Chapter 137: The Truth Beneath Lies
Su Tianhao watched the reactions ripple through the ancestral hall with quiet satisfaction.
Su Qingfeng's transformation from skeptical elder to passionate believer. Su Yuan's beaming pride. Su Yuntian's rare flicker of interest. Su Minghe's calculating assessment. And most tellingly—Su Liang's barely concealed horror as he watched his political ground crumble beneath his feet.
'Two scrolls down,' Su Tianhao thought, grip tightening on the third. 'One more to go.'
The silence stretched taut until Su Minghe finally spoke.
"I've been curious," he began, voice low and measured. "Since the First Elder has such faith in those scrolls—where exactly did you obtain them?"
Su Liang's eyes lit up at the question like a drowning man spotting driftwood in a storm.
"That's right!" he said, voice heavy with insinuation. "How can we be sure Tianhao didn't obtain these scrolls through illegal means—means that might bring trouble to the Su family later?"
Su Tianhao's expression darkened. "Are you accusing me of being a thief, Second Elder?"
"I never said that," Su Liang replied, a smug smile curling his lips. "But you do have a rather infamous history as a local thief in your childhood, don't you?"
He leaned forward slightly, tone taunting.
"Isn't that right? Little Rogue of Willow Creek Town?"
Su Tianhao's eyes narrowed.
That name—Little Rogue—was a stain from a past he had buried long ago. A title earned during the darkest days of his childhood, before he had met Lu Ruyi. To be reminded of it now, in front of everyone, stirred something cold and furious within him.
"You're crossing a line, Second Elder," he said, his voice dropping like the temperature before a blizzard.
He stepped forward. "I've lived in the Su family for seven years. I've managed your businesses, and never once did I steal from you. What right do you have to judge me by a past I've long outgrown?"
His suppressed aura surged.
Though his cultivation remained sealed by the Silent Pulse, a terrifying killing intent burst forth—a crimson haze that seemed to seep from his very bones. In that moment, Su Tianhao stood like death incarnate, his murderous aura pressing heavily against every person in the hall, freezing the air itself. Even Su Huiqing stiffened.
"Those scrolls were passed down to me by my master," Su Tianhao said, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "They are precious. If you don't want them—return them now."
Gulp.
Su Liang swallowed hard.
Though he far outstripped Su Tianhao in cultivation, that wave of killing intent had shaken him to his core.
'Such terrifying bloodlust... Just how many people has he killed to reach this level?' he wondered, heart pounding.
Then his eyes widened—a flash of something cold and calculating crossing his face.
"Hahahaha!"
Manic laughter tore through the chamber, sharp and unhinged.
"I knew it!" Su Liang pointed a trembling finger. "You're a demon!"
"Demon?!"
The word rippled through the hall. Gasps. Low murmurs spreading like wildfire between the elders.
"ENOUGH!"
Su Qingfeng's voice cracked through the chamber like lightning—loud, fierce, and absolute. So powerful was the outburst that it instantly suppressed Su Tianhao's killing intent, snuffing it out like a candle in a gale.
Silence fell.
All eyes turned to Su Qingfeng.
"Second Elder," he said coldly, gaze sharp as drawn steel. "Your grudge against my junior brother has clearly clouded your judgment. Making baseless accusations like this is beneath someone of your station."
Su Liang stiffened under the stare, shrinking back like a child caught red-handed.
"But First Elder, he—!" Su Liang started, still pointing.
"Silence."
Su Qingfeng shook his head slowly. "You truly disappoint me, Su Liang."
Although both held Elder titles, the weight between them was far from equal. Su Qingfeng had earned his position through decades of unwavering service and merit. Su Liang owed his largely to lineage—the legitimate son of the former Patriarch, younger brother to the current one. Even in cultivation, Su Liang stood several minor realms below Su Qingfeng, who belonged to an older and more respected generation.
"If I may, First Elder," Su Minghe said carefully, tone respectful but probing.
"While the Second Elder may have let emotion guide his words, his concerns aren't entirely without basis. The origin of those scrolls remains unclear." He paused, eyes settling on Su Tianhao. "And that killing intent... it's not something a young man his age should possess."
Su Qingfeng's grip tightened on the scrolls.
