Chapter 24

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As Yan Xu asked his question, Yan Zhaoge’s eyebrows lightly raised: "Elder Yan, do you think that Junior Brother Ye died because of someone?"

Yan Xu coldly looked at Yan Zhaoge: "What kind of situation is this now? Do you have the right to ask questions in return?"

"All you need to do is answer truthfully, without a single word of falsehood or sophistry."

Yan Zhaoge smiled: "If I'm not mistaken, today is an inquiry, not an interrogation. Even if it were an interrogation, it shouldn't be you, the chief elder of Dongtang, who interrogates me."

"If you assume from the start that I am at fault, where is the evidence?"

Yan Xu did not get angry, but said indifferently: "Who has the seed of the Lianyan True Fire now?"

Yan Zhaoge sneered: "In my hands."

Yan Xu turned to look at Sikuang Qing: "Did Ye Jing say anything before he died?"

Sikuang Qing was silent for a moment, then answered truthfully: "He called out Senior Brother Yan's name."

"How did he call it?"

"…In anger, unwillingness, and… resentment."

The law enforcement elder waved his hand, looking at Yan Zhaoge with a calm and focused gaze: "Nephew Yan, regarding the death of Ye Jing in Zhenlong Abyss, as the leading master of the team, do you have anything to say?"

He simply repeated his previous question, but his tone was slightly more serious.

Yan Zhaoge said: "First, let me correct one point: Junior Brother Ye is currently of unknown status, not dead."

The law enforcement elder asked without showing any emotion: "Why do you say that? What exactly happened?"

Yan Zhaoge took out a letter and said with a smile: "As the master leading fellow disciples on a training mission, I naturally need to compile a report of the journey. I just hadn't had the chance to submit it to the sect when I received the news that you were coming, so I decided to stay and hand it over to you all here."

The law enforcement elder was silent for a moment and nodded: "I came here this time to take your documents back as well."

He took the letter, read it, and his gaze flickered slightly before passing it to Yan Xu.

After reading it, Yan Xu frowned: "Your inner crystal furnace fell into the abyss, causing an explosion that destroyed Ye Jing's body. However, Ye Jing had a personal treasure that protected his soul, and he has since gone missing?"

Yan Zhaoge said: "That treasure is very unique. I have a premonition that Junior Brother Ye will soon return to us, which will ultimately prove my words."

"Of course, he might still resent me because of the explosion of the inner crystal furnace."

The lord of Dongtang frowned: "If what you say is true, Ye Jing is only at the middle stage of the Guiding Qi realm, right? Normally, entering Zhenlong Abyss alone is a matter of life and death, let alone now that he is just a soul, having fallen into the abyss."

Yan Zhaoge slowly said: "The aura emitted by his personal treasure was extremely powerful and should not be underestimated."

Yan Xu coldly stared at Yan Zhaoge: "What if Ye Jing never returns?"

The law enforcement elder asked: "The seed of the Lianyan True Fire, did it fall in front of you due to the impact of the Zhenlong Abyss tide?"

Yan Zhaoge said: "Exactly."

The three major figures at the head of the table all stared at Yan Zhaoge, silent.

Yan Zhaoge calmly said: "From beginning to end, it was just Junior Brother Ye who had a grudge against me. If he doesn't provoke me, to me, he is no different from other junior brothers."

"As for the seed of the Lianyan True Fire, I believe the sect will prioritize the research of the inner crystal furnace. If I want to obtain it, it would be easy."

"Even if Junior Brother Ye, due to his lack of understanding, competed with me for the seed and I gave him a lesson, it wouldn't have led to his death."

"Moreover, I could make him suffer without lifting a finger."

Yan Zhaoge spoke calmly: "It's written in my report, and I believe the information you received earlier also mentioned it."

"Junior Brother Ye met Elder Guifa, Han Sheng."

The law enforcement elder frowned: "What does this have to do with the matter?"

Yan Xu said indifferently: "It's true that Old Han and I have a grudge, but it's a personal matter, not related to the sect."

"Ye Jing meeting and befriending him is not a big issue. Even I wouldn't hold it against him."

"If Old Han is willing to put aside past grievances, resolving this enmity would be fine with me."

