CHAPTER 416: CHAPTER 415: FORCEFULLY ABOLISHED! _1

Yan Xiang fell silent. He stared intensely at Elder Beiming, then at Ling Chen, looking as if he wanted to kill them but held back. His gaze was fierce and venomous. He had lost all face this time, and with his noble status, he could not bear such humiliation.

"You’re called Ling Chen, right?" Yan Xiang exhaled deeply, completely calming down. "Your offense this time was severe. However, I stand by my word and will not hold it against you. But you should be careful in the future. I know you’re from the Divine Intent Sect and you’ve been mingling with the Righteous Path for some time, so you must have quite a few deeply affiliated people. I just need to investigate a little, and I will know everything clearly. Offend me, and the people around you will possibly face disasters."

"You dare." Ling Chen’s expression turned solemn. "If you dare to touch a single hair on them, I swear I will kill you."

"HAHA!" Yan Xiang roared with laughter, looking to the heavens. "Do you really think you’re my opponent? If it wasn’t for the intervention of the Beiming Old Ghost, you would have already died under my Great Axe! You, a mere Second Realm Grandmaster who happened upon some fortuitous encounters, dare to offend me? If I don’t teach you a lesson, do you really think I’m a pushover? Let’s wait and see. How long do you think this Beiming Old Ghost will stick with you?"

"Let’s go!" After dropping his harsh words, he abruptly turned around, preparing to leave.

"Elder Beiming, keep him here." Just as Yan Xiang took a few steps, Ling Chen’s cold voice came from behind him. Yan Xiang felt a premonition of disaster, but in the next moment, Elder Beiming had already appeared in front of him.

BOOM. Elder Beiming took decisive action, extending his palm towards Yan Xiang and forming a Light Prison with his True Qi, trapping Yan Xiang completely.

"Beiming Old Ghost, what are you trying to do?" Yan Xiang’s face turned white with shock. He punched the Light Prison, but only managed to cause some ripples, not even a single crack.

"What am I doing?" Ling Chen said calmly. "You just agreed to the bet: the loser has to cut off one arm. Judging by your attitude, you don’t want to do it yourself, so I guess Elder Beiming will have to do it for you."

"What?" Yan Xiang’s face changed, and he shouted anxiously, "How dare you! I am the direct disciple of Sect Master Sikong Yi. Besides my master, who dares to lay a hand on me?"

Elder Beiming’s mouth curled into a wicked smile. "You must honor a lost bet. I’m just helping the Sect Leader uphold the dignity of the Skypiercing Peak Lineage. Otherwise, if no one keeps their word in the future, where will the Sect Leader’s authority be?" Just as Yan Xiang was about to retort, Elder Beiming struck like a bolt of lightning. His hand rose and fell; a palm-knife strike severed one of Yan Xiang’s arms, sending it flying.

AHHH! With a tragic scream, blood spurted from Yan Xiang’s severed limb. His allies, including Chu Tiange, paled at the sight and hurriedly rushed over to seal the acupoints on his arm.

"You damn old dog, you actually cut off my arm! AHH! Just you wait, I will never let you go!" Yan Xiang screamed hysterically.

"Quick, let’s go!" Chu Tiange and the others hurriedly helped Yan Xiang away. This time, they had truly suffered a heavy loss, not only failing to incapacitate Ling Chen but also Yan Xiang losing an arm. Even if the severed arm were reattached, it would certainly not function as well as before, essentially rendering it useless.

Once Yan Xiang and his group disappeared from sight, Elder Beiming expressed his heartfelt admiration, "Young master, I find you more and more inscrutable."

"It’s nothing," Ling Chen replied thoughtfully, fully aware of the nature of the recent battle. "The truth is, I was able to win a move or two against Yan Xiang because I had certain advantages over him—not just Sword Intent, but also Dragon’s Majesty. Otherwise, I honestly wouldn’t stand a chance against him. After all, he is a Master of the Sixth Realm, and my Cultivation is far too lacking in comparison."

