Chapter 53: The Anger of the Disciples of the Scarlet Flame Sect

No one could have foreseen such an event. The spiritual artifacts of the Scarlet Flame Sect shattered themselves twice in succession. What kind of trick was this?

Everyone stared in bewilderment.

“Astonishing!”

“Scarlet Flame Sect disciples are destroying their own spiritual tools again, preparing to fight bare-handed!”

“Could this be the legendary fierce one?”

The voice that irritated the disciples of the Scarlet Flame Sect echoed around them, making them grit their teeth in hatred.

“Who dares to come forth and fight?” Li Xingchen of the Scarlet Flame Sect suddenly stood up, shouting loudly to the surroundings.

“A father does not strike his son.”

That voice rang out again, infuriating Li Xingchen, who slammed his hand on the table.

Li Xingyao’s pupils contracted slightly when he heard the familiar voice and address, recalling the terror he once experienced in the Tiger Roar Forest. He spoke coldly, “It’s him.”

“Brother, do you know who it is?” Li Xingchen looked at Li Xingyao in surprise.

“I have a rough idea, though I cannot be certain. But I can tell you this: the person is from the Spirit Origin Sect.” Li Xingyao’s gaze swept past the arena, landing on the disciples of Spirit Origin Sect seated opposite.

After searching for a moment, he failed to find the person he remembered.

“It seems he’s hiding somewhere nearby. How cunning,” Li Xingyao murmured, motioning Li Xingchen to sit down, not intending to act just yet.

In the camp of the noble families, Qingxi observed Li Xingyao’s actions and quickly guessed that the other might have deduced his identity from his voice.

He immediately consulted his system space for all martial arts techniques and soon found a supplementary skill called “Voice Transformation Formula.”

“Tsk tsk, it can even mimic a woman’s voice. Does this mean I have the potential to become a cross-dressing master?” At this thought, Qingxi felt a chill and quickly dismissed such a bold notion.

With the system’s help, he swiftly mastered the basics of this martial art.

At that moment, Yuan Shi on the arena stared in distress at his mid-grade Gale Spear, which had cost him hundreds of points to exchange, only for it to turn to ashes before his eyes.

But before he could recover, Wang Le broke the stalemate.

Wang Le’s golden hook flew out from his right hand, trailing a golden spiritual thread that wrapped around Yuan Shi three times, binding him tightly.

Then, Wang Le pulled back forcefully with his right hand, dragging Yuan Shi close and slapping his face with his massive, rock-hardened left palm.

A muffled sound that made the crowd gasp rang out, and Yuan Shi was sent flying off the arena.

“How tragic!”

“Another Scarlet Flame Sect disciple turned into a pig’s head!”

“Are you all pigs, revealing your true selves now?”

Shrill voices sounded from the crowd, like palace eunuchs, but soon softened and became youthful, turning into the sprightly tone of a young girl.

Li Xingyao slammed the table angrily. “It’s definitely that person again, but he’s changed his voice. Could he have learned such a martial art?”

Li Xingchen, hearing his brother's words, also scanned the surroundings for the speaker. The charming young girl’s voice lingered in his mind.

“This voice… is actually quite pleasant!” Li Xingchen murmured unconsciously, earning a glare from Li Xingyao.

At this point, people from all major factions whispered among themselves.

“Why do the Scarlet Flame Sect’s spiritual artifacts self-destruct?”

“I think there must be some secret behind this!”

“What kind of secret do you mean?”

…

Listening to the discussions around him, Qingxi smiled and spoke in a rough voice, “In my opinion, the Scarlet Flame Sect’s artifacts are cursed. As soon as you infuse them with spiritual energy, they explode. Try it if you don’t believe me.”

“Is that really true?”

Some doubted, but many from the Scarlet Flame Sect grew suspicious and, out of curiosity, began channeling spiritual energy into their artifacts.

“Don’t believe him! It’s a trap!” Li Xingyao realized something was wrong and tried to stop them, but it was too late.

“Bang!”

At least a dozen spiritual artifacts exploded simultaneously, sending waves of black ash in all directions. Not only the Scarlet Flame Sect disciples, but even half the disciples of the neighboring Bliss Sect were covered in dust.

Li Xingchen gaped, looking at the ash on Li Xingyao’s head, and subconsciously brushed it off. “Brother, you have ash on your head.”

“I’ll give you ash!” Li Xingyao pressed Li Xingchen’s head down onto the table, stood up in fury, and the aura of a peak Qi Refining cultivator surged around him like a tidal wave, his hair bristling with rage.

“Scoundrel, do you dare come forth and fight?”

Li Xingyao was truly blazing with anger.

Every time he recalled his experience in Tiger Roar Forest, he felt a madness consume him. Now, upon encountering the suspected Spirit Origin Sect disciple—the same trickster as before—he longed to grind the fellow into the dirt.

“A father does not strike his son.”

The young girl’s voice rang out, and the whole hall fell silent.

Realizing he had used the wrong voice, Qingxi switched to a rough, deep tone. “Son, don’t be cheeky. Wait until your father’s had his fill, then I’ll teach you a lesson!”

Hearing this, Li Xingyao flipped the table in rage.

Li Xingchen, intending to grab a piece of roast chicken, found half the dishes had toppled toward him, drenching him in soup and sauce.

He stared at Li Xingyao in despair. “Brother, am I really your blood brother?”

Li Xingyao, burning with fury, ignored him, leapt onto the stage, and struck with domineering force. His perfected Gale Palm conjured a hurricane, blasting the victorious Wang Le off the arena.

Li Xingyao then stood with hands behind his back, coldly scanning the crowd. “Scoundrel, now that I, Li Xingyao, stand on the stage, do you dare show yourself for a fight?”

As he spoke, he looked toward Wang Shuiling, the chief of Narcissus Sect, and bowed. “Fairy Wang, since you are hosting this gathering, and someone is disrupting the order, how should it be handled?”

Wang Shuiling was not angered by the public questioning.

As one of the famed seventy-two new stars of Yunchuan Prefecture, such scenes were mere trifles to her.

She dismissed Li Xingyao’s question, replying, “The Heroes Gathering has no explicit rules. If you issue a challenge and the other party refuses, there’s nothing I can do.”

Li Xingyao was so angry he could bite someone.

Was that even a reasonable answer?

He raged inside, but intimidated by Wang Shuiling’s formidable strength, he endured, his face nearly turning green, and shouted again to the crowd, “Coward, do you dare come forth and fight?”

The reply was still a rough and arrogant voice: “I’ve said, a father does not fight his son.”

Wang Shuiling, the host, remained calmly seated at Narcissus Sect’s chief seat, but suddenly, beneath her thin veil, her exquisite features subtly changed.

Her ethereal voice rang out, “To the friend lurking in the shadows: although the Heroes Gathering has no explicit rules, your continued disruptive conduct does affect the smooth proceedings.”

“So, here’s my rule: if you wish to keep watching, speak less; if you wish to keep talking, then show yourself and fight.”