“Jun Moxie is the biggest thorn in the side of the Three Great Holy Lands! When I made that preemptive strike, I was indeed guilty in my own conscience, but to my colleagues in the Three Holy Lands, it was the removal of a fatal threat! Although I lost my reputation and my integrity, my conscience is clear! If I could do it all over again, I would still choose the same path! For the eternal prosperity of the Holy Lands, what is the reputation of one man?”

“Well spoken, Zhan Mubai. You can speak of such a despicable act—a sneak attack on a junior—as if it were an act of grand benevolence. Did you not just say that anything threatening the Three Great Holy Lands must be eradicated by any means necessary? Even the most vile and contemptible methods?” Bai Qifeng spat out from the side.

“Exactly! Is there something wrong with that? Are you unaffected by the threat the Illusionary Mansion poses? We are all the same. Why are you being so sarcastic?” Zhan Mubai retorted in anger, quite self-righteously.

As soon as Zhan Mubai finished speaking, every person present belonging to the Three Great Holy Lands looked upon him with genuine admiration. Only He Zhiqiu noticed that the expressions of the seven Saint Emperors of the Illusionary Mansion shifted once more. If their eyes had previously held only latent killing intent, now the naked murderous gaze was utterly exposed!

“Hah, good, very well said, Zhan Mubai. You finally admit that you viciously murdered seven of our disciples? It seems our disciples truly deserved to die, for were they not just another major threat to the Three Great Holy Lands? Once they are gone, the Three Holy Lands can finally rest easy!” Bai Qifeng’s voice grew increasingly shrill and venomous!

Zhan Mubai coughed violently, his gaze filled with resentment and grief, even slightly bewildered. Having reached this point, his eyes suddenly widened, as if he had just snapped back to reality: “What did you just s—say? What about eliminating a vital threat? You say I personally killed your disciples in front of you? This… this is baseless! What nonsensical things are you speaking of?!”

“You still want to deny it now that it’s come to this! Didn’t you just say it clearly enough? Weren’t you afraid that my disciple would become another vital threat to your Three Great Holy Lands in the future?” Cao Guofeng was so heartbroken he nearly spat blood: “I saw it with my own eyes! I tracked you all the way here and watched you holding the blood-stained robe! You still want to deny it? Can you really deny it now?”

“Deny it? Deny what? That I killed your disciple? Deny what?” Zhan Mubai shook his head. This senior brother had been verbally abused, then physically beaten, and now was entangled in this endless stream of confusing accusations. He was truly baffled: “Your disciple? Where did you get a disciple?”

“Are you still feigning ignorance and playing the fool? The one with the Ethereal Constitution!” Cao Guofeng hopped up and shouted hoarsely. As he uttered the words ‘Ethereal Constitution,’ his heart felt twisted in agony: Six hundred years, and only one such talent was found…

Before Cao Guofeng could rush over, Zhan Mubai leaped up first in shock, his eyes wide as he roared: “What did you say? What did you say? The Ethereal Constitution was killed by me? Cao Guofeng, what nightmare are you having? What foolishness are you spouting? That kid…”

He stopped, realizing what he’d said, and then roared in sudden fury: “That kid is dead?”

Bai Qifeng watched him with a cold sneer: “Zhan Mubai, stop acting! Act your heart out! Why didn’t you become an actor back then? With your skills, you’d definitely be a star, achieving heights far beyond your Saint Emperor rank!”

“Act my mother’s head off!” Zhan Mubai erupted in rage: “How could I possibly kill him? I treasure him! How could I lay a hand on him? Just last night, I specifically sought out Brother Hai and Brother He to discuss matters. Both offered me advice. I paid out two thousand-year-old spirit herbs plus two divine weapons, and only late into the night did I manage to persuade Hai Lachi and Brother He to help me confront you and negotiate who would take the disciple. How could I have killed him myself in the blink of an eye? What in the world is going on?!”

As he spoke, Hai Wuya and He Zhiqiu nodded repeatedly, slight embarrassment coloring their faces. Although they had agreed to help, they had accepted payment. Now that Zhan Mubai had revealed this in public, they felt quite uneasy.

However, they also knew that Zhan Mubai was desperate and had to present the most incriminating facts available. Despite their displeasure, they did not truly take offense.

“With Brother Hai and Brother He as witnesses, there is no doubt about that point. But after the discussion, what did you, you scoundrel, do next? Did you think your feigned mystery and this diversionary tactic made you invincible? Afterward, you changed into casual clothes and secretly sneaked into the residence where we were staying and abducted him. But we detected you! Realizing escape was impossible and having lost hope of taking the disciple, you ruthlessly killed him to prevent him from becoming the vital threat to your Three Great Holy Lands in the future! Do you deny all of the above and claim you have nothing to do with it? Zhan Mubai! You dare not take responsibility and twist words to defend yourself—it only exposes your guilt! You are utterly despicable!”

