“Amazing!” That was really an incredible display of skills on Mu Yang’s part, and Li Tianming couldn’t help but give him a thumbs up.
“Damn, you sure showed them!” The little chick excitedly flapped its wings.
Like a true hero, Mu Yang had single-handedly defeated the three Lin brothers, showing them that the Wei Clan wasn’t to be messed with! Even the crippled Wei Zikun ran towards him, despite his injuries.
“Brother Yang, thank you. Thank you for avenging me!” Tears of joy flowed down his cheeks.
The Wei Clan had more than their fair share of unjust treatment, with the Lightning Manor and the inspectors all treating them like fishes in a barrel. But it was Sage Chen and Mu Yang who rose to the occasion, securing one precious point for the clan. They even managed to make the Lightning Manor pay a hefty price for their sin.
“Don’t worry, focus on recovering from your injuries for now.” Even if the Lightning Manor had suffered their retribution, the Wei Clan had seen losses too. The murder and crippling of Wei Qing and Wei Zikun was uncalled for. The latter was unlikable, true, but that didn't justify him being crippled by Lightning Manor.
As for Mu Yang, he was showered in the awe and respect of everyone from the Wei Clan. Even if he never did join the clan as Wei Jing’s spouse, he was, from the start to the end, the one that Wei Tiancang trusted the most.
“Master.” Mu Yang joined the rest of the clan.
“Well done. I’m really proud to be your mentor.” Wei Tiancang could no longer contain his tears as well. Words couldn’t express the emotions that he felt.
…...
It took a while before the stadium finally recovered from its initial shock. With the day of battle over, people began to compare the losses taken by both sides. The Wei Clan had a few casualties, but it was a drop in the ocean compared to the Lightning Manor's losses. It could only be said that the Lightning Manor had finally paid their price for playing the bully. The deaths of the Lin brothers were crude, but it was Mu Yang’s strength that truly changed people’s opinions. In a land where people followed the martial dao, people always respected the strong ones, just like how they cheered Li Yanfeng on just now.
“Will you look at that! And I thought Lin Tianjian was about his level.”
“It’s been so long since he last fought in public, but who would have imagined his improvements!”
“Mu Yang is definitely stronger than Wei Tiancang now, maybe even Wei Tiancang at his prime!”
“Forget Wei Tiancang, I doubt you can find someone who can compare to him, even in Torch Dragon and Aquamarine.”
“You are right, only the inspectors could defeat him now.”
“It makes sense for the Wei Clan to win the contest today. Even without Sage Chen, Mu Yang would still win if he fought the six of them one by one.”
“But that means he wouldn’t be able to slay the three brothers. If the Lightning Manor knew Mu Yang was this strong, they would have just given up the match today.”
By now, many spectators had more or less guessed why Mu Yang had issued such a challenge.
“The three brothers really made a fool of themselves today. They were an even bigger fool than that Wei Tianxiong.”
“Even the Lightning Seigneur's badly injured now. If they thought of making use of this chance to usurp the throne, then they must really be dreaming.”
“The only one they have left is the Heaven’s Elysium disciple, Lin Xiaoting.”
“I suppose their only hope is for Lin Xiaoting to return ten years later to seek revenge.”
“Ten years? What makes you think the Lightning Manor will still exist another ten years down the road?”
“So this is retribution.”
“Haha.”
…...
Within the crowd, two supernal mentors sat petrified, staring at each other. Cold sweat had drenched both Liu Xueyao and Zhao Tianchen’s backs.
“Did you know that he was this strong?” Zhao Tianchen asked, the corner of his eyes twitching.
“Nope.” Liu Xueyao’s legs were slightly shaking as well.
“Well, if you had known, would you still choose to be the Lightning Manor’s spy?” Zhao Tianchen asked, but received no answer.
“I need to go now.” Zhao Tianchen stood up and took his leave. The longer he stayed with Liu Xueyao, the higher the risk that Mu Yang would come for him too. If it wasn’t for Wei Tiancang, Liu Xueyao wouldn’t have even walked out of the Wei Manor alive that day. The Lightning Manor was finished, and he needed to cut all ties with them!
