Mu Zhifan stared at Ye Futian coldly.
“That’s enough now,” below them, Master Yun had spoken out calmly.
Mu Zhifan glanced down at Master Yun and challenged, “Is the Starry School that intent on taking away our treasure?”
“Is this what a promise from the chief of the Zhaixing House amounts to?” Master Yun sent a frosty glance in the direction of the chief.
“This has nothing to do with my grandfather. He may have made a promise, but I have never promised you anything,” Mu Zhifan retorted coldly. He then moved towards Ye Futian again.
“You’re being unreasonable,” Master Yun replied, his expression dark. He began to move upwards into the sky as well. However, strong winds began to howl in the sky, and it seemed as though a surge of endless energy was pressing down from the heavens.
Everyone looked up towards the sky in surprise, wondering just what was going on. There was a sharp gleam in the chief’s gaze. A handprint came rushing down from the skies in a flurry of starlight, heading straight for Mu Zhifan. The chief’s expression changed sharply at the sight.
“Zhifan, be careful,” the chief shouted. But it was too late. As Mu Zhifan advanced towards Ye Futian in a bid to snatch back the Divine Destruction Polearm, an immense energy pressed down upon him from above. Mu Zhifan was instantly immobilized, and he felt as though he was about to stop breathing.
Lifting his head, his expression changed greatly as he saw a large handprint headed straight for him. The handprint slammed into him without any hesitation, and he was sent flying to the ground with a loud thud. The ground shook and cracks appeared on the surface. The powerful Mu Zhifan was now pressed down to the floor by the handprint, spitting out large amounts of blood.
The sudden turn of events had everyone looking to the sky in shock, wondering just who had the guts to attack Mu Zhifan like this. Mu Zhifan was the future chief of the Zhaixing House. Furthermore, he was a disciple of the Holy Zhi Palace. It was baffling to everyone that someone would be crazy enough to attack him.
“Does it matter whether or not you promised?” a cool voice rang out from the sky. The voice belonged to a figure standing proudly in the sky. It was an elder with his hands clasped behind his back. Starlight revolved around him, making him look like a god of the stars.
“Chen Yuan,” the chief of the Zhaixing House said, his expression dark. He had looked at the figure in the sky, only to realize to his shock that it was Chen Yuan, the college chief of the Starry School.
“College chief, you’ve arrived.” Master Yun and everyone else from the school greeted the elder.
Ye Futian wasn’t too surprised by the appearance of the elder. The old man had sent him here to take the Divine Destruction Polearm with just some people of the Noble plane for company. How was he to complete the task like that?
So, this old man had been hiding somewhere watching Ye Futian take the Divine Destruction Polearm. But this old man really was cruel. Without a ritual implement of his own to give to his Son, he had sent Ye Futian to the Zhaixing House to take one. What a sneaky move it was.
Mu Zhifan pulled himself up from the floor, covered in dust. He shook the dust off, a trickle of blood still coming from the corners of his mouth. Looking up, he glared coldly at the elder in the sky and said frostily, “I’ve heard about College Chief Chen’s illustrious name, yet this first meeting has disappointed me greatly. It’s an insult to the Divine Path that you attacked me, given your status.”
College Chief Chen’s eyes swept over Mu Zhifan lightly. Being a senior, there was no need to engage with Mu Zhifan at all. Yet given how the younger man had been so disrespectful, the college chief decided to teach him a lesson on manners.
“Mu Zhifan, I thought you’d fight for your honor even if you were facing me, and do your great reputation justice. Instead, you’re just all talk and no action. Where’s the mightiness you had when you were facing my Son of the Starry School, who’s of the Arcana plane?” Chen Yuan stared coldly at Mu Zhifan. “You’re so arrogant when you’re bullying those of the Arcana plane, yet when someone of the Sage plane attacks you, it’s considered an insult to the Divine Path? Did your grandfather teach you this, or did you learn this at the Holy Zhi Palace?”
Mu Zhifan’s wore an ugly expression. Staring at the college chief, he spoke again, “Ye Futian was stealing from the Zhaixing House…”
“You can stop speaking now,” Chen Yuan cut him off, not bothered with hearing whatever he was about to spout. He looked at the chief of the Zhaixing House and said, “I’m helping you to discipline your young one, Mu Chuan, if you don’t mind.”
“Chen Yuan, since when was it your place to discipline members of the Zhaixing House?” Mu Chuan, the chief of the Zhaixing House, replied coldly.
In response, Chen Yuan said mildly, “As chief of the Zhaixing House, you had agreed to let Ye Futian return with the Divine Destruction Polearm with him if he managed to get it in his possession. Mu Zhifan is a descendant of yours, yet he ignored this promise and wildly claimed that this may not come to pass simply because he never made the promise. That reveals a lack of filial piety towards you. By not keeping a promise, he’s proven himself to be untrustworthy. By riding on his own superior abilities to bully the weak, he’s also proven himself to be ignorant of manners, decorum and humility. Since I’m seeing all this, naturally I feel like I have to take him in hand on your behalf.”
