"Yes, that's what happened," Han Yanmeng said, her voice still catching on sobs, as she recounted seeing a certain man running naked in the Wood of Illusions and the subsequent conflict. The elders, seasoned and worldly, already suspected the whole affair stemmed from a misunderstanding.

Even ordinary people guard their pride; who would casually run about naked? Given that man's martial cultivation, it was highly unlikely he would strip naked in the wilderness without cause. Most likely, Princess and Xiao Fengwu stumbled upon him while he was practicing profound arts, provoking his displeasure and igniting this whole mess.

Indeed, their deduction was alarmingly close to the truth.

"Did that person know who you were?" the Sixth Elder asked the pivotal question.

"He did," Han Yanmeng wiped her tears. "At first, I think he didn't. The man was about to leave, but after Brother Xiaosao said one thing, he instantly became furious, grabbed Brother Xiaosao, and started beating him. And then... it became like this!"

"What exactly did Fengwu say?" The five people spoke in unison, asking with urgency. Hearing this, all five realized the biggest issue, the crux of the matter, must lie entirely within those few words—they must have been what ignited the man's rage.

"Brother Xiaosao said at the time: 'Lad, the Snowwind Silver City will not let you go! Just wait for your entire clan to be exterminated!'" That was it, those were his exact words," Princess Han Yanmeng mimicked him vividly, tears still clinging to her lashes, glancing fearfully at the Three Great Elders; she clearly felt those words were profoundly wrong herself.

The Three Great Elders sighed in unison.

What was this, but utter self-sabotage? The man had already demonstrated strength far superior to theirs. Without any backup, instead of backing off gracefully, he proceeded to issue a direct threat against the man's entire lineage? Even if revenge was necessary, it should have been postponed! This young man's experience was far too shallow!

Considering it from the other side, the three elders knew that if they were in that situation, they certainly wouldn't have let it go either. The fact that the man spared Xiao Fengwu's life was likely an act of mercy.

"The Snowwind Silver City, while renowned throughout the world and immensely powerful, can sometimes be a burden that crushes those of you new to the martial world," the Third Elder sighed. "If it weren't for the fact that this man showed restraint and didn't deliver a killing blow..." He stopped abruptly, his expression turning incredibly grim, unable to finish the sentence.

The Sixth and Ninth Elders, having known the Third Elder for many years, sensed his thoughts in unison, and their faces likewise darkened.

All three simultaneously considered this: If they had been in that man's position, having provoked someone from the Snowwind Silver City without witnesses, the only way to avoid the terrifying retribution from Silver City in the future would be... silencing them permanently!

Even they would have made that choice.

Yet, that man did not.

Not only did he refrain from slaughter, but he also spared both their lives, causing the Little Princess no direct harm. Instead, he left Xiao Fengwu utterly humiliated, disgraced before others, and nearly crippled. This outcome was tantamount to forging an irreconcilable blood feud!

No execution, no attempt at appeasement, but this situation instead—it bordered on open provocation. This could only signify one thing: The man did not fear the Snowwind Silver City in the slightest!

In other words, he was confident that even if Silver City experts came looking for him, he wouldn't be afraid; he might even possess the strength to counter them! That explained why he committed an act that bordered on sheer lunacy.

Thus, the identity of this man, and the scale of the power behind him, was almost self-evident!

Because among the powers existing today, very few could boast such capability!

"It shouldn't be people from the Blood Soul Manor!" The Three Great Elders thought this, and Xiao Han thought it too, though he had a different idea brewing: "The Blood Soul faction didn't show up during the prior contest for the Profound Elixir. If the person who injured Fengwu this time was from the Blood Soul Manor, they would likely have clearly left their insignia, as the arrogance and domineering nature of the Blood Soul Manor are known worldwide. They never deny their deeds. Therefore, I suspect this incident has nothing to do with the Blood Soul Manor."

"Then who do you think is responsible for this?" The Sixth Elder knitted his silver brows.

"In Tianxiang City, there is one other family whose hatred for us is probably deeper than anyone else's," Xiao Han’s eyes flashed with cold light. "That is the Jun family! Only the Jun family would harbor such intense animosity toward the surname 'Xiao'! Therefore, I believe this incident must have been orchestrated by the Jun family."

"Just based on the Little Princess's description, that man once said: 'The person I hate most is anyone surnamed Xiao!' This statement suggests this person holds a grudge against the Xiao lineage, and after Fengwu revealed his identity, it invited a savage beating. It can be basically confirmed that this man might not necessarily hate the Snowwind Silver City, but he definitely holds a grudge against the Xiao family! And this point is painfully obvious. Most of those who held grudges against our Xiao family are long dead, and even if a few remain, they are not in Tianxiang. Currently, the only entity that perfectly fits this description is the Jun family, specifically Jun Wuyi!"

Xiao Han’s most hated enemy.

Therefore, in any situation, he would exhaust every means to shift the blame onto the Jun family. While he spoke with an air of conviction, even he knew this was purely an attempt to frame Jun Wuyi and, by extension, the entire Jun family for this event.

