Chapter Seventy-Eight: Among the Clouds

This trial seemed destined to be rendered void. Fang Lang had calculated everything perfectly, confident that Fang Yuan could easily handle these forty challengers, teach the juniors a lesson, and give himself something to boast about before the other elders as proof of his ingenuity.

But unexpectedly, Ye Sansi emerged halfway through. His martial prowess was so profound that not even the arts of Square Inch Immortal Isle could match him, though at first glance, he appeared utterly ordinary.

Descending onto the training field, Fang Lang waved his hand lightly, instantly suspending Ye Sansi in midair, rendering him immobile. As he cast his spell, he muttered to himself, "How could someone so young possess such strength? I must see for myself—who are you really?"

Liu Lingshuang and the others grew anxious, rushing forward together, but Fang Lang—disdainful of these ordinary folk—waved his hand again, easily blocking all five of them.

Song Han sneered, "So this is the vaunted conduct of the Immortal Isle? Your senior disciple loses to Brother Sansi, and you become so incensed that you resort to bullying, simply because you have some measure of power?"

Li Bing chimed in, "Truly excessive. You set the rules, your disciple was bested fair and square, and you, as his master, respond so unreasonably? So this is the so-called enforcement elder of the Immortal Isle..."

All around, people ridiculed Fang Lang coldly. Though the chance to enter the Immortal Sect was exceedingly precious, in the wider martial world, encountering such injustice would surely prompt many to stand up for Ye Sansi.

Though Fang Yuan respected Fang Lang, he nonetheless stepped forward and said, "Master, this Young Master Ye is stronger than I, every move genuine and aboveboard, with no sign of cheating. To act thus is..."

"Foolishness," snapped Fang Lang, "This one carries a faint trace of demonic aura. I sensed it too, but thought perhaps he’d merely come into contact with some demon, which would be normal enough."

A moment later, Fang Lang smiled triumphantly, "As I thought—this one is a demon in disguise!"

At these words, everyone present—contestants, disciples, and elders alike—was astonished.

Ye Sansi still hung suspended in the air. Fang Lang continued, "At first sight, there was nothing remarkable about him. But the moment I cast my spell, there arose a force to counter me—one imbued with demonic power."

"What?" Liu Lingshuang could not believe it. The Ye Sansi she had spent so much time with was a demon? No, she refused to believe it. Surely Fang Lang was fabricating this for the sake of his pride.

Li Taiyi, thoroughly unconvinced, shouted, "Old man, and you call yourself an enforcement elder? Accusing Brother Sansi of being a demon without a shred of proof?"

"And what right have juniors like you to speak to me? If I say he is a demon, then he is! Today, I will rid the world of him, a service to the people!"

"You dare!" Liu Lingshuang, gripping the Spirit-Fire Musket in both hands, activated it in a breath, gathering spiritual energy that burst forth as a streak of fire toward Fang Lang.

Fang Lang did not evade. As the firelight drew near, it dissipated utterly. Fang Lang laughed, "Save your strength, girl. I will see this demon destroyed. You cannot stop me."

"Is that so?" Lin Nian’er took the Spirit-Fire Musket, aimed it at Fang Lang, gathered her power for a moment, and fired.

Fang Lang remained dismissive, intending to let them flail while he dealt with Sansi. Yet he considered that if Sansi were obliterated, the released demonic aura would surely pollute Square Inch’s sacred ground...

But as the musket’s spiritual blast neared, unlike Lingshuang’s, it did not disperse, retaining formidable force. Fang Lang hastily cast a spell to defend himself, but was struck and forced back several steps.

Though such a minor attack could not truly harm Fang Lang, he felt himself insulted. To be attacked and ridiculed by these juniors—what of the dignity of the enforcement elder?

Enraged, Fang Lang meant to teach these insolent youths a lesson. With a twist of his wrist, he conjured a mass of fire in his palm, intent on unleashing a sea of flames before the crowd, certain they would not dare to cross.

The fire surged toward them. Liu Lingshuang stood at the fore, unafraid. Li Taiyi clutched several talismans, ready to conjure a great shield to block the attack.

The blazing force drew near—one hundred paces, ten, then nine. When only five paces remained, the fire’s momentum faded, then transformed into ice, crashing to the ground in shards.

"You are not qualified to harm my friends!" It was Ye Sansi. He had broken free and landed on the training ground, Heaven’s Fury in hand, facing Fang Lang.

Liu Lingshuang cheered at his back, "It’s Heaven’s Fury! Heaven’s Fury, teach him a lesson! At worst, we’ll just run away—no need to stay on this wretched isle!"

Ye Sansi turned to her and said quietly, "It isn’t Heaven’s Fury—it’s me, Ye Sansi."

Then, facing Fang Lang, Ye Sansi laughed with disdain, gave a soft snort, and declared, "You call me a demon? I know not your motives, but you have surely slain many good demons—such is sin. By your own words, I too must act for the people’s sake!" With that, he leveled Heaven’s Fury at Fang Lang.

Several elders at the hall’s front moved to aid Fang Lang, but were restrained by Fang Jian, who smiled and said, "Brothers, there’s no need. As I’ve said, this Ye Sansi is the descendant of an old friend, not an enemy."

"But...but senior brother, he says the man is a demon, we..."

Fang Yuan coughed, clearing his throat before speaking slowly, "Is this how things stand now? Even the island lord’s word no longer matters? Must we always defer to the enforcement elder?"

"See, junior brother? It’s a misunderstanding. Of course we follow your will. Since you say this youth is an old friend’s descendant, we’ll keep watch, and if senior brother tries to kill, we’ll intervene."

