Kill them without mercy!
Qin Yun’s voice slammed against the floor, spreading out in all directions and echoing through the slightly empty hall.
Ha... An amused expression, like he was watching a good show, appeared on Wei Zhenghong’s face. Meanwhile, the people from Qin Yun’s faction looked at each other in dismay.
Inside the cage, Fang Luoxun had already accepted his fate. His expression was dazed, and he only moved his eyes upon hearing the sentence.
But Fan Zhao was different. Though his mouth was sealed and his Spiritual Power was bound, preventing him from making a sound, his eyes suddenly widened, revealing a complex mix of unwillingness, despair, grief, and more.
The conflict between Qing Cang and his master, Qin Yun, was well known. He also knew that once he was captured by the other side, he would have no chance to argue his case.
But even so, a sliver of hope remained in Fan Zhao’s heart—an instinctive resistance to facing death.
This hope had peaked just moments ago when he discovered his teacher, Venerable Qin Yun, standing here perfectly unharmed.
But unexpectedly, what he got in the end were still those four words: "Kill them without mercy."
He understood in his heart that Qin Yun was being put on the spot. Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, it would be difficult for him to say anything to exonerate his disciple.
But objective reality was one thing; experiencing it firsthand was another. He couldn’t help but feel a trace of resentment. ’Wasn’t I targeting Su Chen for Qin Tianlin’s sake?’
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Fan Zhao repeatedly slammed his forehead against the metal cage. His eyes were bloodshot. With his physical constitution, he naturally wouldn’t cause himself any real injury, but the dull thuds resonated in everyone’s hearts.
Seeing this, the people around Qin Tianlin couldn’t help but feel a sense of sorrow.
The uplifting feeling brought by Qin Yun’s return was also largely dispelled.
They were well aware of the Sect’s rules, but they couldn’t stop a thought from surfacing: ’But that’s your disciple, after all! Is there really nothing you can do?’
"Good!" Qing Cang clapped his hands in praise. "Since Senior Brother has the heart to place righteousness before family, I can rest assured."
Qin Yun remained expressionless. Qing Cang ignored him and called out directly, "Martial Hall Master!"
The Punishment Hall Master, Wu Feng, had long been ready. Already standing at the forefront, he stepped forward at the call, his expression stern and grave.
"I’ll leave these two to you. Please investigate them impartially and produce evidence that will convince everyone."
Qing Cang had considerable trust in this man, Wu Feng. Last time, it was he who had insisted on pursuing the matter with Hu Qi, causing Qin Yun to lose a great deal of face.
"Yes." Wu Feng nodded, his cold gaze falling upon Fan Zhao and Fang Luoxun. ’Colluding with the Deceitful God... a heinous crime.’
Qing Cang then added, "Arrest whoever is implicated, capture whoever is involved. Venerable Qin Yun himself has said it: as long as the investigation confirms it, they are to be killed without mercy!"
As soon as these words were spoken, many in Qin Yun’s faction felt a tremor in their hearts. They looked apprehensive, terrified of being implicated.
Old Qing had really disgusted Qin Yun this time. With Fan Zhao’s case acting like a fishbone stuck in his throat, it would be difficult for the people under Qin Yun to stir up any trouble in the short term.
Su Chen stood to the side, clearly observing the shifting emotions of the various factions.
Qing Cang’s goal was simple: to do everything possible to prevent Qin Yun and his faction from holding the entire Sect hostage.
Under normal circumstances, Qin Yun was, after all, a Morning Star Tier of the Sect. Qing Cang wouldn’t lightly oppose him, as it would only consume the Sect’s own strength.
But now, it was a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils. Compared to the storm that might be coming, Qing Cang wished this guy would just die.
Naturally, Qin Yun and his faction wouldn’t want that to happen and would certainly do everything they could to prevent it.
For every bit Qin Yun’s prestige was weakened, there would be that much less resistance to face in the future. With the opportune incident involving Fan Zhao, Qing Cang naturally had to take full advantage of it.
It was also a warning to those who had been counting on Qin Yun’s return to resume planning certain schemes.
Seeing that the matter was more or less settled, Chu Lingyuan spoke up: "Since we have a plan, let’s head back for now. There are many Sect members waiting outside the Star Gate; we shouldn’t keep them troubled."
Qing Cang added, "The Divine Son’s corpse is in the starship. Martial Hall Master, remember to take it with you."
Wu Feng nodded. The crowd had nothing more to say and composed themselves, preparing to leave. Just then, the expressions of Qing Cang, Qin Yun, and Chu Lingyuan changed simultaneously, and they stopped in their tracks.
Seeing that the three great leaders weren’t moving, the crowd exchanged glances and halted as well.
A moment later, the three of them were seen suddenly bowing to the empty air in unison and saying in a deep voice, "As you command!"
Seeing this, everyone understood what was happening.
As expected, Chu Lingyuan spoke: "The Ancient King has summoned the three of us. You all should return on your own for now."
"Yes..." the crowd responded in unison. They then watched as the three leaders transformed into streaks of flowing light and shot toward the Ancient King Hall.
After the three great leaders left, the atmosphere at the scene relaxed considerably.
Wu Feng took a few men, greeted Su Chen, and then boarded the somewhat dilapidated starship.
Wei Zhenghong sidled up to Su Chen, looking him up and down in amazement. "You’re one lucky bastard," he said. "That son of a bitch Fan Zhao colluded with the Deceitful God’s Son and still didn’t manage to kill you!"
Su Chen was speechless at his words but was already used to Wei Zhenghong’s manner of speaking. He gave a wry smile. "I just got lucky. It seems Senior Brother Qing Cang had clues long ago."
Su Chen lied without any pressure, pushing all the credit onto Qing Cang. It wasn’t like anyone would go and check such minor details with him anyway.
Just then, Wu Feng suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Why are there two corpses of the Divine Son?"
His men had already pushed out the metal coffins containing the corpses of the Divine Son, but they were stunned after inspecting them.
Two of them?
The crowd, who had been on their way out, froze. Even Fan Zhao and Fang Luoxun in their cage seemed stunned. Although Qing Cang had mentioned their collusion with the Divine Son, he hadn’t specified a number, so everyone had subconsciously assumed there was only one.