Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 19: Confrontation in the Palace
"Indeed, the Sect Master did explain before that if any accidents occur during the foundation building, the position of the fourth generation Sect Master will be succeeded by Junior Brother Zhang Hunyuan. I have also seen Zhang Yuling."

"Does anyone have any doubts?" Zhong Wenyuan passed by everyone and finally landed on Chang Jinmian.

Openly opposing the order left by the headmaster would be considered treason. Naturally, the inner disciples dared not speak out. Chang Jinmian said calmly, "Since the headmaster has left his will, naturally no one would question it. However, the sect has been passed down for three generations, and the new headmaster can only take the position after the previous headmaster's funeral. Anyone who breaks this rule is disloyal and unfilial. As an elder, I will not allow anyone to violate the rules passed down through generations of this sect."

After saying that, he glanced at Feng Zihua beside him and said, "Junior Brother Feng, you are an elder of the sect. Tell me, is it true that the three generations of inheritance in our sect have to wait until the funeral of the previous headmaster is halfway through before the new headmaster can officially take over?"

Feng Zihua was in a very awkward situation, being tossed around like a ball. He had always been tactful and unwilling to wade into the muddy waters of the sect's internal struggles, but being in this position, he was always somewhat helpless.

At this moment, after hearing Chang Jinmian mentioning names, and seeing that the two sides were already at loggerheads, he said, "In order to prevent the situation from getting out of control, the first three generations of our sect's leaders all succeeded to the throne after the previous leader's funeral. Junior Brother Zhong, I think we should wait until the funeral is over, and then invite Junior Brother Zhang Hunyuan to officially take the throne seven days later!"

He emphasized the last sentence, meaning that both sides should take a step back, which not only confirmed Zhang Hunyuan's right of succession, but also gave Chang Jinmian a way out.

Zhong Wenyuan originally wanted to cut the Gordian knot and establish their status immediately to avoid any further complications, but seeing Chang Jinmian's firm attitude and the fact that things had come to this point, if he tried to force it, it would probably cause a dispute immediately. Seeing Feng Zihua's statement, he decided to back down.

"Well then, let's follow Senior Brother Feng's instructions and hold Junior Brother Zhang's succession ceremony in seven days."

As Zhang Shilin's son, Zhang Hunyuan was in mourning at the time, so he couldn't argue. Otherwise, others would laugh at him. His father had just died, and his body hadn't even been buried yet, and he couldn't wait to succeed him as the headmaster. And the others weren't important enough.

After Chang Jinmian and Zhong Wenyuan reached a consensus, no one else had any objections.

.........

At night, Zhang Shilin's mansion was brightly lit and everyone gathered together. In addition to Zhong Wenyuan, Zhang Hunyuan, Lin Zixiang, Zhang Yi, Zhong Yang, and Song Xian, there were more than a dozen disciples, all of whom were from Zhang Shilin's faction and had close relationships with him.

"We have to be extra vigilant these days. Chang Jinmian was so determined today. I'm worried that he is stalling for time and has other plans." Zhong Wenyuan frowned slightly.

Lin Zixiang said, "Everyone has read the Sect Master's will. Is Chang Jinmian planning a rebellion? Even if he has the intention, he doesn't have the ability. We still have the upper hand within the sect. Besides, everyone now recognizes the Sect Master's will, including Senior Brother Feng Zihua. It has also been made clear that Junior Brother Zhang will succeed him in seven days."

"No matter what, it's better to be cautious." Zhong Wenyuan looked at Zhang Hunyuan and said, "Hunyuan, in my opinion, we shouldn't hold a grand funeral for the headmaster. Let our disciples pay their respects and that's it. The situation is uncertain right now. If the news gets out, a large number of unidentified people will flood into the mountain gate, which may cause more trouble."

Zhang Hunyuan nodded without saying anything.

"Junior Brother Lin, you will be in charge of the Array Flag Peak. The mountain protection array cannot be shut down for the next few days until Hun Yuan officially takes over the position of headmaster."

"Junior Brother Song, Junior Brother Zhang, you are primarily responsible for contacting Senior Brother Feng Zihua. If Chang Jinmian has any ulterior motives, he will definitely be tried to win him over. You must keep a close eye on him at all times and report any signs of trouble to me immediately."

"Others are staying at the funeral hall to prevent any changes."

Zhong Wenyuan gave instructions one by one, and everyone responded in agreement.

In the following days, the funeral was carried out as planned. On the eighth day, Zhang Shilin's funeral was completed.

Everyone gathered in the sect's main hall to hold a ceremony to welcome the new leader, and everyone stood in two rows.

"According to the will of the Sect Master, the fourth generation Sect Master will be inherited by the sect's true disciple Zhang Hunyuan. Now, we respectfully invite Sect Master Zhang to enter the hall and take his seat." Zhong Wenyuan, who was the first disciple in the row, spoke loudly.

"Please welcome the new leader to take the throne." Everyone said in unison.

Outside the hall, Zhang Hunyuan, who had already prepared to succeed the throne, strode in slowly, dressed in the attire of the Qingyun Sect Leader.

After entering the hall, the disciples on both sides bowed their heads to show respect.

"Wait." At this moment, Chang Jinmian, who was in the center of the hall below the stone steps, suddenly spoke. Everyone was shocked by his words and looked at him.

Chang Jinmian said expressionlessly, "Zhang Hunyuan is not qualified to take over as the fourth generation leader of our sect."

Hearing this, everyone's expression changed, and Zhang Hunyuan stared at him with his tiger eyes.

Zhong Wenyuan shouted sternly, "Elder Chang, what do you mean by this? The Sect Master has left us this will. Are you planning a rebellion?"

