Leave a way out for future encounters

Among these dozen or so individuals, there were both men and women.

The men were handsome and distinguished, while the women had extraordinary temperaments.

All of them were True Disciples of Morning Glow Valley.

Each of them possessed considerable strength.

"Junior Sister, what exactly happened here?"

A slightly older man stepped forward, quickly treated Lin Yuexia's wounds and stopped the bleeding, then asked.

One had to admit that a Holy Land truly lived up to its name.

Lin Yuexia, who had just been injured, had already regained her ability to move after taking a Medicinal Pill for healing.

She pointed at Zhong Qing.

Angrily, she said, "Senior Brother, this villain is not a Disciple of my Morning Glow Valley at all."

"He trespassed into a restricted area of my Morning Glow Valley and I caught him!

"He even tried to kill me to silence me.

"You all must uphold justice for me!"

She adopted a pitiful demeanor, directly positioning herself as a vulnerable individual.

She made no mention of her own initial aggressive actions, her arrogance, or her utter disregard for others.

As soon as she spoke.

The surrounding people instantly became enraged.

"How dare this audacious villain trespass into my Morning Glow Valley and injure a True Disciple of our Holy Land? Are you underestimating Morning Glow Valley?!"

A group of people pointed their swords at Zhong Qing, their expressions unfriendly.

Zhong Qing couldn't be bothered to waste words with them anymore.

Truth and justice are always held by the strong.

The weak are the ones who humbly pursue that illusory fairness!

"All of you, come at me!"

He stood with his hands behind his back, his face unperturbed, and spoke calmly.

Upon hearing Zhong Qing's words, the more than ten Disciples were furious.

"You're causing trouble in my Morning Glow Valley, and you still dare to be so arrogant? Do you really think Morning Glow Valley has no one capable?!"

The atmosphere instantly became tense, as if a major battle was on the verge of breaking out.

"Stop!"

Just then, a clear voice, like a great bell or a drum, rang out.

It reverberated through the valley!

Immediately after, a streak of light descended from the sky.

"Sect Master!"

The True Disciples were overjoyed to see the newcomer.

Although Zhong Qing had not displayed any cultivation fluctuations earlier.

His unmoving Aura, like a mountain, had exerted immense pressure on them.

Moreover, Lin Yuexia's strength was not weak.

Among the crowd, she was considered one of the top-ranking individuals.

Yet, she was still severely injured!

From the start of the battle to its end, although they hadn't witnessed it firsthand, those with a keen eye could deduce from the clues that it had only taken a few breaths.

Even if they had joined forces and charged together, they weren't guaranteed victory against such a person.

Now it was fine, the Sect Master had arrived!

They were confident that under the Sect Master's formidable strength, any evil spirits would be brought to justice!

Especially Lin Yuexia.

Her gaze towards Zhong Qing was filled with even more hatred and schadenfreude.

Her expression seemed to say: You're dead!

However, the scene that unfolded next astonished everyone.

Peak Lord Lu Qingxia approached Zhong Qing, her face filled with trepidation, and said, "Senior, my Disciples were ignorant of proper etiquette and offended you."

"For any offense, Qingxia apologizes to you here."

"What is going on?"

"Who exactly is this person?"

"To be worthy of the Sect Master's personal apology!"

The True Disciples were dumbfounded.

All of them looked as if they had seen a ghost.

Who was their Sect Master?

She was the Sect Master of the East Region Holy Land!

One of the most powerful and influential figures in the entire East Region.

Revered by thousands, worshipped by the world!

But now, such a being was genuinely fearful and respectful in front of a young man.

Her humble posture was unprecedented and unheard of.

Even if the Old Ancestor himself were to arrive, it's unlikely he could make their Sect Master act this way!

If Peak Lord Lu Qingxia knew what they were thinking, she would probably let out a bitter laugh: The Old Ancestor and this Senior truly aren't comparable.

After all, even one of Zhong Qing's servants had Earth Profound Realm cultivation.

And their Old Ancestor was merely in the Earth Profound Realm!

