Chapter 7: The Council of Elders

  The scorching sun shone brightly as Lin Xi walked out of his residence, and he could clearly feel the strange gazes of others on him.

  "The six great elders gather, after today, our Five Thunder Sect will no longer have a junior sect leader."

  "Hey, who says it's not? The young master is not as good as anyone else. Whoever takes over will be better than this useless thing."

  "It's all because this kid is so useless. If he wasn't such a waste, the six elders wouldn't have abandoned him!"

  "This guy is still so inexperienced, yet he wants to be the young master of the sect? Who would tolerate him?"

  "Hey, this is good news for us! There's no restriction on who can become the Young Master, so anyone has a chance now!"

  …………

  A group of Wu Lei Sect disciples looked at Lin Xi, discussing among themselves. Most of these disciples were in seclusion, and usually only four or five could be seen on the mountain. But today, there were at least twice as many. Even many disciples who had already gone down the mountain to gain experience rushed back urgently upon hearing the news.

  Lin Xi's position as the Young Master was abolished, and the successor to the Five Thunder Sect's leadership immediately became vacant. This is a great opportunity for many of the core disciples in the Five Thunder Sect.

  "When all push at the wall, it collapses; when all strike the broken drum, it sounds! Such is the mind of men!"

  Lin Xi'er listened to these rumors and thought about the glory of the past eleven years, and now compared with her current situation, she couldn't help but feel a sense of human emotions being cold and warm, and the world being hot and cool.

  "In this world, only great power can gain people's true respect!"

  "I won't settle accounts with you for now. Later on, you will eventually find out what a huge mistake you've made!"

  Lin Xi's feet didn't stop as he walked all the way to the top of the mountain and headed towards the Grand Hall of Palm Teachings.

  On the top of Wulei Mountain, the streams are clear and distinct. According to the six elder monks, all the disciples were divided into different groups, bustling about. When they saw Lin Xi passing by, some showed pity, others sneered, or gloated over his misfortune.

  There were several Wu Lei elders sitting in town, and these people did indeed collect some, without openly dealing with Lin Xi. However, after the elder's meeting, it's hard to say.

  Five Thunder Sect's six elders do not all live on the Five Thunder Mountain. Two of them have opened up cave dwellings outside the mountain, one is in charge of the Five Thunder Sect's worldly business dealings, two are suppressing the mountain, and one is cultivating in the depths of the mountains.

  "The Five Elders have arrived!"

  A loud and clear voice echoed through the void. The great hall of the mountain temple, the bell rang out for a long time. Only to see the crowd parted, an old man in a green Taoist robe strode forward with a majestic gait, under the support of many disciples, he came towards the top of the mountain with big strides.

  The old man's hair was black as coal, his spirit was sharp and bright, his eyes were wide open, and electric lights shot out from them, sharp and unmatched, like two knives, piercing through, making people's hearts fearful, not daring to look straight.

  His footsteps were extremely heavy, and with each step, the ground within a radius of several feet would hum and tremble. It was as if what was approaching was not a person, but a gigantic beast.

  "See the elder!"

  Upon seeing the old man, the disciples of Mount Wutai immediately bowed their heads one by one, showing respect in their eyes and paying homage.

  "Wu Changlao Wei Bu Ping, a powerful figure from the Eighth Layer of the Vajra Realm! He is in charge of all external business operations for the Five Thunder Sect and holds an extremely high position."

  Lin Xi looked at this old man and immediately recognized him.

  As the Young Master of Wu Lei Sect, he didn't need to pay respects to any elder. Therefore, when everyone else was bowing in respect, Lin Xi, this Young Master, stood out extremely.

  The five elders' eyes flashed with a hint of displeasure, and they immediately noticed Lin Xi. With one step, they instantly covered several meters, and in just a few swift movements, they arrived right in front of Lin Xi.

  Lin Xi suddenly felt a blur in front of his eyes, and immediately another sturdy figure appeared. The strong pressure emanating from him was almost suffocating.

  "What a disappointment!"

  Wei Bu Ping stared at Lin Xi, his eyes icy and sharp, the chill in them making one's bones feel cold.

