LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 2:
Chapter 2: Leaving the Sect:
Everyone thought Lu Chen would kneel and accept his punishment. But to their surprise, he took a step forward.
“Sect Master, I believe Junior Sister is right. The punishment you have given me is too light—I should be punished more severely!”
Chi Lingxiao’s delicate figure trembled, her face filled with shock.
“Lu Chen, what are you trying to do?”
“Don’t think we don’t know your intentions. You’re just trying to provoke us because you can’t bear the suffering at Reflection Peak!”
“If you don’t want to be punished, there is another option—leave the sect voluntarily. That way, the sect rules won’t apply to you. But can you really bear to do that?”
Yu Yanxue’s face darkened, her voice carrying a sharp edge.
“Lu Chen, are you threatening me?”
“I wouldn’t dare, Sect Master. However, I truly intend to leave the sect.”
The entire hall fell into stunned silence.
Lu Chen bowed respectfully, his expression firm—his decision had already been made.
Chi Lingxiao was completely dumbfounded.
She had only been testing him just now… Was he really going to leave the sect?
Did he just… fall right into their trap so easily?
At that moment, a young man entered the hall, a sword strapped to his waist. He was dressed in white, his robes as pure as falling snow, and his voice carried urgency.
“Senior Brother, don’t act impulsively!”
“Leaving the sect is a serious matter—it concerns the Holy Sect’s reputation. This is not something to joke about.”
“Besides, Senior Brother, you have lost all your cultivation. If you leave the sect, where else in this world can you find a place to stand?”
His every word was filled with concern, his tone sorrowful.
Yet, at the same time, he was subtly reminding everyone of a fact—Lu Chen was now a cripple, a useless man who could still breathe only because of the Mystic Spirit Holy Sect’s charity!
Lu Chen studied the young man before him—Qi Ze.
Ha! This Junior Brother of his was still just as skilled at pretending!
Cruel, sinister, and hypocritical!
As expected, after Qi Ze spoke, the elder steward’s face turned red with anger.
“Lu Chen, you have a truly vicious heart!”
“It is well known that you are a hero of the Mystic Spirit Holy Sect. If we expel a hero from our sect, our reputation will be completely ruined!”
“You must have planned this from the start, knowing that the Sect Master wouldn’t allow it. So now you’re using this as leverage—do you think you can make everyone bow to your will?”
“Since you returned from the Demonic Cave, the Holy Sect has treated you well. How can you be so ungrateful?”
One accusation after another rang through the hall, making those who had been unsure suddenly see things more clearly.
Some even started speculating boldly.
“Lu Chen’s mind is so deep and scheming? If that’s the case, then was his three hundred years in the Demonic Cave just a lie?”
“I’ve heard that the Demonic Cave is full of rare treasures. What if Lu Chen stayed there just to hoard them all for himself?”
With the rumors spreading, Lu Chen’s three hundred years of sacrifice were completely erased.
All the trust and respect he had once earned vanished like smoke.
Lu Chen forcefully suppressed the emotions raging in his heart.
Right now, he had not yet recovered his cultivation—he didn’t even have the strength to fight them.
The only thing he could do was leave as quickly as possible.
At this moment, he no longer wished to argue.
Looking at his master and fellow disciples, whom he had once risked his life to protect, he only found it laughable!
Lu Chen’s eyes grew resolute.
Why was he still here?
Only a fool would let them continue to manipulate him!
Nearby, Qi Ze’s expression momentarily flashed with disgust.
But when he raised his head again, he was still the same refined and elegant prince of Beili, exuding nobility.
“Elders, please don’t jump to conclusions. Senior Brother Lu Chen has done much for our sect.”
“I believe that even if he did something wrong, there must be a reason behind it.”
“Senior Brother Lu Chen has no cultivation left. If Master insists on this, he really will leave the sect.”
Upon hearing this, many elders shook their heads.
Chi Lingxiao looked heartbroken.
“Junior Brother is just too kind. Even at a time like this, he’s still speaking up for that villain!”
