You want evidence? I'll make you some!

Under the sky above the Mist Sea City naval port, the airway cleared by the city guards' Flying Shuttle has been deserted for a long time.

Everyone is waiting.

The patriarch of the Barnes Family stood with his hands behind his back on the platform at the bow of his own ship.

He had a square face and wore a dark blue brocade robe with the Barnes Family crest embroidered on the hem.

The Rui Family's location was near the front of the crowd, right next to the city lord's flagship.

Ruizhan stood there with Ruituan and several clan elders. They had been looking forward to this day almost every day for some time, but when the day finally arrived, Ruizhan calmed down instead.

"It's Time Gap," someone in the crowd whispered.

At that moment, the city lord of Ote, who had the highest cultivation level, and the clan chief of Barnes both slightly tilted their heads at almost the same time.

Next came the other Eternal Source Realm.

People who had been talking in hushed tones fell silent, and those who had been adjusting their positions stopped moving.

The airspace surrounding the sealed-off optical network fell silent in an instant.

Those cultivators with lower cultivation levels initially didn't know what was happening, only to see that the powerful figures in the Eternal Source Realm suddenly fell silent, stood up straight, and faced the same direction.

They looked in that direction.

Then they saw it.

Above the dark purple sky of Mist Sea City, in the extremely high and distant void, a golden spot of light suddenly appeared.

Almost at the same instant everyone saw that golden point of light, it magnified dozens of times, and in the blink of an eye, it had transformed into a golden streak of light that pierced the sky.

The golden light descended instantly and hovered abruptly outside the floating island.

Only then did everyone see its full appearance.

It was a golden, shuttle-shaped spaceship.

The spaceship has a cold, hard design with sharp angles, and its surface is covered with intricate patterns that are slowly flowing.

On both sides of the bow, the insignia of the Constant Guard are particularly eye-catching.

The airspace surrounding the blocked optical network was completely silent.

Lord Ote stood at the bow of the flagship, unconsciously adjusting the lord's emblem on his armor once again. Chief Barnes also stepped forward from the floating shuttle platform, his hands, which had been behind his back, loosening and then clenching again.

Soon, the hatch of the golden spaceship slid open silently.

The first to step out of the cabin were two rows of figures in silver armor.

There are five people on each side, for a total of ten.

They stepped forward simultaneously, turned around simultaneously, and formed ranks simultaneously.

Their faces were covered by visors, revealing only a pair of eyes that showed no emotion whatsoever.

The moment the ten silver-armored guards stood on either side of the spaceship's hatch, a powerful aura spread out.

Everyone present felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.

They were all experts at the Eternal Source Realm, so their vision was naturally quite broad.

The aura of law emanating from these ten silver-armored Mechanical Servants was no weaker than that of a beginner-level Eternal Source Realm.

But it's not over yet.

Another figure stepped out of the cabin door.

Its armor was covered with a faint Blue Radiance, and its shoulder and breastplates were engraved with patterns that were more complex than those of the Silver Armor Guards. Each pattern flowed autonomously, drawing the surrounding chaotic energy toward it.

It had no mask to cover it, revealing a face that was almost indistinguishable from a real person's.

But those eyes had no pupils, only a pure, deep blue light.

The moment it stepped out of the cabin, a powerful aura of law swept outwards like an invisible tsunami.

Lord Ote's eyes twitched, and Chief Barnes's lips also twitched slightly.

Both of them were at the Eternal Source Realm Completion, so they were naturally able to accurately judge the strength of this Blue-Armored Machine Servant.

Mechanical Servants at the Eternal Source Realm Completion is something you can't find a single one in the entire Mist Sea City. Even the branch heads of these Constant Source Realm families can't afford it.

This was just one of the Mechanical Servants accompanying the Constant Guard.

This is the standard specification for the Constant Guard.

Unlike the silver- Mechanical Servants who lined up on both sides, the Blue-Armored Machine Servant stepped to the position closest to the spaceship's hatch, then turned around, faced the hatch, and bowed slightly.

This gesture invigorated everyone present.

