Inside the magnificent, golden hall, figures were scattered about, each seated in their own place.
On the main seat, Jian Ming, clad in a golden robe, stood imposingly.
At this moment, Jian Ming slowly raised his eyes, which were filled with golden light. His emotionless gaze swept over everyone in the hall, finally settling on a young man in white robes. This man was none other than Zhuo Lin, the heir of the Zhuo Clan.
"Nephew Zhuo Lin, according to you, Xiao Yan disappeared right before your eyes?"
With his eyes slowly narrowing, Jian Ming stared intently at Zhuo Lin, who still stood tall under his gaze. After a few breaths, he asked in a low voice.
As soon as Jian Ming finished speaking, the others in the room turned their gazes towards him. Bai Ying was alright, his expression didn't change much, but the other two families all turned their gazes to Jian Ming, each of them looking extremely gloomy.
"Sect Master, please don't listen to this brat's nonsense. This matter must have been orchestrated by the Zhuo Clan and Bai Clan in order to suppress our two families. Sect Master, please don't..."
Did I ask you?!
However, just as one of the purple-robed elders from the two families stood up and was about to finish speaking, Jian Ming, sitting in the main seat, looked at the purple-robed elder with a cold expression, and his tone of voice was even more alarming.
With Jian Ming's rebuke, the purple-robed elder reluctantly sat back down in his seat, his old face filled with deep resentment. After a long while, he lowered his head and clenched his withered hands under his sleeves.
In the seat next to him sat a middle-aged man dressed in a black robe, whose expression was equally gloomy. His gaze frequently swept over the Bai Clan and Zhuo Clan members sitting opposite him, and a murderous intent surged deep in his eyes.
This man is none other than Huo Xianrui, the current head of the Huo Clan.
The purple-robed elder sitting beside him was Sun Zhi, the current Supreme Elder of the Sun Clan.
The deaths of Huo Tianyi, Huo Ba, and Sun Shuo fundamentally shook these two families. Each family had a Three-Star Dou Di and a Late One-Star Dou Di. Such a lineup could be said to be unstoppable in the entire Western Region. However, these three people, whose strength had reached such a level, actually died tragically in the ruins. And among their companions, those who returned alive were from the other two families. This outcome made it hard not to suspect anything.
Apart from Zhuo Lin and Bai Ying, there were no other witnesses to this incident. This means that only the two of them knew what happened in the ruins at that time. As for what outsiders could say, that was up to them to say. Therefore, the words of their two families were the least credible.
Jian Ming was naturally aware of this, but when he heard Xiao Yan's name from Zhuo Lin, he couldn't help but feel a little suspicious. If all of this was related to Xiao Yan, then he probably really had to listen carefully.
Seeing Sun Zhi sit back down, Jian Ming slowly shifted his gaze. Then, he paused slightly at Huo Xianrui beside him, a cold glint flashing almost imperceptibly deep in his eyes. He then looked at Zhuo Lin again, his expression quickly returning to normal, though his face still appeared rather cold.
" Zhuo Lin, tell me everything you saw that day, exactly as it happened."
Jian Ming spoke softly, then leaned back slightly, resting his head on the chair, his eyes half-closed as he stared at Zhuo Lin.
Upon hearing this, Zhuo Lin, who had been sitting upright, finally raised his head, as if he had just heard Jian Ming's words and was also intimidated by the latter's aura.
Slowly standing up, Zhuo Lin's gaze swept over everyone in the room. The moment his eyes met Bai Ying's, the latter clearly saw a cold glint in Zhuo Lin's eyes, which seemed to be a threat, a request, or perhaps a sign of neither servility nor arrogance.
"You have times when you're afraid too..."
Seeing this, Bai Ying sneered inwardly. Although Zhuo Lin wanted to kill him in the ruins that day, neither of them were in the right state of mind. If they had fought, it would have been bad for either of them, and might even have left them there permanently. So, in the end, they had no choice but to leave the ruins cautiously.
