Returning to the matter at hand, she began her account.
That brief opening alone made Bai Qiru, who had just stood up, suddenly realize something. She stared at her grandmother, her eyes filled with shock and doubt.
"It was precisely because the Devil Ancestor, having obtained the Devil Tome, imposed brutal levies and tyrannical rule, seeking to seize control of all realms, that Jin Zhan had no choice but to fight him.
Before making that decision, perhaps Jin Zhan had sensed that he was no match for the Devil Ancestor. He made arrangements for what would happen after his death.
Only before Jin Zhan set out to battle did our ancestor, White Tiger, learn from him about the Six Books of the Endless Palace. Only then did our ancestor learn that the Devil Ancestor was not satisfied with the Devil Tome alone, but had always sought to gather all Six Books. That was also why Jin Zhan had not readily passed the entire Demon Tome down to his descendants.
Jin Zhan had long known that the Phoenix Clan intended to rebel, that they had colluded with the Devil Ancestor and willingly served as his hunting dogs. But he never exposed them. At Jin Zhan's direction, our ancestor secretly joined the Phoenix Clan.
Jin Zhan's intention was that, if he failed to return, his clansmen would inevitably be implicated. He asked our ancestor to do everything possible to preserve the Golden-Haired Rat Clan.
Our ancestor swore an oath to that effect: if he broke that oath, the Bai Clan would perish."
At this, Bai Qiru asked in a trembling voice, "Has the Bai Clan broken that oath?"
Granny Qi glanced at her without answering and continued, "Later, Jin Zhan was defeated and killed. You already know how the Phoenix Clan reclaimed