When no one around him responded, Ye Hen said evenly, "Luo Jin's conduct is disgraceful. Are you all truly willing to associate with such a man?"
In his anger, he had abandoned all courtesy toward Luo Jin, addressing him by name without a shred of deference.
At that, the broad-shouldered, tiger-backed man gave a cold snort. "City Lord Luo's affairs are one matter. What I'd like to know is what grudge that brat surnamed Yang holds against Vice Hall Master Ke Tian of my Heavenly Extreme Hall, that he would murder him in the City Lord's Mansion!"
His tone left no doubt—he was none other than the Hall Master of the Heavenly Extreme Hall, Ruan Hongbo.
Ruan Hongbo was at the same cultivation level as Ye Hen: Third-Order Dao Source Realm. With his own Vice Hall Master slain by Yang Kai, he was hardly going to let the matter rest. Though he found Luo Jin's behavior contemptible, he had still come along—seeking justice.
The moment Ruan Hongbo finished speaking, another man immediately chimed in, "Indeed! That villain also murdered my son Mu Zheng. I, Mu Guan, will not share the same sky as him!"
Ye Hen turned to look and saw that the speaker was none other than Mu Guan, the Tower Master of the White Cloud Tower.
He had already questioned Ye Jinghan at length about what had transpired in the City Lord's Mansion that day. He knew that Mu Zheng had indeed been killed by Yang Kai, who had then used his flesh and blood to scrawl the character for "death" across the wall—a brutal warning to all the guests present.
But truth be told, Mu Zheng had been courting death. He lacked the skill yet insisted on being the first to stick his neck out, and Yang Kai had simply made an example of him. Who could he blame? Still, the White Cloud Tower was clearly not going to let it go.
"That brat wounded a disciple of my Heart Questioning Pavilion. I have come here for a reasonable explanation." The Pavilion Master of the Heart Questioning Pavilion stepped forward as well.
"My Soul-Seizing Sword Sect is of the same mind. Sect Master Ye, hand the man over. Let's not make this ugly for everyone."
One by one, the powerhouses of the Third-Order Dao Source Realm stepped forward, and the expressions of the Thousand Leaves Sect's senior figures began to shift. Ye Hen, however, remained perfectly composed. He turned his head toward the water-blue-haired man seated in the palanquin and asked, "Palace Master Qiu, do you share this sentiment?"
Of all the people present, he was not particularly wary of most—but the one he regarded with the greatest caution was this water-blue-haired man. This was Qiu Ze, the Palace Master of the Tianzhao Palace, whose strength had reached the very peak of the Dao Source Realm. Rumor had it that for over a decade he had been in seclusion, meditating on the mysteries of the Emperor Realm, seeking to break through his bottleneck and ascend to the Emperor seat.
There had been no news of him venturing outside during those years—yet here he was today, of all places, right at the gates of the Thousand Leaves Sect.
Ye Hen dared not take this man lightly. If Qiu Ze's chances of breaking through to the Emperor Realm were as great as rumored, then once he ascended, no one within a million li would be his match.
Qiu Ze smiled faintly at the question. "My son Qiu Yu was insufficiently skilled and suffered a rather unfortunate loss at the hands of that Yang boy. I've come to invite him to my Tianzhao Palace as a guest for a few days. While he's there, he can teach Qiu Yu a thing or two about Cultivation. They're both young—surely they'll find common ground. I do hope Sect Master Ye won't refuse."
The words were pleasant enough, but everyone knew they were nothing more than a pretext.
It was true that Qiu Yu had been gravely injured by Yang Kai in the City Lord's Mansion that day. But if that were all there was to it, would it warrant Qiu Ze appearing in person? The Tianzhao Palace and the Thousand Leaves Sect had long been at odds—one was a rising power with ambitions of leading this entire region, the other a declining old guard. If the former wished to establish its dominance, the obvious target was the latter.
As long as the Thousand Leaves Sect could be eliminated, the Tianzhao Palace's prestige would be unmatched. And then Qiu Ze would be the undisputed overlord of this land.
"Hand him over!"
"Sect Master Ye, we have no quarrel with the Thousand Leaves Sect and don't wish to cause you trouble. But that brat surnamed Yang cannot be let off lightly. Please, Sect Master Ye, do not shield him!"
The leaders of the major sects clamored at once, piling pressure onto the Thousand Leaves Sect.
Ye Hen's brows knitted together, while the senior figures who had come with him looked even more alarmed, their hearts gripped with unease.
It was true that the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation stood before them, so the visitors likely couldn't do much by force. But the Thousand Leaves Sect's disciples still needed to venture out into the world—they couldn't hide behind the formation for the rest of their lives. If they offended so many powerful factions here today, where would the Thousand Leaves Sect find refuge in the future?
At the thought of this, several of the senior figures turned their gazes one after another toward Ye Hen.
They had no idea what relationship that Yang Kai had with their Sect Master, or why, after causing such enormous trouble, he had come crawling to the Thousand Leaves Sect and dragged disaster to their doorstep. And why had Ye Hen, knowing full well what had happened, chosen to take him in?!
This was clearly not a wise course of action.
"Sect Master…" An elder at the Second-Order Dao Source Realm called out softly. He said nothing more, but his meaning was plain enough.
Yang Kai had no connection whatsoever to the Thousand Leaves Sect. They could simply show some deference here, hand him over, and exchange that for peace—far better than having all these factions blocking their door.