CHAPTER 567: FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-SEVEN, OBLIVIOUS EVEN IN THE FACE OF DEATH!

"Yan Chun, you traitor, how dare you have the face to come back?"

The moment he saw the traitor from the Jade Pot Sect, the previously silent Second Elder Fu Du, finally burst out in a loud roar, his voice filled with extreme anger.

Nobody could detect the peculiarity in Fu Du’s roar; many of the disciples of the Jade Pot Sect still thought the Second Elder was truly infuriated by the sudden appearance of Yan Chun.

"Traitor?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Chun couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh, then staring at Fu Du he said: "I, Yan Chun, was originally a Commander of the Xuantie Army, infiltrating the Jade Pot Sect under the imperial edict of His Majesty the King, what wrong have I done?"

There was not a trace of embarrassment on Yan Chun’s face, who instead argued with righteousness; however, ever since he left the Jade Pot Sect, he had never shown his face again, and who would have thought he would reappear so brazenly today.

"Nonsense! How could our wise and martial King ever order you to do such a despicable and shameless deed?"

Thinking of the open and upright nature of Xuan Haoran, Yu Shu couldn’t help shaking his head. However, as his words came out, whether it was Sect Master Li Feng of the Qingshan Sect or the Family Heads of the three great families in the Imperial City, a hint of peculiar expression surfaced on their faces.

"Ha ha, the former King would naturally not do such a thing, that is because he was too cautious. But now, with the new King ascending the throne, I expect the Xuanyue Empire to shine brilliantly at the Hidden Dragon Conference on the Tenglong Continent!"

After Yan Chun burst into loud laughter, his words made all the Elders and disciples of the Jade Pot Sect change their expressions dramatically. They suddenly had a hint of what had brought these enemies together today.

"New... the new King?"

Yu Shu couldn’t help but step back, knowing that after King Xuan Haoran advanced to the Earth Rank Third Realm, his life span should have increased by three hundred years; it didn’t make sense for him to abdicate so soon.

If that’s the case, then there must have been some astonishing upheaval within the Royal Family, and the wise and divine ruler, Haoran, was likely in great danger as well.

"That’s right, the old King due to his frailty and inability to manage state affairs, passed the throne to Jiuding, with the Empress Dowager acting as Regent and proclaiming amnesty across the Empire. How about it, Sect Master Yu Shu, will your Jade Pot Sect continue to resist to the end?"

Yan Chun was full of smugness, while his companion Yan Yong gazed over to a boy dressed in plain clothes – this was the individual the Crown Prince had specially mentioned and hated the most.

"So it was Xuan Jiuding’s conspiracy, what a vicious and ruthless heart!"

With the truth now out, even not knowing the details of the royal upheaval, Yu Shu could guess that Xuan Jiuding must have employed some method to secretly harm Xuan Haoran, and with the help of Empress Nie Yi, climbed to the throne.

One could imagine that such a person, who harbors deep hatred for Yun Xiao, upon ascending to the throne, would certainly first eliminate those who pose the greatest threat to him— and the newly-risen Jade Pot Sect was precisely such a sect.

If it had only been Qingshan Sect and the three great families from the Imperial City, the Jade Pot Sect could have gone all out and fought to the death, but with Yan Chun and other Commander-level experts of the Xuantie Army as well, the survival of the Jade Pot Sect was perilously uncertain.

Thinking of a possibility, Yu Shu’s gaze suddenly shifted to Yun Xiao. However, as a light green figure flashed through his mind, he did not hold much hope.

"Actually, my sister left on the night when the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference ended!"

Knowing what his teacher was about to ask, Yun Xiao could not help but spread his hands and state the fact. However, for some reason, upon hearing this, the Elders of the Jade Pot Sect didn’t show the slightest surprise.

The information that the Royal Family could learn had to have been leaked from the Jade Pot Sect. Since Yun Wei appeared that day, she had never appeared again, which inevitably raised suspicions.

Especially since the Jade Pot Sect had made a high-profile departure from the Imperial City to Jade Pot Mountain, and that person still had not appeared. Individuals like Yu Shu had long guessed that Yun Wei was no longer in the Xuanyue Empire.

It was precisely because of this that Xuan Jiuding and his mother dared to devise such a plan. Otherwise, in front of a Heavenly Rank Expert, even if the whole strength of the Xuanyue Empire was exhausted, it would probably be crushed by a mere finger, wouldn’t it?

However, Xuan Jiuding and Nie Yi were still cautious and did not appear in person. Instead, they only sent a few Commanders of the Spiritual Vein Realm, so if there were any unforeseen events, they could deny responsibility, couldn’t they?

Seeing the difficult expressions on Yu Shu and others, Yan Chun and Li Feng finally put their minds at ease. As long as that Heavenly Rank Expert was not present, the Jade Pot Sect had no choice but to face destruction today.

"Sect Master Yu Shu, the King is magnanimous, and he has said that he is willing to give the Jade Pot Sect a chance. But the precondition is to hand over... Yun Xiao!"

Yan Chun’s eyes sparkled as he suddenly pointed his right hand towards a plainly dressed young boy, and with this statement, many eyes turned to Yun Xiao, viewing him differently.

