Chapter 40

A roar of "So easy to leave—!" echoed through the forest like a thunderclap, and Xia's face lit up with joy!

The group who had apologized out of fear of Hengyi now wore looks of panic. The eighteen-year-old disciple in the bushes struggled to stand up, but his knife wounds burst open, and blood spurted out. He groaned in pain and fell back into the grass.

Moments later, three figures flew into the woods.

The leader wore the peak sect's attire, with the character 'North' on it, followed by three gold lines.

The elder of North Elephant Mountain, and the master of North Elephant Mountain, actually appeared here...

The disciples of North Elephant Mountain all lowered their heads, and even those lying in the grass, who could only make weak sounds, hurriedly joined in, shouting, "Greetings, Elder!"

"What are you doing!" The elder of North Elephant Mountain's face was stern as he swept his gaze around. Seeing that Hengyi's sect attire was from the Two Poles Hall, and he was sixteen years old, his brows furrowed slightly. "And you, a disciple of the Two Poles Hall, came here to fight! What's your name?"

Hengyi, undaunted, replied with a formal salute, "Disciple Hengyi."

"Oh—no wonder! So it's that mad genius from the Lake Sea Sect who can take on dozens! Hmph, truly remarkable. Do you think the disciples of the peak sect are like those of the Lake Sea Sect? You come here and stir up trouble right away, it's utterly absurd!" As the elder of North Elephant Mountain roared, Hengyi was about to salute and explain, but the eighteen-year-old disciple lying in the grass struggled to shout loudly, "Elder, please do something! Please stand up for us, disciples! This Hengyi is incredibly arrogant and looks down on everyone! The disciples heard that Sister Baijie had arrived and wanted to invite her to tour North Elephant Mountain—"

In an instant, he was in tears, looking as if he had suffered a great injustice! This acting left Hengyi momentarily speechless and made Lake Baijie hate him so much that she regretted not kicking him in the legs earlier!

"—but unexpectedly, Hengyi suddenly burst out, accusing the disciples of having ill intentions and wanting to take his woman! The disciples tried to explain, but he suddenly attacked and severely injured us! The other junior brothers and sisters couldn't bear to see this and tried to stop him, but Hengyi arrogantly said to come at him all together, he wouldn't care. When they fought, Sister Baijie defended him and even helped him attack us. The junior brothers and sisters were afraid of hurting him and didn't counterattack, but he still wouldn't stop, injuring so many people! In the end, we had no choice but to fight back, and even Sister Baijie was injured. It's all because of this madman!"

The disciples of North Elephant Mountain lying in the grass quickly joined in, shouting their accusations, not letting Hengyi get a word in edgewise.

The group who had chosen to surrender and admit their mistakes looked at each other, unsure of what to do. In the past, they would have readily agreed, but now they were afraid of Hengyi and worried about causing trouble.

They all looked to the one who had entered the sect the earliest. "Senior Brother, what should we do?"

The man quickly calculated in his mind. He was also hesitant. If Lake Baijie had agreed to take care of them, it would mean a complete break with Xia and her group. Now, of course, they would all strongly defend Lake Baijie.

Unfortunately, Lake Baijie refused to agree, and Xia had already apologized and admitted her mistake, so she might not retaliate. However, many of them had spoken ill of Xia.

"If we stay silent, Xia will definitely suffer! Hengyi is so strong, he won't let us off even if we accuse him. Let's just stay quiet."

"But what if the elder asks?"

"We arrived the latest, we don't know anything!"

The group was full of admiration, nodding in agreement and deciding to stick to this story.

The injured disciples continued to cry and complain, while the uninjured ones just watched coldly, keeping their mouths shut.

Lake Baijie heard these baseless accusations and felt both angry and hateful!

But she knew that the people who cried foul were the old hands in the sect, and with their many mouths, it was hard to find evidence.

She wanted to argue, but before she could speak, the elder of North Elephant Mountain, who had heard the accusations, coldly ordered silence and stared at Hengyi. "What a bold move! Considering you are new and don't know the rules, I will be lenient today. Hengyi, Lake Baijie, you will both spend four hours in the Water Refinement Hell for reflection!"

The disciples of North Elephant Mountain secretly gloated. The Water Refinement Hell usually had a penalty of two hours, and four hours was unprecedented. How could this be considered lenient?

But Xia was not satisfied with just this. According to the sect rules, severely injuring so many people should result in the loss of cultivation and expulsion from the sect, plus the damage to so many treasures. How could this be the end? However, she knew the temper of the master of North Elephant Mountain and dared not say more.

Hengyi quickly said, "Please, Elder, investigate the matter. It's not like that, it's actually..."

"Enough talk!" The elder of North Elephant Mountain coldly interrupted, as if he didn't even want to listen.

Hengyi was shocked by the elder's behavior, taking a moment to believe that this was what a respected master would say and do!

He was burning with anger and angrily saluted, "Elder, you make a judgment based on one-sided words, punishing the victims while letting the wrongdoers off. I cannot accept this!"

