Chapter 2013: The Pressure of Numbers
The events had simply happened too quickly. Just a second before, people had been was cursing Fang Zhonghe for being shameless. He had clearly already lost, and yet he couldn"t take the loss and continued to a.s.sault a junior. Furthermore, he had used such a despicable attack against the saintess!
Even though many people didn’t know the exact details behind his Ninefold Palm, judging from how it looked and the Yin Yang Path’s way of doing things, it wasn’t hard to guess what he wanted to do. And yet, in the blink of an eye, Fang Zhonghe had been forced back by the saintess’ attack!
They rubbed their eyes. Was there something wrong with the world today or something? The saintess had first defeated Elder Xi, and then the Yin Yang Path Master was defeated as well?
However, they didn’t have the time to worry about that, because they suddenly heard the sound of cloth tearing. Fang Zhonghe tore off Fang Long’s clothes, then pressed the latter under him. Judging from the looks of things, he was going to do his own son right there.
“Dad, it’s me!” Fang Long protested as he struggled frantically, but how could he compare to his father in strength?
He frequently bullied women just like this and really enjoyed their struggles, because that gave him a stronger feeling of domination after. He had just never expected that one day, he would also be the victim of this kind of situation...
Suddenly, he felt his lower half become a bit cold. His pants had been pulled straight off.
I’m done for, I’m finished!
Fang Long was about to cry. He was actually being treated this way by another man, and it was even his own father, no less. Worst of all, it was in front of all of these people! Even if he survived this ordeal, he"d become a laughingstock for the entire world. He wouldn’t be able to continue living in this world at all.
Even Li Feiqing, who loathed him, couldn"t help but breathe in deeply. This scene was just too harsh on the eyes to watch.
Many onlookers subconsciously clutched their bottoms, as if they were scared of something.
The Heavenly Devil School"s female disciples all clutched their faces in shock, but the gaps between their fingers were quite wide. Judging from their expressions, they even seemed a bit excited.
“Hmph!”
A cold snort filled the air. Fang Zhonghe screamed miserably as he was blasted flying. He smashed into a large tree, and blood gushed out of his mouth.
Lu Sanyuan was standing nearby with a furious expression. He already believed himself to be the master of the sect, so how could he permit something like this to happen?
The Freedom Path Master and World School Master exchanged a look. They both saw the horror in each other’s eyes.
Even though Fang Zhonghe hadn’t managed to use all of his poison skills, he still had grandmaster rank cultivation. Someone this strong had been sent flying so far without even needing to make direct contact, and ended up seriously injured... Lu Sanyuan’s cultivation seemed to be much higher than what they had previously antic.i.p.ated!
A huge uproar erupted. Fang Zhonghe’s drugs had activated fully and he had completely lost his mind. He hugged the tree next to him and began frantically humping it. His pants were soon a b.l.o.o.d.y mess. The sight made the onlookers" scalps go numb.
Fang Long swallowed with difficulty. If that had happened to him, the one taking all of that would be him... He immediately clung to Lu Sanyuans’s feet with tears of grat.i.tude, crying out, “Thank you, Sect Master Lu! Thank you, Sect Master Lu!” His a.n.u.s hadn’t ended up becoming a sunflower. He was so grateful that he was willing to treat Lu Sanyuan as his father.
Lu Sanyuan kicked him away in disgust. Then, he looked at Zu An with a grave expression while remarking, “I didn’t expect junior sister’s cultivation to have made progress again.”
Even though others hadn"t noticed anything, how could something like this escape his eyes? When Qiu Honglei and the Yin Yang Path Master’s palms met, the "Yun Jianyue" behind Qiu Honglei had secretly infused their own ki into her. That was how Qiu Honglei had been able to send Fang Zhonghe’s poison right back at him.
At first, he had thought that there was no way this could be Yun Jianyue. But apart from her, who else in all of the Lake of Hatred could accomplish such a thing? Even though he didn’t understand why she wasn’t trapped right now, thinking about that was already meaningless. The first priority was dealing with the master and disciple.
Zu An smiled and replied, “I"m actually more impressed with Honglei’s progress as of late. She can even compare with those of the older generation now.”
Qiu Honglei gave him a look with a reddened face.
This guy is talking as if he"s full of experience. It’s actually pretty similar to master. I wonder just how he became so familiar with master’s way of talking.
However, she was filled with more happiness than anything right now. He had praised her in front of everyone and gave her all the credit for winning against the Yin Yang Path Master. As a cultivator, she knew just how much help the confidence of winning brought, especially in a battle like this where the difference was so tremendous.