……
Without anyone to lead them, members of the Lightning Manor were like headless flies. Some were crying, while others stood in shock. Even the two inspectors were stunned by the results. As the invigilators of the battle, they had already opened the barrier fast enough for Lin Tianjian.
“That was quite a powerful sword art. Who would have thought that a beastmaster of this level could be born in this rural land? Are you confident of taking him down?” Jin Yixuan asked.
“Probably, albeit troublesome. It'll be messy, and things might go beyond our control.”
“That guy is even qualified to join Heaven's Elysium as a vice-inspector.” Song Yixue frowned.
“What a pain. It would have been such an easy job if we hadn’t met someone of this calibre,” Jin Yixuan replied.
“Whatever, the casualties are all from the Lightning Manor, and it'll be fine as long as the Yueling Clan suffers no casualties. Anyway, they can just get the point for tomorrow, and all this would end,” Song Yixue sighed.
“Well, who can they blame when they themselves lost a three to one fight? They were extended families, but now with Lin Xiaoting impotent, I doubt Yueling Ji will want to keep him. So I’d say we just give up on the Lightning Manor, and if Lin Xiaoting wants to come back for revenge then that’s his own business.”
Lin Xiaoting’s impotence played a crucial point indeed. If he had secured his relationship with Yueling Ji back then, the Yueling Clan would have tried to help them. But that wasn’t the case now.
“Just call it a day. The schedule for tomorrow is quite easy, so there's nothing much to look forward to.”
“Then how do we deal with Mu Yang and the Wei Clan?”
“The one they hate is the Lightning Manor, not the Yueling Clan. We need to have a talk with Mu Yang soon. If he’s willing to take the Wei Clan away from this nation, then we will spare their lives. If not then we will just have to kill him. Can’t risk leaving any potential danger for the Yueling Clan.” Song Yixue frowned.
“What about the Lightning Manor?”
“What Lightning Manor? Our friend now is the Vermilion Bird King.” Song Yixue grinned.
“Hoho, I like where this is going.” Jin Yixuan laughed too.
The two vice-inspectors beckoned the Vermilion Bird King, who was a few meters away.
“Yes, what may I do for you?”
“Call it a day,” Song Yixue commanded.
“Understood.”
“Oh, and now that the Lightning Manor's finished, I suppose you know how to treat the new ruler of the sanctum, no?”
“I will protect them with my life.”
The Vermilion Bird King had Mu Yang to thank for defeating the Lightning Manor. But even then, he couldn’t help in protecting the Wei Manor, since that was already beyond his control. At the very least, if the Wei Manor cooperated and handed over the sanctum willingly, they wouldn’t end up like the Lightning Manor. By reminding not to kill anyone from the Yueling Clan, the king had already done everything in his power.
The Vermilion Bird King immediately announced the end of the day's proceedings, with the winner being the Wei Clan. At the same time, Yueling Clan were having their own internal discussions.
“Father, don’t bother about the Lightning Manor anymore. They are useless, and even the inspectors won't help them,” Yueling Ji said with icy-cold eyes.
“What about you and Lin Xiaoting?”
“I’m calling for a divorce tomorrow. Why would I marry someone who’s not even a man?” she said scornfully.
“Very well. Just defeat Li Tianming and secure Heaven’s Sanctum for us tomorrow. But Lin Xiaoting wouldn’t just let this go, right? What if he hates us for it?” Yueling Xiao asked.
“So? It’s not us who killed his father and uncles. And even if he amounts to anything in the Elysium, can he overrule Lady Long?” Even Yueling Ji did not dare to call that person her younger sister now.
At the same time, the Wei Clan was ready to leave. For the Lightning Manor, Lin Hao was the only one left who could lead the rest of the clan. The Lightning Seigneur needed treatment immediately. As for their revenge, the only ones they could count on were the inspectors.
“Let Lin Xiaoting talk to the inspectors. The Wei Clan had disobeyed the inspectors, so the inspectors will kill every last one of them!”
“How dare Mu Yang challenge the inspectors!”
“Xiaoting, where is Xiaoting?”
They chortled angrily. But what they didn’t know was that Mu Yang was so strong, even the two vice-inspectors had to treat him with caution. If the two inspectors didn’t manage to kill him and he got away, they would have created an incredible threat. The Yueling Clan was definitely not enough to stop that man, and if anything happened to the Yueling Clan, the inspectors would be done for too.
