"Stay inside, and if anything happens, activate the defensive formation here..."

Davis left these few words and walked towards the exit of the main hall.

Shirley watched him leave, a sudden impulse gripping over her heart. When she came back to it, she was gripping his hand, keeping him from leaving.

Davis turned to look at her, wondering what it was before he saw Shirley took a deep breath, her lips moving as a smile emerged on her face.

"Be careful..."

Davis blinked before his solemn expression faded, replaced with a heartened smile, "I will..."

Shirley let him go, and he turned around and left, closing the door while Shirley seemingly activated a formation that displayed the outside. She, Esvele, and Freya all watched it, looking at Davis arrive outside while Top Disciple Azzuren Rein waited, seemingly having two Grand Elders and a few Elders as his entourage.

She bit her lips, wondering why she had to stay here while Davis had to go through all the trouble to protect her. Why wouldn't he just take her away forcefully? She really wouldn't say no if he insisted, and she that he knew it too.

'Fortunately, it is his soul body. Otherwise, I would absolutely not let him do this...'

Looking at the line up outside, she braced herself for a change in the status quo, the Sect Master's Distress Spatial Talisman ready in her hands. Even though the Sect Master would be nearby to react, this would be way faster, almost requiring a few instants at best.

Davis arrived outside at this moment, looking at the growing number of Grand Elders and Elders. At this moment, there were three Grand Elders on his side with the addition of Grand Elder Claus Strom, all of them at the Mid-Level Law Rune Stage, while there were a dozen of Elders, including Elder Karlheinz Strom.

It was rather obvious that Sect Master Lea Weiss sent three Grand Elders to protect Shirley. It was such a line-up that had Davis feel dizzy if he were to be in his main body, clearly not able to see a path to live in this mess if a battle were to ever break out.

After all, Top Disciple Azzuren Rein had two Grand Elders on his side, one of them at the Mid-Level Law Rune Stage and the other at Low-Level Law Rune Stage, while there were more than two dozen Elders. It was more than enough for at least one of them to get him if he were close; that was on the condition that they attacked first before he could kill them.

Nevertheless, although the numbers were more on Top Disciple Azzuren Rein's side, Davis knew that his side had the advantage in terms of cultivation prowess unless one of the three Grand Elders were planning to turncoat at this moment.

"You just don't give up, do you?"

Grand Elder Claus Strom's solemn voice echoed, frightening to a degree. He had his long red hair tied into a ponytail like a young master, but his aura and posture commanded immense respect that Top Disciple Azzuren Rein seemed to cower imperceptibly under the cold stare.

"Stand behind me, young sect leader..."

Grand Elder Artur Schatz moved in front of Top Disciple Azzuren Rein and matched gaze with Grand Elder Claus Strom while having a mocking look in his eyes.

"I'm rather suspicious of this protection you're all giving Top Disciple Shirley. How come Shirley doesn't respond a single time, and yet, you never even let one of us check what could've possibly happened inside for her to not respond."

"She is cultivating in seclusion... Do I have to spell it out for you all again and again? Come another day if you want to gain Top Disciple Shirley's invitation. Until then, not even we could enter. Furthermore, we do not live in the same world. Her status is entirely different now that in some meaning, her status over-precedes us."

Grand Elder Claus Strom scoffed after explaining the difference.

"How could it be? You all cannot enter? No wonder you're all here from day and night. To think Grand Elders in the Burning Phoenix Ridge had been reduced to mere watchdogs! Ahahahaha!"

Grand Elder Artur Schatz began to laugh as the others behind him burst out into an echo of mocking laughter while Grand Elder Claus Strom, Erich Weiss, and Wolfram Bach had veins popping out of their heads. Indeed, it was kind of humiliating to be here all day long, not even being allowed to enter. However, Sect Master Lea Weiss's orders were absolute, and that was what loyalty meant when following someone to the bitter end.

They digested their anger and kept their calm.

"Well, I think we can share the same fate." The other Grand Elder from Top Disciple Azzuren Rein's side spoke up.

Davis recognized this person. It was none other than that devious-eyebrowed Grand Elder who tried to be smartass about framing Shirley but ended up being humiliated by Sect Master Lea Weiss into utter silence.

