I tricked you into thinking you had the makings of an emperor, but you actually did it?

Xuantian Sect, Inner Region.

Xiaoyao Peak.

The sacred peaks of this great grotto are shrouded in misty clouds year-round.

The mountains are teeming with life, with ancient trees whose roots are intertwined and whose lush branches and leaves are interwoven to form a dense green canopy.

Outside the cave, wild grass swayed in the wind, and moss and vines covered the stone walls.

In just a few months, it has already shown signs of its original state.

When a disciple of Lingfeng dies, Lingfeng will be abandoned until it is given to other disciples.

All the former true disciples would shake their heads and sigh.

Fate is fickle; the once glorious Xuan Tianzi perished, a truly lamentable end.

A girl in red walks alone in the mountains, her steps light, like a drifting cloud.

Xu Lingyue stopped, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

She broke through to the Yuantai Realm, but felt no joy whatsoever.

Shen Ming died, and she didn't know how to tell her father.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded, and Xu Lingyue looked over excitedly, but her eyes immediately dimmed.

Zhang Haoran walked over, his face bruised and swollen, but his expression was full of determination.

He wasn't looking for Xu Lingyue; he just happened to run into her.

"You don't need to do this. Everything on the mountain will change sooner or later."

The two brushed past each other, and Xu Lingyue couldn't help but speak.

Xiaoyao Peak became unclaimed land, but the spiritual energy on the mountain did not immediately dissipate.

Many true disciples came uninvited to cultivate in the mountains.

At first, everyone behaved themselves and maintained a tacit understanding.

However, as the days went by, some people became dissatisfied with the status quo and took radical measures to destroy the spiritual essence of the mountains.

For example, every day, the spiritual water from the spirit pool is poured into the treasure gourd.

They planted crops in the medicinal herb fields, and even cut off branches of the Golden Peach Spirit Tree and transplanted them to their own spiritual peak.

Some people feel it's inappropriate, but seeing others gain benefits without paying any price makes them not only participate but also become even more greedy.

Xu Lingyue spoke with the Elder of Punishments about the matter.

The Elder of Punishments arranged for disciples of the Enforcement Hall to patrol daily, and it was indeed effective for a period of time at first.

Unexpectedly, the disciples in charge of law enforcement got involved and even supported the other disciples.

Xu Lingyue wanted to find the Elder of Punishments, but Hu Shouyi, the head of the Enforcement Hall, found her first.

"The spirit of the Xuan Emperor in heaven would not want the spiritual essence of Xiaoyao Peak to be wasted."

Hu Shouyi's words almost made Xu Lingyue vomit.

"Aren't you afraid of alienating the other disciples?"

"They will understand that this is the will of the Xuan Emperor."

No matter what was said, Hu Shouyi insisted that the Xuan Emperor would not have any objections.

It's a waste to leave the spiritual essence there. The disciples didn't rush into the cave to steal anything, so how could they be disheartened?

Xu Lingyue had nothing to say and did not seek out the Elder of Punishments again.

However, Zhang Haoran did not give up. He insisted that as long as Lingfeng was called Xiaoyao Peak, it was Shen Ming's Lingfeng.

He could tolerate coming up the mountain to soak up spiritual energy for cultivation, but plundering spiritual essence was unacceptable!

As a result, Zhang Haoran was bruised and swollen every day, and his clothes were covered in footprints.

Xu Lingyue wasn't familiar with him, but now that they'd bumped into each other, she couldn't help but offer a reminder.

"That day will come, but not now."

Zhang Haoran walked straight up the mountain without turning his head.

Xu Lingyue followed behind in silence.

The two of them, one in front of the other, arrived at the top of the mountain, where the Golden Peach Spirit Tree grew.

Beneath the spirit tree sat three true disciples, roughly gripping the branches and using the spirit tree to cultivate.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Haoran was furious, realizing that such behavior would deplete the life force of the spirit tree.

If one cultivates using this method for one day, the spirit tree needs one hundred days to recover.

