Hou Qing, with one hand covering his severed arm, watched as the blood continued to seep through his palm. Coupled with his terrifying face, he looked extremely frightening.
"You're really lucky," Hou Qing glared at Lin Feng with a sinister look. At this moment, he still did not believe that Lin Feng had the strength to defeat him. It must have been Lin Feng's good fortune that he swung his sword at the exact moment when Hou Qing was unable to resist. Not only did Hou Qing think this way, but many of the outer disciples shared the same thought. They did not believe that the useless Lin Feng could truly defeat Hou Qing with one strike.
"Lucky?" Lin Feng was taken aback, then smiled. Perhaps it was.
"Next time, I won't give you another chance." Hou Qing's steps were unsteady as he walked toward the crowd. With his arm severed, he was severely injured and needed immediate treatment.
"I hope there won't be a next time." Lin Feng shook his head inwardly. Hou Qing, who had been defeated by him, could not even understand how he lost, attributing it to Lin Feng's good luck. With such a mindset, he would never be able to defeat Lin Feng in the future.
"You even dared to injure an enforcer. It seems you don't respect the Yunhai Sect at all," Mo Xie accused Lin Feng of another crime.
Looking at Mo Xie, Lin Feng sneered, "If you want to pin a crime on someone, you can always find a reason. According to your logic, should I let him sever my arm and then be expelled from the Yunhai Sect to show that I respect the Yunhai Sect? Don't you think that's absurd, Elder?"
Lin Feng emphasized the word "Elder," emphasizing that even if Mo Xie wanted to sever his arm and expel him from the sect, he still expected Lin Feng to respect the Yunhai Sect. Lin Feng was truly impressed by Mo Xie's ability to say such things.
"Lord Sect Master, can I speak for myself?" Lin Feng no longer looked at Mo Xie. The person with the final say was Nangong Ling.
Nangong Ling's eyes showed a hint of interest. He was indeed very interested in Lin Feng, who remained calm and composed throughout, a quality essential for a martial cultivator.
"Speak," Nangong Ling nodded.
"Lord Sect Master, I was summoned here and, upon arrival, was immediately accused by the Elder of being a traitor and a disgrace to the sect. When I tried to defend myself, the Elder insulted me, saying I was disrespectful and should have my arm severed and be expelled from the sect. I want to ask, does the sect's judgment depend solely on the Elder's word? Does the sect's law depend on the Elder's word alone?"
Lin Feng's sharp words made the crowd think he was truly insane.
"Bold!" A powerful aura locked onto Lin Feng, and Mo Xie wished he could kill Lin Feng on the spot.
"If I'm not bold, I'll be crippled and expelled from the sect. Why not be bold once and ask the Elder where my crimes come from?" Lin Feng was unafraid, confronting Mo Xie.
"Beast, you injured your brother and insulted your elder. Do you dare deny it?" Lin Qian shouted coldly.
"So that's it." Lin Feng sneered, "It seems the Elder's judgment is based on what she said."
"So what if it is?" The killing intent in Mo Xie's heart grew stronger. Even if Lin Qian and Chu Zhanpeng did not oppose Lin Feng, he still wanted Lin Feng dead.
"Ha, since the Elder admits it, I want to ask the Elder in front of the Lord Sect Master: if you judge me based on her words without listening to my defense, are you an Elder of the Yunhai Sect or the Haoyue Sect?"
"What a sharp-tongued fellow, daring to insult even an inner disciple Elder. I will cripple your cultivation and cleanse the sect now," Mo Xie could no longer tolerate it. If he let Lin Feng continue, his reputation as an Elder would be completely ruined.
"Right and wrong are in the hearts of the people. I am just an outer disciple. If you want to cripple me, just do it. Why do you need fabricated charges?" As Lin Feng spoke, his eyes remained fixed on Nangong Ling.
