After all, Venerable Mei had witnessed what had happened earlier.
Li Jue Tian, the once proud Great Master, had been grabbed by the throat by the Demon Lord and slammed into the ground in front of countless onlookers.
That moment had shattered years of accumulated prestige.
Yet the strangest part was that Li Jue Tian had not resisted with everything he had.
Of course, everyone present understood why because the gap between him and the Demon Lord had simply been too vast.
Even if he had fought desperately, the result would not have changed.
But now, Five Great Masters were standing together.
Their combined presence created a pressure so heavy that even the wind seemed to hesitate.
For any other opponent, such a lineup would have been absolutely terrifying.
Yet Venerable Mei merely stood there calmly, her elegant figure swaying slightly in the breeze. Her beautiful eyes slowly swept across the four Great Masters, and then she smiled faintly.
A smile that carried both amusement and faint anticipation.
After all, if they were going to fight together, how could she possibly refuse such an excellent opportunity?
A faint breeze passed across the battlefield, lifting the hem of Venerable Mei's black robe as she quietly observed the four Great Masters standing before her. Her gaze finally settled on Li Jue Tian.
For a brief moment, the faint mockery that usually lingered in her eyes softened slightly.
"Is it worth it?" Venerable Mei asked calmly. Her voice was neither cold nor sharp this time. Instead, it carried a trace of genuine concern. "You're using the 'Against the Heaven's Will Law'. You should understand what kind of price you will have to pay for this, Li Jue Tian."
She slowly shook her head. "Won't you reconsider before you make such a huge sacrifice? You'll only need to let go if you reconsider this now. And it will be reinstated in a few months. There's still time."
The surrounding experts immediately felt a strange sensation when they heard those words.
Venerable Mei was actually advising him to stop.
However, Li Jue Tian's reaction was completely different.
"No! It's too late! Too late!"
His voice suddenly became shrill, almost hysterical. The moment he shouted, the veins on his forehead bulged violently, and a frightening fire ignited deep within his eyes.
It was the fire of wounded pride and humiliation.
"Are you afraid, Venerable Mei?" He continued in a mournful yet furious tone. "You should've known that it becomes 'too late to turn around' the moment you smack someone in their face!"
His fists trembled violently. "I, Li Jue Tian, have a reputation. I also command respect amongst people. And, this is the only way I can wash away this kind of humiliation. There's no other way!"
The wind seemed to pause for a moment, and then a soft laugh floated through the air.
"Oh? Afraid…? I'm afraid of you…?"
Venerable Mei's laughter was light and melodious, like silver bells chiming in the wind. Her black robe swayed gently as she tilted her head slightly. "So, is killing me the only way to wash away your shame?"
Her tone carried a playful teasing that made several experts in the distance feel chills run down their spines.
"That's it!" Li Jue Tian's face twisted with stubborn determination, and he replied seriously. "This is a matter of this Li's lifetime worth of reputation and status. So, I request that Venerable Mei doesn't act stingy with her life!"
The moment those words left his mouth, a ripple of astonishment passed through the spectators.
Requesting someone not to be stingy with their life...
Such bold arrogance could only come from someone who had already thrown away his own.
"Not be… stingy with my life?" Venerable Mei blinked slowly before letting out another amused laugh. She raised an eyebrow slightly. "You're asking me to not be stingy with my life while you're being stingy with your insignificant reputation…?"
Her tone suddenly became colder. "You should know that your reputation is nothing in my eyes."
The faint smile on her lips carried a merciless edge.
"I had advised you a moment ago. It was the mercy of a superior master. It was given in charity and pity." She casually waved a hand. "That was a rare act which originated from a good frame of mind of mine. And so, I had been that kind to you."
Her eyes suddenly sharpened. "But, you actually took it as fear…?"
A soft sneer appeared on her lips. "You're genuinely as naïve as the frog in the well!"
Several people nearby instinctively lowered their heads.