Even the Mechanical Servants at the Eternal Source Realm Completion bowed in greeting, clearly indicating that the main character was finally about to appear.

Sure enough, a figure stepped out of the hatch immediately afterward.

The step he took out of the cabin landed in the void. Although there was nothing beneath his feet, it felt as if he had stepped onto solid ground, rippling out a circle of laws.

The pupils of all the Eternal Source Realm experts present contracted simultaneously.

It was a young man dressed in golden armor.

The armor's surface was devoid of any elaborate decorations, with only the Constant Guard insignia on the left side of the breastplate faintly visible amidst the shimmering gold.

He took a second step, a third step, and then stood motionless, positioned directly in front of the spaceship's hatch.

His face mask was not lowered, so everyone could see his face clearly.

It was a young man's face, with sharp, pointed eyebrows, a calm gaze, and resolute, cold facial features.

Compared to the image of the Imperial Army Centurion that everyone had seen back then, he now possessed something indescribable and inexplicable.

A majesty forged from power and strength.

Lin Yi.

Constant Guard Lin Yi.

He stood there in front of the spaceship, flanked by silver-armored guards and flanked by respectful blue-armored protectors.

The airspace surrounding the floating island was completely silent.

Then Lord Ote was the first to make a move.

He stepped out from the bow of the flagship and appeared in front of Lin Yi in an instant.

He straightened his armor, placed his right fist against his left chest, and bowed slightly.

"Lord Ote of Mist Sea City welcomes Constant Guard."

Behind him, Chief Barnes was the second to step forward.

This man, who usually showed no respect even to the heads of various families, now placed his right fist against his chest and bowed, saying, "Barnes Family, Barnes Hiiragi."

Then came the patriarchs of the other families in the Eternal Source Realm.

One after another.

Those core disciples from various families whose cultivation levels were insufficient did not even have the right to step forward; they could only bow and pay their respects from afar.

Lin Yi hovered in mid-air, his gaze sweeping over the figure in front of him.

In fact, he knew most of these people.

Of course, they hadn't met in person. Rather, when he first arrived in Mist Sea City Mist Sea City, he had done some research on the important figures there, fearing he might inadvertently offend someone.

At that time, he was just an ordinary soldier in the Imperial Army. Any one of these people was someone he had to look up to.

And now...

Lin Yi's gaze passed over the VIPs who were bowing, over the dense crowd of onlookers in the distance, and over the pale blue barrier, finally landing on the floating island below.

Inside the floating island, members of the Huo Family were glaring at him through a protective barrier.

Lin Yi could clearly see the expressions on those people's faces.

Some were terrified, some were bewildered, some were resentful, and some were angry.

On the platform at the edge of the floating island, Huo Wen stood there with six elders, facing him across the barrier.

Mist Sea City, I, Lin Yi, have finally returned.

Lin Yi sighed inwardly for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the Lord of Ote City in front of him.

Then, he raised his right fist and gently placed it on his left chest, returning the greeting to the crowd.

"Ote your welcome, Lord Ott and all the family heads." He nodded slightly to Ote. "Furthermore, I would like to thank the City Lord's Mansion once again for their cooperation in sealing off the Huo Family's floating island."

Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Ote's face.

That's exactly what he was waiting for.

During this time, he, or rather, the patriarchs of the various families present, had not been waiting for nothing; they had already thoroughly investigated Lin Yi's background through various channels.

It would have been better if we hadn't investigated; the investigation has only made things worse.

A distinguished guest of the Wen Family, a winning streak in the Ring Arena, a crushing victory in the Constant Guard assessment, and more importantly... a slow-burning genius! A potential Constant Source Realm expert!

This information, combined with the identity of the Constant Guard, is the real reason why all the family patriarchs came to greet them.

Of course, Ote knew that Lin Yi was mostly just saying polite things, but the fact that these polite words came out of his mouth was itself a gesture.

"Lord Lin, you flatter me," Ote said with a smile. "Cooperating with the Constant Guard's operations is simply the City Lord's duty. If you need anything in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

Among the crowd behind Ote, Ruizhan stood there, his hands trembling slightly inside his sleeves.

