Chapter 710 - 709: Shut Up

Chapter 710: Chapter 709: Shut Up

One by one, they washed their hands of the matter, claiming they would never have ambushed Yi Xingchen’s group for personal gain. Their words were pleasant to the ear, and the onlookers were largely convinced; they didn’t believe the Elders would do such a thing. An act like that would not bode well for the future of the Sealing Heaven Divine Kingdom.

Even though Yi Tianyun had pointed out the key issues, the people still refused to believe it. They looked so united, how could they possibly commit such an act?

Yi Yuanlong stood there, his face dark, turning a deaf ear to their denials. "Find me the Royal Phoenix Essence Blood and the Celestial Fragrance Divine Grass," he commanded. "If we don’t have them, then buy them! Spare no expense!"

The Second Elder’s aura erupted, causing many to tremble inwardly. Now *this* was the true presence of the Second Elder.

"Second Elder, I know you’re desperate to save your son," the Third Elder interjected, stepping forward. "The Celestial Fragrance Divine Grass is one thing; we have that Spirit Medicine in our treasury. The Royal Phoenix Essence Blood, however, is another matter entirely. It’s incredibly difficult to acquire, unless one goes to the Netherworld to find it."

"Then go to the Netherworld!" Yi Yuanlong said grimly.

"Going to the Netherworld isn’t so simple," the Third Elder said. "The passages are blocked right now. The only way is to descend through the Mortal Realm. But if we just send an average Cultivator, who’s to say they won’t be robbed on the way? We would have to send them with precious Treasures to make a trade, otherwise the Phoenix Race won’t even consider it."

The Third Elder wasn’t wrong. To trade with the Phoenix Race for Royal Phoenix Essence Blood... setting aside whether they’d even be willing to trade, if they were, the price would be astronomical.

To make the journey, a Cultivator’s cultivation couldn’t be too high—early Spirit King Stage at most. This already made the descent difficult, but more importantly, a Cultivator at that level is still relatively weak. If they were to be robbed, not only would we fail to get the Royal Phoenix Essence Blood, but we would also lose a trove of Treasures.

"Are you telling me there’s no way to save my son?" Yi Yuanlong’s eyes were ice-cold as he stared at the Third Elder, veins bulging on his forehead. He was on the verge of exploding with rage.

"I’m not saying that," the Third Elder said with a strained smile. "I’m only saying we should see if there’s a suitable substitute. Otherwise, this situation is truly difficult to resolve..."

"I’m not done talking yet," Yi Tianyun cut in. "Whether that’s truly the case is something we’ll only know after I’ve asked my questions."

"What more is there to say?!" the Third Elder erupted in fury. "You casually slander us, you run off with people, and you only come crawling back after being ambushed. A bastard like you thinks you’re qualified to speak to me?!" He despised it when juniors interrupted. It was disrespectful, utterly loathsome.

"Shut up!" Jiao Linghe snapped. "Who are you calling a bastard?!"

"I’m calling your—"

SMACK!

A heavy slap echoed through the hall. The one who’d struck him wasn’t Jiao Linghe, nor was it Yi Tianyun. It was Yi Tianyun’s grandfather, Yi Yuanlong!

"Third Elder, I’m warning you to watch your mouth. There are some things you are not qualified to say!" Yi Yuanlong said, glaring at him coldly. "Now, send people to find me the Royal Phoenix Essence Blood and the Celestial Fragrance Divine Grass!"

"So be it!" The Third Elder sneered, holding a hand to his cheek. "I never thought you’d dare strike even me, Second Elder. Did you think I didn’t know? Yi Xingchen was originally locked in the dungeons for reflection. If you hadn’t secretly opened the gate, how could he possibly have escaped?" He waved a dismissive hand, continuing to drop his bombshell. "The only way to keep a secret is to not do the deed in the first place! You go on and on about protecting the Sealing Heaven Divine Kingdom, but it was you who personally set the prisoner free!"

"Did you think nobody knew? Yi Xingchen is skilled, yes, but not skilled enough to break out of that prison on his own! You were the one who let him out. Now that this whole mess has erupted, you want to start mobilizing our resources. Frankly, Second Elder, in your current position, you don’t have the authority to requisition items like these. Both are exceptionally precious Treasures!"

He wasn’t wrong. Both the Royal Phoenix Essence Blood and the Celestial Fragrance Divine Grass were so precious that a single Elder simply did not have the authority to requisition them.

The First Elder stepped forward, coming to the Third Elder’s defense. "Second Elder, you’re going too far, and now you’re defending an outsider! Is she not the very hussy who seduced Yi Xingchen? If it weren’t for her, we might have had several powerful descendants by now, and this incident would never have occurred!"

"So you all refuse to save him!" Yi Yuanlong roared.

"It’s not that we refuse to save him. It’s that he committed a grave error and should have remained imprisoned to reflect on his actions. Besides, from the look of him, his Blood Qi is completely drained. Even if we save him, he won’t live for long, or he’ll have no future to speak of."

The Third Elder said calmly, "But we understand that parents can never give up on their children, no matter the circumstances. However, if you want to trade for these resources, you’ll have to put up your most prized possession."

"So that’s it," Yi Yuanlong’s gaze turned frigid. "It seems you’ve been coveting my Divine Artifact for a long time, haven’t you, Third Elder?"

"I’m not coveting your Divine Artifact," the Third Elder said, glancing at Yi Xingchen with a cold smile. "It’s a matter of principle. Every Elder has a limit to the resources they can mobilize. You can’t be the only one making withdrawals, can you? What about the rest of us? Are the things we worked so hard to acquire just for you to take? If he weren’t in this state, it might be a different story. But as he is now, saving him would be a complete waste! If you want to waste your own things, that’s your business. But you will not waste *our* resources!"

"The Third Elder is correct. There have always been rules for such matters. Surely the Second Elder hasn’t forgotten?" the First Elder added his support.

"Very good. Very good!" Yi Yuanlong sneered. "Fine. I’ll use that Divine Artifact to trade for the Royal Phoenix Essence Blood and the Celestial Fragrance Divine Grass!"

"No, Second Elder, you misunderstand," the Third Elder said with a malicious grin. "Your Divine Artifact can only be traded for one of those items, not both! A single Divine Artifact is hardly enough for two such treasures..."

"You—shut your mouth!"

Yi Tianyun spoke up again, drawing everyone’s gaze. A junior, by all rights, should not be interrupting, yet here he was telling the Third Elder to shut his mouth.

"What did you say?!" the Third Elder raged. He had been interrupted time and time again. He glared furiously at Yi Tianyun, and just as he opened his mouth to retort, his eyes met the young man’s.

In the next instant, he saw a peculiar light flash in Yi Tianyun’s eyes. His own vision began to blur, and he felt a strange sensation, as if his body was no longer his own.

And just like that, he fell silent, not uttering another word. The others had been waiting to see the Third Elder’s explosion of rage, but instead, he had simply closed his mouth.

’It’s time to end this farce. I let you spout so much nonsense, but you’ve revealed nothing of value—just a mouthful of lies. Now, let’s see what you’re really thinking!’

Yi Tianyun hadn’t been in a rush to control him. He had wanted to see what the man would say, to watch how he would try to cover his tracks. Only then would he seize control, and see how the Elder could possibly try to defend himself.