An unexpected encounter with the sleeping Little Dragon Girl leads to the annihilation of the Quanzh

Qiu Chuji's roar was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, exploding in front of the deathly silent Chongyang Palace.

"Zhou Botong! What are you doing! Are you trying to find out a background for Lin Ye?!"

His voice was filled with uncontrollable rage and humiliation; every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a bloody stench.

This was not just a reprimand, but a wail of despair.

He was questioning, but also pleading.

He begged his senior martial uncle, the most senior member of the Quanzhen Sect, not to deliver the fatal blow to this already riddled sect.

However, Zhou Botong seemed not to hear anything.

In his world, only the face in front of him remained.

That face that had haunted his dreams for decades.

The wind blew his gray beard and his disheveled hair, but it couldn't dispel the thick fog in his eyes.

It was a torrent of longing, an overwhelming regret, an unbelievable ecstasy, and also the desolation of falling into an abyss in an instant.

"Uncle-Master! Move aside!" Wang Chuyi was the most impatient. Seeing that Zhou Botong had no reaction, he brandished his long sword and was about to step forward.

Ma Yu's eyes narrowed, and she slightly raised her arm to stop him.

As the leader, he saw further ahead.

Zhou Botong was in a state of madness, his mind clouded, and no one knew what he might do. His martial arts skills were already unfathomable, and once he went berserk, no one present could control him.

More importantly, Ma Yu's heart was also stirred up by that face.

An absurd idea, yet one that he couldn't help but ponder, coiled around his heart like a venomous snake.

"Uncle-Master," Ma Yu's voice was steady, yet trembled slightly, "this boy is a traitor to our Quanzhen Sect, colluding with Meng Gu, a crime deserving of death. You... please step aside for now, and let us clean up our sect."

He deliberately emphasized the words "traitor" and "colluded with Meng Gu," attempting to use these noble titles to awaken Zhou Botong's sanity.

Zhou Botong's body finally moved.

He slowly, very slowly turned his head, his cloudy eyes sweeping over the Seven Masters of Quanzhen.

That look in his eyes was terrifyingly unfamiliar.

Gone was the mischievousness and innocence of the past, leaving only a chilling coldness and...disappointment.

It was as if I were looking at a group of unrelated strangers.

"You...you want to kill him?" His voice was hoarse and dry, like two pieces of old tree bark rubbing together.

"These treacherous and disloyal bastards deserve to be killed by everyone!" Qiu Chuji stepped forward, speaking with righteous indignation.

"Deceiving one's master and betraying one's ancestors..." Zhou Botong murmured these four words repeatedly, and suddenly, he laughed.

The laughter was sharp and mournful, like the cry of a night owl, sending chills down the spines of everyone present.

"Hahaha...hahahaha! Betraying one's master and ancestors?!"

He suddenly pointed at Qiu Chuji, then at Ma Yu, and finally at all the Quanzhen disciples.

"You dare utter those four words?!"

"Why did you found the Quanzhen Sect, senior brother? It was to 'resist the Jin and protect the people'! It was for the sake of all living beings!"

"And what have you all done all these years?! You've just watched Meng Gu's iron hooves sweep south, yet all you've done is cower in these Zhongnan Mountains, spouting nonsense about tranquility and inaction! Spouting nonsense about following the natural way!"

"The people down the mountain are bleeding! They are crying out! Can you hear them?!"

Zhou Botong's voice grew louder and louder, each question like a heavy hammer blow to the hearts of the Seven Masters of Quanzhen.

Ma Yu's face turned pale, and her lips moved, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Qiu Chuji's face turned ashen. He recalled that when he first came down the mountain, he was full of passion, but the ups and downs of the world and the passage of time had worn away his original aspirations, which had been covered with a thick layer of dust.

"I... my Quanzhen Sect has its own considerations, how dare you speak nonsense here!" Wang Chuyi retorted with a fierce but weak tone, but it seemed so pale and powerless.

"Considerations? What a fine consideration!" Zhou Botong roared to the sky, his expression one of utter grief and indignation. "Your considerations are nothing more than urging each other to fight and kill your own people?!"

