The Starfall Ascension Record

Chapter 3: Who dares claim my death?

The scene before her also made Shen Xiyao feel incredible.

Plucking flowers, making leaves fly, killing with a flick of a finger.

Such terrifying methods, even a Sword Pavilion Elder in the Origin Qi Realm could not achieve them.

Even though Shen Yuan had lost all cultivation, Shen Xiyao still had a strange feeling for some reason.

She felt that Shen Yuan was stronger than before.

It was not just his strength, but his aura and confidence. It was as if this entire world was under his control.

In an instant, Shen Xiyao was stunned, completely unaware that a tempting blush had crept onto her cheeks.

"Brother Shen, I was just playing around with Xiyao just now. Why take it seriously?" Cold sweat broke out on Ye Yunchuan's forehead as he forced a smile toward Shen Yuan.

Although he was begging for mercy, a cold light flashed deep within his eyes.

"Playing around?"

Shen Yuan's mouth curled slightly, as if he had seen right through Ye Yunchuan.

He suddenly extended his left hand, using a mysterious technique to lock Ye Yunchuan's right arm. With a lift of the wrist, Ye Yunchuan's right arm immediately let out cracking sounds of breaking bone.

At the same time, a chilling Fine Steel Longsword was exposed, clutched in Ye Yunchuan's right hand.

The sudden turn of events made Shen Xiyao cover her mouth. It turned out Ye Yunchuan had only been pretending to show weakness, secretly planning to ambush Shen Yuan.

"Brother Shen, this is a misunderstanding, I..." Ye Yunchuan secretly cursed, ignoring the sharp pain in his right arm as he loudly begged for mercy.

But was his plea for mercy useful?

Whoosh.

Shen Yuan snatched the Fine Steel Longsword from Ye Yunchuan, flicked his arm, and the blade instantly severed Ye Yunchuan's right arm, scattering blood.

"Sword Pavilion sect rules: those who plot against fellow disciples shall lose an arm."

Before the words finished, Shen Yuan flicked his arm again.

A flash of sword light passed, and Ye Yunchuan's left arm was also severed.

"As for this left arm, it is the price for attempting to molest Xiyao."

Shen Yuan looked at Ye Yunchuan expressionlessly, retracted the longsword, and suddenly thrust out his right foot, accurately kicking Ye Yunchuan in the lower abdomen.

Boom.

Ye Yunchuan was sent flying backward, falling several meters away. The splattered blood was glaringly bright against the silver-white snow.

"Shen Yuan, you... you actually crippled my Dantian?" Ye Yunchuan's mouth was stained with blood, and his previous arrogance was gone.

Now, with both his arms severed and his Dantian shattered, he was no different from trash.

He was even worse than trash.

"It is already crippled. Do your words have any meaning?"

Shen Yuan walked up to Ye Yunchuan, without a trace of pity in his eyes. This was the fate Ye Yunchuan deserved.

Dong. Dong. Dong.

At this moment, the sound of a bell suddenly rang out from deep within the Sword Pavilion, echoing clearly.

"The bell rings, the assembly begins. It seems the Sword Pavilion Assembly has started." Shen Yuan muttered inwardly, then said to Ye Yunchuan, "Come on, follow me to the Ancestral Hall."

"What?"

Ye Yunchuan's body trembled wildly, and he yelled hysterically, "You cut off both my arms, and my Dantian is shattered. If I do not get immediate treatment, I might bleed to death."

"Then walk faster, lest you die by the roadside."

Shen Yuan spoke coldly, a wicked curve lifting the corner of his mouth.

The Sword Pavilion was one of the Four Great Powers in Qingyang City, covering a vast area with countless pavilions and towers.

Passing through winding and complex corridors, a magnificent and grand palace could be seen in the distance.

This was the location of the Ancestral Hall.

Inside the Ancestral Hall, a resolute-looking man in Qingyi sat upright on the Sect Master's seat. His eyebrows carried an air of majesty. He was still and silent, yet gave off a sense of stability.

However, his right arm was empty, clearly having been severed.

Moreover, the man's face was ashen, and a weak aura emanated from his body. He looked extremely frail, as if he might faint at any moment.

Standing below the man in Qingyi was a sinister man whose lips occasionally curled into a malicious smile.

He was the Second Elder of the Sword Pavilion, Ye Tong, and this man in Qingyi was the Master of the Sword Pavilion, Shen Yuan's father, Shen Changyuan.

Since Shen Changyuan fell ill and found it difficult to handle all the affairs of the Sword Pavilion, Ye Tong used his status as an Elder to continuously take over the Sword Pavilion's authority and secretly accumulate a large network of contacts.

It is no exaggeration to say that although Ye Tong did not have the title of Sect Master, the power in his hands had long surpassed Shen Changyuan's.