Just as the Lightning Manor was ready to take their leave...
“Father! Grandfather!” A youth ran into the stadium, his eyes red with rage. He was none other than Lin Xiaoting!
The first thing that greeted him was the corpses of Lin Xiaofeng, Lin Tianxuan and the four lifebound beasts. He had already heard news that they couldn’t even recover Lin Tianjian’s body, since it was blown into pieces! At the side, the Lightning Seigneur was writhing and twitching uncontrollably, his body covered in blood. As he registered the scene that greeted him, Lin Xiaoting took a few steps back, gasping in shock.
Throwing his head back, he howled, “MU YANG! I swear on my life that I will murder every last person that you know, and torture you until you long for death!"
His roar echoed in the stadium, silencing the chattering crowd instead. The Wei Manor was about to leave when they stopped to look at Lin Xiaoting. Li Tianming, who was amongst them, turned to stare at his foe.
It would be his turn tomorrow. His hands had been itching for two days already, and Lin Xiaoting had finally made an appearance. He stood there looking at the raging, maddened youth. It was quite a contrast compared to the cruel, haughty boy that looked down on him three years ago.
Today, Mu Yang had proven himself. Li Tianming, however, would have to wait for tomorrow to pounce onto his prey. He could feel his eyes reddening from anticipation, but he knew that it was going to be well worth it.
Lin Xiaoting was already suffering from the pain he deserved, so why not let him enjoy it for one more night?
The crowd could see the two youths standing at two sides of the Flameyellow Stadium as their sights crossed. Li Tianming was the first to speak up.
“Lin Xiaoting. You said you will torture my uncle Yang until he wishes for death? Tell me, how about you? Don’t you wish… that you still had a certain something? That’s right, I’m talking about the Gelding Blight that made your manhood shrivel and rot away. So, tell me how are you feeling now, eunuch Lin?”
Amidst the silence, Li Tianming tossed out questions after another, each of them spicier than the previous one!
“Ge...Gelding Blight...”
The crowd gasped in shock. Who would have done such a vicious thing?
“Is that real? Lin Xiaoting's impotent now?”
“Shrivelling and rotting away...”
They looked at the pale and shocked Lin Xiaoting, and then at the indifferent Yueling Ji. The answer couldn’t be any more obvious. Lin Xiaoting had lost the thing that defined a man; even his own wife didn't care about him now. If this was just a bluff, Yueling Ji would have already clarified it for him, but the Yueling Clan had instead risen to their feet, ready to leave. They had no interest to be involved in Lin Xiaoting’s scandals.
Lin Xiaoting could feel pain and shame clawing at his heart, but he could blame no one else for that. If he had just been a bit kinder towards Mu Qingqing for the past month, he wouldn’t have to suffer from that today. Now, the pain that he had inflicted upon her was here to haunt him, in front of so many people.
“He’s a eunuch now...”
“Could this be the greatest joke in Vermilion Bird’s history? A young man castrated one day after his wedding.”
It didn’t take long before cold, disdainful glances fell onto Lin Xiaoting. After all, half of the crowd had something that Lin Xiaoting no longer had.
As Lin Xiaoting stood beside the remains of his father and uncles, while being judged by an entire nation, he felt as if his body was tearing apart. Pain, shame and devastation coursed through his veins, and an indescribable feeling seared his mind. And all that was brought upon him by none other than Li Tianming, together with the retribution that was long overdue.
“Eunuch Li! Hahaha!”
Some weren’t even trying to hide their laughter now. The illustrious Lightning Manor had come to a pitiful end, so they had nothing to fear anymore. Loudest of all was the little chick, its little figure rolling about, its wings pressed to its stomach as it rolled around.
The only one who wasn’t laughing now was Li Tianming. He hopped onto the walls of the stadium, waiting for the laughter to cease before making his announcement.
“Lin Xiaoting, she is still watching you from that stone gate. So pull yourself together, and tell everyone here. Tell them about how you stole my Saintbeast War-Soul, killed my lifebound beast, and then pushed all the blame to me three years ago.”
As he said that, the world fell silent. Many looked towards where Li Tianming was pointing at, the stone gate.
It was as if the girl in white had never left.