Upon hearing this, Long Wuxian burst into laughter. Truly a young elder of the sect, he was indeed arrogant.
"Are you kidding me? Sister offered it to me herself because she felt inadequate. This was a bet between the two of us, and everyone present can testify," Long Wuxian said indifferently. Even in the face of a sage emperor, there was still no trace of fear on his face, making it hard to imagine how his character was honed.
His behavior did not surprise anyone, as the shock had long passed. Through his previous actions, people had gained an understanding of him. He was completely fearless, so even disregarding the elder named Beifeng Xiao at this moment did not come as a surprise.
On the contrary, if Long Wuxian saw Beifeng Xiao kneel down and beg for mercy, it would be jaw-dropping.
"Brother, we can't let him off no matter what. He must experience the humiliation of being spanked, and I must be the one to do it!" Beiluoyu, whose buttocks were still sore, said with determination, as if wanting to vent all her grievances.
Beiluoyu now harbored deep hatred towards Long Wuxian, wishing to immediately get up and devour his flesh. Before, she dared not speak up, but now that her big brother was here, she had to let out all her pent-up frustrations.
In this outburst, Beiluoyu had never suffered such humiliation and mistreatment before. Not only was her dignity humiliated, but she had also had one of her legs crippled. This was a lifelong shame for her, so she was determined to seek revenge.
"Long Wuxian, do you hear me? My sister wants...wants…*cough cough*. Well, in that case, you better behave yourself. What do you think?" Beifeng Xiao's eyes were filled with helplessness as he occasionally glanced at Long Wuxian, slowly moving towards him.
Seeing Beifeng Xiao about to take action, everyone tensed up. With his status and position, crippling an outer disciple would not result in any significant punishment. People wanted to see how Long Wuxian would handle Beifeng Xiao's retaliation, with the certainty that in a fight, Long Wuxian could never match Beifeng Xiao.
The disparity was simply too significant between the two, even if Long Wuxian's talent was exceptional and outstanding, he could not possibly challenge a sage emperor's strength across so many levels.
Faced with such a towering figure, Long Wuxian felt like his breath was being taken away!
The difference between the early stage of a sage and a bottleneck was something that could be compensated for with secret techniques or skills. But if it was the difference between a sage and a saint, it was simply a world of difference!
A sage had the power to create life, revive the dead, and reconstruct shattered souls. In front of such individuals, Long Wuxian seemed particularly insignificant.
The vast disparity made him realize that this was someone he could not defeat.
Moreover, being able to defeat a peak expert in the early stage of a sage was already the limit most people could accept.
In the face of the aggressive Beifeng Xiao, Long Wuxian remained expressionless, standing there as unmoving as a mountain, secretly prepared for any possible deception from the other party.
"Stop!!!" Just then, a sudden shout from above rang out, separating the two immediately.
Everyone looked up to see a figure flying overhead, hovering in the air. It was a young woman in blue attire with ice and snow wings fluttering behind her.
By her aura, it was evident that her realm was on par with Beifeng Xiao, closely approaching that of a sage emperor. The newcomer was none other than the number one talent of the sect - Hanyu.
"Oh, it's Master Hanyu!"
"Hanyu is here too. Looks like this situation won't be easy to resolve."
"Yeah, with Long Wuxian..."
Hanyu's appearance sparked a great commotion, with discussions breaking out immediately.
The fact that Hanyu, the big sister of the sect, had appeared was significant. Normally shrouded in mystery even more than the sect's senior elders, she rarely appeared in places like the outer sect.
Today, for Long Wuxian's sake, Hanyu chose to intervene, evident by her immediate defense of him. The reason behind her support for Long Wuxian was somewhat understandable, as back in the city square of the sacred city, Hanyu had taken a keen interest in the exceptionally talented Long Wuxian.
Furthermore, Long Wuxian was a disciple personally recruited by Hanyu. Apart from his exceptional talent, his presence represented Hanyu's endorsement.
As the sect's top talent, having her recruited disciple crippled upon arrival would be hard to explain to the sect.
Descending gracefully from the sky, Hanyu landed directly on the square of the sacred city.
"Haha, Miss Hanyu, what brings you to the outer sect?"
Seeing Hanyu, Beifeng Xiao immediately frowned and spoke mockingly.
Even as an elder in the sect, Beifeng Xiao feared no one. Not many were held in high regard by him, even among the inner sect. Yet, Hanyu was the only one he did not wish to provoke.