Zhuo Lin raised his head and recounted most of what had happened in the ruins that day. Of course, there were some fabricated parts in his account, and even though Jian Ming could tell, he was too lazy to bring them up.
Whether or not it is brought up, these things are no longer important. A dead man is a dead man. Even if the cause is found, what use is it? It has completely intensified the relationship between the Four Great Clans, which is not good for the Heavenly Sword Sect either. It is better to avoid trouble. In any case, Jian Ming's goal is only Xiao Yan.
Whether they wanted to listen or not, everyone in the room was listening to Zhuo Lin's explanation. Due to the space inside the hall, there were constant echoes. As long as Zhuo Lin spoke, it was as if everyone had heard it many times before, and they understood almost everything regardless of whether they wanted to listen or not.
Huo Xianrui and Sun Zhi frowned as they watched Zhuo Lin's speech. Both of them scoffed at it and found it utterly unbelievable. How strong could a mere Half-Emperor, even with the help of puppets and a strange snake with the strength of One-Star Dou Di, possibly be? It was utter nonsense that they could make the people of the Four Great Clans look so disheveled!
However, just because they didn't believe it didn't mean everyone did. At least, Jian Ming was already captivated by Sun Shuo's words.
Listening intently to Zhuo Lin's words, Jian Ming gradually sat up from his reclining position, his half-closed eyes fixed on Zhuo Lin. Finally, when Zhuo Lin mentioned that Xiao Yan's figure had suddenly disappeared from the square, a ripple finally appeared in Jian Ming's eyes. What others did not know was that at this moment, a storm was brewing in Jian Ming's heart.
According to Zhuo Lin, after Xiao Yan exhausted all his Dou Technique in the ruins, he was already at his limit and had no chance to fight back, let alone survive such an energy storm.
However, Zhuo Lin's result was that Xiao Yan and the One-Horned Whale Serpent disappeared together in the square, which was simply impossible, but it actually happened.
Having lost all his fighting power, Xiao Yan could never have escaped that place on his own, much less with the One-Horned Whale Serpent.
Therefore, the only explanation is that someone else was secretly helping them escape from the ruins!
The man's skills were so superb that even with Zhuo Lin and Bai Ying's strength, they didn't detect the slightest abnormality, which means that the latter's strength far surpasses theirs!
The idea that a mysterious powerful figure would suddenly intervene and abduct Xiao Yan when he was in danger might seem illogical and unbelievable to others.
But Jian Ming saw it differently.
"Could it be... that there are other powerful figures protecting Xiao Yan?"
Jian Ming sat on the main seat with a blank and lifeless gaze, his brows furrowed, but he couldn't help but think of the great battle in Lengcui City a few years ago.
Four powerful Dou Di gathered in one city, their purpose being to deal with a Half-Emperor whom they considered an ant. They originally thought it would be a relaxed parade, but to their surprise, the four Dou Di powerhouses ended up fleeing in disarray like stray dogs.
Jian Ming will never forget the humiliation of that day, nor will he forget the power of that aura. If that mysterious person were to actually make a move, Jian Ming dares to guarantee that even if all four of them were combined, they would not be a match for that mysterious expert!
However, now, a scene similar to that of years past has reappeared. At Xiao Yan's moment of crisis, another mysterious expert suddenly made a move. If this news were to reach the ears of the other three sect leaders, it would probably cause another invisible storm!
After recounting everything, Zhuo Lin calmed down and stopped speaking. His gaze swept indifferently over the two families, then he glanced at Bai Ying before sitting back down in his seat.
Everyone in the room turned their gaze to Jian Ming, who was seated in the main seat. After what had happened before, this time, without Jian Ming speaking, everyone present consciously kept quiet.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the main hall became strange again. It was neither tense nor relaxed, and everyone was afraid to relax. Everyone hoped to be called on by Jian Ming to speak, but at the same time, they were also afraid of saying the wrong thing.
Can you guarantee that everything you've said is true?
The atmosphere in the room remained tense for a long time before Jian Ming finally spoke again.
