Fortunately, he was now back at the time he was first framed, and everything still had a chance.
The most important thing right now was to shake off this group of people and leave the Qilin Sacred Land.
Just looking at these people made him feel sick to his stomach.
Yet, obviously, Junior Brother Bái Chén would not let him off so easily.
Suddenly, a stream of clear tears welled up in Bái Chén's eyes.
"Master, although Senior Brother stole my pills, my spirit stones, and my weapons, and even peeked at Third Senior Sister while she was bathing, his crimes aren't enough to warrant death. I beg Master to spare Senior Brother."
"What!"
As soon as Bái Chén said this, everyone in the grand hall turned in unison to look at Yun Xiaoyao.
Líng Ruòlán let out a sharp cry, her Deity Transformation Stage cultivation suddenly erupting and crushing down toward Yun Xiaoyao, who was only at the Foundation Establishment level.
Since Yun Xiaoyao was currently at only the Foundation Establishment level, how could he possibly withstand this pressure?
In the span of a mere fraction of a second, Yun Xiaoyao felt as if a massive mountain had been pressed down upon him, and the bones within his body shattered instantly.
Yet Líng Ruòlán still showed no intention of letting Yun Xiaoyao go; spiritual energy gathered in her palm as she prepared to strike him dead.
Seeing this, Liǔ Yúnyān knitted her delicate brows and let out an angry shout.
"Enough!"
As the aura of the Great Vehicle Stage erupted, Yun Xiaoyao felt the pressure bearing down on him instantly dissipate.
Frowning, Liǔ Yúnyān asked in a deep voice, "You ungrateful wretch, let me ask you: did you or did you not spy on your junior sister while she was bathing?"
At this, everyone looked at Yun Xiaoyao.
"With my Foundation Establishment cultivation, I went to spy on a Deity Transformation cultivator while she was bathing?"
Yun Xiaoyao sneered incessantly at this moment. These people refused to understand even the simplest logic and only knew how to listen to Bái Chén's biased words to blame him.
At these words, everyone was left speechless.
That's right—a Deity Transformation cultivator possessed formidable spiritual sense, making everything within a radius of a hundred miles crystal clear, let alone Yun Xiaoyao lurking outside the door to spy on a bath.
Given Líng Ruòlán's temper, if anyone else had spied on her while she was bathing, they would have been slapped to death long ago.
Líng Ruòlán's expression froze for a moment, but she refused to let the matter drop. "Perhaps I simply didn't notice at the time! Who knows if you used some magical treasure to conceal your aura!"
Hearing this, Yun Xiaoyao burst into loud laughter.
Líng Ruòlán furrowed her brows slightly. "What are you laughing at?"
Without answering her, Yun Xiaoyao sneered, "Let me ask you: is there any magical treasure of mine that you people haven't already taken away?"
He then pointed at Líng Yānrán.
"And you, Líng Yānrán!"
Líng Yānrán, who was currently whispering sweet nothings with Junior Brother, suddenly found herself called out and immediately furrowed her brows.
"Hmph, you're the Senior Brother! What's wrong with me using a few of your medicinal pills and spirit stones? What's wrong with taking a few of your treasures? You can't even use them anyway. You're so stingy."
Líng Yānrán's breezy tone caused several of the surrounding elders to frown.
"Damn it, if you're so amazing, go refine pills and earn spirit stones yourself! How can you use other people's things and still be so righteous about it?"
Faced with the disdainful gazes of the several elders, Líng Yānrán's face flushed red and white in turns, and she roared, "Yun Xiaoyao didn't even say anything himself! What right do you all have to lecture me? It's not like I'm using your stuff!"
"Yānrán, mind your language!"
Liǔ Yúnyān let out an angry shout and glared at Líng Yānrán.
Only then did Líng Yānrán snap back to reality.
These several elders surrounding them were, apart from Liǔ Yúnyān, among the figures of highest status within the Qilin Sacred Land.
Although their cultivation was inferior to Liǔ Yúnyān's, they were still old monsters of the Body Integration Realm, and by no means someone of her junior generation could lecture.
If not for Liǔ Yúnyān's sake, she probably would have already been turned into a corpse.
