The moment Elder Zhenfu spoke those words, the managing elder's legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
But he gritted his teeth and said, "My lord, everything is just as I said. I don't know where this Chu Feng came from, but he truly—"
Crack—
Before he could finish, a massive backhand slap landed squarely on his face.
The blow twisted the managing elder's face out of shape, and three teeth shot out of his mouth.
After delivering the slap, Elder Zhenfu flipped his wrist, and a token appeared in his hand. He then shoved it right in the managing elder's face.
"Look. Look at this carefully and tell me what it is."
It was not a Sacred Elder token—it was a token prepared specifically for this trial entry.
On the back of the token, four large characters were inscribed: Fair and Just. And on the front: Kill Order.
Kill Order!!!
Prepared specifically for this trial, only the five people in charge possessed one.
With this token in hand, anyone below the rank of Sacred Elder could be executed on the spot without prior approval.
"Now, tell me what just happened again," Elder Zhenfu asked.
"My lord, I deserve to die a thousand deaths!!!"
The managing elder no longer dared to argue. He dropped to his knees and slammed his forehead against the ground repeatedly.
Facing the Kill Order, there was no way he could continue to quibble. He had no choice but to confess.
"You certainly do deserve to die. Since you understand that, I won't say anything more. I'll send you on your way right now," Elder Zhenfu said.
Hearing these words, the managing elder's face changed drastically. His mouth hung open as he looked up at Elder Zhenfu. "Elder, I—"
He wanted to beg for mercy, because in his mind, even if he was guilty, his crime didn't warrant death. But before he could finish speaking, his head was already separated from his body.
It was too fast. None of them had seen Elder Zhenfu make his move, but they all knew it had to be his doing.
Just moments ago, they had all felt an extraordinarily powerful aura surge forth, and it was that very force that had annihilated the managing elder.
But… that was the managing elder! Peak of the God Robe realm, just one step away from becoming a True Dragon Spirit World Master, comparable to a True God powerhouse!
Such an existence—killed just like that?
But compared to the shocked crowd, Elder Zhenfu remained utterly calm. He grabbed the managing elder's severed head, then turned his gaze to the other elders present.
"As elders of the Seven Realms Holy Palace, tasked with overseeing this trial entry to select worthy talent for our Seven Realms Holy Palace, you must ensure that everything is fair and just."
"If anyone dares to do something like this again, it won't just be them who dies—their descendants will die as well."
Elder Zhenfu's final words rang out in all directions.
At that moment, let alone all the elders dropping to their knees in full prostration—even Zhao Tianjiao and Song Yuping had long since fallen to the ground, not daring to lift their heads.
Elder Zhenfu walked over to the two of them and stopped.
"My lord, this matter actually had nothing to do with me. It was all the managing elder's idea," Zhao Tianjiao hastily explained.
Since the managing elder was already dead, he figured he might as well seize the opportunity and pin all the blame on him.
"Go to hell!" Elder Zhenfu kicked Zhao Tianjiao to the ground, then pointed at himself and roared:
"Open your damn dog eyes and look at me carefully. Tell me—am I blind or am I deaf?"
"What you said to Chu Feng just now, I heard every single word crystal clear. And now you want to wash your hands of it?"
"My lord, I was wrong! It was my ignorance, my ignorance! I truly am wrong. Please give me one chance!" Zhao Tianjiao had completely fallen apart, and he was wracked with regret.
He regretted his arrogant posturing, deliberately refusing to use secret sound transmission. Never did he think that those boastful words would become irrefutable evidence, and now he couldn't deny it even if he wanted to.
Thinking about it—the managing elder held such a high position, yet was executed on the spot. The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became, until his nose stung and he actually broke down crying from sheer fear.
And it wasn't just him crying—Song Yuping was weeping even more miserably beside him, having long since lost that fearless, indomitable air she'd had before.
"Crying? It's one thing for a woman to cry, but you're a grown man and you're crying too?"