Chapter 617 - 617: Guilty?

"Anyone who can master the Celestial Sword Three Techniques is eligible to join my Celestial Sword Sect. You've mastered all of them, yet you didn't know that!?"

He Liang's expression turned cold as he spoke.

The Celestial Sword Three Techniques may have been leaked, but the Celestial Sword Sect wasn't stupid.

So they established a rule: anyone below the Martial King Realm who mastered the Sword Drawing Technique could join the Celestial Sword Sect's Outer Sect.

The Celestial Sword Three Techniques are incredibly difficult. Anyone who could master them was undoubtedly a genius in the Sword Dao.

Through this rule, the Celestial Sword Sect managed to turn a bad situation into a good one, inadvertently recruiting many talented geniuses of the Sword Dao.

Hearing this, Chu Qingyun had a sudden realization.

He recalled that when he first obtained the Celestial Sword Three Techniques, Ye Qi had told him that mastering them would lead to an incredible opportunity in the future.

He hadn't paid it much mind at the time and had gradually forgotten about it.

Now he understood: the opportunity she had spoken of was joining the Celestial Sword Sect.

On second thought, it made sense. For a mere Martial Artist from Lianshan County in the Great Xia nation, joining the Celestial Sword Sect was indeed an extraordinary opportunity.

"It only means I'm qualified to join the Celestial Sword Sect, not that I'm obligated to," Chu Qingyun said after a moment's thought.

"That's right. You are merely qualified to join the Celestial Sword Sect."

"However, despite being eligible, you chose not to join the Celestial Sword Sect. Instead, you entered the Saint Extreme Sect. Are you implying that you think the Celestial Sword Sect is inferior to the Saint Extreme Sect?"

"Such contempt for the Celestial Sword Sect is a crime!"

"Disciples of the Celestial Sword Sect, on my command, seize Chu Qingyun!"

He Liang ordered with a cold sneer.

In an instant, everyone around—including Chu Qingyun and the Outer Disciples of the Celestial Sword Sect—was stunned. None of them had expected He Liang to say such a thing.

Learning the Celestial Sword Three Techniques but not joining the Celestial Sword Sect was considered contempt, and even a crime!?

That was… a bit of a stretch!

"Hmph. If you want to use your numbers to bully me and launch a group attack, just say so. Aren't you afraid of tarnishing the Celestial Sword Sect's name with such a flimsy excuse?" Chu Qingyun suddenly snorted.

The people around weren't idiots.

With a little thought, it became clear that this whole "contempt for the Celestial Sword Sect" was just a fake, ridiculous pretext.

He Liang had simply realized he was no match for Chu Qingyun and wanted the other Celestial Sword Sect members to help him gang up on his opponent.

"Silence! How dare you show contempt for my Celestial Sword Sect! This isn't over between us!"

"Disciples of the Celestial Sword Sect, why aren't you attacking yet? Be careful when you return to the sect… Hmph!"

He Liang shot a glacial, threatening gaze at the other disciples from the Celestial Sword Sect.

His words were dripping with menace.

His meaning was obvious: "If you don't make a move now, just see how I'll deal with you once we're back!"

"Chu Qingyun, for your contempt of the Celestial Sword Sect, you will not be spared today!"

"You dare look down on our Celestial Sword Sect? Today, we'll show you the might of the Celestial Sword Sect!"

Under He Liang's coercion, the Celestial Sword Sect disciples had no choice but to draw their weapons, mobilize their Primordial Power, and prepare to attack.

As the saying goes, it is better to offend a gentleman than a petty man.

He Liang was a petty man, but a very powerful one.

Therefore, none of the Celestial Sword Sect disciples dared to offend him lightly.

Of course, before they attacked, they had to shout a few lines to show they had a just cause, and weren't just resorting to a despicable group assault because one person couldn't win.

However, seeing this, the surrounding disciples from the Saint Extreme Sect couldn't stand by any longer and stepped forward.

As one of the Three Major Sects of the Northern Domain, the disciples of the Saint Extreme Sect did not fear the members of the Celestial Sword Sect as much as the other twelve sects did.

"A few of you, block them! The rest of you, surround Chu Qingyun for me!"

He Liang picked up the sword he had dropped earlier and commanded in a cold voice.

After all, the Withered Wood Forest was the Celestial Sword Sect's home turf for this Land of Trial, so the number of their disciples attracted by the fluctuations of Primordial Power was several times greater than that of the Saint Extreme Sect.

After splitting off a portion of their group to block the Saint Extreme Sect disciples and hold them in a standoff, there were still more than twenty Level 9 Martial Spirits surrounding Chu Qingyun.

As for the members of the other sects, they certainly weren't going to get involved.

"Hmph, Chu Qingyun, today I'll teach you a lesson: you have to know when to bow your head. The Celestial Sword Sect is not an existence you can afford to provoke!"

"If you obediently hand over the Martial King Essence Pill and kowtow to me in apology right now, perhaps I'll let you off the hook."

He Liang sneered, looking at the surrounded Chu Qingyun.

"You're the one who doesn't understand, aren't you? Do you really think these twenty-odd people can do anything to me?" Chu Qingyun sneered back.

He had experienced far too many group battles.

A mere twenty-plus people, even if they were all Level 9 Martial Spirits from the Celestial Sword Sect's Outer Sect, didn't faze him in the slightest!

"Still acting tough when you're about to die! Get him! Cripple him! I'll take responsibility for whatever happens!"

He Liang said coldly to the Celestial Sword Sect members.

"Dammit, let's do this!"

"Black Stone Hammer!"

The Celestial Sword Sect disciples were hesitant, timidly holding back, but under the threat of He Liang's glare, one of them finally made the first move. He unleashed his Martial Soul and charged abruptly at Chu Qingyun.

"You're courting death!"

"Thunder Sword!"

With a cold shout, Chu Qingyun unleashed a bolt of Thunder Power, sending the man flying backward, covered in wounds and spitting blood.

An ordinary Level 9 Martial Spirit, in a one-on-one fight, was no longer a match for even a single one of his moves!

But, with someone taking the lead, the remaining twenty-plus Celestial Sword Sect disciples also began their assault on Chu Qingyun.

The Level 9 Martial Spirits of the Celestial Sword Sect's Outer Sect were still quite capable.

And they weren't fools. Knowing how formidable Chu Qingyun was, they didn't engage him head-on, focusing instead on pinning him down and launching sneak attacks.

The twenty-plus disciples continuously unleashed a variety of Primordial Power attacks and Soul Techniques, managing to keep Chu Qingyun tied down. This prevented him from finishing them off quickly, forcing him to focus on defense and only occasionally find an opportunity to counterattack and heavily injure one of them.

After all, the attacks of a Level 9 Martial Spirit could not be ignored.

With it being inconvenient to use his Forest Iron Wall Martial Soul, defense became an issue for Chu Qingyun, preventing him from attacking freely.

Seeing Chu Qingyun temporarily tied down, a sinister smile once again appeared on He Liang's face.

Of course, he didn't expect these twenty-odd people to actually defeat Chu Qingyun.

The one to truly land the final blow and take Chu Qingyun down had to be He Liang himself. This would require his greatest trump card—his most powerful move.

But before he made his move, he needed to confirm one thing.

He Liang turned his head, looked at Pei Yongqing, and asked, "Pei Yongqing, let me ask you one more time. Are you sure you're not going to make a play for the Martial King Essence Pill? You won't interfere again?"