Chapter 9

Those who usually acted arrogantly and thought themselves invincible were now beaten like dogs. Their fine clothes could not withstand the terrifying power of the water and fire cudgels, all of which were shattered, revealing their pale, blood-stained buttocks!

Among them were over a thousand people, all of whom were renowned experts who had cultivated for hundreds of years, and they all met the same fate. To be beaten bare-bottomed in front of thousands of ordinary disciples they usually looked down upon? This was absolutely more humiliating than the actual beating.

Many of them even wished for death. If not for their cultivation being suppressed by the Ancestor Hall, many would have committed suicide on the spot.

However, their pitiful state did not evoke any sympathy from Fang Lie and the old bird. On the contrary, these two were extremely delighted!

Ever since his father's tragic death ten years ago, Fang Lie had been bullied by the young masters of the noble families. Over the years, he had accumulated an immense amount of resentment, and now he could finally vent it.

As for the old bird, it was a heartless creature. Listening to the thousands of people's earth-shattering screams, it not only felt no pain but was extremely excited.

"Ha ha ha, this is too exhilarating!" The old bird, hidden in the Ancestor Token, transmitted its voice to Fang Lie with great excitement: "Since the founding of the Mo Sect, countless years have passed, and I have seen countless scenes of flogging in the Ancestor Hall. But today is the most exhilarating one I have ever seen! To have thousands of people stripped and beaten at once, this is an unprecedented grand spectacle! You, my boy, are truly bold and fearless, worthy of being my chosen successor. Based on your performance today, I am extremely satisfied with you. As long as you can remain as strong in the future, I will firmly support you!"

"Just rest assured~" Fang Lie reached out to touch his suddenly appearing wings, his gaze resolute: "My Fang family has always been stubborn and never backs down, even when faced with a dead end. Since I have made a grand vow to punish evil and promote good, and have been recognized by the Heavenly Dao to inherit the 'Divine Phoenix Nirvana Sutra,' I will walk this path to the end, even if it means shattering my body or facing eternal damnation, I will never turn back!"

As Fang Lie's fierce actions caused blood to flow and cries of pain to fill the Ancestor Hall, the four Commanders in the secret realm were all shocked beyond belief!

These were the eight hundred noble families? The noble families established by the many disciples who followed the Ancestor of the Mo Sect at its founding. They were the backbone of the Mo Sect, the most loyal believers and inheritors, the direct descendants of the direct descendants!

After so many years of development, the disciples of the eight hundred noble families had almost monopolized all the high-ranking positions in the Mo Sect. Even the current four Commanders were from noble families.

In such a context, the status of the direct descendants of the eight hundred noble families in the Mo Sect was naturally much higher than that of the externally recruited disciples. The gap between them was like that between the nobles and the commoners in the mortal world, one in the sky and one on the ground.

For many years, the young masters of the noble families had been high and mighty, enjoying extraordinary privileges in the Mo Sect, receiving all kinds of resources, and even being protected when they committed crimes, almost never being held accountable.

The flogging in the Ancestor Hall actually happened many times every year, but it was always on the externally recruited disciples. As for the disciples of the eight hundred noble families, it had been hundreds of years since anyone was beaten here!

However, today, Fang Lie, with his lowly status as an externally recruited disciple, openly challenged the dignity of the eight hundred noble families, and thousands of people were beaten bare-bottomed, which was equivalent to slapping the face of all the noble families.

How bold and heroic was this? Even the four Commanders, who had lived for over a thousand years, could never have dreamed of the existence of someone as bold as Fang Lie.

Did he not know that offending the eight hundred noble families was equivalent to offending the entire Mo Sect? Did he not know that most of the thousands of people beaten were malicious and vengeful?

With Fang Lie's cultivation, even if he had practiced the secret techniques left by the Ancestor of the Mo Sect, he could never defeat so many experts, let alone escape!

According to the behavior of these noble family disciples, after receiving such humiliation, they would not let Fang Lie die peacefully. They would surely capture him, flay him, and burn his soul in the flames for a thousand years to vent their anger.

No one knew what had possessed Fang Lie to be so bold. Even the usually calm four Commanders were greatly shocked by his fierce actions!

The Sect Leader Mo Qianxun frowned and remained silent, seemingly considering the reasons for Fang Lie's ruthlessness, but his eyes revealed a hint of admiration and surprise.

As for the Ancestor Hall Master Zhou Zhenqing, who looked like a dying old man, he could no longer maintain his calm demeanor, his face full of shock and bitterness.

