"Would I really endanger the sect over a personal grudge and strike at the Marquis of Chu's maternal clan?"
"What would that gain me or Hundred Flowers Valley? Someone is clearly using this opportunity to frame me!"
"I ask the Sect Master to investigate thoroughly!"
At that moment, the Seventh Elder felt even more wronged than Dou E.
His disciple had been killed, yet he had not dared seek revenge against the Li Family. He had merely vented a little in private. How had such an enormous black pot of blame landed on his head?
"Whether you were framed will become clear once everything has been investigated."
The Valley Master's voice turned cold. "But your words and actions have already given others a handle to use against you."
She fell silent for a moment, then looked at the old man beside her, whose aura ran deep and whose face was covered in wrinkles—the Grand Elder of Hundred Flowers Valley.
He was Hundred Flowers Valley's other expert at innately great perfection.
"Grand Elder, what do you think of this matter...?"
The Grand Elder raised his eyelids slightly, his voice aged. "The Marquis of Chu, Li Xinge, is no older than thirty-five, yet he has already defeated the Southern Wasteland's Second Priest. His power blazes like the sun at its zenith."
"The two provinces of Dong and Yang command tens of millions of armored troops, with experts as numerous as clouds. This is no empty threat."
"The ten-day deadline is not an invitation to negotiate. It is a final ultimatum."
His gaze swept across the elders.
"Hundred Flowers Valley has endured for thousands of years, and we certainly do not fear war. But once hostilities begin, Jade Prefecture will become scorched earth. How much of our millennia-old foundation will survive?"
"Then what