He wanted to go up and say something, but he held back.

He noticed that when Lin Yi's gaze swept over the group of clan leaders, it lingered on him for an extremely brief moment, a look that only the two of them could understand.

But Lin Yi neither called out to him nor greeted him privately.

Ruizhan understood that now was not the time for reminiscing.

Lin Yi indeed had no intention of catching up with Ruizhan.

It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't.

The reason he chose this place as his first stop was because he had important business to attend to.

Especially since this important matter is closely related to the Rui Family.

Therefore, any private reminiscing could be used against him, and he didn't want to give anyone the impression from the outset that "the Constant Guard are settling personal scores."

Once things are settled, he'll have plenty of time to sit down and chat with Ruizhan.

Therefore, after exchanging a few pleasantries with Ote, Lin Yi withdrew his gaze and started walking.

With that step, his figure appeared directly outside the protective barrier of the Huo Family's floating island.

Behind him, the Blue-Armored Machine Servant followed closely, while ten silver-armored Mechanical Servants also activated simultaneously, forming a fan shape in the void behind Lin Yi.

Ote and the heads of the various families followed closely behind, keeping a slight distance from them.

Lin Yi hovered directly above the Huo Family's floating island, looking down at the people watching him through the protective barrier.

Huo Wen stood on the platform at the edge of the floating island, with Huo Han and six other elders at the initial stage of the Eternal Source Realm behind him.

Lin Yi looked at Huo Wen, whose face was gloomy, and slowly spoke.

His voice fell from the sky, not loud, but it instantly spread throughout the entire floating island and reached the ears of everyone inside and outside the sealed light network.

"Huo Wen, do you know your crime?"

Six words, a direct strike to the face.

As the outer perimeter of the sealed-off light net was established, a subtle commotion arose among the cultivators who had been watching from afar.

Although everyone had long guessed that the Constant Guard' blockade of the Huo Family's floating island was definitely not for a casual chat, no one expected that Lord Lin would be so direct from the start.

That's a branch of the Huo Family, backed by the Constant Source Realm!

Even if you're Constant Guard, you still have to go through the motions and follow the procedures, right?

Is it really not afraid of ruining things by publicly accusing someone like this?

When Huo Wen heard those six words, his heart sank slightly.

He had been waiting for this day ever since he made contact with his family over a hundred Epoch ago.

He considered many possibilities.

Lin Yi might first summon him to the city lord's mansion for questioning, might first send his men to collect evidence, or might first target those who work for him on the periphery.

But to his utter surprise, the first thing Lin Yi did upon returning to Mist Sea City was to stand directly above his floating island and publicly interrogate him.

This was clearly different from what he had expected.

It wasn't about holding him accountable; in Huo Wen's view, holding him accountable was just a way to bluff and show off.

What made him feel uneasy was Lin Yi's tough attitude.

Huo Wen quickly calculated in his mind.

Not long ago, when he sent a message to his family, the reply he received was still just to wait patiently, without saying anything else.

However, he could understand that it was not appropriate to say anything more about such a big matter in the communication. Besides, the clan chief had said "just wait patiently" before, so it was impossible to do nothing.

"The potential future troubles have probably been eliminated, but the main family may not have had a proper opportunity to talk to Lin Yi yet, which is why we've ended up in this situation today..."

Huo Wen thought to himself that the reason Lin Yi was being so tough was probably because he had been on the move for over a hundred Epoch and his clan might not have been able to contact him for the time being.

After all, he understood that this was not something that could be discussed in a message; it was best to find an opportunity to talk about it in person.

Thinking this, Huo Wen secretly breathed a sigh of relief, pondering, "So, I have to stall for time, first showing my willingness to cooperate, then glossing over today's events, and then waiting for the main family to find an opportunity to contact Lin Yi..."

Thinking of this, Huo Wen gave Huo Han a wink.

Huo Han understood, stepped forward, and raised his hand to wave.

Soon, the protective light membrane of the floating island trembled slightly, and then slowly contracted downwards from the highest point.

Before long, the protective barrier completely disappeared.

