Chapter 38: Shocking the Hall

The tone of the two sect elders was quite intimidating, but Chen Chen remained unperturbed.

"Know your crime? May I ask the two elders, what crime have I and Wang Yue committed?" Standing beside Situ Ya, Chen Chen's face remained calm as he countered Xiao Zhenhai and Lu Hao.

All of this was within Chen Chen's expectations. He knew very well that compromising at this point would be useless, and the best strategy was to argue based on reason.

Seeing Chen Chen speak so calmly, not being intimidated by them, Xiao Zhenhai and Lu Hao were both taken aback, exchanging glances.

They had originally thought that such young boys would be frightened to their knees by the mere words of sect elders, but now it seemed that the boy was not afraid of their threats.

Unfortunately, Xiao Zhenhai and Lu Hao could not have imagined that they were facing not an ordinary fifteen-year-old boy, but a man who had lived two lives. Threatening a small thug like Chen Chen was utterly ineffective.

They were unreasonable, but in fact, Chen Chen was even more ruthless. If not for the huge disparity in strength, Chen Chen would have already settled the matter with his fists...

"Hmph! What crime? You killed so many fellow disciples, and you still dare to ask us what crime you committed? Truly, you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin!" After a brief daze, Xiao Zhenhai spoke again, his voice harsh. He and Lu Hao were both seasoned individuals who had lived for most of their lives and would not let this go so easily.

"Then may I ask the two elders, if Lin Hai and those senior disciples wanted to kill us, should we have just let them do as they pleased?" Chen Chen did not back down, responding calmly.

At this moment, Lu Hao also spoke, glaring at Chen Chen and Wang Yue, "What a sharp-tongued brat! If Lin Hai and those disciples wanted to kill you, you two should have just defeated them to protect yourselves. We would have handled the matter. Why did you have to kill them? I think you two are clearly malicious!"

"Ha, so according to Elder Lu, if the sect leader intended to kill you, would you also be so benevolent as to just defeat him and then... wait for your opponent to recover and kill you?" Chen Chen laughed in anger, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"You—"

Hearing this, Xiao Zhenhai and Lu Hao were almost driven to the point of spitting blood. They had underestimated Chen Chen. This boy not only acted shockingly but also spoke with cunning and intelligence, leaving no room for rebuttal.

Beside them, Situ Ya covered her mouth and laughed softly, giving Chen Chen a flirtatious glance. This little guy was truly unexpected, not at all like a fifteen-year-old child.

"Ha ha ha! At such a young age, your mouth is so sharp. Our Lianyun Sect has stood here for hundreds of years, and when did we have a brat like you? Truly, the young are to be feared, ha ha ha..."

Suddenly, a hearty laugh echoed from outside the main hall. Soon, two figures flashed, and two more people appeared in the hall.

"Pay respects to the sect leader!"

The sudden appearance of two more figures startled the four sect elders, who then hurriedly approached the middle-aged man leading them and bowed.

The middle-aged man was about fifty years old, with a square face, long hair, and a simple hemp robe. He had no adornments of the Lianyun Sect on his body.

However, his appearance immediately eased the tense atmosphere in the hall. Even Xiao Zhenhai and Lu Hao's arrogance was somewhat restrained, and they dared not act rashly for the moment.

This middle-aged man was none other than the current sect leader of the Lianyun Sect, Liao Yan, who had reached the twelfth level of the Blood Fusion Realm!

Liao Yan had gained fame early in the Luo Yun City area. In his youth, he had become famous for his Purple Lightning Cloud Sword, and many major forces in the vicinity had tried to recruit him. However, Liao Yan ultimately chose to stay in the Lianyun Sect, an ordinary sect. His predecessor, the former sect leader, was his mentor, who had passed away many years ago.

Seeing the sect leader himself arrive, Chen Chen and Wang Yue hurriedly stepped forward and bowed deeply, "Disciples pay respects to the sect leader!"

Although the five elders of the Lianyun Sect had great power, since Liao Yan took over the sect, no one dared to show him any disrespect. This was partly due to the influence of his mentor, the former sect leader, and partly because Liao Yan's own strength was enough to dominate the entire Lianyun Sect, with no one able to match him.

Chen Chen and Wang Yue were well aware of this, so they did not dare to look down on the simply dressed middle-aged man before them.

Behind the sect leader Liao Yan, an old man also followed. Chen Chen had never met him before, but he had heard of his name. If his guess was correct, this person should be the last of the five elders, the one-eyed black tiger, Situ Chuan.

Just from the name, Situ Chuan was closely related to the fox-faced beauty, Situ Ya. In fact, Situ Chuan was Situ Ya's father. Both father and daughter were sect elders, a unique occurrence in the history of the Lianyun Sect. However, Situ Ya's skills were not inherited from Situ Chuan but from another elder who had passed away.

Situ Chuan's attire was also simple, with only his blind eye covered by black tiger skin, making him look like an ordinary old man.

However, Chen Chen knew very well that although Situ Chuan looked like a decrepit old man, his cultivation was formidable, ranking first among the five elders, and he was just one step away from the twelfth level of the Blood Fusion Realm.

