Upon hearing that Yun Yun not only did not stop Xiao Yan but even instructed Nalan Yanran to escort him away, Yun Leng roared, "Yun Yun!! This is an act of betrayal against the sect!"
Yun Yun's long, silky black hair fluttered in the wind. With her right hand, she gently tucked a strand behind her ear. Her beautiful eyes glanced at Xiao Yan, then turned to Yun Leng and said, "First Elder and all elders and disciples of the Misty Cloud Sect, I, as the Sect Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, order you to cease your attacks."
"Grandmaster Xiao Yan is an esteemed guest of our Misty Cloud Sect. His visit today is merely to honor an appointment. As for the matter concerning External Deacon Mo Cheng, I will personally investigate thoroughly and provide everyone with an explanation."
The first to sigh in relief upon hearing Yun Yun's words was Jia Xing Tian. If Yun Yun had truly taken action, he might have had to step in to block her attacks.
It wasn't that he was unwilling to help Xiao Yan, but before Xiao Yan called upon him, he could only wait, as the Misty Cloud Sect might still have hidden cards to play.
The Serene Sea Scaly Beast was still waiting for Xiao Yan's medicinal pill to save its life; under no circumstances could he allow Xiao Yan to die in the Misty Cloud Sect.
But Jia Xing Tian was also in an awkward position. Fa Ma and the others could mask their faces since they were only at the Dou King realm. There were some retired or wandering Dou Kings in the Jia Ma Empire, so they could simply claim to be former members of the Ten Strong.
But he couldn't! He was the only peak Dou Emperor in the entire Jia Ma Empire; there was no way to conceal his identity.
"Yun Yun! You're betraying the sect!!" Yun Leng was enraged to the core upon hearing Yun Yun's words. Not only did he not heed Yun Yun's orders as Sect Leader, but his attacks became even fiercer.
Apart from Yun Leng, some elders and deacons of the older generation did not stop their attacks. Only the younger disciples obeyed Yun Yun's command and ceased their combined attacks against Hai Bodong.
Hai Bodong's figure flickered in the sky after repelling the three low-star Dou King Elders of the Misty Cloud Sect. Mighty, unmatched icy energy surged out, instantly freezing the dozens of resisting Misty Cloud Sect deacons.
"Hai Bodong, don't go too far! You have no idea who you're making an enemy of!" Yun Leng's eyes were filled with rage as he glared at Hai Bodong.
Hai Bodong let out a cold laugh. He appeared in front of Yun Leng in a flash. His right hand condensed a massive ice pillar, and with a loud boom, he slammed his palm against it, sending Yun Leng flying to the ground. The massive ice pillar pressed down, pinning Yun Leng beneath it.
"Yun Leng, you speak as if you were the Sect Leader." Hai Bodong couldn't resist mocking him.
Meanwhile, Nalan Yanran had already walked over to Xiao Yan's side and said, "I'll escort you down the mountain. My Master will handle the rest."
Nalan Yanran looked at the slightly tipsy Xiao Yan with a strange expression, wondering in her heart what kind of relationship this guy had with her Master.
She could tell that her Master was intentionally helping him.
Don't be fooled by Yun Yun's initial silence and lack of support for Xiao Yan. That was because she had no real authority; if she issued orders directly, they would likely be ignored.
Only now, with both sides evenly matched and Yun Leng requesting her help, would her words carry weight and be heeded by others. Her earlier silence was to wait for this opportunity.
You want me to help? Fine, then everyone stop fighting.
Xiao Yan glanced at Nalan Yanran and shook his head with a smile as he said, "Nalan Yanran, you understand too little about power and human nature."
???? Nalan Yanran tilted her head in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Look at the scene. Even though your Master has already given the order, only the younger generation of disciples have stopped attacking. All the older generation of deacons and elders are still following Yun Leng's lead and haven't ceased their attacks. Don't you find it strange?" Xiao Yan asked in return.