Huo Wen led a group of clan elders into the air, facing Lin Yi from afar.

He straightened his robes, forced a smile, and bowed slightly to Lin Yi.

"Lord Lin, you claim that my Huo Family is guilty. What evidence do you have?"

Upon hearing this question, Lin Yi's lips twitched slightly, as if he were smiling.

But there was no warmth in that smile.

"You want evidence, right?" Lin Yi sneered. "Then I'll make you one."

As he spoke, he raised his right hand, and light flowed between his two fingers, quickly condensing into a small crystal.

This is a technique even those at the True Source Realm know: compressing and condensing information they possess into information crystals. Many cultivation technique inheritance crystals are obtained in this way.

After the crystal condensed, Lin Yi casually tossed it aside.

The information crystal traced an arc in the void as it flew towards Huo Wen.

Under the questioning gazes of the onlookers, Huo Wen reached out and took it.

He gave Lin Yi a deep look, a sense of foreboding flashing through his mind. Then he placed the crystal between his eyebrows and immersed his consciousness in it.

Then, Huo Wen's face turned deathly pale.

Then, he suddenly sprang up.

Dark green law patterns suddenly emerged from the surface of his skin, and layer upon layer of law skeletons were activated simultaneously in his limbs and bones. His figure swayed slightly in the void, and then transformed into a dark green stream of light, shooting out in the opposite direction from Lin Yi.

He's trying to escape!

But Lin Yi had anticipated this moment.

Therefore, the Blue-Armored Machine Servant moved the instant they were activated.

It was much faster than Huo Wen; the moment the dark green streak started, the Blue-Armored Machine Servant appeared directly in front of him.

An arm covered in dark blue armor slowly extended, its five fingers spread, and then pressed down.

A vast, powerful force of law pressed down on Huo Wen's head like an invisible mountain.

The dark green law patterns surging around Huo Wen's body disintegrated and crumbled layer by layer in the face of this power, as if encountering boiling water and ice.

His body was abruptly brought to a stop in mid-air from its rapid flight, and then the blue arm tightened its grip on his shoulder, lifting him up.

Huo Wen was held aloft by the Blue-Armored Machine Servant, his Chaos Power suppressed to the point of stagnation, unable to even struggle.

His lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a single word.

These changes happened far too quickly.

From the Huo Wen received the crystal, to his drastic change in expression, to his sudden flight, to being intercepted and subdued by the Blue-Armored Machine Servant, it all happened in the blink of an eye.

The blocking of the optical network left everyone stunned.

Then everyone realized what had happened.

Huo Wen is on the run!

Lin Yi simply gave him an information crystal, and he ran away after reading it.

Isn't this a voluntary confession?

If you're truly innocent, why are you running?

If you truly have a clear conscience, then show everyone what's inside the crystal!

Lord Ote was the first to react.

His reaction time was faster than Huo Wen's escape speed.

The instant Huo Wen was pinned down, Ote moved swiftly and charged straight at Huo Han and the others at the edge of the Huo Family's floating island.

The anger he had been holding in for years finally found an outlet at this moment.

His overwhelming aura, amplified by his Eternal Source Realm Completion cultivation, was released without reservation, and his powerful aura of law pressed down on the six elders of the Huo Family like a tsunami.

"Take them all!"

At Ote's sharp shout, the experts from all sides, who had been waiting for this moment, rushed forward.

These important figures, who usually act independently in Mist Sea City, were now moving with astonishingly synchronized movements.

The six elders of the Huo Family couldn't even put up a decent resistance before being subdued and pinned to the ground by a group of experts at the Eternal Source Realm.

Huo Han's face was pressed against the stone floor of the floating island platform. He tried his best to turn his head, wanting to see his clansmen, but his vision was completely blocked by a hand pressing on the back of his head.

The Blue-Armored Machine Servant, carrying Huo Wen who was lying like a dead dog, turned around and flew back to Lin Yi, kneeling on one knee and pressing Huo Wen down.

The force of the blow forced Huo Wen's knees to slam heavily into the air. Under the suppression of the power of the laws, he couldn't even straighten his back and could only kneel there with his body hunched over.