"If I hadn't come, you would have crippled my disciple. You, an honored elder of the sect, bullying an outer disciple, have you no shame?" Hanyu's words were direct, indicating the less than cordial relationship between her and Beifeng Xiao.
The crowd murmured upon hearing Hanyu's words. Her direct claim of ownership over Long Wuxian implied a change in the situation. With Hanyu's support, Long Wuxian, initially at a significant disadvantage, now had a chance to turn the tables.
"Hanyu, allow me to explain. He bullied my sister, so naturally, I must seek justice for my family," Beifeng Xiao said awkwardly.
To be honest, the subtle dynamic between the two was evident to any normal observer - Beifeng Xiao seemed to have an affection for his disciple, Long Wuxian.
"Is that so? If I'm not mistaken, this was originally a bet between the two of them. In the current situation, Beiluoyu is merely fulfilling the terms of the bet, which is quite fair. Why do you seek further recompense?" Hanyu furrowed her brows, suggesting that the ongoing situation was widely known.
"Nevertheless, this person is so arrogant and domineering, showing no respect even to an outer sect elder, let alone directly committing the act of bullying. In our sect, have you seen a disciple striking an elder? Rationally speaking, that is a serious offense!" Beifeng Xiao continued to explain.
At his words, Hanyu glanced at Elder Yun, not far away, her expression revealing a hint of helplessness. It seemed puzzling to her why Long Wuxian would resort to violence against an elder, rather than just picking on Beiluoyu.
"Beifeng Xiao! Even if Long Wuxian did strike Elder Yun, the punishment should be left to the Elder Council. It is not your place to dispense justice!" Hanyu's tone was firm, indicating that she had decided to stand by Long Wuxian.
Tensions rose on the scene, with a senior elder who had been struck by Long Wuxian looking at the two confronting figures, scarcely daring to speak further. Although he was an elder of the outer sect, he virtually had no say in the presence of these big disciples and named elders.
Not to mention the inner sect disciples, even an ordinary outer sect disciple would hardly consider an elder a figure to be reckoned with. Only named disciples would possibly feel threatened by the authority of an outer sect elder.
"Hanyu, I'm only saying this out of consideration for our past. I haven't been trying to pick a fight with you," Beifeng Xiao said in a low voice, lowering his tone.
"Oh, consideration? Do we even know each other?" Hanyu countered his soft words with a cold response.
"...It seems today, we can't just let this go," Beifeng Xiao's expression turned increasingly dark and unpleasant.
"I'm just here to deal with the matter at hand. Regardless of Beiluoyu or Elder Yun, it is not your place, as a named elder, to punish Long Wuxian! Remember the rules of our sect - they agreed to the bet, and it is none of your business!" Hanyu's stance remained unyielding, devoid of any pleasantries towards Beifeng Xiao.
After being coldly rejected by Hanyu, Beifeng Xiao's face gradually displayed discomfort and even bitterness. Both inside and outside the sect, it was well-known that Beifeng Xiao had been trying to court Hanyu three years ago, yet despite his outstanding talent and attractive appearance, he had failed to win the heart of the icy beauty. Instead, he had repeatedly faced rejection.
"Hanyu, this matter concerns the reputation of our Northern Family and the Wind Snow City. You should know that offending me is one thing, but if I don't handle this matter properly, when my sister reports this to our father, this little brother here might end up in serious trouble!" Beifeng Xiao was getting anxious. He had not intended to provoke Hanyu, but she had interjected at a critical moment, leaving Beifeng Xiao unsure of how to proceed.
The surrounding crowd whispered, as the situation escalated further. What had initially been a minor incident of an outer disciple seizing a training platform had now involved two prominent named elders and the top inner sect disciple, hinting at the possibility of imminent conflict with outsiders perceiving the situation as potentially escalating into violence at any moment.
"It seems the situation has truly escalated. While Hanyu is a powerful figure as the sect's top talent, she has no significant background and has relied solely on her own cultivation," the onlookers gossiped.
"But Beifeng Xiao is different. His father is the city lord, and he has good connections with several elders of the Elder Council and sect masters. Even among the sect's senior elders, no one would dare trouble Beifeng Xiao," another voice chimed in.
"Sigh, even though Hanyu is powerful, as the sect's top talent, Beifeng Xiao is not afraid of her at all. His background is simply too strong." The discussions continued, highlighting the strengths of both sides.