After all, the Ancestor Hall was his territory, and such a major incident happening here made him feel strange, even if it was not directly related to him.

The External Affairs Hall Master Huo Wufang, on the other hand, had a look of regret on his face, shaking his head and sighing, "This child Fang Lie is indeed righteous, but he is too inflexible. Although some of the noble family disciples are not up to par, offending so many noble families is like breaking the sky. Even if we intervene, we might not be able to protect him."

"Humph!" The 'Bravery' Commander Lei Zhengfeng coldly snorted, "Fang Lie is just a foolish and stubborn fool, not worth sympathizing with! The eight hundred noble families are the backbone of the Mo Sect, how can they be allowed to be defamed by such a nobody? He is disgracing the entire Mo Sect, even more despicable than his father! Such a treacherous person does not deserve to live. If not for his low status, I would have eliminated him without hesitation!"

"What are you saying?" Huo Wufang said unhappily, "Isn't Fang Lie's madness all due to the bullying by those damned noble family disciples? In recent years, these young men have become more and more degenerate, even openly committing evil deeds, all because of the protection of the noble families, which has made them so rampant! As Fang Lie said, our Mo Sect is a prestigious sect, but our disciples look no different from the evil cults. If this continues, how can it be tolerated!"

"As long as the Mo Sect is strong enough, it can last for thousands of years. Can a little reputation make the Mo Sect strong? Can it give us an advantage in the struggle against the ten great demon sects?" Lei Zhengfeng said disdainfully.

"How can you say such things!" Huo Wufang was furious, "You are betraying the sect and your ancestors!"

"Alright, alright~" Mo Qianxun waved to stop him, then said to Lei Zhengfeng, "Brother, be careful with your words. The Mo Sect is not a demon sect; we must act with integrity. The lack of discipline among the disciples can be corrected, but it cannot be indulged. Do you understand?"

Mo Qianxun spoke in a gentle tone, as if discussing, but Lei Zhengfeng clearly felt immense pressure and hurriedly lowered his head, "Yes, Brother, you are right. It was a slip of the tongue on my part!"

Of course, although he spoke politely, he did not take it seriously. Others knew this but were helpless.

While these few people were talking, the grand scene in the Ancestor Hall finally came to an end. Thousands of people were beaten to the point of flesh and blood, the ground was covered in blood, and the cries of pain were deafening, a scene that could not be described with just one word: tragic.

Even the accomplished experts were nearly half-disabled by the special instrument of punishment, the water and fire cudgel, and none could get up, only lying on the ground cursing.

Soon, they were taken away by their respective disciples. However, before leaving, a few particularly vicious experts cursed at Fang Lie.

The more polite ones said, "Fang Lie, I will remember you. I will repay you for today's humiliation!"

The less polite ones shouted, "Damn it, don't let me catch you, or I will cut you into a thousand pieces!"

And the most vicious ones declared, "As long as you dare to step out of the Ancestor Hall, I will make your life worse than death!"

Fang Lie was not only unafraid of these threats but laughed coldly and shouted back, "Very well, then let's make a deal. If I can survive for three days after leaving the Ancestor Hall, all of you will be damned!"

Shocking!

When the tens of thousands of disciples in the Ancestor Hall heard Fang Lie's words, whether they had been beaten or not, they were all stunned!

At this point, to still dare to speak so boldly and continue to provoke the eight hundred noble families, was this defying the heavens?

Even those who had been beaten were stunned, unable to say another word. Their threats now seemed like a joke, completely ignored. What more could they say? The more they said, the more embarrassing it would be.

Helplessly, they could only silently remember this in their hearts and leave the Ancestor Hall, supported by others, with their injuries and anger.

In short, these people left in disgrace, utterly humiliated!

After dealing with these people, Fang Lie finally turned his attention back to Yuan Hua.

This time, there was no need for Fang Lie to say much. Just a glance made Yuan Hua tremble all over, almost falling down!

He had seen with his own eyes how Fang Lie had beaten thousands of experts from the eight hundred noble families. The ground was covered in fresh blood, still telling the story of the previous brutality.

Such a fierce person, and Yuan Hua had dared to frame him. He now wanted to slap himself!

If he had known this would happen, he would never have dared to do such a thing, even if it meant his death!

Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret!

Fang Lie stared at Yuan Hua like a tiger eyeing its prey, asking in a stern voice, "Yuan Hua, did you accuse me in the Ancestor Hall of raping a civilian woman and then killing her entire family of over a dozen people, including the elderly and the young?"