“Lu Chen is scheming and deceitful. What he has done today is a disgrace to our sect!”
“If we let him go unpunished, who knows what other terrible things he might do in the future?”
Qi Ze sighed helplessly, his face filled with regret.
“Senior Brother, why don’t you just admit your mistake? You could at least lessen your punishment. After all, the sect is your home.”
Lu Chen wanted to laugh.
This sounded even better than a rehearsed play.
But in truth, Qi Ze must have been hoping for this outcome all along, right?
Coughing heavily, Lu Chen mimicked Qi Ze’s tone and replied, “Since you call me Senior Brother, then stay out of my business.”
Qi Ze was stunned, then immediately put on a look of grievance.
Chi Lingxiao stepped in front of Qi Ze protectively, glaring at Lu Chen angrily.
“Junior Brother, you don’t need to bother with someone like Lu Chen!”
After saying this, she shot Lu Chen a furious glare, her eyes practically spitting fire.
Yu Yanxue hesitated.
For three hundred years, Lu Chen had given everything to the sect. His statue still stood tall on the main peak of the Mystic Spirit Holy Sect.
If she expelled him today over the spiritual spring incident, it would make her look petty as a Sect Master.
But if Lu Chen voluntarily left, that was a different matter entirely.
Yu Yanxue’s expression turned cold. “Lu Chen, do you really wish to leave?”
“Sect Master, if I stay in the sect, I will only hinder Junior Brother’s future.”
“And when that day comes, it will also put you in a difficult position.”
“Since the founding of the Mystic Spirit Holy Sect, there has never been a case of two masters ruling the sect. For the sake of everyone’s well-being, I ask that you consider my request seriously.”
Yu Yanxue’s body trembled, staring at Lu Chen in disbelief.
Was he insane?
This was a matter of the sect’s leadership, and yet he spoke of it so lightly?
And he had even exposed their true intentions openly!
“You’re talking nonsense!”
Meeting Yu Yanxue’s gaze, Lu Chen calmly spoke.
“Master, what I’m saying is not wrong.”
“When I returned from the Demonic Cave, I was unconscious for months. You once promised me that if I woke up, you would pass the Mystic Spirit Holy Sect to me.”
“I’m sure, Master, that when you realized I had lost all my cultivation and spiritual roots, you must have deeply regretted that promise, didn’t you?”
“Now that all your hopes are placed on Junior Brother, please show me mercy and grant me my freedom.”
“I would be forever grateful!”
Yu Yanxue’s face turned pale—her composure shattered.
What he said was exactly what she had been thinking. But hearing it come from Lu Chen’s own mouth made it feel… different.
Her eyes flickered toward Chi Lingxiao.
Chi Lingxiao immediately understood and snapped back.
“Lu Chen, don’t push your luck!”
“The Sect Master and the disciples have acknowledged your past contributions, but did you really think you would be the future Sect Master?”
“Look around—what sect in the entire Great Zhou Empire would allow a cripple to become its leader?”
“If not for the Holy Sect protecting and supporting you, you would have died countless times by now!”
“Even if we allow you to leave, we are already showing you great mercy!”
Yu Yanxue pretended to scold, “Enough! Mind your words!”
BOOM!
A thousand-pound stone pillar in front of them suddenly shattered!
Dust filled the air, and the deafening noise stunned everyone.
Chi Lingxiao immediately shut her mouth and took several steps back in alarm.
Most of the people present were in the Golden Core Realm—they couldn’t withstand the pressure of a Transcendent Realm cultivator.
Lu Chen was in an even worse state.
His chest felt heavy, his throat burned, and before he could react, he coughed up blood!
Moments later, the hall’s oppressive atmosphere faded.
“Lu Chen, think carefully. If you leave the sect, there will be no turning back.”
“Once you step onto the Bridge of No Return, all ties to the sect will be severed.”
“From then on, we will be strangers—our past grievances will be carried away by the wind.”
Everyone held their breath.
Was this a test?
Or… was the Sect Master truly letting him go?