Born Defiant, Rebellious to the Bone

"Like hell I accept this!" Hearing those words, the senior deacons in the gallery were left dumbstruck, almost doubting their own ears. Yuanshi Tianzun had just told the headquarters' ten elders that like hell he accepted this? He was actually defying headquarters, challenging the highest echelon of power in the Five Elements Alliance. Had anything like this ever happened in the more than twenty years since the Five Elements Alliance was founded? In their eyes, headquarters was the core of power, the sanctuary of Spiritual Realm Walkers. Lofty and supreme, it held absolute sway over life and death, and its authority was beyond question. The deacons instinctively glanced toward the elders in the jury box, only to see the faces of these all-powerful Dominators twisted with shock and displeasure. Evidently, it never had. "On what grounds do you refuse!" Elder Dog leaped up, planted his paws on the tabletop, and barked, "What right do you have to contest headquarters' judgment? Seize him! Seize him at once!" He seemed enraged to the limit, baring his snow-white teeth, his black, button-like eyes churning with inscrutable emotions. The guards took several steps forward. At the same time, hurried footsteps echoed from the corridor outside the tribunal—a large squad of guards was rushing over. "Yuanshi Tianzun!" Huang Taiji said in a low, stern tone. "Say no more. Plead guilty!" Ever since Yuanshi Tianzun had slain Wei Yuanzhou in a fit of rage, the ten elders of headquarters had realized that this prodigy was untamed and defiant. Every ruling class in the world preferred its subjects and subordinates to be docile sheep. A prodigy born with a rebellious bone was nothing but trouble; hence, he had to be domesticated and beaten into line. An obedient subordinate was the only qualified successor. Yuanshi Tianzun's willful and perverse streak made it difficult for headquarters to groom him with peace of mind or entrust him with important positions. As one of the Four Young Masters, Huang Taiji understood the attitudes of the ten elders all too well, allowing him to grasp Elder Cai's objective immediately. Elder Cai wanted to force out Yuanshi Tianzun's rebellious streak, to show the other elders just how uncontrollable this prodigy was. To deal with a genius possessing the caliber of an Alliance Leader required a slow and calculated approach. Elder Cai had first destroyed his reputation and was now goading him into rebellion—scheming step by step, deeply cunning. "Yuanshi Tianzun, plead guilty!" an elder from the White Tiger Guards said in a deep voice. "Yuanshi Tianzun, plead guilty!" an elder from the Central Court spoke as well. "Yuanshi Tianzun, plead guilty!" One elder after another spoke up from the jury box. Only Fu Qingyang remained as unmoving as ever, maintaining his silence. "Yuanshi Tianzun, just plead guilty!" In the gallery, some had already realized the crux of the issue. Deacons on good terms with Zhang Yuanqing or well-disposed toward him began calling out one after another. "Just plead guilty!" "Yuanshi Tianzun, headquarters' punishment cannot be wrong. Don't let your temper get the better of you..." "Indeed, there's no need to throw everything away over a moment of pique." High on the judge's bench, Elder Cai sat with a majestic expression, resembling a god gazing down from the heavens. He seemed not even to deign to interrupt the clamor below. All the pressure converged upon Zhang Yuanqing, threatening to bend his spine and crush his will. *Stripping my equipment set, locking away my freedom... I risked my life fighting for the organization and achieved tremendous meritorious deeds, and this is what I get in return?* *Just because I won't submit to control, because I refuse to become a docile lamb?* A burst of arrogant, unrestrained laughter rang out across the noisy courtroom. "Plead guilty? On what grounds should I plead guilty?!" The young man on the floor grinned widely. Fearlessly, he stared straight at the ten elders, his expression carrying a hint of mockery, a touch of arrogance, and a flare of perversity. His spine was ramrod straight, as if some unyielding spirit and pride forbade him from bowing his head or bending his waist. For a fleeting instant, in Elder Dog's eyes, Yuanshi Tianzun's figure overlapped with that of Heavenly King Demonic Eye. In the gallery, the deacons frowned in unison. To be honest, they felt a tinge of disappointment and, at the same time, an aversion toward Yuanshi Tianzun's attitude. As senior deacons of the Five Elements Alliance, they shared honor and ruin with the organization, maintaining immense loyalty to it. Yuanshi Tianzun's blatant defiance of headquarters' verdict instinctively evoked their aversion and hostility. Raging Waves jumped in at the opportune moment, fiercely rebuking him: "Colluding with evil classes and murdering a colleague—is that not a crime?" Zhang Yuanqing burst into wild laughter. "You only mention that I killed a colleague, yet not a single word about what Cai Longshen did in that dungeon! "Cai Longshen was selfish and cowardly. Relying on his teleportation item, he cowered and shrank