Yan Zhaoge smiled: "That's true, in both encounters, you had the upper hand, and Han Sheng suffered."

But then, Yan Zhaoge's smile gradually faded: "But the matter is not just a personal grudge. Elder Guifa, Han Sheng, is related to the recent changes in Zhenlong Abyss!"

At these words, the entire hall was stunned.

The law enforcement elder, the lord of Dongtang, and Yan Xu all straightened up, their eyes sharply focused on Yan Zhaoge.

"What is your basis for this judgment?"

The pressure from the three grandmasters made the entire hall feel like a furnace.

Yan Zhaoge smiled: "Everyone present can testify that when Elder Guifa first appeared, he had not yet noticed Junior Brother Ye. His first words were, 'Who ruined my good deed?' So we need to think about what Elder Guifa's good deed was."

As he spoke, Yan Zhaoge handed over two crystals, one of which contained the new red light that appeared in the black mist at the bottom of Zhenlong Abyss.

The other crystal contained a blurry shadow, which was the evil shadow that Yan Zhaoge had pursued after giving up the seed of the Lianyan True Fire.

Yan Zhaoge looked directly at Yan Xu: "Elder Yan, you are the most familiar with Elder Guifa. Have you noticed anything from this?"

Yan Xu took the crystals and examined them carefully, while the law enforcement elder and the lord of Dongtang watched him closely.

After a long while, Yan Xu exhaled deeply and said in a deep voice: "I don't know which evil method it is… but it is indeed Old Han's work."

Yan Zhaoge calmly described the encounter with the evil shadow and the process of capturing it. The three grandmasters fell into deep thought.

The changes in Zhenlong Abyss were not a small matter, as they involved the former hellish region, now known as "Hell"!

After a long time, the law enforcement elder raised his head and asked: "Do you mean that Ye Jing colluded with Han Sheng?"

Yan Zhaoge shook his head: "I don't mean that."

"Junior Brother Ye met Elder Guifa and called him brother, which is a fact."

"Elder Guifa is related to the changes in Zhenlong Abyss, which is also a fact."

"How Junior Brother Ye met Elder Guifa, how much he knows about the Zhenlong Abyss incident, and how much he knows about Elder Guifa, and whether he had other intentions when he joined our sect, are all uncertain matters that need to be investigated."

Yan Zhaoge said: "I'm just trying to explain that if I wanted to make things difficult for Junior Brother Ye, I wouldn't need to do it myself."

Yan Xu and the other two were silent.

As Yan Zhaoge said, after such an incident, even if the sect doesn't take extreme measures against Ye Jing, a thorough investigation is inevitable, and this alone would be enough to make things difficult for Ye Jing.

Even Yan Zhaoge's great master would reconsider taking Ye Jing as a disciple, at least until the investigation yields a definitive conclusion.

"I've said before, Junior Brother Ye is not dead. His treasure seems to have unique qualities and might help him reconstruct his body."

"When he reappears, many things can be clarified by asking him directly. I don't mind confronting him face-to-face."

Yan Zhaoge smiled lightly at the end: "At that time, we can perform the Blood Soul Reflection to recreate the scene, and no one will have to worry about the other party lying."

Yan Xu asked in a deep voice: "What if Ye Jing never reappears?"

"Three years, two years… one year? Or even shorter," Yan Zhaoge said calmly. "As long as no one deliberately prevents him from reappearing."

Yan Xu's face was like a stormy sky.

The lord of Dongtang leaned back in his chair, looking at Yan Zhaoge and nodding slightly.

The law enforcement elder pondered and said: "I will report the complete process of today's inquiry to the sect."

"Personally, I believe your account, but as you said, I hope time will thoroughly prove your innocence. If Ye Jing can survive, it will be a good thing, and the sect will continue to search for his whereabouts."

In the end, there was no concrete evidence to prove that Yan Zhaoge intentionally caused Ye Jing's death, or even that it was an accident.

"Since I've finished my part, let's talk about something else," Yan Zhaoge suddenly said: "The person who reported me and leaked the news to the sect in advance is the Lingfeng Valley's executive elder, Wen Ningzhi, right?"

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