Chapter 168: Han Dan Begs for Mercy

Hearing these words, Elder Yuanmu suddenly fell silent.

He glanced once again at the bloody remains on the ground and the nearby stains, his eyes narrowing slightly as he shifted his gaze to the Chu Sect disciple who had just stepped forward to speak.

"Say that again?"

The Chu Sect disciple trembled instantly, lowering his head and not daring to meet Elder Yuanmu’s gaze in the slightest.

Although Elder Yuanmu did not seem to carry any emotional fluctuations at the moment, and his tone was as ordinary as ever, this bizarre atmosphere was as chilling as the calm before a storm.

The man’s body shivered uncontrollably, a wave of intense regret washing over his heart. Why on earth had he run his mouth and tried to show off!

"..."

Seeing that the man still hesitated to answer, Elder Yuanmu took a deep breath and asked again.

"I told you to say it again! Are you deaf?"

"Y-Yes! Senior Brother Meng... is already dead."

"Who killed him?"

As these words left his mouth, everyone present felt a subtle, oppressive weight press down upon them.

This manifestation was like the flash of lightning across the night sky, the calm right before the roar of thunder. Under this immense pressure, everyone found it somewhat difficult to breathe.

That Chu Sect disciple and the surrounding onlookers couldn't help but simultaneously turn their gazes toward Li Jiansan, who stood off to the side with his arms crossed and a cold sneer on his face.

"I asked you who killed Meng Yujiang! Answer this old man's question!"

In a flash, a heaven-shaking roar exploded in everyone's ears like a clap of ten thousand thunders. Blood instantly sprayed from the ears of the Chu Sect disciples standing nearby, and they collapsed onto the ground.

They clutched their ears and rolled around continuously, yet because Elder Yuanmu was present, they didn't even dare to let out a single cry of pain.

If those standing at a distance suffered such a fate, how much worse would it be for the disciple standing closest?

The moment that thunderous roar erupted, it was as if he had been struck by a force of a thousand jun. With a loud thud, he was sent flying backward.

In that very instant, his internal organs were completely crushed by the immense force. A mouthful of blood mixed with shattered visceral tissue spewed forth instantly, and he collapsed unconscious onto the ground.

Seeing the Chu Sect disciple lying on the ground, his life or death unknown, those with slightly higher cultivation levels nearby who could barely manage to stand retreated dozens of meters away, lest the Chu Sect elder accidentally injure them as well.

The only ones completely unaffected in the entire clearing were Li Jiansan and his group.

Zhang Dabao, Zixuan, and Xu Yan turned pale, standing in a daze behind Li Jiansan. They only snapped back to their senses after the surrounding people had already retreated several dozen meters away.

The fatty looked at the miserable state of the others, his eyes rolling as a realization struck him—he understood that Li Jiansan had quietly stepped in to neutralize that crushing pressure.

However, the opponent was, after all, a so-called elder who seemed to wield considerable power, so his lips moved, and he ultimately swallowed back the words that had already jumped to the tip of his tongue.

"Oh?"

The elder let out a soft exclamation of surprise, clearly astonished by the reaction of Li Jiansan and his companions.

That roar just now had been imbued with the powerful pressure of his Profound-Completion realm cultivation. Even if it hadn't been intentionally targeted at them, it was not something these low-level so-called geniuses could possibly resist.

Even the few robed youths standing behind him had been forced back several steps by the shockwave of his sudden shout.

Yet among these youths, the highest was only at the fourth layer of the Foundation Establishment realm, and two of them hadn't even reached the Foundation Establishment realm at all.

That they could achieve this feat with their meager strength naturally startled him greatly.

However, he quickly shook his head slightly and dismissed the thought. Most of those who managed to enter the Azure Dragon Academy were so-called geniuses and scions of various major clans; it was quite normal for them to have one or two protective magical treasures on their person.

Since everyone else had retreated far away and the fellow who had originally jumped out had been reduced to a heavy state of injury by him, he might as well just question these few directly.

"The four of you, answer this old man's question. Who killed Meng Yujiang?"

Hearing this, the complexions of Zhang Dabao and the others instantly turned deathly pale.

Although they had only just entered the academy not long ago, they at least knew that private duels and killings among students were strictly prohibited within the academy.

If there were grievances, they were supposed to be resolved in the arena. Coupled with the fact that the Chu Sect wielded no small amount of influence within this academy, this trouble would likely not be easily resolved.

"This..."

Zixuan wanted to say a few words to smooth over the situation and then figure out a gradual way to resolve the matter, but the moment she uttered a single syllable, Li Jiansan directly interrupted her.

"Who are you?"

Elder Yuanmu’s eyes narrowed, but then he suddenly smiled.

"It seems you must be a newcomer who doesn't understand the rules yet. It's only natural that you don't recognize me. This old man is named Yuanmu, and I am an elder of the Chu Sect. Now you know who I am, right?"

"That much I do know."

Li Jiansan nodded.

"Then perhaps you can tell this old man, who was it that engaged in private combat and killed someone here?"

"I am the one who killed Meng Yujiang."

Seeing Li Jiansan voluntarily admit to it, Elder Yuanmu looked at him with a slightly higher degree of evaluation and nodded in response.

"Since you admit it, that is for the best. However, do you know the rules within the Azure Dragon Academy?"

"What rules?"

"Internal strife among disciples is strictly forbidden within the Azure Dragon Academy. If you have grievances, you may go to the martial arts arena to resolve them. Even if there is bad blood between you, you cannot act so lawlessly here, and certainly must not kill—"

"Meng Yujiang and I had no grievances."

Li Jiansan's tone was completely calm, but his repeated interruptions began to irritate Elder Yuanmu, stirring up a fair amount of anger within him. His words now carried the palpable pressure of a Profound-Completion realm expert.

"Since you had no grievances, why did you kill him?"

"The Chu Sect did not assign us the courtyard we rightfully deserved, but instead made us live there."

Saying this, Li Jiansan pointed toward the outhouse not far away and said with a cold voice.

"May I ask Elder, is this the treatment that top-ranking examinees ought to receive?"

"This..."

Elder Yuanmu was momentarily at a loss for words. He cast his gaze toward the Chu Sect members who had retreated into the distance and said in a deep voice.

"Someone explain this to this old man."

Witnessing the preceding scene, naturally no one dared to stick their neck out as the first bird; they all stepped back, terrified of getting entangled in the trouble.

Eventually, a rather comely female disciple was pushed forward by those nearby, forcing her to bite the bullet and step up.

She first offered a respectful salute, then cupped her fists to explain the previous events to the elder. Out of lingering fear toward Li Jiansan, she recounted the events without any embellishment whatsoever, and as soon as she finished speaking, she scurried back into the crowd in terror.

"Hmph!"

Elder Yuanmu let out a cold snort and then spoke.

"Although 韩丹 abused his power for personal gain and used his authority selfishly, you could have simply reported the matter to the Chu Sect, and the higher-ups would have handled it accordingly. But you had no business destroying academy property!"

"You arrogant brat, treating academy rules as nothing more than empty air—I will definitely report this and have it dealt with. According to academy regulations, you will undoubtedly be expelled from the academy!"

"Expel him from the academy! Expel him from the academy!"

Hearing this, the Chu Sect disciples instantly regained their vigor and began shouting in unison.