"Elder Qi, be careful!"

"Elder Qi, let me help you!"

Zhao Xu and Gu Hui hurriedly reached out to support him, still holding onto Qi Xie on either side.

"Getting old, my body isn't what it was, and my eyes have blurred; I can't see people clearly. I need to take a good look at Second Leader Cui."

Qi Xie's expression softened into a smile. With that smile, thousands of deep wrinkles appeared on his aged face, resembling ancient ravines.

"Elder Qi, we'll support you!"

Zhao Xu and Gu Hui helped Qi Xie walk toward Cui Yan.

Cui Yan felt an inexplicable pang of guilt and instinctively stepped back, but after glancing at the aged Elder Qi, his courage momentarily swelled.

He thought he was being overly cautious; an old man who had lost the God's Tablet, with only one of the Three Souls and Seven Spirits remaining, could barely walk. What was there to fear?

"So you are Leader Cui!"

Supported by Zhao Xu and Gu Hui, Qi Xie struggled to approach Cui Yan. The old man straightened his back with difficulty and looked up into Cui Yan's face.

Seeming to have seen Cui Yan clearly, he nodded with a smile.

"Greetings, Elder Qi!"

Cui Yan clasped his hands in greeting, and seeing Qi Xie smile, he unconsciously smiled back.

"Good! Good!"

The smile on Qi Xie's face suddenly intensified; but in a moment, it disappeared, replaced by a somber expression.

Suddenly, with a whoosh, Qi Xie gripped his wooden stick tightly and swung it in an arc toward Cui Yan's head.

Everyone was shocked by this unexpected strike as Qi Xie hit Cui Yan with the stick.

Cui Yan hadn't anticipated it either; he first panicked, then quickly regained his composure. Qi Xie was just a remnant soul, barely able to walk; a mere wooden stick couldn't possibly injure him.

He hesitated for a moment about dodging.

But in that brief moment of hesitation, suddenly...

Whoosh!

From Qi Xie's wooden stick, a green light emerged, tracing a path through the air with flickering light, whipping up a Wild Wind.

Bang!

The wooden stick struck right on top of Cui Yan's head, flashing with green light again as a violent power surged from the stick, hitting Cui Yan's head and spreading inside his skull.

"You..."

Cui Yan's eyes rolled back as he pointed at Qi Xie, his face showing anger, but his body slowly slumped to the ground.

"Elder Qi, you..."

Grand Elder Wu Jie suddenly stood up.

"Qi Xie, how dare you kill Cui Yan!" Zhou Pudu also stood up, angrily shouting at Qi Xie.

"Elder Qi, you... you... has your strength been restored?" Chen Fengshen couldn't believe it as he called out.

Zhao Xu and Gu Hui were stunned on the spot, and although they were close to Qi Xie, because they hadn't been on guard initially, they were unable to stop him, leading to Cui Yan being killed by Qi Xie.

Clearly, a special Divine Power had been attached to Qi Xie's stick, or else it would not have been fatal with a single strike.

"Why keep someone who betrays from within, continuing to jeopardize the Great Tang Ruins?"

Qi Xie, using the stick for support, struggled to stand erect. Even though he still appeared frail, a stern authority now marked his demeanor.

"Elder Qi, you were too impulsive!"

Wu Jie sighed deeply, noting that although Cui Yan had revealed the secret of the Netherlord's treasure, he hadn't given it to the enemy but to the Headquarters; at most, it was a mistake, not a capital offense.

"You... Qi Xie, how could you dare to kill Cui Yan?" Zhou Pudu screamed furiously, pointing at Qi Xie.

"Killed him I have, if need be, I'll face the consequences."

Unfazed by Zhou Pudu's words, Qi Xie said evenly to Grand Elder Wu Jie, "Grand Elder, I've killed the Second Leader, Cui Yan. Please, Grand Elder, punish me however is seen fit, whether it be death or imprisonment, I, Qi Xie, accept all."

"You... you... you..."

Zhou Pudu was furious, pointing at Qi Xie and wanting to curse, but not knowing what to curse about, while Qi Xie's attitude clearly showed he didn't care what kind of punishment might come his way.

The next moment, his expression turned serious, and he turned to Grand Leader Wu Jie, "Grand Leader, I believe Qi Xie killing Cui Yan should be answered with his own life."

"Answered with his life? Haha!"

Qi Xie smiled, "Here is my life, Grand Leader. If you want me to answer for Cui Yan's life, just come and take it."

"Qi Lao, you are too impulsive. Although Cui Yan made a mistake, he certainly shouldn't have died!"

