Chu Feng personally saw Chu Yue and the others off, and only when their carriage had completely vanished from sight did he turn back toward the Azure Dragon Sect. However, the moment he stepped through the main gate, he was surrounded by a large crowd of elders.
They were from the Punishment Hall. The weakest among them were at the first level of Yuan Martial, and the leader had already stepped into the second level of Yuan Martial. Without a word of explanation, he let out a roar: "Seize him!"
At first, the elders from the Punishment Hall didn't take Chu Feng seriously. Only two elders stepped forward. They didn't even move their arms or raise their hands—they simply released the Yuan Force within their bodies, intending to suppress Chu Feng with the sheer pressure of their Yuan Wu Realm cultivation.
However, when their Yuan Force bore down on Chu Feng, it had absolutely no effect. Chu Feng stood there as if nothing had happened, completely unaffected.
"Whoosh!"
At that moment, Chu Feng's body underwent a transformation. A torrent of Yuan Force surged outward, sweeping away like a hurricane and instantly engulfing the Punishment Hall elders.
"Uwaah!"
The overwhelming force was irresistible. Before the Punishment Hall elders could even react to what was happening, Chu Feng's powerful aura had already blown them apart. By the time they hit the ground, their faces were deathly pale, and they were all seriously wounded.
This sight horrified everyone watching. The Punishment Hall elders were all Yuan Martial cultivators, yet Chu Feng had suppressed so many of them single-handedly. Could it be that he had also stepped into the Yuan Martial Realm?
"Go back and tell Liu Cheng'en—if he wants to deal with me, Chu Feng, he should come himself." Chu Feng paid no attention to the complex gazes of the crowd. He merely cast a cold glance at the Punishment Hall elders before walking off in the direction of the Sword Dao Alliance.
Arriving at the Sword Dao Alliance, Chu Feng got straight to business without a word. Every member who appeared in his line of sight had their Dantian pierced by his sword, their cultivation abolished.
Chu Feng's current strength was enough to effortlessly slay even fourth-level Yuan Martial cultivators. If he unleashed his golden thunder, killing a fifth-level Yuan Martial would be as easy as crushing an ant, and even sixth-level Yuan Martial cultivators were no match for him—let alone these mere Spirit Martial inner sect disciples.
Chu Feng didn't bother crippling their limbs; he only destroyed their cultivation. Each opponent was defeated in a single strike. Though he only pierced their Dantians, when several hundred inner sect disciples lay collapsed on the ground, the sheer brutality of the scene was more than most could bear.
"Chu Feng is back! He's slaughtering the Inner Alliance right now—the Inner Sect is running red with blood! Even the elders can't stop him! This brat is completely out of control! He's truly trying to make an enemy of the entire Azure Dragon Sect!"
Chu Feng's actions spread through the Inner Sect in no time and even reached the Core Area. Soon, people from all sides headed toward the Inner Sect to see what was going on.
The Inner Sect's Punishment Hall naturally wouldn't sit idly by. Liu Cheng'en personally took charge, leading several hundred Punishment Hall elders to hunt Chu Feng down, even raising the cry of "Slay Chu Feng!" After all, he had long-standing grievances with Chu Feng, and this was the perfect opportunity to eliminate him—avenge the grudge of having his grandson Liu Mang's manhood destroyed.
The onlookers were convinced that Chu Feng was as good as dead. In the Inner Sect, Liu Cheng'en's name carried tremendous weight. But just as Liu Cheng'en's forces arrived at the Sword Dao Alliance, two more groups arrived simultaneously.
One was the Elder Pavilion under Su Rou's command, and the other was the Martial Arts Library under Elder Ouyang. Elder Ouyang brought several dozen people, while Su Rou led over a thousand. Their combined presence completely overshadowed Liu Cheng'en.
"Su Rou, what is the meaning of this? This boy violated sect rules and ruthlessly crippled the cultivation of his fellow disciples. It is my Punishment Hall's duty to arrest and punish him. You are an elder of the Azure Dragon Sect, yet you're sheltering him—are you even fit to be an elder of the Azure Dragon Sect?" Liu Cheng'en shouted his accusation, seemingly determined to make every watching disciple realize that Su Rou was in the wrong.
"Chu Feng is a Core Disciple. Even if he has done something wrong, it is not your place to deal with him—because you don't have the authority," Su Rou replied unhurriedly, casting Liu Cheng'en a dismissive glance without even deeming him worthy of her attention.
"Elder Liu, I am aware that you have personal grievances with young friend Chu Feng, but I hope you will follow proper procedure and not let personal emotions interfere in this matter."
"Though young friend Chu Feng's actions today were somewhat excessive, they were not without cause. When the Sword Dao Alliance was oppressing the Chu Alliance, where was your Punishment Hall?" Elder Ouyang also spoke up. His smile was gentle, but his words dripped with sarcasm.
"You..." Liu Cheng'en had no retort. Neither Su Rou nor Elder Ouyang were opponents he could handle. Forcefully moving against Chu Feng was no longer an option.
But he wasn't worried. After all, he wasn't the only one who wanted to deal with Chu Feng. Once the people from the Core Area arrived, even without his intervention, Chu Feng would not get off easily.
"Chu Feng, you've really stirred up a massive mess this time! How could you cripple the cultivation of so many fellow disciples? You've already alarmed the entire Azure Dragon Sect. Even if my sister wanted to protect you now, she wouldn't be able to."
Su Mei had also arrived. She stood beside Chu Feng, gazing at the Sword Dao Alliance members being treated by the elders, her beautiful eyes filled with worry. Not worry for those Sword Dao Alliance members, but for Chu Feng's safety.
"Oh, so now you want to help? When I was away from the Azure Dragon Sect and the Sword Dao Alliance was bullying my Chu Family, where were you and your sister?"
Chu Feng shot Su Mei a reproachful glance, unafraid and unshaken. He had already mastered the barrier technique, and as long as Zhuge Liuyun learned of it, he would surely take him as a disciple. With that person's protection within the Azure Dragon Sect, who would dare touch him? Never mind crippling these inner sect disciples—if he had killed them, he would receive, at worst, minor punishment. No one would dare take his life.
"Chu Feng, saying that is truly unfair to me and my sister." Hearing his words, Su Mei looked deeply aggrieved, her lips pouting. "The oppression of your Chu Family was carried out by Wu Jiu, but it was actually Gong Luyun who gave the orders."
"The very day the Sword Dao Alliance made its move, my sister wanted to step in, but Gong Luyun came to find her at that very moment."
"He challenged my sister to a wager duel, saying that if she could defeat him, he would spare your life when the one-year deadline came. But if she lost, he wouldn't trouble her either—he only demanded that neither of us interfere in the conflict between the Sword Dao Alliance and the Chu Alliance."
"My sister would have been the Azure Dragon Sect's top disciple if she hadn't become an elder. On top of that, our Vermilion Bird City has long been at odds with his Black Tortoise City, so my sister naturally wasn't afraid of Gong Luyun. She accepted his challenge, intending to teach him a lesson."
"But unexpectedly, I... my sister actually lost. And she lost terribly."
"As reluctant as she was, the terms of the wager meant my sister had no choice but to stand by and watch, unable to intervene in the matter between the Sword Dao Alliance and the Chu Alliance." Su Mei's face was full of grievance as she recounted the truth in full detail.