56: You want to talk to me about rules? My rules are the only rules!

Elder Yuheng, she knew.

She, and the entire Yaochi Holy Land, had been completely marked by this seemingly harmless man, who in reality possessed heaven-defying means.

If she couldn't immediately salvage the situation... the consequences would be unimaginable!

Thinking of this, she no longer cared about the 'dignity' and 'decorum' of a grand sect elder!

While everyone was still immersed in the shock brought by Lin Chen's miraculous strength,

She moved!

With a flicker of her figure, she instantly appeared before Lin Chen, a smile full of 'apology' and 'sincerity' plastered on her face.

Her posture was extremely humble.

"Holy Son Lin... Holy Son Lin, your divine might is unparalleled, this humble woman is truly impressed, truly impressed!"

She first subtly offered a compliment.

Then, without waiting for Lin Chen to speak, she immediately changed the subject, her tone filled with 'regret' and 'self-blame'.

"Alas! It's all my fault, this old woman, for reacting half a beat too slow just now, allowing these reckless fools from Myriad Sword Pavilion to disturb your refined mood, Holy Son! It is truly a sin, a great sin!"

Her words were impeccable.

She not only extricated herself from the awkward position of 'standing by and watching' earlier,

But also proactively took responsibility, adopting a humble stance of 'allowing him to dispose of her as he wished'.

Lin Chen looked at the woman before him, who had been high and mighty a second ago and now changed her expression faster than flipping a book, and couldn't help but feel a burst of amusement.

He knew the other party was scared.

However, he truly didn't need to make another enemy like the Yaochi Holy Land today.

After all, one doesn't hit a smiling face.

And the other party had indeed spoken up to 'mediate' earlier.

Thinking of this, the coldness on Lin Chen's face slowly dissipated.

He waved his hand at Elder Yuheng and said indifferently,

"Elder Yuheng, you overstate it."

"This matter has nothing to do with your Yaochi Holy Land."

"As for right and wrong, I have my own judgment."

Hearing this, Elder Yuheng's heart, which had been hanging in her throat, finally completely settled!

She knew that he was giving her, and the Yaochi Holy Land, a way out!

She looked at Lin Chen, her eyes instantly becoming even more appreciative and... wary!

(This child not only possesses heaven-defying strength, but his magnanimity and vision are also extraordinary! He can bend and stretch, is decisive in killing, yet doesn't indiscriminately slaughter the innocent... Such a person will definitely not remain a common figure in the future! My Yaochi Holy Land, no matter what, must befriend him today!)

However!

Just as this tense atmosphere was about to be 'peacefully' resolved!

An unexpected change occurred again!

"Who dares to fight privately within Qianlong City's airspace?!"

A sharp shout, full of iron-blooded majesty, rolled like thunder from the direction of that magnificent giant city!

Immediately after!

Dozens of brave female cultivators, dressed in uniform silver battle armor, holding lightning spears, and riding flying demonic beasts called 'Thunder Eagles', instantly tore through the clouds and descended from the sky!

They surrounded the scene!

A terrifying aura, far more iron-blooded and chilling than any previous sect, instantly enveloped the entire area!

On their battle armor, a unified emblem consisting of two intertwining black giant dragons was engraved!

—Qianlong City, Black Dragon Guard!

"It's... it's the guards of Qianlong City!"

"It's over! This is big trouble now!"

Seeing the appearance of these uninvited guests, the faces of everyone from both the Purple Cloud Holy Land and the Yaochi Holy Land changed in unison!

And those Myriad Sword Pavilion disciples who had already collapsed on the ground in endless despair, at the moment they saw these 'official' figures appear,

A malicious spark named 'hope' rekindled in their ashen eyes!

"Sirs! Help!"

Li Hanyue, like a drowning person grasping at a last straw, scrambled and crawled to the silver-armored female cultivator who appeared to be the 'captain'!

She pointed at Lin Chen and, with a tone full of grievance and indignation, twisted the facts and frantically made the first accusation!

