Yun Heng stood in place, her eyes cold as they fell upon Su Mingyuan.
Had she known this would happen, she wouldn't have been in such a rush to take the Qingming Mother Tree back in the secret realm.
She should have dealt with Su Mingyuan first.
If the secret realm hadn't suddenly collapsed and forced her to rush off with the Qingming Mother Tree, how could Su Mingyuan have ever found an opportunity to distort the truth like this?
Wei Quechen took a step forward and asked in a grave voice:
“Little Friend Yun, is what Little Friend Su said true?”
Yun Heng did not deny it.
Such a massive Qingming Mother Tree had vanished into thin air right in front of Su Mingyuan; denying it now would be meaningless.
“It is true.”
“However, whatever I obtained inside the Qingming Secret Realm hardly seems like something I need to report to you, Sect Master Wei, does it?”
Wei Quechen’s face instantly darkened.
A backgroundless Nascent Soul junior actually dared to speak to him in such a tone.
Wei Quechen had also heard about Yun Heng’s performance at the Martial Inquiry Arena earlier.
Cultivating to the late stage of the Nascent Soul Realm at such a young age, and even defeating Yan Yi of the Mirror Moon Sect across major realms, truly made her a rare genius.
Precisely because of this, he had not acted directly just now; in his mind, he had already given Yun Heng plenty of face.
Yet not only did Yun Heng fail to offer a detailed explanation, but she also dared to question him in public.
In that case, there was no need to be polite with her any longer.
Wei Quechen’s gaze turned completely cold.
“Yun Heng.”
“Whatever opportunities you obtained in the secret realm are naturally none of this old man’s business.”
“However, if this matter is connected to Wujiu’s injuries, then this old man must get to the bottom of it.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a powerful pressure suddenly erupted from Wei Quechen’s body.
The aura of a peak Soul Transformation cultivator instantly enveloped the surroundings.
The air seemed to freeze in that moment.
The faces of nearby cultivators with lower cultivation drastically changed as they staggered backward one after another.
A few Foundation Establishment cultivators could not dodge in time; their legs buckled, nearly forcing them to their knees.
And the true target of this terrifying pressure was Yun Heng.
An immense force descended upon her like a mountain without warning.
Yun Heng’s face paled instantly.
She was currently only at the late stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, a full major realm below peak Soul Transformation.
Yun Heng felt the surrounding air constantly crushing against her body.
Her blood churned violently inside her, and the flow of her spiritual energy ground to a temporary halt.
Her shoulders sank slightly, yet her legs remained firmly planted where she stood.
Yun Heng gritted her teeth, resisting the overwhelming force pressing down on her.
“Ugh...”
A muffled groan escaped Yun Heng’s throat.
A trickle of blood slowly spilled from the corner of her lips.
Seeing this scene, the expressions of the onlookers shifted drastically.
Sect Master Wei had made his move; today's matter would likely not end peacefully.
“Yun Heng!”
Yan Yi quickly rushed to support Yun Heng’s arm.
Sensing Yun Heng’s slightly trembling body, deep worry surged across her face.
“How are you?”
Yan Yi raised her head and looked angrily at Wei Quechen.
“Sect Master Wei!”
“Without a single shred of evidence, you attack Yun Heng based solely on Su Mingyuan’s one-sided claims!”
“Is this how the Taihua Sword Sect conducts its affairs?”
“This is nothing more than using power to bully others—there is no such justice in this world!”
Wei Quechen looked at Yan Yi and said expressionlessly:
“Sect Master Zhu, please discipline your disciple.”
Zhu Shuang’s brows furrowed tightly.
Allowing Yan Yi to interfere any further at this moment would only drag the Mirror Moon Sect into the conflict as well.
“A’Yi, come back.”
Zhu Shuang stepped beside Yan Yi, reaching out to pull her back.
But Yan Yi brushed off her master’s hand.
“Su Mingyuan can’t produce any evidence, so why should—”
Before she could finish her sentence, her wrist was suddenly pulled by Yun Heng.
Yan Yi turned her head.
Yun Heng slowly shook her head at her.
