"Indeed. And what's more, aside from the Earth Hall, none of the other destroyed branch halls showed signs of resistance. That proves the strongest person who struck them down was likely only at the early stage of four-star Dou Saint, which also aligns with the rule that group of fools made with us back then." Hun Qianmo nodded, picking up the thread of the conversation.
Everyone present understood that long ago, the Eight Ancient Clans had established a rule: those with strength exceeding five-star Dou Saint were forbidden from appearing publicly across the continent. While their Hun Clan had long treated this rule as nothing more than scrap paper, the others still clung to it as if it were some sacred decree.
Among all the destroyed halls, only the Earth Hall bore the marks of battle. Given that the Earth Hall's Vice Hall Master had been at the late stage of three-star Dou Saint, it followed that only an early four-star Dou Saint could have brought him down. The fierce combat signs reinforced this assumption—and matched the ancient restriction perfectly.
"If that's truly the case, then it becomes rather troublesome." Though Hun Dai'er harbored her own suspicions, she refrained from voicing them now. Instead, she chose to go along with the consensus that the other six ancient clans were behind the attack.
"If those fools were behind this, then Hun Miesheng's negligence becomes somewhat forgivable," one elder said, showing signs of shifting the blame.
"Hmph. Forgivable or not, the destruction of our branch halls is a fact. The soul essence we lost took hundreds of years to gather. It's vital to our clan's thousand-year plan. Someone has to bear the cost." Another elder snorted coldly. Were it not for Hun Miesheng being close to five-star Dou Saint and favored by the Hun Tiandi himself, the elder would have taken matters into his own hands and turned him into ash.
"As things stand, we'll have to send more men from the clan to reestablish halls across the Central Plains and do our best to restore the soul source stockpile. But if this happens again..." Another elder trailed off, casting a glance toward Hun Dai'er, knowing full well that the final decision lay in her hands.
"No matter the reason, failing to detect the destruction of so many halls is a serious dereliction of duty. Hun Miesheng is hereby stripped of his Hall Master title. I'll assign someone new to replace him. As for him, he will spend a year in the Tempest Soul Refinement Grounds as punishment. If he survives, he can return as Vice Hall Master. Should he perform well in the future, I'll consider reinstating him."
"Thank you, Young Miss." Hun Miesheng's body trembled slightly at the verdict, but hearing that his life would be spared, he quickly offered his thanks.
"Remember, this is your last chance, Hun Miesheng. Should there be another mistake, I'll use your soul to make up the difference myself." Hun Dai'er added the chilling remark, then waved her hand. "You're all dismissed."
"Yes." The elders and remaining Hun Hall members departed in succession. Once the hall had emptied, Hun Dai'er rubbed her temples and muttered to herself, "A bunch of useless fools."
She couldn't help but recall the days she had worked alongside Xiao Yan in her past life. That man's sharp mind far surpassed these idiots. He always understood her intentions without her needing to explain. Unfortunately… they were already past the point of no return. After she had hurt him in the cruelest of ways, they were destined to become enemies.
While the others assumed the remaining ancient clans were behind this attack, Hun Dai'er alone noticed something odd. It had to do with the Fire Python Relic incident from half a year ago. On the surface, it seemed unrelated, but Hun Dai'er had pieced together something subtle between that event and the recent destruction of the branch halls.
The incident at the relic site had sparked escalating tension between the Hun Clan and the other ancient clans. Since the Hun Clan hadn't sent anyone to the site, they were unaware of what exactly had occurred. But afterward, the other clans grew visibly hostile. What they didn't know was that Hun Dai'er had planted spies among the other clans—and through them, she'd gleaned fragments of the truth.
There was a certain feeling—a sense of cunning and manipulation—that pervaded both incidents. A method that reminded her strongly of one person: Xiao Yan. In her past life, he had used such tactics to toy with countless enemies. If this were the past, she would've immediately pinned the blame on him.
But now… she wasn't so sure.
The reason was simple. To destroy the Earth Hall, one would need strength at the level of a three-star or even four-star Dou Saint. Even assuming Xiao Yan had exceptional combat prowess and could challenge opponents above his rank, he'd still need to be at least a two-star Dou Saint. But by her latest intel, Xiao Yan was barely sixteen years old.
A fifteen-year-old cultivating at such speed—doubling realms or even reaching the Dou Zong level—was already considered heaven-defying. After all, the Jia Ma Empire he hailed from was among the most remote places in the northwest, with poor resources compared to the Central Plains. Even a fifteen-year-old Dou Zong would be shocking.
As for Dou Saint? In the history of the Dou Qi continent, no such precedent existed.
So, while her instincts pointed toward Xiao Yan, her logic told her it couldn't be him. The strength required simply exceeded anything he should be capable of. And if not Xiao Yan, then who? Or was she overthinking everything, and it truly was just the other clans acting together?
As her thoughts tangled, another memory surfaced—one she had nearly forgotten.
Hun Moli, a trusted subordinate, had vanished during a mission in the Black-Corner Region. The last time he had sent a message, he was investigating there. She had meant to dispatch another to follow up, but events got in the way. Now, recalling Xiao Yan, she remembered Hun Moli's disappearance once more.
The Black-Corner Region… She hadn't paid much attention to the place before, but now it called to mind another strange incident: the return of Yao Chen, the Medicine Sovereign, to Starfall Pavilion.
Yao Chen had been murdered by his traitorous disciple, Han Feng, and Han Feng had escaped to the Black-Corner Region to evade Feng zunzhe's pursuit.
Yao Chen's resurrection… Hun Moli's disappearance… Xiao Yan's possible involvement… Three seemingly unrelated events suddenly clicked together in Hun Dai'er's mind.
Could it be that Yao Chen's return was tied to Xiao Yan? Could that be the reason Hun Moli disappeared? If so… did that mean Xiao Yan was already in the Central Plains?
Hun Dai'er's eyes narrowed. With a wave of her hand, a shadowy figure appeared silently before her.
"I hear that Yao Chen of Starfall Pavilion has recently taken in a new disciple. I want all the information you can gather on him."
"Yes, ma'am."
(End of Chapter)
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