Elder Qingyang quickly said, "Elder Huoyun, you don't know the whole story!"
"This Gu Qingqing possesses the Supreme Bone, and she was already preparing to become cultivation partners with the Third Prince of the Fire Spirit Kingdom, who has a Fire Spiritual Root! I've already announced that the two of them are official inner disciples of our Lihuo Sect."
"Yet this Ye Xiaoyao couldn't win Gu Qingqing's affections, and consumed by lovesick hatred, not only did he kill the Third Prince, but he also severed Gu Qingqing's Supreme Bone!"
"According to the rules of our Lihuo Sect, anyone who destroys the foundation of our sect deserves to be put to death!"
At this moment, the young woman looked at Ye Xiaoyao. "So your name is Ye Xiaoyao. You weren't willing to marry me back then because of her?"
Without waiting for Ye Xiaoyao to reply, she turned her gaze to Gu Qingqing. "What's so great about a Supreme Bone anyway? I have the Innate Dao Physique!"
What was happening here? The group of Lihuo Sect elders was completely dumbfounded.
The newcomers were none other than Lin Yuyan and her grandfather, whom Ye Xiaoyao had saved previously.
Not only did Lin Yuyan completely eclipse Gu Qingqing in appearance, but in terms of talent, the Innate Dao Physique was not the least bit inferior to the Supreme Bone.
More importantly, it seemed Lin Yuyan didn't even know Ye Xiaoyao's name, yet she already wanted to marry him?
To top it all off, Elder Huoyun not only showed no displeasure whatsoever, but instead asked Ye Xiaoyao, "Are you alright?"
"Nothing serious!" Ye Xiaoyao nodded slightly.
"Then what happened earlier was..." Elder Huoyun didn't mention Ye Xiaoyao saving his life, but asked calmly.
After all, having just arrived, he wasn't yet clear on the situation at hand.
Puff... But before Ye Xiaoyao could say more, Gu Qingqing spat out a mouthful of blood.
Originally, she had been pushing herself past her limits, hoping only to see Ye Xiaoyao die first. Now, the power of the Supreme Bone had completely vanished, and the severe injuries to her body erupted, causing her entire person to wither.
"Elder Huoyun, you saw it for yourself! This is the damage he inflicted on our Lihuo Sect's genius!" Elder Qingyang hurried over, channeling spiritual energy into Gu Qingqing while shouting angrily.
Yet the moment he finished speaking, Elder Qingyang's expression shifted drastically.
Ye Xiaoyao smiled with disdain. "I told you long ago, if it turns out her Supreme Bone was dug from my body, the only one who ends up losing face will be yourself!"
Hearing this, Elder Huoyun immediately stepped forward and seized Gu Qingqing's pulse.
In truth, if Gu Qingqing had truly possessed the Supreme Bone, given Elder Huoyun's status, he would have had no choice today but to ensure Ye Xiaoyao left safely.
But the moment he felt her pulse, Elder Huoyun instantly jerked his hand away and glared at Elder Qingyang with fury. "Is this what you call a Supreme Bone genius?"
"With character like this?"
Since the power of the Supreme Bone in Gu Qingqing's body was gone, it proved that Ye Xiaoyao was telling the truth.
Elder Qingyang had clearly discovered Gu Qingqing's condition as well, but matters had reached this point, and he had no choice but to brazenly keep up the charade.
"Even if her Supreme Bone was taken from Ye Xiaoyao, it is already fused to her body. If Ye Xiaoyao hadn't interfered, she would still be a genius of our Lihuo Sect!"
"Therefore, all of this is still Ye Xiaoyao's fault!"
"Elder Qingyang, you can't be right about that!" At this moment, Elder Tianfeng stepped forward to speak.
"It was Gu Qingqing and the Third Prince who insisted on entering the Tianji Lihuo Map for trial by themselves, yet the moment they saw Ye Xiaoyao, they immediately tried to murder him!"
"From the looks of it now, Gu Qingqing was clearly trying to use the opportunity to silence a witness!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the other elders nearby immediately chimed in.
"That's right, ending up in this state just means Gu Qingqing and the Third Prince were outskilled!"
