Chapter 1767: You Want to Meddle?
Chapter 1767: Chapter 1767: You Want to Meddle?
The fact that Ou Mingzhi’s father could become the Master Priest of Lingyu Divine Hall naturally meant the status of the Ou family need not be questioned, and Ou Mingzhi was appointed as the Young Master from a young age. Naturally, he was the great hope of the Ou family and could even be said to be the pride of the Ou family. Yet Wen Gaoren refused to take him as a disciple. Wasn’t he slapping the face of the Ou family?
In such a historically old Priest Family, they value face the most. If the Ou clan is willing to let Wen Gaoren go, that would indeed be surprising.
"Hehe, worthy of being the first Array Master of Lingyu City, indeed you have some backbone. I want to see how long you can keep your tough stance?" Ou Mingzhi remarked with a cold sneer instead of getting angry.
"Do you think this would force the old man? If your Ou family truly had such power, why wait until today? The other temples are just bewitched by you. When the array cannot be repaired, there will be a time when you plead with me." Wen Gaoren said indifferently.
Being hailed as the first Array Master of Lingyu City was not an empty reputation, and he had enough self-confidence. If the Ou family could truly excel over him in the array formation technique, they would not have tolerated him for so many years, likely already challenging him when he shut Ou Mingzhi out of the door.
Thus, he did not take Ou Mingzhi’s threat seriously. Eventually, those temples will have a time when they plead with him; he just needs to find a place to hide and lie low for a few years. Given his strength, and the array materials left by several follower priests, he is not afraid of the swift winds of the wilderness.
"Is that so, Duan Cheng’an, tell your Master whether our Ou family possesses such power?" Ou Mingzhi chuckled and spoke.
Upon hearing that name, Wen Gaoren and the several follower priests all changed their expressions.
"Master." A young man stepped out from the crowd, and said shamefully to Wen Gaoren as he saluted.
"Duan Cheng’an, you... you..." Wen Gaoren already thought of something, pointed at this young man, trembling with anger that left him speechless.
"Master, being priests, we should serve the temple. Besides, the Master Priest has not treated us poorly, why persist in wanting to go against the tide?" Duan Cheng’an spoke persuadingly despite his shame.
"Duan Cheng’an, I, Wen Gaoren, was truly blind picking such a traitorous thing for a disciple. Get out, get out!" Wen Gaoren bellowed at Duan Cheng’an, pointing at him furiously.
"Master Wen, why be angry? You say for your age, yet you’re less sensible than your disciple. But on reflection, you have truly treated this disciple well, not only imparting all your array formation knowledge but also passing on the ancestral ’Divine Array Scripture’ to him. Our Ou family’s array formation technique might not be as good as yours, but with this ’Divine Array Scripture,’ I suppose there isn’t much difference, hahahaha." Ou Mingzhi laughed loudly, then flaunted a yellowed ancient book before Wen Gaoren and quickly stashed it.
Although his actions were swift, Han Yan still saw the words ’Divine Array Scripture’ and sensed the ancient seal’s aura within, clearly indicating that this array formation ancient book had tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of years of history. If not for the protective seal, it would have long decayed into dust.
"You traitorous thing, even gave away the ’Divine Array Scripture!’ I... I’ll annihilate you!" Wen Gaoren, overwhelmed by anger, spat out fresh blood and struck a palm towards Duan Cheng’an.
"Master Wen, why be angry? Your esteemed disciple knows to be a man of the times, as they say, people move to higher ground, water flows to a lower place. Not everyone is as stubborn as you." Ou Mingzhi waved his hand, sending Wen Gaoren retreating several steps.
Han Yan was slightly startled. Though Wen Gaoren diligently researched the array formation technique, he has not devoted all his energy to cultivation. Despite his nearly hundred-year-old age with a Ninth-level Divine Priest cultivation, Ou Mingzhi seems to also be a Ninth-rank Divine Priest, yet he effortlessly sent Wen Gaoren retreating. Clearly, his real combat power is not as simple as it appears.
While surprised, Han Yan was also somewhat puzzled: the Ou family had already obtained the ancestral ’Divine Array Scripture’ from Wen Gaoren, and even his disciple betrayed him to join the Ou family, yet the Ou family won’t let him go. Isn’t this excessively aggressive?
If only because Wen Gaoren shut Ou Mingzhi out long ago and damaged their pride, then the Ou family seems too petty. The Ou family is one of Lingyu City’s oldest and strongest Priest Families, and Ou Dechuan is the Master Priest of Lingyu Divine Hall. Their behavior shouldn’t be so narrow, should it?
Could it be there are other reasons behind this?
"Ou Mingzhi, I will fight you!" Just as Han Yan was secretly pondering, Wen Gaoren roared furiously, his anger from betrayal by his disciple intensified by Ou Mingzhi’s palm strike, yelling with rage as he charged up.
"How shameless!" Ou Mingzhi’s expression turned cold, and he struck another palm.
"Bang!" With a muffled sound, Wen Gaoren flew backward again from the shock, spewing another mouthful of fresh blood upon landing before falling backward.
"Master!" several follower priests cried out mournfully, hurriedly rushing to Wen Gaoren’s side to give him an elixir.
"Enough, you all, leave me, and find your path for yourself." Wen Gaoren, severely injured and disheartened, said to them.
"Master!" Seeing Wen Gaoren’s pale face, everyone felt heartbroken with tears streaming down.
"Kill him and avenge the Master!" The group simultaneously stood up, drew longswords, and rushed towards Ou Mingzhi and Duan Cheng’an behind him.
"Begging for death!" Several priests beside Ou Mingzhi simultaneously leapt out.
In a flash of radiant light, those loyal follower priests of Wen Gaoren lay on the ground, spurting blood and clearly incapacitated.
Though loyal, their strength is merely Fifth-rank Divine Priests, the opponents are at least Sixth Rank, not even needing to draw their swords, they grievously wounded them easily.
"Take him back; I refuse to believe he will remain stubborn." Ou Mingzhi commanded coldly, pointing at Wen Gaoren.
"And the others?" a follower asked.
"Those who dare below to defy above should have been ready to die, throw them out to the wild dogs." Ou Mingzhi waved his hand as he spoke.
"Yes." Several followers walked briskly towards Wen Gaoren and the others.
As for the group from Huayu Temple standing aside, to them it was as if they were non-existent.
"Halt!" Han Yan suddenly stepped forward, blocking before Wen Gaoren.
"What, you wish to meddle in other people’s affairs?" Ou Mingzhi disdainfully asked Han Yan.
"Master Wen is a guest invited by our Huayu Temple; your actions show too little regard for Huayu Temple?" Han Yan spoke calmly.