"Little brother!" Someone quickly rushed in, picked up Fang Chen, and checked his condition, only to discover that Fang Chen was already dead!
"He is dead…" Fang Yun glared at Yi Tianyun with fury. "He killed my brother!"
The young man before him was Fang Chen's older brother, Fang Yun. His cultivation level was higher than Fang Chen's. He had already reached the Seventh Level of the Body Refinement Realm. Within Spirit Sect, he was considered one of the talented disciples.
"They tried to snatch my Dragon Blood Divine Pill. Of course I wasn't going to give it to them. They attacked me, so I simply returned the favor." Yi Tianyun looked at them coldly while holding the long spear.
"I-I… we didn't rob him, that's slander… We were just walking around when he suddenly approached and harassed us…" Zhao Hao, despite suffering light injuries, immediately began twisting the truth to his convenience while glaring viciously at Yi Tianyun.
"Yes, he suddenly claimed this was his territory and attacked us. We didn't even retaliate!" Lin Yuan, lying beside him, painfully struggled to stand up. Now that their elder had arrived, they no longer feared anything.
Fang Yun actually knew the truth. The Dragon Blood Divine Pill was definitely precious. It could greatly enhance blood qi, and its effects were far more effective for people at lower cultivation levels. Once someone reached a higher cultivation level, the effects became much weaker. Knowing Fang Chen's personality, Fang Yun knew his brother had definitely intended to snatch the Dragon Blood Divine Pill.
When one's cultivation was still within the Body Refinement Realm, the goal was to continuously increase the energy within the body in order to break through. As the name implied, the key to the Body Refinement Realm was refining the body itself.
However, they would naturally never admit that their disciples had tried to snatch Yi Tianyun's Dragon Blood Divine Pill! Especially now that Fang Chen was dead, they only wanted revenge.
"Impossible! Our disciples would never do such a thing!" Zhao Hualong, the Second Elder of Spirit Sect, stood up and said: "Palace Lord Shi, you must give us an explanation! We allowed our outstanding disciples to join Jade Palace for training because we wanted to improve the relationship between our factions. I never expected this would be the result of trying to cooperate with your faction. Are you trying to destroy the relationship between our factions?"
Yi Tianyun and Shi Xueyun both tried their best to suppress their anger. The disciples of Jade Palace were clearly blaming Yi Tianyun. Although it was not obvious at first glance, their expressions revealed everything. Everyone knew that Spirit Sect's influence could not be underestimated. If they became enemies with Spirit Sect, they would not be allowed to escape easily.
Shi Xueyun looked at them coldly. She understood Yi Tianyun's character better than anyone. He would never attack someone unless provoked. Just as Yi Tianyun said, they had attempted to snatch the Dragon Blood Divine Pill!
However, no one else trusted Yi Tianyun the way she did, including the disciples of Jade Palace. Yi Tianyun had never intended to destroy the relationship between the two factions because he understood what it meant to make enemies of Spirit Sect.
"What do you want?" Shi Xueyun looked toward Zhao Hualong. The Second Elder of Spirit Sect clearly only wanted revenge and did not care about the means.
"I want a duel with him!" Fang Yun stood up and looked coldly at Yi Tianyun. "He killed my little brother. I want a life-and-death duel with him!"
Zhao Hualong added from the side: "That's right. We have cooperated for a long time. And as we said earlier, since our disciples did not attack first, they should not be punished! Yet now you have injured our disciples and killed Fang Chen. This matter absolutely cannot be ignored. Therefore, we will settle this with a fair duel. Naturally, Yi Tianyun will represent your Jade Palace in this duel. Both sides will fight fairly, regardless of life or death!"
Although they called it fair, everyone understood Yi Tianyun's predicament. Even though his cultivation level was not weak, his lack of blood qi would inevitably cause him to lose. Sending him to represent Jade Palace in a duel to the death was no different from sending him to commit suicide.
Shi Xueyun frowned slightly and said: "He is not a suitable opponent. Please choose another disciple."
Naturally, she could not allow Yi Tianyun to duel. His blood qi was extremely weak. Furthermore, he had just trained martial arts for an extended period of time and fought those three troublemakers. He would definitely collapse soon. How could she possibly send Yi Tianyun to his death?
Zhao Hualong sneered: "Palace Lord Shi, he may not be a suitable opponent, but he challenged the authority of Spirit Sect! Do you intend to make this matter even worse?" His words carried obvious threats.
"No! Anyone but him!" Shi Xueyun replied sternly.
The people from Spirit Sect looked toward Yi Tianyun, their eyes filled with disdain as they mocked him inwardly. No matter how much Shi Xueyun tried to hide it, news had already spread outside Jade Palace that Yi Tianyun was trash. If he fought, he would definitely die, and Jade Palace would lose as well.
At this moment, it seemed that everyone present other than Shi Xueyun was Yi Tianyun's enemy, including the disciples of Jade Palace.
"I think I understand now. If I remember correctly, he should be the son of the former Palace Lord. Rumors say his blood qi is weak and that he could die at any moment. No wonder Palace Lord Shi refuses to let him participate. Honestly, defeating a blood-deficient trash like him proves nothing. But since he dared challenge the authority of Spirit Sect, even if he is trash, we must make an example of him. Otherwise, others will stop respecting us in the future!"
They completely ignored Shi Xueyun's reasoning. No matter what, Yi Tianyun had to participate in the duel. Their shamelessness rivaled the snowstorm outside.
Suddenly, a powerful aura erupted from Shi Xueyun's body. The surrounding snow was blasted upward before scattering back down to the ground. Everyone immediately felt overwhelming pressure descending upon them.
The strength of a Core Condensation Realm cultivator was not something to scoff at!
In the next moment, Shi Xueyun flashed forward and instantly appeared before Zhao Hualong. Before he could even react, her hand moved.
Slap!
The sound was crisp and loud, echoing throughout the courtyard.
After delivering the slap, Shi Xueyun calmly returned to her original position and stood protectively before Yi Tianyun. Her white dress fluttered gently, remaining spotless and elegant. A faint fragrance drifted into Yi Tianyun's nose, making him feel strangely at peace.
Meanwhile, a clear five-finger mark appeared on Zhao Hualong's face, but the humiliation wounded his pride far more deeply than the slap itself.
No one expected Shi Xueyun to directly slap Zhao Hualong. That slap struck not only his face, but also his dignity.
"Palace Lord Shi, what do you mean by this?! Are you trying to start a conflict?!" Zhao Hualong's neck turned red with anger. He was furious, but his strength was nowhere near Shi Xueyun's. All he could do was threaten her.
"I already stated my condition. Didn't you hear me?" Shi Xueyun's voice turned ice-cold. "And if Yi Tianyun is trash, then what are those three lying on the ground?"
If Zhao Hualong were not an elder of Spirit Sect, he would have received a palm print instead of merely finger marks.
Yi Tianyun was her reverse scale. Whoever hurt him would pay with their life!
Yi Tianyun stared blankly at the scene before him. This was his aunt, the woman who had always stood beside him and protected him.