Divine Emperor Demon Emperor

Chapter 350: Chapter 350: Testing Loyalty

As soon as the Supreme Elder in charge of the Punishment Hall fell silent, the Supreme Elder who guarded the Demon Beast Ridge spoke with a wry smile. ”The main culprit? Who else could it be but that kid who just underwent the Celestial Punishment?”

At these words, the other five Supreme Elders fell silent. Even the one in charge of the Punishment Hall wisely held his tongue.

’If it had been an ordinary disciple or even an Elder, I would have dragged them to the Punishment Hall without a second thought. But since Lin Yun was the one who did it, this is a tricky situation. After all, everyone here has acknowledged his talent.’

’This is someone with the potential to become a Demon Fiend. Undergoing a Celestial Punishment while in the Primordial Ocean Realm is an almost unheard-of event in the history of the Eastern Domain. As long as Lin Yun can develop safely, it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a Demon Fiend.’

”Alright, alright. Thankfully, it was only Tier Three Demon Beasts that died. Since it was that kid’s doing, let’s hear what the Palace Master has to say,” one of the Supreme Elders said with a laugh.

Hearing this, the others all turned to look at Luo Feng. ’Seeing all six of these old-timers looking at me, there’s no doubt they’ve passed the buck to me,’ Luo Feng thought. ’And the most infuriating part is, there’s no way for me to pass it back.’

After a dry laugh, Luo Feng said, ”Martial Uncles, it was my idea for Lin Yun to enter the Demon Beast Ridge. If someone is to be punished, let it be me.”

”Punish you?” the Supreme Elder guarding the Demon Beast Ridge repeated coolly upon hearing Luo Feng’s reply.

Tier Three Demon Beasts were precious, and the Supreme Elders certainly felt the sting of losing so many at once, but it wasn’t an unacceptable loss. Fortunately, Lin Yun hadn’t targeted the Tier Four Demon Beasts.

There were only twenty Tier Four Demon Beast Firebirds in the entire Demon Beast Ridge. If Lin Yun had killed even them, the Supreme Elders would have likely forced Luo Feng to step down as Palace Master.

After some discussion, the matter of Lin Yun slaughtering the Tier Three Demon Beasts in the Demon Beast Ridge was ultimately dropped. Even the Supreme Elder in charge of the Punishment Hall nodded in agreement.

After all, Lin Yun’s talent was plain for all to see. Furthermore, his entry into the Demon Beast Ridge had been orchestrated by Luo Feng himself. If they were to punish Lin Yun, Luo Feng would have to share the blame.

’Ever since Lin Yun had joined the Flawless Palace, everything Luo Feng had done for him had been on a whim. Yet, Lin Yun had never disappointed him. The incidents he caused grew progressively larger and more difficult to resolve each time.’

’From killing a servant disciple and a Steward at the start, to slaughtering half the Tier Three Demon Beasts in the Demon Beast Ridge, and now to today’s Celestial Punishment within the Flawless Palace... honestly, Lin Yun’s performance had completely shattered Luo Feng’s expectations.’

The group discussed Lin Yun’s situation in the Main Hall. These seven individuals were the strongest experts in the Flawless Palace, and among the most powerful beings in the entire Eastern Domain. And now, they were gathered together solely because of Lin Yun.

Getting to the heart of the matter, Luo Feng spoke first. ”Regarding Lin Yun’s Celestial Punishment, I believe it would be best if we kept this quiet. It would be a detriment to him if too many people found out.”

Facing such a critical issue, Luo Feng finally sounded like a Palace Master, and his point was well-reasoned.

Undergoing a Celestial Punishment while still in the Primordial Ocean Realm was a sensational event. If word got out to those with ill intentions, Lin Yun would be in grave danger. The other major powers, in particular, would never want to see someone like him develop safely within the Flawless Palace.

Hearing Luo Feng’s words, the Six Supreme Elders all nodded. Indeed, the matter of Lin Yun’s Celestial Punishment should not be known to outsiders.

After a brief discussion, they decided on a cover story: an Elder of the Flawless Palace had broken through to the Celestial Spirit Realm. They would tell this to everyone, including the palace’s own disciples. After all, with over one hundred thousand Flawless Palace disciples, there was no telling who might leak the information.

Fortunately, aside from the Six Supreme Elders, no one had seen Lin Yun during his breakthrough. The masses only knew that someone was undergoing a Celestial Punishment, but they didn’t know who.

”Good, it’s settled then. Only the seven of us here can know about this. Don’t even tell the Main Seat Elders,” the Supreme Elder who guarded the Demon Beast Ridge declared.

With the matter of Lin Yun’s Celestial Punishment settled, they moved on. There were still many questionable aspects to his breakthrough. For example, why had he broken through directly to the Sixth Layer of the Primordial Ocean Realm?

Luo Feng and the Six Supreme Elders were all suspicious about these things, but they had no intention of probing for answers. After all, everyone had their secrets.

”This Lin Yun is quite impressive, but he wasn’t nurtured by our Flawless Palace from the start. Shouldn’t his loyalty be a matter for consideration?” a Supreme Elder voiced.

”What are you suggesting, Martial Uncle?” Luo Feng asked, playing dumb.

”If we want to cultivate Lin Yun, we’ll have to invest the palace’s precious resources in him. If the boy has no loyalty or sense of belonging to the Flawless Palace, what happens if he grows powerful and betrays us in the future? Therefore, I suggest we test this boy’s loyalty before we commit to nurturing him.”

Hearing this Supreme Elder’s opinion, the others who had been planning to take Lin Yun as their disciple began to reconsider. His words made sense. After all, what would they do if a Demon Fiend they had poured all their resources into cultivating ended up betraying the Flawless Palace?

”I agree. If we’re going to use so many resources on one person, his loyalty must be guaranteed.”

”Mm, I agree as well. After all, the boy didn’t grow up in the Flawless Palace, and he hasn’t been a member for very long.”

Soon, all six Supreme Elders had voiced their agreement. Their intention wasn’t to make things difficult for Lin Yun, but to ascertain his character and his loyalty to the Flawless Palace.

If Lin Yun turned out to be a malicious and scheming person, the Flawless Palace certainly wouldn’t invest all its resources in cultivating him.

All in all, these Six Supreme Elders were truly honorable individuals, each one a person of integrity.

They needed to test Lin Yun’s loyalty and character, but how? Soon, the Six Supreme Elders once again turned to Luo Feng. The old woman among them spoke up, ”Palace Master, we’re all getting old. You come up with a way to test this young man, Lin Yun.”

Hearing this, Luo Feng, who had remained silent, felt his lips twitch. ’These old-timers are all talk,’ he thought. ’When it’s time to actually come up with a plan, every single one of them passes the buck.’

’Old? What old? With their level of cultivation, they could all easily live for another century or more without any problem.’

”Er... well...” Luo Feng stammered. How was he supposed to test Lin Yun’s loyalty on such short notice? ’Testing his strength or his cultivation would be easy,’ he thought, ’but how do you test for loyalty?’

The Six Supreme Elders watched Luo Feng, waiting for him to continue. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he actually came up with an idea. It was a bit of a dirty trick, but it should be perfect for testing Lin Yun’s loyalty to the Flawless Palace.

”Martial Uncles, I do have one idea, though I’m not sure if it’s feasible,” Luo Feng said.

”Tell us about it first,” the Supreme Elders replied.

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