Everyone was speechless at his words. The pride of the Zhaixing House had been spoken of by Chen Yuan as if he was a worthless scoundrel. It was… But it was impossible to refute his words. The college chief’s speech had sounded completely reasonable.
But everyone understood that the chief of the Zhaixing House was the one who had fallen into the trap of the Starry School’s college chief. The college chief’s appearance at this crucial moment revealed that he had in fact set up this entire situation beforehand. The Son’s purpose in coming here was to take away the Divine Destruction Polearm.
The chief of the Zhaixing House had always been arrogantly confident, and this personality trait of his had been considered by the college chief as he was setting up this trap for him.
At this moment, Mu Chuan understood that he had been cornered by Chen Yuan. Indeed, he was in the wrong. He had been wrong in being overconfident and underestimating Ye Futian. Of course, things would have been completely different if the Son had not been so monstrously powerful. It seemed like Ye Futian had already inherited the teachings of the saints at the martial arts battleground. That was why he was able to take away the Divine Destruction Polearm.
“Good plan, Chen Yuan,” Mu Chuan said frostily.
Chen Yuan glanced coolly at him, and continued, “The Starry School and the Zhaixing House come from the same tradition. The divine teachings have appeared and I have chosen a Son in accordance with divine will. This is as how it should have been. Since an heir of the Divine Path has appeared, the Zhaixing House should have kept the promise of its ancestors to ensure the unity of the Divine Path. Whether or not there was a promise or a challenge today, the Divine Destruction Polearm should have been Ye Futian’s from the start. It belongs to him.”
“Take it, and scram,” Mu Chuan spat. He was in no mood to hear Chen Yuan out any further. This situation had also been a tussle between him and Chen Yuan. Since he had lost, he would admit defeat.
“Grandfather,” Mu Zhifan shouted. His gaze was extremely cold. He couldn’t believe they were going to just let Ye Futian take away the treasure of Zhaixing House.
Mu Chuan waved a hand and didn’t say anything more. But Chen Yuan looked at him and spoke again, “The heir to the Divine Path has appeared, and the Divine Path should be unified again. Would the Zhaixing House like to consider assisting the heir in order to restore the past glory of our ancestors?”
“We don’t have time for that,” was the cold reply from Mu Chuan. He couldn’t believe that Chen Yuan was still trying to get Zhaixing House to become vassals of Ye Futian, the audacity of it! Chen Yuan was only sugarcoating his words.
“If that’s your answer, then I shan’t persuade you any further. I’ll take my leave now,” Chen Yuan said, before turning and walking up to Ye Futian. “You did pretty well, let’s go back now.”
“Yes, college chief,” Ye Futian nodded. He was thinking that he absolutely did not see this ruse coming. The illustrious college chief of the Starry School had actually resorted to tricks like this. Ye Futian guessed it was true that the older, the wiser. He had a long way to go still.
“Wait,” a voice called out just as Ye Futian was about to leave with Chen Yuan. Turning his head, Ye Futian saw Mu Zhifan staring coldly at him. Mu Zhifan spoke, “Since you have the backing of College Chief Chen as well as grandfather’s promise, no one will stop you if you insist on taking away the ritual implement. But I’ll advise you to leave it here.”
Ye Futian’s eyebrows creased at the apparent threat. Ignoring the other young man, Ye Futian began to walk away.
“I’ll be waiting for you around Zhongzhou City,” Mu Zhifan threatened coldly as he watched Ye Futian leave. The Divine Destruction Polearm was going to be taken away just like that.
The disciples of the Starry School began to fly off as well. The atmosphere of the birthday banquet had been completely ruined. There was no point in carrying on.
“Let’s just end the banquet here,” the chief of the Zhaixing House announced to the people still present.
Everyone bade Mu Chuan goodbye, their hearts still slightly unsettled. Today, the treasure of the Zhaixing House had been taken from them. Not only had that young man been crowned a Son, he had pressured Mu Zhiqiu and faced Mu Zhifan in battle with the Divine Destruction Polearm. The college chief of the Starry School had even come forth to personally snatch the ritual implement for him.
The appearance of such a character within Divine Sky City meant that the eastern region of the Barren State would now be even livelier. Ye Futian would be yet another incomparably powerful character, just like Long Yitian in the past.
After everyone had left, the chief of the Zhaixing House spoke to Mu Zhifan, “Zhifan, don’t let yourself get affected by Mu Chuan. He intended to spite you. Don’t let anything that happened today affect your will.”
“Don’t worry, grandfather,” Mu Zhifan nodded in response. A few nasty words would not be enough to weaken his will. Though the college chief had described him as though he was absolutely worthless, Mu Zhifan didn’t think he was wrong in any way. It was only right that he stood up to those who were trying to take away the treasure of the Zhaixing House.
He would remember everything that happened today.
The journey of cultivating was long. They would surely cross paths again in the future!