Fang Jian nodded slightly.

On the training field, Ye Sansi attacked Fang Lang. This time he need hide nothing. Even if beaten to death, he would see justice done.

"Universe Lock!" Ye Sansi cast the spell at Fang Lang, shocking the crowd. How could an outsider know one of the Immortal Isle’s secret arts?

Fang Lang was caught off guard by this move. Once ensnared in the Universe Lock, he found himself unable to move.

Until now, only Fang Jian had been able to restrain Fang Lang in such a manner. He was baffled—how could a mere demon have mastered the profound arts of Square Inch to such an extent that even his own cultivation could not resist?

Ye Sansi smiled; he knew that, once caught, Fang Lang could not break free. This binding could last for half an hour.

He recalled a spell once cast by a disciple of Square Inch, called "Criminal Spirit Manipulation." Though he’d seen it only once, he remembered it well and had spent days pondering its nuances. Only last night did he finally comprehend its mysteries, refining it with his own insights to create a new move: "Sifrost Spirit Manipulation."

This was no friendly match—Fang Lang had sought his life and attacked Lingshuang and the others. Such conduct could not be tolerated. One look at Ye Sansi’s eyes made clear: what followed would be killing moves.

Fang Lang, immobilized, could only endure Ye Sansi’s attacks. None of the elders moved to intervene—first, because of Fang Jian’s words, for none wished to cross him; second, because they understood Fang Lang’s strength, and did not doubt he could withstand a single blow from this youth.

Ye Sansi struck, unleashing "Sifrost Spirit Manipulation," gathering all his strength into his palm, twisting his wrist, and striking with the "Five Evils Palm" directly at Fang Lang’s chest.

The gap between their powers, however, remained considerable. Fang Lang used the impact to break the Universe Lock, counterattacking immediately—Ye Sansi had not expected him to break free so swiftly.

But Fang Lang was no easy opponent. Seeing Ye Sansi’s assault, he became ever more certain the youth was a demon.

Fang Lang adapted quickly, matching Ye Sansi’s spell with one of his own: first, a Universe Lock to fix Ye Sansi in place, then channeling all his power into his right hand and striking hard at Ye Sansi.

"Not good, senior brother has gone mad! Even we could not withstand such a blow, let alone this youth. Junior brother, we must act quickly!"

But Fang Jian remained unhurried, holding them back. "No rush. A friend is coming..."

Just as Fang Lang’s palm struck Ye Sansi’s chest, an unseen force dissolved the attack, turning it soft and powerless.

"What...what is happening?" Fang Lang was dumbfounded. Not even the island lord, Fang Jian, possessed such power. Could there truly be a great master present on the island?

Fang Lang staggered back several steps, no longer daring to act rashly. Whoever had aided Ye Sansi—be they immortal, demon, god, or spirit—he knew his own feeble strength could not compare.

Above, the drifting clouds gathered, forming the shape of the Eight Trigrams. A deep, resonant voice echoed from the heavens: "This Ye Sansi is under my protection!"

All the elders sensed at once that this was no ordinary person. Feeling the presence, they realized he must already have set foot on the immortal path; if he wished, he could reduce the isle to ruins. Fang Lang became deeply deferential, bowing and saying, "Might I ask the senior’s purpose in gracing our humble isle—merely to protect this demon?"

"Insolence!" thundered the figure in the clouds. "Who are you to so blithely declare this youth a demon, and then question me? Are you worthy?"

Fang Lang replied, "Senior, your words are unfair. I admit your cultivation is unmatched, and we are no match for you, but Square Inch Immortal Isle is revered throughout the world. For you to trespass in this manner is hardly appropriate."

"Trespass? I come and go as I please—the two layers of wards outside the isle might as well be nothing. Besides, this island belongs to all under heaven; how can it be yours alone?"

Fang Lang smirked, "Senior, I concede your power, and we could not withstand you even together. But the immortal wards of Square Inch Isle are not to be underestimated. If I activate them, even you may be reduced to ashes..."

"Oh? Is that so?" The figure in the clouds laughed. The Eight Trigrams radiated golden light. "The formation you speak of—is it this one?"

At that, a sigil appeared above the Hall of Universe, followed by eight beams of golden light illuminating the other halls, dividing into eight, then into seventy-two. In an instant, the entire isle was covered by a luminous array.

"What? Impossible!" Fang Lang was panic-stricken, staring up at the sky in disbelief. "How can this be? How can you control Square Inch’s protective array?"

Fang Jian hurried to the field, approached Fang Lang, bowed first to the figure in the clouds, then said to Fang Lang, "Senior brother, you are reckless indeed—how dare you question the senior before he even spoke? Such disrespect!"

"This..."

Fang Jian addressed the figure in the clouds: "Senior, please forgive us. My elder brother did not recognize you. If he has offended, I beg you not to take it amiss."

With these words, the island’s formation finally dissipated. Fang Jian continued, "This young Ye Sansi, I have already acknowledged. He has passed both trials by default. I meant to take him as a disciple, but my muddle-headed brother..."

"But junior brother, this man truly is a demon in disguise."

Fang Jian replied, "Senior brother, you still do not understand? Instead of suspicion, why not seek evidence? Let me ask you: have you heard of the demon plague in Lingzhou?"

"Of course—I recall four of our disciples were trapped there and only just returned yesterday, reporting to us in the Hall of Universe. But what does that have to do with today?"

"Do you know who subdued the demons?"

"I do not..."

"When the disciples were rescued, they heard the name—Ye Sansi."

"Junior brother, you mean..."

Fang Jian smiled. "If I am correct, the demonic aura on Ye Sansi comes from Lingzhou."