“The saintess is indeed formidable,” Lu Sanyuan said; he had to acknowledge Qiu Honglei’s talent. Even if Yun Jianyue had helped her, the one who had stepped forward was her. Whether it was her tactics or her mentality, they were both formidable. “I admit that I am inferior to you in raising disciples.”
“There"s no need for you to try to praise me,” Zu An said coldly. “You’ve started this mess of a rebellion, so it’s time that we settle things.”
Another commotion erupted. Just a moment prior, they had been watching Fang Zhonghe compete to see who was tougher, like spectators from the peanut gallery. How could they have expected to suddenly hear such explosive news?
What is Sect Master Yun implying? It seems as if she"s saying that the vice sect master is plotting a rebellion!
That meant what their Vice Sect Master had previously said about Sect Master Yun needing to remain in seclusion could signify much more...
The Freedom Path and World School Masters exchanged a look. They both saw the smile on the corners of each other’s mouths. The two of them had already noticed that something was off earlier, but they had no proof. That was why one had allowed their disciple to do what they wanted, while the other had let their disciple try to ruin the wedding.
At first, they"d just wanted to prevent the Heavenly Devil School and Yin Yang Path from completely allying together. If that happened, the rest of them would have become heavily pressured. They had never expected their plans to turn out even better than expected! Now, not only was the wedding ruined, Yun Jianyue’s appearance made it so that she could very well fight against Lu Sanyuan.
Lu Sanyuan chuckled, replying, “You’re going to settle things with me? I fear that martial sister doesn’t fully understand the current situation yet.”
With a wave of his hand, endless soldiers stormed in from outside, surrounding everyone present. Countless archers appeared around the courtyard walls, aiming their sharp arrows at those within. These were all armor piercing arrows used on the battlefield. They flickered with blue runes that specialized in breaking through the protective barriers of cultivators.
Many people present changed their expressions. An elder couldn"t help but ask, “Sect Master Lu, what is the meaning of this?”
“What is the meaning of this?” Lu Sanyuan repeated. He said proudly, “Obviously, it means this: Submit to me and prosper, or oppose me and perish!”
As he spoke, his long hair moved around behind him despite there being no wind. His clothes began to flutter too.
As for the Devil Sect’s people, they were shocked. The terrifying pressure he released made all of them tremble in fear. They couldn"t produce the slightest intent of rebellion, and felt that just a single finger of his could crush them to death.
“Is this... Is this the power of an earth immortal?” the World School Master said, flabbergasted.
“No, something doesn’t seem right. It doesn’t seem to be a true earth immortal"s power. Rather, he"s borrowing external force to achieve this kind of pressure,” the Freedom Path Master muttered to himself.
“Is there a difference?” the World School Master asked, rolling his eyes.
The Freedom Path Master thought to himself with a bitter smile.
What you say is indeed the case... Whether he"s a true earth immortal or half a step into that level, he still isn"t someone we can go against.
...
Qiu Honglei was facing the pressure head-on, so even breathing was becoming a bit difficult. Just then, however, a warm hand supported her, and she immediately felt the pressure on her entire body lessen.
Ah Zu is really becoming more and more amazing. But this only makes me feel more pressure...
As she looked at Zu An, her eyes were full of love.
Zu An looked at the surrounding soldiers. His gaze landed on Lu Sanyuan as he asked, “So is this where your confidence lies?”
Lu Sanyuan gave him a confused look and replied, “To be honest, the fact that you can still remain calm is quite surprising to me. Do you still think you are the sect master who receives a hundred answers to a single call? Within a hundred miles, all of the forces that were loyal to you have already been eliminated by me. You are all alone, so what do you have left to rely on?”
Zu An smiled. He held Qiu Honglei’s hand and retorted, “Who said I was all alone? I still have her, don’t I?”
Qiu Honglei’s heart began to beat more quickly.
Ah Zu, really... Even in front of so many people, he didn’t forget to show me affection. I’m so embarra.s.sed.
Most importantly, he looks like master right now. It feels so weird.
Lu Sanyuan frowned as well. These two women claimed to be master and disciple, but why did they seem more like lovers? No wonder Qiu Honglei had never been interested in the men of the sect. So that was the reason!
However, he quickly snapped out of his daze and said, “Hmph. I’ll give all of you one chance. Those who are willing to follow me, come and sit on this side. Those who wish to follow Yun Jianyue, move to the other side.”
