Jiang Yun was no stranger to death, nor did he fear it. If not for his grandfather, he would have died sixteen years ago. Every day he lived now was a bonus.
In Mang Mountain, he had brushed shoulders with death multiple times, making him far more composed in the Face of it than others. So, even now, as he once again felt the threat of death, there was no trace of fear on his Face, only regret and guilt in his heart.
His regret was that he would never have the chance to see his grandfather, Yue Rou, or the familiar Faces of Jiang Village again; his guilt was that he failed to protect Lu Xiaoyu and live up to his grandfather's expectations.
He didn't even bother to speak, merely staring coldly at Fang Yuxuan, waiting for Fang Yuxuan's finger to pierce his throat.
Everyone on the plaza, though unable to hear the sounds from within the golden barrier, could clearly see what was happening inside. This current scene made everyone's heart tremble: Was Fang Yuxuan going to kill Jiang Yun?
Most people thought Fang Yuxuan was just trying to scare Jiang Yun; after all, there was no Life and Death enmity between Jiang Yun and Fang Ruolin.
Especially since, even now, none of the Elders or Peak Lords had shown up, clearly indicating they believed Fang Yuxuan wouldn't kill Jiang Yun, otherwise they would surely have appeared to stop him.
"Kill him, kill him!"
However, Fang Ruolin, her Face filled with hatred, kept muttering softly. She certainly hoped her brother would kill Jiang Yun, because that slap from Jiang Yun had made her lose all Face. Only with Jiang Yun's death could she vent her anger slightly.
Just as Jiang Yun was awaiting death, an aged voice suddenly came from afar: "Junior Brother Fang, please show mercy!"
Someone actually spoke up to plead for Jiang Yun, which made everyone's Faces show surprise. They quickly turned their heads, looking in the direction from which the voice came.
The voice, surprisingly, came from Hundred Beast Peak, one of the Asking Dao Five Peaks.
"That must be an Elder's voice, right?"
"He must be sympathetic to Jiang Yun, so he's pleading for him."
Someone in the crowd immediately understood, but Fang Ruolin's expression suddenly changed upon hearing this voice, because she knew that the owner of this voice was the Elder of Hundred Beast Peak who had been secretly watching Lu Xiaoyu.
Fang Yuxuan's eyes narrowed slightly. The finger placed at Jiang Yun's throat did not move forward, but it also did not retract. And the aged voice spoke again: "Junior Brother Fang, show mercy where it's due. Let's just let this matter go, and neither of us will pursue it, shall we?"
A cold light flashed in the slits of Fang Yuxuan's eyes. He, of course, knew who the voice belonged to, and he also understood the meaning behind the other party's words.
The other party wouldn't pursue Fang Ruolin's responsibility for luring Lu Xiaoyu out of the Sect, in exchange for him letting Jiang Yun go.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Fang Yuxuan smiled slightly. The golden barrier covering him and Jiang Yun immediately vanished, and he said loudly: "Since Elder Sha is pleading, this Disciple will naturally give Face."
As he spoke, Fang Yuxuan slowly retracted his finger. Just as everyone thought he was truly going to let Jiang Yun go, Fang Yuxuan's tone suddenly shifted: "However, he just slapped Ruolin. While he may be spared death, he won't escape punishment. I will cripple this hand of his as a warning!"
As his voice fell, Fang Yuxuan's retracting finger suddenly changed direction, pointing through the air at Jiang Yun's right hand.
This finger seemed to transform into an unparalleled sharp sword. Once struck, Jiang Yun's right hand would undoubtedly be completely crippled. And for a Cultivator, crippling a hand is almost equivalent to cutting off their future path of cultivation.
Everyone was greatly astonished. Even with a Sect Elder speaking up to plead for Jiang Yun, Fang Yuxuan still dared to strike, intending to cripple Jiang Yun's right hand. His audacity was truly too great.
Not to mention these Disciples, even the white-haired old man within Hundred Beast Peak, seeing this scene, a sudden surge of anger appeared on his wrinkled Face.
But anger was useless. He knew how determined Fang Yuxuan was to cripple Jiang Yun. This finger looked ordinary, but it was actually a Sword Finger, transforming a finger into a sword. Even if he wanted to save him, he was too far to reach, and thus could only watch helplessly.
However, at this moment, another unexpected change occurred!
As Fang Yuxuan's sharp finger struck out, Jiang Yun, who had been standing still, also moved.
A flame once again rose from his palm. Although the flame was extremely faint, within the flame, a Talisman was ignited.
The Talisman instantly turned to ashes under the devouring tongues of fire, and from these ashes, a massive Aura, so powerful it caused the entire Asking Dao Five Peaks to tremble, surged forth.
This Aura transformed into a blurry Incarnation, standing before Jiang Yun, blocking Fang Yuxuan's descending finger.
The moment this blurry Incarnation appeared, in a wild jungle an unknown distance from Wen Dao Sect, a Middle-aged beautiful woman, who was traversing the forest, suddenly stopped. She frowned slightly and said, "Jiang Yun has encountered trouble!"
"What trouble?" In front of the Middle-aged beautiful woman, a Young Man also stopped and turned his head. It was indeed Dongfang Bo.
"I don't know. He just ignited the Substitute Talisman I gave him!"
Dongfang Bo's brows also furrowed as he said, "He should be participating in the re-assessment competition right now. Could it be that an opponent he can't deal with has appeared in the competition?"
The Middle-aged beautiful woman shook her head and said, "I don't know! However, since he ignited the Substitute Talisman, he will certainly be safe. Let's hurry, if we delay any longer, Third Junior Brother might be in even more danger!"
"Okay!" Dongfang Bo nodded. The two stopped talking, their figures flashed, and they continued to traverse the jungle, disappearing in an instant.
...
Within Wen Dao Sect, with the appearance of this blurry Incarnation, Fang Yuxuan, who had always worn a slight smile, finally had a drastic change in expression. Not only did he immediately retract his descending finger, but he also retreated backward with lightning speed, desperately trying to put distance between himself and the Incarnation.
The moment he retreated, a powerful Aura also erupted from his body, and enveloped by this Aura, his entire being seemed to transform into a sharp sword, its Sword Qi soaring to the sky.
Above his head, a real sword appeared, entirely golden, as if made of gold. Waves of sharp Sword Intent, so keen they seemed to cleave the air, continuously and wildly spread from the sword's body.
It seemed only this way could he possibly resist the terrifying pressure the blurry Incarnation brought upon him.
These dramatic changes naturally left most of the Disciples on the plaza bewildered. The only thing they could feel was that Fang Yuxuan was clearly unleashing his full strength at this moment, and just this Aura alone truly made him worthy of being the number one Inner Sect Disciple!
This scene, of course, also startled the Elders and Peak Lords within the Asking Dao Five Peaks. Several figures emitting strong light flashed, clearly intending to go to the plaza. However, at this moment, an indifferent voice suddenly sounded in their ears: "No one move!"