"I swear on my life that everything I just said is true!"
Zhuo Lin stood up, looked at Jian Ming on the main seat, his eyes calm and unwavering.
Seeing Zhuo Lin's appearance, Jian Ming was surprised, and then nodded slightly.
"Okay, I hope I can believe you."
Zhuo Lin sat down again, while Jian Ming turned his gaze to Bai Ying and said in a deep voice:
"Patriarch Bai Clan, only you and your nephew Zhuo Lin emerged from those ruins that day. Can you guarantee that what Zhuo Lin just said was entirely true?"
As Jian Ming finished speaking, his gaze towards Bai Ying turned cold. If Bai Ying criticized Zhuo Lin's words in the slightest, then the latter would have to pay the price for what he had just said, since he was willing to risk his life to vouch for it.
At this moment, the other three people on the field immediately turned their attention to Bai Ying. Jian Ming's move could be described as entrusting Zhuo Lin's life to Bai Ying's hands. Whether he lived or died depended entirely on Bai Ying's word.
Huo Xianrui and Sun Zhi stared at Bai Ying with mocking smiles. They naturally wanted Bai Ying to say what they wanted to hear, and they were certain that Bai Ying would say those words. As long as Bai Ying spoke, it would not only avenge their two families, but also save all three families a major trouble. Naturally, their two families would be more than happy to do so.
Compared to the reactions of the other two families, the expressions on the faces of the Zhuo Clan members changed drastically. They hadn't expected Jian Ming to resort to such methods. In this way, Zhuo Lin's life was now entirely in Bai Ying's hands.
A middle-aged man standing next to Zhuo Lin was about to get up, but Zhuo Lin, with a calm expression, pulled him back down.
Zhuo Lin shook his head imperceptibly. Seeing this, the latter, though still very worried, finally swayed and sat down heavily.
Meanwhile, Bai Ying, who was being watched by everyone, was also feeling a bit awkward.
If he were to say what those two great families and even Jian Ming wanted to hear, then Zhuo Lin would surely lose his life, and the Zhuo Clan would lose much of its prestige. In that case, their entire family would also be affected. This situation would certainly be what all three parties wanted to see.
However, if Zhuo Lin dies, Bai Ying will not only face the hostile gazes of the other two families, but will also be targeted by the Zhuo Clan. In addition, the Heavenly Sword Sect, which is always eager to devour the Four Great Clans, will further exacerbate the situation of the Bai Clan.
With the Bai Clan surrounded by enemies on all sides, their future is in grave danger.
However, if Bai Ying goes against Jian Ming's wishes, then the Bai Clan will likely face suppression from the Heavenly Sword Sect. In that case, his entire family will become the target of public criticism, and their lives will probably not be easy!
However, even so, compared to being swallowed up like the former, it might be better to temporarily restrain oneself and wait for an opportunity to act later. This could also be a good approach.
" Jian Ming... I never thought you'd finally decide to attack our Four Great Clans. You want to swallow us up? You won't be able to bite through this tough nut until we break a few of your teeth!"
He cursed inwardly, and after a moment, Bai Ying finally slowly raised his head. Under the gaze of everyone in the room, he looked at Jian Ming on the head seat, and his lips curled up slightly, revealing a warm smile like a spring breeze.
Huo Xianrui and Sun Zhi stared at Bai Ying Bai Ying, hoping he would say what they wanted to hear. But when Jian Ming saw the smile on Bai Ying's lips, a bad feeling rose in his heart. Under the wide sleeves, a pair of withered hands slowly rose and then involuntarily clenched the remaining armrests of the chair tightly in his hands.
"Reporting to the Sect Master, Zhuo Lin just said was exactly what I witnessed, and every word he said is true."
"Whoosh!"
The moment Bai Ying finished speaking, the crowd in the hall erupted in uproar. They never expected Bai Ying to say such a thing. Everyone wore an expression of disbelief. At the same time, the stone armrest that Jian Ming was tightly gripping on the main seat turned into a pile of dust without him noticing.