Chapter 176: Shock! Jiang Ye battles Zhao Jing!

"Elder Wang, what is the matter that has you in such a rush?"

Jiang Ye's brows lifted slightly, a flicker of surprise flashing through his eyes.

He had interacted with this Elder Wang several times and knew him to be a man who was always mature and cautious.

All the miscellaneous affairs of Tianyangfeng, large and small, passed through his hands, and he rarely ever lost his composure.

If something major hadn't truly happened, he would never be this flustered.

Elder Wang wiped the sweat from his temple, his voice hurried yet clear as he recounted everything that had occurred in the Affairs Hall.

How Zhao Jing had seized upon a pretext, how Lu Xiao had signaled his support, and how the two had sung in harmony to carve up Tianyangfeng's share of elixirs.

In just a few words, he made the tense, hair-trigger situation perfectly clear.

"What... they want to carve up our elixirs..."

Lü Ming, standing behind Jiang Ye, saw his expression change abruptly.

When Elder Wang had come running over in such a panic earlier, he had vaguely sensed that the matter was not small, but he never imagined it would be this serious.

For these inner sect disciples, the monthly distribution of elixirs was the foundation of their cultivation.

If Earth Peak and Jin Chen Peak joined forces to take away a portion, there would be almost nothing left for them.

After Jiang Ye heard Elder Wang finish, his expression remained calm without any change, only a faint, imperceptible glimmer flashing deep within his eyes.

Elder Wang saw this and felt anxious in his heart.

He couldn't help but admire Jiang Ye's ability to maintain his composure, but with the fire burning at their eyebrows, he truly couldn't hold back and couldn't help but ask:

"Elder Jiang... what are we to do..."

Lü Ming also wore a look of worry.

He had personally seen Elder Jiang punch the head of the Earth Liu Fengzhu until it was a bloody mess...

Now, the other side was clearly trying to take advantage of this opportunity to squeeze Elder Jiang.

The more Lü Ming thought about it, the more dangerous he felt it was; compared to the elixirs, he was actually more worried about Elder Jiang's own safety.

Jiang Ye smiled calmly and faintly: "Let's go, to the Affairs Hall."

Saying this, he walked out of the Herb Garden at a steady, unhurried pace.

Elder Wang was stunned for a moment.

Are we not going to discuss a countermeasure...

Just going over there directly?

His lips twitched, but in the end, he didn't ask, only hurried to follow.

Lü Ming watched Jiang Ye's receding figure, though his eyes were filled with worry.

However, once he thought of the scene where Elder Jiang had killed Zhang Kui with a single palm strike, his heart settled a bit more.

"Elder Jiang is a god..."

He kept repeating in his heart.

Juding Peak, Affairs Hall.

The atmosphere inside the hall was even more eerie than before.

Zhao Jing's patience had been worn thin; he stood in the center of the hall with his arms crossed, his fingers tapping impatiently against his elbows, his cold, hard face full of impatience.

He glanced at the empty stone steps outside the hall and sneered, breaking the silence in the hall.

"It's one thing for Luo Laogui to have airs, but for an Embracing the Pill Realm elder under him to dare put on such a show, making us several Peak Masters sit here waiting for him for half a day!"

He let out a cold snort through his nose:

"We will wait for him for another half a cup of tea's time!"

"If he still hasn't arrived, don't waste any more time; just carve up Tianyangfeng's elixirs..."

As soon as his voice fell.

A steady sound of footsteps came from outside the hall.

Before long, an old man dressed in gray with a tall, upright figure stepped into the Affairs Hall at an unhurried pace.

It was none other than Jiang Ye.

Behind him, Elder Wang followed cautiously.

As soon as he stepped into the hall, several gazes instantly converged on Jiang Ye.

Elder Wang stood half a step behind Jiang Ye, and being covered by these several gazes, he felt a layer of cold sweat seep out on his back.

"Tsk tsk, the acting Liu Fengzhu of Tianyangfeng has finally arrived!"

Zhao Jing looked at Jiang Ye with cold eyes, the corners of his mouth curling into an arc.

Jiang Ye ignored him.

He did not stop his footsteps, walking straight to the center of the hall to stand, calmly sweeping his gaze over everyone present, bowing slightly with a calm tone:

"Jiang, greets all Peak Masters."

Seeing this scene, Elder Wang behind him felt his heart jump wildly.

No.

This Elder Jiang's airs were truly too grand.

One must know, when he met these several Peak Masters, his body almost bowed into a curve when greeting them.

And Jiang Ye's calm posture clearly treated himself as being on the same level as these several Peak Masters.

Seeing Jiang Ye's posture, Liu Qingyu's mouth curled slightly, a flicker of amusement flashing in her eyes.

She had already known before that this Elder Jiang looked humble on the outside, but was actually a thorn in the side just like Luo Song.

Just looking at how he dared to ambush Zhao Jing, this person's courage was likely even greater than Luo Song's.

She was actually a bit curious how he planned to end today's scene with Luo Song not here.

Sun Lin remained in that smiling manner, stroking his long beard, his gaze constantly measuring Jiang Ye.

This was his first time seeing this Tianyangfeng elder who was famous throughout the Profound Heaven Sect.

He was indeed just like the rumors, a person with a temper.

Gongsun Hong, standing in the corner, sighed inwardly: "This Elder Jiang's bearing is becoming more and more astonishing..."

Lu Xiao frowned, the gloomy look on his naturally browless, cold face deepening a few points, and he was just about to speak.

Zhao Jing, who was to the side, couldn't hold back first, immediately shouting sternly:

"Bold!"

"You, a mere Embracing the Pill Realm elder, actually don't bow to show respect when seeing us!"

