The Demon Lord's persona must not be ruined!

And just as Chu Yuan regained his footing...

The wind stirred.

Li Tu's voice reached his ears:

"That old bastard deserved to die!"

Youyue moved her hand.

The blade flashed.

"Pfft—!"

Sun Yan's head fell to the ground, and the blood that spurted from his chest splattered three feet away, hissing and emitting black smoke on the ground.

That was the residue of his poisonous skills cultivated over many years.

The body lurched forward and fell to the ground.

The audience was silent.

Business as usual.

Chu Yuan held onto the armrest of the high seat, but his face remained calm and composed.

Youyue sheathed her sword, retreated below the platform, and knelt on one knee.

"Master, the sinner has been executed."

Chu Yuan did not speak immediately.

He looked down at Sun Yan's corpse, at the body that once belonged to Qin Shuang, and remained silent for three breaths.

Then he slowly sat back in his high seat, leaned back, and spoke in a calm tone:

"Pass down the order: Sun Yan's spirit tablet shall be shattered in the ancestral shrine."

"From this day forward, there will be no one left to guard the heart meridian."

Youyue raised her head, her eyes slightly red, and kowtowed deeply:

"Yes, sir!"

Below the stage, representatives from each sect held their breath, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Yun Zhongling swallowed quietly and whispered to his junior brother beside him:

"This is complete expulsion."

Shadow Invincible grinned:

"That's how it should be! Traitor, you'll never leave with a whole corpse!"

Only Qianji slightly turned his head, his gaze from beneath his black robe falling on Chu Yuan on the high seat.

He felt that something was amiss for a moment just now.

But the cult leader's expression remained normal, his breathing was steady, and there was no sign of anything unusual.

Qianji suppressed the doubt in her heart and withdrew her gaze.

Chu Yuan leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest as he gazed into the distance.

"I have said it before, he will die today!"

Chu Yuan's gaze swept over them, and the sect leaders and disciples of each sect lowered their heads, not daring to breathe loudly.

Yun Zhongling stood in the crowd, her heart pounding.

He recalled the swift and clean slash he had just made, without the slightest hesitation.

Elders at the Tribulation Transcending stage can be executed without hesitation.

He suddenly understood why the Demon Lord had asked them to come and see.

It's not about making an example of someone.

It's telling them.

From now on, this is the rule.

No matter who you are, if you commit a crime, you must die.

After a few moments of silence, someone suddenly took the lead and knelt down.

"The Demon Lord is wise!"

One by one, they all knelt down.

"The Demon Lord is wise!"

The sounds rose and fell, echoing in front of the Xuantian Hall.

Chu Yuan stood on the stage, hands behind his back, his expression indifferent.

Just then, Qianji stepped out from the crowd, strode onto the stage, leaned close to Chu Yuan's ear, and whispered a few words.

Chu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

After Qianji finished speaking, he stepped aside.

"Say it in public."

Chu Yuan's tone was indifferent.

Qianji paused for a moment, then understood, turned around, and faced the audience.

The cult leader's move was brilliant!

"Everyone, we have just received news. The Qinglan Sect, together with three other righteous sects, has gathered about five hundred cultivators a hundred miles outside of our sect's sphere of influence, under the guise of 'monitoring the movements of the demonic sect.'"

The audience erupted in chaos.

Five hundred people? For surveillance?

"Qinglan Sect? That lousy sect dares to jump over there?"

"Demon Lord, let's fight our way through!"

Ying Wudi has the loudest voice:

"Our Blood Shadow Sect is willing to take the lead!"

Yun Zhongling also shouted:

"The Ten Thousand Poisons Sect is going too!"

Chu Yuan raised his hand to quell the crowd, looked at the people below the stage, and suddenly smiled:

"What's the rush? They haven't even made a move."

Qianji spoke at the opportune moment:

"What does the cult leader mean?"

"Pass down the order to send three thousand disciples to set up camp on the other side. Let them keep watch; let them keep watch to their heart's content. Each sect may send its own people."

"Three thousand?"

Someone in the audience gasped in surprise.

The Xuantian Sect has three thousand disciples; is this their entire force coming out?

Chu Yuan glanced at the man:

"What, you think it's not enough?"

The man quickly lowered his head:

"No, no!"

Li Tu grinned:

"Our leader is brilliant! With three thousand men standing there, let's see how those righteous bastards can still cause trouble!"