"Sirs! You must uphold justice for us!"

"We, the Myriad Sword Pavilion, were merely passing through this place peacefully!"

"This man from the Purple Cloud Holy Land, relying on some crooked ways (evil crooked ways), provoked us without reason, not only destroying our flying boat!"

"He even brutally murdered our Senior Sister—Sword Unparalleled!"

"Look! The evidence is conclusive! The blood hasn't even dried yet!"

"Please, you must severely punish this... murderer who disregards the laws of our Qianlong City!"

Li Hanyue's tearful accusation, full of twisted facts, indignation, and 'grievance', instantly attracted everyone's attention.

The leading silver-armored female cultivator, who appeared to be the 'captain' — Long Kui — listened to her 'accusation', her face, mostly hidden by her helmet's visor, revealing only a pair of sharp phoenix eyes, showed no expression.

She merely slowly turned her oppressive gaze towards Lin Chen.

And at this moment,

Li Hanyue, still kneeling at her feet, while hypocritically wiping away tears from the corners of her eyes with one sleeve, used her other hand to extremely discreetly slip a resplendent, seemingly valuable, high-grade spiritual artifact bracelet into the gap of Long Kui's silver battle armor's armguard.

Her movements were extremely fast and extremely concealed.

No one present, including Elder Yuheng of the Yaochi Holy Land, noticed this small action.

Only Lin Chen saw everything.

His profound eyes, which could already perceive everything with the enhancement of his Moonlight Divine Pupils, merely watched all this calmly, his face still maintaining that unperturbed expression.

And Captain Long Kui of the Black Dragon Guard, upon feeling the touch on her arm, a flicker of undetectable satisfaction flashed in her sharp phoenix eyes.

She subtly adjusted the angle of her armguard and perfectly stowed the 'evidence' into her storage waist pouch.

The entire process was smooth and seamless.

"How outrageous! You... you're slandering him!"

A young female disciple from the Purple Cloud Holy Land, seeing such a blatant distortion of facts, finally couldn't help but speak up in anger to refute!

"It was clearly your Myriad Sword Pavilion who first crashed into our flying boat! And even attacked people! Holy Son, he..."

"Shut up!"

However, her words were not yet finished.

Captain Long Kui, who had just received the bribe, suddenly let out a cold, sharp shout!

A terrifying pressure, belonging to a peak Golden Core stage expert and filled with iron-blooded killing intent, instantly suppressed the speaking female disciple, making her pretty face turn pale and unable to utter another word!

"This Seat is handling a case here!"

Long Kui's voice was cold and full of 'fairness and strictness'!

"When is it your turn, a useless person who can't even speak clearly, to interrupt?!"

"Dare to say one more word, and this Seat will execute you on the spot for the crime of 'obstructing official duties'!"

Overbearing!

Forceful!

And undisguised... favoritism!

Seeing this scene, the hearts of everyone from the Purple Cloud Holy Land instantly sank by half!

They knew it was over!

These Qianlong City guards were clearly in cahoots with the Myriad Sword Pavilion!

And the faces of the Myriad Sword Pavilion members once again showed triumphant and cruel smiles!

Their eyes towards Lin Chen were full of mockery and schadenfreude!

(Kid! What if you're strong?!)

(In this Qianlong City, before the network of connections that our Myriad Sword Pavilion has operated for hundreds of years, you are still just an ant that can be manipulated at will!)

And after Long Kui finished reprimanding the Purple Cloud Holy Land disciple,

She lost all patience.

Her sharp phoenix eyes, filled with killing intent, once again locked onto Lin Chen, who had remained silent all this time.

The forbidden shackles in her hand made a crisp 'click' sound!

"Kid!"

"This Seat's patience is limited!"

"I'll ask you one last time!"

"Are you coming over yourself or..."

Her words were not yet finished.

She herself transformed into a silver lightning bolt, rushing towards Lin Chen with a terrifying, unstoppable momentum!

