Chen Yao's revelations sent the crowd into an uproar. Two Supremes in one family, and the tragedy of the Supreme Bone-this was far too shocking!
"Utter nonsense! Yi was born with double pupils and a Supreme Bone! Where did this other person come from?" a voice rang out from the Martial King Manor.
"We would love to have two Supremes in one family! How could we possibly do such a thing?" More voices rose from another side.
"You insolent brat, spouting nonsense to ruin our Martial King Manor's reputation! What are you plotting?" a white-haired Elder shouted.
Chen Yao said contemptuously, "Give it a rest. What good does denying it do now? Are you the only living people left in the Martial King Manor? The Elders from Shi Hao's branch have been waiting for this day for ages. Now that I've said it, the news is bound to spread. No matter how much you deny it, you can't stop that branch from learning Shi Hao survived. Just to vindicate themselves, they'll bring the truth of what happened back then to light all on their own. Where are your brains? Do you really think you're the only people in the world with mouths, and whatever you say goes?"
"You've lived your whole lives for nothing. All you know is throwing your weight around and wagging your tongues."
"It's your reputation being ruined, but the Martial King Manor isn't just yours. It won't be long before you become discarded pawns."
Every sentence from Chen Yao was like a sharp knife plunging into the guts of those who had spoken. Even those about to deny his words flushed crimson. Some younger people who knew nothing of the truth back then wanted to speak as well, but seeing their elders react this way, they all shut their mouths in disbelief.
"What's wrong? Gone mute? Guilty conscience, right? It's precisely because you know I'm telling the truth that I can shut you down, isn't it?" With right on his side, Chen Yao showed no mercy and kept twisting the knife.
"Yi! You bastard! What did you do to Yi? You harmed our Martial King Manor's Supreme! Whatever happens, you must die!" Fifth Grandfather's eyes were bloodshot as he watched Shi Yi cough up blood, his body torn apart by terrifying streaks of white light and life-and-death Dao power bursting out from within. He wanted to kill Wu Gensheng with a palm strike, but since he could not stir the crowd into creating chaos, he dared not step forward.
He had seen Shi Yi fight. In the Blood Moving Realm, he was truly one man holding the pass against ten thousand! Wu Gensheng had to be at roughly the same level, or he could never have injured Yi with an all-out surprise attack at close range. Stepping forward would only mean throwing his life away. If he survived even one move, that would already be a testament to his diligent daily cultivation.
"Didn't I already explain? Their bloodlines don't match, their origins reject each other, and the Supreme Bone has turned on him. That Supreme Bone belongs to Shi Hao, not him. He has only himself to blame for ending up like this. All I did was awaken the Supreme Bone." Chen Yao remained perfectly composed.
"It was merely an invading demon. This bone is utterly compatible with me. Your sinister palm strike simply controlled it and made it harm its master. Once the demon you planted inside me is removed, the crisis resolves itself. There has never been any rejection between our origins. It belongs to me." By now, Shi Yi had weathered the crisis. He had suppressed the Supreme Bone, quelled the turmoil inside him, and eradicated the invading heavenly demon will. Creation vitality flowed down, completely healing his injuries.
"Ah, what a stubborn mouth. Even after you're burned to ashes, that mouth will still be left behind," Chen Yao mocked.
What a venomous tongue. Aman glanced at Shi Hao. The little milk-drinking boy was listening with sparkling eyes. I feel like he's going to be a bad influence on little Hao.
"There won't be a next time. I already know how to guard against your sinister methods. You're only helping me achieve perfection, and in the end, you'll bring about your own death." Shi Yi became as still as an ancient well, burying all his emotions deep in his eyes as he gazed calmly at Chen Yao.
Using the turmoil caused by the invading demon, he had observed with his double pupils all sorts of discord and incompatibilities that had previously been difficult to detect. He nourished them with creation vitality and remade them with annihilation power, calming the Supreme Bone's rampage and its instinct to expel the demon until they no longer rejected each other. He believed that even if another palm strike came, the same thing would not happen again. After this ordeal, he and the Supreme Bone were even more compatible.
But I can still give your double pupils presbyopia and your bones osteoporosis. Chen Yao did not know what he was thinking, but he could guess.
They stared silently at each other for a long while, neither side speaking. The news had already spread, and whether they fought no longer seemed important.
Dark clouds spread, gradually enveloping the three of them. Aman made a gesture at Fifth Grandfather, while Shi Hao pulled a face at the crowd.
"Just wait. We'll make you hand over the Supreme Bone with complete conviction."
"There's no need. What's done is done. From the very beginning, we had no way to stop the news from spreading. Their position was unassailable all along. Return at once and prepare to deal with that branch's challenges." Shi Yi stopped the people from the Martial King Manor who wanted to disperse the dark clouds.
When the mist and clouds scattered, the three were already nowhere to be seen.
