Chapter 272
Chapter 272 – Phoenix Plum
The two names were recognized by all the outer disciples. These two were geniuses who competed with Bai Lixuan and they were famous long before Lin Yun joined the sect. Over the past two years, the ranking in the top ten would fluctuate, but the ranking of the top three never changed. The top three represented strength and status.
The two of them rarely made any public appearances in recent years and entering the Earth Ranking was just a matter of time for them. Their goal was always the Sky Ranking, which represented the Sword Firmament Pavilion’s glory.
So they naturally wouldn’t bother with the matters of the outer sect. But they actually made a public appearance outside the Contribution Hall today. The shock to everyone was even greater than when the six from the top ten on the Mortal Ranking appeared.
“Senior Brother Jiang and Senior Brother Ye are also here… Lin Yun is really too formidable!”
“Everyone in the top ten on the Mortal Ranking is here aside from Chu Haoyu…”
“It looks like this isn’t a simple matter of face. Five star missions are the only way to obtain second-grade spiritual jades and Lin Yun violated the unspoken rule!”
“That’s right. The second-grade spiritual jades have always been restricted by the top ten. So how can they allow someone else to take their treasure? Otherwise, wouldn’t the rules end up being a mess?”
The number of spectators began to increase. When Han Zhengyang and the others saw Jiang Feng and Ye Xiu arrive, they immediately greeted them, “Greetings, Senior Brother Jiang and Senior Brother Ye!”
“Wei Zilin pays his respect to the two senior brothers!”
“Xin Yuhen pays his respect…”
Jiang Feng and Ye Xiu remained indifferent and merely nodded their heads before looking at Zhang Lei.
Zhang Lei could feel a chill run down his spine, but he couldn’t express what he was feeling right now. Both Jiang Feng and Ye Xiu were existences that he couldn’t afford to offend.
Jiang Feng looked prideful and he muttered out, “I heard that Lin Yun is arrogant and even killed a direct descendant of the Wang Clan. It looks like the rumors aren’t fake since he even dared to humiliate someone in the top ten on the Mortal Ranking.”
“Zhang Lei, why are you still on your knees?” asked Ye Xiu. The voice was calm, but Zhang Lei trembled when he heard the question.
Gnashing his teeth, Zhang Lei spoke out, “Senior Brothers, I’m kneeling here willingly. It has nothing to do with Junior Brother Lin Yun.”
A cold smile rose on Ye Xiu’s lips and he replied, “Am I asking you for the reason? I’m telling you to get up at once. If you can’t understand me, then I can only use another way to tell you.”
“I’m giving you three seconds to reconsider. One…two…” counted Jiang Feng.
Zhang Lei’s face turned pale. Lin Yun was terrifying, but he was nothing compared to these two. If he remained on his knees because of Lin Yun, then he might have his cultivation crippled on the spot.
Before Jiang Feng finished counting, Zhang Lei got up from his knees while trembling. Jiang Feng and Ye Xiu smiled when they saw this scene. Even if Lin Yun was arrogant, he was nothing compared to the two of them. The person who Lin Yun ordered to kneel could only stand up obediently to them.
This scene made everyone nod their heads. After all, this was Jiang Feng and Ye Xiu. Zhang Lei had no other choice but to get up obediently. However, the faces of Han Zhengyang and the others became unsightly, especially Han Zhengyang. He was ranked fourth, but Zhang Lei didn’t dare to stand up when he asked.
However, Zhang Lei immediately got up when Jiang Feng and Ye Xiu came. This was clearly an embarrassment to him. He wouldn’t bother about it if it was in private, but they were in the public right now. Everyone else on the top ten also kept their silence and didn’t dare to speak. However, there was a trace of chill in their eyes when they looked at Zhang Lei.
“Why are you making things difficult for Senior Brother Zhang since he’s willing to kneel? You guys aren’t even going to give him the opportunity to atone for his sins?” A clear voice sounded right at this moment. A youth carrying a sword box slowly came down the stairs.
The youth’s facial features were defined under the sunlight. He looked like a celestial as his hair fluttered in the wind. When Zhang Lei heard that voice, he began to tremble and dropped back on his knees as his face changed.
The smug look on Jiang Feng and Ye Xiu’s faces froze and they soon felt a burning pain on their faces. Lin Yun had given all nine of them a slap to the face. Even if they managed to get Zhang Lei to stand up, Lin Yun’s appearance made Zhang Lei go back down on his knees immediately.
“You’re Lin Yun?” This was the first time Han Zhengyang and everyone from the top ten had seen Lin Yun.
“That’s him!”
“Someone in the fourth stage of the Profound Martial Realm dares to snatch our missions? Ridiculous!” Everyone turned to look at Lin Yun furiously.
When Ye Xiu saw that Zhang Lei had dropped to his knees again, killing aura began to emit from him and he was on the verge of making a move against Zhang Lei.
“Since the mastermind is here, why bother wasting time with a piece of garbage?” interrupted Jiang Feng.
