"Huh? This involves Brother Bai as well? Brother Bai, you really should explain in detail—just how despicable and shameless was Zhan Mubai?" Another man wearing hemp robes and a high cap stepped forward. This Saint Sovereign master, He Zhiqiu, was leading the contingent from Supreme Gold City.

Bai Qifeng spat out a breath, venting his frustration. "Yesterday, the seven of us went out together and discovered a youth possessing the Ethereal Body, you all know about that, right?"

Both men nodded simultaneously.

Bai Qifeng continued, "The seven of us agreed to collectively take this youth as a disciple and bring him back to the Illusionary Manor**. Who would have thought... just half an hour ago, Zhan Mubai, masked in black, sneaked in, attempting to abduct the youth. When we discovered him, Zhan Mubai realized escape was impossible, so he heartlessly struck the youth dead on the spot! This... this kind of action... is utterly contemptible and shameless! Never mind Old Cao won't let him go, even the six of us will never forgive him! How could he lay a hand on him? That was a rare, unparalleled prodigy! The Ethereal Body! I... I curse it!"

Bai Qifeng gritted his teeth, his facial muscles twitching slightly as he spoke. Fierce light flared in his eyes. Finally, overwhelmed by the crushing sense of loss, he cursed out loud, unable to bear the immense disappointment!

"What? No way?" Hai Wuya and He Zhiqiu cried out simultaneously, exchanging startled glances. If this were true, the matter had escalated severely! Who didn't know that Cao Guofeng had been searching for a disciple for hundreds of years, his eyes burning with desire? To casually strike dead the very heir he valued... and on top of that, someone with the Ethereal Body!

This Zhan Mubai was truly audacious; neither of them would ever dare do such a thing!

This was a feud unto death! For Cao Guofeng, such hatred was more irreconcilable than the loss of a father or the theft of a wife!

The way the two men looked at Zhan Mubai instantly changed. It became one of awe, as if facing a towering mountain... to commit such an act, Zhan Mubai was even crazier than the Fourteenth Young Master of the Nine Nethers...

"We pursued him relentlessly all the way here. Also, look there, that black robe on the ground... Zhan Mubai had just taken it off moments before we arrived... We saw it with our own eyes, how could it be false?" Bai Qifeng's face was as cold as frost. "Besides, why would we falsely accuse the Saint Sovereigns of your three great Sacred Lands for no reason??"

This... this... could it actually be true? Did Old Zhan really do such a thing?" The two Saint Sovereigns were dumbfounded. They never imagined Zhan Mubai could be so base!

"Believe it or not! Brother Bai has no interest in playing games with you!" Bai Qifeng glared, about to erupt in anger.

Although the two across from him were also Saint Sovereign powerhouses, Bai Qifeng held no fear. Since they had already shed all pretense, what was fighting two more Saint Sovereigns? He needed an outlet for all his pent-up rage anyway!

His words were far from polite, but to Hai Wuya and He Zhiqiu's ears, they lent even greater credibility to the accusation!

Cao Guofeng was steady and calculating, while Bai Qifeng was sharp as a sword. Their pairing had always been the dream Golden Combination of the Misty Illusionary Manor. These two were the least likely people to deliberately instigate conflict between the Illusionary Manor and the three great Sacred Lands.

Even if there were a minuscule chance, it should have been Bai Qifeng making the move, but now it was the usually composed Cao Guofeng. Furthermore, Cao Guofeng and Zhan Mubai supposedly shared hundreds of years of deep friendship! They believed that unless something truly transpired to make this Third Grade Saint Sovereign completely lose control and fall into despair, this typically steady sovereign, who always considered the bigger picture, would never act so impulsively!

Did Zhan Mubai truly commit such an atrocity?

But... no matter what, they couldn't just stand by and watch Zhan Mubai be beaten to death by the people from the Illusionary Manor...

The two exchanged a look and quickly made a decision, roaring in unison, "Stop both of you! We have something to say!"

Before the words fully landed, a deafening crash echoed from above, followed by a figure plummeting earthward like a meteor. He crashed through more than a dozen walls like an out-of-control bear hitting a barricade before finally stopping. A figure scrambled up from the ground, covered in dust, roaring out in utter grief and indignation, then leaping out with a swoosh—who else but Zhan Mubai!

On the other side, Cao Guofeng landed unevenly, staggering backward step after step. Each footfall dug a deep print into the bluestone ground, sending chips of stone flying skyward, rattling the surviving walls around them.

He retreated twenty or thirty paces before finally halting his momentum, his back slamming heavily against a wall. With a boom, the entire wall instantly collapsed, but Cao Guofeng had finally stopped his retreat. He straightened his back, regaining his posture.

His white beard fluttered, his eyes seeming ready to spew fire! With a fierce roar, he charged toward Zhan Mubai, clearly intending to continue the fight!

Everyone present possessed discerning eyes. In this exchange, Zhan Mubai had fallen clumsily, barely able to stand, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, while Cao Guofeng had only staggered a few steps and his face was flushed red. Clearly, Zhan Mubai had suffered a significant loss! If the fight continued, he would likely perish at Cao Guofeng's hands.

"Stop!"

Hai Wuya and He Zhiqiu rushed forward to restrain Cao Guofeng. "Brother Cao, please calm down, you must listen to us first!"