This behavior is no less than draining the pond to catch all the fish.

These people don't care, and they don't feel sorry for them.

"Look, Master Zhang is here again!"

"Zhang Shengren's face looks terrifying!"

"Is Master Zhang going to lecture us again?"

The three disciples were not surprised by his appearance and spoke in a sarcastic tone.

After gaining enlightenment, Zhang Haoran developed his noble spirit and cultivated a righteous energy.

In addition, he spent a lot of time running up and down Xiaoyao Peak, disciplining others, so the disciples gave him a nickname: Sage Zhang.

Zhang Haoran rushed straight up to one of the people and was about to snatch the branch from his hand.

"Fuck you uncle!"

The man roared angrily and raised his hand to strike.

Zhang Haoran did not retreat and unleashed his leg techniques.

Despite being constantly beaten these past few days, Zhang Haoran's strength has actually increased considerably, and he's now fighting on equal terms with this senior brother who's at the Yuantai realm.

However, after the second person joined in, Zhang Haoran suffered repeated defeats.

A third person suddenly attacked and knocked him to the ground.

The three men didn't stop there, and continued to punch and kick Zhang Haoran.

"You think you're so high and mighty! You think you're so righteous!"

"If you can't stand it, then take all the spiritual energy from this mountain!"

"The Emperor Xuan treats you like a dog, and you're really loyal."

They hit and cursed as they vented their anger.

"stop!"

Xu Lingyue walked over quickly, her eyebrows furrowed, her heart churning with anger.

The three men, wary of his identity, exchanged glances and stepped aside.

"Junior Sister Xu, he interrupted our cultivation. According to the sect rules, whatever we do is not excessive!"

The disciple who initiated the action spoke up.

His name is Hu Ping, and he comes from the Law Enforcement Hall. His father is the hall master, Hu Shouyi.

"Junior Sister Xu, we have long admired Xuan Tianzi. He was a generous and magnanimous man. He invited me to cultivate in the mountains back then." Another disciple talked nonsense. Anyway, the person was dead, so he could say whatever he wanted.

They adopted a unified narrative, expressing respect and reverence for the Xuan Emperor.

The spirit of the Xuan Emperor in heaven would be pleased to see what they did on the mountain.

Since the spiritual energy on this place will dissipate sooner or later anyway, why not use it to benefit other disciples?

Xu Lingyue didn't want to argue with them about these pointless things; it would only make her feel disgusted.

She stepped forward, intending to take Zhang Haoran away.

“Junior Sister Xu, as I just said, he interrupted our cultivation, which violated the sect rules. I’m taking him to the Enforcement Hall!” Hu Ping said coldly.

"You are so shameless!"

Xu Lingyue never imagined that people could be so shameless.

At first, these people were just trying to get some spiritual energy, then they started stealing spiritual essence, and now they're trying to turn the tables and hold Zhang Haoran accountable for maintaining order.

Unbeknownst to her, this was Hu Ping's plan for today—to wait here for Zhang Haoran to fall into his trap.

Zhang Haoran's daily maintenance of order at Xiaoyao Peak has already caused dissatisfaction among many people, and Hu Ping plans to take action to win over the other people.

Ignoring Xu Lingyue, they put Zhang Haoran on the flying boat and flew to Tongtian Peak.

Xu Lingyue followed behind in her flying boat, wondering what to do.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at Tongtian Peak.

As Hu Ping and the others were heading to the Law Enforcement Hall, they found Tongtian Peak bustling with activity, just like during the Lunar New Year, with everyone in a state of excitement.

In the faint sound, one could still hear the name of the Xuan Emperor.

"What happened?"

Hu Ping stopped one of his disciples and asked.

"Xuan Tianzi isn't dead! He held onto the top spot on the Hidden Dragon Ranking in Kowloon City, defeating the top six with a single sword strike! Damn! I really regret not going with him!"

These words were like a thunderclap, leaving Hu Ping and the other two with buzzing heads, all with only one thought in mind.

"It's over!"