"Little monk, there is something I wish to clarify."
The Bald Monk immediately joined his palms together respectfully. "Please ask, Senior."
Ancestor Long narrowed his eyes. "Mark Smith accused Tony Clark of joining forces with the Demonic Sea Tribe inside the trials and helping them eliminate human disciples. Since you were present, what do you know about this matter?"
The entire gathering became quiet.
Even Luka’s expression changed slightly.
Everyone knew the accusation had caused enormous controversy.
Mark Smith immediately stiffened.
The Bald Monk looked genuinely confused. "Tony joining the Demonic Sea Tribe?" He blinked several times before laughing awkwardly. "Senior, that is impossible."
The crowd immediately became restless.
Ancestor Long leaned forward. "Explain."
The Bald Monk smiled helplessly. "The first trial involved immense pressure. Everyone struggled to move forward. Elsa and her Demonic Sea Tribe members were among the participants. Tony arrived first and began causing trouble."
"Tony personally dragged Elsa to the back of the line. Then he slapped and kicked every Demonic Sea Tribe member he could find and pushed them all toward the last positions."
The supreme martials became stunned. Even the Imperial Family members looked surprised.
"What?" someone shouted. "He did that?"
The Bald Monk nodded. "Not only that. He also helped several human disciples. Lily Frost, Leo Clark, Kevin Ten and a few others received assistance. The Demonic Sea Tribe suffered greatly because of him."
Several disciples who had witnessed the scene immediately stepped forward.
"The monk is telling the truth."
"We saw everything."
"Elsa nearly exploded from anger."
"The Demonic Sea Tribe hated him."
One after another, witnesses confirmed the story. The atmosphere instantly changed.
Ancestor Long slowly turned toward Mark Smith. "What do you say about this?"
The former Imperial Prince’s expression darkened. After a long silence he finally replied, "That might have been part of Tony’s plan from the beginning. He could have acted hostile to avoid suspicion later."
The explanation immediately sounded weak. Several disciples frowned.
"That doesn’t make sense. The first trial is crucial for everyone. Also, nobody can predict events that far in advance."
"Yes, Tony will never take the side of the Demonic tribe. They also hate Tony to the core."
Mark’s face became increasingly ugly while more and more disciples began sharing stories about Tony bullying Elsa and the Demonic Sea Tribe throughout the trials.
By the end of the discussion, almost nobody believed the accusation anymore.
Ancestor Long finally nodded. "Then the matter is clear. Until proven otherwise, the accusation against Tony Clark is suspended."
Mark clenched his fists but remained silent.
**********************
Far away from the celebrations of the human factions, the atmosphere around the Demonic Sea Tribe was completely different.
There were no cheers. There was no excitement. There was only frustration.
One after another, the disciples who returned from the World Tree gathered around their ancestor Luka with lowered heads.
The opportunity they had waited for years had slipped through their fingers. Worse, many of them had suffered humiliation during the trials.
Elsa stood at the very front of the group with an ugly expression.
Luka calmly observed every member of her tribe. Her sharp eyes immediately noticed the frustration, anger, and unwillingness hidden within their faces.
"What happened inside?" Luka finally asked. "Tell me everything from the beginning. I want every detail. Do not hide anything."
Elsa clenched her fists. Merely remembering the first trial made her blood pressure rise. "Ancestor, everything was going smoothly at first. The first trial was a pressure trial. Everyone was struggling to advance toward the gate. Human disciples. Demonic disciples. Everyone. The closer we moved toward the gate, the stronger the pressure became."
Luka nodded slightly.
"Then Tony Clark appeared."
The moment that name was mentioned, several Demonic Sea Tribe disciples immediately showed furious expressions.
Luka noticed their reactions instantly.
"Tony Clark?" she repeated. "What did he do?"
Elsa’s eye twitched violently. "That bastard was moving around freely."
The surrounding elders immediately frowned. "What do you mean freely?"
"I mean exactly that." Elsa almost gritted her teeth. "While everyone was struggling just to move a single step forward, he was walking around as if he was taking a stroll through his family garden."
Several tribe members immediately nodded in agreement.
One disciple stepped forward angrily. "Ancestor, he specifically targeted us."
Another disciple immediately added, "He didn’t even care about advancing toward the next trial. He spent his time causing trouble."
Luka slowly narrowed her eyes. "What kind of trouble?"
"He slapped me." Elsa answered.
The surrounding elders blinked. For a moment they thought they had misheard. "He what?"
Elsa’s face darkened further. "He slapped me."
Several younger tribe members lowered their heads awkwardly.
Luka stared silently.
Elsa continued with obvious unwillingness. "I was trying to advance toward the gate when he suddenly appeared beside me. Before I could react, he slapped me and pushed me backward."
"Then he came back... And slapped me again."
"..."
"And again."
"..."
"And then he kicked me."
The entire group became silent.
One disciple finally stepped forward and pointed toward another tribe member. "Ancestor, he also slapped him."
The second disciple immediately nodded. "He kicked me."
A third stepped forward. "He dragged me backward."
A fourth pointed at himself. "He called me an obstacle... and me kicked me to the last line."
A fifth immediately shouted, "He slapped me because I looked at him angrily. Not only that, he called me ugly fish..."
The complaints suddenly erupted from every direction. "He pushed us all to the back."
"He deliberately moved us farther from the gate." "He wasted our time." "He laughed while doing it." "He even helped the human disciples."
Luka listened quietly while the complaints piled up higher and higher. The more she listened, the stranger her expression became. Finally she raised her hand.
The crowd immediately became silent.
"So Tony Clark spent his time bullying all of you instead of advancing?"
Elsa’s face became uglier. "Yes."
Luka became thoughtful. That was not the behavior of someone secretly working with the Demonic Sea Tribe.
One elder beside her finally frowned and asked, "Did he cooperate with anyone?"
Elsa immediately shook her head. "No. That is what made him even more annoying. He acted completely on his own."
Another disciple quickly added, "Ancestor, he helped Lily Frost, Leo Clark, Kevin Ten and several others."
A third disciple spoke with obvious frustration. "If not for Tony Clark, many of us would have reached the second trial much earlier."
Elsa’s face darkened further as she remembered the humiliation. "By the time I entered the second trial, he was already gone. Otherwise, I could have received the world tree inhritance in the first place."
Luka’s eyes flashed. "Gone?"
Elsa nodded. "He passed before all of us."
Several disciples immediately confirmed her words. "He entered the second trial first. Much earlier than everyone. He had a ridiculous advantage."
Luka slowly fell into thought. "Did anyone see him after that?"
Elsa shook her head. "No."
A disciple answered, "By the time we reached the later trials, he was already ahead."
Luka’s fingers slowly tapped against her armrest. A dangerous silence filled the area.
The Demonic Sea Tribe disciples watched her carefully.
Finally Luka spoke. "So Tony Clark reached the later trials ahead of everyone else."
A thoughtful expression appeared on her face. The inheritance had not revealed its owner yet.
But if she had to guess... The person who remained inside the longest. The person who reached the later trials first. That person naturally became the biggest suspect.
Luka’s eyes narrowed. "Interesting."
Elsa immediately stepped forward. "Ancestor, are you saying Tony Clark received the inheritance?"
Luka remained silent for a few moments. Then she slowly replied. "I don’t know. But if someone told me that Tony Clark obtained the inheritance... I would not be surprised."
The entire Demonic Sea Tribe fell silent as countless thoughts flashed through their minds.
Meanwhile far away inside the inheritance space, Tony Clark suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason. "Someone is cursing me...! Damn it..."