Those words were as sharp as blades.
"How will you be able to take my life… if that's your skill level, Li Jue Tian?" Venerable Mei shook her head lightly while continuing to smile. Her voice became almost playful. "I'm afraid that you'll lose your head instead."
Li Jue Tian's eyes burned with fury, yet he forced himself to remain calm.
"Venerable Mei has decided too early regarding whose head will fall!" He snorted heavily.
"Venerable Mei has spoken the truth. My reputation is of little value in your eyes." He clenched his fists tightly. "But, it's much more important than my 'head' in my own!"
For a brief moment, silence returned, and then Venerable Mei sighed softly. "I fear that the ranking of the Great Masters will change again after today's battle ends."
Her voice carried a faint hint of disappointment. "I had harbored misgivings for many years regarding the reputed Rainstorm Master's life."
Her gaze slowly shifted toward the distance where Bu Kuang Feng stood quietly observing the battle.
"Then, Feng Juan Yun's cultivation reached a sufficient level, but he wasn't able to become a Great Master."
She chuckled softly. "He he… there will be an empty spot after today."
Her eyes glimmered mischievously. "And, I suppose that Feng Juan Yun wouldn't be able to back away from the duty even if he wanted to, right?"
Bu Kuang Feng immediately gave an awkward smile from afar.
"The title of Master Rainstorm doesn't apply to me anymore," He replied humbly. "Venerable Mei makes me feel small with those words."
Venerable Mei merely snorted in response before shifting her gaze again. "And then there's this Cold-Blooded Master."
"He had fought one battle. But, he was still taken up arms against me!" Her eyes landed on Lei Wu Bei, and Her lips curved slightly. "He has presumably come as a scapegoat, right?"
A few nearby experts gasped quietly.
"I genuinely don't know what he thought while he was taking this action." Her voice turned colder. "Does he think that I won't kill a Great Master?"
The battlefield suddenly became extremely quiet.
Her words were not simple mockery, but they were weapons.
Her words were like invisible blades aimed directly at the minds of her opponents.
She had first shaken Li Jue Tian's unstable emotions. Then she casually exposed the painful truth behind Feng Juan Yun's failure to become a Great Master, a truth that implied Solitary Falcon had simply been the lucky one.
And now she aimed directly at Lei Wu Bei, causing the Cold-Blooded Master's expression to change subtly.
For many years, suspicion had always lurked in the depths of his heart.
He trusted no one, not even his allies.
Venerable Mei's words struck directly at that hidden weakness.
The competition between the Great Masters had always been ruthless.
If sacrificing Lei Wu Bei could create an opening, wouldn't the others gladly allow him to take the first blow?
And afterward, they could seize the opportunity to launch a devastating counterattack and claim the glory for themselves.
Wouldn't that be the perfect outcome?
Lei Wu Bei's face slowly darkened as the glorious halo of 'hero of the continent' still hung above his head.
But what was that title worth to a corpse?
A faint ripple of unease spread among the four Great Masters.
Then a gentle chuckle suddenly broke the tension.
"Venerable Mei's psychological attack is very sharp!" Shi Chang Xiao smiled warmly. "This Shi genuinely admires it!"
He folded his hands calmly behind his back. "However, I fear that the Venerable Mei is aiming at the wrong targets."
His voice remained relaxed, yet it carried a subtle authority. "The five of us are veterans of hundreds of battles."
He glanced briefly at his companions. "One can even say that we are the originators of psychological warfare."
A faint smile appeared on his lips. "Is Venerable Mei looking down on us by using this against us?"
His tone became slightly more serious. "The fact is that the four of us are the same."
"But, let's come back to the point."
"We four shoulder the great trust of millions of people. So, how can Venerable Mei instigate us against each other?"
He shrugged lightly. "Why would Venerable Mei waste their words if they have that much confidence in themselves?"
His calm words immediately snapped the others out of their thoughts.
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
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