"Very well. Since that is what you want, I will oblige. Let the Clan Master judge this matter."
"But don't blame me for saying this upfront — if the Clan Master finds anything suspicious about this, I will personally seize Chu Zhiyuan and Chu Ruoshi and use the Punishment Hall's methods to interrogate them myself, until they reveal the truth."
Chu Xuan Zhengfa spoke in an exceedingly grave tone, his words brimming with barely restrained fury.
Upon hearing those words, Chu Zhiyuan and Chu Ruoshi both flinched. Fear welled up in their eyes.
They knew what the Punishment Hall's methods entailed. If they truly fell into the Hall's custody and were subjected to its interrogation techniques, they would never be able to endure it.
"My lords, what we have told you is the truth. We beg you to stand up for us."
Chu Ruoshi hastily approached the two Grand Elders, hoping to secure their backing.
"Ruoshi, rest assured. The Clan Master will give you a proper accounting. He will not let you suffer any injustice," said Chu Zhiyuan's grandfather.
Thereafter, the two Grand Elders, together with Chu Xuan Zhengfa, led the three juniors — Chu Zhiyuan, Chu Ruoshi, and Chu Lingxi — deep into the innermost reaches of the Chu Heavenly Clan.
This was a wondrous place.
Mountains rose abruptly all around, their peaks like unsheathed swords piercing through the clouds to reach the very heavens.
Atop the summits, waterfalls cascaded downward, their torrential streams gleaming like white dragons descending to the mortal world.
Flocks of white cranes trailed streams of silvery radiance as they soared in great circles through the air.
The occasional cry that drifted down was so soothing to the soul that one felt as though one had stepped into a celestial realm.
This place truly deserved to be called a paradise, for even the natural energy of heaven and earth here was extraordinarily dense.
For that reason, this place bore a name befitting its ethereal beauty — the Chu Heavenly Paradise.
This was the secluded retreat of the Chu Heavenly Clan's Clan Master and Grand Elders. Coming here to cultivate in seclusion was not merely a matter of one's level of strength; it was also a symbol of status. Without sufficient standing, one was not permitted to cultivate here.
At the deepest point of this Chu Heavenly Paradise stood the tallest peak, and upon its summit sat an ancient pagoda — the place where the Chu Heavenly Clan's Master cultivated in seclusion.
Seated before the entrance of that pagoda were two elderly figures.
One was stout, the other gaunt. One wore a black robe, the other white — that was their most distinguishing feature, for apart from appearing exceedingly old, they looked otherwise entirely ordinary.
That changed the moment the two Grand Elders and Chu Xuan Zhengfa's group drew near. The two elders' eyes snapped open simultaneously, and from them shot two piercing gazes sharp enough to cut.
In that instant, heaven and earth trembled. The surrounding natural energy surged and shifted in response to the two of them.
A single look, and they could influence the energy of heaven and earth.
Both of these elderly men were actually Second-order Sovereigns.
Yet despite possessing such power, they were not, in fact, Grand Elders of the Chu Heavenly Clan. They were not even members of the clan at all.
Men of their standing should never have been permitted in such a sacred place. The only reason they had been allowed to be here was that they were two individuals in whom the Chu Heavenly Clan's Master placed the utmost trust.