Yan Xiang’s strength was boundless. His loss was due to underestimating me. After three moves, I would have been no match for him and would have surely been defeated. However, it would have been impossible for Yan Xiang to kill me.

"The young master’s Realm is indeed a bit low, which puts you at a disadvantage among other Demonic Path Disciples," Elder Beiming conceded. "My Beiming Feng, although not a prime spot for Cultivation, is still relatively rich in spiritual energy. I’ll also take you to meet some of the Experts from our Saintess Hall. In the future, you will often interact with them."

"Alright!" Ling Chen turned to Xia Yunxin and asked, "But when will I be able to see my mother?"

"The Saintess will emerge from her seclusion soon," Xia Yunxin nodded. "As soon as she does, I’ll report to her immediately and have her meet you."

"There’s no rush. I’ve waited this long; a little more time doesn’t matter." Ling Chen took a deep breath. "Next, I’m afraid I’ll have to focus on Cultivation for a while. This Saint Witch Religion is truly not peaceful. I’ve only just arrived, and there’s already been fighting and killing. Without absolute strength, it will be difficult to survive here."

"It’s good that the young master understands this," Elder Beiming said, a flicker of compassion in his eyes. "Demon Martial Artists share a common flaw: they are savage and contentious. Because they frequently harm others for personal gain and commit murder for treasure, their malevolence grows heavier over time. In this regard, the Righteous Martial World does better. They’ve established detailed rules and laws, and use morality to restrain people, which significantly reduces such chaos."

"In the Righteous Path, isn’t it also the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak? Morality and laws can only restrain the weak," Ling Chen said, shaking his head.

"Indeed." Elder Beiming nodded. "Rules are established by the strong and require sufficient martial might to be maintained. It is said that a Saint can govern a country for five hundred years without it collapsing. Why? Because of the Saint’s power. When rules are established by a Saint Path Expert, none under heaven dare to disobey. Once a Saint falls, rites collapse and customs decay, and the world will once again plunge into chaos."

Hearing this, Ling Chen also nodded. In the past, the Human Emperor unified the world, granting all key territories to his trusted Saint Path Experts. These Experts then implemented the laws decreed by the Human Emperor, standardized the written language, established schools, and promoted the principle of venerating Martial Arts across the Continent. This was how Martial Arts civilization spread throughout the world, allowing humanity to emerge from a state of barbarism and onto the correct path.

As they spoke, they had already arrived deep within the Magic Fog Mountain. Before them stood a grand palace. It was clean and tidy, with few people around. Array Formations protected it, deliberately concealing its aura, suggesting it was the secluded Cultivation site of a powerful Expert.

Standing before Beiming Feng, Xia Yunxin looked at Ling Chen and said, "Ling Chen, I must return to the Saintess Hall now. Many matters require my attention. You should stay here and cultivate with Elder Beiming. If you have any questions, feel free to ask him at any time."

"Alright. I will come find you later." Ling Chen nodded. He had started to develop a good impression of Xia Yunxin. Unlike before, he no longer saw her as an unpredictable Demonic Woman. She had saved him several times and had now brought him into the Saint Witch Religion. She seemed trustworthy.

"Mm." Nodding, Xia Yunxin jumped off the Dapeng Bird, summoned another giant eagle Exotic Beast, and flew off in a different direction.

"That girl, Xia Yunxin, is the Saintess’s only disciple," Elder Beiming remarked, glancing at Ling Chen casually. "Her talent, strength, intellect, and even her demeanor greatly resemble the Saintess. If she weren’t so much older than you, young master, she could be considered a candidate for your wife. Having her by your side day and night would undoubtedly be of great help to you."

COUGH, COUGH... Upon hearing this, Ling Chen couldn’t help but cough violently. He had only just recently started to see Xia Yunxin in a different light. As for considering her a wife, that was absolutely out of the question at this stage.

Admittedly, Xia Yunxin’s excellence was such that it would be difficult to find another woman in the entire Martial World comparable to her. However, he already had someone in his heart and currently had no room for another woman.