Cao Guofeng saw they were only blocking him and not Zhan Mubai, and his anger flared instantly. He snorted, "Are the three of you going to team up? Hmph, even if all three of you attack together, what does this Old Cao fear? Today, this ends only in death!"

"Brother Cao, you misunderstand." Hai Wuya forced a bitter smile. It seemed Cao Guofeng was truly enraged this time, recklessly provoking them without distinguishing right from wrong!

Before Cao Guofeng could reply, sounds of clashing erupted—bang, bang. All three turned their heads to see Bai Qifeng, his white robes billowing, already engaged in combat with Zhan Mubai. One was at the end of his strength and injured, while the other was full of vitality and poised for attack. These two were originally Second Grade Saint Sovereigns of comparable strength.

The outcome was obvious. Zhan Mubai barely had time to parry before taking several hard blows to his body and face.

"Bai Qifeng! Even you turn against this old man! Has your Illusionary Manor lineage truly become so unrestrained and lawless?" Zhan Mubai was utterly devastated and furious at this moment.

Heavens above, Earth below! Who have I offended? Why the hell have I offended anyone? Damn it, if you’re going to bully someone, at least give me a plausible reason!

All of you are Saint Sovereign level powerhouses! One of you acts this way, two of you act this way, attacking without distinguishing right from wrong, and taking advantage of my weakness—who could endure this? What kind of situation is this? You’ve even skipped the step of falsely accusing me! Is there any semblance of heavenly justice left?!"

"Brother Bai, stop! Please stop! Show mercy!" Hai Wuya rushed over to shout a halt, but he dared not move to physically intervene. If he did, it would mean escalating the battle between the three into a major dispute between the Illusionary Manor and the three great Sacred Lands—a matter of immense consequence. He couldn't bear that responsibility.

But the methods of Saint Sovereign experts were incredibly swift. In the time it took to say that sentence, Zhan Mubai's face was already mottled purple, his eyes swollen into panda-like circles, blood dripping from his mouth, his expression one of sheer misery—truly pathetic!

He had fought for a long time previously, and despite the disadvantage and his disheveled state, his face hadn't sustained such visible injuries. But in this brief moment, Bai Qifeng targeted his opening and beat the fallen dog, aiming squarely for the face, hitting with such force that the Saint Sovereign Zhan looked like a freshly baked pig's head, stars dazzling in his eyes!

By the time Hai Wuya flew over to pull Bai Qifeng away, Zhan Mubai had taken over a dozen punches while dizzy and had been sent tumbling end over end!

The experts from the three great Sacred Lands all showed expressions of discomfort. This was too much. They were all renowned masters of the age; did they need to strike so heavily? Even if you were going to kill him, why strike his face? Humiliating him this publicly would likely not be easily smoothed over!

However, the last of the leaders from the three Sacred Lands, He Zhiqiu, noticed that the other five experts from the Illusionary Manor wore expressions of venting fury, with hidden murderous intent flickering in their eyes. Clearly, they hadn't had a chance to act earlier, or perhaps Bai Qifeng had simply struck first. If given the opportunity, these five might not have held back either.

He Zhiqiu was inwardly alarmed. What great matter had Zhan Mubai caused to incur such deep resentment from seven Saint Sovereigns? Judging by their looks, these seven practically intended to swarm him and tear him limb from limb!

"This matter... perhaps it's a misunderstanding! Everyone, please remain calm. We are all old brothers of hundreds of years; can't we sit down and talk things over?" Although He Zhiqiu knew the enmity here was substantial, he had to speak up for Zhan Mubai, continuously playing the peacemaker. After all, the Illusionary Manor were outsiders here.

Cao Guofeng spat viciously, "This matter cannot end peacefully today! Zhan Mubai struck down my cherished disciple, whom I spent six hundred years cultivating, turning him into dust! This hatred is irreconcilable! Zhan Mubai is jealous of talent and narrow-minded. If he doesn't give me a satisfactory explanation, I will even storm the Immortal Seeking Palace to demand justice!"

"Cao Guofeng! You scoundrel!" Zhan Mubai, who had just scrambled up from the ground, his face covered in blood, nearly driven to suicide by shame and rage, shrieked with a voice like a vengeful ghost, "Cao Guofeng, you have gone too far today! First, you insulted this old man without reason, and then you struck the first blow! Am I, Zhan Mubai, supposed to be bullied like this? My life has been upright, and I have nothing to feel ashamed of before Heaven and Earth—when have I ever been narrow-minded or jealous of talent?"

"Talk your mother's nonsense! A trash like you dares claim to be upright and without shame before Heaven and Earth? Who here doesn't know your true nature? Not to mention things from long ago, like your despicable sneak attack in the Heavenly Punishment Forest—you attacked a junior! Someone of your petty character dares speak of being upright? Do you even believe the words coming out of your own mouth? Jun Moye is an eternal enemy that your three great Sacred Lands vowed never to forgive—your shamelessness aside... but today, you actually killed my disciple right in front of us! Zhan Mubai, do you really think the Immortal Seeking Palace can protect you completely? Do you truly believe this Old Man dares not move against the Immortal Seeking Palace?!" Cao Guofeng said coldly.