heard that Qing Qiu is in turmoil. Datong... had not handled some situations properly."
As Hu Sheng spoke, he paid special attention to Zhao Mantian’s expression.
"However, when the ancient schools surrounded and attacked us, he was measured in his response and accorded them the necessary decorum. He did well. In Qing Qiu’s history, we have rewarded and punished whenever necessary. Zuo Datong’s actions have cancelled out each other, and there is no need to punish or reward him, but he is no longer fit to be Qing Qiu’s leader..."
Elder Hu Sheng had used the term Sect Leader instead of Deputy Sect Leader.
Zhao Mantian listened on quietly, not intending to interrupt.
Hu Sheng continued, "This time, let him come with me to the Qing Qiu pocket dimension, never to come out again. He will focus on his cultivation there. As for the rest, I think we should just let it go. We are all of the same blood, there’s no need to fight it out amongst ourselves. What does Mantian think?"
Hu Sheng raised his head to look at Zhao Mantian.
Zhao Mantian smiled, "You are the Qing Qiu Elder, I naturally have to listen to you."
Hu Sheng’s eyes revealed a faint smile.
Zuo Datong, who was kneeling on the floor, could not help but heave a sigh of relief internally.
He thought to himself, Luckily ancestor Hu Sheng has an unresolved feud with Zhao Mantian’s ancestors. Furthermore, ancestor Hu Sheng can suppress Zhao Mantian... else, I would be dead.
"Then..." Hu Sheng blinked his eyes, wanting to get this over with quickly.
He did not want to give Zhao Mantian the change for revenge.
However, Zhao Mantian interrupted, "I have heard all of Senior Hu Sheng’s thoughts. Now, I have some things to say myself, would you indulge me?"
"This..." Hu Sheng hesitated, but ended up nodding, "Speak, but I hope you keep the big picture in mind!"
Zuo Datong, who was still kneeling on the floor, felt the tension building up in his chest once again.
Zhao Mantian remained calm and said, "Firstly, the reason why this expedition was so long was because I was set up by others. I got lucky and barely escaped by the skin of my teeth."
Zuo Datong’s hands began to tremble, but they eventually calmed down.
Hu Sheng sat there solemnly.
Zhao Mantian continued, "Secondly, in the days that I was gone, several people, including Elder Du, were wrongfully executed..."
"I have something to say about this!" Hu Sheng glanced at Zhao Mantian.
Zhao Mantian nodded calmly, "Senior, please go ahead."
For some unknown reason, a looming feeling came over Elder Hu Sheng’s heart.
Zhao Mantian’s return was too abrupt, and too coincidental. How could it be that he appears just when everything in Qing Qiu was just settling down?
Did he really just return?
Furthermore... when facing him, Mantian was too calm, too composed!
He was so calm... it seemed that he no longer feared Hu Sheng!
Hu Sheng looked suspiciously at Zhao Mantian, but could not feel any aura from Mantian’s body.
Hu Sheng calmed down. No matter how powerful Mantian was, or how influential his bloodline, he still had to be obedient in front of an Elder like Hu Sheng!
This was because his cultivation level was far higher than Mantian’s!
"Mantian ah, you may have misunderstood this incident. Actually..." Hu Sheng began to recount the story that Zuo Datong told him, lying through his teeth.
"Datong ah, please take out the necessary evidence for Mantian to peruse." Hu Sheng glanced at the kneeling Zuo Datong and said flatly.
Zuo Datong’s body froze, but he quickly agreed, "Yes, okay, it’s here..."
He retrieved a tiny card from his body and said, "All the necessary evidence is in this card."
From start to finish, Zhao Mantian stood there quietly, watching the performance of the two men.
Hu Sheng looked at Zhao Mantian, "Look... all the evidence is here. The technological advancements today have made things so easy. In the ancient days, a piece of jade could contain much information, but it would require immense effort to open it. This card can be opened by any ordinary human..."
Zhao Mantian stood there quietly, not interrupting.
Hu Sheng laughed dryly, "Mantian, you will understand once you see the evidence."
Zhao Mantian nodded, uncaring, and continued, "Thirdly, I would like to know, who was the one who declared Zuo Datong and Liu Wucheng as Sect Leaders?"
