At this moment, the four great families of the Demon Capital's high-ranking nobles were all staring in shock at the people from the Black Vatican.
Among them, an elderly man with white hair and a tall, sturdy build wore a purple robe embroidered with intricate magical designs. He glanced around at the crowd.
"That strange, eerie aura... It's the Black Vatican!"
"Demonic Elder, are you sure?"
A high-ranking noble from the Bai family, Bai Yingfeng, asked in pursuit.
Void had never been an easy place to reach. How could the Black Vatican possibly have gotten there?
Just as he was about to ask Demonic Elder for more details, a woman in a black judge's uniform walked out from the crowd. Her features were delicate, and her figure was slender and graceful.
"Is the Black Vatican here to seek revenge?"
"Judge!"
Bai Yingfeng looked at the woman's uniform, his expression darkening.
Because Judge had come to the Demon Capital to confront the Black Vatican, if anything happened to her, it would be a huge mess.
Upon hearing the woman's words, the high-ranking nobles of the various families began to worry about their own people.
After all, those who could enter Void were the most outstanding descendants of these families.
Every one of them was a great talent, and losing one would be a tremendous blow to their family.
Void was an exceptionally powerful force in the upper ranks of the Demon Capital's society, far beyond a small group like them.
Ying Yue also gave a small sigh.
She'd been one step too late pursuing that fellow, and Jiang Yu had ended up involved too.
The Black Vatican's most likely target was him. She hoped he'd be able to make it back alive.
The sun shone brightly, its golden light glimmering across the restless sea.
A small boat could be seen in the distance, heading toward the shore.
"Hahaha! This time, I've made a killing!"
Ying Yue hugged the little black turtle excitedly, her eyes shining.
The turtle had gathered up plenty of water-type spiritual herbs, while Jiang Yu had also collected a good number of fire-type spiritual herbs.
On top of that, the turtle had gathered a great many natural treasures. Altogether, there were hundreds of pounds' worth!
All of it belonged to Ying Yue and Jiang Yu. The little turtle hadn't taken even a single thing for itself.
"Jiang Yu, the turtle's really done you a huge favor this time."
The woman thanked him once more.
But no matter who it was—
No, even if a whole group of deep-sea elites came, they still couldn't put the turtle in any danger.
After all, more than a dozen black-spotted demons, three sea-demon beasts, five Black Vatican priests, and even the Commander of the Night Legion had been involved. Even a high-ranking demonic mage would have struggled to hold them off.
But Jiang Yu had still managed to carve out a path to survival.
The woman couldn't help thanking Ying Yue, who had been worried the whole time.
"It's nothing."
Jiang Yu waved his hand.
The turtle had brought him far more than he'd expected.
Not only had he obtained a few hundred pounds of high-grade Demon Stone, he'd also gained a soul crystal! And there were the other resources from Void, too.
All of it would slowly find its way into his pockets.
Thinking about it, Jiang Yu glanced toward the little black turtle, which was puffing out its chest as if it were very proud of itself.
He first sent it off to a safe place.
That little turtle had been so exhausted from gathering treasures. It deserved a good rest.
As the boat neared the shore,
Jiang Yu could see that quite a crowd had already gathered there.
"Jiang Yu, over here!"
He heard someone calling to him and steered the boat over.
Wasn't that Ying Yue's aunt, the one who'd been looking for her?
She'd been so busy keeping Ying Yue safe that she'd completely forgotten about the aunt who'd gone to find her.
A glance was all it took.
A slender waist, a tall, proud figure, and eyes that seemed capable of reaching straight into a person's soul.
Jiang Yu thought to himself that Ying Yue's aunt really was a beauty.
Even though he'd spent quite some time in the Demon Capital, he'd never met such a stunning woman before.
"I knew you'd be fine."
Ying Yue looked at Jiang Yu with a meaningful expression.
