Chapter 1932: Chapter 2031: A Mindless Battle

"Han Yan, just because you are from Huayu Temple, it seems you are not qualified to judge me guilty, aren’t you?" Zhao Xinggu sneered.

"In Huayu City, what I say goes! Whether I am qualified or not, I decide." Han Yan slowly drew the Cold Sky Sword.

She had already made up her mind to make Zhao Xinggu pay the price he deserved. Who cares about qualifications? The strong are revered, that’s the unbreakable truth. With her current strength, at least in Huayu City, she had plenty of reason to be arrogant.

After all, the rules Zhuge Qiu spoke of were only customary, not legal, and defiling a temple maid was clearly prohibited by law. Even if Zhao Xinghao, that big brother of his who was the Right Priest of the Life God Temple, hated her to the bone, what could he do to her?

"Good, good, worthy of being a Hall Master. You have some spirit. But talking big is easy, do you really have that kind of strength?" Noticing the determination in Han Yan’s eyes, Zhao Xinggu knew there was no avoiding a fight today. He slowly drew his longsword.

"Sword pierces the Nine Heavens, stars scattered across the sky!" With a long chant, Zhao Xinggu’s longsword stabbed towards Han Yan’s chest, while his left hand formed an impeccably standard sword move.

A deep blue light shimmered from the sword, quickly condensing into an elegantly lined ancient sword shadow. The surrounding air chilled instantly, even a layer of frost formed on the stone ground.

Zhao Xinggu, with his long beard and hair fluttering and sword in hand, exuded supreme arrogance, displaying the full might of a third-tier Divine Heart Priest.

It had to be said, although this old man had a despicably low character, his cultivation foundation was extremely solid. This Divine Art he cast had a bit of an otherworldly sage’s aura.

Clearly, he was very pleased with his current appearance, casting a scornful glance at Han Yan. But after all, just a Chief Priest from the Life Temple, no matter how strong, couldn’t possibly surpass him, a third-tier Divine Heart Priest, right? If she truly had such strength, she would have long gone to the Life God Temple, where the cultivation resources and Divine Skill Secret Manuals were far beyond what a mere Huayu Temple could compare to.

Unfortunately, he didn’t notice the look of pity in the eyes of An Xiaxin and others.

"Whish!" A flash of fire blazed past, and before the flaming Fire Spear even appeared, Zhao Xinggu was already sent flying like a kite with a broken string.

"Boom!" Zhao Xinggu slammed heavily into the wall, a mouthful of blood spurting out violently.

Only at this moment did the burning Fire Spear appear before him, hovering motionlessly in mid-air, pointing directly at Zhao Xinggu’s Heart Meridian.

"Impossible, how could you have such power?" Zhao Xinggu wiped the blood from his mouth, looking at Han Yan in disbelief.

The defeat came so suddenly that he couldn’t even sense the level of Han Yan’s power, but one thing was certain: Han Yan’s strength was far beyond his.

He racked his brain but couldn’t understand how a mere Chief Priest of a subordinate temple could have such power, and if she did, why would she stay in a place like Huayu City?

Sikong Qinglan and Shen Yuhe, along with others, looked at Zhao Xinggu with disdain. A mere third-tier Divine Heart Priest, daring to challenge a seventh-order Divine Heart Priest, was he brain dead?

He claimed it was impossible because he thought that since Han Yan had far superior strength, how could she still remain in Huayu City? But how would he know that the great Priest Mu still hid thousands of Five-Colored Soul Pearls, at least making it unnecessary in the short term to go to the Life God Temple for cultivation resources.

Surely he hadn’t properly observed the current state of Huayu City, which with the protection of the Life Ancient Tree, even without the temple formation Barrier, the cultivation conditions far exceeded those of the Twelve Divine Temples. If nothing unexpected happened, it wouldn’t be long before Huayu City would become a sacred place aspired by countless Priest Families, sweeping away the previous desolation and thriving vigorously to rival other temple main cities, even surpassing them.

Moreover, as other temple main cities flourished and expanded in scale, the demands on the Array Barrier would grow higher, with more than half of annual revenues spent on maintaining these arrays. With the Life Ancient Tree’s protection, even if Huayu City expanded several times over, it wouldn’t require extra Array Barriers, saving an immense amount of wealth.

As the Chief Priest of Huayu Temple, how could Han Yan be troubled over cultivation resources?

Even if Zhao Xinggu didn’t know about the numerous Five-Colored Soul Pearls Han Yan possessed, he should at least have noticed the anomalies of the Life Ancient Tree outside the temple. Yet he failed to realize this, wasn’t that incredibly foolish?

"Take him down, flog him a hundred times, then execute him on the spot!" Han Yan said coldly. For such a vile and shameless person, she would not show a shred of mercy.

Zhao Xinggu’s face turned pale. Seeing Han Yan’s expression, he knew he was doomed today.

"Master Priest, the matter of serving as a bed companion is customary among the Divine Temples. Even if Huayu Temple no longer follows this custom, Lord Zhao was ignorant and shouldn’t be judged so harshly. Isn’t this punishment too severe?" Zhuge Qiu quietly advised.

Although he had little respect for Zhao Xinggu’s character and hoped he’d be taught a lesson, he hadn’t expected Han Yan’s lesson to be so severe. She wasn’t unaware of his background; had she not considered the consequences of her actions? Doing so was not only a slap to Zhao Xinghong, the Right Priest of the Life Temple, but also to the Life Temple itself!

Initially, he planned to find an opportunity to privately persuade Han Yan further, but he never expected Han Yan to be so decisive, immediately ordering Zhao Xinggu to be flogged a hundred times and executed on the spot. He didn’t dare delay any longer.

"Lord Zhuge, other temples are other temples. Here in my Huayu Temple, such shelters of filth and vice will never be permitted. No matter who it is, upon entering Huayu Temple, they must abide by temple law!" Han Yan said resolutely.

The reason she punished Zhao Xinggu so harshly was, firstly, out of sympathy for Ruan Zhi. If Zhao Xinggu wasn’t given the punishment he deserved, she couldn’t face her own conscience.

Secondly, it was for the long-term peace and stability of Huayu City. Currently, the city was peaceful, with no need to guard against theft, largely due to her personal prestige. However, long-term stability cannot be maintained by personal prestige alone; enforcement of rules is essential for convincing people.

If she turned a blind eye to Zhao Xinggu’s background today, she might also overlook others’ misdeeds due to power or relationships in the future. How could the citizens of Huayu City continue to admire and trust her?

Seeing the determination in Han Yan’s eyes, Zhuge Qiu felt an involuntary sense of respect. He initially intended to advise further, but now didn’t know how to articulate it.

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