228: Chapter 228 Enraged and Ashamed, They Engaged in a Fight

What was even more jaw-dropping was that as they argued, they had completely forgotten about Xu Ruyu, who was sitting at the head of the room!

It was as if he were merely an insignificant background prop, an irrelevant pawn who had already fulfilled his mission of "abdicating" and could now exit the stage.

No one in the Council Hall looked at him again, no one consulted his opinion, and no one even mentioned his status as "ordained by the Old Ancestor"—since you gave it up yourself, that status is naturally void!

Xu Ruyu sat on the cold white jade throne, leaning back slightly with his hands folded over his abdomen. His face still wore that "powerless" and "at a loss" expression, but deep in his eyes, there was a cold calm, even a faint trace of mockery.

Good, very good.

More people had jumped out than he had anticipated, and they were even more eager than he'd expected.

Their ugly behavior was also even more pathetic than he had imagined.

Madame Qingli still stood quietly behind him to his side, but Xu Ruyu could feel that the Aura around her had quietly become solid and sharp, like a bowstring drawn tight, waiting only for his signal.

Meanwhile, those silent Elders, such as Grand Elder Kumū and Fifth Elder Hua Xunhuan, watched the increasingly unsightly farce before them. Their brows furrowed deeper, and the disappointment and pain in their eyes grew more intense.

The Sect was facing a great disaster, surrounded by powerful enemies, yet these people were not thinking about uniting to overcome the difficulties. Instead, they were fighting tooth and nail over a vacant position, making a complete spectacle of themselves!

Has the Hehuan Sect... truly rotted to this extent?

The argument escalated.

At first, it was just verbal attacks and exposing each other's flaws.

"Wang Tiexin! Has your Punishment Hall not had enough wrongful cases over the years? Don't think I don't know about your schemes to eliminate rivals and line your own pockets!"

Li Wancai was so enraged by Wang Tiexin's insinuation that he was "only interested in profit" that his face turned pale, and he directly exposed the other's dirty laundry.

"Li Wancai! You have the nerve to talk about me? You've been secretly colluding with external chambers of commerce, reselling Sect resources and making a fortune. Do you really think everyone is blind?!"

Wang Tiexin immediately retorted.

"Huo Lianzi! You know better than anyone how high the defect rate of the Magic Treasures produced by your Artifact Refining Hall is!"

"Of the batch of standard Flying Swords last year, thirty percent had their blades snap during the very first practice session!"

"You are treating the lives of the Disciples as a joke!"

Elder Leng Mian's voice was icy.

"Leng Mian! Your Law Enforcement Hall uses torture to extract confessions, causing widespread resentment within the Sect. How dare you speak so boldly here?!"

Huo Lianzi was fuming with rage.

"Dan Xiazi! The Medicinal Pills produced by your Pill Cauldron Pavilion aren't even seventy percent as effective as similar pills on the market, yet the price is twice as high! You are sucking the blood of the Sect!"

"Zhen Xuanzi! The Mountain-Protecting Formation you set up had a corner accidentally dug through by a Golden Core Stage Pangolin Demon last year. It's full of holes, yet you dare to claim it's rock-solid?"

Personal attacks, conflicts of interest, old grudges... one by one, every single matter was dug up and exposed to the light of day.

The Elders, who might have maintained a surface level of harmony and fellow-Disciple affection on ordinary days, had now completely torn off their masks for that supreme position of power, revealing their most hideous and pathetic sides.

Inside the Council Hall, spit flew everywhere, and foul language (by cultivator standards) was mixed in. The Spiritual Qi became slightly turbulent due to the emotional agitation, and the scene was chaotic.

Xu Ruyu, sitting high above, seemed to have become the only calm observer.

He even slightly adjusted his posture to make himself more comfortable, leisurely enjoying this brilliant "dog-eat-dog" drama that he had ignited with his own hands.

The mocking curve at the corner of Madame Qingli's mouth became even more pronounced.

She tilted her head slightly, looking at Xu Ruyu with an inquiring gaze.

Xu Ruyu gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, signaling: It hasn't reached the climax yet, wait a little longer.

Let the bullets fly for a while.

As expected, verbal conflict soon failed to satisfy these people who were blinded by the desire for power.

"Wang Tiexin! You're looking for death!" Li Wancai's fat trembled all over as his most painful secret was exposed. He pointed at Wang Tiexin's nose and cursed, "This position of Sect Master will never fall to a cruel official like you!"

"If it doesn't fall to me, could it possibly fall to a treacherous merchant like you?!" Wang Tiexin replied sinisterly, his hand already on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

"All of you, shut up!" Huo Lianzi had the most explosive temper. Seeing that the argument was going nowhere, he suddenly stepped forward. His Mid-Nascent Soul Stage Aura erupted, and a searing heat wave swept through the surroundings. "This Sect Master position belongs to the capable!"

"Enough nonsense, let our skills do the talking!"

"Whoever is not convinced, ask the 'Sky-Burning Hammer' in my hand first!"

As he spoke, a red light flashed in his hand, and a phantom of a giant war hammer, entirely crimson and wrapped in flame patterns, emerged. The scorching heat made several nearby Elders involuntarily take a step back.

"Huo Lianzi! You dare to use force in the Council Hall?!" Elder Leng Mian shouted sharply, his figure becoming as elusive as a ghost. Cold air radiated from him, and a pair of dark blue Water-Dividing Spikes appeared in his hands. "Do you think my Law Enforcement Hall is just for show?!"

"If you want to fight, then fight! I'm not afraid of you!" Huo Lianzi roared, swinging his hammer down.

"Enough!" The elderly Dan Xiazi barked. With a flick of his sleeve, several streaks of medicinal Qi of various colors shot out, attempting to stop them. "Where is your sense of decorum! This is the Council Hall!"

However, his medicinal Qi was blocked by an invisible formation pattern quietly laid down by Zhen Xuanzi.

Zhen Xuanzi sneered, "Dan Xiazi, you want to get involved too? Break this 'Minor Yan Restriction' I casually set up first!"