The meaning was crystal clear.
This matter originally had nothing to do with Yan Yi.
For her to step forward and speak up on her behalf under the watchful eyes of the crowd was already more than enough.
Yan Yi understood Yun Heng’s intent, but the worry in her eyes did not diminish in the slightest.
Yun Heng was facing the Taihua Sword Sect right now. She had no sect or noble family behind her—what was she going to do?
Yun Heng raised her head once more, her gaze passing over Yan Yi to lock onto Wei Quechen.
Wei Quechen truly was unreasonable.
Yun Heng could understand the worry and anger in his heart upon discovering that Xie Wujiu was injured.
Xie Wujiu was his direct disciple, and even more so the Taihua Sword Sect's most crucial genius of this generation.
But that was absolutely no reason for Wei Quechen to judge her guilty based solely on Su Mingyuan’s one-sided claims, let alone attack her directly.
From start to finish, Su Mingyuan had provided no proof whatsoever.
Furthermore, opportunities within a secret realm were always a matter of individual capability.
When all was said and done, it was simply because they believed she had no backing power behind her.
A rogue cultivator without sect or faction, no matter how talented, possessed no right to resist before the grand Taihua Sword Sect.
The coldness in Yun Heng’s eyes grew increasingly intense.
She raised her hand and slowly wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with her thumb.
Bright red blood stained her fingertip.
Yun Heng looked at Wei Quechen and said word by word:
“Wei Quechen.”
“Taihua Sword Sect.”
“What a fine bandit sect master, what a fine bandit sect.”
The moment these words were spoken, a sharp intake of cold breath resounded around them.
Everyone stared at Yun Heng in complete shock.
Had she lost her mind?
She actually dared to address Wei Quechen directly by name in front of so many people, even denouncing him as a bandit sect master and calling the Taihua Sword Sect a bandit sect!
Looking across the entire Eastern Region, hardly anyone dared to utter such words.
Wei Quechen’s reputation in the Eastern Region was indeed far from stellar.
He was notoriously short-tempered and protective of his own.
Whenever a Taihua Sword Sect disciple got into a conflict with others, regardless of how it started, he would almost always side with his disciple first.
As for those without backings, or whose behind-the-scenes factions paled in comparison to the Taihua Sword Sect, even if they suffered injustice, they could only swallow their grievances in silence.
However, the Taihua Sword Sect was one of the Five Great Sects of the Eastern Region, and Wei Quechen himself was a peak Soul Transformation cultivator.
Even if people harbored discontent over his methods, no one dared to voice it to his face.
Most could only seethe in silence, swallowing their rage.
Today, however, before the Five Great Sects, the ancient clans of the Eastern Region, and countless rogue cultivators, Yun Heng laid bare the exact words no one else dared to say out loud.
Everyone realized the gravity of the situation.
Yun Heng was directly challenging Wei Quechen and the entire Taihua Sword Sect in public.
The gazes directed at her could not help but carry a few extra hints of sympathy; this Yun Heng was likely facing certain doom.
Hearing Yun Heng’s words, Wei Quechen’s face sank completely into shadow.
He had helm the Taihua Sword Sect for years, and which power in the Eastern Region didn't treat him with utmost respect whenever they met him?
Even the masters of other major sects would never embarrass him so thoroughly under the public eye.
Let alone Yun Heng—a sectless, backgroundless Nascent Soul junior!
No one had ever dared to denounce him like this before.
“Good.”
Wei Quechen laughed out of sheer fury.
“Very good indeed.”
The pressure surging from his body grew steadily stronger.
The surrounding spiritual energy frantically gathered toward him, and his sleeves, which had hung motionless, billowed without wind.
An aura far more dangerous than before rapidly swept across the area.
This time, Wei Quechen was truly intent on killing.
Yun Heng likewise sensed the impending danger.
If a peak Soul Transformation cultivator unleashed his full power, she was completely incapable of standing against him right now.
“System!”
“System, hurry!”
“I’m gonna die!”
“Summon all the Shadow Guards and Golden Armored Guards right now!”
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