After the blood red rain descended, an endless milk white fog descended from the sky, and it covered the entirety of Ocean of Clouds City and Welkin Wolf Mountain Range.
Yang Ye stretched out his hand and waved it lightly, and then a strand of the milky white fog descended on his palm. Yang Ye gazed at it for a long time before he looked once more into the sky, “So it really was true…. Saints return the spirit energy they consumed upon their deaths….”
One had to absorb countless strands of spirit energy and Quintessence Violet Energy in order to attain the Saint Realm, and that same spirit energy and Quintessence Violet Energy were the foundation of this world. It could be said that attaining the Saint Realm was equivalent to a fight with the heavens. To be more precise, one was fighting with the heavens from the moment that person stepped foot on the path of cultivation.
What did they fight the heavens for? They fought to live!
Regardless of which world it was, it wouldn’t be far from destruction once the spirit energy there had dried up. If Saints wanted to live longer, they naturally had to absorb even more spirit energy to strengthen themselves. In that way, they naturally stood on opposite sides as nature. That was why anyone who attained the Monarch Realm or above had to overcome tribulations from the heavens!
Because the amount of spirit energy required by cultivators was extremely huge after the Monarch Realm, and it wasn’t something that the world wanted to allow. Especially Saint Realm experts. Every single Saint simply required an immeasurable amount of spirit energy, and they even needed Quintessence Violet Energy. Quintessence Violet Energy was like the spirit, energy, and essence of the world, and every bit that vanished represented that the lifespan of the world would decrease a little!
So, attaining the Saint Realm was like seizing life from the heavens!
Thus, it was extremely difficult to become a Saint. Moreover, the spirit energy of a Saint would be immediately returned to the world upon the Saint’s death. That was why every single world was able to survive for so many years. After all, if it only gave away spirit energy yet didn’t get any back, then any world would probably dry up and be destroyed in just a few tens of thousands of years!
“Even Saints have fallen! Looks like they’re serious!” Yang Ye’s face gradually turned solemn as he gazed at the white mist which covered the sky. Before this, the battle between Ocean of Clouds Academy and Welkin Wolf Mountain Range could only be considered as a small-scale conflict, and they hadn’t really fought desperately with their lives on the line. Yet now, a Saint had perished, and it represented that it would only end with the death of one party!
“I wonder if it was a Saint from the academy of the wolves. If it was from the academy….” Yang Ye’s face fell. He’d thought that they had an equal number of Saints, so they could keep each other busy and balance the odds. Yet now, a Saint had perished, and it meant that the side which lost the Saint would be in a disadvantaged position and it might even cause the outcome to be determined right away!
Yang Ye stood and pondered deeply for an instant, and then he started rushing towards the city.
No matter which side lost a Saint, he had to head back because Yu Wushuang and the others were still there!
Yang Ye had just returned to the city when the scene before his eyes blurred and everything around him warped. Quite some time passed before Yang Ye opened his eyes again, and he was within a grand hall.
The dean of the academy was seated at the seat of the host, and 5 old men were seated on his sides!
6 Saints! Yang Ye’s heart jerked when he witnessed this scene, was it the academy who lost a Saint?
Besides those 6 Saints, Shang Qingying and Yu Wushuang were here as well. They were looking at Yang Ye from the side. There was a slightly complicated expression in Shang Qingying’s eyes while worry filled Yu Wushuang’s eyes instead.
The dean suddenly spoke solemnly, “Why did you destroy the secret court?”
They intend to question me and get even after all this time? Yang Ye’s expression didn’t change as he said, “They wanted to kill me!”
“But you’re still alive while all of them are dead!” A black robed old man who stood by Yang Ye’s side spoke in a low voice, and there was killing intent in his eyes.
Shang Qingying suddenly said, “That’s the secret court’s Instructor Zhuo!”
So it’s the leader of the secret court! Yang Ye carefully sized up the old man and said, “Is it my fault that they were weak?”
Instructor Zhuo spoke gloomily, “You think that you can do as you please because you have the Ancient Sword School’s protection?”
Besides the dean, the expressions of all the other old men turned slightly gloomy upon hearing Instructor Zhuo. Obviously, they felt that Yang Ye was acting so fearlessly and doing as he pleased because he had the Ancient Sword School’s protection.
Yang Ye remained silent for a moment, and then he raised his head and gazed at them, “Firstly, I killed 3 sons of Welkin Wolf Demon King’s. Secondly, I gathered the strength of the entire city to become a force under the command of the academy. Thirdly, I defended the city and led them to kill millions of wolf demons.”
When he spoke up to this point, Yang Ye’s voice grew louder, “So, it doesn’t matter whether the secret court exists! Because I Yang Ye can make up for all of them!”
Their faces twitched when they heard him. After it, it was truly some boastful words. However, they weren’t able to refute it.
Instructor Zhuo was furious. How could he not be furious when Yang Ye had said to his face that all the members of his secret court couldn’t compare to just Yang Ye alone? So, he immediately spoke furiously, “Yes. You, Yang Ye, possess great natural talent. You’re a monstrous genius, and the members of my secret court were inferior to you. So you can just kill them without restraint because of that? If one can act as he pleases just because he possesses formidable strength, then does that mean that I can kill you right now? Because even 10,000 of you can’t compare to me!”
