"..."
Eldest Princess Li Huaian sat upright on the left side of the main seat, her phoenix eyes sweeping across the entire room.
Even though no one knows her identity as a princess now, she always maintains the dignity of royalty.
I felt a little uneasy.
Ye Li directly rejected the proposal to reveal her identity and reason with him, but she still hasn't heard any specific solutions from him.
It's as casual as saying we'll see how things go later...
Although Li Huaian knew that Commander Ye was incredibly shrewd and had prepared an extremely meticulous plan, he was still somewhat worried because no pre-battle meeting had been held beforehand.
"General Xiao, if General Ye makes any moves later, remember to adapt and cooperate accordingly."
Xiao Yu nodded slightly upon hearing this.
Even though he disapproved of Ye Li's unauthorized actions, the situation was urgent, and as a general, he could not afford to hold back at such a critical moment.
"..."
The three prefects sat on the other side near the main seats. Tang Xiao's face was slightly pale, and he barely managed to deal with the toasts offered by others, appearing absent-minded.
Mei Yuehua's gaze swept over them, then subtly swept over the young governor on the high seat, a slight chill running through her heart.
The dubious rumors turned out to be true; an envoy was indeed dispatched from the Capital City to handle the matter.
They must be at least at the level of the Cosmic Birth Realm, so we need to be careful...
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but shift her ample hips, moving slightly closer to the young man carrying the sword, which made her feel much safer.
Time passed quietly.
During the middle of the banquet, when everyone was in high spirits and flushed with wine...
Knowing the time was ripe, Prefect Tang Xiao of the Yunze Continent could no longer contain himself. He put down his wine cup, stood up abruptly, and his voice, deep and powerful, drew countless gazes to him.
"Esteemed sect Family Head and patriarchs, I am deeply grateful for your presence at Yunze today. On behalf of the Imperial Court, I express my sincere gratitude for your timely assistance."
He surveyed the room, his gaze electrifying. "I'm sure you've all heard about the scourge the Bone and Blood Cult is wreaking havoc in the Southern Territory, poisoning lives and harming the people. Some of you may even have suffered as a result."
"They are now lurking within the borders of the Three Continents. At this critical moment, I earnestly request that all comrades of the Three Continents unite as one to overcome this national crisis!"
"For this, our Nine Luminaries Division will not hesitate to bestow rewards. If any of you have made outstanding contributions, the Nine Luminaries Division of the Three Continents will surely offer generous thanks!"
After speaking, his gaze swept over the major Venerable forces of the Yunze Continent, and finally landed directly on Mei Yuehua, whose attitude had been ambiguous earlier.
There was a brief moment of silence in the hall.
Immediately, various voices arose, mostly high-sounding echoes and condemnations of cults, but few made any substantial promises.
Everyone is watching and waiting for the first person to step forward.
"What the hell is that old bastard looking at me for..." Mei Yuehua felt Tang Xiao's gaze and couldn't help but curse inwardly.
But with so many eyes on her, she knew she had to make a statement.
There's no way to avoid it.
A forced smile appeared on Mei Yuehua's face. She rose gracefully, gave a gentle bow towards the young man in the main seat, and her soft, charming voice resounded clearly throughout the room:
"Prefect Tang is absolutely right. Just as I said before, this heretical cult is an abomination to both gods and men. Everyone in the Plum Blossom Villa wishes they could tear it to pieces!"
"Lie."
The boy's clear voice rang out for the first time, startling her so much that she trembled violently. "I have another suggestion for you, think it over before you speak."
Mei Yuehua looked in the direction of the voice and met Ye Li's cold, black eyes. Her heart pounded, and she quickly made the bitterness and helplessness on her face even more pronounced. She immediately changed the subject and said:
"My lord, please understand! It is not that I or the manor are unwilling to serve, but rather that we are powerless to do so!"
"Some time ago, in order to protect the city, the mountain manor fought a bloody battle against a group of powerful enemies who coveted our Spirit Veins. Nearly half of the manor's elite disciples were lost, and several elders were seriously injured and went into seclusion, and have not yet recovered!"
"The former master of the manor even injured his own life force while protecting the manor's foundation, and he is still struggling between life and death!"
As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and she seemed on the verge of tears, a truly pitiful sight. "Right now, we are too busy taking care of ourselves, our strength is greatly depleted, and it is truly difficult to spare capable manpower to support Yunze!"
