It had indeed been the Lower Hall's doing, and the outcome had not fallen outside the expectations of the Upper Hall's councilors.
Someone asked, "Who specifically did this? And how was it done?"
Councilor Lan said, "Judging from the report, someone used an external body to take a protective star thunder granted by the Hall. Under the pretense of delivering a message, they infiltrated the fortified platform. In the end, they sacrificed themselves to trigger the thunder, causing the platform to explode. That person's precise identity is still being verified, but it had nothing to do with the various Daoist lineages. It has been confirmed that they acted at the Lower Hall's instigation."
Someone among the councilors could not help but snort.
Every Yuan Xia cultivator sent to Celestial Xia carried such star thunders. They had originally been meant for dealing with Celestial Xia. Their power was immense; shattering stars was no difficult feat. They had been intended as a precaution against Celestial Xia making trouble, to provide either deterrence or a lesson. Yet unexpectedly, they had first been used against their own side.
One councilor said unhappily, "How was that fortified platform guarded? Was there no screening whatsoever? How could an unrelated person have infiltrated the platform?"
Councilor Lan said, "This was originally meant to display the Upper Hall's breadth of spirit and magnanimity. We had thought everyone could gain some benefit from it. Who would have expected these people to truly disregard the greater picture? Moreover, looking at the entire process by which this person infiltrated the platform, it had clearly been meticulously planned. They had calculated against those who were unprepared, and only thus did they succeed."
At this point, another councilor spoke coldly. "Could this matter be connected to Celestial Xia?"
Councilor Lan shook his head.