Chapter 691 - 404: Who Gave You the Nerve?

’Weren’t they just deliberately adding fuel to the fire? Were they planning to take this opportunity to make Jiang Wanzhao suffer a mental collapse and shatter her Dao Heart!?’

Zou Feng’s suspicion was far from baseless. Immortal Cultivation was a delicate business, and the Dao Heart, in particular, was something that couldn’t withstand much turmoil.

Even if Jiang Wanzhao wasn’t about to have her Dao Heart shattered by their scolding just yet, it was highly probable that cracks would form, leaving behind a hidden weakness.

This would be extremely detrimental to her advancement toward a higher Realm and her ability to overcome the Celestial Tribulation...

Realizing this pack of old geezers was clearly trying to stir up trouble, Zou Feng cast aside all reservations. He was considered one of Jiang Wanzhao’s people, so if she suffered a great fall, it would be equally detrimental to his own future.

Of course, the main reason was that the more he looked at these old geezers, the more a sinister rage boiled within him.

Under normal circumstances, a Central Court Elder wouldn’t dare to harangue a True Disciple like this.

THUD! Zou Feng heavily tossed Yu Qing, whom he had been carrying this whole time, onto the ground.

These Elders had been so focused on berating Jiang Wanzhao that they hadn’t noticed the dying woman in Zou Feng’s hands was a Great Demon of the Golden Core Realm.

They certainly didn’t recognize her as the notorious clam spirit from the Northern Domain, Yu Qing.

"Elders, the fall of the Celestial Hearing Tower was a long-brewing conspiracy between Tribulation Cultivators and traitors from the Demon Race. The outcome would have been the same no matter who was there. The upper echelons of the Immortal Sect must surely know the real reason by now."

"So even if Jiang Zhenchuan is to be punished, I doubt it will be as severe as you’re making it out to be!"

A long moment of silence followed Zou Feng’s words.

The Central Court Elders, led by a man named Luo Peng, were all somewhat dumbfounded.

They had never expected a mere Core Disciple to dare speak up on such an occasion.

"Insolent!" After a moment of shock, Luo Peng flew into a rage. "Who the hell do you think you are? What gives you the right to speak here?"

Zou Feng paid him no mind and continued, "After the Celestial Hearing Tower was breached, Jiang Zhenchuan fought a bloody battle and slew the mastermind of the Demon Race traitors, Dragon King Luo Gang of Yu Long Lake. Afterward, she proceeded to slay Judge Sun Wuhen of the Yama Underworld and Immortal Official Zi Caiyi of the Ninefold Celestial Court, and she captured the Demon Race traitor Yu Qing alive..."

"Let me ask you all: had you been in the same situation, who among you could have done better than Jiang Zhenchuan?"

"And another thing—with this list of accomplishments, can this not be considered atoning for her alleged crime with meritorious service?"

To bolster Jiang Wanzhao’s position, Zou Feng had also credited his own kill—Zi Caiyi—to her.

Of course, this wasn’t entirely a fabrication. After all, without Jiang Wanzhao’s help, Zou Feng would never have obtained Luo Gang’s Dragon Poison, let alone been able to later use the side effects from its Refinement to fatally overload Zi Caiyi.

Therefore, it was perfectly reasonable to say that Jiang Wanzhao had a hand in slaying Zi Caiyi.

As he finished speaking, an uproar swept across the bow of the ship.

They couldn’t help but be shocked; after all, that list of accomplishments was truly astounding.

Every Golden Core Realm Cultivator present, searching their heart, knew they could never have achieved the same.

But Zou Feng spoke with such conviction that even Luo Peng found it difficult to raise any doubts.

After all, if he were lying, it would be far too easy to expose him.

Any member of the Demon Race or any Tribulation Cultivator at the Golden Core Realm was bound to be a known figure; confirming their demise would not be difficult.

They wouldn’t even need evidence. A high-level expert from the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect could, with a simple divination, determine whether the Tribulation Cultivators Zou Feng mentioned had truly perished.

Therefore, Zou Feng wouldn’t be so reckless as to tell a lie that could be so easily debunked.

Not to mention, the clam spirit Yu Qing had been captured alive and was right there before their very eyes.

As this realization dawned on him, Luo Peng’s expression grew increasingly grim.

He had to admit that with these accomplishments to her name, any punishment Jiang Wanzhao received would likely be merely symbolic—a slap on the wrist.

But Luo Peng was still unwilling to let it go. This was, after all, the best opportunity he had to bring Jiang Wanzhao down.

"A load of nonsense!"

After his outburst, Luo Peng’s voice turned harsh. "Slaying the Tribulation Cultivators was the result of all the disciples of the Celestial Hearing Tower fighting desperately to break through the siege! How shameless can you be, Jiang Wanzhao, to claim all that credit for yourself!?"

Jiang Wanzhao was not one for verbal sparring. At his words, she merely stared coldly at Luo Peng.

