“Elder Rowe has attained the rank of Master for sixty years now, with a profound accumulation, even greater than mine.”

The middle-aged scholar said, “His Yin Spirit is deeply cultivated, enough to divide and multiply. Even if he encounters a formidable enemy, it will not be completely destroyed. But because of this division, it becomes weakened and more susceptible to harm... I have already warned him not to rely too much on the Nine Divine Butterflies, but he insisted on not listening, and even bestowed the Nine Divine Butterflies upon his disciple. I never expected that today he would suffer such a loss, nearly losing his own life as well.”

As he spoke, the middle-aged scholar shook his head slightly and said, “Even if he manages to awaken in the future, and we assume the best-case scenario, his cultivation will be reduced by at least seventy percent, and he may even lose hope of advancing to a higher level.”

The boy said in a trembling voice, “There are nine Nine Divine Butterflies in total, but only one was lost. How could the injury be so severe?”

The middle-aged scholar glanced at him and said indifferently, “You, as a Dao-protecting disciple, are not a cultivator but a martial artist. Among the Dao-protecting disciples, your martial skills are just at the entry level. Let me ask you, with your abilities, how many ordinary disciples could you handle?”

The boy lowered his head slightly and said, “To fight ten at once would not be difficult.”

The middle-aged scholar said indifferently, “If I cut off one of your arms, how much of your ability would remain?”

The boy was stunned for a moment, then said softly, “I practice martial arts, and my moves are connected. If I lose an arm, less than one-tenth of my strength would remain.”

The middle-aged scholar said, “You weigh a hundred jin, and if I cut off one arm, how many jin would that be? Yet your martial skills would be reduced to less than one-tenth…”

Upon hearing this, the boy suddenly understood, but his expression became even more unpleasant.

The middle-aged scholar said calmly, “You weigh a hundred jin, but if I take one of your internal organs, could you survive?”

The boy’s heart trembled, and he hurriedly knelt down, saying, “My cultivation is shallow, I could not survive.”

The middle-aged scholar stood with his hands behind his back and said, “Elder Rowe has lost a soul, which is far more serious than losing an arm. If he only loses seventy percent of his cultivation, that is already the best outcome I can predict. And you, as a Dao-protecting disciple, were guarding his place of seclusion, yet did not know he was so gravely injured. By rights, you should be executed, but since this happened in the Central Plains and is not much related to you, I will not take your life—only cut off one of your arms. Do you have anything to say?”

The boy said in a trembling voice, “I have nothing to say.”

A cold flash swept by.

An arm fell to the ground.

Blood stained half his body.

The boy’s face turned deathly pale, his eyes dull, trembling constantly, yet he dared not cry out.

“With one arm severed and your strength lost, you are no longer fit to be a Dao-protecting attendant. Go serve as a menial disciple at the front hall.”

The middle-aged scholar waved his hand.

The boy, as if granted amnesty, endured the severe pain, trembling as he kowtowed and said, “Thank you, Sect Master.”

The middle-aged scholar paid him no heed, but looked at Elder Rowe lying on the stone bed, shook his head slightly, and said, “Always so careless. You suffered a great loss today—let’s see how you manage in the future.”

As he spoke, the middle-aged man looked southward, his gaze sharpening, and said, “To be able to sever a Master’s Yin Spirit, this person’s cultivation is likely above Elder Rowe, and even surpasses mine.”

“Who did Samuel Young provoke on this trip?”

“With Samuel Young’s level of cultivation, how could he have provoked such a profound figure?”

“In any case, for an elder of our sect to suffer such a blow cannot be ignored. I must personally go to the Central Plains to investigate.”

With these words, the middle-aged scholar approached Elder Rowe and said, “You have done me a favor. In seven days, I will go to the Central Plains on your behalf. If I can seek justice for you, all the better. If the other party truly possesses profound cultivation, you cannot blame me.”

As his words fell, the quiet room became deathly silent.

The middle-aged scholar closed his eyes slightly.

To sever a Master’s Yin Spirit, aside from someone with profound cultivation, there is another possibility.

That is a supreme treasure!

A wondrous artifact capable of severing the soul!

The foundation of our sect lies in the Dao of Gu and the Dao of Soul—these two are paramount.

A supreme treasure that can sever the soul is precisely what our sect fears most.

He opened his eyes, which were filled with complex emotions.

Both fear and anticipation.

“If it is a person of profound cultivation, I will make a brief inquiry and return immediately, not provoking him.”

“But if it truly is such a treasure, and I am fortunate enough to obtain it, I could intimidate the entire sect and subdue the main branch—not just remain the sect master of this branch.”

……

Central Plains.

Luoyue County.

The morning light was clear, the air fresh.

Yet the courtyard was still in utter disarray, a shocking sight.

William Green had calmed the surrounding villagers, and Ethan Woods had also made a brief appearance to quell their doubts.

As for last night’s events, the official explanation was simply that the Thunder God manifested his power, vanquished evil demons, cleansed the miasma, and restored peace to the area.

The manifestation of the Thunder God, though somewhat fantastical to the people, was convincing enough since Ethan Woods had always been known for his supernatural qualities.

“This incident has temporarily subsided. In the afternoon, summon Magistrate Fang for me—I will discuss matters with him. As for this mess, we’ll clean it up tomorrow.”

After a pause, Ethan Woods sighed and said, “That young man named Henry Sutton, go check on him.”

Hearing this, William Green’s heart sank slightly. He was not familiar with Henry Sutton, nor could he call them friends, but after all, he was a young man with little experience, and thoughts of life and death weighed on him.

Henry Sutton, just yesterday before his eyes, was still a living, breathing person.