After Peng Xiling, the four great sword sects also sent forth their representative. Two of them chose their strongest disciple while the other two each sent a lower disciple to act as the sacrifice. Chen Wentian didn't linger on these minor details but he was quite surprised by Peng Xiling's actions. He sensed that something was amiss but he decided to take it one step at a time.
He crossed his arms and spoke in an even voice. He was no longer angry. He wasn't truly angry to begin with, not against a bunch of minions at least. He was just putting on an act for his disciples but these people didn't need to know that.
"Representative of the Mount Yun Sect, you can go first. Explain to me why your sect attacked my disciples without regard for losses or even reason."
The middle-aged man quivered under his stare and fell to his knees, "Lord Chen, the Mount Yun Sect apologizes with our entire being for offending Lord Chen's disciples. We should not have done it. We knew it was wrong. We, the disciples of the Mount Yun Sect, bear no grudge against Lord Chen and his sect."
He paused and gulped before continuing, "The reason… the reason we attacked was because of our sect master. He made us do it. He told us that we would all be richly rewarded. If we died, our families will be celebrated by the sect. We could not refuse the sect master's orders. Please, Lord Chen, we know we were wrong. Please spare our lives, we truly did not mean it. Lord Chen, please spare my Mount Yun Sect!"
He finished and slammed his forehead against the stone floor, bowing with all of his strength. He said no more and remained there without moving a muscle.
Chen Wentian rubbed his chin. The Mount Yun Sect certainly picked a good speaker as their representative. They made a decent argument, at least one that was within reason, especially since their sect master Hei Shanzhi was already dead.
"Alright, Mount Huang Sect, you can speak next." He said.
The representative from the Mount Huang Sect also put up a good performance. That person also blamed everything on their sect master and then begged for forgiveness. They even started sobbing loudly, fat tears streaming down their face in an impressive display of contrition.
The representative from the Mount Tai Sect read from the same script as the others. Their representative was the strongest senior brother. He was supposed to be a hero amongst men, a valiant swordsman that stood above all. Yet he still managed to wail and cry like an old woman. His was even louder than the previous two put together. It was so shameless that Chen Wentian had to purse his lips from laughing out loud.
"Alright, alright," He silenced that embarrassing display with a wave, "Mount Xiong Sect, your turn."
"Yes, Lord Chen…" That person was about to start crying.
But Chen Wentian cut him off, "If you cry, I will kill you."
They instantly froze, their face contorting into an ugly mask.
Chen Wentian continued, "I don't want the same excuses again. I am going to ask you a very specific question and I want to know the complete truth. Tell me, what is the relationship between your sect master Yang Kaitian and that person from the Yang Clan of Great Waves, Yang Maoda?"
The representative's expression brightened and he quickly replied, "Reporting to Lord Chen, this matter, I do know about it since I am the senior disciple. Immortal Yellow River Yang Maoda has no relation to my master but our Mount Xiong Sect does indeed have a relationship with the Yang Clan of Great Waves from the Martial Brilliance Continent. It is a secret of our sect but I will truthfully tell Lord Chen, our Mount Xiong Sect was founded by a member of the Yang Clan!"
At this, the disciples behind him let out audible gasps of surprise. Of the four great sword sects, no other member could say that they had such a legacy. Even the ordinary members of the Mount Xiong Sect couldn't have imagined such a thing. They had merely assumed that their sect master and immortal Yang Maoda had hit it off due to their same last names.
Many of them let out sighs of relief. Some of them even cracked a smile. The Mount Xiong Sect was related to the Yang Clan of Great Waves, a superpower sect from the main continent. It wasn't difficult to imagine what they were thinking. With such a background, their sect was surely saved. They could surely keep their lives.
Only Chen Wentian knew that they would be sorely disappointed.
"Quiet." He said. He even had to say it again to get them to shut up, "You were truthful with me so I will be truthful with you too."
This brought back the tension in the air and they all listened while not daring to breathe.
"I am familiar with the Yang Clan of Great Waves. In fact, I know them very well. All of you might have heard some rumors about one of my disciples named Long Yifei. Well, they are true. She is currently studying at the Virtuous Order in the Martial Brilliance Continent. While there, people from the Yang Clan of Great Waves tried to steal her from me."
He paused to let the gravity of his words sink in. He let everyone's expression darken to a satisfying degree before continuing, "Naturally, Long Yifei is still my disciple and the Yang Clan is now my enemy. I won't go into details but they tried many underhanded and vile methods to try and pry her away from me. As a result, they and I are like water and fire. Our enmity is irrevocable, you understand?"
There was utter silence. Nobody present was a dumb person. They could all guess the rest. The combined attack against the disciples of Ten Thousand Flower Valley, the appearance of immortal Yang Maoda from the main continent, it was all a plot to get revenge by the Yang Clan. And now, it was Chen Wentian's turn for payback.
Chen Wentian raised his palm and a puff of blue flame came to life.
"Immortal Chen… please… don't…" The representative from the Mount Xiong Sect couldn't find his words anymore.
Chen Wentian shook his head, "Do not blame me for your misfortune. Blame your sect ancestor and your sect master. Blame the Yang Clan for this irrevocable enmity that they created."
There was a burst of spiritual energy and a wave of heat. Blue flames exploded out of his palm and spread out in a wide arc. Before they could even scream, all of the disciples from the Mount Xiong Sect were engulfed in an inferno of immortal fury. It only took a second and they were all burnt to ash.