"If you want to live, then listen to me..."
The Big-Eyed Elder fixed everyone with a stern gaze and spoke with grave emphasis.
The four elders were dumbstruck.
Just then, a phantom drifted down from the sky. It gathered into human form—a dignified, imposing elder. He gave the five elders a stern look, nearly scaring the life out of them. They were about to prostrate themselves in greeting when the dignified elder's figure vanished.
The five elders of the Great Sun Divine Palace fled in disarray.
Half an hour later, inside a palace suspended in the endless void, the dignified elder's figure hovered above a floating meditation cushion. His eyes were half closed as he said coolly, "Who can tell me what exactly happened?"
His voice carried no force or warmth, devoid of even the slightest trace of worldly bustle.
The Big-Eyed Elder crawled forward on his knees for a foot, then bowed his head. "What happened today was exceedingly bizarre. That Old Demon Yiling used some unknown dark magic..."
The Big-Eyed Elder recounted the events in painstaking detail, drawing on every ounce of his eloquence. When he finished, the empty hall fell silent for a long while. At last, the dignified elder opened his eyes. "So, according to you, Old Demon Yiling possesses peerless might and could use a secret art to make the Phoenix Pattern Divine Lamp malfunction, causing its body to self-destruct? Absurd!"
"Yes, yes, yes! Your subordinate was absurd!"
The Big-Eyed Elder kowtowed repeatedly, his heart pounding like a war drum. Amid his panic, a trace of secret delight lurked.
He absolutely could not admit that his own mishandling had destroyed the divine lamp. Nor could he claim Old Demon Yiling had some secret treasure that had smashed the lamp to pieces.
Either explanation would make