"If we force them to be sent, it will likely not only fail to help the overall situation, but will instead become a hindrance!"
Mei Xinfeng, standing beside her, let out a very soft snort at the opportune moment, and lightly tapped his finger on the scabbard resting on his lap.
Clang!
In an instant, a hidden yet sharp and imposing Sword Qi spread out!
Even a fleeting glimpse of its sharpness was enough to send a chill down the spines of the many powerful figures present.
This is both a demonstration of strength and a silent warning.
Although Plum Blossom Villa has suffered heavy losses, its sword is still sharp and it will not tolerate any slight!
As Mei Yuehua finished speaking...
Ye Li silently sentenced this force to death; not a single word of their eight hundred statements was true, and he couldn't even be bothered to investigate the fabricated evidence.
He turned to the other forces that had come to his aid and asked in a calm voice:
"She's finished speaking, what about you?"
Upon his initial arrival in Yunze, this was supposed to be the last vestige of leeway and mercy he offered to these local powers.
However, in the eyes of the other sect leaders, Ye Li's silence and questioning seemed to indicate that he had acknowledged the "difficulties" of the Plum Blossom Villa and thus given up on forcing the issue.
In an instant, all the sect leaders in the hall showed expressions of "empathy," and voices of agreement arose everywhere!
"Reporting to Your Excellency, I also agree with what Master Mei said. Our Wind Jade Valley also has its difficulties..."
"My lord! Our sect's resources are shallow, and it is truly difficult for us to mobilize Venerable-level combat power to provide reinforcements..."
"We must remain steadfast in our core business to prevent cults from taking advantage of any vulnerabilities...!"
Li Huaian's face instantly darkened.
She had anticipated some excuses, but she hadn't expected Plum Blossom Villa to refuse so decisively and firmly. Moreover, there was clearly a Venerable One sitting beside them, and it was obvious that they didn't want to help!
The three prefects felt a chill run down their spines.
Tang Xiao, in particular, felt a surge of anger rising in his chest as he looked at Mei Yuehua's tearful and bitter appearance, and then thought of the hundreds of time bombs in his territory. His eyes almost spit fire!
Xiao Yu, sitting to the right of the main seat, suddenly opened his eyes, his cold and sharp gaze piercing Mei Yuehua like a blade, and the aura unique to high-level Venerables around him subtly fluctuated!
In an instant, the lively atmosphere in the banquet hall plummeted to freezing point!
"What, does the Nine Luminaries Division think it can just force us when it can't get what it wants?"
Mei Xinfeng sneered, clearly having no intention of backing down. He gripped the longsword on his lap with one hand, a sharp Sword Intent emanating from his eyes!
He slowly stood up, subtly shielding Mei Yuehua behind him!
As he moved, many of the sect leaders in the hall began to glance, intentionally or unintentionally, towards the main seat above.
What would that mysterious envoy from the Capital City think about this?
How will they deal with this stalemate?
However, when everyone actually looked in that direction, they were astonished to find—
The main seat was completely empty!
Inside the magnificent banquet hall, a golden light suddenly pierced the sky!
"We are unwilling to come to the aid of your Nine Luminaries Division today. Now that we're leaving, let's see who dares to stop us..."
Mei Xinfeng's words, filled with coldness, were not yet finished.
Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted from behind, accompanied by the manor lord's piercing scream, sweeping across the entire area!
It turned out that Ye Li had arrived in an instant, grabbing Mei Yuehua's head with one hand and swinging his arm in a wide arc, bringing it down with a thunderous roar that shook the mountains and rivers!
Boom!!!
The roar was deafening! A cloud of dust billowed up!
With the support of a terrifying force comparable to that of a peak Venerable, the entire majestic banquet hall shook violently!
The beams and pillars of the palace roof groaned under the weight, and earth and stones tumbled down. From the point of impact, spiderweb-like cracks spread wildly outwards from the ground!
Her nearly shattered head was gripped in his hand, Mei Yuehua's voluptuous body slumped to the ground like a broken sack, convulsing violently and uncontrollably, with terrifying cracking sounds of bones breaking constantly emanating from her body!
[Seriously injuring Mei Yuehua, the master of the Plum Blossom Villa, who Cosmic Birth Realm Fifth Level Early-stage, in public! Malice Points +!!]