Gu Ming, Xu Lin, and the others turned their eyes toward the person standing behind Elder Song. That must be the one shown in the projected image — the one who had been killed.
Tang Wulin, unconscious, and a dead Titled Douluo — from this, it seemed that what Yun Ming had said carried a lot of credibility.
Many people watching the live broadcast also fell into deep thought. To outright say Yun Ming's projection was fake seemed rash; after all, someone had indeed died.
But they also couldn't jump to conclusions. The possibility of the projection being fabricated still existed — it might be a setup, a frame-up.
At the same time, their expressions turned strange. From what was shown, this person had basically died at Yun Ming's own hands, hadn't he? Killed by his own side?
"You're going to have to do better than that if you want to frame me. I've been at Dragon Phoenix Hall this entire day and haven't left once. How could I possibly have appeared there?"
"There are surveillance cameras near the streets. If anyone doubts my words, just check the footage and see for yourselves whether I left." Di Tian countered.
"Hmph, with your quasi-god level strength, slipping out unnoticed would be child's play. Surveillance is useless," Yun Ming snorted coldly.
While they argued, several more figures flew up into the sky — major figures from Mingdu, arriving to see the commotion.
The Tang Sect branch hall master in Mingdu, along with several powerful Tang Sect members, also arrived, standing beside Yun Ming and his group, clearly there to support them.
"So what you mean is I must have been there, and even if I wasn't, I should still admit it?" Di Tian questioned.
"You were there. That's the truth," Yun Ming stressed, but the way Di Tian phrased it made him sound like he was forcibly slandering him.
"The truth as I know it is this — I have never appeared there. Tang Wulin's abduction has nothing to do with Dragon Phoenix Hall!" Di Tian stared straight at Yun Ming as he spoke.
"Both of you, please, hold on a moment," an old man spoke up. He wore the uniform of a Federation Governor — Mingdu's own governor.
Both sets of eyes turned toward him, and the pressure nearly made the governor regret opening his mouth. He forced a polite smile and said,"I believe we can go check the place that Lord Qingtian showed in his projection. Words can be false, but the state of the battlefield won't lie."
"If that location matches what Lord Qingtian displayed, then it would mean…" The governor glanced at Di Tian, hesitated for a moment, and then said,"…it would mean Lord Qingtian was not lying. But if the place doesn't match…"
"That makes sense. We can go and look. That would verify whether the projection is true," the Mingdu city defense officer agreed.
The crowd of onlookers, as well as Mingdu's officials, all found this reasonable. A simple verification would tell them who was lying.
"I've got no problem with that," Yun Ming declared, giving Di Tian a cold look. "Do you dare?"
Di Tian's expression did not change. "Why wouldn't I dare? If I didn't do it, then I didn't do it. What fear would I have of verification?"
"But before we go, I have one question," Di Tian continued. "If a battle really did happen there, how do we prove it was me? What if they fought someone else there and now want to pin it on me? Wouldn't I be unable to clear my name?"
"You, unable to clear your name? This is the first time I've seen an Ultimate Douluo this shameless," Yun Ming sneered.
"Yun Ming, I advise you to watch your words," Di Tian said coldly. "Your repeated insults and false accusations — I'll pay you back for every single one."
"Once this slander is cleared, Dragon Phoenix Hall will officially declare war on Shrek Academy. From that moment on, there will be no truce — only death!"
"And you think you're qualified to declare war? It's Shrek Academy that should be declaring war on you! Just like you said — no truce, only death!"
Yun Ming's aura didn't falter in the slightest compared to Di Tian's. He showed no fear at all. No truce, only death? Did they think Shrek would fear Dragon Phoenix Hall?
A force that had lasted over twenty thousand years — if they feared a sect founded less than half a year ago, that would be the biggest joke in history.
Seeing the two factions moving directly toward open hostility, some Federation officials started to feel headaches coming on. This situation… had just turned into a massive problem.
Of course, not everyone was unhappy to see this. At Spirit Transmission Tower headquarters, Qiangu Dongfeng burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Excellent — no truce, only death! Best if they fight until they both collapse! Hahaha!" Qiangu Dongfeng beamed with joy, laughing more freely than he had in a long time.
Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect had always been thorns in his side, ones he'd wanted to rip out for good — but the opponents had been too strong to act against.
Now someone else was doing the job for him, weakening Shrek's strength. How could he not be pleased?
He didn't care in the slightest who was right or wrong. All he wanted was for them to fight, so the Spirit Transmission Tower could sit back and reap the benefits.
"We can analyze the residual energy at the site," Gu Ming said after thinking for a moment. "If the residual energy differs from Lord Yuntian's energy, that would prove it wasn't you who fought there."
"Reasonable. Ultimate-level energy fluctuations don't dissipate so easily. Even now we should still be able to sense them," said Mingdu's governor.
"In that case, I've got no problem," Di Tian said.
Seeing Yuntian agree, the governor finally breathed a sigh of relief. Turning to Yun Ming, he said, "Lord Qingtian, please, take us there."
Yun Ming didn't respond right away. Instead, he looked to Hu Song, sending Tang Wulin over with soul power. "He's in your care for now."
Elder Song walked over to Hu Song and laid Old Li's body down. "I'd like to temporarily place Old Li's remains in the Tang Sect branch."
"No problem," Hu Song nodded, lifting Tang Wulin with soul power while carrying Old Li himself — a gesture of respect toward a Super Douluo, a Sea God Pavilion elder.
Old Li's wounds had been sealed with soul power, preventing any blood loss.
"Follow me," Yun Ming said, his eyes shifting toward Di Tian, his killing intent barely concealed. After a single cold glance, he and Elder Song flew north of Mingdu.
"Let's go," Di Tian said with a faint smirk, leading Xiong Jun, Zi Ji, and several Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear soul masters in pursuit.
"Bring some members of the press with us. The people of the Federation deserve an explanation," Mingdu's governor instructed those around him.
After giving out a few more orders, the governor, the city defense officer, Gu Ming, Xu Lin, Hu Song, and others also headed north.
Several soul masters who liked watching chaos followed as well, while the people on the ground, disappointed they could no longer watch the drama unfold, nonetheless felt relieved.
Soul masters clashing in the sky created tremendous pressure on them, leaving them with no sense of safety at all.
"Call Bi Ji," Yun Ze said, standing by the window with Gu Yue. They had been watching everything unfold outside.
"Tell her she can stay at most half an hour longer. Once that time is up, she must leave — heading north."
"Okay," Gu Yue immediately pulled out her communicator and dialed Bi Ji's number.
(End of Chapter)