"In your dreams! If you want Yun Xiao, you’ll have to step over our dead bodies first!"

The Great Elder Lu Zhan, although old, was still fiery. Don’t be fooled by his usual gentle demeanor; facing such significant events, his temper, hidden deep within his heart, instantly exploded forth.

"Indeed, Yun Xiao is a member of the Jade Pot Sect. Even if it means blood spills within five steps today, we won’t let you harm a single hair on him!"

Li Shan was once saved by Yun Xiao, so he felt a deeper sense of gratitude towards the latter. As his words fell, a powerful burst of Meridian Qi erupted from Li Shan, readying himself for a desperate fight.

"Heh heh, truly oblivious even in the face of imminent death!"

Yan Chun also paid no heed to the righteous indignation of the two Medical Pulse Elders. Turning his head, he called out loudly to someone: "Elder Fu Du, do you all share this view?"

Having spent more than a decade in the Jade Pot Sect, Yan Chun had a clear understanding of the discord between the medical and poison factions of the sect. He believed that Elder Fu Du would certainly provide a satisfactory answer for himself.

As expected, after Yan Chun’s question, a flash of green light sparkled in Elder Fu Du’s eyes, and then he softly said: "Sect Master, at this moment of life and death for the Jade Pot Sect, surely we should not put the sect in jeopardy over a mere disciple?"

The sudden words from Elder Fu Du left Yu Shu and the Elders of the Medical Pulse faction, including the young disciples, all dumbfounded, completely at a loss as to where these remarks came from.

"Elder Fu Du, do you realize what you are saying?"

Lu Zhan, who had always been at odds with the Second Elder, spoke with a hint of rebuke in his voice, unable to comprehend how Elder Fu Du could utter such words at this time.

"Heh heh, surely you want to argue that Yun Xiao won the championship of the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference, bringing honor to our Jade Pot Sect, but what benefit do these empty honors bring to our Jade Pot Sect?"

Elder Fu Du seemed to have prepared his response in advance, speaking confidently, "This youngster rejected the invitation from the Meridian Refining Master Association, rejected the offer from the Xuanyin Hall, and he might even incur the displeasure of these two major forces towards our Jade Pot Sect. Yet you still defend him thus?"

His twisted logic sounded somewhat reasonable, leaving Yu Shu and the others momentarily unable to find the words to refute. After all, Yun Xiao’s victory at the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference was merely personal glory, and the Jade Pot Sect hadn’t gained any substantial benefits from it.

Had Yun Xiao accepted the invitations from either Qian Sanyuan or Xue Ningxiang, or any other power from the Tenglong Continent, the Jade Pot Sect could have used this to further its progress.

It’s a pity that Yun Xiao, priding himself on his integrity, rejected all offers, even if he has a sister of Heavenly Rank Realm. But where is this powerful sister now?

"Elder Fu Du, you are the Second Elder of the Jade Pot Sect, how could you compromise with those bandits and villains?"

Yu Shu didn’t know what else to say, in the end resorting to arguing based on Elder Fu Du’s position. However, such words seemed to have little persuasive power.

"Sect Master, it is exactly because I am the Second Elder of the Jade Pot Sect that I cannot watch our vast sect fall into danger over a mere young disciple. To sacrifice one for the sake of saving the entire sect, why not do so?"

Elder Fu Du shook his head slightly, seemingly unable to understand why the Sect Master and the others couldn’t grasp the notion of sacrificing one to save the whole sect.

"Ha ha, the Second Elder knows the times. Yu Shu, I give you ten breaths’ time to hand over Yun Xiao; otherwise, don’t blame us for annihilating the entire Jade Pot Sect!"

While the several Elders were conversing, Yan Chun’s laughter rang out once more, and this time it seemed like a signal, as a potent surge of Meridian Qi emerged from the likes of Li Feng, Guan Yu, and others, with a battle imminent.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven, ..."

Counting down from ten, Yan Chun’s voice sounded, but nobody noticed the fleeting glint in his eyes, while Elder Fu Du’s right little finger twitched subtly and mysteriously.

"Three, two, one!"

Finally, Yan Chun counted down the last three numbers. However, including Yu Shu, all the Elders of the Medical Pulse faction remained silent, seemingly indicating one kind of attitude.

"It seems Sect Master Yu Shu is determined to follow this path to the end. Heh heh, such vigor despite your age, truly like the old days!"

Yan Chun let out a cold laugh, then his voice turned somber, "But mere vigor alone can’t save the Jade Pot Sect, and Sect Master Yu Shu will ultimately regret today’s decision!"

"As Yu Shu, I have never regretted my decisions!"

Now that there was no room for turning back, Yu Shu instead calmed down and shouted: "Elders and disciples of the Jade Pot Sect, prepare to face the enemy!"

"Hmm?"

However, just as Yu Shu’s loud cry fell and he attempted to mobilize his Meridian Qi to confront the enemy, he suddenly found that the Meridian Qi he could gather just a moment ago was now somewhat unresponsive.

Yu Shu was truly shocked, and turning his gaze to the other Elders beside him, he saw that Lu Zhan and several others had the same looks of horror on their faces. His heart couldn’t help but sink to the bottom.