Chapter 336

Chapter 336: Battle of Words

"Stop pretending with me!" Fang Lie shouted in anger. "My late father made an agreement with you. He used himself as bait to draw the demonic sect’s attack. But you bastards deliberately delayed your arrival, just sat back and watched as my late father and the thousand elite members of the Mo Sect were slaughtered by the demonic cultivators! During the days you delayed, aside from drinking tea, you didn’t have a single battle; it was obviously a planned betrayal. Many participated in these events; do you really think you can cover up the truth?"

"Uh…" Tianhezi was instantly at a loss for words.

It’s important to know that during that Great War, aside from the Mo Sect, the righteous sects included seven other sects, with thousands of cultivators involved. Some of them certainly were pleased to see Fang Gang die, but many felt sympathy for Fang Gang and the Mo Sect; they had long since spread the news of what happened at that time.

Back then, the East Kunlun and other sects claimed they had encountered obstacles, but in reality, the demonic sect was besieging Fang Gang and others, and they hadn’t fought a single battle.

But as more and more participants began to speak the truth, these events had already been revealed. Even someone with Tianhezi’s status wouldn’t dare to speak nonsense anymore.

After all, Mo Sect Leader Mo Qianxun was still here. If he dared say something foolish, he might provoke this Semi-Immortal into rage.

Helpless, Immortal Tianhe could only manage a wry smile and say, "Well, there were indeed some irregularities in that incident, but those were isolated occurrences. We should all be on the same path and help one another!"

"Hmph!" Fang Lie sneered, "To you, it may be an isolated incident, but to me, it was my father who died! Do you think a few words can make me forget the revenge for my father’s murder? Aren’t you being a bit naive?"

"What do you want then?" Immortal Tianhe frowned. "I can take charge and give you an explanation, how about that?"

"What kind of explanation?" Fang Lie replied coolly. "If I remember correctly, you East Kunlun was the leader in that incident, and the one in charge was the one called the Small Sword God, Xukongzi."

Xukongzi, according to the rules of East Kunlun, used his life-bound flying sword, the eighth-rank top-grade Void Divine Sword, as his Dao name.

He was a direct disciple of the Sword God and a core inner gate disciple, with extraordinary talent, especially in his understanding of Powerful Divine Skills of the void. Because of this, he had the qualification to wield the Void Divine Sword, which ranks among the top five of the Ten Divine Swords.

This Void Divine Sword was remarkable, possessing the Divine Seal of the void; it could not only cut through the void but also execute Void Escape.

The capability to slice through the void made ordinary protective treasures and Dao magic useless in front of him; even eighth-rank protective treasures rarely could withstand a single strike from him.

Moreover, the Void Escape made him elusive; as long as he escaped into the void, even the Thunder Tribulation Immortal could not find him. He could launch an attack any time, and if he missed, he could easily escape.

Thus, during battles, Xukongzi was essentially in an invincible position. This is why he firmly held the top seat among the core inner gate disciples of East Kunlun, with Bailongzi trailing far behind in third place.

In East Kunlun, Xukongzi was even considered the heir of the Sword God and a future Sect Leader of East Kunlun.

With such a position and gift, he held an arrogant pride, vying for first place in everything.

However, unfortunately for him, while he swept through with ease, he met Fang Gang, a freak; his strength, appearance, talent, and family background were not as good, and his treasures paled in comparison, yet he achieved remarkable victories, leaving Xukongzi far behind.

The number of important figures from the demonic sect who died at Fang Gang’s hands surpassed a hundred, an extraordinary achievement in an era of righteous and evil strife. Adding to this was Fang Gang’s straightforwardness and sense of justice; he naturally possessed an infectious leadership charisma, becoming the center of attention wherever he went.

In contrast, although Xukongzi’s achievements were decent and he had killed several important figures from the demonic sect, they paled in comparison to Fang Gang’s accomplishments.

Yet, both of them were young leaders of their respective sects and were often compared to one another. Each time they were compared, Fang Gang overshadowed him, which was hard for the proud Xukongzi to accept.

Gradually, while Xukongzi maintained the demeanor of the top disciple of the major sects on the surface, always polite and jovial with Fang Gang, becoming even friends, deep down, he was close to hating Fang Gang. This hatred was what drove him to risk harming Fang Gang.

Originally, Xukongzi thought Fang Gang had no backing and was not well regarded in the Mo Sect; if he died, it would just be that—there would be unlikely repercussions.

Even the whole East Kunlun shared this view. But they never expected that Fang Gang’s death would lead to Fang Lie emerging from the shadows, quickly gaining fame and showing incredibly terrifying potential, rapidly becoming a significant threat to East Kunlun.

Especially this time, with the White Dragon Divine Sword in Fang Lie’s hands and the Kunlun Sword Token as well, even the higher-ups of East Kunlun were extremely annoyed by this.

Why was Bailongzi punished so severely? The main reason was that the Elders did not look favorably upon the return of the White Dragon Divine Sword.

