Amid the crowd, a sudden voice rang out, loud and clear.
The moment it sounded, it immediately drew everyone's attention.
Even the old woman turned her gaze toward the source.
One look, and the eyes of both the old woman and most of those present shifted.
They didn't recognize this person, and his aura marked him as only a Second Rank Immortal Exalted.
While that level of cultivation was already formidable, it was clearly inferior to the old woman's and to Chu Hanpeng's.
How did he have the courage to step forward at a time like this, tell the old woman not to interfere, and act as though he would handle the matter himself?
But compared to most of those present, Chu Hanpeng, Chu Xuanzhengfa, Chu Zhiyuan, and Chu Haoyan's grandfather, among others, had expressions that changed drastically.
Because they all recognized who this person was.
Wasn't this none other than Chu Youyuan?
"Lord Youyuan."
Once he confirmed that the figure was indeed Chu Youyuan, Chu Xuanzhengfa's face lit up with joy, and he cried out in surprise.
And Chu Xuanzhengfa wasn't the only one happy — even Chu Hanpeng's eyes showed a gleam of delight, though the joy in his gaze flickered and vanished in an instant.
Before long, his face actually twisted into anger, and he shouted at Chu Youyuan: "Youyuan, where have you been? How could you vanish without a word for so long?"
The reason Chu Hanpeng spoke with such fury was that during the days of Chu Youyuan's disappearance, he had genuinely believed Chu Youyuan had met with an unfortunate end — he had truly grieved over it.
After all, this was a great pillar of the Chu Heavenly Clan. No one wished to lose him. So upon seeing Chu Youyuan, there were actually quite a few people within the Chu Heavenly Clan who were overjoyed.
But compared to the joy others felt at seeing Chu Youyuan, the aged faces of Chu Haoyan and Chu Zhiyuan's grandfather turned deathly pale in an instant, the panic in their eyes intensifying to the extreme.
Other people didn't know how Chu Youyuan had disappeared, but the two of them knew perfectly well.
Chu Youyuan had been forced by the two of them to leap into that lake of fire — it hadn't been a disappearance at all.
"Hanpeng, rather than asking me that question, you'd do better to ask those two."
As Chu Youyuan spoke these words, he pointed toward Chu Zhiyuan and Chu Haoyan's grandfather on the main platform.
Then Chu Youyuan pointed at Chu Zhiyuan and Chu Ruoshi, adding: "You could also ask those two."
The moment these words left Chu Youyuan's mouth, they struck like a clap of thunder.
Chu Zhiyuan and Chu Ruoshi's faces changed drastically.
Chu Ruoshi in particular staggered back several steps, nearly losing her footing. Sweat poured down her small face like rain.
After all, she was still young — her mental fortitude was insufficient. The moment she saw Chu Youyuan, she completely lost her composure.
In truth, let alone those two, even those two Supreme Elders were desperately trying to mask their own panic and unease.
"Wh-what… what is going on?"
After hearing Chu Youyuan's words, most of the Chu Heavenly Clan members directed their gazes at Chu Zhiyuan and Chu Haoyan's grandfather, while a smaller number looked toward Chu Zhiyuan and Chu Ruoshi.
When they saw Chu Ruoshi's panicked reaction, many of them felt their eyes narrow as a vague sense of something being wrong dawned on them.
"Chu Youyuan, what exactly do you mean by this? You vanished without a word or reason — why drag us into it? You even want to implicate two juniors. What exactly are you after?"
Sensing that things were going south, Chu Haoyan's grandfather immediately spoke up, trying to counter Chu Youyuan.
"Silence."
But the moment he opened his mouth, Chu Hanpeng cut him off. Then he said to Chu Youyuan: "Youyuan, what exactly happened? Start from the beginning."
Hearing these words, Chu Zhiyuan, Chu Ruoshi, Chu Zhiyuan's grandfather, and Chu Haoyan's grandfather all felt their expressions darken.
Chu Youyuan held a position of extraordinary importance within the Chu Heavenly Clan. The fact that he wasn't dead was, for the two of them, truly terrible news.
Chu Youyuan didn't stand on ceremony. He cleared his throat first, then addressed the crowd: "I believe everyone already knows about the matter of Chu Feng's death."