Chapter 1986 - Authority of the Law Enforcement Token

"Is he telling the truth?" Elder Ren asked, handing the token back to Liu Wuxie before turning to the guards.

An accurate account would mean the two had deliberately framed a fellow disciple.

"The Azure Jade Palace has never accepted a Profound Immortal as an outer disciple, Elder Ren! We inspected his token, but we had no way to know whether it was real. All we meant to do was hold him until we could verify his identity. He attacked us for no reason and tried to force his way in. We were defending ourselves!" Senior Brother Huang protested with indignation. He reshaped the entire encounter without shame, casting Liu Wuxie as the aggressor.

"Worthless fools!" Elder Ren snapped, glaring at them. He could see through every word. Had Liu Wuxie wanted to force an entry, these two could not have barred his path. They owed their lives to his restraint.

Neither guard dared answer back. Instead, they directed venomous looks at Liu Wuxie, holding him responsible for the rebuke. The palm prints on their faces marked a humiliation neither intended to forget.

"I need to speak with the elder who heads this branch, Elder Ren. The matter is urgent. Please arrange an audience," Liu Wuxie said, cupping his fists. He had made inquiries before arriving. Zheng Ruhai oversaw the Mulberry Sea City branch, and Elder Kong had spoken of him the day before.

"Elder Zheng has other business and is seeing no one. You may enter if you intend to use the teleportation array," Elder Ren said. Liu Wuxie had already earned his dislike by injuring the branch's disciples and causing him embarrassment.

News of this reaching the sect would turn the branch into a joke. Worse still, Elder Ren himself had promoted those two guards. Their defeat struck directly at his own dignity.

Liu Wuxie caught the hostility beneath his words.

"My business with Elder Zheng is important. Please let him know I'm here," he said, drawing a deep breath to rein in his anger. The request carried more insistence now.

"Do you presume to order me around?" Elder Ren demanded, his gaze hardening. He meant to teach Liu Wuxie a lesson for the guards' sake.

"That would not be my place," Liu Wuxie replied, keeping his bearing respectful.

"Get out of here, Liu Wuxie!" Junior Brother Wei shouted from behind the elder.

Few disciples had arrived to use the teleportation array at this early hour. More would come as the morning advanced. If they heard what had happened, the guards' reputations would suffer. The two wanted Liu Wuxie gone before anyone learned of their humiliation.

By saying nothing, Elder Ren gave his consent.

Liu Wuxie's gaze turned cold. "Then you refuse to arrange a meeting, Elder Ren?" he asked, taking another deep breath. Did a low cultivation entitle them to humiliate him? Would they have shown such insolence if he were still an Immortal Emperor?

"Be out of my sight within three breaths," Elder Ren said, dismissing him with a wave. At the same time, his Immortal Venerable aura crashed over Liu Wuxie.

The pressure overwhelmed him. He staggered back more than a dozen steps.

"What a display of authority. An elder who can't tell right from wrong. Consider me enlightened," Liu Wuxie said, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. Murderous intent spread around him, so dense it seemed almost tangible.

An Immortal Venerable was not forever beyond his reach. The day would come when he could grind Elder Ren beneath his feet.

"Don't abuse our goodwill, Liu Wuxie! Leave, or we'll stop being polite!" the guards shouted from behind Elder Ren. Once he was gone, they could recruit other disciples to seize his immortal roots.

They could not defeat him themselves, but the Azure Jade Palace had plenty of experts. A few inner disciples could easily capture him.

Elder Ren disregarded the hatred in Liu Wuxie's eyes and turned back toward the branch. With fifty immortal roots weighing down his cultivation, the young man would be fortunate to reach the Immortal King Realm before his life ended.

"Elder Ren, receive my orders!" Liu Wuxie shouted, holding up a token.

Elder Ren turned, prepared to punish the insolence. The sight of the token stopped him cold. His heart sank, and despite his status as an Immortal Venerable, a flicker of fear crossed his face. ℴ

The Azure Jade Palace's Law Enforcement Token lay in Liu Wuxie's hand. It authorized him to punish their misconduct.

"Ren Chou is at your command," Elder Ren said, bowing immediately. Deference replaced his arrogance. He scarcely dared draw breath.

The two guards crumpled to the ground, shaking. Elder Ren's respectful bow told them enough. Liu Wuxie could have them put to death with little effort.

Yet Liu Wuxie had no desire to stoop to a quarrel with mere Divine Immortals. To him, they were no more significant than ants.

"Escort me to Elder Zheng," he said, putting the Law Enforcement Token away. He wanted no further trouble and would have preferred not to reveal it at all. A simple decision to admit him would have spared them all this.

