The main hall of the Azure Abyss Marquis's Manor.
The obsidian-like floor gleamed like a mirror, reflecting the thirty-six third-tier Luminous Pearls set into the dome in the arrangement of the stars of the heavenly cycle.
Cold light flowed through the hall, making it resemble an ice cavern, grim and murderous.
A hundred black-armored personal guards stood along either side, expressionless and radiating powerful auras. All were at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage or above, standing like statues and adding to the oppressive atmosphere.
Qing Chen sat high in the chief seat, a broad chair carved from "dark iron frost jade," its armrests engraved with ferocious [Yazi] designs.
He wore purple-red marquis's robes embroidered in gold thread with Cangming wave patterns. He did not deliberately release any pressure, merely sitting there casually, his fingers tapping a Yazi's head.
Yet whenever those eyes swept over someone, phantoms of mountains of corpses and seas of blood seemed to flash past, making their divine souls tremble.
The manifestations of "blood merit" over recent years had made everyone in Qiongzhou aware that this Azure Abyss Marquis was not only "upright" in office, but necessarily ruthless in his methods.
Below him stood [Nangong Wang], head of the Nangong Household, in a brocade-blue magical robe. His fair face was now flushed with "indignation."
Beside him, "Qian Baoshan" still looked every bit the wealthy old gentleman, wearing a brocade robe patterned with coins, his plump face laden with grief;
only his eyes gleamed keenly as he secretly studied Qing Chen's every minute reaction.
Behind them, several lineage elders held their breath in concentration, not daring to breathe loudly.
"Marquis!"
Nangong Wang spoke first, his voice carrying irrepressible "fury" and just the right amount of "anguish":
"Three days ago, a caravan of our Nangong Household, heading to the