The atmosphere in the main hall had only just eased somewhat because of the Crimson Blood Bead's disturbance when heavy footsteps sounded from outside.
A burly man strode in, broad-shouldered and thick-backed, condensed force aura swirling around him. He was clearly an Energy Refining Realm expert.
Holding a ledger in his hands, he bowed and said, "Elder Ji, the local forces that planned the ambush and assassination of Bi He, Lu Fang, Qin Yunyuan, and the others have been thoroughly investigated. The list of every lineage and fortified stronghold involved in the plot is here. Please review it."
Ji Wuling raised a hand and took the ledger. His fingers flipped through its pages carelessly, his gaze passing over the names without the slightest ripple in his expression.
After a moment, he tossed the ledger back to the burly man, his voice frosty as ice. "A pack of jumping clowns. They think that, after embracing the sects of the Zhao Kingdom and the Myriad Force Sect, they can stir up rivers and seas in Spirit Seeking Prefecture? They cannot even recognize who the master of this place is."
Fu Hanzhou, standing nearby, stepped forward and added softly, "The sect has already dispatched several Grandmasters and a hundred Energy Refining Realm disciples as reinforcements. Tonight, those forces will be uprooted in one stroke, leaving no future trouble.
"Only..." He paused, hesitation on his face. "Several of those lineages have descendants cultivating within the sect. Should we show them some leniency?"
"Show them leniency?" Ji Wuling let out a cold laugh. Before he could continue, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall once more.
A woman in a plain skirt hurried in. It was Xiao Shuyue. Worry filled her brows, and fine beads of sweat covered her forehead. The moment she saw Ji Wuling,