"At once!" Elder Ren answered, obediently gesturing for him to enter.

Liu Wuxie went ahead. Elder Ren kept carefully to one side, his entire demeanor transformed. The slightest offense, he feared, might bring an order for his execution.

Outside, the guards stared at each other in confusion. Only after Liu Wuxie and Elder Ren vanished into the branch did they rise to their feet. Neither had noticed the cold sweat soaking Elder Ren's clothes.

"What was that token? How could it release such dreadful pressure?" they whispered.

A trace of an Immortal Emperor's will resided within the Law Enforcement Token. Liu Wuxie himself carried such a will, so he couldn't be suppressed by it. However, other elders and disciples could feel its weight.

"I think that was a Law Enforcement Token," Senior Brother Huang said, uncertainly.

"A Law Enforcement Token?!" Junior Brother Wei collapsed once more, coming close to wetting himself in terror.

"U-Up! Get back to your post. We say nothing about this," Senior Brother Huang stammered. His slightly greater age helped him recover enough to drag his companion to his feet. More Azure Jade Palace disciples were already drawing near.

If word of the incident spread, wounded pride would be the least of their worries. Any leak concerning the Law Enforcement Token could expose them to far more severe punishment from the sect.

Within the branch, streams wound between traditionally arranged pavilions and buildings. The flowing water and graceful layout gave the grounds the beauty of a secluded paradise.

Several corridors brought Liu Wuxie and Elder Ren to a grand hall.

"Please remain here. I'll announce your arrival to Elder Zheng," Ren Chou said. After escorting him inside, he left to deliver the message.

Liu Wuxie sat on a square chair and looked out through the hall. A little over a dozen breaths passed before two sets of hurried footsteps approached.

Ren Chou returned accompanied by a white-haired elder. This was Zheng Ruhai, the head of the Mulberry Sea City branch whom Elder Kong had mentioned. Thousands of years of service bound him to the Azure Jade Palace, and his cultivation now stood at the threshold of the Immortal Regnant Realm.

"This is Liu Wuxie, Elder Zheng," Ren Chou introduced.

"Please accept my respects, Elder Zheng," Liu Wuxie said, rising to bow.

"There's no need for that," Zheng Ruhai replied, hastening forward to stop him. He could not receive such a bow. The Law Enforcement Token placed Liu Wuxie on equal footing with him.

"Forgive me for arriving without notice, Elder Zheng," Liu Wuxie said, straightening with an apologetic look. Had another option existed, he would not have troubled the branch.

"You're far too courteous, Young Brother Liu," Zheng Ruhai said. Calling him a brother offered a warmth that went beyond simple recognition of equal status.

All three seated themselves. Although Zheng Ruhai was the head of the branch, Ren Chou handled most of its affairs. The elder devoted much of his time to seclusion, working toward a breakthrough to the Immortal Regnant Realm.

"What can we do for you, Brother Liu?" Zheng Ruhai asked once they had settled. Dispensing with pleasantries suited Liu Wuxie exactly.

"I've come to ask for your assistance with an important matter," Liu Wuxie said humbly. He could have used the Law Enforcement Token to command them. Instead, he chose to make a request.

Neither elder lacked the experience to understand that courtesy. Liu Wuxie displayed more maturity than they had anticipated, and their opinion of him improved considerably.

"No need to stand on ceremony, Brother Liu. Tell us what you need," Zheng Ruhai said. A politely phrased request did not excuse him from exploiting the goodwill behind it.

"The sect has tasked me with investigating the forces in Mulberry Sea City that have secretly joined the Heavenly Alliance. I have no people of my own to conduct inquiries, so I'd like the branch's help to gather the information," Liu Wuxie explained. Discovering those affiliations was only part of his assignment. He also had to find a way to drive the Heavenly Alliance's influence out of the city.

Zheng Ruhai and Ren Chou looked at each other in surprise. Why entrust such an important mission to an outer disciple? Still, an order from the sect's leaders demanded their full cooperation. If the mission failed and an inquiry followed, negligence could leave either of them accountable.

"May I ask whether you volunteered for this, Brother Liu?" Zheng Ruhai said. Before proceeding, he needed to establish whether Liu Wuxie had chosen the mission or received it as a compulsory assignment.

A voluntary undertaking would allow them to refuse assistance. A direct assignment from the sect would require their cooperation without reservation.

"The sect assigned it to me," Liu Wuxie answered, setting the mission sheets before the elders.

Both drew in sharp breaths as they read the documents.