"Hmph! You are as arrogant as the legends say!"
"Today, I will see what qualifies you to be arrogant!"
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Elder Fang snorted coldly, his figure flashing out, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared before Ye Cangtian.
The next moment, his long sword transformed into countless sword flowers and thrust forward.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian remained unfazed, directly taking out his Ice Crystal Dagger to block.
*Clang, clang, clang…*
Several sounds followed, and Ye Cangtian easily blocked Fang Boyan's attacks.
Fang Boyan's attacks were indeed strange, and his angles were very tricky, but unfortunately, Ye Cangtian's mental power was too strong.
In Ye Cangtian's perception, his attacks were like slow-motion breakdowns, devoid of any killing power.
Meanwhile, seeing Ye Cangtian's relaxed demeanor, Fang Boyan's face turned so dark it seemed it could drip blood.
Although Ye Cangtian was only blocking and not attacking, this effortless defense was, in his eyes, an invisible humiliation.
"Roar!"
Finally, Fang Boyan could bear it no longer and roared.
He forcibly created distance from Ye Cangtian, raising his long sword high. Under the gathering of spiritual energy, the cold light of the sword intensified.
Immediately after, the sword, like lightning, slashed towards Ye Cangtian's head.
*Swish!*
At the same moment, behind Ye Cangtian, a sound of tearing through the air also came.
The Second Elder, who had been observing from the periphery, saw that the Hall Master was unable to subdue his opponent and had a sinister thought. He decided to lend the Hall Master a hand during his full-force attack!
"Despicable!"
Ye Cangtian let out a cold shout. With his left hand, he flicked out a cold gleam, and with his right hand, he used the Ice Crystal Dagger to execute a Heaven-Breaking Slash.
*Boom!*
A thunderous sound erupted, and the Hall Master was sent flying back.
Immediately after, a crisp sound was heard as the Second Elder's attack was also blocked by the dagger Ye Cangtian had flicked out.
"The Half Moon Hall is truly upright and honorable! You have impressed me!"
Ye Cangtian coldly glanced at the Hall Master and said with disdain.
Hearing the sarcastic voice, Fang Boyan's face turned red. He angrily berated, "Second Elder, why do you need to interfere in my match with Ye Cangtian!"
It was clear that he was also ashamed of the Second Elder's petty actions.
"Is this how you discipline a disobedient dog?"
"What use is such weak and powerless scolding against him? No wonder he dares to disrupt our duel!"
As his words fell, the Second Elder instantly lowered his head, not daring to meet Fang Boyan's gaze.
However, Ye Cangtian on the other side had no intention of letting the Second Elder off and spoke contemptuously to Fang Boyan.
"Hmph! My Half Moon Hall's affairs are none of your business!"
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Fang Boyan snorted coldly. He wasn't foolish enough to actually punish the Second Elder for a word or two from Ye Cangtian!
"Heh, apologies, but he attacked me, so this matter is my business!"
"Since you are unwilling to discipline your dog, I will do it for you!"
Ye Cangtian sneered, and his figure flickered out.
In an instant, he was before the Second Elder. The Second Elder's eyes widened, but before he could react, his chest was heavily struck.
*Pfft!*
With a mouthful of blood spewing out, the Second Elder was sent flying backward and crashed heavily onto the ground.
On the other side, as Ye Cangtian made his move, the Hall Master had already stepped forward, attempting to stop Ye Cangtian, but he was still a step too late and could only watch as everything unfolded.
"Ye Cangtian, you are ruthless! You have crippled my cultivation!"
"Hall Master, you must uphold justice for me!"
With the help of the crowd, the Second Elder finally managed to stand up, but his cultivation was gone. He could only beg the Hall Master to avenge him.
"Hmph! Your sneak attack was aimed at my life as well."
"Now that I've only crippled your cultivation, I've been exceptionally merciful compared to your actions!"
Ye Cangtian glanced at the Second Elder, his eyes filled with disdain, and said slowly.
"Ye Cangtian, how can you harm someone from my Half Moon Hall as you please!"
Seeing the Second Elder's pathetic state, Fang Boyan was enraged and charged at Ye Cangtian with all his might.
Ye Cangtian fearlessly met him.
