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This new arrival wore dark clothing and an iron crown. He had a Dao Sword strapped across his back, and as he looked around, his eyes shone with forceful, imposing momentum.
As he entered the hall, a terrifying, sharp, austere energy spread outward.
The old butcher’s eyes lit up with surprise. What a powerful aura of the Dao of the Sword!
And when they saw this new arrival clearly, Ye Zishan, the young woman in the ink-black skirt, and the other members of the main lineage perked up.
“Greetings, Second High Elder!” Everyone rose in greeting.
The tall swordsman in dark clothing and an iron crown was none other than the second high elder of the Ghost Serpents, Ye Qinghe!
An old fossil of the Profound Serenity Realm who’d long since gone into seclusion!
More importantly, Ye Qinghe was an older-generation member of the Ghost Serpents’ main lineage!
His arrival made Ye Zishan and the others of the main lineage feel as if they’d recovered their pillar of support.
As for the branch lineage members? All of them drooped, feeling thoroughly ill at ease.
Ye Qinghe’s eyes flashed as he scanned the great hall.
But when he took in the devastation, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow.
This was far too chaotic!
Ye Donghe had been forced to the ground, Jiang Yingliu was injured, Xiang Tian was seated to the side, and the floor was covered in blood, gore, and ruined furniture.
And the proprietor of Auspicious Cloud Tower and an unfamiliar Spiritual Revolution Realm young man stood at the center of the hall.
He even saw his senior apprentice brother, Yue Shi, standing amongst the crowd!
All of this left Ye Qinghe utterly baffled.
“Who can tell me what’s going on?” Ye Qinghe said gravely.
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Ye Zishan promptly stepped up and quickly explained everything that had happened.
By the time he heard the full story, Ye Qinghe couldn’t help but feel dazed, and his expression shifted erratically.
A sudden development in the Dark Capital, Ye Yu’s entrapment, and the Ghost Serpents' internal division had led to a push to select a new leader…
And the resulting storm had broken out here, in the Ghost Serpents’ Ancestral Hall!
If Ye Donghe’s collusion with Jiang Yingliu infuriated Ye Qinghe, then Su Yi and the old butcher’s behavior astonished him, to the point that he found it difficult to believe.
Despite having overcome years of the wind and waves, and despite having witnessed all manner of strange occurrences, it wasn’t so easy for Ye Qinghe to believe that a young Spiritual Revolution Realm cultivator could kill Ye Jing in a single attack, much less defeat Pi Mo’s disciple, Jiang Yingliu!
And it seemed that even the reclusive, mighty proprietor of Auspicious Cloud Inn treated him with the utmost respect, obeying his every command!
All of this seemed unquestionably unbelievable.
It was amidst this stifled, tense atmosphere that Ye Donghe spoke up in a raspy voice. “Clan Brother, in regard to today’s incident, I admit that I committed numerous errors, but rest assured: I’ll accept whatever punishment the clan sees fit. However, all of this should have been an internal matter. Yet outsiders have barged into our territory, flagrantly murdering our clansmen. Clan Brother, please, just justice for us!”
Just like that, he pointed the spear at Su Yi and the old butcher.
After a moment’s silence, Ye Qinghe looked at Su Yi. “Fellow Daoist, there’s one thing I don’t understand. I’d like to ask you to clarify.”
From the title “fellow Daoist”, it was clear that the ancient Ye Qinghe dared not treat Su Yi as he might a typical junior.
“Ask,” said Su Yi.
“You are not a Ghost Serpent, nor are you one of our enemies. It seems you have no connection to us at all. So why is it that you showed up today and got involved, all while proclaiming your intention to quell our clan’s internal unrest?” Ye Qinghe’s gaze was deep as he stared silently at Su Yi.
All eyes were instantly upon Su Yi. Even Jiang Yingliu and Ye Donghe had long since wondered the same thing.
It was just as Ye Qinghe said; Su Yi had appeared out of nowhere. They couldn’t even imagine why he’d get involved, or what his intentions were.
The young woman in the ink-black skirt couldn’t help but say, “Elder Tianqu invited Young Lord Su.”
Ye Qinghe sighed. “Lass, although Ye Tianqu holds authority over the third branch lineage, he alone… wouldn’t have been capable of accomplishing this.”
The young woman instantly fell silent.
“Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist.” Ye Qinghe’s gaze was already a bit fierce.
The old butcher couldn’t help but snort coldly, “Do you think we’re here with sinister ulterior motives? Don’t forget that without us, the Ghost Serpents would already be under new leadership!”
But Su Yi waved dismissively. “Never mind that. It’s only logical that he’d want answers.”
At the end of the day, this was Ghost Serpent territory. This was Little Leaf’s home.
Su Yi couldn’t do anything overly heartless.
Otherwise, given his disposition, he would never have paid the Ghost Serpents’ unrest any heed in the first place. He certainly wouldn’t have gotten directly involved.
The old butcher instantly fell silent. He could tell that when it came to the Ghost Serpents, Old Monster Su was uncharacteristically tolerant.
In the past, had anyone dared natter on like that, Old Monster Su would likely have slashed them to death already.
He then watched as Su Yi raised and waved his hand.
A figure appeared out of thin air, a handsome, young-looking man in jade-colored robes.
“You saw everything that happened earlier. I’ll leave the rest to you,” said Su Yi. With that, he took out his wicker chair and, disregarding the crowd’s dumbstruck gazes, sprawled out lazily and contentedly.
As if the crowd didn’t even exist.
But before long, all eyes were on the young man in jade-colored robes.
Many of the onlookers were confused. And who is this person?