Lin Yun swept his gaze through the eight of them. They were all in the fifth stage of the Profound Martial Realm and their auras were refined. He could tell that they weren’t the same with just a glance. Not even Xiao Ran and Bu Chen could compare to them, especially the two standing in front of Zhang Lei.
They were all in the top ten on the Mortal Ranking in the Sword Firmament Pavilion and they fully deserved the name of elites. But what did it have to do with him?
“Nice to meet you all. But I have to go back to Locket Mountain, so I won’t be staying here any longer.” Lin Yun cupped his hands, showing his respect to the eight of them. He then turned around and began to leave. His actions left Han Zhengyang and everyone else shocked. Did Lin Yun just disregard them, thinking he can come and go as he pleased?
“Junior Brother Lin, do you think that your face is big enough to have all of us welcome you back?” Jiang Feng smiled and took a step forward to stand in Lin Yun’s way.
“The mission to kill Xue Feng originally belonged to Jiang Feng and I. Do you want to leave without giving us an explanation? You must be dreaming!” Ye Xiu snorted and stepped forward with his sword intent released.
“The mission to search for the Goldflow Fruit belonged to me, Han Zhengyang!”
“The mission to escort Bai Qiushui belonged to us, Wei Zilin and Xin Wuhen!”
“The mission to collect blood crystals belonged to me!”
Han Zhengyang and the rest spoke out at the same time as they looked at Lin Yun with malicious intent. There had never been a situation where all ten on the Mortal Ranking made things difficult for a single person. The atmosphere became intense and a battle would break out with a slight stir.
“Where are the rules that say the missions belong to you guys? Since you guys can accept it, why can’t I?” replied Lin Yun coldly.
“You?” Han Zhengyang sneered and said, “You might be someone in the eyes of others, but you’re nothing but a piece of garbage to us. Who are you to compete with us for those missions?”
“So what if you accepted them? You still ran back after failing the missions and nearly died in the Bloodborne Forest!”
“You only embarrassed yourself.”
“You need the ability to be arrogant. Where did you get your confidence to accept missions with your cultivation in the fourth stage of the Profound Martial Realm?”
“You have no idea how important those second-grade spiritual jades meant to us!” The more they spoke, the more furious they became. It was as though Lin Yun deserved the die for accepting the missions that belonged to them.
“Junior Brother Lin, you have to know your limits if you want to survive in the sect. It’s not just about talent and aptitude. Don’t accept the missions if you can’t complete them! If something happens, even Xin Yan can’t help you!” replied Jiang Feng.
“Why do I need Senior Sister Xin Yan? I already completed all the missions,” said Lin Yun. His words instantly caused a brief silence in the surrounding before everyone burst out into laughter. Even Ye Xiu, who never showed any emotions on his face, laughed out loud.
“What an idiot!” Han Zhengyang laughed, “Can you look at your target before you boast? Can you not treat us like fools? Do you see the ancient bell on top of the Contribution Hall?”
Lin Yun raised his head and he could vaguely see the ancient bell. It could be vaguely seen through the clouds. Han Zhengyang sneered out, “The wandering cultivators on the Great Thief Ranking are embodiments of evil and the sect will sound the bell for anyone who managed to kill them. If you killed a great thief as an outer disciple, the bell will ring for you!”
However, the bell didn’t ring, which meant that Lin Yun didn’t complete his missions. This meant that he was boasting blindly here.
“How can a bumpkin sword slave like you know about the bell?” A sneer sounded out. When everyone directed their gaze over, they noticed that it came from Wang Yan and Chu Haoyu.
Chu Haoyu actually came together with Wang Yan! With that, everyone in the top ten of the Mortal Ranking was here.
Wang Yan sneered, “This bell is called Phoenix Plum and it took ten years to forge it with Profound Nether Steel. If it rings, it can be heard almost everywhere in the Great Qin County.”
However, Lin Yun ignored Wang Yan’s words and looked at the ancient bell. He now knew why the blue-clothed deacon asked for his Sword Firmament Pavilion token. He muttered to himself, “The bell should ring anytime now, right?”
Everyone could hear him and they had disdain written on their faces. They thought that Lin Yun was someone, but it turns out that he was just a shameless person.
“Only a few outer disciples managed to ring the bell over the past hundred years. Not even Junior Brother Chu managed to accomplish it. So where did a piece of garbage like you get the confidence to say those words?” sneered Wang Yan.
But suddenly, the ancient bell rang from above the clouds.
“What’s going on?” Wang Yan was shocked. But he wasn’t the only one. Even Chu Haoyu, Jiang Feng, and the others were dumbfounded.
“Am I dreaming?” Han Zhengyang looked at the clouds above the Contribution Hall in shock. But right at this moment, another majestic ring echoed through the clouds.
“H-how is this possible?!” Wang Yan trembled. He was truly dumbfounded. Who was the bell ringing for? Then, everyone turned their gazes to the youth standing in the plaza out of shock.