The appearance of Liao Yan and Situ Chuan made the atmosphere in the hall noticeably strange. Situ Chuan, of course, would naturally stand by his daughter, Situ Ya, and from the tone of the sect leader Liao Yan earlier, it seemed he was also inclined to support Chen Chen and Wang Yue.

This made Xiao Zhenhai and Lu Hao's faces turn grim, but they dared not act rashly with the sect leader present.

"Sect leader, these two boys disregarded the bond of fellow disciples and brutally killed Lin Hai and many other seniors. We hope the sect leader will punish them to set an example!"

After a moment, Blood Hand Rogue Xiao Zhenhai could no longer contain himself. Lin Hai's death had been a great blow to him. At just seventeen, Lin Hai had achieved the fifth rank among the inner disciples, and Xiao Zhenhai had always placed great importance on him, considering him his ideal successor.

It was also for this reason that he had taught Lin Hai the unique skill, Crimson Blood Blaze. Unfortunately, Lin Hai was not up to the task and was ultimately killed by Chen Chen.

Of course, Xiao Zhenhai had never intended to teach Lin Hai Crimson Blood Blaze to have him kill Chen Chen. He had merely wanted his disciple to defeat Chen Chen and restore his honor. He had not expected the situation to escalate to this point.

Moreover, Xiao Zhenhai knew he was in the wrong and did not truly want Chen Chen and Wang Yue to pay with their lives. In his view, the most reasonable punishment would be to strip them of their cultivation and expel them from the sect.

Beside him, Green-faced Wolf Lu Hao had the same idea and immediately echoed, "Elder Xiao's words are very reasonable. If these two are not punished, other disciples will surely follow their example, leading to endless trouble. I suggest stripping Chen Chen and Wang Yue of their cultivation and expelling them from the sect!"

Initially, Chen Chen did not take this seriously, but when he heard the phrase "strip them of their cultivation," his face darkened.

"Are the two elders being too unreasonable? Clearly, it was your failure to discipline your disciples that led to our suffering. Don't push us too far!" Despite the presence of the sect's top leadership, Chen Chen did not hold back, staring directly at Xiao Zhenhai and Lu Hao.

Being expelled from the sect did not bother Chen Chen. The Lianyun Sect was just a place for him to hide and improve his strength. There were at least fifty or a hundred similar sects in Yunzhou City, and he and Wang Yue could still thrive after leaving the Lianyun Sect.

However, stripping them of their cultivation was something Chen Chen would never agree to. His arm was already tensed, and if these people insisted on forcing the issue, he was prepared to fight to the death.

This was Chen Chen's temperament. Once his底线 (底线 means "bottom line" or "limits") was crossed, there was no way he would compromise!

"You dare, boy? Killing fellow disciples, do you also dare to attack the sect elders, rebelling against the sect?!"

Seeing Chen Chen's cold expression and the veins bulging on his arm, Xiao Zhenhai and Lu Hao could no longer sit still and were about to move to apprehend Chen Chen.

In their view, as one of the five elders of the sect, they were usually held in high esteem. A disciple who had only been in the sect for a few months daring to challenge their authority was simply intolerable!

"Enough, enough, elders, calm down. You should know that I will not let you do that."

At this moment, the sect leader Liao Yan spoke. He flashed and appeared between Chen Chen and the two elders, clearly unwilling to see the two elders attack a young disciple.

However, Chen Chen's actions also made Liao Yan secretly impressed. There were many martial artists in this world, but few had the courage to challenge an unbeatable opponent. Liao Yan admired Chen Chen's bravery.

He turned to Chen Chen, looked him over, and then smiled faintly, "You are the disciple named Chen Chen, right? Elder Situ Ya has mentioned you highly to me. I am very curious, how did you manage to kill your senior, Lin Hai? According to my understanding, the gap between you and Lin Hai was quite significant!"

With Liao Yan's cultivation, he could easily see through Chen Chen's current strength. At the peak of the fourth level of the Blood Fusion Realm, it was quite good, but still fell short compared to Lin Hai.

"Lin Hai wanted to kill me and even used the powerful skill, Crimson Blood Blaze. I had no choice but to use the Nine Shadows Slash to counter him!" Chen Chen replied seriously.

"Crimson Blood Blaze?" Liao Yan glanced at Xiao Zhenhai, making him feel somewhat embarrassed. Then, his gaze returned to Chen Chen, and he asked doubtfully, "But Elder Situ Ya said you have only learned the first move of the Nine Shadows Slash. How could you counter Crimson Blood Blaze with just the Shadow Ghost Slash?"

"Yes, in a moment of desperation, I suddenly managed to use the remaining two moves. Lin Hai was killed by my three moves combined." Chen Chen said seriously, knowing that to protect the secret of the mysterious mirror, it was best to reveal some of the details of what happened.

Otherwise, it would only raise more suspicion, and if the mysterious mirror were discovered, it would be disastrous...

However, his serious tone had a different effect on the people around him.

Silence.

The hall was completely silent.

Chen Chen's words were like a bolt of lightning, causing a terrifying shock in Liao Yan and the group of elders.

To suddenly master the remaining two moves in a moment of desperation and kill the enemy—oh my, what kind of talent is this?

In the eyes of Liao Yan and the group of elders, this was not just a genius but a prodigy!