Nalan Yanran was utterly baffled. "My Master is only in her early thirties and has devoted herself to cultivation, neglecting the sect's affairs. The First Elder has been in the Misty Cloud Sect since childhood. Many elders and deacons were promoted by him or are fellow cultivators of his generation. That's only natural, isn't it?"
Xiao Yan shook his head with a light laugh and said, "Your Master far surpasses Yun Leng in both talent and strength. In this world where strength is respected above all, those self-serving elders and deacons actually obey a mere Dou King instead of the more powerful Dou Emperor. Isn't that abnormal in itself?"
Nalan Yanran furrowed her brows and began to feel that something was indeed amiss. The Misty Cloud Sect also valued strength above all else. Those deacons and elders had no reason to behave this way.
"If those elders and deacons haven't been poisoned by Yun Leng, then it means Yun Leng himself is just a puppet. The one those deacons and elders are obeying isn't Yun Leng, but someone controlling him from behind, someone even stronger than Yun Yun!"
Nalan Yanran suddenly thought of something and exclaimed, "Could it be...!"
Just at this moment, under everyone's watchful gaze, Yun Leng suddenly took out a cloud-white flute from his storage ring, brought it to his lips, and blew hard. Instantly, a somewhat strange, piercing sound emanated from the flute.
The piercing flute melody lingered over the entire Misty Cloud Mountain and persisted for a long time.
In the square, everyone fell silent due to Yun Leng's actions. Only the continuous sound of the flute could be heard for a moment.
Jia Xing Tian narrowed his eyes slightly and suddenly, as if recalling something, his pupils contracted sharply!
"It's that old fellow! He really isn't dead!"
From the depths of Mist Cloud Mountain, a vast and mighty aura descended like an ancient dragon awakening from its slumber, bringing with it an unparalleled pressure!
Xiao Yan sensed this terrifying aura, slowly straightened up, and calmly said, "It's not that your Master's authority was undermined by Yun Leng, nor that she couldn't compete with him. Rather, someone has never relinquished their power from the very beginning."
As this majestic aura awakened, Yun Yun's serene and ethereal face was now filled with shock.
"How is this possible? Yun Leng, why do you have Master's flute?" Yun Yun stared in astonishment at the white jade flute in Yun Leng's hand. She found it hard to believe that her own Master would give the flute to Yun Leng instead of herself!
The majestic aura reminiscent of a dragon's awakening enveloped the entire Misty Cloud Mountain in an instant. A pressure that even made Jia Xing Tian tremble spread from deep within the mountain, eventually permeating the square.
Immediately, all the younger disciples of the Misty Cloud Sect in the square looked at each other, completely clueless about what was happening.
"What's going on?"
"Our sect actually has such a powerful expert!"
Compared to the younger generation, the eyes of the older generation of deacons and elders were filled with reverence. They even knelt down on both knees, prostrating themselves in worship.
Yun Leng, who was suppressed by Hai Bodong, laughed maniacally, "Hahaha, Hai Bodong, let's see how you protect this little brat now!"
"This is bad... That old monster really isn't dead!" The moment the aura awakened, Hai Bodong's face changed drastically. His low voice couldn't conceal his shock.
"And judging by the strength of this aura, it seems he has broken through to the Dou Ancestor realm!!" Hai Bodong's voice was extremely grim. This was truly disastrous news!
Even though a Dou Ancestor couldn't yet manipulate Spatial Strength like a Dou Venerate, such as effortlessly sealing space with a wave of the hand, they could still utilize Spatial Strength to a small degree.
The overwhelming aura caused the space in the entire square to distort. A white figure took a few steps in the sky, and as if a thousand miles were just an arm's length away, he instantly appeared above the square.
"Yun Leng, explain yourself. I said not to disturb my secluded cultivation unless it was an extremely important matter." The previous Sect Leader, Yun Shan, turned his gaze to Yun Leng below and said calmly.