Everyone was stunned by Zhou Botong's frenzied and tragic demeanor.

Lin Ye stood behind Zhou Botong, his brows furrowed even more deeply.

He could feel the immense energy emanating from the frail body of the old man in front of him—a pure, reckless protection.

This was completely unexpected.

He originally thought he would be facing an attack from the entire martial arts world.

But now, one of his most formidable enemies has become his strongest shield.

Information asymmetry remains the greatest weapon.

Zhou Botong clearly projected some of his feelings for Wang Chongyang onto himself.

The Seven Masters of Quanzhen were thrown into disarray by this sudden turn of events.

Cracks appeared inside them.

Lin Ye lowered his gaze, looking at Guo Jing curled up on the ground in excruciating pain, at Huang Rong whose expression was constantly changing in the distance, and then at the chaotic situation before him.

Perhaps... things can still turn around.

Just as tensions were running high and a conflict was about to erupt, a series of rapid whooshing sounds came from all directions, growing louder as they approached.

"Amitabha! The Quanzhen Sect is quite lively!"

A single Buddhist chant, like a resounding bell, echoed through the valley.

An old monk, clad in a bright yellow robe and wielding a nine-ringed staff, landed gracefully on the square in front of Chongyang Palace without touching the ground. Behind him followed a dozen or so martial monks, each with bulging temples and piercing eyes.

Shaolin Temple, we've arrived!

"The Kongtong Sect has come to lend a helping hand to the Quanzhen Sect!"

Before he finished speaking, seven or eight men dressed as Taoist priests, but carrying strangely shaped weapons, landed on the other side of the square. The leader held a judge's pen and had a sinister look in his eyes.

"The Huashan Sect has arrived!"

"The Beggars' Sect is here! Lin Ye, you traitor, surrender at once!"

……

In no time at all, the area in front of Chongyang Palace was packed with people.

Shaolin, Wudang, Kongtong, Huashan, Beggars' Sect...

The elites of all the major martial arts sects in the Central Plains came out in full force!

They were all armed, with solemn expressions and undisguised killing intent in their eyes, surrounding Lin Ye in the center.

The immense pressure from the combined forces of hundreds of experts was so palpable that it seemed to freeze the air atop Zhongnan Mountain.

The mountain wind howled, whipping the hems of everyone's clothes and making a rustling sound.

A trial targeting Lin Ye, and indeed the entire martial arts world, has officially begun.

Among the newcomers, Lu Youjiao, the vice leader of the Beggars' Clan, stepped forward and slammed his bamboo stick heavily on the ground with a dull thud.

"Master Ma, Master Qiu! We are here on the orders of Hero Guo to lend our assistance!"

He stared intently at Lin Ye and said sternly, "Lin Ye! As a disciple of Quanzhen Sect and a man of the Central Plains, how dare you declare your intention to betray the Central Plains and join Menggu! Such an act of forgetting one's ancestors and selling out one's country for personal gain is intolerable to Heaven!"

"Today, the heroes of the Central Plains martial arts world are gathered here, determined to tear you, this traitor, to pieces as a warning to others!"

"Tear him to pieces! As a warning to others!"

"Kill this traitor!"

A thunderous roar erupted from the crowd.

These江湖 heroes may not understand profound principles of national righteousness, but they understand the most basic principles of right and wrong.

Betrayal is wrong!

Those who defect to the enemy should be killed!

This pure and boundless killing intent converged into a torrent, rushing straight towards Lin Ye.

Qiu Chuji's face was extremely grim.

On the one hand, he was pleased with the united front of the various sects against the common enemy; on the other hand, he was ashamed and annoyed by the out-of-control situation.

What was once a family affair of the Quanzhen Sect has now become a public trial for the entire martial arts world.

Does he even care about the reputation of the Quanzhen Sect?

He glared fiercely at Zhou Botong, who was still blocking Lin Ye's way, his teeth grinding together.

It's all because of this old rascal!

If he hadn't gone mad, I would have killed Lin Ye with a single blow long ago, and none of this would have happened!

Ma Yu's heart sank to the bottom.

