=;=; "If you have a grievance, air it; if you have a feud, settle it—that is the way of heaven and earth. Even in the Antiquity, whatever it may be, are we to swallow our anger and say nothing now that we have come to this mundane world? Where under heaven is there such a principle? Uncle-Master Xin, you defend that man so fiercely—could it be you are tangled up with him?" Xue Jianfeng said with a suspicious frown.

"Rubbish from beginning to end. If you want to settle a private score, no one will stop you—but on one condition: you must not disrupt the stability of the greater situation. Otherwise you are a traitor to the entire Antiquity Alliance. Can you bear that charge?" Xin Yijie said furiously.

"Uncle-Master Xin, you must not go slapping labels on people at random. I merely want to seek justice for myself—how is that disrupting the stability of the greater situation, how does that make me a traitor to the Antiquity Alliance?" Xue Jianfeng said, unconvinced.

"Fine. Since you are determined to be obstinate, then this old man will spell it out clearly before everyone here today. Speak—who is it you want to take revenge on?" Xin Yijie said with a cold snort.

"Who else could it be? That Nascent Soul cultivator, of course!" Xue Jianfeng said through clenched teeth.

At these words the crowd could not help but whisper and murmur among themselves, and at that moment a woman in the throng was struck dumb with shock—none other than Leng Leng, who had hurried back upon hearing the news.

A Nascent Soul cultivator? At those words Leng Leng understood at once, and her heart leaped—was that not Wei Zhao? Could it be that Wei Zhao was unharmed?

"Be clear about it. Which Nascent Soul cultivator?" Xin Yijie said without expression.

"The Nascent Soul cultivator who slaughtered Yin Zhiping and Sun Baimei of the Pixie Sect, wounded Yu Zhengliang and three others of the Qiankun Sect, and destroyed my dantian—is that clear enough, Uncle-Master Xin!" Xue Jianfeng said, forcing down his fury.

As he enumerated one deed after another, the whole assembly broke into an uproar again, and Leng Leng was struck dumb on the spot—in this space of time Wei Zhao had actually accomplished so many astonishing feats?!

One had to understand that every one of these was a feat of the utmost difficulty, impossible without the strength of Foundation Establishment great perfection. Xue Jianfeng in particular was reputed to be the finest hand of the Foundation Establishment stage in the entire Antiquity Alliance; to destroy his dantian would be a hard task even for Foundation Establishment great perfection—it would take the strength of the Golden Core stage to be sure of it.

Yet in Leng Leng's memory, Wei Zhao's cultivation had been no more than the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage, a gap between him and the Golden Core stage of a hundred and eight thousand li. Hearing these words, she felt it incredible at once—less than a month had passed since they last parted. Could Wei Zhao's strength have advanced by such leaps and bounds in so short a time?

Such a thing was simply unimaginable; in the eyes of any normal person the possibility was zero. Leng Leng could not help but grow doubtful—could it be that the Nascent Soul cultivator they spoke of was not Wei Zhao at all, but someone else?

"Good. Since you have put it so clearly, then this old man will add one more thing. This Nascent Soul cultivator is the chairman of the mundane world's Cultivators Association, and at the same time an ancestral elder of my Northern Isle Cangwu Sect, left behind in the mundane world from the Antiquity era!" Xin Yijie said in a deep voice.

"What? That Nascent Soul cultivator is actually a man of the Northern Isle Cangwu Sect?" At these words the whole assembly's jaws dropped, and they stared at one another in stunned silence.

"This... how is this possible?!" Xue Jianfeng too was dumbstruck, and his expression at once turned complicated and unreadable. He had thought Wei Zhao was merely a rootless Nascent Soul of the mundane world, and that the Antiquity Alliance would certainly not stop him from dealing with an unrelated outsider—but for the fellow to turn around and become an ancestral elder of the Northern Isle Cangwu Sect, that made the matter thorny indeed!

And Leng Leng, amid the crowd, was shocked to hear this too, but what she felt was mostly disappointment. In her view, since this Nascent Soul cultivator was an ancestral elder of the Northern Isle Cangwu Sect, then he certainly could not be Wei Zhao.

For she had never heard that Wei Zhao had any connection with the Antiquity Alliance; Wei Zhao knew nothing at all of the Antiquity's little martial world. By his own account he had gone to a small island to learn his craft, entirely unconnected with the Antiquity's little martial world. Having reached this conclusion, the little hope that had just kindled in Leng Leng's heart was instantly doused, and gloom filled her breast.

"How is it impossible? Do you think a Nascent Soul cultivator just pops out of thin air? If he were not an ancestral elder left over from the Antiquity era, how could a mere Nascent Soul possess such formidable strength? Is it so strange that he should have a connection with my Northern Isle Cangwu Sect?" Xin Yijie retorted.

"Hmph. Even if he is a man of your Northern Isle Cangwu Sect, so what? Does that mean he can do as he pleases, that I cannot even seek revenge on him for destroying my dantian? Your Northern Isle Cangwu Sect is only one of the ten minor sects and clans, no better than my Xuejian Sect—you are not one of the lofty four great sects and clans. Since when did you become so overbearing?" Xue Jianfeng said resentfully.

Never mind Wei Zhao—even if it had been Xin Yijie himself who destroyed his dantian, he would be justified in seeking revenge on Xin Yijie, and even the Northern Isle Cangwu Sect could not step in to interfere. Private feuds were to be settled privately; for a sect to intervene was to break the rules of the martial world.

And besides, when all was said and done, the strength of his Xuejian Sect was no weaker than that of the Northern Isle Cangwu Sect—in overall strength it was in fact somewhat stronger. Of course, if the three great sects of the Northern Isle banded together, then the Xuejian Sect would be helpless.

"Whether my Northern Isle Cangwu Sect is overbearing or not is not for a junior like you to prattle about. Listen well, Xue Jianfeng: if the Antiquity Alliance and the mundane world's cultivation forces are to coexist in peace, it is not enough for us of the Antiquity Alliance to restrain ourselves—someone must also step forward to restrain the mundane world's cultivation forces. And that Nascent Soul grand-uncle of mine is the leader of the mundane world's cultivation forces. If you dare to touch him, you challenge every cultivation force in the mundane world. Once the matter blows up, the Antiquity Alliance will never let you off. Do you understand what this old man means?" Xin Yijie said, his tone laced with menace.

At this point the meaning was plain enough. From where Xin Yijie stood, he was of course unwilling to see trouble break out; but he had pleaded and reasoned at such length, and if Xue Jianfeng still would not buy it, then he could not be blamed for slapping on a label. And once the great label of open defiance of the Antiquity Alliance's decisions was fixed on him, even the Xuejian Sect could hardly be sure of protecting him.

Xue Jianfeng, though burning for revenge, was no fool after all; he could only give a cold snort to show his displeasure, and before so many people he dared not say more.

Seeing that Xue Jianfeng had at last had the sense to back down, Xin Yijie breathed a secret sigh of relief, and swept his gaze over the others. "Does anyone else have objections to the Antiquity Alliance's decisions?"