Chapter 2047: Might Makes Right

He had dealt with the Temple people twice before, killed several peak Immortal Lord warriors, and already knew them like the back of his hand.

Although the five before him were dressed differently from those he had seen earlier, the power within their bodies emitted a special aura—sharp and piercing—and one glance was enough to recognize them without mistake.

“One pseudo-god Temple powerhouse, four peak Immortal Lords… quite the lineup!”

His face dark, Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes.

Having identified their identities, their cultivation levels also became clear to him.

The middle-aged man at the front, like Han Jianqiu and the others, had already reached the pseudo-god realm, while the four behind him were at peak Immortal Lord!

He had killed many Temple warriors before; they were unmatched at the same level, and though they appeared to be peak Immortal Lords, they were in no way inferior to pseudo-gods!

Now, one pseudo-god and four peak Immortal Lords… the lineup could hardly be called anything less than extravagant.

If that Palace Master Du Qingyuan were truly here, even if this were the Zhuxing Palace’s home turf, it would likely be difficult to handle.

However, as one of the six great sects, standing firm in its domain, it must have its exceptional qualities—it just depended on how great a price they were willing to pay.

Take the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, for example: on the surface, only Han Jianqiu was a pseudo-god, and with his four divine beasts, Zhang Xuan could easily destroy it, but in reality, he knew that if he actually did so, he would be the one to die!

Its Sword Book Hall contained the sword intent of countless predecessors; once unleashed, even four pseudo-god divine beasts might not be able to withstand it!

Moreover, the founding patriarch’s divine sword intent was also embedded within, which was why even the Temple dared not touch it lightly.

Of course, these were mostly one-time-use; once triggered, it meant the countless treasures left by predecessors were completely exhausted, and later generations could no longer learn from them. The destruction of the Sword Book Hall signified the destruction of the heritage.

If that were done, the Sword Pavilion’s millennia-old legacy would be directly lost, causing it to withdraw from the six great sects.

Thus, unless faced with annihilation, these trump cards were rarely used.

As a native lifeform, Zhuxing Palace had stood unshaken under the watch of the five great sects for thousands of years; such trump cards must exist. Moreover… they could communicate with gods—who knew if the gods had given them any powerful artifacts?

“I have considered it carefully. Your conditions are very difficult for my Zhuxing Palace to fulfill!”

From behind the screen, the voice of that disciple Chu Yin sounded.

Her tone was much calmer than before, carrying a weightiness.

“Difficult?”

The Temple middle-aged man sneered: “You should understand that the Temple’s patience is limited. If you don’t seize the opportunity, you know the consequences!”

“I know the consequences, but there is something I don’t understand.”

The voice behind the screen continued: “Your Temple has always been aloof, not meddling in the affairs of the six great sects or the mortal world. Why are you seeking out our Zhuxing Palace this time?”

“What you should know, you will know; what you shouldn’t, asking is useless. We are merely following orders!”

His face expressionless, the Temple middle-aged man said: “Don’t harbor any illusions! Since the Temple has spoken, even if you disagree, we have ways to get what we want. Giving the Palace Master a day to consider is merely to avoid stirring up too much trouble and letting too many people know!”

The voice behind the screen said: “If you personally act, I certainly cannot resist! But if you do that, news will inevitably leak, and the Temple’s lofty reputation will suffer!”

“I know that!” The Temple middle-aged man looked over: “The Temple fears its reputation being affected, but it is not afraid of resistance! If you truly disobey, even if Zhuxing Palace has trump cards, the Temple would not spend much effort to destroy it!”

It feared its reputation being affected, but it also didn’t care.

With overwhelming strength, reputation and such were irrelevant. If one sect dared to gossip, destroy one; if six dared, destroy six!

If the whole world dared to gossip, the whole world could be destroyed!

Before absolute force, dissenters meant nothing.

“Such an arrogant Temple!”

Clenching his fists, Zhang Xuan on the beam wore a dark expression.

Though the words were harsh, he knew the man spoke the truth.

It was somewhat similar to the Qing Dynasty in his past life: keep the head and keep the hair, or lose the head and lose the hair; if you wouldn’t comply, they would kill until you did.

The Temple was clearly the same.

With absolute force, if you obeyed, fine; if not, destroy you and support someone who would.

If some had stiff spines, there would always be those with soft ones.

Might makes right!

“Do you really dare to lay hands on Zhuxing Palace?”

The woman behind the screen, not expecting such words, sounded somewhat tense.

“We don’t need to act personally. If we just kill you, a pseudo-god powerhouse, I believe many sects would be happy to see your destruction and take your place!”

The Temple middle-aged man said calmly.

The weak are prey to the strong. With a pseudo-god in charge, no one dared to say anything; once something happened, countless would rush in.

That was reality.

“You…”

The person behind the screen fell silent for a moment, then said: “I can agree to you, but what you want concerns the very foundation of my Zhuxing Palace; I cannot decide so directly!”

“Palace Master Du means…”

“Give me another day. After I discuss it with all the elders of the palace, I will give you an answer tomorrow!”

The voice behind the screen said.

“Palace Master Du needs another day?”

The Temple middle-aged man sneered: “I’m afraid the person behind this screen is not the real Palace Master Du. Even if given more days, you couldn’t make the decision!”

Whoosh!

As he finished speaking, a sword qi whistled out, splitting the screen in two, revealing Chu Yin’s figure.

“You…”

Seeing herself exposed, Chu Yin trembled slightly.

She thought her disguise was perfect and had convinced them, but they hadn’t been fooled at all.

“Are you wondering why I knew you were fake?”

The Temple middle-aged man snorted.

Chu Yin clenched her fists, and the nearby Grand Elder also stiffened.

“Yesterday, when Palace Master Du put me off for a day and then gave me the result, I knew what you were thinking… Did you really think Temple powerhouses were so easy to fool?”

The middle-aged man snorted: “I was just playing along with you earlier. I didn’t expect that, young as you are, you imitated Palace Master Du’s voice and aura perfectly. It seems you’ve put in a lot of practice!”

“You knew since yesterday, then you…”

Chu Yin was stunned.

If they knew since yesterday, why did they agree to the one-day appointment and only come now? And why didn’t they pursue directly, instead staying here?

“Simple: I wanted you to bring the thing yourselves… The moment Palace Master Du left, the Temple’s people followed. If nothing unexpected happens, your Palace Master has likely been captured or killed!”

The Temple middle-aged man sneered: “The reason I didn’t leave was just to lull you into complacency. Did you really think such a petty trick could hoodwink the heavens?”

Chu Yin and the Grand Elder instantly turned pale, involuntarily stepping back a few paces.

If that were true… wouldn’t the sect leader be in danger?