[Two hours later.]
Bu Haoyan was thrown out of the gates of Zhaomo Pass, battered and barely clinging to life.
When Ye Yu saw him, his expression was complicated.
Bu Haoyanâs once angular, chiseled face had been pummeled into the shape of a pigâs head. Half of one of his demon horns had been snapped off, and his once-pristine robes were torn to shredsâworse than a beggarâs rags.
Ye Yu grasped Bu Haoyanâs hand firmly, saying with utmost sincerity, âSect Master, youâve suffered greatly. The sect will never forget your contribution!â
Bu Haoyan grinned weakly.
This time, he had truly outdone himself!
Honestly, even he hadnât expected to draw so much hatred and take such a severe beating.
Initially, Bu Haoyan had only planned to provoke a small scuffle at the gates of Zhaomo Pass.
It began with a verbal barrage aimed at the dayâs guardian elder, Zhen Qiubei.
Had it been just one or two insults, Zhen Qiubei, known for his mild temperament within Zhaomo Pass, might not have reacted so strongly.
But Bu Haoyan had unleashed a relentless onslaught.
The insults were vile, unrestrained.
To put it mildly: If he could endure this, history could eat itself.
Finally, Zhen Qiubei snapped and attacked in fury!
The commotion grew so loud that it caught the attention of Zhaomo Passâs vice sect master, Yu Fengpei.
Hurrying to intervene, Yu Fengpei tried to de-escalate the situation, claiming, âSect Master Bu is a leader of Heavenly Dragon Cliff. If you keep attacking him like this, what will become of our reputation? Are you trying to provoke a war between our sects?â
Zhen Qiubei, looking deeply aggrieved, exclaimed, âVice Sect Master, he insulted my ancestorsâ¦â
His voice caught in his throat, unable to articulate the sheer filth of Bu Haoyanâs words.
Yu Fengpei frowned, skeptical of the claim.
It didnât make senseâwhy would the dignified sect master of Heavenly Dragon Cliff, a Sky Demon-level powerhouse, randomly insult someoneâs ancestors?
But Zhen Qiubeiâs tearful, indignant expression made it hard to dismiss.
Perplexed, Yu Fengpei turned to Bu Haoyan and asked in a low voice, âSect Master Bu, whatâs really going on here?â
Bu Haoyan stretched, feeling he hadnât been beaten enough yet, and smiled warmly.
Without hesitation, he began verbally assaulting Yu Fengpei via voice transmission.
Oh, the ferocity!
Yu Fengpei, lacking Zhen Qiubeiâs composure, cracked after just a few sentences and lashed out in rage.
As the commotion escalated, more elders from Zhaomo Pass arrived to investigate.
Eventually, even the sect master himself came to the scene.
Bu Haoyan spared no one.
Whoever appeared was greeted with a barrage of uniquely creative insults targeting their ancestors and loved ones.@@novelbin@@
In no time, the crowd surrounding Bu Haoyan grewâand so did the number of people taking turns pummeling him.
Fortunately, he had a few protective demonic artifacts.
Without them, even with his Sky Demon cultivation, he might not have survived.
When Ye Yu brought the beaten and broken Bu Haoyan back to Heavenly Dragon Cliff, the sight shocked everyone.
At first, no one even recognized him.
It was only after noticing the few remaining tattered scraps of his robes that they guessed his identity.
The sect elders were astounded.
Then their astonishment gave way to fury.
Heavenly Dragon Cliff was no weakling among demonic sects.
For their sect master to be beaten like this? It was an outright insult to their sectâs dignity!
Some hot-tempered elders surged forward, demanding to know what had happened.
Seeing the growing crowd, Ye Yu instinctively stepped back.
To be fair, he thought, demonic cultivators gathering in a circle is really inconvenient.
The constant bumping and scraping of their horns made for an unintentionally comedic scene.
Bu Haoyan, ever the performer, mustered his remaining energy to spin his tale.
He claimed he had visited Zhaomo Pass to greet Elder Zhen Qiubei.
But instead, Zhen Qiubei had accused him of slinging insults and then called in other elders and even the sect master to join in beating him.
âDo you think Iâd insult someone at their own gates?â Bu Haoyan asked, his face a picture of indignation. âOnly a mad demon would do such a thing! I may have a temper, but Iâm not insane!â
The gathered elders fell into a contemplative silence.
They knew Bu Haoyan was hot-headed but not an idiot.
Why would he provoke a fight on enemy turf? That was pure suicide.
Before anyone could voice their doubts, Ye Yu stepped forward with righteous fury.
âThe humiliation of the sect master is the humiliation of the sect!â he declared.
âThey dared to attack our leader. Do they think Heavenly Dragon Cliff is spineless?
Yes, Zhaomo Pass is strong, but we canât let them bully us like this.
If word of this spreads, what will the demonic world think?
That weâre cowards? That we let our sect master be beaten without retaliation?
And most importantly, Sect Master Bu was wrongfully accused!
This injustice is unbearable! I, for one, cannot stand it!â
With that, Ye Yu slammed his fist into the ground, his outrage palpable.
The elders exchanged glances, quietly reaching a consensus.
Well, Ye Yuâs said it all. Whatâs left for us to add?
Regardless of the truth, seeing their sect master beaten to this extent was a bitter pill to swallow.
Zhaomo Pass had gone too far.
Grand Elder Zu Xuzhong, the most respected figure in the sect, stepped forward.
His opinion carried the weight to sway the entire sect.
He cleared his throat and said gravely, âI have a good relationship with Elder Zhen Qiubei and even possess a communication stone linked to him. Allow me to ask what really happened.â
Ye Yu and Bu Haoyan exchanged panicked glances.
Before they could intervene, Zu Xuzhong had already activated the communication stone.
Soon, Zhen Qiubeiâs voice came through.
âWhat misunderstanding? Misunderstanding your mother! Whatâs there to ask? Get lost!â
The stream of profanities was loud enough for everyone to hear clearly.
Zu Xuzhongâs face darkened visibly as he crushed the communication stone in his hand.
With a roar that shook the hall, he bellowed, âPrepare for war! WAR!â