"We're still alive?"
Ma Yue and
After all, the two of them had been standing so close to the Hundred-Forged Emerald Stone. Earlier, they had truly felt the terror of that Divine Thunder.
That terror was beyond words. If one had to describe it, it would become a nightmare that haunted them for the rest of their lives.
"What… what exactly just happened?"
Still reeling from the shock, Ma Yue and
This time, the looks in their eyes had changed. They were becoming more and more convinced that the Hundred-Forged Emerald Stone was something unfathomable.
In their minds, that Divine Thunder must have been triggered by the Hundred-Forged Emerald Stone itself.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
But just at that moment, several figures flew in from the distance and landed outside the altar.
These were none other than Kong Zheng and the elders of the Guardian Clan — Hu Xuan Yi and the rest.
"Greetings, esteemed elders!!!"
The people from the Lower Realm immediately dropped to their knees and performed deep bows.
Their expressions were fraught with tension. They did not even dare to meet Hu Xuan Yi's gaze, especially him.
Although Hu Xuan Yi's strength was the same as the other elders — all at the peak of Half Ancestor — he held a special status. Within the Hundred-Forged Arena, he wielded tremendous authority. He was arguably the elder the people of the Lower Realm feared the most.
"Did any of you see where the Divine Thunder fell just now? Where exactly did it land?" Hu Xuan Yi pointed at the crowd and asked.
They had clearly seen both bolts of Divine Thunder descend in the direction of the altar.
"Elder, we saw it. The Divine Thunder was triggered by the Hundred-Forged Emerald Stone." Zhou Zongzhi's voice suddenly rang out.
"Zhou Zongzhi?" The elders turned toward the voice and were momentarily stunned.
Zhou Zongzhi was in a wretched state — his face battered beyond recognition, so battered that he did not even have the strength to stand. As he spoke, he crawled toward them, a truly pitiful sight.
"Zhou Zongzhi, how did you end up like this? Who did this to you?" The elders were shocked to see him in such a condition.
"Could it be—" One of the elders suddenly thought of something. He turned toward Ma Yue and bellowed angrily, "Ma Yue, how could you use such a vicious hand?"
"Are you foolish? Zhou Zongzhi is already a fourth-grade Half Ancestor, while Ma Yue is only a third-grade. How could Ma Yue possibly have beaten him like this?" Hu Xuan Yi said.
"But…" The elder glanced around, meaning that there was no one else here besides Ma Yue who would lay a hand on Zhou Zongzhi.
"Elder, it's true that Ma Yue did not injure me. But the person who did has a great deal to do with Ma Yue." Zhou Zongzhi seized the opportunity to lodge his complaint.
"Has to do with Ma Yue? Who could have injured you and also be connected to Ma Yue? Who is it?" an elder asked.
"Wait. Set that matter aside for now. Zhou Zongzhi… did you just say that the terrifying lightning was triggered by the Hundred-Forged Emerald Stone?"
"And why has the Hundred-Forged Emerald Stone changed position? It was perfectly fine where it was."
"What exactly happened? Tell me the full truth," Hu Xuan Yi said.
"Elder, this is how it happened…" Zhou Zongzhi recounted the entire sequence of events to Hu Xuan Yi and the others, leaving out not a single detail.
"You're saying that someone who claims to be from the Lower Realm of Martial Ancestral Continent came here, moved the Hundred-Forged Emerald Stone, and enraged it? The stone then refined him and subsequently triggered those two bolts of thunder?"
Hu Xuan Yi's face was filled with disbelief. He found Zhou Zongzhi's words hard to accept. And it was not just him — the other elders were skeptical as well.
Setting aside whether the Hundred-Forged Emerald Stone could really trigger such terrifying lightning, the most important issue was that the stone itself was something no one could budge. So how could that person have moved it?
"Elder, it is the absolute truth! Zhou Zongzhi would not dare deceive you!!!"
"If you don't believe me, you can ask them. They can all bear witness!" Zhou Zongzhi insisted.
"Elder, it is exactly as Brother Zhou said. Everything… was caused by that person who claimed to be from the Lower Realm of Martial Ancestral Continent." The others chimed in one after another.