Elder Han rushed forward.
"Stop!"
But before he could take a second step, Shen Chu appeared before him and blocked his path.
A trace of fear appeared in Elder Han's heart.
Seeing Yan Xue screaming in agony, Riven simply placed a hand upon his chest. Instantly, the screaming stopped.
The sudden silence startles everyone as Yan Xue's mouth is still wide open. His face remained twisted in agony, and the veins on his neck bulged violently.
It was obvious that he was still suffering, yet not a single sound escaped his lips.
The entire hall fell silent as many disciples looked at one another nervously. The scene was simply too strange.
Riven smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's almost finished."
The moment his words fell, the crimson flower rooted in Yan Xue's chest suddenly began to bloom, and petal after petal unfolded.
A soft crimson radiance spread through the hall as dense qi fluctuations erupted from the flower.
As everyone watched in disbelief, the spiritual energy inside the hall became chaotic.
Even Shen Chu had never witnessed such a phenomenon before.
Within moments, the flower reached full bloom. Then suddenly it began to wither.
Its beautiful petals shriveled and its radiance faded.
The roots embedded deep within Yan Xue's flesh rapidly lost vitality. Riven calmly grasped the stem and pulled.
Thin roots emerged from Yan Xue's chest as blood dripped onto the stretcher while Yan Xue's body trembled violently.
When the roots fully emerged, Riven casually flicked the flower into the air.
The withered flower then turned into countless specks of dust.
Everyone stared blankly toward the sky. No one understood what had just happened, but several people immediately noticed something else.
The expression of Shen Chu, the sect master, and the hall master gradually changed as though they had suddenly realized something.
The moment the flower disappeared, Yan Xue's pain vanished, and he slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Riven's smiling face, and for a brief moment confusion appeared in his eyes.
Then arrogance returned.
He immediately struggled to sit up. Looking around and seeing the gathered elders, his confidence surged.
He pointed directly at Riven and said in a haughty tone, "I warned you before, didn't I?"
"If you dared touch me, there would be consequences."
He laughed coldly.
"Now look, the sect master is here and even hall master is here."
"You won't escape punishment."
Then he turned toward Elder Han.
"Master, this fool attacked me. He should be severely punished."
Several disciples exchanged strange looks, and even Elder Han's expression became awkward.
Yan Xue had not yet realized what had happened as he stepped toward Elder Han.
A strange expression appeared on his face, as something felt wrong.
He looked down at his hands, then at his chest, then back at his hands and slowly closed his eyes.
"Huh?"
His voice trembled.
The hall became quiet.
Moments later, his eyes snapped open and fear filled them.
"Master, I think there is something wrong with me."
Elder Han hurried over.
"What happened?"
Yan Xue's voice shook.
"Master... I..."
"I don't know why, but I can't feel qi."
The hall exploded into chaos.
Elder Han's face instantly turned pale, and without hesitation, he grabbed Yan Xue's wrist and sent spiritual energy into his body.
The deeper he investigated, the more horrified he became.
Nothing appeared damaged, but his spiritual roots and even meridians, along with his cultivation, had vanished completely.
Cold sweat appeared in Elder Han's forehead as he slowly looked toward Riven.
"What have you done to him?"
Riven was smiling as he looked at them. "It's the payment for human trafficking and shifting the blame to innocent ones."
Silence.
The words struck like thunder, and every gaze immediately shifted to Yan Xue and Elder Han.
Elder Han immediately shouted.
"Why are you wrongly accusing him? Where is the proof that he was with the group?"
"How can you accuse someone without proof?"
An amusing smile appeared on Riven's face. He looked directly at Elder Han and said, "Why would I need proof?"
"I know it's you, and that's enough for me to act."
Those simple words carried an overwhelming certainty, and no one dared speak.
Even Elder Han felt a chill run down his spine. He felt as though every secret he possessed had been laid bare before those blue eyes.
Riven turned away and looked at Shen Chu, "With everything sorted out, we should leave."
Shen Chu nodded, as neither of them seemed interested in remaining.
As they walked outside, nearly everyone followed, and the sect master personally accompanied them.
No one dared to remain behind.
The moment they stepped outside, Riven suddenly stopped, and his gaze shifted toward the distant horizon.
Seeing this, Shen Chu also looked in the same direction, yet he saw nothing.
A frown appeared on his face as he spread his spiritual sense outward, but he still found nothing.
Then a faint silhouette appeared within his vision.
His pupils contracted.
The figure was visible to his eyes, yet completely absent from his spiritual sense.
Not only Shen Chu, but even the sect master and hall master noticed the anomaly.
Slowly, the silhouette approached.
A middle-aged man entered everyone's sight. Silver-white hair rested upon his shoulders with a simple sword hung at his waist.
His appearance was ordinary, yet the moment people looked at him, they felt an indescribable pressure.
It was not qi, nor cultivation, but simple presence.
The man smiled warmly as he walked forward.
The sect master's eyes widened, and he bowed without hesitation.
"Sword Immortal."
"Welcome to Drifting Mist Pavilion."
When the crowd heard the sect master say "Sword Immortal," the place immediately went silent, and after some time, everyone immediately bowed to him and also greeted him, saying, "Greetings, Sword Immortal."
"The Sword Immortal?!"
"The Sword Immortal has come personally?!"
The title alone carried enough weight to shake the entire plane.
Most of the cultivators in the plane knew the existence of the "Sword Immortal."
The Heavenly Sword Sect, the strongest sect in existence. Its founder had once been the Sword Immortal's disciple.
No one knows his exact strength, but legends concerning him stretched back thousands of years.
Some claimed that he had lived for over three millennia, while others claimed that he never aged.
Regardless of which stories were true, everyone agreed on one thing: that he stood at the peak of the world.
Even Shen Chu respectfully clasped his hands.
"Sword Immortal."
The Sword Immortal nodded politely and then ignored everyone else as his gaze landed directly on Riven, and the smile on his face widened.
He clasped his hands, a gesture that caused countless jaws to drop.
"I have come to discuss a few matters with you, friend."
The world seemed to freeze as The Sword Immortal addressed someone as his equal.
The sect master felt his scalp go numb, and even the hall master forgot to breathe.
Previously, they imagined that the person was another spirit sovereign, yet they had still underestimated him.
Far, far underestimated him.