"Sect Master, since Shen Yuan disappeared, the Sect Master Candidate position has been vacant for four years. Over these four years, your health has also deteriorated daily. If this continues, the Sword Pavilion is bound to decline. Therefore, re-establishing a Sect Master Candidate is of paramount importance."

"Looking across the entire Sword Pavilion, only my son, Ye Yunshan, is qualified to become the Sect Master Candidate. I ask the Sect Master to speak, publicly step down from the Sect Master position, and establish Ye Yunshan as the Sect Master Candidate."

Ye Tong spoke bluntly. His words sounded less like a suggestion and more like an order.

Standing behind Ye Tong were more than ten people, all Sword Pavilion Elders.

None of them raised objections to Ye Tong's words. Clearly, they had long been bought off and were aligned with Ye Tong.

"Ye Yunshan's talent is decent, and his cultivation has reached the Sixth Level of Pulse Condensation. However, is it not a bit too hasty to appoint him as the Sect Master Candidate?" At this moment, a voice of opposition rang out.

The speaker was a white-bearded old man. He looked at Ye Yunshan behind Ye Tong, a flash of disgust in his eyes.

Ye Yunshan and Ye Yunchuan, this pair of brothers, had terrible reputations. They repeatedly used Ye Tong's status to ignore sect rules and bully disciples. If the Sword Pavilion fell into their hands, it was bound to decline.

"Grand Elder, with my talent, I am more than capable of inheriting the Sword Pavilion. Do you perhaps have another candidate besides me?" Ye Yunshan wore a white robe. Although he was not fat like Ye Yunchuan, his face was ugly, causing others to feel repulsion.

At this time, many disciples of the Sword Pavilion were gathered outside the Ancestral Hall.

Hearing Ye Yunshan's words, they all clenched their fists, their faces filled with resentment and anger.

"This Ye Yunshan is too arrogant. Relying on his slight talent, he does not treat us like people at all."

"Who told him he had a good father? With the power of the Second Elder, even the Sect Master probably cannot resist."

"If only Shen Yuan had not disappeared, how great would that be? With his talent, he could definitely easily defeat Ye Yunshan and hold onto the Sect Master Candidate qualification."

The disciples discussed in low voices, sighing repeatedly whenever Shen Yuan was mentioned.

"Ye Yunshan, you are too insolent."

Fury surged on the Grand Elder's face, and he pointed an accusing finger, shouting, "Disciples have no right to participate in the Sword Pavilion Assembly. Get out immediately."

"I am already the Sect Master Candidate, why am I unqualified to participate?" Ye Yunshan ignored the Grand Elder's fury and stated outright that he was already the Sect Master Candidate, completely disregarding his senior.

"Sect Master, issue the order." Ye Tong never glanced at the Grand Elder, continuing to pressure Shen Changyuan.

"You people, how dare you. Do you even recognize the Sect Master anymore?" The Grand Elder was furious, his entire face turning red with anger. The actions of Ye Tong and Ye Yunshan were no different from bandits trying to steal the Sword Pavilion outright.

Unfortunately, besides him, the other Elders had long been bought off by Ye Tong, not saying a single word and choosing to acquiesce.

"Grand Elder, please step down for now."

At this moment, Shen Changyuan, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.

He struggled to stand up, raising his gaze. There was helplessness on his face, but even more so, determination. He looked directly at Ye Tong and said, "Sword Pavilion sect rules state that a candidate must fail to inherit the Sword Pavilion for four years before a new candidate can be established. Second Elder, have you forgotten this point?"

"Of course, I have not forgotten." Ye Tong stared back at Shen Changyuan, sneering, "There are only seven days left until the four-year deadline. Does the Sect Master still harbor fantasies?"

"Someone who has been missing for four years, without any news, has probably died in the wilderness long ago, with not even their bones remaining. I cannot believe someone still holds onto fantasies. Truly ridiculous."

Ye Yunshan sneered, his voice loud enough to echo throughout the entire Ancestral Hall.

It was not just him. Ye Tong and the assembled Elders all let out snickers, as if they had heard a huge joke.

They had long forgotten the name Shen Yuan. Especially Ye Tong, who knew the day Shen Yuan disappeared that he was dead, having fallen off a cliff without a corpse remaining.

Otherwise, he would not dare to openly seize the power of the Sword Pavilion.

"Sect Master, I advise you to stop deceiving yourself. Shen Yuan is dead. A dead man is fundamentally unqualified to be the Sect Master Candidate." Ye Tong looked at Shen Changyuan with pity, his tone growing colder.

However, the moment his voice fell, a cold wind suddenly blew into the Ancestral Hall, causing Ye Tong to shiver unexpectedly.

"Who said I died?"

Almost simultaneously, a voice suddenly rang out.

Following that voice, a young man dressed in a black robe appeared in everyone's sight.

The young man had a resolute face and carried a Fine Steel Longsword. He was walking step by step into the Ancestral Hall through the cold wind and snow, his imposing demeanor like that of a Sovereign of Heaven and Earth, looking down upon all living things.