If Nangong Ling stopped Mo Xie, Lin Feng would still be a disciple of the Yunhai Sect. If Nangong Ling allowed Mo Xie to cripple him, Lin Feng would reveal the truth about the Zhonggu Cliffs. However, even if he escaped, he would no longer be a disciple of the Yunhai Sect. If the sect had no place for him, why should he need the sect? Lin Feng did not have the mentality of a slave.
Everything depended on Nangong Ling's decision.
Mo Xie's steps grew closer.
Nangong Ling noticed Lin Feng's gaze and looked back at him.
"This young man has a strong will and remains calm in the face of danger. With his talent, he might enter the inner sect in a few years, or even become a core disciple."
"Mo Xie, as an inner disciple Elder, has significant martial achievements and talent, and can still improve. Although he was wrong today, he is still an inner disciple Elder, and he is Mo Canglan's son."
In an instant, Nangong Ling thought of many things. As the head of the sect, he had to weigh the pros and cons of every action. If it benefited the sect, he would do it; if it did not, he would not.
He knew Mo Xie was in the wrong, but if he stopped Mo Xie, he would damage Mo Xie's face, causing resentment. He also had to consider Mo Canglan's face, as Mo Canglan was a great elder of the sect and had made significant contributions to the Yunhai Sect.
Compared to this, a potentially talented Lin Feng still seemed insignificant.
Nangong Ling's silence made Lin Feng inwardly mock himself, ridiculing his naivety. He had only defeated the tenth-ranked outer disciple, Hou Qing. He was still just an outer disciple, while Mo Xie was an inner disciple Elder. How could Nangong Ling damage Mo Xie's face for him?
Only by having powerful strength could he avoid such a dangerous situation.
"Foolish boy." Mo Xie, not far from Lin Feng, his cold words directly reached Lin Feng's ears. His face was filled with a cold, murderous smile. Just an outer disciple dared to oppose him, truly ignorant of the consequences.
"Lin Feng is finished." The crowd thought, but this was his own fault.
"Too bad I can't cripple him myself." Lin Qian smiled coldly. This outcome was somewhat unexpected, but it was the same; Lin Feng was doomed to die.
A powerful aura pressed down on Lin Feng, making his hair stand on end. His lips parted, about to speak, but at that moment, the cold aura that had locked onto him suddenly disappeared, vanishing without a trace.
"Huh?" Lin Feng was taken aback, surprised. Why did this cold aura suddenly disappear, and so completely?
Mo Xie was not far from Lin Feng, but at this moment, Mo Xie's steps stopped, his pupils dilating wildly as if he had seen something unbelievable. At the same time, an irresistible pressure descended upon him.
Many people did not understand why Mo Xie had stopped, but Nangong Ling and Mo Canglan's eyes both widened in shock.
"That is..." Lin Feng's gaze froze on Mo Xie, and his eyes also showed intense shock. He almost could not believe his eyes.
"I didn't see wrong." Lin Feng's eyes widened to their maximum, staring intently at Mo Xie. There was a shadow, a human-shaped shadow, and it moved, even when Mo Xie did not.
It was a real shadow, a shadow of a real person.
But the terrifying thing was that Lin Feng saw only the shadow and not the person. He could not see the owner of the shadow.
Not only did Lin Feng notice, but the crowd also noticed the shadow on Mo Xie, or rather, the shadow itself.
"Go back." A hoarse voice came from nowhere, but no one saw the speaker.
This bizarre scene made many people break out in cold sweat. The shadow that appeared out of nowhere deeply shook the hearts of the crowd.
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PS: Finally, a friend appeared on the fan list. Thank you very much, ding jin n18. When I wrote "Quanzhi," the fan list was already very impressive after just a few days of release, surpassing many older books. Now, after a long break from "Quanzhi," I'm starting a new book, which is a bit unfortunate. But I will work hard to earn your recognition. I believe that after more than twenty chapters, you can see the style of the story. It will be a very enjoyable read, a very satisfying story!