Chapter 49

As the '唤命玉牌' was revealed, the strength of the six sea-treading warriors, controlled by their primordial essence and blood, immediately rushed in.

Feng Ji was taken aback when he heard Zhang Yan shout out his identity, but seeing that the number of sea-treading warriors was not many, his courage grew. A hint of disdain flashed across his eyes. Regardless of whether the other party was bluffing, as long as he could escape with the elixirs, no one could do anything to him. Therefore, he was not afraid but rather excited, shouting, "Fellow seniors and juniors, this person dares to bully the people of the Six Rivers and Four Islands. Don't hold back; if anything happens, Senior Brother Su will take responsibility for us. Let's take the elixirs and leave!"

These twenty-odd people were not afraid of causing trouble. Hearing this, they all began to clamor, various magical tools and flying swords appearing, attacking the sea-treading warriors.

The sea-treading warriors had the equivalent magical power and true essence of a second-stage Mingqi cultivator, with their bodies as strong as refined iron, impervious to ordinary flying swords and spiritual energy. However, they were still a level below the mountain-moving warriors and could not withstand magical tools. In an instant, three of them were knocked to the ground, their fates unknown.

Many people, excited by the fight, directed several magical tools at Zhang Yan. However, after he casually broke a few, they all looked pained and dared not trouble him again.

At this moment, no one noticed the faint sneer on Zhang Yan's face.

He could have summoned mountain-moving warriors, but he deliberately only called six sea-treading warriors, precisely to leave room for the other side to resist.

In his view, Feng Ji was not worth much; he was just a small ant. This matter did not aim to drag the entire Six Rivers and Four Islands into it, but at the very least, it would pull the Feng family into the mire, making them taste the bitterness of being outmaneuvered.

Assaulting a true disciple after revealing one's identity, ignoring the sect's rules, was tantamount to rebellion.

Therefore, the bigger this incident became, the more advantageous it was for him.

Seeing that the sea-treading warriors were almost all injured, Zhang Yan felt the time was right. He summoned the '唤命玉牌', and three mountain-moving warriors arrived. They were completely unafraid of the magical tools hitting them. Walking forward, they struck with their hands, felling one person at a time, quickly subduing all twenty-odd people.

After collecting the magical tools, he had the group tied up with refined ropes and thrown to the ground. Listening to their incessant curses, Zhang Yan ordered their mouths to be gagged. He then walked to the desk, took out paper and pen, and wrote a concise letter. Summoning a warrior, he gave him a flying boat and instructed him to deliver the letter to Ning Chongxuan.

Watching the warrior leave, he glanced at the hateful gazes of those on the ground and smiled coldly, thinking, "Senior Brother Ning, I've set the stage for you. Let's see how you play it out."

Since joining the Upper Academy, Zhang Yan had always been favored by Ning Chongxuan. With the identity of a true disciple, once recognized by the master-disciple lineage, he was expected to become a core member of the lineage. However, at this critical moment, Feng Shang intervened, sending him to Zhou Chongju as a disciple, thwarting Ning Chongxuan's plans.

It was impossible for Ning Chongxuan and the master-disciple lineage behind him not to be angry. However, they lacked a suitable pretext to act, and the charge of assaulting a true disciple was sufficient.

Moreover, during the initial struggle for the pearl fields, Ning Chongxuan had watched as five true disciples from noble families were killed, and the subsequent pursuit of Luo Xiao was unsuccessful. As a result, the Du and Zheng families, among others, had joined forces to challenge the master-disciple lineage.

At that time, the pearl fields had just been seized from the Three Lakes demons, and the distribution of benefits was still uncertain. Many noble families, seeking more benefits, had joined in, leading to a growing conflict. The master-disciple lineage acted decisively, sending the pearl king Zhenlu to the Du family for meridian opening, arranging for Zheng Xun to open his meridians and enter the Upper Academy, and holding several secret meetings. This eventually calmed the situation, but not without some losses.

According to Zhou Chongju, the interests had now been properly divided, and the master-disciple lineage, having regained its strength, would certainly seek retribution. Today, Zhang Yan had delivered such a significant handle to them, and they had no reason to refuse.

Even if the master-disciple lineage ignored this, he could still take Feng Ji's life as revenge for being outmaneuvered by Feng Shang.

In any case, he was the winner.

Zhang Yan smiled, preparing to order the group to be imprisoned, when a person suddenly rushed into the hall, shouting, "Who tied them up? Who tied them up? Quickly release them!"

Zhang Yan looked at the person and immediately recognized him as Dou Ming, the deputy head of the Alchemy Hall, second only to Zhou Chongju. He said, "Deputy Head Dou, why so loud? I ordered them to be tied up."

"You... Junior Brother Zhang?"

Dou Ming frowned, barely suppressing his anger, and pointed at the group below, saying, "Junior Brother Zhang, do you know who these people are?"

"Of course, they are the relatives of the true disciples of the Six Rivers and Four Islands."

Dou Ming was furious, "Since you know who they are, why not release them? Do you want to invite trouble?"

Zhang Yan sneered, "Invite trouble? They just dared to attack me. I think releasing them would invite trouble."

Hearing the reason, Dou Ming was taken aback. He then coughed and adopted a more conciliatory tone, "Junior Brother Zhang, it's just a minor matter. They are the relatives of true disciples; they wouldn't really harm their fellow disciples. It's just a misunderstanding. You've already taught them a lesson. I think you should release them."

