Chapter 1003: Who Else Could It Be?

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Dead silence ensued.

Many people had already noticed that something was amiss when all five of the Taiyu Dynasty’s people failed to show up when everyone else had come out of Ancient Phoenix Mountain after Jun Jiuqing ordered everyone to leave the mountain. The possibility that the Taiyu Dynasty’s people were dead had already occurred to them, although it only became certain when Dantai Chen voiced his question.

Those who were able to join Dantai Chen on this trip and were qualified to enter Ancient Phoenix Mountain were Taiyu Dynasty’s top geniuses. The loss of any one of them was a great shame, what more all five of them—including Dantai Chen’s precious daughter, Dantai Ruoli.

“That explains Dantai Chen’s odd behavior these few days. It turns out that his people are dead… It seems like he already knew about this at the time.”

“How terrifying! All five of them are dead?”

“But there were so many people in Ancient Phoenix Mountain. How can he be sure that Shangguan Yue was the one who killed them?”

“I guess he has evidence to back up his claim since he’s being so certain about it. Otherwise, why would he accuse her in public like that? Then again, if it really was Shangguan Yue’s doing… We’ll be in for a good show today!”

Whispers broke out among the crowd as they discussed and voiced their own opinions.

…

Meanwhile, Chu Liuyue froze for a moment in seeming surprise. “What do you mean by that, Senior Dantai? When did I kill anyone from the Taiyu Dynasty? How come I don’t know about it myself?”

As she spoke, she looked around her surroundings as if she were looking for the Taiyu Dynasty’s people. “Isn’t everybody out already? What, are they not here?”

“Drop your act!” Dantai Chen burst out into angry laughter. “You know very well whether or not it was your doing! They died not long after you forcefully opened the barrier and entered the mountain! How can such a coincidence happen if you’re not the one who killed them?!”

“Oh? Well…” Chu Liuyue pondered for a moment. The corners of her lips slowly curled to form a cold and wicked smile as she said, “That’s because I happened to bump into them chasing to kill my people.”

Dantai Chen’s expression suddenly froze.

“I was worried when I found out that my people were in life-threatening danger, which was why I chose to forcefully tear open the barrier and enter the mountain. Upon entering though, I saw Hongyu, Yuwen Jinghong, and Wu Ming being surrounded and attacked by Dantai Ruoli and her gang. If I hadn’t arrived in the nick of time, the three of them would’ve died right there and then.

“I wonder how my people had offended them that they would go to such extremes to try and exterminate them. We’re all here for the Three Yuan Convention, so it’s really strange that… they were so eager to kill my people. Don’t you think so, Senior Dantai?” Chu Liuyue spoke in a slow and logical manner, but each of her words was like steel nails that pinned Dantai Chen motionless to the spot.

The latter averted his gaze and ranted, “Who knows what really happened inside! Ruoli and the others have always treated others with leniency, so they would never do such a thing! Even if there was a fight between my people and yours, it must be because your people did something wrong first! Otherwise, why would they go kill the Tianling Dynasty’s people for no rhyme or reason?!”

“Exactly—we’ve been behaving ourselves! Hongyu and the others knew that they weren’t a match for the people from the other dynasties, so they had been very careful with the way they behaved. Thinking about it, it seems like I’m the only one who has offended the Taiyu—”

Flustered, Dantai Chen hurriedly interrupted, “That’s just your side of the story! Now that Ruoli and the others are dead, you naturally can say whatever you want! Even if I don’t have incriminating evidence, you’ve admitted to fighting with them, so that makes you a suspect! Unless you can prove your innocence, you’ll naturally be held accountable for their deaths!”

Chu Liuyue raised her eyebrows slightly and nearly laughed out loud. Dantai Chen is accusing me without any evidence, yet he still wants me to prove my own innocence. Otherwise, I’ll be held accountable for their deaths… What warped logic is that?! That’s a load of crap!

“Dantai Ruoli and her gang swiftly left after engaging in a fight with us. However, we have no idea where they went after that since we were all busy focusing on getting stronger. We didn’t have the spare time to go and deal with those eyesores,” said Chu Liuyue in a bland and slightly frigid voice. “You wanted an explanation, so there you have it. We can’t do anything about it if you don’t believe our words. But if you insist on accusing us without any evidence… Forgive me for not cooperating!” I have neither the patience nor interest to waste time with you here!

…

Dantai Chen got so angry that he couldn’t say a word. Despite wanting to produce evidence, he couldn’t and didn’t dare to.

The talisman—which he only managed to obtain with great difficulty—had been split into five parts and hidden on each of the five people who entered Ancient Phoenix Mountain to allow them to find each other quickly and ensure their safety. It was obvious that they had failed to piece the talisman into a whole when they died, but Dantai Chen still managed to vaguely feel a scorching heat. It was like the talisman had been burned by some kind of flame.

It was only his conjecture at first, but he became certain that Shangguan Yue was the culprit when he saw her produce the two-colored flame just now. Alas, there wasn’t enough time for him to get more useful information. Most importantly, he couldn’t make public the only evidence he had that could barely be considered evidence, or he would just be inviting great trouble for himself and the entire Taiyu Dynasty.

Dantai Chen felt suffocated as if a heavy stone was pressing on his chest.

…

Chu Liuyue carefully studied Dantai Chen’s expression. It looks like… Dantai Chen has his concerns, and it’s obvious that they are about the talisman from Black Demon Hole! I would’ve questioned him on the spot about it if he dared to mention it, but it’s a pity that he didn’t. Even though his beloved daughter has died and he’s filled with vengeance and hatred, he still doesn’t dare to mention anything about Black Demon Hole!

…

But then again, how could Dantai Chen really possibly swallow his anger just like that?

As he looked around, he asked solemnly, “Alright! Since you said that they left after battling with you guys, then can I ask if anyone has seen my people in Ancient Phoenix Mountain from Day 6 onward?”

The crowd exchanged glances. After a brief silence, some people whispered, “I don’t think I’ve met any of them…”

“Yeah! I found it strange when they didn’t appear at Ancient Phoenix Mountain’s main peak. Thinking about it now, could something have already happened to them at the time?”

“That’s possible…”

Dantai Chen sneered. “Hear that, Shangguan Yue? You and your people were the last ones who met Ruoli and the others! If you guys aren’t the ones who killed them, then who else could it be?!”

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