"Let me make one thing clear," he said firmly. "Forget about Su Tianhao—even if all of us joined forces, I doubt we could take these scrolls from whoever their original owner was."
"They're that valuable?!" Su Yuan exclaimed.
In that moment, he found himself looking at Su Tianhao with entirely different eyes—no longer the quiet, troubled youth from Fei Wu Quarter, but someone mysterious, unfathomable, and dangerous.
Su Minghe's eyes narrowed. "I understand your point, First Elder. But are you saying scrolls of that caliber were simply handed over to him?"
"Didn't you hear him?" Su Qingfeng raised an eyebrow. "They were given to him by his master."
"That's precisely what I find difficult to accept," Su Minghe said, leaning forward. "From what I've observed, his master appears to be a sword cultivator—a Sword Lord, not a Martial Lord. Why would a Sword Lord possess advanced alchemy knowledge?"
He paused. "And that killing intent... even for a Sword Lord, cultivating a disciple to that level in such a short time is simply impossible."
As a sword cultivator who had reached the Sword Master Realm, Su Minghe had spent decades cultivating his own killing intent. Yet even his paled in comparison to what Su Tianhao had just displayed.
"Enough."
Su Huiqing's voice—calm, collected, carrying undeniable authority.
He leaned forward slightly, the room quieting around him. "Tianhao. Now that things have come to this point, it's better if you explain yourself directly."
"I understand," Su Tianhao replied calmly.
Inwardly, irritation flickered. He hadn't expected his killing intent to spiral out of control under Su Liang's provocation. He regretted not using Illusory Flow from the start. He'd intended to impress the elders—and now it was backfiring.
Every figure in the room was watching him. The scrutiny of several Martial Masters didn't unsettle him—but one gaze stood apart. Piercing, all-seeing, as though it were peeling back every layer to reach what lay beneath.
Su Yuntian.
She had been silent throughout—watching, waiting, calculating.
Su Tianhao drew a slow breath and composed himself.
So what if Su Yuntian possessed an outstanding perception? He carried the experience and memories of two Immortal-level beings. Surely a method to deceive even her existed somewhere within.
His consciousness sank inward—and the memory crystallized almost immediately. His father, facing interrogation by higher-ups in the Heavenly Devouring Dragon Clan. The situation was nearly identical.
'Perfect,' Su Tianhao thought, the tension draining from him like mist under morning sun.
"Well? Give us an explanation," Su Liang's voice cut through sharply, snapping him back.
Su Tianhao shot him a brief glance, suppressed the irritation, and turned to address the room.
"Ahem."
He cleared his throat deliberately, expression unreadable—still water concealing unfathomable depths.
"As I said before, the scrolls were given to me by my master. He isn't merely a talented swordsman—he is also a genius alchemist." His voice remained steady, unhurried. "Before he departed, he passed his sword inheritance to me... along with those scrolls."
"And the killing intent?" Su Minghe pressed.
"Before he left, my master placed a soul imprint within me," Su Tianhao said smoothly. "It guided me through what he called the Baptism of the Mind—where I witnessed and endured the pressure of endless slaughter across a desolate world. How much killing intent I could comprehend from it depended entirely on me."
He held their gazes for a moment.
"As you can see... I gained quite a lot."
The story was only partially true—the "master" being his mother, reframed as an elusive wandering figure. But to the council, it sounded flawless. Not a single seam showed.
"I see," Su Huiqing murmured, something close to awe threading quietly through the words.
"Tsk." Su Minghe clicked his tongue. "A soul imprint. Baptism of the Mind. Even for a Sword Lord, that would have taken a significant toll. Your master truly favors you."
Su Tianhao nodded, allowing a faint smile.
"What do you think?" Su Yuan asked, turning to Su Yuntian. "If anyone can tell whether he's being truthful—it's you."
Every gaze shifted to her. Even Su Liang held his breath, clinging to the hope that she would find something—anything—to unravel Su Tianhao's account.
Su Tianhao alone remained calm, entirely confident in the lie he had constructed.
Su Yuntian's gaze rested on him a long moment. Then it swept quietly across the assembled elders, taking in their anticipation. The silence stretched—taut, deliberate, almost theatrical.
Then her voice came. Calm. Quiet. Absolute.
"He is telling the truth."