"Captain Long Kui, wait."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice.

They saw that Elder Yuheng, the leading elder of the Yaochi Holy Land, slowly walked out from their formation!

Her face no longer held its previous 'neutrality' and 'helplessness'.

Instead, it was replaced by a gentle smile full of 'goodwill' and 'mediation'.

She first nodded slightly to Long Kui, speaking with complete courtesy:

"Captain Long Kui, greetings."

"My Yaochi Holy Land witnessed this matter from beginning to end."

"There seems to be... another side to the story."

She paused, and without waiting for Long Kui to speak, immediately changed the subject, continuing in a 'fair' tone:

"As this humble woman observed, it was clearly the fellow Daoists from Myriad Sword Pavilion who provoked first and attacked first."

"Holy Son Lin was merely... forced to defend himself."

"Although the methods were a bit drastic, it is excusable, truly excusable."

"In this humble woman's opinion, why don't my Yaochi Holy Land act as a mediator? Let both sides take a step back and turn hostility into friendship?"

"After all, everyone is here for the Grand Competition of the hidden dragon list. If harmony is broken here, wouldn't it become a joke for the people of the other two great imperial dynasties?"

Taking a side!

Unhesitatingly chose to... speak up for Lin Chen!

This scene made everyone present collectively stunned!

Especially Li Hanyue and the others from Myriad Sword Pavilion, who stared at Elder Yuheng with an incredulous look full of 'betrayal'!

Meanwhile, everyone from the Purple Cloud Holy Land showed expressions of surprise and gratitude!

No one expected!

At this most crucial moment, the one who would stand up and speak for Lin Chen would actually be... the Yaochi Holy Land, who had previously chosen to 'stand by and watch'!

Elder Yuheng was naturally not a kind-hearted soul.

She was merely a shrewd 'investor' who understood how to 'weigh pros and cons'!

After witnessing Lin Chen's terrifying and unfathomable strength, capable of dispelling the Myriad Swords Returning to Origin Formation with just 'one breath',

She knew how to choose.

Offending a declining Myriad Sword Pavilion that had lost its leader,

To befriend a peerless prodigy with boundless future potential, possibly even becoming a 'god'...

This deal, no matter how you calculated it, was a massive profit with no loss!

However.

Facing the 'kind persuasion' of this elder from the Yaochi Holy Land,

Captain Long Kui, whose eyes were already blinded by the spiritual treasure, didn't even bother to listen!

"Hmm?!"

Her phoenix eyes suddenly turned cold, and a chilling killing intent instantly locked onto Elder Yuheng!

"Elder Yuheng, is it?"

Her voice was full of undeniable, 'official' domineering and assertiveness!

"My Black Dragon Guard is handling a case!"

"When is it your turn, a mere outer elder of the Yaochi Holy Land, to point fingers?!"

"Are you openly challenging the laws of my Qianlong City?!"

"Or rather..."

A cruel sneer played on her lips.

"Are you also going to be like these fools and become an enemy of my Black Dragon Guard... for this 'man'?!"

Crude!

Direct!

A merciless interruption!

She gave no face to the Yaochi Holy Land at all!

Because she knew that behind her stood the entire Qianlong City!

It was the supreme Sky Patrol Hall from the Central Continent Sacred Domain!

Elder Yuheng's face instantly became extremely grim!

She never expected the other party to be so... unyielding!

And after Long Kui finished reprimanding Elder Yuheng,

She lost all patience.

Her sharp phoenix eyes, filled with killing intent, once again locked onto Lin Chen, who had remained silent from beginning to end.

The forbidden shackles in her hand made a crisp 'click'!

"Kid!"

"This Seat's patience is limited!"

"I'll ask you one last time!"

"Are you coming over yourself or..."

Her words were not yet finished.

She herself transformed into a silver lightning bolt, rushing towards Lin Chen with a terrifying, unstoppable momentum!