Chapter 1239 - Targeted by Everyone (2)

Two figures rushed in from the distance and landed heavily on the square before the Book Collection Pavilion.

"It's Elder Huang and Elder Ji!" gasps spread through the crowd. Many deacons instantly recognized them as Void Realm elders who maintained the pavilion's spiritual array in the lesser realm. Their sudden arrival left no doubt—they came because the array jammed.

"Greetings, Elder Huang. Elder Ji." Yu Zhengyang and the two other Primal Origin Realm elders stepped forward to greet them. Compared to the newcomers' cultivation and status, their positions seemed paltry.

"We already know what happened inside," Elder Huang declared coldly. "This child violated the rules. Cripple his cultivation and throw him into the dungeon."

He dismissed Liu Wuxie's earlier claims without a second thought.

"Liu Wuxie—did you hear that?" Yu Zhengyang sneered, his face twisting sinisterly. "Will you surrender, or must I make you?"

"That's nothing but an excuse to condemn me," Liu Wuxie snapped, his gaze fixed on the two elders. "I never expected the elders of a so-called superpower like the Heavenly Dragon Sect to be a bunch of incompetent fools."

Elder Ji, however, remained silent. His sharp eyes stayed fixed on Liu Wuxie without hostility. Earlier, he said they would not pursue the matter if Liu Wuxie truly proved he had read all one hundred thousand books.

Liu Wuxie's words immediately sparked an uproar. Openly insulting the Heavenly Dragon Sect's elders was like thrusting a hand into a hornet's nest.

More than a hundred elders stood present, many from the inner sects. Though Liu Wuxie had named no one, his scorn shamed them all. Every elder who heard it winced at the sting.

"You're courting death!" Yu Zhengyang roared. Elder Huang and Elder Ji's expressions grew grim as well. Over the years, none had dared defy them, yet now, before countless disciples, a mere outer disciple had actually mocked them. They had to punish him, or their authority would surely crumble.

A terrifying Primal Origin Realm aura pressed down on Liu Wuxie like a primordial beast. Elder Huang added Void Realm pressure, and the weight on Liu Wuxie intensified.

For the first time, Liu Wuxie felt strain. The Heavenly Dao Book could suppress Primal Origin Realm pressure, but a wave of pressure from a Void Realm expert pressed on him like a colossal mountain.

"You claim I violated the pavilion's rules, yet none of you have shown evidence!" Liu Wuxie roared, his voice cutting through the pressure. "You condemn me simply because the spiritual array jammed? I refuse to accept that!"

The Heavenly Dao Book inside him pulsed. It had absorbed over one hundred thousand sequences, and as Liu Wuxie unleashed them, a massive shockwave burst forth. The surge collided with the oppressive auras and withstood even Void Realm suppression.

"Liu Wuxie," Elder Ji finally said, calm and steady, "As long as you can prove you did not violate the Book Collection Pavilion's rules, we will not make things difficult for you."

Liu Wuxie radiated a genuine scholarly aura; only those who had read countless texts could exude such brilliance.

At that moment, Liu Wuxie stood like an ancient pine that had weathered a thousand storms—unshaken, immovable, an unbowed mountain.

Every disciple, inner or outer, deserved a chance to explain. Yet from the start, Yu Zhengyang denied him that right, and Elder Huang had pronounced him guilty without trial. That was why Liu Wuxie's fury boiled over and why he dared to call the sect's elders incompetent fools.

"Elder Ji, why be so courteous to an outer disciple?" Yu Zhengyang pressed forward. "If he can even recall ten out of one hundred thousand books, I'll let this drop. But the best way to deal with people like him is torture—force a confession."

The War Dragon Institute and Dharma Institute lost dozens of disciples during Liu Wuxie's auction, and Yu Zhengyang intended to kill him here.

Everyone could see that Yu Zhengyang twisted the incident into a personal vendetta. With the crowd baying for Liu Wuxie's blood, no one stepped in to defend him. Because he insulted the elders, he now stood utterly isolated.

"Liu Wuxie, surrender!" barked the two elders beside Yu Zhengyang. They lunged forward without hesitation, hands reaching for Liu Wuxie's shoulders—if their grip landed, they would rip his shoulder blades apart.

Though Liu Wuxie could fight stronger foes, he stood no chance against two Primal Origin Realm experts. Their intent was clear—to kill him.

"Hold it right there!" A thunderous voice split the air. A burly figure strode into the square, palm lashing out. Dragon roars shook the heavens as countless dragon claws tore through the air and hurled the two elders back.

"It's the Dragon-Grasping Hand—Elder Long!" gasps erupted. In the entire Heavenly Dragon Sect, only Elder Long wielded such a technique.