Hu Sheng stopped smiling and said flatly, "To be honest, this is partially your fault. You were gone for so long, and there was no news of you. The sect was also in turmoil following Elder Du’s rebellion. He and Liu Wucheng had no choice but to step in. This was concurred by the entire council of elders."
"Good!" Zhao Mantian nodded, unflustered, and continued, "Fourthly, this concerns Xiao Yue. I would like to know, what is the meaning of Zuo Datong and Liu Wucheng capturing Xiao Yue?"
Before Hu Sheng had told him about Xiao Yue’s bloodline, Zuo Datong would not have been too bothered about Zhao Mantian’s question.
What other meaning could it have? Since the master was a traitor, the disciple could not be absolved of all blame!
However, now, he did not dare to say anything, because he knew Xiao Yue was of the Nine Tailed Lightning Fox bloodline!
There were extremely few Nine Tailed bloodlines in the entire Qing Qiu.
Not all descendants of a Nine Tailed bloodline would be part of the group.
The foxes were special, even though a high tailed bloodline descendant stood a higher chance of his or her blood being equally high tailed, it was not definite.
What mattered more was the awakening after birth!
The fox species have even encountered scenarios where Three Tailed bloodline managed to awaken their ancestral bloodline and become Nine Tailed blood.
The Nine Tailed bloodlines were born with the sacred art, upon awakening, they would be unrivalled in power!
Zhao Mantian’s Mind Control Hallucination Technique was one of the sacred arts that came along with the Nine Tailed awakening.
It was vastly superior when compared to the average fox.
This meant that the same hallucination technique, if used by Elder Hu Sheng, would not be in the same league as Zhao Mantian!
Hu Sheng looked at Zhao Mantian and said, "This is a misunderstanding."
"Is that so?" Zhao Mantian smiled, "The fifth thing..."
"Enough!" Elder Hu Sheng was getting impatient. He waved his hand, "Mantian, since you’ve returned safely, this is cause for celebration! Since we cannot change what has happened, we should look forward! Elder Du’s rebellion has been quelled. Even though Datong’s methods were rather extreme, it was all for the good of Qing Qiu..."
Hu Sheng looked at Zhao Mantian, "You are still the Sect Leader of Qing Qiu’s ancestral land. You can sort out those matters slowly. I will bring Datong back to the pocket dimension."
Zhao Mantian laughed, his clearly defined features filled with mockery.
"What are you laughing at?" Hu Sheng’s expression darkened, clearly unhappy.
Zuo Datong was painfully aware that he would only be safe if he clung on tightly to Elder Hu Sheng. It seemed that Hu Sheng would do everything in his power to protect him too.
With some assurance, he climbed up from the floor and looked at Zhao Mantian, "Sect Leader..."
Before he could finish, Zhao Mantian launched a sudden attack at him!
"Don't you dare!" Hu Sheng’s eyes flashed with a glaring light and his entire body radiated with a powerful aura as he reached out to block the attack.
But it was too late!
Zhao Mantian was too quick!
And his attack was too sudden.
There was no chance for a counter!
Before this, no one would have thought that Zhao Mantian would attack.
It had seemed that he had already accepted the truth... and was prepared to swallow this injustice.
Who would have thought that he would attack suddenly at such a time?
And he used the sacred art!
Bang!
Zuo Datong’s body exploded like a popped balloon!
The entire room was filled with blood and bone fragments instantly.
This kind of death... was extremely pitiful.
It was too scary!
Zuo Datong did not even manage a squeak before he died.
He was smashed into smithereens, not even a god could save him.
Elder Hu Sheng, who was nearby, was splattered with blood and muscle. He looked terrifying, almost as if he was going to breakdown on the spot.
"Zhao Mantian!"
He raised his hand to wipe the blood off his face. He bellowed, visibly disgusted, "Are you trying to rebel?"
In the moment Zhao Mantian attacked, he had already activated his defence, preventing any blood from reaching him.
Hearing Hu Sheng’s anger, he smiled and asked, "Does senior think that I’m stupid?"
