John knew no matter what story he told, or how good his excuse was that he survived while the rest of his squadron died, the Elder's of the sect would seek to execute him to set an example of him.
From his questioning of the boy he assumed the identity of, John had discovered that he was quite average in every regard. His cultivation was not terrible for his age, as not every first year had reached the Late Core Formation Realm. However, it wasn't incredible either, as there were youths at the Peak of the Core Formation Realm already.
However, the boy was looked down upon, because his entire life had been one big failure after the next. Every time he would try to achieve something, he would fail miserably, often bringing those around him down with him. After some time this reputation had spread throughout the sect, and all had started to consider him a failure of the sect.
As such, the Elder's had no problem using John's assumed identity to set an example for the rest of the sect. After his execution, they would just say he abandoned battle like a coward, and this was what happened to cowards. No matter what explanations John gave, he could already tell the Elder's had their minds set on this outcome.
The only reason they had brought him here in the first place was to gather intel before the execution.
As such, John knew he would have to change their minds in another way.
"What did you say!" several of the Elder's erupted immediately with fiery rage.
John's words had not only insulted the sect, but them as well.
"As I said, fuck the Sect laws," John repeated himself, annunciating every syllable carefully.
Even the Elder's who had remained calm the first time he said it felt their anger grow quickly. John smirked as he saw this, and quickly spoke out before any of the Elder's could.
"See, this is what I mean. The Bloodfiend Sect claims strength is the most important thing, yet hides behind things like laws and rules when it suits them. If anything, it should be you Elder's who get executed for what happened at the borderlands," John said to the group.
"You dare speak to us like that!" an Elder erupted in rage.
"I dare," John replied with a firm voice. "Whose fault is it that my squadron was wiped out on the borderlands? Hmm? It surely wasn't me, a first year disciple. Not only did you send a weak squadron to the Heavenly Lightning Sect lands and expect it to do anything, the Elder's you sent were so weak that they were beaten by a disciple of that sect. If anything, it's you Elder's that should be executed for the shameful displays you've put on for this Sect," John replied, his voice fiery with passion.
"That's it!" an Elder suddenly erupted in a rage, unable to contain himself. The Elder was the youngest in the room, and appeared to be in his early twenties. Clearly, he had just advanced to the level of an Elder.
He stood up from his chair, the speed of which shattered it beneath him, as he suddenly dashed towards John. His hand pierced towards his chest, clearly intent on taking his life. John smiled as he saw this, as the situation could not have been more perfect.
The Elder charging him was the weakest one in the group, with his cultivation barely at the Early Meridian Forging Realm. Not only that, but he was not using his full power, and was clearly only using the power required to kill a Late Core Formation youth.
The Elder's outstretched hand reached John's chest.
Bang!
A loud, sharp sound rang out within the room, quickly followed by a crashing sound. John slowly lowered his outstretched hand, which still slightly stung from the slap he had just given the Elder.
'That Elder's face is quite hard. That actually hurt a bit.'
The Elder's in the room all stared with stupefied expressions as the Elder who had crashed into the far wall of the room. He had just been about to execute John, which none of the other Elder's had any intention of stopping, when all of a sudden, John's hand struck out like lightning and struck the Elder square on the face, sending him flying across the room.
It had all happened so fast, and none of them could have predicted such a thing could happen. John should have been locked down by the immense pressure the Elder was radiating, and should have been far too slow to respond.
You bastard! You dare slap me?"
The Elder who had been slapped quickly stood up and erupted in an explosive rage. His voice rattled the room from its power, shaking the walls with every word. A red hand print lingered on his right cheek, a sign of what had happened.
"You try to take my life, and I can't respond?" John replied in a mocking tone.
The Elder's anger ignited even further, as his power climbed to the maximum. He no longer wanted to just kill John, but wanted to erase any trace of him from this world. He began to speed forward once more, when a calm yet loud voice filled the room.
"Stay your hand!" the voice from the lead Elder sounded out.
The Elder charging John suddenly stopped, and looked towards the lead Elder with an angered face.
"Why do you stop me? Let's just kill this bastard right now and be done with it," the Elder replied. However, he kept his voice lowered, as he dared not to shout at the lead Elder.
The lead Elder looked at the other Elder for a moment, but ignored him. His gaze locked back onto John, as he inspected him closely. The power John had just displayed was completely shocking, and was not something the John they knew was capable of.
John felt this power inspect him more closely, as if trying to see through something. The scan lasted for quite some time before fading away.
After a moment of silence, the lead Elder spoke out once more.
"Explain yourself!"