Chapter 1921: Chapter 1921: Turning the Tables!
"Despite my current level of cultivation, my Divine Sense cannot detect or perceive the existence of innate spiritual roots... Even if I could detect or perceive the existence of innate spiritual roots, do you, Elder Maximus Lee, believe that I can abolish Arlo Drake’s innate spiritual roots without harming him?"
"As far as I know, even those at the ’Ninth Transformation of Saint Immortal’ would not dare claim they could abolish someone’s innate spiritual roots without damaging that person’s soul!"
Wyatt Barnes spoke with conviction, with reason and evidence.
As he continued, without waiting for Maximus Lee to respond, anger rose on Wyatt’s face and he continued indignantly:
"Elder Maximus Lee, I know that the day I killed the son of your close friend, Russel Yorke, the Fifth Elder of the Northern Qi Sect, you have been holding grudges, wanting to seek revenge on me..."
"If you wish to take revenge on me, just kill me directly! Why bother falsely accusing me, seeking revenge in such a roundabout way?!"
Swish!!
Maximus Lee’s face changed dramatically; he didn’t expect Wyatt Barnes to say these words in front of so many people.
Noticing the strange looks from thousands around him, he realized that the situation had been turned by Wyatt Barnes and he was put on the defensive.
"You..."
Maximus Lee opened his mouth with a gloomy face.
But before he finished, Wyatt Barnes interrupted again, "Although I don’t know if your personal disciple Arlo Drake’s innate spiritual roots have truly been abolished..."
"Even if his innate spiritual roots have truly been abolished, you should kill him first and then come to falsely accuse me, avenge yourself. Maybe then some people might believe your words, Elder Maximus Lee,"
This statement from Wyatt Barnes sounded like a kind reminder to Maximus Lee, but in reality, it was a sarcastic jab.
Instantly, Maximus Lee’s face changed again, his eyes glaring at Wyatt Barnes as if they could spit fire.
If looks could kill, Wyatt Barnes would have been killed countless times already!
Upon hearing Wyatt’s words, thousands of Black Tortoise Altar disciples present nodded their heads.
Indeed.
If Maximus had killed Arlo Drake first and then came to accuse Wyatt and retaliate against him, perhaps they would have been more inclined to believe Maximus.
Accusing Wyatt Barnes of abolishing Arlo Drake’s innate spiritual roots, yet Arlo Drake is still alive.
This is undoubtedly the ’inferior’ strategy for revenge!
Killing Arlo Drake, using his death to accuse Wyatt Barnes, that would truly be the ’superior strategy’.
However, Maximus did not choose the superior strategy, but rather the inferior one.
Isn’t this an insult to their ’intelligence’?
Although they were only playing the role of ’bystanders’ in the whole affair, they were not fools; they had the basic ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood.
"Wyatt Barnes, what nonsense are you spouting?!"
Seeing Wyatt redirecting all public opinion towards his master, occupying the moral high ground, gaining the upper hand, Arlo Drake’s face changed drastically, and he shouted angrily:
"You abolished my innate spiritual roots! If it weren’t for you, why did you obscure everyone’s vision with your domain at the same time you knocked me out? Isn’t that a guilty conscience?"
Arlo Drake’s words caused several disciples of the Black Tortoise Altar to show expressions of doubt.
These Black Tortoise Altar disciples were witnesses to the conflict between Wyatt Barnes and Arlo Drake.
They remembered that Wyatt indeed used a domain to obscure their vision, causing them to lose sight of Wyatt and Arlo Drake for a while.
As for what Wyatt was doing within the domain, they had no idea.
"Was Arlo Drake’s innate spiritual roots really abolished by Wyatt Barnes?"
A small number of Black Tortoise Altar disciples, who had mentally settled some matters, were suddenly somewhat shaken.
Before Wyatt could respond, Arlo Drake continued, "Moreover, regarding the abolishment of my innate spiritual roots, I am willing to swear an ’Oath upon Thunder Punishment’..."
As he spoke, Arlo Drake broke his finger, a drop of blood rose into the air.
Simultaneously, he began loudly reciting his vow in front of everyone, "If my innate spiritual roots were not abolished, I will willingly be struck dead by the Thunder Tribulation!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
...
With nine thunderous sounds, the Oath upon Thunder Punishment was fulfilled.
And Arlo Drake did not bring about Thunder Punishment, which was enough to prove he wasn’t lying, what he said was true... His innate spiritual roots were indeed abolished!
Immediately, regarding this matter, a group of disciples from the Black Tortoise Altar no longer had doubts.
"Were they truly abolished?"
At this time, these disciples of the Black Tortoise Altar completely confirmed that Arlo Drake’s innate spiritual roots were indeed abolished, he and his master Maximus Lee were not lying.
"Now, I have already sworn my innate spiritual roots were indeed abolished via an Oath upon Thunder Punishment..."
After swearing the Oath upon Thunder Punishment, Arlo Drake cast a sharp gaze at Wyatt Barnes, and then coldly said, "You, Wyatt Barnes, dare swear an Oath upon Thunder Punishment that you did not abolish my innate spiritual roots? Will you... dare?!"
As the words fell, Arlo Drake stepped forward, standing alongside Maximus Lee, with icy eyes fixed on Wyatt Barnes.
Will you, dare?!
At that moment, everyone’s eyes shifted again to Wyatt Barnes.
"Will this Wyatt Barnes dare swear an Oath upon Thunder Punishment?"