"What do you mean?" Hu Sheng was visibly enraged as he looked at Zhao Mantian sinisterly, "Do you think that... I don’t dare to attack you?"
Zhao Mantian chuckled icily as he stared coldly at Elder Hu Sheng.
"Firstly, I was set up by Zuo Datong and Liu Wucheng. Their exquisitely set up trap nearly killed me! I have only managed to survive thanks to my own luck!"
"Is that something that a single statement from you can cover up?"
"Secondly, Elder Du has been extremely loyal. In order to silence their dissidents and remove their obstacles, Zuo Datong and Liu Wucheng did not have second thoughts about harming one of our own, choosing instead to commit heinous crimes! They have flouted sect regulations, and have gotten what they deserve!"
"And is this something that you think falsified evidence in your damned card can change?"
"Thirdly, Zuo Datong and Liu Wucheng clearly had eyes on my throne, yet they hypocritically made it seem like they were forced into it. Do you think this is the ancient era?"
"What a joke!"
"Fourth, Zuo Datong, Liu Wucheng, and that scum Elder Lu, had shamelessly dragged an innocent person like Xiao Yue into the picture for their own benefits. They turned her back to her original form and locked her in a metal cage. Even though fox blood flows in all our veins, their actions are worse than beasts!"
Zhao Mantian looked coldly at Hu Sheng, "Furthermore, I believe that no one is clearer about her bloodline than Senior Hu Sheng?"
Hu Sheng’s gaze was icy as he looked at Zhao Mantian. His eyes glimmered with a dangerous glow, unspeaking.
Zhao Mantian continued coldly, "She is of the Nine Tailed Lightning Fox bloodline! Back then, senior Hu Sheng’s ancestors... got people to give her a human training technique!"
Hu Sheng’s chest heaved, his emotions clearly tumultuous. However, his eyes continued to glimmer as he tried to avoid Zhao Mantian’s stare.
Zhao Mantian looked coldly at Hu Sheng, "Fifth, Song Hong has no feud with Qing Qiu. He is perfectly within reason to come at save Xiao Yue! What are these scums of the earth doing? They had the audacity to trap him in Qing Qiu and rob him of his saint’s legacy! What an utter disgrace!"
"The Qing Qius have had a rich and illustrious history! How many superior cultivators have we had? How many superior legacies do we have? They actually resorted to harming a loyal and righteous man just to steal from him. Not only did they bring shame to Qing Qiu, their actions devastated the land."
"Does Senior Hu Sheng feel that any of what I have said is false?"
As he heard Zhao Mantian berating him, Hu Sheng could take it no longer and bellowed, "Zhao Mantian, are you berating me?"
"So what if I am?" Zhao Mantian looked at him coldly, "Was anything that I said untrue?"
"Haha, so what if it is?" Hu Sheng smiled coldly, "I thought you were a smart man, I had no idea you were like your grandfather... a complete idiot!"
"F*ck you!" Zhao Mantian bellowed.
Hu Sheng turned his shame into rage, his face turning red as his body exploded with an aura of dangerous energy.
"Hu Sheng, can’t you see what you scums have been doing these past years? I have not come to settle the score with you, yet you actually come to my territory and mess with me."
Zhao Mantian’s expression turned cold as he looked at Hu Sheng, "Are you tired of living?"
Hu Sheng laughed despite his anger, "What a joke! I am just here, why don’t you try me? Zhao Mantian, I think you are tired of living! Since everyone outside already thinks you’re dead, let me make it official!"
As he spoke, Hu Sheng raised his palm and directed it at Zhao Mantian!
He channeled all his power into this slap. The power was overwhelming, even a hill would be flattened by it.
A Supreme Realm individual’s slap meant to kill Zhao Mantian!
Zhao Mantian did not try to evade, instead, he attacked too!
Kacha!
Hu Sheng’s palm shattered and he screamed in pain!
Elder Hu Sheng was slightly embarrassed, but continued to maintain his stature as he sat there unmoving. "Mantian, you’re back, it’s good to see that you are fine." He said flatly.
Zuo Datong’s cries stopped instantly, almost as if he was a cock who had its throat stepped on.
After which, he rose and began to tremble.