But when they saw the jade-robed young man’s features clearly, Ye Qinghe, Ye Donghe, and many of the other old-timers were dazed. Their eyes bulged.
“Ancestor!? Is it really you?” one of the old-timers couldn’t help but shout.
Ancestor?
Numerous onlookers were in uproar. All were confused and uncertain.
Jiang Yingliu, Yue Shi, and the others were baffled too.
But then, Ye Donghe said in a quavering voice, “Clan Uncle, is it really you?”
Ye Qinghe was stunned too.
“What, it’s only been thirty-six thousand years since I was last home. Don’t you recognize me?” the young man in jade robes snorted.
Naturally, it was Ye Xun.
“Uncle… So it really is you…” Ye Qinghe finally came to his senses, and his face filled with excitement.
This scene was like a stone breaking through the heavens. The crowd was instantly in uproar.
Quite a few people had already guessed Ye Xun’s identity.
Because among the Ghost Serpents, few were of greater seniority than high elders Ye Qinghe and Donghe. Of them, only one had been missing for tens of thousands of years.
And that was Ye Xun!
Ancestor Ye Yu’s little brother!
However, none of them had anticipated that this ancestor of terrifying seniority would appear in the Ancestral Hall now and in such a way.
It was just too unexpected.
“So it’s him…” Yue Shi and the other guests finally remembered.
A long time ago, Ye Xun was absolutely the most famous silkpants in the entire Netherworld. He was a tyrannical and domineering hooligan, and he’d caused too many problems to count.
“Ancestor Ye Xun…” Ye Zishan said in a quavering voice.
Only now did he and the young woman in the ink-black skirt realize why Su Yi and the old butcher had gotten involved. So, all of this was inextricably connected to Ancestor Ye Xun!
“Uncle, when did you get back?” Ye Qinghe couldn’t help but ask.
Ye Xun said expressionlessly, “Do you think this is the time to discuss that?”
Ye Qinghe was instantly sheepish.
He was the lofty second high elder of the Ghost Serpents, a Profound Serenity Emperor, yet now, he was being rebuked like a mere junior, and he didn’t dare argue back.
“Clan Uncle, why are you with that… err, Fellow Daoist Su Yi?” Ye Donghe was dumbstruck, and his mind felt blank.
Ye Xun said coldly, “Had I recklessly made an appearance and thrown a wrench in your plans with Jiang Yingliu, I’m afraid I would have wound up like Ye Tianqu—seen as an obstacle and removed! After all, my cultivation base is severely damaged; I’m no different from a Spirit Dao cultivator now. If you wanted to kill me, it’d be no more difficult than turning over your hand!”
Ye Donghe’s expression changed dramatically, and he hurriedly said, “Clan Uncle, I absolutely wouldn’t dare.”
Ye Xun gazed deeply at Ye Donghe. “You say that because you’ve already lost, and because you’re already a prisoner. Had you won today, you’d be singing a different tune.”
The crowd’s expressions were instantly conflicted.
“Don’t waste time. Get down to business.”
Over in his wicker chair, Su Yi was starting to get impatient.
The real reason he’d waited this long to bring Ye Xun out was because he talked too much!
Ye Xun nodded. “Got it!”
He then looked at Ye Qinghe. “Things have already reached this point. How do you think we should deal with the aftermath?”
Ye Qinghe calmed himself, then said, “It’s entirely up to you, Uncle!”
Ye Xun, however, looked at Su Yi. “Then, Brother-in…. Su, what do you think we should do?”
Inwardly, he cried out, That was close! I almost called him ‘Brother-in-law’!
But even though he hadn’t called Su Yi Brother-in-Law, the sight of him asking for Su Yi’s input left the onlookers flabbergasted.
Just who is that guy? It’s not just the proprietor of Auspicious Cloud Tower, even Ancestor Ye Xun treats him with the utmost respect!
The way the crowd looked at Su Yi changed once again.
“This is Ghost Serpent business. You decide what to do,” said Su Yi. Then, he pointed at the Blood Pheasant, Xiang Tian. “I told her I’d leave her a path to life, so let her leave.”
Ye Xun straightforwardly nodded his agreement. “Got it!”
Xiang Tian, who’d been listless and dispirited all this time, was caught off guard by this unexpected delight. She faced Su Yi and clasped her fist in gratitude. “Thank you, Your Excellency, for showing mercy!”
“As for her?” Su Yi glanced at Jiang Yingliu. “Let her live for now. I have questions for her.”
Although she was Pi Mo’s disciple, she’d obviously had the wool pulled over her eyes. She knew nothing about what really happened at the Grotto of Abstruse Force five hundred years ago.
Furthermore, she consistently proclaimed herself an inheritor of the Grotto of Abstruse Force, and she’d colluded with Ye Donghe to bring the Tiny Heart of the Cosmos back to the Wilds.
Her intentions, and the way she’d rather die than lower her head, meant that Su Yi couldn’t bear to just kill her.
“Very well.” Ye Xun straightforwardly agreed once more.
Jiang Yingliu pursed her lips and said nothing.
“You resolve the rest. I’ll wait outside.” With that, Su Yi got up, put away his wicker chair, and walked outside.
The old butcher hurriedly followed him.
The crowd watched the two of them disappear beyond the hall. Not one person dared stand in their way.
The young woman in the ink-black skirt couldn’t help but recall what Su Yi had said earlier.
He’d come here to accomplish three goals.
First, to quell the Ghost Serpents’ internal unrest.
Second, to punish the primary offender behind it all.
Although Su Yi had yet to say his third goal, he’d already realized the first two!
The young woman couldn’t help but feel dazed. Earlier, who would have believed this?