Chapter 46

Pang Wenshan's face changed, and he stared at his hand that had been shaken off, his expression darkening as he said, "Junior Brother Li, what's going on?"

"What else could it be? Isn't it clear enough? This little brat was flirting with Sister Liu and even snatched the gift that Senior Brother Zhang gave to Senior Sister Chu!"

A young disciple of medium build stepped forward a few steps, looking at Li Chen with a playful expression.

"Yang Songmo, don't talk nonsense!"

Pang Wenshan glared at him fiercely, then turned and said, "Junior Brother Li, what really happened?"

"Liu Mei, what happened?"

Chu Ziyun, who had been silent all along, carefully looked at Li Chen and then asked the servant disciple named Liu Mei beside her.

"Senior Sister Chu, you must believe me. If I hadn't run fast enough just now, he... he would have... violated me!"

Liu Mei sobbed uncontrollably, her head bowed, tears streaming down her face, making her look pitiful to anyone who saw her.

"Junior Sister Chu, why ruin everyone's mood over a mere registered disciple? I think we should just take him down and hand him over to the Discipline Hall for punishment!"

Another person glanced disdainfully at Li Chen and stood beside Yang Songmo.

Chu Ziyun's eyebrows furrowed slightly, unsure of what to do. In her view, Li Chen, who had once been selfless, would never do such a thing.

But the facts were right there: the scattered fruit basket on the ground, the broken iron cage, and the monkey in Li Chen's arms all indicated that something had happened.

Liu Mei, a female disciple, had never done anything out of line before. How could she lie about her reputation?

For a moment, she was in a dilemma.

"Chen Mingluo, you..."

Pang Wenshan's expression changed. He naturally knew what kind of place the Discipline Hall was—a terrifying place that made everyone in the Xuan Yun Sect shudder.

"Was it you?"

A completely calm voice drifted from Li Chen's mouth as he soothed the little monkey in his arms, making Pang Wenshan, who had advanced to the Ninth Layer of Inner Breath, stop speaking and look at Li Chen with disbelief.

"Ridiculous!"

Yang Songmo and Chen Mingluo's figures moved, and they shouted fiercely, ready to take Li Chen down.

"Interesting!"

Zhang Chulong, who had been standing among the crowd, walked out calmly, facing Li Chen's inhuman gaze.

"Senior Brother Zhang, we will take down this ignorant little brat and leave him to your disposal!"

Yang Songmo and Chen Mingluo, clearly trying to curry favor with the new genius Zhang Chulong, moved swiftly and lunged at Li Chen.

"Who else?"

Li Chen's eyes flashed with a cold light, and a faint killing intent emanated from his body, a result of his year of training in the Ancient Cang Mountains.

Whoosh!

A strange cold wind suddenly appeared in the courtyard, making everyone shiver. It was clear to everyone that there was some mysterious connection between the two.

Two disciples at the Ninth Layer of Inner Breath felt the cold wind rushing towards them, their pupils contracting like needles. But there was no turning back, and they exchanged a glance, continuing their charge.

"Stop, Junior Brother Li, don't act rashly. Senior Brother Zhang Chulong is an elite disciple from our Southern Courtyard!"

Pang Wenshan gritted his teeth, pulling Li Chen back and standing in front of him, his words filled with concern.

"Senior Brother Zhang, we are all disciples of the same sect. Let's sit down and talk about this!"

Chu Ziyun, who had once had some special feelings for Li Chen, had largely let them go after a year, but she still didn't want to see Li Chen hurt by Zhang Chulong's hands.

After all, Li Chen had once saved her life by blocking a wolf with his body.

While she didn't love him because of that, she still wanted to repay his kindness. On both moral and rational grounds, she didn't want Li Chen to die unjustly, knowing that elite disciples had the right to execute outer gate and registered disciples at will.

"Who else?"

Ignoring Pang Wenshan's frantic signals, Li Chen held the struggling little monkey and kept his gaze on the new elite disciple of the Xuan Yun Sect.

He didn't even glance at Yang Songmo and Chen Mingluo, as if they didn't exist in his eyes.

"If I remember correctly, you were the one who injured Jiu Family's Third Sister in the Ancient Cang Mountains by killing and robbing!"

Zhang Chulong gave Chu Ziyun a reassuring look and smiled calmly, his demeanor suggesting that everything was under control.

Everyone's expressions changed upon hearing this. While anyone might be tempted to kill and rob, being caught was a different matter.

At that moment, even Pang Wenshan's gaze towards Li Chen changed, as if the person before him was no longer the shy, wine-drinking youth who had fought the wolf pack with them that night.

"Is it because of that bottle of monkey wine?"

A terrifying red light suddenly shot from Li Chen's eyes, like a venomous snake about to strike, making everyone shiver.

Crack!

Before the words were even out of his mouth, a series of rapid, bean-like sounds erupted from his body, his aura of ferocity reaching its peak. His right fist suddenly swept forward.

Thud! Thud!

Two闷响, the formidable Yang Songmo and Chen Mingluo were swept away in one move, retreating several steps, their faces pale with fear.

In that instant, they felt as if they were facing an unshakable tornado, and even their faces were cut by the intense force, blood trickling down without them noticing.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock. Ninth Layer of Inner Breath martial artists were defeated so easily. Although there were strong and weak among the same rank, both were strong among the inner gate disciples and were not much weaker than their peers.

Could it be... the youth before them was a True Cultivation Realm martial artist?

Pang Wenshan, standing behind him, looked at Li Chen in disbelief. In a daze, the once frail youth and the disheveled young man standing there today seemed like two different people.

"Your name is Li Chen, right? Killing and robbing, and humiliating a female disciple of the same sect, according to the sect rules, you can be executed on the spot. Considering your hard training and young age, if you submit obediently and go with me to the Discipline Hall to confess, you might be shown mercy and spared your life!"

Zhang Chulong's pupils contracted. He actually felt a threat from Li Chen, as if facing a second-stage beast, but as an elite disciple and True Cultivation Realm martial artist, he showed no fear on his face.

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces turned serious. As an elite disciple and the sect's new top genius, Zhang Chulong, combined with the faint killing intent emanating from Li Chen, could very well carry out such a deed.

Even though Li Chen's strength was unexpectedly powerful, with such cultivation, he could be a key disciple to be cultivated by the sect. However, a person with such a nature could not be left alive, as he might bring disaster to the sect.

In an instant, everyone's figures shifted slightly, forming a trend to surround Li Chen.

Even if he was strong, there were four Ninth Layer of Inner Breath martial artists and one peak Early True Cultivation Realm martial artist present, a force not to be underestimated.

Li Chen's senses were extremely sharp, and he instantly perceived everyone's intentions. Under everyone's gaze, he slowly raised his right hand and curled it into his mouth.

Whistle! Whistle!

A clear whistle suddenly sounded, followed by a sharp eagle cry. A gray shadow flashed from above, rushing into the courtyard.

Whoosh!

Li Chen raised both hands, and the little monkey was thrown into the air, immediately caught by the thunder eagle and flown to a nearby ancient tree.