C1500 Indifferent
C1500 Indifferent
Wei Dang simply didn't know what was best for him, greedily eyeing a task that even Wei Zhengzhen approached with caution!
"Yes, I'll take care of it immediately," Li Jian responded, fully grasping Wei Zhengzhen's intent. There was no room for levity in this matter. This was not only to provide an explanation to the Martial Puppet and Lin Xuan, who supported him from the shadows, but also to assert his stance. It served as a warning to any future upstarts not to involve him in their follies. If he could dispose of even his most cherished junior without hesitation, who would dare risk such folly?
Wei Tao was merely an ordinary warrior at the Martial Monarch Stage Middle stage. Li Jian, being at level 9 of the Martial Monarch Stage, could easily dispose of him. After offering a quick apology to the Martial Puppet, Li Jian hastened away.
"Elder Wu, please accept my apologies. I will resolve this matter immediately. Within half an hour, the task will be completed!"
To ensure the mission's success and to address any other issues, the squads from the five halls tasked with collecting gifts had all gathered at the Elemental Spirit Hall, awaiting further instructions in an adjacent side hall. Their cultivation levels were not high enough to warrant their presence here, where even the least advanced was at the late period of the Martial Monarch Stage.
The emptiness of the other four halls was not a concern. The five great sects, formerly the most elite forces on the Dongyuan Continent, had top-tier protective formations. Even in their absence, these formations were not vulnerable to lesser warriors or powers. Furthermore, each sect had at least one late period Martial Monarch Stage martial artist in residence to oversee the protective formation, just in case. No force among the Dongyuan Continent's human race was capable of exploiting this opportunity to launch an attack.
Unless they belonged to the Demon race hidden deep within the mountains.
But even the Demon race wouldn't dare to venture lightly into the heartland of the humans. A careless move could mean being captured and used as materials for alchemy or crafting weapons.
The dominance of humans over these fertile lands was a clear indication of the disparity in strength between the two races.
Especially now, with the emergence of Lin Xuan, a formidable Half-level Emperor, on the human side.
Should the Demon race dare to approach, they would likely be effortlessly captured and utterly at his mercy.
Li Jian could handle such matters swiftly.
"Humph!"
The Martial Puppet let out a cold snort in response.
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed him.
This being, once unassailable and beyond his reach, was now no match for him.
In his presence, he was nothing but meek and compliant.
The difference between them was beyond comprehension.
The Martial Puppet felt a profound sense of satisfaction, yet he was well aware of his own circumstances and showed no outward sign of his feelings.
He continued to scrutinize the gifts from the Eastern Righteous Hall.
Before the Devil Cloud Sect unveiled its true power, its predecessor, the East Saint Sect, was the undisputed leading force on the Dongyuan Continent.
Their actions were domineering, and their disciples were known for their extreme arrogance.
They had managed to offend many from the other five major sects, including Wu Gui, with whom they had had several altercations.
Now, even though the East Saint Sect had been significantly weakened by Lin Xuan's forceful destruction of their protective array and the slaying of Sun Yan at the peak of the Emperor Level, Wu Gui was not inclined to let bygones be bygones. He was looking for a pretext to exact punishment.
The gift from the East Saint Sect was the first he examined, and he did so with meticulous attention to detail.
His intention was clear: to find fault with the East Saint Sect.
Ideally, he would have all five major sects come forward.
After all, he hailed from the Devil Cloud Sect and had been planted in the Elemental Spirit Sect as an undercover agent.
It's fair to say he held no fondness for any of the six great sects.
With the Devil Cloud Sect now in ruins and the other five sects still standing, he was not about to let things rest so easily.
Some more days passed.
A flicker of disappointment passed through Wu Gui's eyes. Other than Wei Zheng's grandson, Wei Qiang, there was no one else coveting the treasures. In the past, such a scenario would have been nearly unthinkable. It was commonplace for items to go missing as they changed hands—skimming off the top was the most lucrative part of the job, an opportunity that might not come around every year. One good haul could significantly fatten one's purse. Though it was never openly acknowledged, it had become an unspoken rule.
But this time presented an opportunity like never before. In the past, while some bribes were taken both overtly and covertly, it was inconceivable that they could amount to half the wealth of an Emperor Level power. Now, it involved all the Emperor Level powers. On the Dongyuan Continent, the number of Emperor Level powers was more than tenfold that of the six major factions. Even the smallest of takings would be more than enough for many to gorge themselves. Yet, after a thorough reckoning, only Wei Qiang had indulged in such behavior, which was quite peculiar.
Upon further reflection, however, the situation was not incomprehensible. The continental landscape had shifted. The six great factions no longer dominated the Dongyuan Continent. Now, Lin Xuan, the founder of Tianyuan Palace, held sway. This formidable figure had burst onto the scene and swiftly subdued the Elemental Spirit Sect. He then commanded the five great factions to besiege the Devil Cloud Sect. With a single decree, he eradicated hundreds of thousands of Devil Cloud Sect's warriors. For defying him, the East Saint Sect's leadership, including Sun Yan, was obliterated. The number of warriors who met their end, directly or indirectly, at his hand was close to a million.
Given the uncertainty surrounding this formidable individual, coupled with explicit instructions from the Grand Elder and the ancestors, few dared to engage in any underhanded activities. Only Wei Qiang, emboldened by his ancestor's favor, had the audacity to ignore the risks and act recklessly.
Li Jian had returned as well.
"Elder Wu, here are the Hundred Refined Yama Gold and the Hundred Bird Phoenix Spear from the Hundred Refined Sect, as requested. I also have the proposed sanctions for Wei Qiang, awaiting your review."
Li Jian handed a storage ring and a jade talisman, used for recording images, to Wei Zhengzhen. Once Wei Zhengzhen had examined them and verified their accuracy, he passed them on to the Martial Puppet. The jade talisman captured the moment when Li Jian disabled Wei Kao's Dantian.
In the side hall, with everyone looking on, Wei Kao's Dantian was shattered, his cultivation completely dissipated. His hair turned white overnight, and his face became lined with wrinkles. In an instant, he went from middle-aged to an old man nearing the end of his life. His form became gaunt, his cries of misery short-lived.
Yet, Wei Zhengzhen's expression remained unchanged, as if the man before him was not his dearly loved grandnephew but a mere stranger.
The other martial artists in the hall showed no sign of surprise at this scene. Unlike Lin Xuan, they were seasoned cultivators with centuries of experience. They had long become accustomed to the ebbs and flows of familial and romantic love. For them, nothing mattered more than survival and the pursuit of greater power.
Even if it meant crippling their most cherished grandnephew or great-grandchild to avoid personal calamity, they would do so without a second thought. As long as they lived, they could have countless grandnephews and great-grandchildren. If one was lost, they could simply be replaced by another.