Chapter 709 - 708: Awe-inspiring Righteousness?

Chapter 709: Chapter 708: Awe-inspiring Righteousness?

It wasn’t that Yi Tianyun was being too arrogant. It was simply that when one possessed strength, they had a duty to fight for their own dignity and that of their loved ones. Even without strength, one should be willing to die for that dignity.

For a Cultivator, nothing was more important than their dignity. If they abandoned it, even if they managed to survive, a Heart Demon would forever linger in their heart. At that point, breaking through to the next realm would be impossible; they would be lucky not to succumb to their inner demons.

A person can lose, and they can fail, but they must never abandon their dignity.

"Tianyun!" Jiao Linghe shot him a glare, silently telling him to be more composed. This wasn’t their territory. She could still endure this; she wasn’t going to cause a scene just because of those two words, "fox spirit."

Yi Tianyun glanced at Jiao Linghe and said nothing more. Since his mother had said so, he would swallow his anger for the time being.

"Just as I’d expect from Xingchen’s son. You have the exact same stubborn temper," the First Elder said coldly. "But that will only bring you trouble. Has your mother not taught you that simple principle?"

"Is that any of your business?" Yi Tianyun retorted calmly.

"You!" The First Elder nearly exploded with rage. He was the esteemed First Elder, yet this boy kept ignoring him. How could he not be furious?

"Enough!" Yi Yuanlong’s cold voice cut in. "That will do. Ling He, what is going on? You’ve been in hiding for so many years. Why have you suddenly appeared?"

Yi Yuanlong didn’t believe she had come just to have him acknowledge his grandson. Something was clearly amiss, especially since his own son was not with them.

"Because something has happened, and I’ve come to seek justice!"

Jiao Linghe waved her hand, and a crystal coffin materialized in front of everyone. All eyes immediately fixed upon it. Once they got a clear look and realized the person lying inside was none other than Yi Xingchen, most of them jumped in shock.

"My son!" Yi Yuanlong lunged forward. Even through the crystal coffin, he could sense how terrible his son’s condition was. His aura was incredibly faint, and his Blood Qi was especially fragile.

The First Elder and Third Elder, however, exchanged a glance, a flicker of malicious glee in their eyes. The look vanished in an instant, unnoticed by anyone else. The rest of the onlookers were stunned. To see the genius of yesteryear reduced to such a state was utterly shocking.

The others crowded around, sighing in dismay at the sight.

"What in the world happened? How did he end up like this?" Yi Yuanlong’s eyes blazed with a fury so intense he looked ready to tear someone to shreds.

Jiao Linghe then gave a brief account of what happened, and Yi Yuanlong’s expression shifted several times as he listened.

"Given our situation, it’s impossible that we provoked anyone. I suspect this was the work of a traitor within the Sealing Heaven Divine Kingdom!" Jiao Linghe stated her suspicion boldly.

"The work of a traitor within the Sealing Heaven Divine Kingdom? And why, pray tell, would we do that? What benefit would we gain from killing you? What’s more, Yi Xingchen is a genius of our Sealing Heaven Divine Kingdom, destined to become a Saint King. Would we really send someone to murder him?" the First Elder scoffed, sneering, "I fear you’re the one who provoked someone, bringing this upon yourselves and causing Yi Xingchen’s condition!"

"That’s right. It seems you’re not just a vixen, but a walking disaster!" the Third Elder snorted coldly. "If it weren’t for you, our Sealing Heaven Divine Kingdom would already have a Saint King, instead of one lying in a crystal coffin!"

"Besides, your words are empty. What proof do you have?"

The surrounding crowd nodded in agreement with the elders. The accusation against the Sealing Heaven Divine Kingdom, in particular, left them deeply dissatisfied. To make such a claim in this situation without a shred of proof was nothing short of baseless slander.

Furthermore, what the First and Third Elders said made perfect sense. Yi Xingchen was their future hope. Would they really abandon a future Saint King? It would be an incredible waste, something they would never allow to happen.

Although Yi Xingchen had made a grave mistake, what was done was done. They wouldn’t have imprisoned him for life; they would have continued to cultivate his talent. In any case, Yi Xingchen was a genius and a future pillar of the Divine Kingdom. Why would they murder him?

This was the prevailing thought among the crowd, but Jiao Linghe simply watched on with a cold, detached gaze.

"Enough!" Yi Yuanlong roared. "Is this the time for such talk? Saving him is what’s most important!"

Yi Yuanlong didn’t care about the circumstances. His son was lying in there, looking like he was at death’s door. No matter what else was going on, saving him was the only thing that mattered.

"He’s been struck by an extremely vicious Bloodthirsty Poison—and a lost variant at that. Who could be so malevolent!" Yi Yuanlong was incandescent with rage.

"I have the Blood-Drinking Grass. We’re still missing two medicinal ingredients: the Royal Phoenix Essence Blood and the Celestial Fragrance Divine Grass," Jiao Linghe said from the side. "This is the antidote I’ve spent years searching for. It took me untold hardship to find the Blood-Drinking Grass. Now only these last two remain..."

"No wonder you showed up in person. So you’ve come to beg us for help. You made your own mess, and now you want us to clean it up for you? I don’t recall you wanting to stay when you left all those years ago," the Third Elder’s words were laced with venom as he sneered from the side.

"Frankly, I can find those two items myself. But it seems you’ve all misunderstood something. We didn’t come here to beg you for anything. We came to demand compensation!" Yi Tianyun said coldly. "I have a strong suspicion that the Sealing Heaven Divine Kingdom is behind this. In fact, I’d say no one *but* the Sealing Heaven Divine Kingdom could have pulled this off!"

"Those are your sons standing next to you, aren’t they? I’ve taken a look. Ordinary Bloodline, ordinary cultivation, mediocre in every way. To seize power, to vie for the next Clan Leader’s position, or to hoard even more authority for yourselves, it’s highly likely you wanted to kill my father. Admit it!"

Yi Tianyun laid it all out, far more directly than Jiao Linghe ever would. His words touched upon a taboo topic, one that no one dared to mention openly, yet one that many of those present were secretly aware of.

Now, he had dragged it into the open, tearing away their last fig leaf and exposing their hidden ambitions for all to see.

"Nonsense!" the First Elder snapped. "Do you think we would sabotage the future of the Sealing Heaven Divine Kingdom for our own selfish desires? Yi Xingchen is our strongest genius, a future Saint King! Would we really sacrifice a Saint King for personal gain? You’re an outsider. Don’t you dare question our loyalty!"

The First Elder spoke with such self-righteous indignation, he sounded as if he were ready to die for the Sealing Heaven Divine Kingdom at a moment’s notice.

"That’s right! Our sons may be mediocre, but at least they’re better than you! Your Bloodline is even more pathetic. What good could the vixen’s spawn possibly be? We tested you long ago. Your Bloodline is utter trash, no different from some commoner out on the street!" the Third Elder jeered. "And you have the gall to claim you can obtain the Royal Phoenix Essence Blood and the Celestial Fragrance Divine Grass? What a joke!"

One spoke with more high-minded rhetoric than the other, each presenting a more compelling justification. Neither of them looked remotely like someone who would plot against their own kin. This only made Yi Tianyun sneer inwardly. ’The bigger the lies they tell now, the harder it’ll be for them to clean up this mess later.’