Within the great hall, there was utter silence.
The air seemed to have solidified, pressing down so hard it was difficult to breathe.
The demon flames on the vaulted ceiling flickered faintly, casting shifting shadows that made the carved jiaolong patterns on the pillars to either side appear ever more ferocious.
Ao Jianlie stood in the middle of the hall, his hands hanging at his sides, saying nothing. His shadow stretched long behind him, like an exhausted jiaolong sprawled across the cold stone floor.
Bloodlight Demon Saint sat at the seat of honor, Blood Mist curling around him like frozen dark clouds. His eyes were half-closed, as though examining something, yet also as though seeing nothing at all. From beneath that veil of Blood Mist, a sharp glint occasionally leaked through the slits of his eyes, like a blade hidden within its sheath.
The silence lasted for a long time.
At last, Bloodlight Demon Saint spoke. His voice was not loud, yet it seemed to rise from the deepest reaches of the earth, carrying a pressure that could not be ignored.
"Your sister, Ao Mingyue—I was the one who recommended her to serve at Master's side."
Ao Jianlie's body stiffened slightly, but he said nothing.
Bloodlight Demon Saint did not mind and continued.
"She was an exceptionally intelligent woman. The True Dragon Bloodline within her was not merely a gift—it was a bearing. Whether in talent or temperament, she was a junior rarely seen. I have lived for so long, yet there are few young people worthy of my notice. She was one of them."
At that point, his voice abruptly stopped.
The temperature in the great hall seemed to drop several degrees at once.
Bloodlight Demon Saint opened his eyes. Blood-colored light surged from those pupils like a tide—icy,