He suddenly stepped forward, the muffled sound of his feet hitting the ground shaking the candles in the hall.

Zhao Jing's cold, sharp eyes stared fixedly at Jiang Ye, his voice like cold iron clashing, buzzing and echoing throughout the entire Affairs Hall:

"You don't really think that just because Luo Laogui gave you a broken token and named you acting Liu Fengzhu, you can really sit on equal footing with us!"

The moment his voice fell, an aura as heavy as a mountain erupted from Zhao Jing's body, pressing down on Jiang Ye's head.

That was the unique pressure of a Divine Qi Realm expert; the power of the Earth True Qi merged into his momentum, just like an invisible mountain descending from the sky.

If it were an ordinary Embracing the Pill Realm elder, this pressure alone would be enough to make them unable to breathe.

However, when that aura landed on Jiang Ye, it was like a raging wave crashing into a reef.

The waves shattered into foam, but the reef did not move.

Jiang Ye didn't even have the corner of his clothes move, only calmly meeting Zhao Jing's cold gaze: "Liu Fengzhu Zhao, I heard you want to carve up my Tianyangfeng's elixirs?"

Seeing Jiang Ye acting like nothing was wrong under his pressure, the coldness in Zhao Jing's eyes grew even more intense.

He just assumed this old thing was putting on a brave front.

Luo Song's remaining prestige was still there, so it wasn't easy for him to act directly, but he wanted to make him back down with just a mouth.

He sneered, his voice full of undisguised mockery and provocation:

"The distribution of elixirs between peaks has always been about strength."

"Since Luo Laogui himself has already retired, your Tianyangfeng naturally doesn't deserve to take that share from before. If you have an opinion—"

He deliberately dragged out the end of his sentence, the corners of his mouth curling into a ferocious grin, "You are welcome to show your strength."

Hearing this, Jiang Ye's expression remained as calm as water, only the corners of his mouth slowly curling into a very faint arc.

He nodded and said faintly: "Mm, speaking with strength, that actually suits my wishes."

Once these words were out, everyone in the hall was slightly stunned.

Liu Qingyu's hand holding the tea paused in mid-air for a moment, and Sun Lin's fingers stroking his beard froze under his chin.

Even Lu Xiao, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines without saying a word, narrowed his long, thin eyes even tighter.

For a moment, they almost unanimously thought they had misheard.

An Embracing the Pill Realm elder standing before this hall full of Divine Qi Realm Peak Masters and talking about strength.

Isn't this nonsense?

Zhao Jing was stunned for a long while before reacting.

He first stared at Jiang Ye in disbelief for a breath, then threw his head back and let out a wild laugh, the sound of which shook the dust from the hall beams.

After laughing, he stared burning at Jiang Ye, his eyes full of irrepressible pleasure:

"Elder Jiang, if you aren't just putting on a show, I really want to ask, how do you plan to show your strength?"

He stepped forward, his voice suddenly rising, carrying undisguised ferocity, "Do you dare to fight me?!"

Once this sentence landed, the air in the hall seemed to stagnate.

Everyone's eyes converged on Jiang Ye, waiting for his answer.

Jiang Ye looked at Zhao Jing with a calm gaze; there were no ripples in those aged eyes, neither the ferocity of being provoked nor the cowardice of backing down.

He parted his lips slightly and spat out only four words, his voice not loud, but clearly entering everyone's ears in the pin-drop silent hall.

"Why would I not dare."

Inside the Affairs Hall, there was an instant of deathly silence.

Liu Qingyu's star-like eyes widened slightly, the arc of her full chest heaving more obviously than before.

An Embracing the Pill Realm challenging a Divine Qi Realm Liu Fengzhu?

What separated them was the chasm between True Qi and Divine Qi, a gulf that ordinary martial artists could never cross in their entire lives.

Sun Lin's kind-faced old face also revealed a rare look of shock at this moment, his hand stroking his beard stopping in front of his chest, forgetting to put it down.

He had lived for over a hundred years; he had seen crazy people, but he had never seen anyone this crazy.

Lu Xiao had not said a word from beginning to end, only his naturally browless, long, thin eyes locked tightly on Jiang Ye, his brows twisted into a 'chuan' character.

Lu Xiao vaguely felt something was wrong, but what could be wrong with just an Embracing the Pill Realm?

He suppressed the doubts in his heart and ultimately did not speak.

Elder Wang stood behind Jiang Ye, his whole person like he had been petrified, his eyes full of horrified bewilderment.

Did he hear wrong?

Elder Jiang wants to fight Liu Fengzhu Zhao?!

He swallowed hard, reaching out his hand to pull Jiang Ye's sleeve, his voice already trembling: "Elder Jiang, you cannot..."

However, before he could finish speaking, Zhao Jing had already spoken first.

He was afraid Jiang Ye would go back on his word, and almost the very next instant after Jiang Ye said the four words "Why would I not dare," he laughed loudly, the laughter full of irrepressible pleasure and satisfaction:

"Hahahaha—Good! Good! Good! Just for this courage, I really have to look at you with new eyes!"

He stopped laughing, staring burning at Jiang Ye, the ferocious arc at the corners of his mouth impossible to suppress, "Since you've said it to this point, how could I not respond?"

He waved his large hand, not caring what expressions the other three Peak Masters in the hall had, and turned to walk toward the outside of the hall with large strides.

His voice came back from the hall door, shaking the buzzing echoes remaining between the beams:

"Let's go! To the Outer Sect Martial Arts Arena right now!"

"Today, I want to see!"

"Just how much weight you, this acting Liu Fengzhu, really have!" ===== CHAPTER 177 =====