Chapter 12
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Chapter 12: Brave Token Lord
"You’ve broken Mo Sect’s laws here—that gives me the right to punish you!" Fang Lie declared coldly. "Let me repeat: I hold the highest authority here. Even if your Sect Leader himself came, if he broke the rules, I’d punish him too!"
"You…you—" Tian Jianzi sputtered, trembling with rage. Four Law Enforcement Heavenly Soldiers materialized around him, poised to act.
Xiao Huan panicked. By her agreement with Fang Lie, she’d be next after Tian Jianzi. "Fang Lie!" she cried. "If you act rashly, you’ll provoke East Kunlun’s wrath! With demons rising and righteousness fading, our sects must unite. Don’t you dare harm the sect’s cause!"
"Oh-ho!" Fang Lie feigned shock, slapping his knee. "Good heavens! You dare lecture me about ‘ridding evil and protecting the way’? You slaughtered innocent families to steal my inheritance, framed me for it, and let the three unyielding tortures cripple me! After such vile deeds, you still claim to be righteous and beg for mercy? How shameless can you get?"
Xiao Huan paled, utterly speechless. Her own actions had stripped her of any right to call herself righteous.
Ignoring her, the Law Enforcement Heavenly Soldiers seized Tian Jianzi’s shoulders, ready to cripple his meridians. Tian Jianzi struggled futilely—the Ancestral Hall suppressed all cultivation. Even his master would’ve been powerless here.
As the torture began, Tian Jianzi wailed for mercy. Fang Lie remained unmoved.
BOOM!
A thunderous roar shook the hall as a towering figure clad in bronze armor materialized. His battle-scarred face and killing energy marked him as a veteran warrior. Miraculously, the Law Enforcement Heavenly Soldiers halted and bowed—though he ignored them, glaring solely at Fang Lie.
"Enough of this farce, boy!"
The crowd gasped, then knelt as one. "Hail the Brave Token Lord!"
Lei Zhengfeng, Battle Hall’s leader and Brave Token Lord, had arrived.
In the Secret Realm, the projections of the other Three Token Lords stirred. Huo Wufang, Benevolence Token Lord, scowled. "Explain yourself!"
Lei Zhengfeng’s projection shrugged. "Preventing disaster. Tian Jianzi’s East Kunlun’s direct disciple. Crippling him here would shatter relations."
"We’re supposed to grovel after their disciple wronged *us*?" Huo Wufang snapped. "Since when does Mo Sect kneel to others?"
"Rules demand we return him to East Kunlun for punishment," Lei Zhengfeng countered. "Fang Lie’s recklessness risks war during these dark times. His temporary hold on the Benevolence Token doesn’t excuse endangering our sect."
"Since when do *you* handle external affairs?" Huo Wufang sneered.
"When he attacks Eight-Hundred-Generation Families’ disciples—many from *my* Battle Hall," Lei Zhengfeng shot back.
Huo Wufang’s eyes narrowed. "Or is this about the secret he gained in the Cycle of Fire?"
Lei Zhengfeng laughed. "Why hide it? That recovery power intrigues me. But I’d never steal from a junior…unless he threatens sect unity. Offer him mentorship; crush him if he refuses. Simple."
"He outranks you as Benevolence Token holder!"
"A temporary title," Lei Zhengfeng dismissed. "I’m a true Token Lord. Find his errors, and removing him’s justified."
Huo Wufang glanced at the silent Sect Leader and Ancestral Hall Leader—their closed eyes signaling consent. None wanted Fang Lie’s stubbornness ruling them.
Meanwhile, the hall trembled as Lei Zhengfeng’s true form glared at Fang Lie. "Insolent outer disciple! Where’s your respect?"
Fang Lie, reminded by the old bird’s mental growl (*"Make this upstart kneel!"*), stayed seated. "Respect? The Benevolence Token represents Mo Ancestor himself. Why aren’t *you* kneeling, ‘Brave Token Lord’?"
The crowd froze. Lei Zhengfeng turned crimson—outranked and outmaneuvered.
