"Mu Hanyan, just based on your Huayu Temple, it seems that you are not qualified to convict me?" Zhao Xinghu said with a sneer.
"Huayu City, I have the final say! Whether you are qualified or not is also up to me." Mu Hanyan slowly drew out the Hanxiao Sword.
She had already made up her mind to make Zhao Xinghu pay the price he deserved, so who cared about qualifications? The strong were respected, this was the eternal truth. With her current strength, at least in Huayu City, she had the capital to be arrogant.
Anyway, the rules that Zhuge Qiu mentioned were just conventions, not laws, but defiling the maids in the temple was expressly prohibited by the law. Even if Zhao Xinghao, the elder brother who was the right priest of the Temple of Life, hated her to the core, what could he do to her?
"Okay, okay, you are worthy of being the master of a hall, you really have some courage. But it's easy to talk big, but I don't know if you have the strength to do so?" Seeing the determination in Mu Hanyan's eyes, Zhao Xinghu knew that it was impossible not to take action today, and slowly drew out his sword.
"The sword seizes the nine heavens, and the stars fill the sky!" With a long chant, Zhao Xinghu thrust the long sword in his hand towards Mu Hanyan's chest, and his left hand also made a very standard sword gesture.
A faint blue light flashed from the sword and quickly condensed into an ancient sword shadow with graceful lines. The air around it instantly became cold, and even the stone ground was covered with a layer of frost.
Zhao Xinghu, with his hair and beard fluttering in the wind, holding a sword in his hand, was full of arrogance, and he displayed the strength of a third-level Divine Heart Priest to the fullest.
I have to say that although this old man's character is extremely despicable, his cultivation foundation is still very solid. When he performs this magic, he really has some of the spirit of a master from outer space.
Clearly, he was very pleased with his appearance. He glanced at Mu Hanyan with disdain. She was merely a chief priest of the Life Temple. No matter how powerful she was, she couldn't possibly be stronger than a third-rank Divine Heart Priest like him. If she truly possessed such strength, she would have gone to the Life Temple long ago. The cultivation resources and divine manuals there were simply incomparable to those of the Flower Rain Temple.
Unfortunately, he did not notice the pity in the eyes of An Xiaxin and others.
"Swoosh!" A flash of fire passed by, and before the flaming spear even appeared, Zhao Xinghu flew out like a kite with a broken string.
"Bang!" Zhao Xinghu hit the wall heavily and a mouthful of blood spurted out.
It was not until this moment that the burning spear appeared before his eyes, hanging motionless in the air, pointing directly at Zhao Xinghu's heart.
"Impossible, how could you have such strength?" Zhao Xinghu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Mu Hanyan in disbelief.
Because the defeat was so sudden, he didn't even feel the level of Mu Hanyan's strength. But at least one thing was certain: Mu Hanyan's strength was definitely far above his.
No matter how hard he tried to think, he couldn't understand how a mere chief priest of a subordinate temple could have such power. If he had such power, why was he still staying in this damn place called Huayu City?
Sikong Qinglan, Shen Yuhe, and the others all looked at Zhao Xinghu with disdain. A mere third-tier Divine Heart Priest actually dreaming of challenging a seventh-tier Divine Heart Priest—wasn't that just pure madness?
He said it was impossible because he naturally thought that since Mu Hanyan was far more powerful than him, how could she still stay in Huayu City? However, how could he know that High Priest Mu also had thousands of multicolored soul beads hidden on his body? At least in the short term, there was no need to go to the Temple of Life for cultivation resources.
He certainly hadn't properly observed the current state of Huayu City. With the protection of the Ancient Tree of Life, even without the protective barrier of the temple's formations, Huayu City's cultivation conditions far surpassed those of the other twelve temples. If nothing unexpected happened, it wouldn't be long before Huayu City became a sacred place coveted by countless priestly families. It would surely sweep away its previous decline and become a prosperous city rivaling, perhaps even surpassing, the other main temple cities.
Moreover, the more prosperous and larger the main cities of other temples are, the higher the requirements for formations and barriers. A large part of the annual income is invested in the maintenance and blessing of the formations. However, Huayu City, which is protected by the ancient tree of life, does not need additional formations and barriers even if its scale is expanded several times. It is unknown how much wealth this will save.
As the chief priest of the Huayu Temple, how could Mu Hanyan possibly worry about the resources for cultivation?
Even if Zhao Xinghu didn't know that Mu Hanyan had a large number of colorful soul beads hidden on her body, she should have noticed the abnormality of the ancient tree of life outside the temple. However, he couldn't even think of this, which was a bit too stupid.
"Take him away, give him a hundred lashes, and then execute him on the spot!" Mu Hanyan said coldly. She would never show the slightest bit of mercy to such a vile and shameless person.
Zhao Xinghu's face turned pale. Looking at Mu Hanyan's expression, he knew that he was doomed today.
"Master Chief Priest, serving in the bedroom is a customary practice among all the major temples. Even if the Huayu Temple does not have such a rule now, Master Zhao is not guilty of ignorance. Isn't this punishment a bit too harsh?" Zhuge Qiu advised in a low voice.
Although he despised Zhao Xinghu's character and hoped he'd learn a lesson, he hadn't expected Mu Hanyan's lesson to be so severe. She knew his background, so hadn't she considered the consequences of her actions? By doing this, she wasn't just slapping Zhao Xinghong, the Right Priest of the Temple of Life, in the face; she was also slapping the Temple of Life in the face!
Originally, he wanted to find an opportunity to persuade Mu Hanyan in private, but he didn't expect Mu Hanyan to be so decisive and swift. She wanted to whip Zhao Xinghu 100 times and execute him on the spot. He didn't dare to delay any longer.
"Lord Zhuge, other temples belong to other temples. In my Huayu Temple, such filthy things will never be allowed to happen. No matter who comes to my Huayu Temple, they must obey the laws of the temple!" Mu Hanyan said with a firm expression.
The reason why she punished Zhao Xinghu so severely was, firstly, out of sympathy for Ruan Zhi. If she did not let Zhao Xinghu receive the punishment he deserved, she would not be able to face her conscience.
Secondly, it was for the long-term stability of Huayu City. The fact that people in Huayu City today didn't pick up things on the streets and left their doors unlocked at night was largely due to her personal prestige. However, if she wanted to maintain such stability for a long time, she couldn't rely solely on her personal prestige. Only by enforcing her orders could she win the support of the people.
If she lets Zhao Xinghu go today because of his background, she may let other criminals go in the future because of power or personal connections. How can the people of Huayu City love and trust her again?
Looking at Mu Hanyan's determined eyes, Zhuge Qiu couldn't help but feel respect in his heart. He wanted to persuade her again, but he didn't know how to start.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