Hengyi's anger was evident on his face.

He never imagined that the elder of North Elephant Mountain would handle matters less fairly than the elders of the Lake Sea Sect's Reward and Punishment Hall, who at least listened to both sides and considered reason. Here, they didn't even listen!

The elder of North Elephant Mountain sternly rebuked, "Whether you accept it or not, you must go now! After the punishment, you can complain to the elders of the Two Poles Hall, but for now, you must obey my decision! Are you new and don't even know the basic rules? Didn't the Lake Sea Sect teach you?"

Hengyi suppressed his anger, but with the rules in place, he, as a disciple, could not disobey the elder's order. He angrily saluted, "Disciple accepts the order! But I cannot accept it, and I will go to the Two Poles Hall!"

"Take them to the Water Refinement Hell!" The elder of North Elephant Mountain coldly ordered, and the two who came with him immediately stepped forward, their faces cold as they said, "Go!"

Seeing that Lake Baijie was still injured, Hengyi, though not knowing what the Water Refinement Hell was, knew she couldn't endure it. He slightly suppressed his anger and saluted, "Elder, I dare not refuse the punishment, but Lake Baijie is severely injured. Please let me take double the punishment so she can rest and recover."

"Ridiculous! Does the sect's punishment allow you to bargain?" The elder of North Elephant Mountain angrily waved his hand, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Today, I have seen the true nature of North Elephant Mountain!" Hengyi had nothing more to say, only anger.

Supporting Lake Baijie, he followed the two men away. After they left, the elder of North Elephant Mountain coldly scanned the group of disciples. "You, causing trouble and bullying a new junior sister! After you recover, all of you will spend two hours in the Black Wind Cave for reflection! Those who are not injured, help them back!"

"Elder, it was them—"

"Hmm?" The elder of North Elephant Mountain glared, and the person immediately lowered his head and shut up. The group obediently kept quiet, knowing that the master of North Elephant Mountain was clear about everything, and further arguments would only bring more trouble.

The uninjured ones silently rushed to the severely injured, quickly carrying or supporting them away...

After everyone dispersed, the forest returned to its usual silence.

One of the people who came with the elder of North Elephant Mountain smiled bitterly. "Since you are punishing them, why not just let them go?"

"Hmph! The disciple of the Two Poles Hall came to North Elephant Mountain and injured so many people, shouldn't he be punished? And these scoundrels bullying their own junior sister, shouldn't they be punished?"

"They might say—"

The elder of North Elephant Mountain laughed dismissively. "Who doesn't know I favor my own? Let them say what they want. Do they not favor their own? Hmph!"

The elder of North Elephant Mountain then looked at the many broken magical artifacts scattered in the grass and angrily shouted, "A bunch of good-for-nothings! Attacking a single person and still being beaten to this state! And it's a new disciple from a small sect who hasn't even learned the sect's ultimate techniques—how do you usually teach practical combat?"

The two men helplessly saluted and admitted their fault, lowering their heads and exchanging glances, both seeing the frustration and resentment in each other's eyes.

Is it their fault?

Who knew what kind of monster Hengyi was? Who could believe such a result?

But the elder of North Elephant Mountain clearly blamed them for the loss of North Elephant Mountain's face, leaving no room for explanation.

In the misty, cold water cave, the depths were invisible.

In the misty, cold water, two figures clung tightly together, like exiles in a distant, desolate land.

This was the Water Refinement Hell, one of the ten major punishments of the peak sect.

The peak sect disciples guarding the sides were indifferent to the two people immersed in the cold water, showing no special emotion, as if the punished did not exist.

Of course, they did not know what these two had done. If they did, they would not be so indifferent.

Hengyi felt the bone-chilling cold, his teeth chattering uncontrollably, making a sound that seemed like they might break at any moment.

He was used to the cold from years in the ice valley, but the cold water here, which wouldn't freeze, felt like it was penetrating his bones, leaving him defenseless.

"What kind of water is this, colder than ice but not frozen?"

"Profound Ice Water!" Lake Baijie shivered, hugging Hengyi tightly since entering the water. Her teeth chattered, and her protective true qi offered no protection in the Profound Ice Water.

The cold of the Profound Ice Water could easily penetrate any true qi, flowing through it and making the cold even more intense.

Hengyi clenched his teeth, his chest burning with righteous indignation at this unfair punishment, determined not to make a sound, as it would be like admitting defeat to the unreasonable and unfair treatment, which he could not accept.

"I never thought—"

"They are many, and we are few. How can two mouths argue with so many? Even if the elder listens to you, what evidence can you provide to prove we are telling the truth? Hengyi, when under someone's roof, you must bow your head. Arguing with the elder will only make things worse and increase your punishment."

Lake Baijie whispered, partly to prevent Hengyi from suffering more in the future, and partly because she couldn't bear to see him tormented by his anger. She also regretted not agreeing to the group's request earlier and openly challenging Xia.