Chapter 4071: Doubts And Insults

The elders exchanged skeptical looks.

Zhenyu merely smiled and then turned toward the Wild Peak cultivators behind him. "Anybody want to tell them?"

The response was immediate.

BOOM!

Hundreds of powerful auras erupted simultaneously. The vitality of the Wild Peak cultivators surged into the sky, forming a tremendous wave of pressure that swept across the surrounding wilderness.

The Vault Division guards instinctively retreated several steps.

Then the Wild Peak disciples roared in unison. "YOU’RE SPEAKING TO THE INTERIM PEAK HEAD OF THE WILD PEAK!"

"THE EARTH SEA TYRANT!"

"SENIOR MENGLI ZHENYU!"

Their voices shook the heavens and even the clouds above seemed to tremble beneath the combined roar. High Elder Shatter Peak stood proudly at the front, his grin stretching from ear to ear.

High Elder Palm Saber maintained a more composed expression, though he made no attempt to restrain the disciples.

Zhenyu nodded approvingly. "Good, good. That’s the spirit."

The Vault Division elders, meanwhile, looked stunned. "Mengli Zhenyu?"

"That’s him?"

"Impossible!" Several of them stared at the enormous white-haired cultivator with renewed attention.

The name had certainly reached their ears.

After all, the supposed return of an ancient Junior Elder who had disappeared more than a hundred thousand years ago was an extraordinary event. However, less than a day had passed since Zhenyu’s appearance.

The news had spread unevenly throughout the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect, and much of what people had heard consisted of conflicting rumors. Some claimed that an ancient body cultivator had escaped from the Mad Demon Depths.

Others insisted that the man had defeated Daoist Bone Ruler. A few even claimed that he had declared himself Interim Peak Head and forced the Wild Peak to invoke its ancient Closed Fist Doctrine.

To most people, the stories sounded increasingly absurd. The claim that a Junior Elder from the distant past had defeated the current Head of the Law Division was particularly difficult to believe.

Daoist Bone Ruler was a powerful Transcendent Immortal who commanded tremendous respect throughout the sect. The idea that some newly returned body cultivator could defeat him seemed ridiculous.

As such, many elders had dismissed the reports as exaggerated rumors.

The Vault Division had received fragments of the news, but there had been little opportunity to verify them. Daoist Bone Ruler himself had been occupied with the Wild Peak’s affairs, while the Grand Elder and the other Peak Heads had also become involved.

The people best positioned to confirm the rumors had been too busy dealing with Zhenyu to provide proper explanations.

Furthermore, Wild Peak’s rapid mobilization under the Closed Fist Doctrine had left the other Divisions with very little time to understand what was happening. Now the subject of those rumors was standing directly before them.

And he had brought hundreds of Wild Peak cultivators along.

One of the Vault Division elders recovered from his surprise and sneered. "So you’re the fellow claiming to be Mengli Zhenyu?"

Zhenyu smiled. "That’s right."

The elder’s expression hardened. "How convenient. A cultivator disappears for a hundred thousand years, and suddenly someone appears claiming to be him."

Another elder stepped forward. "Have you provided any proof of your identity?"

Zhenyu stroked his beard. "Plenty."

"To whom?"

"The people who matter."

The elder’s face darkened. "What kind of answer is that!?"

"A perfectly good one." Zhenyu chuckled. "Perhaps you should ask someone who knows more than you."

The Vault Division elders were infuriated by his dismissive attitude. "Arrogant charlatan!"

"How dare you proclaim yourself Interim Peak Head!"

"The Wild Peak must have lost its senses to follow such a man!"

One elder pointed toward High Elder Palm Saber. "High Elder Palm Saber! Have you truly allowed this stranger to seize control of your Peak?"

High Elder Palm Saber’s expression grew cold. "Choose your next words carefully."

The elder ignored the warning. "Do you understand the consequences of supporting an impostor? If this man is exposed, every one of you will be held responsible!"

High Elder Shatter Peak gave a dangerous grin. "Come closer and say that again."

The elder instinctively stopped speaking.

Another Vault Division elder immediately took over. "For all we know, this fellow could be a spy sent by an unorthodox faction!"

"Exactly!" someone else shouted. "Perhaps he infiltrated the Mad Demon Depths and fabricated this ridiculous story to gain entry into our sect!"

"A traitor pretending to be an ancient elder!"

"Who knows what his real intentions are?"

The accusations continued pouring forth.

Some elders questioned Zhenyu’s identity, while others accused the Wild Peak of conspiring with outsiders. One even suggested that the entire incident had been orchestrated to seize control of the Vault Division’s treasures.

Zhenyu listened with an increasingly amused expression.

’They’re really determined to make this worse for themselves,’ Lin Mu thought.

He had already expected the Vault Division to resist, but their willingness to insult him was proving rather entertaining. Of course, he could easily silence them. A single display of sufficient power would probably convince most of the guards to reconsider their words.

However, Lin Mu wanted to observe how the Vault Division behaved under pressure. The more aggressively its elders resisted, the easier it would become to justify a thorough investigation.

High Elder Shatter Peak was beginning to lose patience. "Senior, should I teach these fools some manners?"

Zhenyu raised a hand. "Patience, youngster."

"But they’re insulting you!" High Elder Shatter Peak said while clenching his fist.

"I noticed." Zhenyu grinned. "Let them talk. I’m curious how many more accusations they can invent."

One of the Vault Division elders heard him. "You insolent old fraud!"

Another shouted, "You dare mock the Vault Division while standing at our gates? Do you think your Wild Peak can protect you from the consequences?"

Zhenyu laughed. "Protect me?"

He looked toward High Elder Shatter Peak. "Did you hear that? They think I need protection."

High Elder Shatter Peak burst into laughter. "HAHAHA! Senior, perhaps we should let them try arresting you!"

The Wild Peak disciples joined in.

The Vault Division elders grew even angrier. "Enough!"

A particularly powerful elder stepped forward, his Immortal Qi surging around him. "If you refuse to identify yourself properly and withdraw your forces, we shall consider this an act of aggression against the Vault Division!"

Zhenyu tilted his head. "And then?"

"We shall detain you and report your actions to the Law Division!" The moment those words were spoken, several Wild Peak elders exchanged amused looks.