Amidst the crisscrossing sword energy, Ye Cangtian moved like a ghost, weaving through the attacks. In an instant, he was before Fang Boyan.
At the same time, his large hand reached out.
"This…"
Fang Boyan could hardly believe his eyes. By the time he realized Ye Cangtian's attack, it was already too late.
With a *slap*, Ye Cangtian's large hand swept across Fang Boyan's neck, and with a backhand, he sent Fang Boyan flying.
Yes, he hadn't directly choked Fang Boyan but had first given him a slap.
"You!"
Feeling the swelling on his cheek, Fang Boyan's eyes were instantly filled with rage.
He pointed fiercely at Ye Cangtian, his hand trembling, but he could not utter a word.
Just now, he had felt a gust of wind approaching his neck, but in the end, he was slapped in the face. It was clear that Ye Cangtian had deliberately held back.
Otherwise, everything would have ended at that moment.
However, this holding back left him with nowhere to hide his shame, especially with all the members of the Half Moon Hall watching.
Being slapped in the face like this, where would his dignity go?
Thinking this, Fang Boyan could no longer contain his anger and roared at Ye Cangtian, "Ye Cangtian, a scholar can be killed but not humiliated!"
"Nonsense! I am here to humiliate you!"
Ye Cangtian cast a contemptuous glance at him and continued, "If you weren't coveting those Nine Revolutions Golden Elixirs, you wouldn't have ended up like this. I'm here today to teach you a good lesson!"
As he spoke, Ye Cangtian flickered out again, and then, two even crisper sounds echoed through the forest.
Looking at Fang Boyan, who had managed to stand up again, his face was already as swollen as a pig's head, several teeth were missing from his mouth, and he was covered in dirt, looking utterly pathetic.
"Fang Boyan, I'm telling you, if you hadn't played these dirty tricks and had genuinely supported the Hidden Group, I wouldn't have treated you badly."
"But your foolish son, at your instigation, insisted on playing mind games. Does he think our Hidden Group is easy to bully?"
"It was also for this reason that the culprit used Fang Liang's life to instigate animosity between the Hidden Group and the Half Moon Hall!"
Ye Cangtian's words came again, and Fang Boyan's angry gaze shifted once more.
He now realized that everything was his own design that had backfired, leading to his son's death.
For a moment, he truly felt regret, but more than that, he couldn't suppress his burning rage.
In front of so many disciples, he, a Hall Master, had been severely slapped. How could he manage the Half Moon Hall after this?
The next moment, he forced himself to stand, his gaze fierce as he looked at Ye Cangtian, and said angrily, "Ye Cangtian, now that things have come to this, what's the use of your pointless chatter!"
"Heh, it seems you still haven't repented!"
"Fine, how do you want to resolve this? Shall I call everyone to attack me together!"
"Perhaps my mood has soured today, and I'll directly annihilate your Half Moon Hall!"
Ye Cangtian sneered, and a potent killing intent emanated from his body.
The moment his words left his mouth, all the members of the Half Moon Hall shivered.
The tangible killing intent made them feel a chill down their spines and made it difficult to breathe.
This…
This must be a peerless god of slaughter; otherwise, how could he possess such intense killing intent?
Fang Boyan, who also felt the killing intent, felt his heart lurch violently.
He forced himself to look at Ye Cangtian and said grimly, "Ye Cangtian, your strength is indeed formidable, but my Half Moon Hall has over a thousand people. Do you think you can last until the end?"
"You can try!"
Ye Cangtian's calm voice echoed, and Fang Boyan's expression changed again. The opponent's composed demeanor made him feel uneasy and threatened.
He swallowed hard and finally spoke, "Ye Cangtian, you are formidable today, but I vow that when I break through again, I will definitely have a decisive battle with you!"
"Retreat!"
Fang Boyan had ultimately succumbed to fear.
The main reason was that Ye Cangtian's strength far exceeded his imagination.
Even if the Half Moon Hall attacked with full force, they might not be able to defeat him, and if a battle ensued, he would surely perish here.
If this were before, he might have gone for it. To avenge his son, what was death?
But now it was different. From Ye Cangtian's words and actions, it was clear that Ye Cangtian was not the true culprit.
In that case, if he died at the hands of the other party, not only would it be unjust, but it would also cost everyone their lives, and he would be unable to avenge his son!