Though the sect did not count the Dragon-Grasping Hand among its ten supreme arts, the technique matched them in power. Only those who bore the dragon clan's bloodline could cultivate it.

Hua Haosheng's eyes glowed green with envy. He long coveted the technique and begged Elder Long to teach him, but Elder Long had refused every time, judging his temperament to be unworthy of the dragon clan's secret art.

"Elder Long, what do you mean by shielding a traitor in public?" Yu Zhengyang demanded, his face grim. Compared to Elder Long, Yu Zhengyang was insignificant—he stood in the Primal Origin Realm, while Elder Long's Void Realm cultivation and status towered above ordinary elders.

Even Elder Huang and Elder Ji stepped forward to greet Elder Long with respect.

"Give him a chance to explain," Elder Long said, few words but thunderous, his voice echoing across the square.

Liu Wuxie recognized the sound instantly. The voice carried the combined resonance of a dragon's roar and a lion's roar—the eighth form of the Nine Heavenly Dragon Forms: Dragon and Tiger Roar.

"Everyone saw what he did. Elder Long, why protect someone unrelated to you?" Yu Zhengyang pressed, his voice strained as he suppressed fury.

"Are you teaching me how to do my job?" Elder Long's gaze sharpened. A wave of pressure blasted outward, striking Yu Zhengyang and forcing him back several steps; his face paled, and he nearly spat blood.

The other elders fell silent, cowed into submission; even Elder Huang and Elder Ji dared not speak further.

"Explain yourself if you don't want to die," Elder Long said at last, turning to Liu Wuxie. "Explain why you rifled through over one hundred thousand books."

In the past, Elder Long would never have intervened, but the events at the Primordial Pagoda changed him. If Liu Wuxie truly subdued the Thunder God's Spear, what obstacle could stop him?

Liu Wuxie met Elder Long's gaze with gratitude, then scanned the crowd. A faint smirk tugged at his lips.

"Yu Zhengyang, you accused me without evidence," he said. "I tell you this—I read every single book and memorized its contents."

He had tried to explain before, but Yu Zhengyang cut him off. Even when Elder Ji offered a chance, Yu Zhengyang silenced him again. To the watching disciples, his actions appeared to be sabotage.

His declaration sent the square into chaos; murmurs spread like wildfire. Even Elder Ding looked doubtful—only Elder Long kept his composure. After all, who could believe that Liu Wuxie memorized over one hundred thousand books in three days?

Above them, divine senses hovered unseen, continuing to watch.

"What arrogance," some whispered.

"Perhaps a miracle will happen today," another said.

"Liu Wuxie, how dare you spout such lies?" Yu Zhengyang sneered. "If you can recall them all, I'll resign my position as elder and serve as a common deacon."

His cruel smile revealed his certainty that Liu Wuxie had bluffed; Elder Huang and Elder Ji clearly shared the same thought.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Why not let everyone here bear witness?" Liu Wuxie countered with a devilish smile. He and Yu Zhengyang were playing their own games.

Liu Wuxie knew precisely what this would achieve. After today, his name would spread through the entire sect. Once the upper echelons recognized his talent, even if he were to force his way into the lesser realm a year from now, no one would find it strange.

Every deed he had accomplished since joining the Heavenly Dragon Sect had defied expectation, after all.

This was his true aim. Without displaying his ability, the spiritual array would destroy him if he tried to break into the lesser realm. If he showcased his talent now, however, the upper echelons would not only allow it, they would probably even ask him what he needed.

His string of monstrous feats already imprinted itself on everyone's minds. No matter what he did next, none would find it unbelievable.

"Liu Wuxie, aren't you afraid your bragging will get out of hand? Admit your mistake obediently to the elders," some disciples urged, offering him a way out. If Liu Wuxie admitted fault, there might still be a chance to turn the situation around, but if this matter spiraled further, no one could save him.

Elder Long granted Liu Wuxie a chance to explain, not a promise of protection or survival.

"What fools! Expel people like him from the Heavenly Dragon Sect! Keeping him will bring disaster!" more voices rang from the crowd, filled with venom.

"Get lost! This place isn't for you!" disciples from the War Dragon Institute shouted, their jeers echoing across the square.

Others stayed silent, unwilling to judge until the truth emerged.

"Liu Wuxie, since you claim to have remembered all the books, tell me—what's recorded in Aquatic Moon, Huan Tian on the sixth floor?" a deacon demanded, stepping forward. He was the same deacon Liu Wuxie had humiliated earlier with a single palm strike and still nursed the grudge. Eager for revenge, he seized the first opportunity to challenge him.