Zhou Chang sat in his chair, drinking tea in quick gulps, his chest brimming with indignation. The peak lord of the Mountain Ocean Peak was known for his detachment, rarely involving himself in the affairs of the six academies. Yet ever since the Serene Void Academy began challenging the mountain gate, this was already the third time he had firmly suppressed Zhou Chang. Jun Wudi caught the falling spatial ring with ease, sipping his tea as if nothing had happened. "Fine. The disciples of the Serene Void Academy will wait inside the courtyard for your arrival. But remember, if you lose, you'll have to hand over your spoils." He looked entirely unaffected by the recent clash of spirit qi. "Jun Wudi..." Zhou Chang glared at his calm demeanor, his fury erupting. "You've gone too far!" Huo Shan snapped, "Zhou Chang, sit down! With so many people watching, aren't you embarrassed enough already?" He ran his fingers along the scar on his face while stealing a glance at Jun Wudi. Since Jun Wudi's return from the secret realm, something about him had changed, though Huo Shan couldn't quite figure out what it was. Zhou Chang's repeated strikes had failed to so much as scratch him, and now even the peak lord of Mountain Ocean Peak had started openly favoring him. "Huo Shan!" Zhou Chang roared, his voice sharp as a maddened dog's. "Don't think I'll be cowed just because the Jade Flame Academy has numbers on its side! Where do you get the audacity to look down on us? If it weren't for us back then, your Jade Flame Academy would have been nothing but a heap of trash!" Huo Shan sneered. "Hmph... Lightning Fire Curse!" He shouted, hurling a ball of sapphire flames that clung to Zhou Chang, devouring his spirit qi as they grew. Wind and lightning surged over Zhou Chang's body as he tried to dispel the fire. At the same time, he lunged at Huo Shan. "Huo Shan! I'll kill you!" The peak lord of Mountain Ocean Peak pressed his hand against the chair. A massive wave of spirit qi burst forth, blasting both men away. "Enough!" His voice thundered through the hall. "Just because you're in Mountain Ocean Peak doesn't mean the outer sect disciples can't see what's happening here! If you don't want to watch, then leave." He clasped his hands behind his back as he moved toward the window. "But if you want to stay, keep quiet." Huo Shan coughed up blood, his gaze fixed on the peak lord's back. Struggling to rise, he rasped, "The... Earth Core Realm..." "Get up!" the peak lord barked, shaking his sleeve. "Why are you still lying there? Do you need me to help you stand?" Both Huo Shan and Zhou Chang lay weakly on the floor, answering in unison, "Yes, Sect Master." Bai Rufeng swung his hand to the back with a mocking sneer. "Never thought you'd end up , huh?" Their disciples rushed forward, helping Huo Shan and Zhou Chang into chairs. Huo Shan snorted coldly, his eyes seething with malice as he stared at the peak lord's back. At the same time, on the seventy-third step of the mountain gate, Lu Chen moved like a predator playing with its prey, methodically chasing down the twelve fleeing disciples. His enemies stumbled with each step, slipping and staggering until they finally reached the seventy-third step. Rushing toward a young man wielding twin sabers, they cried out, "Senior Martial Brother Fan, save us!" "Worthless fools. So little time has passed, and you've already lost?" The one that had just been addressed as Senior Martial Brother Fan swung his blades, sending two arcs of sword qi crashing toward them. "Go back and prepare for the challenge." "They're too strong! We can't possibly compete against them!" The twelve disciples fell to the ground, pleading. "We've already spent a year's worth of resources for this chance to guard the gate. Please, Senior Martial Brother Fan, save us!" The young man swung his sabers repeatedly, forcing them to turn and face the disciples of the Serene Void Academy. "Then you're no longer fit to serve in the Discipline Court." "Ah... Senior Marital Brother Fan... no... no, no!" They panicked as the sword qi bore down on them. But when they turned, they saw Lu Chen's group closing in from behind. "We're finished... there's nowhere to escape." Trapped between the sword qi ahead and the spear formation behind, one disciple lost his nerve. He tripped and tumbled down the steps. A voice rang out nearby, "Brother, didn't I say we Horse-Hunters hunt but don't kill?" The disciple opened his eyes to see Nantian Yijian's wide grin flashing with white teeth. He screamed, "Don't... Don't kill me!" Then his arms fell limp, and he fainted on the spot. "Huh? He fainted already? Was my smile not sincere enough?" Nantian Yijian muttered, testing different smiles while swiftly stripping the disciple of his enchanted treasures. He pocketed everything, then tossed the poor fellow, now stripped even of his garments, back into the crowd. "So pitiful... he didn't even have as many treasures as I do." Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novᴇlfire.net Nantian Yijian bared his teeth in a wide grin. "See? We Horse-Hunters don't kill the horses. If you're smart, hand over your treasures now." The eleven remaining disciples clenched their teeth, watching as the sword qi surged from the front and the spear formation closed in from behind. "We've guarded these steps for decades, but today we've hit an iron wall." Nantian Yijian was ready to pounce again. "Enough whining. Hand it over, or get beaten first and robbed after." The eleven nearly wept. "W-we'll hand it over... just... at least leave us some clothes. To be stripped bare is too humiliating." "Leave you your clothes? How do I know you haven't hidden treasures beneath them?" The spear formation pressed forward, and Nantian Yijian barked, "Look behind you! That sword qi could take your lives in an instant." Shuddering, the eleven stripped completely, throwing down all their enchanted treasures. Nantian Yijian gathered them into his spatial pouch, then shouted toward Lu Chen, "Boss, your turn. I'm done here!" "Good. Little Jian, put everything away," Lu Chen replied, condensing spirit qi with the spear formation. "This is the first batch of spoils our brothers have won back." "Got it, Boss. We'll make sure everything is collected fairly and openly." "Alright!" Lu Chen looked at the eleven bare disciples on the steps. "Run! Look behind you. The sword qi is coming!" "Our resources are yours already. We can't escape." Their eyes pleaded as they faced Lu Chen. "Please help us. We swear we'll never bully anyone again." Lu Chen chuckled softly. "Since you've been so sincere, we'll lend you a hand." He shouted, "Nantian Dragon-Slaying Sword, strike!" The spear formation surged, releasing a dragon-shaped wave of sword qi. He pointed forward. "You up ahead, you're the top inner disciple we've been hunting." The dragon-shaped sword qi tore through layer after layer of sword qi, barreling straight for the young man with twin sabers. "Congratulations, young one... you're the offering to celebrate the Serene Void Academy's return to honor. You should feel grateful!" The young man's eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible... how could a group of Qi Regulation Realm cultivators power up a spear formation this much?" His twin sabers slipped from his grasp, and he fainted before the strike even landed. "Next!" Lu Chen barked. "The Horse-Hunters are ready to pursue." The spear formation swept past, leaving the unconscious man exposed and bare. The eleven remaining disciples, regaining their composure, froze in shock. "Are they really from the Serene Void Academy? How could they bring down an inner sect disciple with just one coordinated strike?" Nantian Yijian overheard and burst into laughter. "That's nothing! Horse-Hunters only hunt, and never kill. But we never fail at hunting. From today, the name of the Serene Void Horse-Hunting Legion will echo through the Heavenly Mandate Hall!" "The Horse-Hunting Legion... Horse-Hunters, only hunt, and never kill..." The eleven watched Lu Chen and his companions vanish into the distance, stunned. "What have they gone through these past few days..." When the spear formation reached the seventy-fourth platform, Lu Chen suddenly halted. He turned to the eleven below and said calmly, "If you don't want to be hunted again, leave the outer sect and join the Serene Void Academy." "Join the Serene Void Academy?" A sly smile tugged at Lu Chen's lips. "Hehe. At the very least, we won't abandon anyone." "Won't abandon..." The eleven glanced at Lu Chen, then at the unconscious man with twin sabers. They hesitated. Perhaps joining the Serene Void Academy isn't such a bad idea. At least we wouldn't be discarded. "Brothers... We'll take our leave now." A cold-faced young man lifted the unconscious disciple who fainted at the sight of Nantian Yijian's teeth and said softly, "I'm done with the outer sect's Discipline Court. I'll join the Serene Void Academy." A short man quickly blocked him. "Zhang Zheng, what are you doing? Are you giving up all those resources? Do you know how hard it was for us to get into the Discipline Court? Once you leave the outer sect, you'll just be a civilian." "So what? When it comes to personal gain, the Discipline Court would abandon us anyway. Chu Yunlong, you were no different from the start. Don't think we're unaware of your history." He lifted his unconscious brother on his back and walked down the steps. "Betraying your own brothers. That's what you did back then. Since it's come to this, my brother and I would rather live as civilians. It's freer that way." Zhang Zheng sneered and slowly walked down the steps. "The Serene Void Academy is recruiting now. No matter where I go, people will bully me, so I might as well join them. At least there, I won't be abandoned." The short man shouted angrily, "You... completely disregarded the bigger picture!" He dashed toward the mountain gate. "When we meet again, don't blame me for not honoring our past bond." "Anyone still chasing resources, follow me and harden your hearts!" He gathered his spirit qi and bolted upward. "Don't end up like those two, useless and destined to remain civilians forever!" The remaining ten heard Chu Yunlong, then condensed their spirit qi into robes imbued with earth-element, following after him. "Chu Yunlong, are you really letting Zhang Zheng and his brother leave? What about our plan?" "What choice do we have?" Chu Yunlong's eyes burned with ferocity. "We look after ourselves first. Serene Void Academy... one day, you'll pay for this." "Boss, what do you mean by that?" Nantian Yijian looked at Lu Chen and shouted, "People like them, who bully the weak, should always be hunted!" "Not everyone can be judged that way. Some are forced onto this path." He guided the spear formation onto the seventy-fourth platform and explained, "If you want to help the people, then you must include all of them." "I've thought of other reasons too," he added. "The Serene Void Academy has too few disciples to resist raids from other academies. Besides, your Wish Power needs the support of more people." "Alright, I understand." Nantian Yijian nodded. "But—" Lu Chen cut him off, his eyes on a cultivator wielding a massive sword. "We'll discuss it once we're back at the Serene Void Academy. The gatekeepers have already arrived."