The six elders behind him were also personally escorted to Lin Yi by their respective family heads, and forced to kneel in a row.

The perimeter of the optical network was sealed off, and only then did the onlookers, who had been watching from afar, recover from their shock.

"Huo Wen actually ran away!"

"Can't you see? There's definitely irrefutable evidence inside that crystal!"

"What exactly is that thing? What made Huo Wen run away without saying a word after seeing it?"

Similar discussions arose among the crowd.

All eyes were on Lin Yi.

Lin Yi seemed to sense the curiosity in everyone's hearts, and he raised his right hand again, pinching out another information crystal.

"I know you all must have questions in your minds." Lin Yi's gaze swept over everyone present, and he chuckled lightly, saying, "Why did Huo Wen flee after seeing just a crystal? What gives me, Lin Yi, the right to immediately blockade the Huo Family's floating island and publicly interrogate him?"

He paused, then, in front of everyone, forcefully extended two fingers.

Click.

The crystal shattered upon impact.

The shattered crystal fragments did not scatter and fly everywhere, but instead transformed into a pale golden mist in mid-air.

The light mist spread rapidly, spreading out in the air to form a huge screen of light and images.

What appeared in the video was a side hall.

The eerie blue light source on the ceiling rotated slowly, with a huge, dark green Contact Core suspended in the very center.

Then someone entered the side hall.

It was Huo Wen, and the six elders behind him.

Chief Barnes couldn't help but whisper, "This looks like a place the Huo Family to contact their main family? My Barnes Family also has a similar place..."

However, no one answered him.

Because, soon, with the appearance of the phantom, Chief Barnes's guess was confirmed.

Indeed, this is where the Huo Family connects with their main lineage.

But that's not the point.

The key point is the content within the video.

At that moment, Huo Wen's voice came through the video, every word clear and distinct.

He was reporting to the main branch of the Huo Family.

The report was complete and detailed, including how to find out the background of each family in Mist Sea City, how to select several local families such as the Rui Family as targets, how to seize customers and cut off the supply of goods, how to raise pirates to attack transport fleets, and how to force those families to submit, leaving no detail out.

Even the words spoken when asking for help from one's own family.

"Eliminate any future troubles."

The area surrounding the blocked optical network was eerily silent.

Then, an uproar ensued.

"Wow, wow, wow!"

"I'm a little confused, why did he have to tell all of this?"

"Didn't you hear? He's asking the main branch of the Silent Huo Family for help. He needs to explain clearly what he did so the main branch can decide how to help him!"

"No wonder he ran away as soon as he saw the crystal! This is irrefutable evidence! Undeniable proof!"

"No, although Huo Wen is clearly guilty, how did they get such confidential information? And so quickly?"

"Indeed, they can even get this kind of information..."

While everyone was astonished by Huo Wen's crimes, a storm of shock also swept through their hearts.

While Huo Wen's crimes were indeed shocking, what truly chilled the hearts of these family heads was the footage itself.

This is a video feed from inside the Huo Family's side hall!

The Huo Family is a branch of a family in the Constant Source Realm!

The information contained in the Contact Core in their side hall was definitely a top-level secret within their clan. How could such a secret be obtained?

The intelligence network of the Constant Guard is simply terrifying.

Thinking of this, the patriarchs of each family looked at the golden figure with an almost fearful gaze.

Many of them, who had initially been there to watch the spectacle, now felt a chill run down their spines.

If the Huo Family's communications could be obtained, what about their own?

Could the things they said to each other within their respective families one day suddenly become evidence in the hands of a certain Constant Guard?

Lin Yi shook his head secretly as he looked at the undisguised fear in everyone's eyes.

He naturally understood what the clan leaders were thinking.

"Everyone, don't be nervous."

Lin Yi chuckled, drawing everyone's attention to himself. "This footage wasn't obtained through our Constant Guard's intelligence network."

Everyone was taken aback.

Then, Lin Yi pointed to the slowly dissipating illusory image of Huo Yi on the light screen, "This image was personally given to me by Huo Yi, the current Constant Lord of the Silent Huo Family."