"One with a Supreme Bone, one with a Fire Spiritual Root, and a two-on-one fight they still couldn't win—if they count as geniuses of our Lihuo Sect, then what does that make Ye Xiaoyao?"
"Furthermore, Gu Qingqing ended up in this state because you saw her gaining the upper hand, and purposely activated the Tianji Lihuo Map to seal off the spatial teleportation in their area!"
"Otherwise, when Gu Qingqing tried to escape back then, she wouldn't have ended up like this!"
"If we're assigning blame, yours is much greater!"
If Elder Huoyun hadn't been backing Ye Xiaoyao, or if Gu Qingqing's Supreme Bone were still intact—even if it could be proven that she had indeed stolen it from Ye Xiaoyao—
These elders would have, at most, stood on the sidelines and watched without getting involved.
Yet right now, the value of Gu Qingqing and Ye Xiaoyao had undergone a heaven-shaking reversal. Which side to butter up was painfully obvious.
"Elder Qingyang, what else do you have to say?" Hearing this, Elder Huoyun already had a rough picture of the whole affair.
"I... I..." Elder Qingyang's face instantly turned ashen.
If Gu Qingqing still had her Supreme Bone, he could explain away anything. But now...
Elder Huoyun made a decisive judgment. "You are an elder; when we return, the Sect Master and the Enforcement Hall will deal with you!"
As for her...
With that, Elder Huoyun looked at Gu Qingqing!
"Reporting to Elder Huoyun, Gu Qingqing is nothing more than a venomous shrew..." At that moment, a young man not far away shouted out.
"Who are you..." Elder Huoyun looked at the youth.
"Answering Elder Huoyun, this disciple is named Han Jun. Both Young Master Ye and Gu Qingqing came from Yunfeng City. This Gu Qingqing..." Han Jun immediately recounted all the misdeeds committed by the Gu Family.
When the Lihuo Sect recruited disciples, Yunfeng City certainly sent more than just Ye Xiaoyao and Gu Qingqing, but previously Gu Qingqing's momentum was at its peak, so how could Han Jun have dared to speak up?
Now that Ye Xiaoyao clearly held the upper hand, he naturally wasn't going to miss this chance to cling to a powerful benefactor.
"What? Such a vicious woman exists in this world?" Lin Yuyan's face changed in anger.
She immediately stepped forward, retrieved a medicinal pill, pressed it into Gu Qingqing's mouth, and then delivered a fierce palm strike to her lower abdomen!
"How dare you treat my Xiaoyao like that? Then I'll let you taste what it feels like to have your dantian shattered!"
"Don't worry, I gave you the Heavenly Luo Pill, which will keep you from dying for three years. But I believe that over these next three years, you'll wish you were dead!"
Having said that, Lin Yuyan walked over to Ye Xiaoyao and said, "Brother Xiaoyao, are you satisfied with how I handled this?"
Lin Yuyan had already set her heart on this man who had seen her naked body, and now, discovering that Ye Xiaoyao's talent was so terrifying, she was doubly determined to marry him.
Ye Xiaoyao's brows immediately locked together.
He had to admit, Lin Yuyan's handling of the situation was indeed far more satisfying than simply killing Gu Qingqing.
Yet, remembering Gu Qingqing's past betrayal, Ye Xiaoyao still couldn't bring himself to trust any woman easily.
He hurriedly waved his hand. "Thank you for your help, Miss Lin, but my sole pursuit is the martial dao; I have no desire for romantic entanglements!"
Ah...
As these words fell, the entire crowd erupted into an uproar, especially the Lihuo Sect elders, who stared at Ye Xiaoyao in sheer disbelief.
This was Lin Yuyan! Leaving aside the fact that her grandfather was a core elder of the Lihuo Sect, her Innate Dao Physique alone had driven countless geniuses of the Lihuo Sect to pursue her.
Yet right now, Ye Xiaoyao had actually rejected her?
Who would have thought Lin Yuyan would say, "Isn't that perfect? I have the Innate Dao Physique; our dual cultivation can also help boost your strength..."