He swept his gaze across the crowd as he spoke. Wherever he looked, no one dared to make eye contact.
They sized both sides up and whispered among themselves. It was hard for them to make a decision. After all, Yun Jianyue’s prestige had always been quite high. They had already called her sect master for so many years. Betraying her at this juncture felt rather unnatural.
Lu Sanyuan said coldly, “I will give you ten seconds to make your decision. Ten... nine... eight...”
The countdown seemed as if it were measuring their very lifespans. Immediately, many people quickly moved over to his side.
The current situation was already quite clear. Lu Sanyuan’s prestige was already on the same level as Yun Jianyue’s, and the former had come prepared. His people were all around them, and according to what he said, every faction within a hundred miles was now loyal to him. That meant victory was already a.s.sured.
With some taking the lead, others quickly moved behind Lu Sanyuan. At first, there was a huge crowd of people in the middle, but now, only a small portion of people were standing in place and hesitating.
Lu Sanyuan looked at the World School and Freedom Path Masters, asking, “Brothers Chen and Hua, what are you two planning to do?”
The World School Master said with a big smile, “I just want us to get along so we can all be rich, that’s all.” He moved over to Lu Sanyuan"s side while speaking.
The Freedom Path Master’s expression changed.
d.a.m.n this Chen Taogong, he has no backbone! He actually sided with him so quickly! If we"d acted together, we might have even had a chance.
He knew that the current situation was now already pretty much unchangeable. Even if he stood at Yun Jianyue’s side, it wouldn’t do much, and it would risk bringing the Freedom Path to ruin. Thus, he followed suit.
When he saw the two stand at his side, Lu Sanyuan smiled in satisfaction. Three of the four overlords were already at his side... Of course, the trash Fang Zhonghe was still plowing that tree.
“Master!” Li Feiqing cried out. He hadn’t expected his master to also side with Lu Sanyuan.
The Freedom Path Master’s expression remained calm as he said, “Feiqing, hurry and come over here.”
Li Feiqing’s breathing quickened. In the end, he still said gravely, “Master, your respected self taught me to grow out of the mud unsullied, that the Freedom Path’s character is n.o.ble and clean. This disciple really does not wish to make your choice.” After saying that, he stood on the other side.
Qiu Honglei’s expression became a bit complicated. She said, “Brother Li, you actually don’t need to do this...”
Li Feiqing shook his head and replied, “Saintess, this humble one isn’t doing this for you, but for Sect Master Yun. I am not someone who goes against my master!”
“Idiot disciple!” The Freedom Path Master snapped as he looked at Lu Sanyuan with an awkward expression. “Lu Sanyuan, you know how children are; how about your respected self...”
“Young people will always do impractical things. They’ll hit a wall and understand,” Lu Sanyuan said, his expression indifferent.
The Freedom Path Master sighed in relief. Compared to his previous elegant self, he now looked as if he had aged another ten years.
Suddenly, the Secret Path Master Chi Fuzi walked to Yun Jianyue and said with a calm expression, “What Feiqing says is correct. This old one only knows Sect Master Yun as the leader of the Holy Sect. I will not do something as shameful as switching allegiances!”
Qiu Honglei was really moved, exclaiming, “Martial uncle!” She hadn’t expected that Chi Fuzi, the overlord who was normally the least interested in worldly affairs, would actually choose to remain at her master’s side.
Fatty Hu also laughed and said, “I’m not someone who asks for a lot anyway, and the Treasure Hunter Path is just me alone. Even if I rely on Sect Master Lu, there’s no hope of prosperity, so I might as well follow Sect Master Yun and repay the favor she showed me in the past.” He walked up to Zu An and cupped his hands, asking, “Sect Master Yun, your respected self won’t look down on this Fatty Hu’s cultivation being low and dragging you down, right?”
Zu An was stunned. He hadn’t expected this carefree guy to actually have such a backbone, replying, “Of course not.”
However, as soon as Fatty Hu stood behind Zu An, his expression immediately changed. He continued to mumble to himself, "I’m finished, I’m finished.... The Treasure Hunter Path’s only child is also going to disappear... Sigh, why did you just have to act on impulse like that?"
Even so, with those people taking the lead, there were others who also stepped forward after some hesitation. There was no lack of hot-blooded men in the Devil Sect. They knew their choice would probably spell their end, but they all had their own beliefs.
However, the difference in strength between the two sides was still extremely large. Roughly twenty percent of the sect had gone over to Yun Jianyue’s side, while Lu Sanyuan had eighty percent!