Youyue stood on the stage, a slight smile playing on her lips beneath her veil.

She understood what Chu Yuan meant.

Five hundred people monitoring three thousand?

Who's spying on whom?

The audience below the stage also realized what was happening, and their expressions were quite interesting.

Yun Zhongling muttered to himself:

"Is the Demon Lord trying to scare them to death?"

Ying Wudi patted him on the shoulder:

"Serves them right for being scared to death! Let them jump!"

As they were talking, a commotion suddenly broke out at the edge of the crowd.

Everyone turned to look and saw a figure stagger through the crowd, walk to the execution platform, and kneel down with a thud.

Bloodstained.

The entire room fell silent instantly.

Xue Lie knelt there, covered in dirt, his hair disheveled, looking utterly wretched.

He lowered his head, his voice hoarse:

"Master, I am guilty and am willing to accept any punishment."

The surrounding disciples looked at each other in bewilderment.

Wasn't this old man quite good at jumping before?

Why are you kneeling so readily now?

Someone muttered under their breath:

"Serves him right for going against the cult leader."

"Yeah, they're really screwed this time."

"Tsk tsk, a Tribulation Transcending stage elder kneeling like this, how shameful."

Xue Lie heard it all clearly, but he didn't dare to move and just knelt there.

Chu Yuan looked down at him without saying a word.

After a few breaths, he said calmly:

Get up.

Xue Lie was taken aback and looked up.

Chu Yuan looked at him:

"I told you, I'm keeping you alive so you can see for yourself what rules are. Did you see that slash just now?"

Xue Lie nodded, his voice trembling:

"Look, look carefully."

"Then watch closely."

Chu Yuan turned around and walked towards the Xuan Tian Palace.

As he passed Xue Lie, he paused briefly, his tone flat:

"From now on, stop kneeling. It's no use kneeling."

Xue Lie shuddered, his head drooping even lower.

He never expected this.

Why did that person make a move?

Sun Yan also did not survive...

Others might not know, but Xue Lie saw it very clearly: before Chu Yuan said to make a move, there was indeed an aura coming from that person.

But it broke off in an instant, as if it had touched something untouchable.

For the first time, Xue Lie began to doubt whether he had been deceived.

top priority.

You must first lower your stance, no matter what.

That's the only way to save your life.

The disciples around them felt a sense of satisfaction watching this scene.

That old bastard has finally met his end.

The crowd gradually dispersed after Chu Yuan had walked away.

The Fifth Elder quietly approached Qianji and lowered his voice:

"Brother Qianji, may I speak to you in private?"

Qianji glanced at him and then walked to the side.

The Fifth Elder rubbed his hands together and whispered:

"Um... is everything really alright on the righteous side? Five hundred people, what if..."

Qianji interrupted him:

"Are you afraid of the righteous path, or are you afraid of the cult leader?"

The Fifth Elder choked.

Qianji looked at him, her tone indifferent:

"Fifth Elder, everyone knows what you're thinking. But times have changed; Sun Yan's head is still rolling on the ground."

The Fifth Elder's expression changed, and he quickly waved his hand:

"That's not what I meant! I just..."

"What is it?"

The Fifth Elder opened his mouth, but after a long pause, he managed to utter a sentence:

"I was just asking casually."

Qianji patted him on the shoulder:

"Then don't ask. Just go do what you're supposed to do."

After saying that, he turned and left.

The Fifth Elder stood there, his face alternating between pale and flushed.

Yuanji Hall.

Chu Yuan had just sat down when You Yue came in.

"Master, what should we do with Sun Yan's body?"

Chu Yuan thought for a moment:

"After all, it belongs to Qin Shuang. You decide what to do."

Youyue nodded and turned to leave.

"etc."

The moon turned its head.

Chu Yuan looked at her:

"Are your hands still shaking?"

Youyue paused for a moment, then looked down at her hands.

It is still shaking a bit.

She pursed her lips:

"I'm fine."

Chu Yuan nodded:

"That's good. Go and rest."

Youyue knelt on one knee:

"Thank you, Master."

After she left, Li Tu emerged from the shadows, scratching his head:

"Master, you really won't kill Xue Lie?"

Chu Yuan glanced at him:

Why kill him?

Li Tu was stunned:

"Uh...he was acting so cocky before, if we don't kill him now, what if he does later..."

"What if what?"