Lin Yuexia, the person directly involved, was completely dumbfounded.

Zhong Qing had previously said that he was invited by the Sect Master.

But she hadn't taken it seriously.

Now it seemed this was actually true.

And judging by the Sect Master's demeanor, this was clearly a powerful expert even stronger than their own Sect Master.

When she thought about her previous actions, how she had spoken disrespectfully to such a terrifying expert and even nearly harbored murderous intent.

Her heart filled with dread and unease!

"What exactly happened?"

Peak Lord Lu Qingxia's face was filled with anger, and she turned to her Disciples with a dark expression.

The Disciples exchanged glances, trembling with fear at Peak Lord Lu Qingxia's stern gaze, and finally all looked towards Lin Yuexia.

The latter's face instantly turned ashen.

These gazes, to her now, were like towering mountains, crushing her until she couldn't breathe.

But she knew that some things couldn't be solved by evasion.

As her thoughts churned.

She immediately knelt before Peak Lord Lu Qingxia, weeping profusely, and said, "Sect Master, this is all my fault!"

"I mistakenly took this Senior for a villain trespassing in the Holy Land."

"For the safety of the Holy Land, I wanted to subdue him first."

"All the mistakes are mine, I hope Sect Master will forgive me just this once, considering my dedication to the Sect."

She portrayed a woman's pitiful and helpless vulnerability to perfection.

Coupled with her natural beauty, she truly made people want to hold her and comfort her.

At this moment, Lin Yuexia knew that discussing who was right or wrong was an extremely foolish decision.

In the cultivation world, the strong are revered!

Offending someone she couldn't afford to offend was the original sin.

So she decided to admit her mistake first.

Then feign pity and innocence.

By relying on her title as a True Disciple, the Sect Master would likely lift the punishment high and let it fall lightly.

She had tried this tactic many times, and it had always worked.

However, she underestimated Zhong Qing's standing in Peak Lord Lu Qingxia's heart.

Upon hearing that Lin Yuexia had actually attacked Zhong Qing.

Peak Lord Lu Qingxia's face was so dark it could drip water.

Zhong Qing was the one she had invited to rescue the Chao Xia Valley Three Ancestors!

Now, a mere True Disciple dared to provoke someone so powerful.

The matter hadn't even been settled, and the person had almost been thoroughly offended!

Once Zhong Qing's wrath was ignited, let alone saving people, whether Morning Glow Valley could even exist would be a question.

Thinking of this, her anger flared even more.

She immediately spoke coldly to Lin Yuexia: "From today onwards, your True Disciple status will be revoked, and you will be punished to reflect for a hundred years at the Cliff of Contemplation!"

Generally, when a Sect Master punishes a Disciple, there is usually a proper justification.

It's measured by Sect rules, then judged by law, striving to make the punished accept their fate.

But Peak Lord Lu Qingxia was so enraged at this moment that she didn't even bother to find a specific regulation.

She directly made the final judgment.

As soon as this judgment was announced, the True Disciples all gasped.

Lin Yuexia collapsed to the ground as if her spine had been removed.

Her True Disciple status had given her a lofty position and allowed her to enjoy countless conveniences and power.

Naturally, it had also caused her to offend many people.

Once this status was revoked, her former enemies would undoubtedly swarm in like sharks smelling blood.

With her cultivation, she wasn't afraid.

After all, though she was arrogant, she only offended those she could bully.

However, the Cliff of Contemplation was a place of punishment.

Many people who entered that place were corrupted by Evil Qi, their strength regressed instead of advancing, and the longer they stayed, the more severe the damage to their strength.

A hundred years of reflection at the Cliff of Contemplation would be enough to cripple all her cultivation.

These two punishments combined were a hundred times more cruel than directly killing her.

At this moment, Zhong Qing's earlier words echoed in her ears.

'Leave a line in your actions, so you can meet again in the future!'

Unfortunately, she hadn't!

A surge of boundless regret swept through her heart, making her deeply regretful.

If only she had listened to even one sentence earlier, she probably wouldn't have ended up in such a predicament today!

...