Cao Guofeng roared in anger, moving in a flash to snatch up the black robe from the ground: “Zhan Mubai, we seven brothers tracked you here. We chased you into the courtyard and saw you changing out of this black garment with our own eyes… You still dare deny it! It truly chills my bones that the Great Master considered you his sworn friend… ‘Black robe… black robe…’” Zhan Mubai’s eyes glazed over; he finally understood that he had been thoroughly and brutally set up this time! All the recent events flashed before his eyes: a loud noise, his emergence, a wall collapsing, a figure in black suddenly rushing over, and then him catching it… and then Cao Guofeng and the other six arrived outside the courtyard wall…

The means employed by the hidden planner were linked together seamlessly, detailed to the extreme. He had absolutely no opportunity to defend himself before falling into a massive conspiracy that instantly turned several high-ranking Saint Emperors against him!

Zhan Mubai shivered violently and leaped up, so choked with frustration he nearly spat blood: “This clothing was thrown to me by someone else! This is a setup! Someone is framing me! How could I ever commit such a despicable act!”

“Framing you!! Hahahaha…” Cao Guofeng laughed in his fury. “Zhan Mubai, you need not argue further! If you dare act, it is the mark of a gentleman. If you dare not accept responsibility, it is the action of a petty villain! Tonight, no matter how eloquently you speak, your blood will stain the ground. May my disciple’s spirit rest well, and watch as your master avenges you, making this villain pay for his crime in blood!”

“It wasn’t me!” Saint Emperor Zhan trembled all over, his expression a mixture of desperate urgency and extreme, grief-stricken surprise. Coupled with his bruised face and blood trickling from his nose and mouth, his appearance was utterly tragic. Despite being overwhelmed by injustice, he could not clear his name in the slightest. He looked around frantically and roared again: “I truly did not do this…”

Bai Qifeng let out a cold chuckle: “Zhan Mubai, regardless of your initial intentions, the result is that you destroyed the hopes of seven of us. Do you think a simple denial is proof that you didn’t do it? That’s laughable! I doubt the World-Severing Immortal Palace is capable of twisting black into white to such an extent! And you dare call yourself upright and guiltless before Heaven and Earth? How can you utter such words?”

“You say I did it? Where is the proof? Where is the body? Are you trying to condemn me based solely on the word of a few people? What is the reason? Why would I kill that child?” Zhan Mubai roared, his voice hoarse, the muscles around his eyes twitching, veins bulging on his forehead in a hysterical outburst.

“The facts are all present; any clear-eyed person can see it! You stated the reason yourself just moments ago—what a powerful reason! Are you asking us for reasons? The evidence is this black robe! As for the body?” Bai Qifeng snorted coldly. “Sixth Brother, go. Bring the body over and let Saint Emperor Zhan see his masterpiece! The rest of you, prepare yourselves. This is revenge, not a sparring match. Follow my command; attack together and execute this shameless Zhan Mubai! Anyone who dares obstruct will be an enemy of the Illusionary Mansion and an enemy to the seven of us until death!”

A figure in white clothes leaped out, and shortly returned, carrying a corpse. This body, however, was headless, looking exceptionally gruesome. Though clad only in close-fitting undergarments, it was clearly discernible as the body of a young man; judging by muscle texture and development, this corpse could not be older than twenty!

With a thud, it was thrown onto the ground. Bai Qifeng said coldly, “Now that we have the witness and the evidence, the upright Saint Emperor Zhan, do you have anything further to say?”

Zhan Mubai trembled, staring at the unrecognizable young corpse with a stunned gaze. His body swayed precariously.

“Move!” Bai Qifeng waved his hand, and six figures simultaneously soared into the air, the command for execution on the verge of being issued!

Suddenly—

“Yang’er?? Ah~~~~ Yang’er, my Yang’er…” Chen Qing Tian, the Patriarch of the Chen family, who had been observing from the side, suddenly stared blankly at the corpse, roaring with tears streaming down his face, completely disregarding the numerous supreme experts present, and rushed forward madly.

He urgently lifted the body and examined it closely, then suddenly spewed a mouthful of blood, falling backward onto the ground, convulsing ceaselessly…

On the part of the body that had been flipped over, there was a distinct black mole near the side of his left knee! When he was lying face-up, only half of the mole was visible, but now that he was turned over, it was fully exposed.

This youth was Chen Yang, the second son of the Chen family!

This sudden, unexpected turn of events left everyone present frozen like wooden statues. All movements ceased.

Jun Moxie, hidden high in the air, secretly cursed: This is bad! Just as deadly conflict was about to erupt, the true identity of this corpse was recognized! Damn fate! At the time, I only paid attention to the general age and build; I overlooked the minute details, damn it all…

After a long while, Chen Qing Tian finally regained consciousness, weeping loudly. After confirmation by all members of the Chen family, especially verification by Madam Chen on the spot, and the identification provided by dozens of Chen family maids, they unanimously concluded that this dead body was absolutely not the Ethereal Constitution disciple of Saint Emperor Cao, but was instead Chen Yang, the second son of the Chen family.

The sheer number of maids who recognized the corpse—nearly fifty or sixty of them—suggested that Young Master Chen Er had enjoyed quite a bit of feminine favor in his time…

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