Then again, it would be wrong to say that the other disciples who escaped the Celestial Hearing Tower hadn’t contributed at all.

Even those disciples who died at the hands of the Golden Core Realm Tribulation Cultivators without putting up much resistance had at least depleted some of the enemy’s Spiritual Energy.

So, even though Luo Peng was just twisting words, the momentum was still on his side.

"Elder Luo, and just how shameless are *you* to lie so brazenly to everyone’s faces?" At this point, Zou Feng was certain that this Luo Peng must have a personal grudge against Jiang Wanzhao.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be pressing the issue so aggressively, knowing full well she had already atoned for her supposed failure with meritorious deeds.

"Silence, you pest! Who do you think you are? How dare you show such disrespect to your elders!?"

Having been openly rebuked by a Core Disciple, the already furious Luo Peng could no longer restrain himself. He lashed out with a backhand, sending a Mid-air Palm Force hurtling toward Zou Feng.

For a Central Court Elder of the Golden Core Realm to use such a heavy-handed attack on a Core Disciple of the Dao Foundation Realm out of uncontrollable rage—the scene had become utterly disgraceful.

Just as everyone assumed that the young man would be left half-dead, if not killed outright, Zou Feng let out a scoff and casually waved his hand as if swatting a fly.

With that single wave, he not only dispersed Luo Peng’s Mid-air Palm Force but also sent a fierce gust of wind rolling forward with undiminished momentum.

The poison-laced qi in the wind made Luo Peng’s expression turn even fouler.

’He dares to fight back!?’

"You... you’re courting death!"

This time, Luo Peng was truly incensed. He was about to throw all caution to the wind and teach this brat a permanent lesson.

’In any case, this area isn’t covered by the Celestial Dao Cauldron’s signal. The boy did indeed defy me, a Central Court Elder. So what if I kill him?’

However, blinding rage had robbed Luo Peng of his reason. He didn’t stop to consider why Zou Feng could so easily swat aside his Palm Force, or how he was able to use poison to afflict him.

Just as Luo Peng was about to make a serious move, another Elder beside him sensed something was amiss. He quickly cleared his throat and said, "Zou Feng, who gave you the audacity to be disrespectful to Elder Luo?"

"Just because you have some Talent, you think you can disrespect your elders?"

Ostensibly, his words were a reprimand for Zou Feng, but in truth, they were a reminder to Luo Peng: this Core Disciple was no nameless nobody, but the very same talent from the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect’s younger generation whose reputation had recently exploded—the one hailed for having the makings of a True Disciple!

Indeed, while Luo Peng had heard whispers of Zou Feng’s reputation, he had never actually seen him before.

Right now, he was so preoccupied with trying to break Jiang Wanzhao’s composure that he had overlooked details he should have otherwise noticed.

Upon learning that this young man was, in fact, Zou Feng, Luo Peng inevitably hesitated.

He wouldn’t normally care about a Core Disciple, but a Core Disciple widely acknowledged as having the makings of a True Disciple was another matter entirely.

"Who gave me this audacity?" Zou Feng clasped his hands behind his back and lifted his chin. "Elder Undying did. Is that enough for you?!"

Back when he was in the Outer Sect, Zou Feng had achieved the status of "Hidden Dragon" on the twin rankings, earning the attention of the Upper Sect Elder, the Undying Master.

Now that he was on the verge of Building the Golden Core, the Undying Master would only value him more. Therefore, there was no issue with him invoking the Undying Master’s name.

’Otherwise, in this place beyond the range of the Celestial Dao Cauldron’s signal, if this bunch of old geezers lost their temper and decided to take a desperate risk, to call white black or even go all the way and silence me for good, then...’

"As for you lot, instead of hurrying to deal with the Tribulation Cultivator disaster, you’re here relentlessly hounding your own sect members. Do you not realize that for every moment you delay, countless more of our fleeing disciples are being brutally slaughtered, and innumerable creatures are being plunged into misery!"

As he spoke, Zou Feng unleashed his Spiritual Qi to its full extent, even releasing the Primordial Chaos Qi from the Celestial Gate within his Sea of Consciousness.

His Primordial Chaos Qi had already taken on the embryonic form of a Golden Core. This was a clear demonstration that he was no longer merely a talent with the *potential* of a True Disciple; he was about to step into the Golden Core Realm and become a True Disciple in every sense of the word.

Sensing the aura of impending Core Formation radiating from Zou Feng, the expression on every person’s face at the bow of the ship changed dramatically.

How long had Zou Feng even been a part of the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect? And he was already on the verge of Core Formation!?

This was simply outrageous. One had to know that even some great experts undergoing Reincarnation Rebirth might not achieve Core Formation at such a preposterous speed.

Seeing this, the last shred of wishful thinking Luo Peng had clung to was instantly extinguished.

The phrase "terrifyingly talented" was no longer sufficient to describe this young man. He was, quite simply... living proof that the destiny of the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect remained unshakable!