The fear in his heart had reached a maximum!
Zhao Mantian flashed a smile at Hu Sheng and bowed, clasping his fist, "Mantian requests an audience with Elder Hu Sheng."
Hu Sheng nodded and said, "It’s good that you’re back, next time... don’t be so foolish! I’m sure that you’ve heard that Qing Qiu is in turmoil. Datong... had not handled some situations properly."
As Hu Sheng spoke, he paid special attention to Zhao Mantian’s expression.
"However, when the ancient schools surrounded and attacked us, he was measured in his response and accorded them the necessary decorum. He did well. In Qing Qiu’s history, we have rewarded and punished whenever necessary. Zuo Datong’s actions have cancelled out each other, and there is no need to punish or reward him, but he is no longer fit to be Qing Qiu’s leader..."
Elder Hu Sheng had used the term Sect Leader instead of Deputy Sect Leader.
Zhao Mantian listened on quietly, not intending to interrupt.
Hu Sheng continued, "This time, let him come with me to the Qing Qiu pocket dimension, never to come out again. He will focus on his cultivation there. As for the rest, I think we should just let it go. We are all of the same blood, there’s no need to fight it out amongst ourselves. What does Mantian think?"
Hu Sheng raised his head to look at Zhao Mantian.
Zhao Mantian smiled, "You are the Qing Qiu Elder, I naturally have to listen to you."
Hu Sheng’s eyes revealed a faint smile.
Zuo Datong, who was kneeling on the floor, could not help but heave a sigh of relief internally.
He thought to himself, Luckily ancestor Hu Sheng has an unresolved feud with Zhao Mantian’s ancestors. Furthermore, ancestor Hu Sheng can suppress Zhao Mantian... else, I would be dead.
"Then..." Hu Sheng blinked his eyes, wanting to get this over with quickly.
He did not want to give Zhao Mantian the change for revenge.
However, Zhao Mantian interrupted, "I have heard all of Senior Hu Sheng’s thoughts. Now, I have some things to say myself, would you indulge me?"
"This..." Hu Sheng hesitated, but ended up nodding, "Speak, but I hope you keep the big picture in mind!"
Zuo Datong, who was still kneeling on the floor, felt the tension building up in his chest once again.
Zhao Mantian remained calm and said, "Firstly, the reason why this expedition was so long was because I was set up by others. I got lucky and barely escaped by the skin of my teeth."
Zuo Datong’s hands began to tremble, but they eventually calmed down.
Hu Sheng sat there solemnly.
Zhao Mantian continued, "Secondly, in the days that I was gone, several people, including Elder Du, were wrongfully executed..."
"I have something to say about this!" Hu Sheng glanced at Zhao Mantian.
Zhao Mantian nodded calmly, "Senior, please go ahead."
For some unknown reason, a looming feeling came over Elder Hu Sheng’s heart.
Zhao Mantian’s return was too abrupt, and too coincidental. How could it be that he appears just when everything in Qing Qiu was just settling down?
Did he really just return?
Furthermore... when facing him, Mantian was too calm, too composed!
He was so calm... it seemed that he no longer feared Hu Sheng!
Hu Sheng looked suspiciously at Zhao Mantian, but could not feel any aura from Mantian’s body.
Hu Sheng calmed down. No matter how powerful Mantian was, or how influential his bloodline, he still had to be obedient in front of an Elder like Hu Sheng!
This was because his cultivation level was far higher than Mantian’s!
"Mantian ah, you may have misunderstood this incident. Actually..." Hu Sheng began to recount the story that Zuo Datong told him, lying through his teeth.
"Datong ah, please take out the necessary evidence for Mantian to peruse." Hu Sheng glanced at the kneeling Zuo Datong and said flatly.
Zuo Datong’s body froze, but he quickly agreed, "Yes, okay, it’s here..."
He retrieved a tiny card from his body and said, "All the necessary evidence is in this card."
From start to finish, Zhao Mantian stood there quietly, watching the performance of the two men.
Hu Sheng looked at Zhao Mantian, "Look... all the evidence is here. The technological advancements today have made things so easy. In the ancient days, a piece of jade could contain much information, but it would require immense effort to open it. This card can be opened by any ordinary human..."
