The hanging heart suddenly died

The grand hall of the Sacred Void Sect fell into a deathly silence.

All the high-ranking officials present were at least at the late Nascent Soul stage. How could Zhou Zheng, a mere three-revolutions Golden Core cultivator, dare to spout such nonsense?

"Killing you won’t be so easy?"

To put it bluntly, any one of them could crush him like an insect without breaking a sweat!

Gong Zheng, the head of the Enforcement Hall, sneered mockingly. "Hah, you’ve truly lost your mind. Guards! Drag him out and execute him. Don’t let him defile our sacred sect grounds!"

"Yes!"

Two Golden Core ninth-revolution senior enforcers immediately stepped forward.

But at that moment, the silent Sect Master, Sikong Xuan, suddenly spoke. "Wait. The cultivation technique this wretch practices is unusual. He went from the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment to three-revolutions Golden Core in just a month. Enforcement Hall, see if you can bypass the soul restriction and replicate his technique."

Gong Zheng instantly understood. "The Sect Master is wise. I was just thinking the same. Leave it to the Enforcement Hall—"

Mid-sentence, the space above Zhou Zheng’s head suddenly twisted, and a dazzling spatial vortex slowly emerged.

A wisp of ethereal aura seeped out, like an invisible hand gripping the hearts of everyone in the hall!

"This aura... how is this possible?!"

Sect Master Sikong Xuan instinctively recoiled, his face filled with shock.

"Hahahaha... Nothing’s impossible! My backer has arrived. Do you still think you can kill me now?!"

Zhou Zheng, who had endured for a full thirty seconds, couldn’t hold back his laughter.

The next moment, a young man in a cyan-blue Daoist robe slowly stepped out from the spatial vortex.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, the Sacred Void Sect’s high-ranking officials paled in terror.

The man’s demeanor was transcendent, his Dao aura unfathomably profound. Though he stood plainly before them, their spiritual senses couldn’t detect him at all—only their eyes could perceive his presence.

What did this mean?

It meant his cultivation far surpassed theirs, an existence they could never hope to oppose!

Oh no. And he seemed to be Zhou Zheng’s backer, here to support him.

They were doomed.

Who said Zhou Zheng had no background and could be easily manipulated?

This backer was way too powerful!

The once-arrogant Sacred Void Sect elders now trembled in fear, instinctively retreating behind the Sect Master.

What else could they do? He was the strongest among them. When the sky fell, the tallest had to hold it up—that was the Sect Master’s duty.

"Damn it, you heartless bastards..." Sikong Xuan cursed inwardly, but he had no choice but to step forward and negotiate.

"Esteemed Senior, I believe there may be some misunderstanding between us..."

Chen Yi glanced at him indifferently. "Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? When you bullied Zhou Zheng for having no backer, why didn’t you call it a misunderstanding? Now that I’m here, suddenly it’s a misunderstanding?"

Zhou Zheng’s eyes reddened with emotion. "Group Leader, I—"

Before he could finish, Chen Yi cut him off. "Not your turn to speak. Stand aside and watch quietly."

From his experience with Liu Ruyan, he had learned one thing: to maximize gains, he had to escalate the situation.

So, Zhou Zheng’s role was to stay silent and let him handle everything.

Sikong Xuan, meanwhile, was drenched in cold sweat.

"Senior, you’re not even letting the victim speak? What are you planning?"

Had they known Zhou Zheng had such a formidable backer, who would’ve dared to frame him?

Even if he had embezzled those resources, it would’ve been justified!

Sikong Xuan was quick to adapt. "My apologies, Senior. This was my fault. Under pressure, I hastily closed the case without proper investigation, wrongfully accusing Enforcer Zhou Zheng. I will reopen the investigation and ensure justice is served!"

"So you admit it was your mistake?" Chen Yi pressed sharply.

"Yes, yes! You’re absolutely right!" Sikong Xuan nodded frantically.

The other hall masters, at the Nascent Soul stage, might only sense this man’s overwhelming strength. But Sikong Xuan, having reached the Unity stage, felt as though he stood before an unfathomable abyss.

Even the Supreme Elders in the sect’s forbidden grounds would feel the same!

His body trembled uncontrollably—a primal instinct he couldn’t suppress. He even suspected this man wasn’t human at all.

But an immortal!

A mere Unity-stage mortal like him had no right to argue before a being who might be a true immortal.

"Good. Then step down as Sect Master. Zhou Zheng will take your place." Chen Yi’s command was blunt.

Sikong Xuan didn’t hesitate. "Understood. I will abdicate immediately and convene the sect to announce Zhou Zheng’s ascension."

But not everyone was willing to comply.

Gong Zheng, the Enforcement Hall head, stepped forward with righteous fury. "Sect Master! How can we yield to such tyranny? Activate the sect’s grand formation! Summon the Supreme Elders! We Sacred Void disciples would rather die standing than live kneeling!"

"Shut your damn mouth!" Sikong Xuan roared, his scalp prickling with dread.

Especially when he noticed the "immortal’s" lips curling into a faint, chilling smile.

They were done for.

Completely done for!

Sure enough—

The next moment, Chen Yi moved.

BOOM!

The earth trembled violently as the Sacred Void Sect’s grand protective formation activated on its own.

Then, a colossal handprint blotted out the sky above the sect, shattering the formation’s barrier in an instant.

Without pause, it plunged into the sect’s forbidden grounds. A series of terrified, desperate roars echoed—before silence reclaimed everything.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Eighteen Supreme Elders, all at the Unity stage, were unceremoniously dumped into the grand hall like lifeless dogs.

Thud—

Sikong Xuan, the most pragmatic of them all, dropped to his knees instantly.

His surrender triggered a chain reaction.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The once-defiant elders quickly followed, prostrating themselves in fear.

Only Gong Zheng, the proud Enforcement Hall head, remained standing.

Not out of defiance—but because an invisible force had paralyzed him.

As the terrifying man smiled at him, his heart sank.

He shouldn’t have played the hero...

"Zhou Zheng," Chen Yi said calmly, "slap him twice. Vent your grievances, lest they fester into inner demons later."

Since Zhou Zheng was the mission’s focal point, letting him indulge in satisfaction would yield greater rewards.

"Me...?"

Zhou Zheng stood frozen, his Golden Core-stage mind still struggling to process the terrifying scene.