  "Indeed, like father, like son! — Back then, your father abandoned the sect's foundation for a woman and died in the Beast Mountain Range. Now you, this wretched creature, have brought about another catastrophe. You two, father and son, are not even worth mentioning! The Five Thunder Sect is too big and prosperous to tolerate either of you!"

  Lin Xi's body trembled, and a strong surge of anger and hatred welled up in his heart. The fusion of memories did not mean acceptance on the spiritual level. But this Fifth Elder had successfully stirred up Lin Xi's murderous intent.

  No matter what, insulting and trampling on a young man's deceased parents is something that Lin Xi deeply despises and hates. Wei Bu Ping successfully stirred up Lin Xi's hatred.

  "This old thing - it's gotta go!!"

  Lin Xi gritted his teeth in anger. His fists clenched, making a cracking sound. However, after hesitating for a moment, he slowly relaxed and forcibly suppressed the murderous intent in his heart.

  On Wei Bu Ping's body, Lin Xi felt a deeply hidden murderous intent. Obviously, he was waiting for himself to burst out in anger. Lin Xi did have the heart to kill this old thing, but the gap in strength was enormous. That was an insurmountable chasm.

  Lin Xi's mind was clear: once she took reckless action, she would probably be signing her own death warrant!

  "A gentleman takes revenge, even after ten years it's not too late. Sooner or later I'll settle this old account."

  Lin Xi lowered his head, using it to conceal the hatred in his eyes.

  Watching Lin Xi's clenched fist slowly relax, Wei Bu Ping's face couldn't hide a hint of disappointment, as if the prey had escaped from under his feet.

  "Damn it!"

  Wei Bu Ping snorted coldly and with a wave of his large sleeve, immediately turned away from Lin Xi and strode towards the main hall.

  Clang! ——

  Wei Bu Ping had just disappeared at the mountain top, when suddenly there was another loud and clear bell sound:

  "The two elders have arrived!"

  "It's him!"

  Lin Xi's expression changed, and his body suddenly shook violently.

  As for the Second Elder Meng Jun, Lin Xi's hatred towards him was even greater than that of Wei Bu Ping. It could be said that his father had died directly at this person's hands. When the six great elders gathered to impeach Lin Xi, it was also Meng Jun who ran around and shouted, directly contributing to it with one hand.

  Lin Xiyou's current situation can be said to be entirely due to Meng Jun's "credit"!

  "Look! The elder is coming!"

  Someone in the crowd with sharp eyes pointed at a tall mountain peak on the opposite side of Wulei Mountain and shouted.

  "Roar! ——"

  A loud whistle, the mountains shook. The five thunder mountains flew sand and rocks, trees swayed, and the momentum was shocking. Nothing had been seen yet, but a fierce and overwhelming aura, like a wild beast from the vast wilderness, broke through the air and enveloped the entire Five Thunder Mountain from afar.

  The temperature on Mount Wulei suddenly plummeted, and the solemn atmosphere turned into a vast ocean that enveloped all disciples. The feeling was as if being submerged in the vast sea, with life and death hanging by a thread, and destruction could occur at any moment.

  "It's that ferocious beast!"

  Someone in the crowd let out a cry of surprise, eyes wide with alarm.

  Lin Xi stared at the opposite side, motionless. On the mountain across from him, a series of loud explosions rang out, and the dense trees were snapped in two, forcibly clearing a path. A gigantic white tiger-like creature slowly emerged from the forest. On its back, a human figure could be vaguely seen.

  Whoosh!

  That fierce beast only stayed on the mountain for a moment, then suddenly leaped into the air, transforming into a flash of lightning, and rushed towards Wulei Mountain along the mountain path. A white shadow stretched out, and in the blink of an eye, it traversed hundreds of feet, appearing at the foot of the mountain.

  "It's a saber-toothed tiger!"

  A name immediately jumped out in Lin Xi's memory.

  The distance had shortened, and Lin Xi finally saw the true face of this ferocious beast. It was an extremely ferocious monster with extremely long fur, black and white intertwined, somewhat similar to a white tiger, but also different. Its face was fierce, its body was huge, its skeleton was strong, and when it crouched, it was more than four feet taller than an adult.

  In the face of this enormous creature, humans involuntarily sigh at their own insignificance. This is the Tiger Leaping Gorge, said to be the descendant of the ancient fierce beast Xiezhi and the tiger, with a body as hard as copper and iron, and boundless strength!

