Thud— When Chu Xuan Zhengfa's fury erupted, Chu Yue and Chu Huai hastily dropped to their knees once more, not daring to even lift their heads.
It was clear they feared this Chu Xuan Zhengfa greatly.
"Vice Hall Master, please calm your anger."
At the same time, the members of the Punishment Hall spoke in unison.
But Chu Xuan Zhengfa's anger did not diminish. He turned to Chu Huai and asked, "Do you have proof?"
"My lord, it is absolutely true — we witnessed it with our own eyes."
"Moreover, we were not the only ones who saw it."
"Because Chu Banruo intended to silence us by killing everyone, he appeared before the crowd without any concealment whatsoever."
"This caused many people from the Hundred Refinements Ordinary World to witness Chu Banruo's true form."
"They all know that he was the true culprit that day," Chu Huai said.
"I already knew that he would stop at nothing to extend his lifespan and had resorted to all sorts of despicable methods."
"But I never imagined that, in order to cling to life, he would commit something so monstrous and inhuman. He has truly brought shame upon our Chu Heavenly Clan."
"If the evidence is solid, then we cannot let him go."
Chu Xuan Zhengfa's emotions calmed somewhat, though the fury in his eyes had not lessened.
"Someone, go to the Hundred Refinements Ordinary World immediately and bring Chu Banruo back to me," Chu Xuan Zhengfa ordered.
"Yes." Ten people within the Punishment Hall stepped forward of their own accord. After accepting the order, they bowed once more, then turned and walked out of the hall.
"Chu Huai, Chu Yue — I will verify this matter. If what you say proves true, not only will I convict Chu Banruo, but I will also reward the two of you," Chu Xuan Zhengfa said.
"Thank you, my lord." Both Chu Huai and Chu Yue's faces lit up with joy.
They trusted Chu Xuan Zhengfa's methods completely. With him stepping in, they were certain Chu Banruo would be forced to tell the truth.
If they hadn't believed that, they wouldn't have come directly to Chu Xuan Zhengfa in the first place.
Now that the investigation was in his hands, they had no fear that Chu Banruo could deny the charges. All they had to do was wait for him to be convicted and collect their reward.
"You are all dismissed." Chu Xuan Zhengfa waved his hand.
Then, the rest of the Punishment Hall's members, along with Chu Huai and Chu Yue, took their leave.
Inside the grand Punishment Hall, only Chu Xuan Zhengfa and Chu Lingxi remained — father and daughter alone together.
"Chu Feng…" Chu Xuan Zhengfa murmuringly repeated the name to himself, lost in thought.
"Father, you seem quite interested in this Chu Feng." Chu Lingxi clasped her hands behind her back and approached with an elegant stride.
"Don't talk about me — aren't you interested too, girl? If you weren't interested, why did you come back after everyone else had already left?" Chu Xuan Zhengfa asked with a smile.
"Hmph, I'm not interested in him. I was only interested in that Soul Infant Sect mission."
"If you hadn't stopped me from taking that mission back then, how could that Chu Feng have ended up being the one to destroy the Soul Infant Sect?" Chu Lingxi pouted.
"Lingxi, the Soul Infant Sect in the Hundred Refinements Ordinary World was not as easy to deal with as you think. Otherwise… I wouldn't have been so determined to stop you," Chu Xuan Zhengfa said.
"You didn't trust me. But if you had let me go back then, I definitely could have destroyed the Soul Infant Sect."
"I had already investigated. The strongest cultivators in the Hundred Refinements Ordinary World were only at the second-grade True Immortal level."
"When I was thirty-nine, my strength had already reached the third grade of True Immortal — and that was still within the time limit set by the mission. How could I possibly have failed to destroy that little Soul Infant Sect?" Chu Lingxi said, clearly displeased.
"Fine, fine — your father admits he was wrong. Is that enough?" Chu Xuan Zhengfa said with a laugh.
But he didn't truly believe he was wrong. He simply didn't want Chu Lingxi to keep arguing.
"Hmph." Chu Lingxi tossed her head upward, showing not the slightest gratitude for her father's concession.
"Lingxi, do you want to know what your father is thinking about?" Chu Xuan Zhengfa asked.
"Thinking about what?" Chu Lingxi asked.