Zhang Yan raised an eyebrow, "Strange, Deputy Head Dou fears the true disciples of the Six Rivers and Four Islands, but doesn't fear me, a true disciple?"

Deputy Head Dou was stunned, momentarily speechless. In his eyes, Zhang Yan was inferior to these people. What future could he have being "exiled" to the Alchemy Hall?

However, he could not afford to offend Zhang Yan. The Virtue Pavilion was directly under his jurisdiction, and he would inevitably face trouble in the future. After some thought, he leaned in and whispered, "Junior Brother Zhang, do you know the origin of that spirit beast? It belongs to Su Yiang, a disciple of the Qin Yang Su family, one of the five major clans."

Zhang Yan replied coolly, "In the mortal world, it is said that a prince who breaks the law is treated the same as a commoner. Just because he is a Su family disciple, does he get to ignore the sect's rules and attack a true disciple?"

Seeing that the Su family's name did not intimidate Zhang Yan, Dou Ming became anxious, "Su Yiang is not much, but he is the younger brother of Su Yihong. You should have heard of him. He is known for protecting his kin. If you offend his brother, he might come after you. You won't be able to hide then."

"Su Yihong?"

Zhang Yan thought for a moment. Su Yihong indeed had a great reputation. He had been mentioned repeatedly by Ai Zhongwen in the Lower Academy.

It was said that he was nurtured with spiritual liquid and refined with jade medicine in his mother's womb, born after sixteen years of his mother's daily efforts. He was born with a luminous aura, already in the meridian-opening stage, with an excellent Shaoyang pulse. After thirty-eight years of cultivation, he had become a master of the Core Formation stage, capable of slaying Core Formation cultivators even at the Xuan Guang stage. He was indeed not an ordinary person.

But what did it matter how strong he was?

Zhang Yan sneered. Could one person compare to the power of an entire family or sect? Who among those he had dealt with today did not have a powerful backer?

He dared to act because he had the confidence to do so!

As a true disciple, being repeatedly attacked by juniors, where was the law? Where were the rules? Where was the respect for hierarchy?

Unless the Jingcang Sect disbanded today, it must stand on his side and uphold the rules. Otherwise, if this precedent was set, any true disciple could be attacked, and the sect would not last.

Today, he held the moral high ground and the momentum. It was an unstoppable force. Those who went with it would survive; those who went against it would perish. No matter how powerful Su Yihong was, he could not resist this overwhelming tide.

If this person knew his place, it would be fine. If not, he would either be crushed or suffer a severe blow.

Thus, no matter what Dou Ming said, Zhang Yan ignored him.

Seeing that he could not persuade him, Dou Ming finally gave up. He sneered, "Junior Brother Zhang, if you don't listen to advice, I can't stop you. I hope you still have this backbone in the future. I'll be out of sight, out of mind. Goodbye!"

Zhang Yan bowed, "Farewell, Senior Brother Dou. No need to see you off."

After Dou Ming left, Zhang Yan stood up and ordered, "Warriors, lock all these people with Yunyang Golden Locks and throw them into the cellar. Don't let anyone escape!"

Zhang Yan swept his sleeve and stepped out of the Virtue Pavilion, mounting a flying boat and heading to Zhou Chongju's residence.

Within half an hour, he arrived at the fishing boat and recounted the entire incident to Zhou Chongju.

After listening, Zhou Chongju understood his intentions and laughed, "Junior Brother, your move is aimed at the Feng family, but you must also drag the noble families of the Six Rivers and Four Islands into it. Otherwise, the target is too small, and the master-disciple lineage won't gain enough benefits. How confident are you in this?"

Zhang Yan thought for a moment, "Sixty percent."

"Sixty percent, not bad, but it might still be a bit short. The success of this matter depends on the combined efforts of all. I will help you. The sect leader has recently relied on me for something. If I speak up for you, he will likely go along with it to save face. The chances of success will be over eighty percent."

Zhang Yan's expression changed, and he bowed, "Thank you, Senior Brother."

Zhou Chongju said warmly, "No need to be so formal. Are you returning to your cave today?"

Zhang Yan nodded, "I was just putting on a show. Now that I've openly confronted the Feng family, why stay? They will be too busy to bother with me."

Zhou Chongju agreed, "You're right. The sect forbids private duels. Once this incident is known, no one will dare to trouble you. Even if some juniors are foolish, the elders will see through it. This is the right time for you to return. Focus on improving your cultivation; that is the foundation."

"Senior Brother is right," Zhang Yan paused, then added, "I read your writings the other day and found your alchemy skills profound. I studied them deeply and benefited greatly."

Hearing this, Zhou Chongju's face lit up, "I'm glad you're interested. I was afraid you wouldn't care about my minor skills. Wait a moment," he turned and returned with a bottle of elixirs, "These are elixirs I refined to aid cultivation. Take them."

Zhang Yan took the elixirs, thanked him, and took his leave.

After leaving the fishing boat, he looked up at the sky, thinking, "Feng Shang, I've made my move. How will you respond?" He smiled, cast a spell, and the flying boat rose into the air, heading back to Lingye Island.

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PS: I came back late today. The second update might be very late.