"The Qingyun Sect's leader must be highly respected and of high moral character. However, Zhang Hunyuan's behavior is despicable and he is simply unfit to be the leader of our sect." Chang Jinmian looked at a thin man among the outer disciples on the left. "Hu Yuan, tell us what you know in the hall."

The man who was called stood up timidly, lowering his head and not daring to look at anyone. In an instant, everyone's eyes were on him.

The man whispered, "I'm the sentry at the sect's treasury. During the time Senior Brother Zhang was in charge of our treasury, he embezzled funds many times and has now almost depleted the treasury."

As soon as this statement came out, everyone was in an uproar.

Song Xian's heart skipped a beat and he looked at Chang Jinmian at the bottom of the stone steps, but saw that he had a cold face and remained calm even at this moment.

When he and Lin Zixiang sold off the sect's property in exchange for the Foundation Establishment Pill, he'd thought Elder Chang would be furious if he found out. He hadn't expected this man to be so cunning and strategic. He'd long known about Zhang Shilin's embezzlement of the treasury, but had kept it a secret. He must have known that even a move wouldn't bring down Zhang Shilin, whose power was already firmly established, so he'd been holding onto this card, waiting for his chance.

Zhang Hunyuan is in charge of the sect's finances. Now that the treasury has been emptied, he is certainly not free from responsibility. He cannot clear himself of this even if he jumps into the Yellow River. Moreover, he cannot say that it was Zhang Shilin's intention. How can a son bring disgrace to his recently deceased father?

The most important thing is that Hu Yuan was originally from Zhang Shilin's faction, so he was sent to guard the treasury. However, he didn't expect that he had already been bribed by Chang Jinmian and stood up to testify at this time.

Zhang Hunyuan's expression changed drastically, his face flushed red, veins popped out of his neck, and he pointed at Chang Jinmian and shouted, "Chang Jinmian, are you going to rebel?"

"I am an elder of the sect, and you dare to call me by my name. This is a crime of treason. You have been in charge of the finances these years, and the sect has suffered losses every year. What qualifications do you have to be the headmaster? As the director of the sect's treasury, you secretly emptied the treasury's money. Are you still not aware of your crime?" Chang Jinmian shouted back.

Their eyes met, and Zhang Hunyuan's eyes seemed to be sparking. He was so angry that his whole body was shaking, and the veins in his head were bulging. He shouted, "The master has left this order. Chang Jinmian is plotting rebellion and betraying the sect. As the new master, I am dismissing you from your position as a sect elder."

Seeing this, Zhong Wenyuan immediately echoed: "Chang Jinmian is rebelling, and the sect disciples must obey his orders."

Upon hearing this, Song Xian and others immediately walked out of the queue and came to Zhang Hunyuan.

Chang Jinmian glared at him and said, "As a sect elder, I order that Zhang Hunyuan and all those who violated the sect rules be arrested."

After he finished speaking, many disciples came out and stood before him.

"Disciples of Qingyun Sect, listen up, capture Chang Jinmian and everyone will be rewarded." Zhong Wenyuan shouted and took out a big red knife.

Chang Jinmian also took out a magic weapon from the storage bag.

"Calm down, calm down." Feng Zihua shouted hurriedly when he saw the situation suddenly became so tense.

But no one will listen to him now.

"Disciples of Qingyun Sect, follow me and capture Chang Jinmian and other traitors." Zhong Wenyuan shouted at the top of his lungs and took the lead in attacking.

The red sword in his hand condensed its light, and the red light increased greatly, breaking through the roof of the hall with a bang. The red sword light condensed into a huge sword energy, slashing towards Chang Jinmian.

Chang Jinmian took out a black magic mirror from his hand, and a black light shot out from it towards the sword energy.

The black light and the red light intersected, and there was a stalemate for a while.

When the two of them started fighting, it was like a chain reaction.

Lin Zixiang and Zhang Hunyuan immediately attacked Chang Jinmian with their magic weapons in hand.

Zhang Hunyuan's magic weapon was a emerald green gourd, from which five emerald green circles spewed out and attacked Chang Jinmian.

The emerald green circles grew larger and larger during the shooting process, each one growing to a size of ten feet.

A white-faced monk beside Chang Jinmian was holding two three-foot golden rings that emitted dazzling golden light and threw them towards Zhang Hunyuan.

Lin Zixiang's magic weapon is a blue trident, which is shining with light and condenses into a huge phantom, stabbing forward.

Another short and sturdy man beside Chang Jinmian held a black shield and stood in front of him. The black shield emitted a dazzling light, blocking the attack of the trident.

Song Xian saw the two sides fighting without thinking much. At this point, the two sides had completely torn their relations apart, and it was either you die or I die.

He took a few steps back, clasped his hands together, and the spiritual power in his body surged. The fire power between heaven and earth gathered and condensed into a fireball in front of him, smashing towards Chang Jinmian.

His fireball technique has reached the intermediate level, and its power is more than twice that of the beginner level.

In his true eyes, the data of the fireball has also appeared.

Fireball: (Fire attribute)
Attack: 4
At the same time, everyone else also took action, using their own magic, and the people around Chang Jinmian also fought back.

Feng Zihua shouted loudly, but no one listened. The other disciples were stunned and looked at each other, not knowing which side to help.

Screams and shouts filled the air, and as the two sides fought, various spells and magical weapons intertwined, causing the entire sect hall to collapse, the huge stone pillars of the hall to topple over, and large rocks from the roof of the hall to fall.

The scene was extremely chaotic.

(End of this chapter)