"We'll wait here and protect Top Disciple Shirley out of our own will while we wait for her to come out. Sigh, there are so many things to speak about, but we as the elders should understand that her current prowess is something that she gained through constant effort in cultivating. In any case, she would have to come out within a few weeks if we keep protecting, hehe..."

"Ah!" Grand Elder Artur Schatz looked as if he had a moment of epiphany, "I didn't think Grand Elder Ulrich Hector would think of something very sympathetic and caring! How magnanimous! This way, we can share the same fate as these Grand Elders and shoulder their burden, the burden of the sect!"

"Ah, this must be the beginning of our brotherhood!"

Grand Elder Claus Strom and the ones behind him gritted their teeth in anger as they tried to suppress their fiery bellows. They were clearly being humiliated without using any vulgar words. They were being egged up on to act violently, but they were deeply aware of this, controlling themselves instead as their mental states took a hit.

In the end, all of this dropped down to who made the first move.

Davis, who was in the back, could tell that this was just the beginning of their plot. There was probably more to it than it meets the eye, but he couldn't help but feel sad, sad for them because it was unknown if they could even put this plan into motion past this point.

"Azzuren Rein, if you're this insistent, then can I assume that you truly want to marry Shirley with her consent?"

His voice echoed out in an exasperated manner.

Top Disciple Azzuren Rein's eyes lit up as he placed his gaze on the protector, who was said to be a family relative of Shirley's despite his blue hair. He already had some enmity with him because of the last time how this protector forcefully brought Shirley away from the top disciple battles.

Nevertheless, it was said that this protector had the most say in Shirley's life as it seemed that she obeyed his words as though her family was important to her. For all he knew, this protector could even be her master before she joined the Burning Phoenix Ridge.

"Elder Chu Feng," A smile appeared on his face as he adopted a courteous facade, clasping his hands with a straight posture.

"I believe that we yet have to make acquaintance, but it is true that I wholeheartedly love Top Disciple Shirley and want to make her mine through her explicit consent. My heart fell for her the moment I saw her dazzling self in the top disciple trials, and it was even more so when I saw her ultimate performance in the top disciple battles. But now, I am afraid that there are rather too many powers eyeing her that I couldn't help but feel the pressure to court her."

"I may come off as rude and petty, but I have no choice but to take actions like this to court her."

He dropped his hands, looking like an intelligent scholar with his pleasant smile.

"I see..." Davis nodded his head with an indifferent expression, "What if I said that the only way you can marry her is for you to kill your current wives?"

Top Disciple Azzuren Rein's expression froze. A surge of hostility escaped through his eyes as he viewed Davis, but he seemed to suppress it while smiling again.

"I'm afraid that I'm not that ruthless. I love all of my women and could not bear to even hurt them, much less kill them. If that is truly the only way that I could marry Top Disciple Shirley, then..."

He smiled more, making everybody present understand that he would have no choice but to force Shirley, but Davis's eyes were a bit approving as he could feel that he was really intent on not forsaking his wives. Such perseverance in front of a massive temptation like Shirley was something that he admired.

Besides, it seemed that he was almost unable to maintain his facade when it came to his wives.

'Wait...! Why are you respecting him?'

Davis slapped his Heart Intent away from influencing his emotions. His Heart Intent had a bad habit of taking advantage of his emotions, making him subconsciously sympathize with people with whom he hadn't even intended to sympathize in the first place. The only way to counter this was to have a calm, unmoved heart, which was directly in opposition to someone practicing the Heart Intent.

Davis knew that he probably wouldn't improve in Heart Intent if he rejected understanding other people's emotions, but the end result of whether to accept their emotions or not and sympathize with them laid with him.

"I understand. I think I didn't even have the need to think about letting you meet her because, unfortunately for you, Azzuren Rein, I'm afraid that I would have to make all of your wives, widows..."

"Huh...?"

Top Disciple Azzuren Rein possessed an amused expression on his face as he heard the implication that was beyond ridiculous to him, but he couldn't even see himself collapsing out of the blue before all the color on his face vanished, his eyes looking dull as he crashed face-first on the surface.

*Plop!~*

The sound of a body hitting a floor could be heard, causing everyone's expression to change!