Chapter 248: Heart‑Piercing Fury

When the power of the Golden Crow Holy Fire in Ye Liuyun's palm manifested, the Qilin flame in Chu Heng's hand immediately recoiled like a mouse seeing a cat.

No need to compare; he already knows Ye Liuyun's flame is far stronger than his!

"You... actually have such a powerful pill fire?" Chu Heng's face turned extremely grim at this moment, utterly speechless!

He had been proud of everything, but all of it was eclipsed before Ye Liuyun!

How could this be possible?

A mere ordinary disciple of the Sacred Martial Academy possessing such strength?

Chu Heng clenched his teeth and glared fiercely at Ye Liuyun.

"Fine. You're ruthless! I admit defeat! Kid, what's your name?"

"Ye Liuyun!" Ye Liuyun looked at Chu Heng with a half‑smile, presumably having heard his own name before.

"Ye Liuyun? It was you... you killed twenty elite disciples of our Blood Demon Sect and wiped out a branch?" Chu Heng shouted in shock.

"Exactly! Now that you know, why don't you run before I finish you off?" The domineering aura around Ye Liuyun rose steadily.

"I'm leaving, right now!" Fear filled Chu Heng's eyes; he turned and fled without a moment's hesitation, lest a delay cause Ye Liuyun to change his mind and trap him forever!

After Chu Heng departed, a graceful beauty slipped out—it was the Spirit Soul Saint.

She had been monitoring the situation all along; only when Chu Heng walked away did she reveal herself.

"Cough!"

She looked at the two people still pressed together and at the happy expression on Lin Xueying's face, gave a light cough, and said, "Everyone's gone, yet you two are still clinging so tightly?"

"Ah!"

Lin Xueying, upon seeing the Spirit Soul Saint, trembled like a frightened rabbit and hurriedly leapt from Ye Liuyun's embrace, hastily explaining, "Mother, listen to me, it's not what you think!"

In her haste, she inadvertently revealed that the Spirit Soul Saint was her mother.

"Mother?" Ye Liuyun glanced at the Spirit Soul Saint, then at Lin Xueying. "No wonder I've always thought they looked alike—so they're mother and daughter!"

Lin Xueying realized her slip, and looked apologetically toward her mother, the Spirit Soul Saint.

"It's fine, I consider myself half his master; he won't speak carelessly elsewhere," the Spirit Soul Saint comforted Lin Xueying.

"Oh! Yes, I won't speak recklessly," Ye Liuyun quickly agreed.

The Spirit Soul Saint smiled and explained, "It's really nothing major; I just didn't want Xueying to seem special."

Ye Liuyun nodded in understanding.

The Spirit Soul Saint looked at Lin Xueying with a gentle smile,

Lin Xueying, embarrassed by her gaze, assumed a shy little‑girl posture, lowered her head, fidgeted with her hem, and in a meek voice explained, "Just now... that smelly junior brother... took advantage of me..."

"Huh? Senior sister, I was just playing along so we could drive Chu Heng away!"

Ye Liuyun, fearing the Spirit Soul Saint's anger, hurried to explain.

"Alright, alright! You really are like children! I know what's going on, so you needn't explain further!" the Spirit Soul Saint chuckled.

Then she turned to Ye Liuyun: "No wonder Grand Elder favored you; in such a short time you've progressed so rapidly, truly impressive!"

"You flatter me! I'm also forced by circumstances; if I don't improve quickly, I might not even keep my life!" Ye Liuyun modestly replied.

Nevertheless, what he said was all truth, with no exaggeration. He had no backing; if he didn't work hard, he'd have died a hundred times already!

The Spirit Soul Saint also nodded, fully understanding his words.

The three were conversing when an elderly man with white hair, dressed in Academy elder robes, swooped down from the sky.

The elder exuded no aura of pressure; he appeared quite approachable.

At the moment of his appearance, the Spirit Soul Saint and Lin Xueying both shifted their gaze and called out, "Ge Lao!"

"Ge Lao? Hall Master of the Spirit Medicine Hall?"

Ye Liuyun felt a pang of unease, but still bowed and called out, "Ge Lao."

"Qing, little girl, you're here too?"

Ge Lao's face showed a faint smile; then, seeing Lin Xueying, he kindly said, "Xueying, hasn't the Holy Son Chu Heng of the Blood Demon Sect arrived? Where is he?"

"He..." Lin Xueying's beautiful eyes flickered, a hint of embarrassment, unsure how to answer.

"I drove that useless Holy Son away!"

Ye Liuyun seized the opportunity, stepping in to cover for Lin Xueying. After all, it was his doing, and he's not the type to shy away from admitting it.

Lin Xueying looked at him gratefully, yet wondered how she would rescue Ye Liuyun if Ge Lao lost his temper later.

"What? You drove away my guest?" A flash of anger crossed Ge Lao's previously kindly face.

Boom!

A massive pressure instantly enveloped Ye Liuyun.

"At least it's the cultivation of Yuan Dan Realm, third tier. It feels even stronger than Lei Ming's pressure!" Ye Liuyun was startled.

Yet he felt no fear. He had fully adapted to the Saint's pressure. He hadn't expected that the unassuming Ge Lao possessed such high cultivation.

Lei Ming, perched on Ye Liuyun's shoulder, bared his teeth and let out a low growl.

Seeing Ge Lao's sudden change of demeanor, Ye Liuyun couldn't help but sigh: wherever one goes, lacking strength leaves one at the mercy of others!

Raising his sword‑shaped brows, he asked coldly, "Guest? The Blood Demon Sect and my Sacred Martial Academy have always been at odds, like water and fire. Yet you slaughtered my academy's fellow disciples, humiliated young female disciples, and now even summoned Corpse Demons to slaughter civilians. And you treat the Blood Demon Sect's Holy Son as if he were a revered ancestor?"

Ye Liuyun boldly rebuked, "As an Academy elder and Hall Master of the Spirit Medicine Hall, you collude with the Blood Demon Sect, tarnishing the academy's reputation—a cruel and unjust act. Moreover, you had Xueying receive Chu Heng, intending to curry favor with that Holy Son through her. Don't think others can't see it."

"Someone like you, a back‑stabbing old dog, should be expelled from the Sacred Martial Academy. How dare you ask me for a guest?"

Ye Liuyun grew more exhilarated as he cursed, voicing every unspoken accusation—truly a string of heart‑piercing slanders.

The Spirit Soul Saint and Lin Xueying both felt a sudden chill.

"You!"

Ge Lao was left speechless by Ye Liuyun's tirade; his aged face flushed alternately blue and white.

What Ye Liuyun said was factual. Though to the higher‑ups, the death of a few disciples is no big deal, and the upper echelons of the two sects have long maintained contact.

But as Ye Liuyun said it, he could not refute it. If the words Ye Liuyun spoke were spread, his reputation for this life would be ruined. Without anyone chasing him, he would have to leave the Holy Martial Academy on his own.

Scoundrel! You… you have angered this old man to death! This old man has spent his whole life working diligently for the Holy Martial Academy, and you actually say I'm eating from within and selling outside! Truly makes this old man furious!

Old Ge was so angry that even the finger pointing at Ye Liuyun kept trembling. Being berated so bluntly by a junior, he was almost blown up with anger.

But if he were to act now, people would say he's cowardly. Then later he would have an even harder time explaining himself.

Thus for a moment, he was so angry that he didn't know what to do.

He just stood there, pointing at Ye Liuyun, blowing his beard and glaring at him!