Zhao Mantian stood there quietly, not interrupting.
Hu Sheng laughed dryly, "Mantian, you will understand once you see the evidence."
Zhao Mantian nodded, uncaring, and continued, "Thirdly, I would like to know, who was the one who declared Zuo Datong and Liu Wucheng as Sect Leaders?"
Hu Sheng stopped smiling and said flatly, "To be honest, this is partially your fault. You were gone for so long, and there was no news of you. The sect was also in turmoil following Elder Du’s rebellion. He and Liu Wucheng had no choice but to step in. This was concurred by the entire council of elders."
"Good!" Zhao Mantian nodded, unflustered, and continued, "Fourthly, this concerns Xiao Yue. I would like to know, what is the meaning of Zuo Datong and Liu Wucheng capturing Xiao Yue?"
Before Hu Sheng had told him about Xiao Yue’s bloodline, Zuo Datong would not have been too bothered about Zhao Mantian’s question.
What other meaning could it have? Since the master was a traitor, the disciple could not be absolved of all blame!
However, now, he did not dare to say anything, because he knew Xiao Yue was of the Nine Tailed Lightning Fox bloodline!
There were extremely few Nine Tailed bloodlines in the entire Qing Qiu.
Not all descendants of a Nine Tailed bloodline would be part of the group.
The foxes were special, even though a high tailed bloodline descendant stood a higher chance of his or her blood being equally high tailed, it was not definite.
What mattered more was the awakening after birth!
The fox species have even encountered scenarios where Three Tailed bloodline managed to awaken their ancestral bloodline and become Nine Tailed blood.
The Nine Tailed bloodlines were born with the sacred art, upon awakening, they would be unrivalled in power!
Zhao Mantian’s Mind Control Hallucination Technique was one of the sacred arts that came along with the Nine Tailed awakening.
It was vastly superior when compared to the average fox.
This meant that the same hallucination technique, if used by Elder Hu Sheng, would not be in the same league as Zhao Mantian!
Hu Sheng looked at Zhao Mantian and said, "This is a misunderstanding."
"Is that so?" Zhao Mantian smiled, "The fifth thing..."
"Enough!" Elder Hu Sheng was getting impatient. He waved his hand, "Mantian, since you’ve returned safely, this is cause for celebration! Since we cannot change what has happened, we should look forward! Elder Du’s rebellion has been quelled. Even though Datong’s methods were rather extreme, it was all for the good of Qing Qiu..."
Hu Sheng looked at Zhao Mantian, "You are still the Sect Leader of Qing Qiu’s ancestral land. You can sort out those matters slowly. I will bring Datong back to the pocket dimension."
Zhao Mantian laughed, his clearly defined features filled with mockery.
"What are you laughing at?" Hu Sheng’s expression darkened, clearly unhappy.
Zuo Datong was painfully aware that he would only be safe if he clung on tightly to Elder Hu Sheng. It seemed that Hu Sheng would do everything in his power to protect him too.
With some assurance, he climbed up from the floor and looked at Zhao Mantian, "Sect Leader..."
Before he could finish, Zhao Mantian launched a sudden attack at him!
"Don't you dare!" Hu Sheng’s eyes flashed with a glaring light and his entire body radiated with a powerful aura as he reached out to block the attack.
But it was too late!
Zhao Mantian was too quick!
And his attack was too sudden.
There was no chance for a counter!
Before this, no one would have thought that Zhao Mantian would attack.
It had seemed that he had already accepted the truth... and was prepared to swallow this injustice.
Who would have thought that he would attack suddenly at such a time?
And he used the sacred art!
Bang!
Zuo Datong’s body exploded like a popped balloon!
The entire room was filled with blood and bone fragments instantly.
This kind of death... was extremely pitiful.
It was too scary!
Zuo Datong did not even manage a squeak before he died.
He was smashed into smithereens, not even a god could save him.
Elder Hu Sheng, who was nearby, was splattered with blood and muscle. He looked terrifying, almost as if he was going to breakdown on the spot.
"Zhao Mantian!"
