“Lord Hanpeng.”
At this moment, Chu Xuanzhengfa directed his gaze toward Chu Hanpeng.
He knew that, right now, the only one who could speak on his behalf was Chu Hanpeng.
“There are indeed many suspicious points in this matter,” Chu Hanpeng said.
“What suspicious points?” Chu Hanqing asked.
“Chu Feng poisoning the Clan Leader in front of us all—that’s the suspicious point. Even the dumbest person wouldn’t do something like this. Chu Feng, even less so. He has no reason to do it,” Chu Xuanzhengfa explained.
“Suspicious points? In my view, Chu Feng did it deliberately,” Chu Hanqing countered.
“He wanted to do it right in front of us, then escape and deliberately hide back in his residence, pretending nothing happened. He wanted us to think someone impersonated him, that this has nothing to do with him, that he’s the victim.”
“But he underestimated us. Tell me, who could impersonate him so perfectly that even the Clan Leader couldn’t see through it?”
“There’s only one answer: Chu Feng did this on purpose,” Chu Hanqing concluded.
“Chu Hanqing is right, Lord Hanpeng. Chu Feng is ungrateful and must be executed,” Chu Hanyou said, then unexpectedly knelt halfway to the ground.
“Lord Hanpeng, this child has sinister intentions. The Clan Leader treated him like a grandson, yet he poisoned him. It’s an unforgivable crime—he must be killed to avenge the Clan Leader,” Chu Hanqing added, also kneeling halfway as he spoke.
“Supreme Elder, this child cannot be spared!”
Following suit, the allies of Chu Hanqing and Chu Hanyou also knelt halfway in unison, pleading with Chu Hanpeng to order Chu Feng’s death.
“Chu Feng, why did you do this?” Chu Hanpeng turned to Chu Feng, his voice stern.
“Hmph,” Chu Feng let out a light snort before replying, “Those who believe me need no explanation; those who don’t, no amount of words will matter. Think what you will.”
“But today, if you intend to kill me, I, Chu Feng, will not go down without a fight.”
As he spoke, Chu Feng flicked his wrist. A flash of blood-red light appeared, and the Evil God Sword materialized in his hand.
At this moment, Chu Feng’s heart burned with anger. He couldn’t be sure who had framed him, but no matter who it was, he couldn’t tolerate such a thing.
If the Chu Heavenly Clan insisted on attacking him, Chu Feng didn’t mind letting them taste the power of the Evil God Sword.
Because resisting offered a slim chance of survival—otherwise, he’d likely die unjustly at the hands of these petty schemers.
“So this is the demonic weapon you obtained in the Ancestral Martial Lower Realm?”
“What a joke. With that demonic weapon, you might have dominated the Hundred Refinements Ordinary Realm, but in front of us, it—and you—are nothing but trash, aside from your ruthlessness,” Chu Hanqing said, pointing at Chu Feng.
He clearly knew of the Evil God Sword in Chu Feng’s hand, but unfortunately, he seemed unaware of its true power.
In fact, not even Chu Feng himself fully understood just how formidable the Evil God Sword’s true strength was.
“So that’s how it is. You all really see me, Chu Feng, as a pushover, which is why you’re so aggressive.”
“In that case, I’ll make you see exactly what kind of person I, Chu Feng, am.”
As Chu Feng spoke, he prepared to fuse his power with the Evil God Sword.
*Snap—*
But before he could act, a hand grabbed his wrist, sealing his martial power.
It was Chu Xuanzhengfa.
Chu Xuanzhengfa stopped Chu Feng, gave him a brief glance, then turned his gaze to Chu Hanqing, Chu Hanyou, and the others, speaking sternly:
“Chu Feng carries an immunity token. The Clan Leader himself said that no matter what mistake Chu Feng makes, he must not be harmed. Those words… the Clan Leader reiterated even just before he fell unconscious.”
“If you act against Chu Feng, you’ll be defying the Clan Leader’s orders.”
“As Chu Xuanzhengfa, Vice Hall Master of the Chu Heavenly Clan’s Punishment Hall, I absolutely will not allow this to happen. If anyone dares, I’ll execute them according to the law!!!”
*Clang—*
As Chu Xuanzhengfa finished speaking, he drew the weapon at his waist and pointed it at Chu Hanqing and the others.
*Clang, clang, clang, clang—*
Immediately after, all the Punishment Hall members present stepped forward to stand beside Chu Xuanzhengfa and Chu Feng, drawing their weapons and aiming them at Chu Hanqing’s group.
“Hmph, I knew long ago that you and Chu Feng were in cahoots. Today… this old man will rid the clan of its scourge and wipe out all you troublemakers in one fell swoop,” Chu Hanqing said, releasing a surge of overwhelming pressure.
Chu Hanyou and their allies followed suit, unleashing their own pressures, ready to clash with Chu Xuanzhengfa.
“Stop!!!”
But at that moment, a furious shout rang out, accompanied by an even more powerful pressure.
That pressure not only sealed off the entire area but also immobilized everyone present.
The source of this immense pressure was none other than Chu Hanpeng.
“What are you doing? The Clan Leader is poisoned and clinging to life, and you’re about to start an internal fight?” Chu Hanpeng demanded loudly.
“Lord Hanpeng, Chu Feng poisoned the Clan Leader. We can’t just let him go like this,” Chu Hanqing and his group argued.
“Lord Hanpeng, leaving aside the numerous suspicious points in this matter, Chu Feng holds an immunity token. Just before the Clan Leader fell unconscious, he ordered that Chu Feng must not be harmed. How can we disobey the Clan Leader’s command?” Chu Xuanzhengfa said to Chu Hanpeng.
For a moment, the two sides argued incessantly.
“Silence, all of you!” Chu Hanpeng suddenly roared again, then continued:
“There are indeed many suspicious points in today’s events, and they need thorough investigation.”
“But Chu Feng poisoning the Clan Leader was witnessed by all. Even with an immunity token, while he may escape death, he cannot avoid punishment for his crime.”
“Guards, bind Chu Feng to the Heavenly Thunder Punishment Platform. Unless he confesses the truth himself or we uncover it through investigation, he is not to be released.”
“This…” Hearing this, Chu Xuanzhengfa’s expression changed drastically, his face filled with tension.
Meanwhile, a gleam of satisfaction flashed in the eyes of Chu Hanqing, Chu Hanyou, and their allies.
The Heavenly Thunder Punishment Platform, built by the Chu Heavenly Clan’s ancestor, drew thunder from the nine heavens to strike at one’s soul and bloodline—a brutally cruel punishment.
Since ancient times, no one had endured this punishment for more than a day.
Many even perished, their souls scattering and lives ending, after the first bolt of thunder struck.
In their eyes, even if Chu Feng’s death sentence was spared, being sent to the Heavenly Thunder Punishment Platform was essentially a death sentence all the same.
