He is the one who robbed my father's tomb

"Lion Grandpa."

"Xiaoxue." Azure Phoenix Douluo opened his eyes and smiled at her.

"Azure Phoenix Grandpa."

Feather Douluo rose from his chair, brushing the sunflower seed shells from his hands.

"Xiaoxue, your grandfather was just mentioning you, saying you ran all this way back without coming to see him first."

"I came to see Grandfather naturally after finishing paying my respects at Father's grave." Qian Renxue paused. "Feather Grandpa, you have a seed shell on the corner of your mouth."

Feather Douluo hurriedly wiped his face.

Qianjun Douluo set down his chess piece and looked up at Qian Renxue.

"Xiaoxue, you've lost weight again."

"Qianjun Grandpa, I haven't."

Demon Subduing Douluo burst into laughter.

"Brother, you say she's lost weight every time you see Xiaoxue. You said the same thing last time she came back, and it turned out she had gained five pounds."

Qianjun Douluo glared at him. "You talk too much."

The corners of Qian Renxue's mouth curved slightly; though the arc was small, she was indeed smiling.

Ji Ye stood three paces behind her, watching this scene, feeling somewhat surprised.

He had expected the Consecration Hall elders of Spirit Hall to be aloof, icy old monsters.

He hadn't expected this kind of atmosphere.

Demon Subduing Douluo was the first to notice Ji Ye.

He walked straight over, looked the grey-clad, masked youth up and down, and then carelessly threw an arm around Ji Ye's shoulders.

"Yo, who is this little guy?" Demon Subduing Douluo turned to look at Qian Renxue.

"He's quite handsome. Even with the mask on, you can tell by his eyes he's a fine lad. Xiaoxue, when did you meet this little friend?"

Ji Ye was being squeezed so hard he could barely breathe, and just as he was about to introduce himself, Qian Renxue's voice cut in first.

"He is the person who robbed my father's grave."

Demon Subduing Douluo's hand, still draped over Ji Ye's shoulder, froze.

The entire Consecration Hall fell silent in an instant.

Lion Douluo, Feather Douluo, Azure Phoenix Douluo, and Qianjun Douluo all turned to look at Ji Ye in unison.

Demon Subduing Douluo slowly lowered his head to look at the boy he was holding; the smile still hung on his face, but it had gone completely stiff.

"...What?"

"The person who robbed my father's grave," Qian Renxue repeated, her tone calm.

Demon Subduing Douluo let go and took a step back.

He scrutinized Ji Ye again, from top to bottom, and bottom to top.

"You brat, you robbed a grave?" Demon Subduing Douluo's voice cracked.

"And you robbed the grave of the former Pope of our Spirit Hall?"

"You've got some nerve!"

Ji Ye opened his mouth.

"If I said I was just passing by, would you believe me?"

"Passing by?" Lion Douluo strode over, his massive frame blocking Ji Ye like a wall.

"You were passing by and happened to pass right into the tomb?"

"I got lost."

"Lost?" Feather Douluo leaned in, tilting his head to look at Ji Ye. "You didn't see the giant sign for the Spirit Hall forbidden grounds?"

"I didn't notice it."

Ji Ye felt so aggrieved.

He really hadn't robbed any grave.

He hadn't even touched the lid of the coffin.

But these elders clearly wouldn't doubt Qian Renxue's word.

If Qian Renxue said he was a grave robber, then he was a grave robber.

No evidence, no interrogation, and no due process required.

Azure Phoenix Douluo walked over and looked down at Ji Ye; his gaze wasn't fierce, but the pressure it exerted was far more uncomfortable than any display of anger.

"What Xiaoxue says cannot be false."

Qianjun Douluo also stood up, taking his place alongside Demon Subduing Douluo; the brothers were as synchronized as if they were one person.

The five Consecrators surrounded Ji Ye, trapping him in the center.

Not one of them released a spirit ring, nor did any of them reveal their martial spirit.

Yet, the invisible pressure was already making sweat bead on Ji Ye's back.

Title Douluo.

Five Title Douluo.

Any one of them could pin him to the ground and crush him with ease.

Ji Ye took a deep breath.

"I didn't rob any tomb."

No one paid him any mind.

"I'm telling the truth."

Still, no one listened.

"Do you people in Spirit Hall never listen to what others have to say?"

Lion Douluo grinned. "We listen, but only to our own."

Ji Ye's mouth twitched.

Forget it, no point in explaining.

The more he explained, the more infuriating it became.

Qian Renxue stood a few paces away, arms crossed over her chest, a faint smile curling the corners of her lips.

She wanted to see just how long this masked little thief could keep up his stubborn act.

Lion Douluo was the first to move.

He reached out to grab Ji Ye by the collar; the movement wasn't particularly fast, but the sheer force and presence behind it would have made an ordinary person's legs turn to jelly just from watching.

Ji Ye felt a surge of irritation.

His mood had been fine today, but then he was inexplicably branded a tomb robber, dragged before a group of Title Douluo, ignored after explaining himself for ages, and now they were resorting to force?

Fine.

Even if he couldn't win, he would fight.

At the very least, he wouldn't just stand there and take a beating.

The moment four spirit rings rose from beneath Ji Ye's feet, the light in the entire Consecration Hall distorted.

Purple, purple, black, black.

The four spirit rings rotated slowly, the purple and black intertwining to emit a sense of oppression that felt nothing like what a four-ringed Spirit Ancestor should possess.

Lion Douluo's hand froze in mid-air.

Feather Douluo's mouth hung open in an 'O' shape.

Azure Phoenix Douluo's eyes widened sharply.

The brothers Qianjun and Demon Subduing both gasped in unison.

Five people, five Title Douluo, and their expressions were now uncannily identical.

Stunned.

Lion Douluo was the first to react, though his method of doing so was to rub his own eyes.

"Did I see that right? Purple, purple, black, black?"

Feather Douluo crouched down, tilting his head to stare at the spirit rings at Ji Ye's feet for a long time.

"This spirit power fluctuation doesn't seem fake."

Qianjun Douluo and Demon Subduing Douluo exchanged a glance.

How the hell was this possible?

Demon Subduing Douluo swallowed hard. "Reaching four rings at twelve years old, and with such a heaven-defying spirit ring configuration? What did this kid grow up eating?"

Qian Renxue, standing a few paces away, finally saw her expression shift.

She had originally thought this guy was just a bold little thief with a bit of cunning.

But now, he appeared to be a monstrous talent.

Purple, purple, black, black.

This kind of spirit ring configuration.

Even she couldn't achieve it.

No, no one on the entire continent could.

Qian Renxue looked at Ji Ye, her eyes becoming complex.

What kind of background did this youth actually have?

Just as everyone was immersed in shock, the door at the top of the steps opened.

Two people walked out.

Walking in front was an old man in white hair and white robes, with a refined face and a slender build; he was like a peerless sword sheathed in its scabbard.

His edge was hidden, yet no one dared to overlook him.

Following behind him was a middle-aged man with black hair, a burly physique, and a meticulous expression, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's.

Great Consecrator Qian Daoliu.

Second Consecrator Golden Crocodile Douluo.

The two walked down the steps, their gazes landing simultaneously on the four soul rings at Ji Ye's feet.

Qian Daoliu's brows furrowed slightly.

Golden Crocodile Douluo's brows also knit together.

The entire Consecration Hall was so quiet that one could hear the sound of breathing.

Golden Crocodile Douluo turned his head to look at Qian Daoliu, his eyes filled with inquiry.