Looking at the dark mass of people before him and listening to the deafening shouts of battle, he knew that things had completely spiraled out of his control.

Now, it's no longer a question of whether he wants to kill Lin Ye or not.

It was the entire martial arts world of the Central Plains that wanted him dead!

Faced with such immense public opinion and pressure, his position as the leader of the Quanzhen Sect seemed insignificant.

He glanced at Lin Ye, the young man who had stood quietly the entire time, as if the hundreds of martial arts masters who wanted to take his life were nothing more than chickens and dogs.

That composure, that calmness, coupled with that face that was exactly like the founder's...

The absurd thought resurfaced in Ma Yu's mind, and this time, it was stronger than ever before.

Who exactly is he?

On the periphery of the crowd, there was another group whose expressions were completely different from the anger of the others.

Those were several masters from the Duan family of Dali.

The leader was an elderly man dressed in a brocade robe, with a dignified demeanor. He was the uncle of the current Dali Emperor, and one of the four guards of fishermen, woodcutters, farmers, and scholars under Master Yideng, known as the "Southern Emperor".

They had received Guo Jing's invitation to come to Xiangyang to help defend it. On their way, they passed through Zhongnan Mountain and paid a visit to the Quanzhen Sect, only to stumble upon this grand spectacle.

A younger guard approached the old man and whispered, "Your Highness, this young man is so young, yet his martial arts have already reached a state of perfection. He is truly a once-in-a-century genius. Just now, Guo Jing's powerful Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms were so easily broken by him. It's truly... unbelievable."

His tone was full of amazement and regret.

The old man nodded slightly, his deep gaze piercing through the crowd and landing on Lin Ye.

"Indeed, with such talent, looking at the world today, perhaps only Yang Guo from the Ancient Tomb can be compared with him. If he can be guided, he will surely become a giant of his generation and a pillar of the nation."

"Then...we..." the young guard hesitated.

The old man sighed and shook his head: "What a pity, what a pity."

He paused, his voice turning somber: "He admitted himself that he wanted to betray the Central Plains. This is tantamount to cutting himself off from the world. No matter how talented one is, if one's heart is not righteous, the harm one can cause will be even greater. Although Dali is a small, isolated country, it cannot tolerate such a person."

That being said, there was no fanatical urge to kill in his eyes, only a complex scrutiny.

He was observing.

Observe Lin Ye, observe the Quanzhen Sect, observe this chaotic situation.

As a member of the ruling class of a country, he was accustomed to viewing issues from a higher perspective.

Is things really as simple as they seem?

Would a young man with such extraordinary talent be foolish enough to openly declare himself a traitor in front of all the heroes of the world?

This is illogical.

Either he's a complete madman.

Or perhaps there's something deeper hidden behind this.

At this moment, Lin Ye, who was being watched by everyone, finally made a move.

He gently patted Zhou Botong's shoulder, who was standing in front of him.

Zhou Botong froze, but did not turn around.

"Senior," Lin Ye's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Zhou Botong's ears, "Thank you."

Zhou Botong's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything.

Lin Ye slowly walked out from behind him.

He stood alone, facing the entire martial arts world of the Central Plains.

Facing hundreds of murderous gazes, facing glittering blades and shadows.

His face showed no fear, no anger, not even the slightest tension.

There was only a chilling calm.

He glanced around, his gaze sweeping from the face of the Shaolin monk, across the judge's pen of the Kongtong Sect leader, past the bamboo sticks of the Beggar Clan disciples, and finally landing on Qiu Chuji and Ma Yu at the forefront.

"You," he began, his voice calm yet drowning out the howling wind atop the mountain, "are all going to kill me?"

This question is not a doubt, but more like a confirmation.

One kind of confirmation is given to a group of people who are about to die.

Qiu Chuji was enraged by Lin Ye's indifferent gaze and roared, "Lin Ye! You're about to die, yet you still dare to be arrogant! Today, Zhongnan Mountain will be your burial ground!"

Then Qiu Chuji looked at the other martial arts heroes: "Today! On the day of Jiazi, we will vanquish this demon! We will eradicate this scoundrel!"