He raised his hand to wipe the blood off his face. He bellowed, visibly disgusted, "Are you trying to rebel?"
In the moment Zhao Mantian attacked, he had already activated his defence, preventing any blood from reaching him.
Hearing Hu Sheng’s anger, he smiled and asked, "Does senior think that I’m stupid?"
"What do you mean?" Hu Sheng was visibly enraged as he looked at Zhao Mantian sinisterly, "Do you think that... I don’t dare to attack you?"
Zhao Mantian chuckled icily as he stared coldly at Elder Hu Sheng.
"Firstly, I was set up by Zuo Datong and Liu Wucheng. Their exquisitely set up trap nearly killed me! I have only managed to survive thanks to my own luck!"
"Is that something that a single statement from you can cover up?"
"Secondly, Elder Du has been extremely loyal. In order to silence their dissidents and remove their obstacles, Zuo Datong and Liu Wucheng did not have second thoughts about harming one of our own, choosing instead to commit heinous crimes! They have flouted sect regulations, and have gotten what they deserve!"
"And is this something that you think falsified evidence in your damned card can change?"
"Thirdly, Zuo Datong and Liu Wucheng clearly had eyes on my throne, yet they hypocritically made it seem like they were forced into it. Do you think this is the ancient era?"
"What a joke!"
"Fourth, Zuo Datong, Liu Wucheng, and that scum Elder Lu, had shamelessly dragged an innocent person like Xiao Yue into the picture for their own benefits. They turned her back to her original form and locked her in a metal cage. Even though fox blood flows in all our veins, their actions are worse than beasts!"
Zhao Mantian looked coldly at Hu Sheng, "Furthermore, I believe that no one is clearer about her bloodline than Senior Hu Sheng?"
Hu Sheng’s gaze was icy as he looked at Zhao Mantian. His eyes glimmered with a dangerous glow, unspeaking.
Zhao Mantian continued coldly, "She is of the Nine Tailed Lightning Fox bloodline! Back then, senior Hu Sheng’s ancestors... got people to give her a human training technique!"
Hu Sheng’s chest heaved, his emotions clearly tumultuous. However, his eyes continued to glimmer as he tried to avoid Zhao Mantian’s stare.
Zhao Mantian looked coldly at Hu Sheng, "Fifth, Song Hong has no feud with Qing Qiu. He is perfectly within reason to come at save Xiao Yue! What are these scums of the earth doing? They had the audacity to trap him in Qing Qiu and rob him of his saint’s legacy! What an utter disgrace!"
"The Qing Qius have had a rich and illustrious history! How many superior cultivators have we had? How many superior legacies do we have? They actually resorted to harming a loyal and righteous man just to steal from him. Not only did they bring shame to Qing Qiu, their actions devastated the land."
"Does Senior Hu Sheng feel that any of what I have said is false?"
As he heard Zhao Mantian berating him, Hu Sheng could take it no longer and bellowed, "Zhao Mantian, are you berating me?"
"So what if I am?" Zhao Mantian looked at him coldly, "Was anything that I said untrue?"
"Haha, so what if it is?" Hu Sheng smiled coldly, "I thought you were a smart man, I had no idea you were like your grandfather... a complete idiot!"
"F*ck you!" Zhao Mantian bellowed.
Hu Sheng turned his shame into rage, his face turning red as his body exploded with an aura of dangerous energy.
"Hu Sheng, can’t you see what you scums have been doing these past years? I have not come to settle the score with you, yet you actually come to my territory and mess with me."
Zhao Mantian’s expression turned cold as he looked at Hu Sheng, "Are you tired of living?"
Hu Sheng laughed despite his anger, "What a joke! I am just here, why don’t you try me? Zhao Mantian, I think you are tired of living! Since everyone outside already thinks you’re dead, let me make it official!"
As he spoke, Hu Sheng raised his palm and directed it at Zhao Mantian!
He channeled all his power into this slap. The power was overwhelming, even a hill would be flattened by it.
A Supreme Realm individual’s slap meant to kill Zhao Mantian!
Zhao Mantian did not try to evade, instead, he attacked too!
Kacha!
Hu Sheng’s palm shattered and he screamed in pain!
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