“When the Demon Lord's Great Array appeared, how many people pleaded with the Heavenly Array Pavilion to take action, yet they acted as if it had nothing to do with them, aloof and detached.”
“Now that they've emerged from seclusion, they use the pretext of taking in disciples to win people's hearts. Do they really think we can't see through their schemes?”
“You're absolutely right. I truly wish that the esteemed elder from Tianlun City would establish a new faction and replace the Heavenly Array Pavilion!”
The crowd's emotions grew increasingly heated.
In the past, when the Heavenly Array Immortal Continent had only Li Yinglian as an Eighth-Rank Array Master, even though he was unpopular, there was no other choice.
But now that another Eighth-Rank Array Master has emerged, especially one who saved the Heavenly Array Immortal Continent from certain doom, the contrast is clear.
It's no wonder that people are now favoring one and disparaging the other.
Hearing such words, Pavilion Master Yun Guang and the others lowered their heads, their faces flushed with embarrassment.
However, Li Yinglian forbade them from doing so.
According to Li Yinglian's words, they should only intervene at the very last moment when the Demon Lord's Great Array was beyond control, to demonstrate the importance of the Heavenly Array Pavilion.
To be honest, Yun Guang and the others didn't fully agree with this decision.
But since the ancestor had spoken, they dared not disobey.
Little did they expect that things would escalate to this point.
However, Li Yinglian himself didn't feel he had done anything wrong upon hearing such criticism. Instead, his veins bulged, and a surge of murderous intent erupted from him.
As an Eighth-Rank Array Master, he was always treated with reverence and admiration wherever he went.
Yet here, in this humble tavern, he was being insulted by a bunch of lowly Third-Rank Array Masters.
“Ancestor, please calm down!”
Seeing this, Yun Guang and the others hurriedly tried to soothe him. “Please, you must calm down. If you act now, it will only bring greater shame. The Heavenly Array Pavilion might forever bear the stain of infamy.”
“Do I need you to teach me?”
Li Yinglian glared coldly at Yun Guang, then waved his hand, sending an invisible force into the bodies of those who had insulted him.
They felt no anomaly.
But Yun Guang sighed heavily.
He knew that within seven days, these people would meet a violent end.
After leaving the tavern, as they walked through the streets, they heard more and more unfavorable comments about them.
“Not only did this brat ruin my plans, but now he's the hero while I'm the villain, is that it?”
Li Yinglian's anger surged, his fury palpable.
“Ancestor, please calm down. That Array Master is currently riding a wave of popularity. Perhaps we should return for now and wait for this wave to pass before resuming your grand plan,” a senior elder suggested cautiously.
Li Yinglian's icy gaze fell upon the elder, and he seized his throat with a single hand.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Are you questioning me?”
“Do you think the old ancestor is inferior to a mere upstart?”
Li Yinglian's voice was hoarse with rage.
The elder struggled for breath, his face turning red, but he managed to lift his head and say, “I dare not question the ancestor, but the reality is that we could have broken the Demon Lord's Great Array earlier but chose not to, and thus lost the people's support...”
“You're asking for death!”
At these words, Li Yinglian's eyes turned cold, and with a sudden squeeze, he snapped the elder's neck.
“Let's see who else dares to speak so boldly.”
Li Yinglian's sharp gaze swept over the crowd.
Everyone lowered their heads in silence, their expressions complex.
“What good is winning the people's hearts!”
“In this world, strength is what matters most!”
Li Yinglian's face darkened as he declared, “Since that's the case, I'll challenge this man to a duel and see whose array skills are superior!”
“Spread the word. At the banquet in a few days, I, Li Yinglian, will invite him to attend and issue a challenge to him. In front of everyone, we will settle this once and for all!”
“If he comes, I'll show him what it means to be a true veteran Eighth-Rank Array Master!”
“If he doesn't dare to come, then he's a coward. What qualifications does he have to call himself an Eighth-Rank Array Master? How can he possibly win the people's hearts?”
With that, Li Yinglian snorted in anger and soared into the sky.