back during the main quest, standing idly by while Jiang Ju and Huang Taiji were besieged by the evil camp. He watched them die without lifting a finger, driving Jiang Ju to detonate himself in desperation and forcing Huang Taiji to bow his head and beg for help, only to be refused!" Zhang Yuanqing swept a piercing gaze across the elders, sweeping across the Ten Elders. "Every single one of you knows, yet you all pretend to be ignorant." Throwing all caution to the wind, he openly questioned the Ten Elders in court before everyone's eyes. In the gallery, the expressions of the Scarlet Fire Gang deacons shifted drastically—this was information they hadn't known. Meanwhile, the Mountain Gods of the Central Court darkened their faces, looking thoroughly displeased. "Bullshit!" Raging Waves reprimanded loudly. "Young Master Cai weighed the situation and made the most rational choice, merely avoiding the enemy's edge. How could that be fleeing battle? That is no excuse for you to murder him! Yuanshi Tianzun, the law knows no mercy. Don't think your glib tongue can twist the narrative!" "Who is the one twisting the narrative?!" Zhang Yuanqing roared. "Cai Longshen cowered and refused to fight, leaving his allies to die and attempting to bring about the demise of Jiang Ju and Huang Taiji! If you have a clear conscience, why don't you publicly display the reports submitted by Jiang Ju and Huang Taiji? Let everyone see whether I am lying or you lot are shameless!" Huang Taiji said in a deep voice, "Everything Yuanshi Tianzun said is the truth. I wanted to say it earlier, but Elder Cai did not permit it." The gallery erupted into an instant uproar. The furious Fire Masters began cursing out loud. Zhang Yuanqing called out loudly, "To turn the tide of battle, I risked death to proactively devour the boss's soul, which caused me to suffer mental derangement! I was the one who saved Huang Taiji and Jiang Ju! I was the one who wiped out the evil camp! "And what about Cai Longshen? Afraid of death, he curled up in the Sword Pavilion, watching coldly as his colleagues suffered! Once I turned the tide, he relied on being Elder Cai's grandson to intimidate me with his status, brazenly demanding the spoils of war! When I refused, he tried to seize them by force! "Never mind that I was mentally deranged at the time; even if I had been fully sober, a creature so vile and shameless—I, Yuanshi Tianzun, would have killed him all the same!" Zhang Yuanqing stepped forward from the dock, advancing two paces until he stood right beneath the judge's bench, glaring fixedly at Elder Cai: "May I ask, Elder Cai: where does my guilt lie? "Does it lie in killing a colleague, or in killing your grandson? Does this Five Elements Alliance belong to your Cai family? Does this world belong to your Cai family?!" His gaze swept past Elder Cai toward the nine elders seated high above: "Back when Demonic Eye wreaked havoc in Songhai and the branch elders were powerless, it was I who was ordered to infiltrate the evil syndicate and enlisted the aid of an Illusionist Dominator to capture Demonic Eye! "Do the headquarters elders truly not know what kind of person Past Without Traces is? After capturing Demonic Eye, you made all kinds of fanfare to trumpet the organization's might. Now you burn the bridge after crossing it, turning around to slander me—the meritorious hero—with colluding with evil classes! "This is the official organization? Bullshit organization! You're not even fit to compare to evil classes!" The clamor abruptly died down. He swung around abruptly and faced the gallery behind him: "Since I, Yuanshi Tianzun, joined the organization, I cleared S-rank dungeons, resolved the Holy Cup incident, wiped out the evil classes in the killing trial, and assisted the Songhai Branch in apprehending Demonic Eye and slaying the Lust Divine General! "In Qinfeng Academy, I quelled a murder case and saved my colleagues. In the Chaos of the Five Elements dungeon, I turned the tide... Every single one of these deeds, did I not buy them with my very life? Yet what have I received? "Everyone, what did I receive?!" He laughed wildly, laughed at the top of his lungs: "I became a criminal who colluded with evil classes! Haha! Hahaha..." Silence descended over the gallery. Looking at this arrogant, unyielding young man, everyone was visibly moved. Guan Ya's eyes reddened slightly. Xie Lingxi bit her lip, tears rolling down her cheeks. Yin Ji stared at him blankly. His wild laughter, his defiance, his perverse and fierce temperament—they resembled that man so very much. Sharing that same sensation was Miao Teng'er. Zhang Yuanqing turned back around to face Elder Cai. "Isn't today's trial solely because the person I killed was your grandson? What justice, what law—it's all utter bullshit! If you want vengeance, bring it on! Flay me, butcher me, I will take it! But a trumped-up charge—I, Yuanshi Tianzun, will never accept it!" He looked toward the nine elders again, his demeanor defiant: "Beaten into line? Domesticated? Elders, Yuanshi Tianzun is rebellious to the bone, born defiant!" His words resounded with powerful conviction, echoing throughout