However, what he never imagined was that his petty, self-serving sophistry happened to align exactly with the truth! This matter was done by someone from the Jun family.

"Nonsense!" Mu Xuetong became furious. "Xiao Han, I always knew you were a certain kind of person, but I never imagined you could be so despicable and shameless! You're trying to drag Jun Wuyi into two completely unrelated matters! Even if you have old grudges, you can't slander good people like this."

"Then tell me, why is this person so hostile towards the Xiao family?" Xiao Han pressed without yielding.

"Hostile? You don't understand, or perhaps none of you here understand, that this entire affair began as a misunderstanding! It was fine until your nephew acted too arrogantly, provoking that man's wrath, and nothing more. If he truly held a grudge against the Xiao family, do you think he would have shown restraint?" Mu Xuetong said coldly.

"Restraint? Was that restraint? The way that man insulted Fengwu is worse than killing him outright! I cannot fathom, within the scope of Tianxiang City, any other family besides the Jun family harboring such immense hatred for my Xiao family, enough to brazenly disregard the prestige of the Silver City and inflict such cruel harm!" Xiao Han became increasingly self-righteous!

"Then tell me, which member of the Jun family possesses this level of strength!? Which person in the Jun family has the cultivation of Jade, Profound, or Earth Profound stages, and is also this young?!" Mu Xuetong laughed in anger. "All information regarding the Jun family, including their secret experts, is within our intelligence network. Which one fits the description?"

"Doesn't that old man, Jun Zhantian, possess Heavenly Profound strength? It's not impossible that he did it!" Xiao Han argued.

Everyone looked at him as if he were an idiot. Doubt the Old Master Jun? Had his brain rusted? Setting aside everything else, even if you offered the heads of the entire Xiao family, the Old Master would never agree to stand naked before others.

"That... that person, that person was a young man; it couldn't possibly be Old Master Jun. Besides, Old Master Jun is a lifelong hero; it certainly wouldn't be him!" Little Princess Han interjected. The Little Princess often heard her sister mention the deeds of the Jun father and son, and she held a generally favorable impression of the Jun family members.

"Yan'er, you don't know. There are transformation arts in this world that allow one to impersonate others," Xiao Han argued, though he knew his claims were unlikely to be believed. "Moreover, Jun Wuyi himself possesses strength above Earth Profound. What wouldn't he do for revenge? Never mind stripping naked; even if it involved something more humiliating..."

"Are you mad? You know Third Brother Jun has mobility issues, yet you insist on this argument—what are your true intentions?" Mu Xuetong retorted in fury. "If Jun Wuyi were killed, the Eldest Miss would likely commit suicide on the peak of the Snow Mountain out of devotion. Killing these two people—what benefit would that bring you?!"

Xiao Han's eyes turned red, and he took several angry, heavy breaths before finally falling silent.

"I really don't think it was the Jun family, because there is one more thing I haven't mentioned!" The Little Princess recalled something, her face contorted in horror.

"What else happened?" Seeing her unusual expression, everyone pressed for details.

"After that man left, the entire patch of Red Cloak Forest we were in suddenly, suddenly vanished..." The Little Princess opened her wide, round eyes and whispered in a voice filled with terror: "It all turned to ash. A gust of wind blew, and the poisoned forest—nothing remained. Only a bare patch of ground, completely empty!"

With a thump, the Three Great Elders all shot to their feet, even the Ninth Elder, who had been channeling energy to Xiao Fengwu, stopping abruptly. A thread of blood trickled from Xiao Fengwu's lips with a choked sound.

"Is this true? You didn't missee it?" The Three Great Elders spoke simultaneously. Their shock was understandable. Such an event, even with their deep historical knowledge and broad experience, was unheard of, something never mentioned even in the most ancient legends.

This level of destruction fundamentally surpassed what could be achieved by Qi manipulation!

The decades of effort by the Snowwind Silver City, involving the collection of every manner of rare treasure, useful or not, and exotic materials for research and exploration, was all aimed at escaping the rigid constraints of Qi on the human body.

To hear of such an event now—how could they not be overwhelmingly surprised and thrilled?

"I will immediately take the Princess to the Red Maple Forest to see. Xiao Han, you must immediately contact the Tianxiang Royal Family and summon Imperial Physician Fang Huisheng to treat Fengwu. Bring out all the absolute best elixirs treasured by the Prosperous Treasure Hall; you must cure Fengwu's injuries. Ninth Elder, you remain to guard the Prosperous Treasure Hall, send a carrier pigeon back to the Silver City, and dispatch a letter to the Blood Soul Manor to inquire if this is a major issue. Mu Xuetong, you accompany your Sixth Uncle to the Jun family to observe their reaction. While the Jun family may harbor such a master, they remain slightly suspect. This is settled; act now!" The Third Elder commanded with cool composure.

Buying a large mirror, just enough to cover an entire wall, hehe...