Puff...
Though knocked out of the Tianji Lihuo Map, Ye Xiaoyao still felt a powerful surge of energy crashing through his entire body, sending needle-like pains through his meridians.
Despite circulating his cultivation formula with all his might, he could not stop himself from spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Qingqing..."
On the other side, Elder Qingyang hurried over to help Gu Qingqing up.
Seeing the golden light within her slit-open chest continuously dimming, he rapidly circulated his cultivation formula, resetting and aligning her bones to reconstruct her Supreme Bone for her.
"Quick! Circulate your cultivation formula to re-fuse the Supreme Bone!" the other elders chimed in, rushing to remind her.
Even though Ye Xiaoyao had suppressed Gu Qingqing, in everyone's eyes, this was simply because Gu Qingqing had not yet fully matured.
Otherwise, given the potential of her Supreme Bone, Ye Xiaoyao would have been utterly no match for her.
Knowing her current predicament, Gu Qingqing did not dare waste a single word, hurriedly circulating her cultivation formula to begin re-fusing the Supreme Bone.
Seeing that Gu Qingqing was temporarily out of danger, Elder Qingyang turned his gaze to Ye Xiaoyao and roared furiously, "Scoundrel, kneel!"
As the stern shout rang out, an aura exclusive to the Transcendence Realm bore down on Ye Xiaoyao like the weight of Mount Tai.
Though a brief moment of breath-adjustment had helped calm the turbulent Qi within him, the immense pressure caused Ye Xiaoyao's body to tremble slightly.
Deep within him, the Sword Dao Seed churned endlessly, while the thunder-purple leaf and fire-spirit red leaf emitted layer upon layer of radiance within his Dantian.
Yet this only allowed Ye Xiaoyao to barely keep himself upright as his feet continuously sank into the hard stone floor.
At that moment, Ye Xiaoyao could conclude with absolute certainty that the person who had blocked the spatial teleportation in that sector just now was none other than this man.
He immediately glared back and demanded, "What reason do I have to kneel?"
A flash of shock crossed Elder Qingyang's eyes!
He had not expected that Ye Xiaoyao, with merely the cultivation of the Spirit Sea Realm Third Layer, could withstand his aura without kneeling.
Continuing to ramp up the pressure, Elder Qingyang let out a cold snort. "Long before the trial began, I already announced that she is my personal disciple here in the Lihuo Sect!"
"Not to mention that you haven't even passed the trial yet—even if you had, you would only be an outer disciple!"
"To show disrespect to your superiors calls for execution according to sect rules!"
At this, Elder Qingyang's eyes were filled with murderous intent.
The mounting pressure caused Ye Xiaoyao's body to hunch slightly, but he still persisted. "Precisely because she is a personal disciple, I gave her everything I had in that fight!"
"Furthermore, Elder, you previously announced that anyone who felt in danger could crush their token to escape. Since she never teleported out, I naturally assumed she still had fighting capacity!"
Though Ye Xiaoyao was secretly annoyed by Elder Qingyang's little maneuvers, they now served as his justification to fight back!
Elder Qingyang snapped angrily, "You deliberately activated the array within your token just now to delay her teleportation. Did you really think such a petty trick could escape my notice?"
At these words, the expressions of the gathered elders shifted slightly.
With their keen discernment, they could naturally tell that Gu Qingqing should have been able to teleport out safely at the time.
Yet after Ye Xiaoyao crushed his token, the spatial teleportation energy had indeed been delayed.
It was just that everything had happened so suddenly, and everyone's attention was still focused on Gu Qingqing's Supreme Bone, leaving no time for deeper thought.
Yet looking back now, it seemed this Ye Xiaoyao possessed all sorts of unimaginable methods.
Ye Xiaoyao retorted, "At the time, I merely sensed danger and wanted to crush my token to escape!"
"As for this so-called teleportation delay you speak of, Elder Qingyang, I possess no such ability!"
Naturally, Ye Xiaoyao would never admit to such a thing!
Yet Elder Qingyang clearly had no intention of letting the matter rest. "Regardless, by showing disrespect and injuring a personal disciple of this sect, your crime deserves death!"
"So, when it all comes down to it, you're just retaliating against me because I hurt your disciple, aren't you?" Ye Xiaoyao asked back with fury.
Elder Qingyang let out a cold snort. "What I am upholding is the sect rules of the Lihuo Sect!"
Ye Xiaoyao gave a disdainful laugh. "Is she really worth you going this far? Have you ever considered that what if her Supreme Bone was actually dug out of my body?"
"Now that it has been snapped in half, she can no longer fuse with it. In truth, she will only ever be a cripple, and everything you are doing right now will only turn you into a joke!"
Elder Qingyang hurriedly turned back to look at Gu Qingqing.
However, the wound on Gu Qingqing's chest had already healed over, and the mysteries within could no longer be seen at a glance.
Yet Gu Qingqing, sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened her eyes and glared at Ye Xiaoyao with pure murderous intent.
"Ye Xiaoyao, do you really think the truth can be warped by a mere flick of your tongue?"
"I never imagined that when I rejected your advances, you would resort to slandering me like this!"
"Master, please uphold justice for your disciple!"
In truth, during her recent cultivation attempt, Gu Qingqing had already sensed the power of the Supreme Bone constantly draining away. Though she fought desperately to salvage it, her efforts were in vain.
Gu Qingqing knew all too well that her brief moment of glory had vanished forever.
She even suspected that Elder Qingyang, once he learned the truth, might kill her with his own hands.
Yet none of that mattered anymore. Right now, Gu Qingqing only wanted to watch with her own eyes as Ye Xiaoyao—the one who had destroyed everything she had—died before her.
Elder Qingyang gave a slight nod and said, "Rest assured, you are my disciple; I will certainly vent this grievance for you!"
With an angry shout, the aura radiating from his body surged to new heights once more!
Bang...
Unable to bear the overwhelming force, Ye Xiaoyao's right leg buckled, and he dropped abruptly to one knee.
Instantly, centered around his knee, countless cracks spiderwebbed across the floor.
Yet Ye Xiaoyao still roared defiantly, "You'd better kill me today, because if you don't, I will surely kill you!"
"Do you really think you still have a chance to live?" Elder Huoyun felt profoundly provoked.
At the same time, he was astonished by Ye Xiaoyao's talent and tenacity, knowing that once someone like this became an enemy, he could never be allowed to live.
As he spoke, Elder Huoyun struck out with a palm, and a crimson handprint materialized out of thin air, shooting straight toward Ye Xiaoyao in an instant.
"Ye Xiaoyao, you are destined to die before my eyes!" Seeing this, Gu Qingqing cried out with triumphant glee.
Since Ye Xiaoyao had ruined her Supreme Bone, she would watch him die with her own eyes!
Meanwhile, the other elders shook their heads one after another.
Clearly, they felt a sense of pity for such a talented youth!
Just as that palm print was about to strike Ye Xiaoyao, a flash of crimson rushed forward, instantly shattering it into nothingness.
At the same time, two figures—one old, one young—appeared beside Ye Xiaoyao.
"Greetings, Elder Huoyun!" Elder Qingyang and the others cried out, hastily bowing upon recognizing the newcomer.
The elders of the Lihuo Sect were divided into ordinary elders and core elders.
Elder Qingyang and his peers were merely ordinary elders. He had been presiding over the trial earlier only because Elder Huoyun, who was in charge of the assessment, had been called away by other matters.
"The Lihuo Sect's trials are meant for you to unearth talents for the sect, not to snuff them out!" Elder Huoyun chided coldly.