You took someone’s father’s life and expect to take back the ancestral treasure peacefully? How could things be that easy?

Tianhezi knew full well; if it weren’t for his disciple causing this trouble, he would never have come here, no matter what.

Now, as they reached the critical moment, whether they could retrieve the White Dragon Divine Sword hinged on whether they could resolve Fang Lie’s resentment, and to resolve hatred, punishing the culprit was undoubtedly necessary.

Fortunately, the higher-ups from East Kunlun had previously discussed this, so Tianhezi slowly said, "Let’s prepare to formally apologize to the Mo Sect, strip Xukongzi of his Core Inner Gate Disciple status, and confine him to Ice Pond for punishment. How about it?"

"Ah, I think that’s pretty good! The friends of East Kunlun show great sincerity!" Before Fang Lie could respond, the Head of the Bai Family spoke up first. "After all, we are all part of the righteous path. We shouldn’t let some small matters create unnecessary disputes. Sect Leader, what do you think?"

Mo Qianxun shot him a glare and remained silent.

But Fang Lie angrily scolded, "Who do you think you are? Do you have any right to speak here? Perhaps the death of your father is a small matter, but in our Fang family, it is never a small issue!"

"You—" The Head of the Bai Family turned red in the face, furious at Fang Lie, who had repeatedly embarrassed him.

However, this time, nobody felt sympathetic for him. Even Huo Wufang quietly cursed, ‘Is this guy an idiot? How can he say that someone else’s revenge for their father’s murder is a small matter right in front of his son? If Fang Lie had Semi-Immortal strength and could control the Benevolence Token, he might even directly kill someone!’

"Calm down, Dao friend!" Immortal Tianhe realized that the Head of the Bai Family was trying to help him, so he couldn’t remain passive. Quickly, he stepped forward, gave him a way out, then turned to ask, "Fang Lie, don’t you think our East Kunlun has shown sincerity that you cannot be satisfied with?"

"Isn’t that obvious?" Fang Lie scoffed. "What genuine sincerity do you have? An apology is merely empty words; stripping someone of their disciple status and confining them is just a cover-up. After a few years, everything goes back to how it was, right? Maybe he is indeed at a stage where he needs to close himself off. You’re just going with the flow. Do you think such a meaningless so-called punishment can erase the revenge for my father’s murder? Hmph, those who think others are fools are usually the biggest fools themselves!"

"You—" Tianhezi’s face flushed red with anger, but he was also ashamed because Fang Lie had guessed correctly. Recently, Xukongzi had completed his merit and was preparing to advance to Nascent Soul, needing three to five years of closed-door training. Announcing his punishment at this time meant that when he emerged, his status as a Core Inner Gate Disciple could be restored.

Their plans were well-thought-out, but unexpectedly revealed by Fang Lie. He showed no gratitude for it, complicating things for Immortal Tianhe.

In helplessness, he had to ask, "Then what do you intend?"

"Blood for blood!" Fang Lie said fiercely. "A life for a life! My father cannot be revived; he must be made to pay in full!"

"That’s impossible!" Immortal Tianhe’s expression changed drastically, then he roared, "Are you saying you don’t want to negotiate anymore?"

"Hmph!" Fang Lie snorted, "As the saying goes, debts must be repaid; killing must have a price. What’s so wrong in what I say?"

"Xukongzi merely failed to assist; he is not guilty of death!" Tianhezi shouted in anger.

"He set a trap on purpose; he is terribly guilty!" Fang Lie shouted back.

"I can’t be bothered to debate with you!" Tianhezi flicked his sleeve and directly turned to Mo Qianxun, saying, "Sect Leader, given the situation, please say a word!"

Mo Qianxun stroked his chin, suddenly smiled, and said, "I remember that when this matter first occurred, my senior brother, the Sword God, told me that the younger generation was foolish and that as elders, we should not interfere. Now, I must say, my brother was right; these are all matters for the younger generation, and it’s better for us elders to stay out of it."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Immortal Tianhe frowned.

"My meaning is simple; the White Dragon Divine Sword was won by Fang Lie himself and has nothing to do with the Mo Sect. As elders, we have no reason to strip the children of their treasures. If you want this item back, you can negotiate with him—that’s it; we from the Mo Sect will not interfere," Mo Qianxun stated coolly. "Do you understand?"

"That’s not right!" Tianhezi quickly protested, "The White Dragon Divine Sword is a treasured item of East Kunlun; how can it be allowed to fall into other hands?"

"That’s your business," Mo Qianxun replied, smiling. "You said it’s your East Kunlun’s treasure; it has nothing to do with the Mo Sect, right? I think it should stay this way!"

"Sect Leader!" Tianhezi could no longer contain his anger and retorted, "If the White Dragon Divine Sword remains with the Mo Sect and does not return, it may affect the friendly relations between our two families!"

"I don’t think so!" Facing Tianhezi’s threat, Mo Qianxun replied coolly. "Fang Gang is the chief disciple of the Core Inner Gate of the Mo Sect; he died under unclear circumstances without affecting our two families’ relationship!"