Seeing the expressions of the several elders growing increasingly dark, Líng Yānrán finally apologized, though quite unwillingly.
She then looked at Yun Xiaoyao with utter disgust, cursing inwardly, "If it weren't for this trash, how could I have ever been brought to such humiliation!"
Liǔ Yúnyān rubbed her brow, feeling extremely irritated.
At that moment, Bái Chén at the side looked toward Liǔ Yúnyān and Líng Ruòlán, his voice laced with entreaty.
"Master, Senior Sister, Senior Brother's cultivation has made no progress whatsoever over these past years; perhaps something has gone wrong with his state of mind. Spare him this once, Senior Brother. I believe he is not that kind of person."
Bái Chén's tone was exceptionally lifelike; anyone who didn't know better would have truly thought he was sincerely pleading on Yun Xiaoyao's behalf.
Yun Xiaoyao, standing nearby, sneered endlessly. If he hadn't been reborn, he probably really would have believed that Bái Chén was sincerely pleading for him.
At these words, a trace of gentleness appeared in Liǔ Yúnyān's eyes.
"Chen'er is still the sensible one. I certainly didn't misjudge him."
Líng Ruòlán chimed in as well, "That's right. Junior Brother, you're just too kind-hearted. A person like him doesn't deserve for us to call him Senior Brother!"
Following Bái Chén's persuasion, Liǔ Yúnyān made her decision.
"Very well. Since Chen'er has put it this way, we'll let it go this time. But should there be a next time, I will show absolutely no mercy."
With that, Liǔ Yúnyān's figure flashed and she vanished from the spot.
Líng Yānrán and Líng Ruòlán paid Yun Xiaoyao no further heed, instead pulling Bái Chén's arm into their embraces with sweet smiles.
"Come along, Junior Brother. Sis and I made lots of delicious food today; you're in for a real treat."
Feeling the softness coming from her arm, Bái Chén couldn't help letting his mind wander, yet his face still maintained an innocent expression.
"Alright, Senior Sisters."
Seeing Bái Chén act so well-behaved and sensible, Líng Ruòlán's mood immediately improved considerably.
She then glanced back at Yun Xiaoyao, a look of disgust appearing on her face.
"Let's go, Sister. Just looking at him makes me sick."
Líng Ruòlán nodded, and the three of them strode out of the grand hall, leaving Yun Xiaoyao behind all by himself.
Watching the retreating figures of the group, Yun Xiaoyao simply dragged his heavily injured body and slowly walked down the mountain.
Over the course of hundreds and thousands of years, he had long since tempered his state of mind to near perfection.
Even though everyone disbelieved him, humiliated him, and mocked him, he did not care in the least.
For he knew that before long, all these people who humiliated him would die.
Upon returning to his cave dwelling, Yun Xiaoyao first opened a secret compartment in the cave wall and took out the medicinal pills stored inside.
Swallowing the pills, the shattered bones within his body that had been crushed under pressure began to heal at an extremely rapid pace.
These were pills he had bought with spirit stones he had saved up for a very long time, specifically prepared to cope with this exact kind of situation.
There were very few items inside the cave dwelling; apart from a crude table and bed, there was nothing else.
Even the spiritual energy in the air was exceptionally thin—even inferior to the cave dwellings of outer disciples.
If outsiders knew, who would ever believe that the former Qilin Saint Son actually lived in such a run-down place?
Yet Yun Xiaoyao seemed already accustomed to these things. After packing up some of his clothes, he left the cave dwelling.
Upon leaving the cave dwelling, Yun Xiaoyao headed straight for the Law Enforcement Hall.
Normally, disciples other than outer disciples who wished to withdraw from the sect were required to go to the Affairs Hall to handle the procedures.
Although he desperately wanted to leave immediately, he still chose to go and get the sect-withdrawal procedures sorted out.
Before long, he arrived at the Law Enforcement Hall and stated his intention to withdraw from the sect.
Hearing this, the Law Enforcement Elder furrowed his brows slightly.
"Then wait a moment, I will report this matter to the Sacred Lord."
With that, he took out a Sound Transmission Jade Talisman and began to report the matter.