Wu Jie shook his head, deeply regretful, then turned to Zhou Pudu and said, "Second Leader, don't be hasty, let me ask about the situation first."

Zhou Pudu fiercely waved his sleeve, using it to express his inner dissatisfaction, knowing that even though Cui Yan was killed, Grand Leader Wu Jie was not willing to have Qi Xie die in his stead.

"Qi Lao, why did you kill Cui Yan?" Wu Jie turned to Qi Xie to ask.

Qi Xie said solemnly, "Betraying us from within, revealing the Great Tang Ruins' secrets, plotting against our own people, does he not deserve to die?"

Wu Jie said, "You said Cui Yan betrayed us from within. He merely reported to the Headquarters that Wu Yan carried the full set of Netherlord's treasures."

"Our Great Tang Ruins are also part of the Alliance, and are in a subordinate relationship with the Headquarters. Strictly speaking, Cui Yan reporting the secrets of the Netherlord's treasures to the Headquarters cannot be considered betraying from within."

"As for plotting against our own people, there was indeed some friction between Cui Yan and Wu Yan, but it was just a personal conflict. Plotting against Wu Yan, likewise, does not merit death."

"Qi Lao, you shouldn't have killed Cui Yan."

Qi Xie's aged face showed a candid smile, "I've already killed him, what more can be done? At worst, I'll answer for it with my life. Grand Leader, do whatever you wish in punishment, to kill or shave, I have no objections."

Grand Leader Wu Jie suddenly fell silent, seemingly deep in thought, appearing very conflicted.

After a while, he suddenly asked Qi Xie, "Cui Yan was in the early stages of the Divine Spirit Realm, possessed the Divine Spirit Tablet of the Kitchen God, and to kill him in one strike, not even allowing the Yin Soul to escape, is not something an ordinary person can achieve. I can't do it. Qi Lao, has your strength recovered?"

"Recovered, not exactly."

Qi Xie gently stroked his left sleeve with his right hand, "It's just that occasionally I can muster a bit of strength."

"That bit of strength you muster occasionally is astonishingly powerful!"

Wu Jie exclaimed, taking a deep look at Qi Xie, seemingly trying to see through his hidden power. However, this look revealed that there seemed to be a layer of fog surrounding Qi Xie's soul, making it impossible to see the real scene behind it.

Wu Jie's thoughts stirred, he exclaimed again, "It seems Qi Lao's strength has indeed recovered quite a bit."

"You killing Cui Yan cannot go unpunished. However, with invaders from beyond the skies, the Alliance is in need of people. If I kill you now, it would be akin to weakening the Alliance's strength."

"Enough, enough, redeem yourself with good deeds. Please go and guard the South Five Regions!"

The South Five Regions, facing the Curse Gate, have seen frequent movements from the Curse Gate in recent months, with constant major activities, making it arguably the most dangerous area of the Great Tang Ruins at the moment.

Further south from the South Five Regions is the Canglin Region, where the City God of Tai Cang lurks, possibly moving through the area between the Canglin Region and the South Five Regions to enter the Great Tang Ruins at any time.

And if the City God of Tai Cang wants to enter the Great Tang Ruins from the Canglin Region, he will undoubtedly have to pass through the South Five Regions too.

By assigning Qi Xie to guard the South Five Regions, he would face not only the Curse Gate but also the City God of Tai Cang.

This punishment was clearly quite severe.

Qi Xie smiled, "I have no objections."

Second Leader Zhou Pudu was unwilling, unable to help but challenge Wu Jie, "Grand Leader, Qi Xie just killed Cui Yan, and you're just assigning him to the South Five Regions to redeem himself?"

"If the Second Leader feels my punishment is inappropriate, you may report it to the Alliance Headquarters and ask them to send someone to handle it."

Wu Jie looked coldly at Zhou Pudu for a moment, quickly withdrew his gaze, and barked, "Meeting dismissed!"

Having said that, Wu Jie immediately used the Escape Art and left behind a trail of yellow Escape Light.

Zhou Pudu got snubbed, feeling somewhat irritated. He looked around at the people in the conference room, then looked at Qi Xie, who smiled at him, exuding an air of being above the petty concerns of life and death.

Hum!

Zhou Pudu expressed his anger with a snort and, stamping his foot, likewise used the Escape Art and left.

"Qi Lao, you were too impulsive!"

"Qi Lao, you really shouldn't have killed Cui Yan!"

...

Once Zhou Pudu left, several Grand Elders and the Third Leader Chen Fengshen gathered around Qi Xie, some offering words of comfort, others advising.

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