"Hmph."
Chu Lingxi pouted her lips, tilted her chin upward, and said with an arrogant little pout: "My dear Father, I only just got back and came straight to find you."
"But honestly, Father, you're putting on far too much of an act. Your daughter traveled thousands of miles to return home and, out of sheer filial devotion, came to see you the very first thing — and yet you..."
"You actually refused to see me? If those two hadn't shown up, I probably wouldn't have been able to see you at all!"
As she spoke, Chu Lingxi cast a sideways glance at Chu Huai and Chu Yue, who were kneeling on the ground, a flash of displeasure in her eyes.
"Silly girl, Father had business to attend to," Chu Xuan Zhengfa said with a faint smile. He then looked at Chu Huai and Chu Yue and said, "Chu Huai, Chu Yue, rise."
With a sweep of his wide sleeve, a gentle force lifted Chu Huai and Chu Yue from the ground.
After that, Chu Xuan Zhengfa made his way to the seat of honor in the Punishment Hall.
"You two said you had an important matter to report to me directly. What is it?" Chu Xuan Zhengfa asked.
But before the two could open their mouths, Chu Xuan Zhengfa turned to Chu Lingxi and said, "You've finally found your father, and now you're leaving so soon?"
It turned out that Chu Lingxi had already risen and was heading toward the exit of the Punishment Hall.
"I have no patience for listening to your tedious affairs. I'm going home. If you want to see your daughter, come find me there later."
"Oh, and I'll give you half an incense stick's time. If you haven't shown up by then, you won't be seeing me," Chu Lingxi said haughtily.
Chu Xuan Zhengfa shook his head with a smile, then looked at Chu Huai and Chu Yue and said, "Go on. What exactly is the matter?"
"My lord, we have two main matters to report."
"The first is that the Soul Infant Sect in the Hundred Refinements Ordinary World has been destroyed," Chu Huai said.
"What? The Soul Infant Sect was destroyed?"
Hearing this, not only were the people inside the Punishment Hall startled, but even Chu Lingxi, who had nearly reached the doorway, immediately stopped in her tracks and withdrew the foot she had already stepped out with.
Her bright, lively eyes turned toward Chu Huai and Chu Yue.
"Is this true?" Chu Xuan Zhengfa asked.
"Absolutely true," Chu Huai said.
"Who was responsible? Has the investigation confirmed it?" Chu Xuan Zhengfa asked.
"It was a junior named Chu Feng," Chu Huai said.
"Chu Feng?"
"A junior?"
Hearing those two words, every person present shifted their gaze. Though outwardly they maintained their composure, secretly they had already begun exchanging messages through voice transmission, discussing the matter among themselves.
If some other power in the Hundred Refinements Ordinary World had been destroyed, not one person present would have so much as batted an eye.
But the Soul Infant Sect was a different matter entirely. It was a force that the Chu Heavenly Clan had been unable to eliminate for all these years.
In fact, many among those present had, in their youth, once challenged the Soul Infant Sect — and it was plain they had all returned in failure.
Now someone had actually destroyed the Soul Infant Sect. How could they not be shocked?
And it was a junior who had done it.
"This Chu Feng — is he a member of our Chu Heavenly Clan?" Chu Xuan Zhengfa asked.
"He should not be a member of our Chu Heavenly Clan," Chu Huai said.
"Then he's probably not from the Hundred Refinements Ordinary World either?" Chu Xuan Zhengfa asked.
"No, he should be from some other Upper Realm, but he is definitely not from our Great Thousand Upper Realm," Chu Huai said.
"You said he is a junior. Do you know his exact age?" Chu Xuan Zhengfa asked.