Chapter 2071: Fists Speak Louder

He had dealt with people from the Temple twice before, having killed several peak Immortal Monarch level cultivators, so he knew them inside and out.

Although the five individuals in front of him were dressed differently from those he had seen before, the unique, sharp, and incisive aura of their inner strength was unmistakable. He could recognize it with just a glance.

"One Pseudo-God realm Temple expert, four peak Immortal Monarchs... What a formidable lineup!"

Zhang Xuan's face darkened, and his eyes narrowed.

As he recognized their identities, their cultivation levels also became clear to him.

The leading middle-aged man, like Han Jianqiu and others, had already reached the Pseudo-God realm. The four behind him were all at the peak of the Immortal Monarch realm!

He had killed many Temple warriors before. They were practically invincible at their respective levels; though appearing to be peak Immortal Monarchs, they were in fact no weaker than Pseudo-Gods.

At this moment, with one Pseudo-God and four peak Immortal Monarchs, the lineup was undoubtedly formidable.

If Palace Master Du Qingyuan were truly here, even within the Star-Chasing Palace headquarters, it would likely be very difficult to handle them.

However, to be one of the Six Major Sects, guarding a region, they must have something extraordinary. It just depends on the price they would have to pay.

Take the Soaring Cloud Sword Pavilion, for example. Outwardly, it only had Han Jianqiu as a Pseudo-God realm expert, and Zhang Xuan, with his four Immortal Beasts, could easily subdue and destroy it. In reality, however, he knew that if he were to truly do so, he would be the one to die!

The Sword Scripture Hall within it contained the sword intent of countless ancestors. Once unleashed, even his four Pseudo-God Immortal Beasts might not be able to withstand it!

Moreover, it also contained the Divine Sword Intent of the sect's founder, which was why even the Temple dared not easily provoke it.

Of course, these were generally one-time uses. Once activated, it meant that countless treasures left by their ancestors would be completely depleted, and future generations would no longer be able to learn from them. The destruction of the Sword Scripture Hall would signify the destruction of their heritage.

If they truly did that, the Sword Pavilion's millennia-long heritage would be directly lost, causing it to withdraw from the Six Major Sects.

Therefore, unless faced with the threat of annihilation, virtually no one would activate these trump cards.

As an indigenous force, the Star-Chasing Palace had stood strong for thousands of years amidst the five major sects, so such trump cards must certainly exist. What's more, they could communicate with deities; who knew if the deities might have bestowed upon them some powerful artifacts?

"I have already considered it," came a voice from behind the screen. "It is very difficult for my Star-Chasing Palace to fulfill your conditions!"

From behind the screen, the voice of that disciple, Chu Yin, rang out.

Her tone was much calmer than before, conveying a sense of gravity.

"Difficult?"

With a cold sneer, the middle-aged man from the Temple said, "You should understand that the Temple's patience is limited. What will happen if you don't seize this opportunity!"

"I know the consequences, but there's something I don't understand!"

The voice from behind the screen continued, "Your Temple has always stood above all, not interfering with the Six Major Sects or worldly affairs. Why are you seeking out our Star-Chasing Palace this time?"

"What you should know, you will be told," the middle-aged man from the Temple said, his face devoid of expression. "What you shouldn't know, there's no point in asking. We are merely acting on orders!"

The middle-aged man from the Temple, his face devoid of expression, said, "Don't harbor any illusions! Since the Temple has spoken, even if you disagree, we have ways of obtaining it. Giving the Palace Master a day to consider is merely because we don't want to cause a city-wide stir and let too many people know!"

The voice from behind the screen said, "If you personally take action, I certainly won't be able to resist! But if you truly do that, the news will inevitably leak out, and the Temple's lofty reputation will be affected!"

"Good that you know!" The middle-aged man from the Temple looked over. "Although the Temple fears its reputation being affected, it does not fear resistance! If you truly disobey, even if the Star-Chasing Palace has trump cards, the Temple won't need much effort to destroy it!"

While they might fear their reputation being affected, they also didn't truly care.

With supreme power, things like reputation were irrelevant. If one sect dared to speak out, they would destroy one. If six dared to speak out, they would destroy six!

If the whole world dared to speak out, the whole world could be destroyed!

Before absolute military might, challengers were nothing.

"What an arrogant Temple!"

His fists clenched. Zhang Xuan, hiding on the beam, had a dark expression.

Although these words were jarring, he knew the other party was absolutely right.

This was somewhat similar to the Manchu Qing Dynasty in his previous life: "Keep your head, lose your hair; keep your hair, lose your head." If you didn't comply, they would kill until you did.

The Temple was clearly the same.

"We have absolute military might," they seemed to imply. "If you obey, then so be it. If you don't, we'll destroy you and support someone obedient instead."

If there were those with strong backbone, there would always be those with weak backbone.

Might makes right!

"Do you truly dare to attack the Star-Chasing Palace?"

The woman behind the screen didn't expect the other party to say such a thing, and her voice held a hint of tension.

"We don't need to personally take action," the Temple's middle-aged man said with a calm expression. "As long as we kill you, a Pseudo-God realm expert, I believe many sects would be willing to see your destruction and take your place!"

It was a world where the strong preyed on the weak. With a Pseudo-God realm expert in charge, no one dared to say anything, but once something happened, countless others would surely rush in.

This was reality.

"You..."

The person behind the screen fell silent. After a moment, she said, "I can agree to your terms, but what you ask for involves the very foundation of my Star-Chasing Palace. I cannot make such a direct decision!"

"Does Palace Master Du mean..."

"Give me one more day," the voice from behind the screen said. "After I consult with all the elders in the palace, I will certainly give you an answer tomorrow!"

"Palace Master Du still needs a day?" The middle-aged man from the Temple sneered, "I'm afraid the person behind the screen isn't the real Palace Master Du. Even if you were given more days, you wouldn't be able to make the decision!"

*Whoosh!*

As his words ended, a sword qi whistled forth. The screen was instantly split in half, revealing Chu Yin's figure.

"You..."

Seeing that she had been exposed, Chu Yin's body trembled slightly.

She had believed her disguise was perfect and that she had fooled the other party, but she hadn't expected them not to fall for it at all.

"Are you wondering how I knew you were fake?" The middle-aged man from the Temple snorted coldly.

Chu Yin's fists clenched, and the Grand Elder, not far away, also stiffened.

"Yesterday, when Palace Master Du postponed giving me a result for another day," the middle-aged man sneered, "I already knew what you were planning... Did you truly think that experts from the Temple are so easily deceived?"

The middle-aged man snorted, "I was just playing along with you just now. I didn't expect that despite your young age, your imitation of Palace Master Du's voice and aura was flawless. It seems you've put in a lot of effort!"

"You knew yesterday, then you..."

Chu Yin was stunned.

If they knew yesterday, why did they still agree to a one-day delay and only come now? And why didn't they directly pursue, but instead stayed here?

"It's simple. I wanted you to bring the item yourselves..." the Temple's middle-aged man said, a cold sneer appearing on his face. "As soon as Palace Master Du left, Temple personnel had already followed her. Unless something unexpected happened, your Palace Master has most likely been captured or killed! The reason we didn't leave was just to lull you into a false sense of security. Did you truly think such a small trick could deceive us?"

Chu Yin and the Grand Elder instantly turned pale, involuntarily staggering back a few steps.

If that were true... wouldn't the Palace Master be in danger?