"He probably will... After all, given his level of cultivation, it’s impossible for him to abolish Arlo Drake’s innate spiritual roots!"
"What if he doesn’t dare?"
"That only means he’s guilty of being a thief."
...
Although the disciples of the Black Tortoise Altar present still don’t quite believe Wyatt Barnes could destroy Arlo Drake’s spiritual roots, Arlo Drake’s current assertive attitude makes them somewhat waver.
If normally, Arlo Drake dared to stand beside him in such a public setting, Maximus Lee would surely be angry and blame Arlo Drake for lacking respect!
But now, not only is Maximus Lee not angry, he secretly praises this personal disciple he doesn’t particularly like for his cleverness.
From the current situation, everything this personal disciple did has reversed the disadvantageous position they were in, turning them from ’passive’ to ’active’!
This feeling makes him feel very comfortable, as if the gloom in his heart has been completely swept away.
At this moment, Maximus Lee finds his personal disciple much more pleasing to the eye.
"Swear the Thunder Punishment oath that I didn’t destroy your spiritual roots?"
Under everyone’s gaze, Wyatt Barnes smiled, then continued: "Arlo, the Thunder Punishment oath you want me to swear seems a bit unnecessary, doesn’t it?"
"What? You don’t dare?!"
Arlo Drake sneered, "If you don’t dare, then you’re guilty! It’s the same as indirectly admitting you destroyed my spiritual roots... Destroying my spiritual roots is equivalent to severing my Martial Dao path, which is no different from crippling me!"
"Wyatt Barnes, according to the Fire Worship Sect’s rules, harming fellow disciples requires punishment; I assume you’re not unaware?"
With Arlo Drake’s words, a terrifying aura surged from Maximus Lee.
This aura, while rising, silently locked onto Wyatt Barnes.
Ready to punish Wyatt Barnes at any moment!
"I think you’re the one who doesn’t dare!"
However, Wyatt Barnes’s next words made the terrifying aura surrounding Maximus Lee dissipate.
Maximus Lee’s eyes fixed on Wyatt Barnes; he didn’t know why Wyatt suddenly said these words to Arlo Drake.
"I don’t dare? What do I have to be afraid of? Wyatt Barnes, with so many watching, don’t think you can change the topic!!"
Arlo Drake replied disdainfully.
"I said, the Thunder Punishment oath you want me to swear is somewhat unnecessary. Since you always claim I destroyed your spiritual roots... then you can swear a Thunder Punishment oath yourself, saying I destroyed your spiritual roots. If not, you would be willing to be killed by Thunder Punishment!"
"As long as you’re not killed by Thunder Punishment in the end, it means I indeed destroyed your spiritual roots! If you’re killed by Thunder Punishment, it proves you’re slandering me!"
Under the skeptical gaze of thousands of Black Tortoise Altar disciples, Wyatt Barnes’s expression remained unchanged as he looked directly at Arlo Drake and spoke firmly.
He spoke flawlessly!
Arlo Drake wanted him to swear a Thunder Punishment oath, but he proposed Arlo Drake to swear the oath instead.
These two Thunder Punishment oaths, at first glance, seem to mean the same thing; they can both confirm whether Arlo Drake’s spiritual roots were destroyed by Wyatt Barnes, only the oath-taker changes.
Swish!
Arlo Drake’s face changed because no matter how he calculated, he didn’t foresee Wyatt Barnes would turn things around like this, reversing the situation.
Wyatt Barnes actually wanted him to swear the Thunder Punishment oath!
Although these oaths seem the same, he truly doesn’t dare to swear!
Just because, until now, whether Wyatt Barnes destroyed his spiritual roots is only his guess.
Even if he feels there’s a ninety-nine percent chance Wyatt Barnes did it, there’s still a one percent risk.
Considering his life and reputation, even if there’s a one percent chance, he doesn’t dare to gamble!
So, to have him swear the Thunder Punishment oath Wyatt requested, he truly doesn’t dare.
"Wyatt Barnes, I’ve already sworn a Thunder Punishment oath... This time, even if it’s a turn, it should be your turn to swear the Thunder Punishment oath!"
At this point, Arlo Drake could only engage in sophistry.
"Sophistry!"
And just as Arlo Drake finished speaking, Wyatt Barnes couldn’t help but coldly laugh, "Arlo Drake, it was your idea from the beginning to swear the Thunder Punishment oath... Now, facing a situation where either of us swearing the Thunder Punishment oath can resolve the issue, it should logically be you, the one who proposed the oath, who swears it. No matter the turn, it wouldn’t be me!"
"Unless... you know your spiritual roots weren’t destroyed by me, which is why you don’t dare swear the Thunder Punishment oath!"
As he spoke, Wyatt Barnes’s face showed an even colder smile.
Since proposing Arlo Drake to swear the Thunder Punishment oath, Wyatt Barnes has been engaging in a ’big gamble.’
And the stake in this gamble is his own life.
If he loses the gamble, he dies.
If he wins, he lives.
He gambles that Arlo Drake doesn’t dare to swear the Thunder Punishment oath he requires!
Of course, the reason he dares to gamble is because Wyatt Barnes is one hundred percent sure:
Regarding the matter of him using the Swallowing Technique on Arlo Drake’s spiritual roots, Arlo Drake not only knows nothing, but he also can’t be certain; it’s only been his speculation all along, without any concrete evidence.
Forcing him to swear the Thunder Punishment oath is merely trying to ’gain something from nothing’!