  Meng Jun once ventured into the Ferocious Beast Mountains and inadvertently caught a young tiger cub. He brought it back, raised it until it grew up, and this was that very tiger.

  A fully grown tiger, at its peak, can be called a warrior who can shake the tenth heavy thunder of martial arts. Meng Jun's one is not that fierce, but it can also be compared to a warrior in the eighth heavy golden period.

  Meng Jun's status within the party is more than half due to this tiger!

  "See the two elders!"

  One by one, the disciples bowed their bodies in salute, their degree of bowing far exceeding that when they had met the five elders Wei Wu Ping.

  Suddenly a gust of wild wind blew by, and on the top of Wulei Mountain, there was immediately one more person and one beast.

  "Get up, everyone!"

  Meng Jun sat on the back of a tiger, his eyes scanning the entire scene. His physique was robust and powerful. Although he had passed fifty, he was well-preserved. On him, there was an aura of prestige that came from being in high positions for a long time.

  His gaze, from a high vantage point, slowly swept across the entire scene. When he saw Lin Xi, his eyes paused for a moment, and he smiled faintly. Immediately, he looked away, scanning other parts of the room before withdrawing his gaze without leaving any trace, as if he had seen nothing at all.

  "Hah! Council of Elders, don't block the way, all of you get out of the way!"

  Meng Jun suddenly let out a loud roar, fiercely clamping down on the tiger's head with his legs, and immediately shot off like lightning, heading towards the mountain. Halfway through, he made a slight turn, and immediately charged in Lin Xi's direction, as if to borrow the path Lin Xi was taking to go up the mountain.

  "Ah! ——"

  The tiger's head swept over, startling a group of Wu Lei Pai disciples to turn pale. Before they could react, the fierce beast had traversed more than ten zhangs and was heading towards Lin Xi in the crowd.

  "No good! This guy is going to make a move on me!"

  A strong sense of crisis rose up in Lin Xi's heart.

  Men Jun's sinister and ruthless nature was something Lin Xi had known about for a long time. However, he hadn't expected that under the watchful eyes of so many people, Men Jun would still dare to make a move against him.

  Lin Xi only then realized that he had probably still underestimated Meng Jun's determination to get rid of him. As long as he could eliminate himself, he almost didn't care about the means!

  Lin Xi almost instantly understood his intention. Meng Jun wanted to use this method to artificially create an accident, so that he could die under the tiger's claws. Then, he would push it as an accident and wash his hands clean!

  "What a vicious old scoundrel!"

  Lin Xi's body moved slightly, trying to dodge. But the tiger's speed was so fast that Meng Jun suddenly launched a surprise attack, intentionally targeting him. Lin Xi had only just moved his body, and a fierce aura like a wild beast immediately enveloped him. In his field of vision, a huge sharp claw rapidly enlarged.

  Where the claw swept, space seemed to be cut open, emitting a sharp whistling sound. Lin Xi even felt a kind of horror in his heart, as if his body had already been cut open by this fierce beast.

  "We can't defeat it! This monster's power is too great!"

  Lin Xi felt his own strength was like a tiny mustard seed in the vast ocean, insignificant and weak, in front of this gigantic beast. This ferocious creature, comparable to a Diamond Period beast, could shatter a mountain peak with a single collision, let alone him.

  In a desperate situation, life and death hung by a thread. Just as he was about to die under the ferocious beast's claws, Lin Xi suddenly calmed down, completely abandoning his plan to escape, and shot out an unprecedented clear gaze from his eyes.

  "You old scoundrel, even if I die, I'll make you pay the price!"

  Lin Xi's gaze was fixed firmly on Meng Jun, the Second Elder on Hu Biao's back.

  Boom!

  The tiger's giant paw slapped down, and the momentum shocked heaven and earth. Within ten feet, the ground began to tremble. Just as Lin Xi was about to die under the beast's claw, a sudden change occurred.

  "Damn it!——"

  Only a furious roar was heard, the air burst open, and a palm appeared out of thin air above Lin Xi's head. This palm shook violently and expanded rapidly. Initially it was as white as jade, but in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a gigantic bronze hand like that of a deity, carrying earth-shattering power, and slammed heavily onto Hu Ya's claw.