No battle was taking place at the Martial King Manor, but undercurrents were already raging beneath its surface.
Senior elders and Elders came and went. Those belonging to different branches met one another with silence, passing each other without a word.
Inside the council hall, the arguments had already reached a fever pitch.
"Even if he really is Shi Hao, he's been gone for so long that he certainly can't serve the Martial King Manor's interests as well as Yi, nor can he be as friendly toward us! You all saw it. He's mixed up with that Wu Gensheng, whose origins are unknown and who is full of malice toward our Martial King Manor!"
"Bullshit! Malice? You've been provoking them all along! What malice are you talking about? Wasn't it that brat Shi Yi who went straight up and picked a fight with them in the first place, earning their displeasure? Whenever Shi Yi loses out, you go after someone else. Why don't you look for the problem in Shi Yi? Isn't it simply because he can't beat them?"
"You traitor! Why are you speaking up for outsiders?"
"Outsiders? He might well be the one who saved Hao! He raised Hao into a healthy child. We can't thank him enough! I know that child Aman. He would never associate with bad people, just as he never goes near Shi Yi or any of you!"
"If it's as you say, then Shi Hao owes him a debt, and his allegiance has already changed. Only Yi can represent the Martial King Manor's future! Does a brat raised by outsiders deserve to take away the Supreme Bone?"
"Say that again! Take it away? He would be taking it back! What, are you refusing to honor your word? Who promised to return it back then when everything looked so favorable? Now that things have changed, your promises don't count? It's you Hao despises. With Aman there, we needn't worry about him feeling no affection for the Martial King Manor. You're the only ones who'll lose out! Besides, isn't it a good thing that Hao has befriended a genius?"
"Regardless, the Supreme Bone is a matter of immense importance. It concerns the Martial King Manor's rise or fall and cannot be moved lightly."
"Rise or fall, rise or fall! Would Shi Yi become useless without the Supreme Bone? Even without his Supreme Bone, Hao broke records and stirred up storms in the Void God Realm. He can stand shoulder to shoulder with Shi Yi and remains a young Supreme. Once Shi Yi gives back the Supreme Bone, he'll still have his double pupils, yet you think that alone would make him useless? Thank you! How considerate of you to think so highly of Hao and belittle Shi Yi."
"You! That's not what I meant! Losing the Supreme Bone would damage his foundation. Do you dare gamble on that? Since you think that little brat can rise without the bone, there's no need to return it! As you said, he's already a young Supreme. There's no need to hurt Yi again!"
"You damned scoundrel, you truly have no shame!"
"..."
In the end, the Martial King himself spoke. They would wait for the other party to come, hear his demands, and then decide.
But the turmoil had yet to subside. Fourth Grandfather stepped forward and produced the message Aman had left.
It was the jade slip Aman had left at the time, explaining where he intended to go.
In the jade slip, he said that Wu Gensheng had invited him to see Shi Hao. Wu Gensheng had told him that Shi Hao lived in the Stone Kingdom Ancestral Land, had survived his brush with death, and was growing up healthy. In the Blood Moving Realm, he could unleash a tremendous force of one hundred and eight thousand jin with one hand through physical strength alone. He was unsure whether Wu Gensheng's words were true and was only going to verify them, hoping Fourth Grandfather would not believe them lightly before they were confirmed. Wu Gensheng had provided some heavenly treasures as proof that he meant no harm in taking him away, and these were hidden in a secret compartment in his room.
Inside the secret compartment was half a bottle of sacred medicine extract that Aman had saved through sparing use.
When Fourth Grandfather brought out those "heavenly treasures Wu Gensheng had given as a show of sincerity," the Martial King Manor was shaken. Even the Stone Emperor was alerted and came in person to inspect the sacred medicine, giving his confirmation that it was genuine.
Thus, the situation reversed. News that Shi Hao lived in the Stone Kingdom Ancestral Land spread like wildfire, and doubts about his allegiance collapsed on their own. Even if Shi Hao was not aligned with the Martial King Manor, he was aligned with the Stone Kingdom. Moreover, his connection to the Stone Kingdom Ancestral Land would gild his standing, giving him the right to contend for the Stone Emperor's Throne!
Wu Gensheng was believed to be someone from the Stone Kingdom Ancestral Land. Shi Yi's branch had acted unwisely in provoking him, and the pressure now fell on them.
Furthermore, he clearly had no intention of escalating the matter. He had only taken issue with Shi Yi and had done nothing else against the Martial King Manor. This instead lent further weight to the idea that he bore goodwill toward the Stone Kingdom and had no intention of stirring up trouble.
An Ancestral Land that could offer sacred medicine as a deposit would wield no less deterrent power than a Primordial Sacred Mountain. It might even have a true deity presiding over it!
The pressure on Fifth Grandfather's branch became immense. They had never anticipated such a killing blow.
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