"You're afraid he's still here."
Seeing the change in their expressions, An Lingzhen continued:
"You were willing to bring every elder involved here today, but not because you truly respect the Xuanjian Mansion."
"You merely wanted to sound out our stance."
"If the Xuanjian Mansion took a hard line, that would mean we had ample grounds for confidence, and you would naturally keep backing down."
"But if the Xuanjian Mansion agreed to an alliance, or even tacitly permitted blood sacrifices..."
"That would prove the Prefectural Lord had most likely already left this world."
"And at that point..."
"Whether the resources offered today would actually be handed over to the Xuanjian Mansion would be another matter."
Cold sweat seeped down the Endless Wall Sect Master's back, but he still replied gravely:
"Lady An... you really are worrying too much."
"We have never entertained such thoughts, and we will fulfill every condition we promised."
The dozen or so elders behind him also voiced their agreement.
Yet that reaction itself revealed something.
An Lingzhen studied their expressions, a hint of surprise entering her eyes:
"To be honest..."
"Even I'm a little surprised."
"You're afraid of him... to this extent."
After all...
The spectacle when Ye Li left this world had been unparalleled, impossible to conceal.
And ever since records began in the Primordial Sea...
No one beyond transcendence who had ascended had ever returned.
Even so, these people still feared Ye Li to their very bones!
"So that was why..."
Ye Shenfeng's expression flickered with shock.
She quickly recalled what had happened a few days earlier.
To draw out the hidden higher-ups of the Endless Wall Forbidden Grounds, she had deliberately spent several days in a remote Star Domain.
During that time, she had even withdrawn all her defenses and entered a branch