The heavy doors of the grand hall creaked open, and Shi Tong appeared at the entrance.
The air inside was thick with tension, a solemn weight pressing down on everyone present.
At the far end, seated on a raised platform, was Li Zhen, the current head of the Li family. A stern-looking man at the 9th Stage of Qi Refining, his gaze sharpened the moment he saw Shi Tong.
Shi Tong bowed deeply, fists clasped in a gesture of respect.
"Reporting to the Clan Head," he said, his voice echoing through the silent hall.
"What's the battle situation?" Li Zhen asked, his tone low and commanding. "Have the elders already dealt with the beast?"
Shi Tong took a deep breath.
"The battle situation is dire. I don't know what kind of demonic creature it is—it's capable of vanishing and reappearing out of nowhere, without leaving even a trace of spiritual energy behind.
" He paused, his expression grim.
"Its defensive capabilities are immense, and it doesn't wield just the lightning element—it also commands earth, wind, and fire."
Li Zhen's eyes narrowed. It can wield lightning—and three other elements?
"At first, the elders were able to suppress it with their combined attacks long enough for Elder Lin Hao to trap it within the Mountain Suppression Formation," Shi Tong continued, steadying himself. "Then, Elder Feng Wei, Elder Wu Jian, and Elder Zhao Ling launched a coordinated strike on the trapped beast."
From among the crowd, a man in his thirties stepped forward. It was Li Qiye, the third young master of the Li family.
"So the beast is no more, right? The combined attack of the elders must have killed it, right?"
The hall fell into silence. Everyone waited for Shi Tong's response.
Shi Tong's voice came out as a low whisper.
"Killed? No. Somehow, it survived the attacks without even a scratch. It was as if the attacks didn't touch it at all." He swallowed hard. "And in an instant... it killed both Elder Sun and Elder Chen.
I was there—watching the entire time—and I didn't even see how it happened."
Gasps rippled through the hall. Shock etched itself across the faces of those present.
Li Zhen's expression darkened as he rose slightly from his seat.
"What? Two of the elders are dead?" he repeated, the disbelief in his voice clear. "That's impossible. Both were at the 2nd Stage of Foundation Establishment.
And even if this creature is as powerful as you claim, it's still only at the 3rd Layer of Foundation Establishment.
How could it kill them both so effortlessly, especially with the other elders present?"
Shi Tong's face was grim.
"It's not just a third-layer Foundation Establishment demonic beast, Clan Head. Its abilities are extraordinary.
Elder Zhao Ling barely survived the initial exchange.
If not for her defensive talisman, she would've been killed the moment the battle began."
Li Zhen slowly sat back down, his voice laced with disbelief.
"Elder Zhao Ling is a cultivator at the 4th Layer of Foundation Establishment.
Are you certain of what you're saying?"