"The Second Elder..." Shu Wancheng lowered his gaze toward the Second Elder seated at his left.
The Second Elder launched into a violent fit of coughing, his face draining of color until blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. With great effort, he rasped, "Palace Master, please understand—this old man is plagued by a stubborn illness, and these days it just happens to be flaring up. My strength is less than sixty percent of what it should be. Though I would gladly share the Palace Master's burdens, I fear I would only botch the Palace Master's great undertaking."
Shu Wancheng stared at him steadily for a long moment before nodding. "Since the Second Elder's illness has relapsed, you should rest well." He turned to look at another person. "Grand Elder?"
Li Zhengqing stroked his beard. "The Palace Master's orders, this old man naturally must obey. It's just... my thirteenth concubine is about to give birth—within the next few days at most. Could the Palace Master grant this old man a few days' delay, so I may see the newborn child before heading to the Void Spirit Sword Sect?"
The assembled elders stared in astonishment at this seventy-or-eighty-year-old fellow. Then a wave of congratulations erupted, with praise about his vigor in old age pouring forth. The Grand Elder smiled and accepted the well-wishes, and the great hall buzzed with lively chatter.
Shu Wancheng's eye twitched as he listened. How could he not see through this as the Grand Elder's excuse? Who knew what the situation with his thirteenth concubine really was—if she never gave birth, was he supposed to wait forever?
He couldn't help but let out a light snort, and only then did the crowd in the hall rein themselves in.
Shu Wancheng gazed wearily at the Heavenly Net Palace elders arrayed below him, steeled his resolve, and was about to declare that he would go himself when a strange noise suddenly sounded from outside the great hall.
Everyone present had a cultivation of at least Earth Stage Layer Four, and their hearing was naturally far beyond ordinary. They all couldn't help but peer outside with curiosity.
"What's going on out there?" Shu Wancheng's patience was wearing thin. It was one thing for the elders to be outwardly compliant yet secretly defiant, but now even the low-ranking disciples were this clueless about their place. The Heavenly Net Palace was no longer the united force it had been when he first founded it.
His question met with no response whatsoever.
Shu Wancheng's brow furrowed deeper still. He sensed something was wrong—there seemed to be a faint trace of blood drifting through the air.
The elders grew equally wary. The Second Elder frowned. "Something's not right!"
"I'll go take a look!" The Seventh Elder volunteered eagerly, launching himself outward in a swift leap.
A moment later, a heavy thud rang out from beyond the hall, mixed with a muffled grunt. The sound reached everyone inside, and their expressions darkened as they rose from their seats in unison.
Shu Wancheng and Li Zhengqing exchanged a glance, each seeing deep wariness in the other's eyes.
A figure slowly walked in from outside. He was a young man of striking handsomeness and heroic build, dressed in a blue-and-white robe. In one hand he carried a long sword still sheathed, and in the other he held a person—and that person was none other than the Seventh Elder who had just rushed out to investigate.
The Seventh Elder, a cultivator at Earth Stage Layer Five, was unconscious and held like a rag doll in this young man's grip. Over a hundred jin of weight was light as nothing in his hand. He walked without making the slightest sound, demonstrating formidable strength and control.
"Who goes there?" The Second Elder barked in a stern voice, instinctively sensing that this young man would be trouble. After all, anyone who could knock out the Seventh Elder in a single exchange was not to be underestimated.
"Void Spirit Sword Sect—Yang Kai!" Yang Kai flashed a bright smile and tossed the person he was carrying onto the great hall floor with a heavy thud.
"Yang Kai of the Void Spirit Sword Sect?" Everyone was startled.
Li Zhengqing narrowed his eyes. "You're the head disciple of the Void Spirit Sword Sect's current generation?"
They had just been discussing this very person moments ago, and now here he was—showing up in the flesh, no less, with the sheer audacity to barge into the Heavenly Net Palace's council hall.
"That's right!" Yang Kai nodded.
"Was it you who killed Elder Zhan Boxiong?" Li Zhengqing pressed.
"Yes."
Li Zhengqing turned to exchange a glance with Shu Wancheng, and suspicion flickered in both their eyes. By all logic, when Yang Kai had activated the sword energy within the Qingxu Sword, he should have suffered devastating injuries to himself. Even if he hadn't died, he should have been crippled. How could he be standing here perfectly fine after only a few days?
Even if he hadn't died, he shouldn't have been able to knock out the Seventh Elder. The gap between Human Stage Layer Seven and Earth Stage Layer Five was enormous.
Li Zhengqing frowned and regarded Yang Kai. "Let's just say you are this Yang Kai of the Void Spirit Sword Sect. What business brings you to our Heavenly Net Palace?"
Yang Kai grinned. "My Void Spirit Sword Sect has discovered a black jade mine, but we're short on miners. I hear the Heavenly Net Palace has quite a few people, so... would you mind submitting to the Void Spirit Sword Sect and sending some folks to help me dig? As you should know, our sect is rather thinly staffed—we simply don't have the extra manpower."
Shu Wancheng regarded Yang Kai with a peculiar expression. "You want the Heavenly Net Palace to submit to the Void Spirit Sword Sect? Did I hear wrong, or did you misspeak?"
Yang Kai looked at him. "You're Shu Wancheng, Palace Master of the Heavenly Net Palace?"
"I am indeed the Palace Master!" Shu Wancheng said in a deep voice.
The moment his words left his mouth, he felt a fierce gust of wind blast toward his face. He looked up and saw that Yang Kai, who had been standing below the dais just a moment ago, had somehow appeared right in front of him.
With a clear, resonant ring, a sword sang through the air. Sword light flashed as two figures crossed paths.
Everyone in the great hall looked upward in horror. Yang Kai and Shu Wancheng stood back to back, separated by three feet. Shu Wancheng was rooted in place as if someone had cast an immobilization spell on him, while Yang Kai slowly sheathed his long sword.