Then she pulled him aside to a quiet spot and whispered:
"You ran into people from the Black Vatican over there, didn't you?"
"They're all dead. Five Black Vatican priests."
Jiang Yu answered calmly.
Ying Yue was stunned. She covered her mouth, unable to speak.
"Your growth rate is way too outrageous. Even most judges wouldn't dare claim they could kill five Black Vatican priests!"
As the two were talking,
a figure pushed through the crowd.
The most noticeable thing about her was her prominent cheekbones. She was a woman who seemed rather shrewd.
She raised her voice angrily:
"Jiang Yu, you scoundrel! You actually dared to kill my Bai family's nephew right in front of me!"
"Wasn't Bai Lin asking for trouble? He had it coming!"
Everyone's attention was drawn to the commotion.
Standing at the side, Jiang Yu watched in anticipation, since they'd both accused him of killing someone from the Bai family.
Still, he took a slight step back and added, "I didn't do it on purpose..."
Jiang Yu was certainly curious about the woman.
Just as he and the woman were at a standoff, Ying Yue stepped forward.
"You're the Bai family member who accused Jiang Yu of murder? Show us your evidence!"
Bai Yingfeng's expression was completely blank.
How dare this young judge talk to her like that? He was a judge, but only a junior one. Among the judges, he had a very minor status.
"Fine! You're even trying to protect him now!"
Bai Yingfeng pointed at Jiang Yu.
"She was the one who told me. She said it herself—what, is that not enough?"
Jiang Yu, who was eating melon at the side, froze when he heard his own name.
He'd even thought that the Bai family woman was trying to beat him to death.
Bai Yingfeng hurriedly explained:
"I didn't say anything! She must've misunderstood!"
"But when I got there, everyone from the Black Vatican and the Bai family was already dead."
There was an unspoken meaning in her words: none of this had anything to do with her.
Bai Yingfeng's fingers dug into her palm as she watched Ying Yue and Jiang Yu standing together, talking and laughing.
"Ying Yue, even if you're a member of a great family, you won't escape the punishment of Void for your reckless actions!"
At that, Ying Yue immediately produced a document.
It stated that Void had invited Jiang Yu to serve as an extraordinary judge, and that Jiang Yu had been in deep-sea training.
Bai Yingfeng looked at it, and all the anger drained from her face.
She glared viciously at Jiang Yu, then returned to the Bai family's side.
She knew very well that Jiang Yu probably hadn't killed them.
But she'd still accused him this time simply because she wanted to get him in trouble.
Getting offended by a nobody and a terrifying genius was one thing—
But finding the Black Vatican and settling the score with them?
What a joke!
The Bai family had nearly a hundred thousand people. How many could be killed before the whole family was wiped out?
They were a bunch of people courting death. There was no way the Bai family would dare provoke them.
"Ying Yue, can you speak for the Bai family?"
Jiang Yu wasn't someone who would let people insult him without consequence.
First Bai Lin had tried to kill him, and then they'd gone looking for trouble with him at Void.
Ying Yue looked at Jiang Yu, her eyes filled with resignation.
"Her actions were probably meant to avenge a member of her family."
"And also to shift the blame onto the Black Vatican, for the deaths of those five priests and her Bai family relative."
"These great families are all the same: self-important and stubborn."
Jiang Yu looked toward the Bai family's upper ranks. There were plenty of high-ranking demonic mages among them. They'd probably wait until later to settle accounts.
In another place,
"Grandpa, why don't we go help Jiang Yu?"
The woman was anxious as she spoke. Jiang Yu patted her on the head. Now that she was under his protection, she could sit back and relax.
The old man stroked his white beard and replied solemnly:
"Jiang Yu and the Black Vatican are at odds. The Void judges will have the courage to stand up for him!"
"If he truly saved my granddaughter, then the Bai family's future is mine to deal with."
"This is the least I can do to repay him."
Ying Yue listened to her grandfather's words, and found herself feeling moved.
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