“I have nothing to say if you’re able to put your dignity aside and bully me!” Yang Ye spoke indifferently, “After all, you’ve cultivated for countless years while I’ve only cultivated for a few dozen.”
Instructor Zhuo’s face twitched. He was just about to speak when the dean stopped him and spoke instead, “Yang Ye, we can’t deny that you rendered meritorious service during the defense of the city. However, do you know how many people in the academy are displeased with you and want to punish you because you slaughtered the secret court? We’re all from the same academy. While it’s normal for there to be conflict between us, why did you have to go to such extremes?”
Yang Ye spoke in a low voice, “Weeds will sprout out once more if you don’t exterminate them by the roots!”
Instructor Zhuo stared fixedly at Yang Ye, “I really wish for nothing more than to squash you to death!”
Yang Ye looked Instructor Zhuo in the eyes and said, “We’re all adults here, so we have to take responsibility for our actions. The students of your secret court were arrogant and haughty, and they intended to bully the students of my outer court. Unfortunately, their strength was insufficient, and I forced them back. At that time, I’d held back because it was just as the dean said. We’re all from the same academy, so just teaching them a lesson was fine. However, what was the outcome?”
Yang Ye laughed coldly when he spoke up to this point, “The outcome was that they refused to accept their defeat, and they brought even more people to take revenge on the students of my outer court. Since it’s like that, then why should I allow a group of people who might backstab me at any time to continue living? Instructor Zhuo, to be honest, they didn’t die because I, Yang Ye, and ruthless. I can only say that they asked for it. It’s best to keep a low profile when one doesn’t possess strength. After all, it’s inadvisable to act arrogantly without strength!”
Instructor Zhuo spoke in a low voice, “You think you’re very strong?”
Yang Ye spoke indifferently, “In your eyes, I’m naturally as weak as an ant now. So, I’m keeping a very low profile. Otherwise, if I’m to be honest. I wouldn’t waste my breath on you if I had sufficient strength!”
“You’re keeping a very low profile?” Instructor Zhuo started laughing from extreme rage, “Alright! So that’s what it’s like when you keep a very low profile. Talking back to a Saint is considered as keeping a very low profile. Yang Ye, to be honest, I truly wish to see how you act when you are acting arrogantly. Why don’t we have a little competition so that I may witness how arrogant you are!?”
The corners of Yang Ye’s mouth twitched when he heard this. Has that old fellow gone mad from rage? A Saint like him wants to fight a Monarch Realm cultivator like me in single combat? How thick-skinned is he to speak such words?
The dean and the others shook their heads slightly as well. Even though Yang Ye was asking for a beating, speaking such words was beneath Instructor Zhuo’s status.
Instructor Zhuo noticed that he’d made a mistake after he finished speaking, and he immediately grunted coldly and said, “Yang Ye, I intended to make you pay with your life. However, the dean said that you rendered meritorious service in defending the city, and you’ve rendered great merit to both the city and the academy. So, while you can escape death, you can’t escape punishment!”
Yang Ye’s face fell, and he gazed at the dean instead.
The dean said, “Yang Ye, while you’ve rendered great service to the academy and city, the effects of your actions are too adverse this time. Many amongst the higher-ups of the academy are extremely displeased, and many would definitely be unwilling to accept it if we are to just let the matter rest as we’d done before this. So, we must give everyone an explanation.”
Yang Ye said, “Dean, even though the relationship between me and the academy is equivalent to an exchange. In other words, I help the academy, and the Saints of the academy will be my backing in the future. However, I’ve been constantly encountering all sorts of trouble since I entered the academy. Not only did I save the academy’s outer court students, I even saved the students of the entire academy. Moreover, I offended Welkin Wolf Mountain Range because of that. I can be said to have done a great deal for the academy. But dean, may I know what the academy has done for me?”
All of them remained silent because the academy had truly done nothing for him.
Yang Ye chuckled and said, “Of course, you gave me a painting. I can’t deny that it’s quite useful to me. But that’s all it is. Dean, you said that the painting would be able to help me attain true Void Rank sword intent. But dean, do you believe what you said? In any case, I don’t.”
When he spoke up to this point, he glanced at all the Saints and said, “I said all of that just to make a single point. Since I, Yang Ye, arrived at the academy, I don’t owe the academy anything. Conversely, I’ve even done a great deal for the academy. However, what did I get in return? I didn’t get any rewards! All I gained was your punishment!”
One of the white robed old men said, “Yang Ye, we know that you’ve rendered great service to the academy. However, your actions of slaughtering the entire secret court carry great implications. We must give everyone an explanation!”
“You want an explanation?” Yang Ye nodded, and then he waved his hand. The Unfettered One’s painting flew over to the dean as he said, “I’ll give you one. Dean, you can have that painting back. From this moment onward, I, Yang Ye, resign from my position as outer court instructor. Moreover, from this moment onward, I have no further connection to Ocean of Clouds Academy.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Ye turned around and left the hall.
Everyone within the hall was at a loss for words.
