Chapter 148 Spares No Effort in Showing Leniency

"Good, very good! However, at this critical juncture, the two of you need not stand on ceremony with one another." Smiling as he walked past Xiu-can and Xiu-fu, Tian-ming approached Han An-shan. Although outwardly courteous, his demeanor remained somewhat unnatural. "Haha, this must be the revered Spirit Lord Han, I presume?"

For this hunchbacked, white-haired old man, Tian-ming held deep and bitter memories. Had the circumstances not been so restrictive, he would have gritted his teeth in pure hatred and immediately made this old man taste the most agonizing torment in the world.

"Indeed, that is this old man."

The white-haired old man, who had been keeping his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. Aside from Tian-ming and Xie Xin, everyone else buckled under his blazing, unfathomable gaze, instantly lowering their heads in shock and awe.

"It is an honor, a true honor. I wonder what insights Spirit Lord Han might have regarding this ancient formation of the Huahan Sect!" Seeing this, Tian-ming casually cupped his fists and asked.

Hearing this, Han An-shan cast a peculiar, lingering glance at the old man whose temples were similarly white as his own. His brow furrowed deeply; he had a vague sense that this person harbored some hidden animosity, though he could not quite pinpoint what it was.

After a brief mental search confirmed he had never met this individual before, Han An-shan turned his gaze back to Tian-ming and replied, "Insights would be too grand a word. This old man has merely been fortunate enough to learn a thing or two about this formation."

"Oh? Please do share, Spirit Lord Han. I am all ears."

Seeing that there was hope, not only did Tian-ming eagerly press on, but Xie Xin, the two Xiu brothers, and Prefect Li also walked over, gathering closely to listen with rapt attention.

As for forms of address, Tian-ming did not dwell on them, assuming they were based strictly on cultivation level—after all, immortal cultivators ultimately cared little for age, and appearance was a poor indicator. "Ah, the Azure Dragon Formation belongs to the wood element, its color azure. It is an extremely formidable ancient formation with the power to command the nine-heavens lightning tribulation. On the surface, it appears completely calm and peaceful, but the moment one enters its attack range, one will be subjected to the onslaught of ten thousand lightning tribulations. It is said that if it is driven by four wood-attribute cultivators above the sixth-rank Golden Core stage, it is even powerful enough to slay a peak expert of the Immortal Realm."

"Even for this old man, I do not possess absolute certainty that I could pass through this lightning tribulation region unscathed!"

Nodding toward Xie Xin and the others, Han An-shan leaned on his cane, turned around, and cast his profound gaze upon the massive structure shrouded in a layer of azure aura.

Hiss!

"What? Does that mean we are merely wasting our time here?" Han An-shan's words sent a shockwave through the hearts of everyone present. Zuo Yang-can was particularly unsettled, crying out in dismay.

"No! I believe things are not as dire as they seem. Have you forgotten that Gongzhong Rui-xin and several key backbones are still far away at the Heavenly Sword Sect? We still have opportunities, and failing that, we have our ultimate trump card." Hearing this, Xie Xin interrupted with a solemn expression.

"Correct, I completely agree with Brother Xie's assessment. It is not yet time to give up."

Hearing Xie Xin's words, Prefect Li seemed to understand something. He exchanged a mysterious nod with the Four Great Fiends stationed near the thousand elite demonic guards, and then chimed in.

"Since that is the case, everyone, please take action promptly. I fear that delays will bring changes, and those people are not entirely foolish; they may already have realized what is happening."

...

In a spacious plaza.

At this moment, the Huahan Sect was already in complete turmoil. These pampered disciples had never witnessed such a massive offensive by demonic cultivators, and they were either finding excuses that their legs had gone weak or hiding away.

Those who managed to muster a cohesive combat force barely numbered around a thousand, and their strengths were utterly uneven, surprisingly including over a hundred cultivators still at the Foundation Establishment stage.

"How can this be! He clearly claimed to be the personal disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect Master, so why is he now consorting with these demonic cultivators?"

Zuo Qiu Chao-long and Xu Wen-hao, who had initially been somewhat skeptical, hung their jaws open in speechlessness upon seeing Tian-ming chatting amiably with the demonic cultivators.

Hmph!!!

Standing before them were seven elders attired in azure robes, some with the hair of a crane and the complexion of a child, some full of vigor, and others whose hair had turned white just like Tian-ming's. They all glared with furious expressions, as if to say: Look, this is the glorious mess the two of you have created.

"Respected Elders, I apologize. It was my impulsiveness that drove this, and I failed to heed Ren Dong-qiang's warnings. This has nothing to do with this fellow disciple; whatever punishment you deem fit, I am ready to receive."

After muttering to himself, Zuo Qiu Chao-long lowered his head and knelt rigidly on the ground like a wooden statue. He knew he had committed a catastrophic blunder this time.

Hall Master Zuo!?

Nearby, Xu Wen-hao, who had been facing judgment, lifted his head in disbelief upon hearing those words, followed immediately by a surge of warmth flowing through his heart.

At the same time, he lowered his head again out of fear, because the moment his gaze met the eyes of the elders, their sharp and terrifying glares made his legs refuse to obey him.

The chilling silence persisted for a moment before it was shattered by an angry roar.

Among the seven elders, a vigorously robust elder stepped forward. He violently swung his sleeve, gathering a surge of azure energy, intending to strike Zuo Qiu Chao-long across the face. His face flushed red with fury as he glared fixedly at the kneeling figure below.

"Scoundrel! Is an apology of any use? Zuo Qiu Chao-long, you are, after all, a hall master tasked with upholding the sect's laws, yet you actually took the lead in violating sect regulations. Where has your usual sense of duty gone? Is it because the Sect Master is not here that your head has grown so high in the clouds?"

"...I am sorry to everyone."

Zuo Qiu Chao-long closed his eyes. Although he did not respond to the elder's words, the twisted expression on his face revealed just how remorseful and tormented he felt.

"Elders, please wait a moment! This disciple has something to say!"

Before Gongzhong Wei-dong could launch his attack, a somewhat lacking-in-confidence voice sounded from beside Zuo Qiu Chao-long. Xu Wen-hao struggled to his feet, casting a complex look at Zuo Qiu Chao-long. "Hall Master, why are you taking the blame for me?"

"..."

Zuo Qiu Chao-long, whose face was ashen, abruptly opened his eyes. With an unfathomable expression, he looked at Xu Wen-hao and shook his head repeatedly. He knew what was about to happen and dreaded what would follow.

"Fifth Elder, Sixth Elder, Eighth Elder, Ninth Elder, Eleventh Elder, Thirteenth Elder, this entire matter was initiated by this disciple. Hall Master Zuo was merely momentarily blinded by this disciple. I implore the elders to thoroughly investigate the truth."

Ignoring Zuo Qiu Chao-long, Xu Wen-hao bowed deeply to the seven elders, then turned around and knelt facing the neatly arrayed rows of a thousand disciples.

At that moment, time itself seemed to freeze!

"...Senior Brother!"

"Senior Brother Xu Wen-hao, you did nothing wrong! Those demonic cultivators were simply too cunning. We beg the elders to show mercy!"

"Show mercy! Show mercy!!"

...

Following the kneeling of Hall Master Zuo and Xu Wen-hao, the thousand disciples instantly triggered a chain reaction. Cries of passionate appeal echoed across the plaza, causing the expressions of the elders to shift with emotion.