the courtroom. The onlookers stared blankly at this figure. That straight spine seemed like the hardest thing in the world. Seated on the central armchair, Grand Elder Dihong cast a glance at Elder Cai, then drew his gaze back. Looking at this arrogant, perverse young man, he said slowly, "Yuanshi Tianzun, do you know what you are saying? Do you know what you are forfeiting?" Zhang Yuanqing sneered coldly: "You may kill me, but you can never make me bow my head." The courtroom fell into utter dead silence. *** Outside the woods beneath clear blue skies, Commandery Princess Yinyao sat cross-legged in front of an antique shelf filled with materials, boredly fiddling with Qin dynasty coins and relics. —The Dominator-grade materials had already been placed into the guild warehouse by Yuanshi Tianzun. In the hat's pocket dimension, there was sunrise and sunset; Commandery Princess Yinyao clearly knew she had been hidden here for three days. She was getting restless and wanted to leave this miniature domain. It was not out of boredom—after all, she had spent centuries in an underground palace. Commandery Princess Yinyao was simply a bit worried about that guy. Three days without resolution meant the matter was even more troublesome than anticipated. It was indeed troublesome. That Cai Longshen fellow would have been the son of an imperial prince in her dynasty, a member of the imperial clan. If you killed an imperial clansman, would the imperial court ever let you off easy? Suddenly, a sizzling static sound came from a waist bag not far away. Commandery Princess Yinyao tilted her head to look over, and a man's deep singing voice echoed in her ears: "They say, give up your wildness, wipe it clean like dirt. They say, follow the steps on up, and the price is bowing your head." "Then let me... not... ride the wind. Proud just like you, that kind of lonely courage. Who says those battling the ordinary aren't heroes?" "Love you walking alone in dark alleys, love how you refuse to kneel, love how you faced despair and refused to weep..." *** *Killable, but never bendable!* Yuanshi Tianzun's words struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer. This was a defiant genius who had stripped away his disguise, laying bare his pride and character for all to see. Even if his future was ruined, even if he were thrown into prison... killable, but never bendable. At this moment, the senior deacons present finally realized where they fell short compared to a true prodigy. They lacked the courage to defy headquarters, lacked the courage to question the Ten Elders, lacked the courage to roar out in this courtroom: Born defiant, rebellious to the bone! Amid the heavy silence, Elder Cai said indifferently: "Yuanshi Tianzun colluded with evil classes, murdered a colleague, remains entirely unrepentant, and openly defied headquarters. Given the egregious nature of his offenses, detain him immediately. He will be retried on another day." Another day would not mean fines or forfeiting items. His objective was already achieved. After today, Yuanshi Tianzun would never be able to rise again. Yet, with Elder Cai's shrewdness and status, his emotions had long ceased to show on his face. As soon as his voice fell, a black-robed elder stationed outside stepped on surges of water and stormed into the courtroom. "Everyone, today it is the Five Elements Alliance that cannot tolerate me, not that I have wronged it!" Zhang Yuanqing gave a cold laugh. He opened his inventory, pulled out the teleportation jade talisman he had prepared long ago, and clamped it between his teeth. With the jade talisman in hand, even a Dominator could not stop him if he wished to leave. At worst, he would quit the Five Elements Alliance, wander the ends of the earth, and become a rogue cultivator. "Elder Cai, please reconsider..." "Fuck, I think Yuanshi Tianzun did nothing wrong! Cai Longshen drove Young Master Jiang to detonate himself—what was wrong with killing him?!" "Elders, this verdict cannot convince the masses! We request a retrial!" "The organization cannot treat a meritorious hero like this! This will never convince the public!" Amid the clatter of benches, most of the deacons in the gallery rose to their feet, with the Fire Masters yelling the loudest. Support tilted overwhelmingly in favor of Yuanshi Tianzun. Even the deacons of the Water God Palace chose to remain silent. Just as tensions reached the breaking point, a voice booming like thunder and exploding like dynamite rumbled across the courtroom: "What the bloody hell are you people doing?!" *Whoosh!* In the courtroom hall, a fiery tornado surged out of thin air, spinning rapidly with billowing waves of heat. The vast courtroom instantly turned into a scorching furnace, distorting the air. A burly, two-meter-tall figure emerged from the flames. He was composed of crimson molten flame elements, his facial features sculpted with precision and his garments rendered in crisp detail, resembling an elemental being out of legends. Fu Qingyang, who had remained expressionless all this time, finally curled his lips into a smile. Rising to his feet, he greeted: "Greetings, Gang Leader!"