In front of an old monster like Kuang Shizong, Gongsun Liang didn't dare play any tricks. His account of the day's events contained no embellishment whatsoever—he simply recounted everything in straightforward fashion.
When he heard that every single ancestral tablet in the shrine had been shattered, Kuang Shizong flew into a rage. A terrifying wave of pressure swept across the hall, so heavy it felt as though the heavens themselves had collapsed, pressing down on everyone's hearts and leaving them stricken with dread.
His piercing gaze fixed upon Zi Wuji, and with a single glance, Zi Wuji was sent coughing up a mouthful of blood, severely wounded.
A man of his shrewdness needed no explanation to understand that the shattered tablets were Zi Wuji's doing—a grave sacrilege against the ancestors. He would naturally exact punishment.
When he heard that Yang Kai had fought two opponents simultaneously, not only holding his own but gaining the upper hand, Kuang Shizong raised an eyebrow and regarded Yang Kai with considerable interest.
Yang Kai met his gaze without the slightest fear, flashing a broad grin.
After a moment, Gongsun Liang finished his account and stood quietly in place, waiting with an anxious heart.
The atmosphere was oppressive. No one dared speak a word. Where Kuang Shizong stood had become the focal point of every eye, and no one knew what was going through his mind.
After a long silence, Kuang Shizong finally spoke at a leisurely pace: "Why have I not heard that Purple Star has gained a third Venerable? Boy, where did you obtain that Venerable's decree?"
Yang Kai smiled faintly. "That's a strange question, old sir. The Venerable's decree was given to me by Brother Zilong, of course."
"He gave it to you? When? Where?" Kuang Shizong's authoritative eyes bore into Yang Kai as he pressed the question in a cold voice.
Gongsun Liang and Li Maoming exchanged puzzled glances at Kuang Shizong, unable to fathom why he was asking these seemingly irrelevant questions.
Yang Kai's brow furrowed slightly, an uneasy premonition stirring within him. But he maintained his composure and replied calmly: "What do you mean by these questions, old sir?"
"You know full well what I mean!" Kuang Shizong's expression turned stern. He took a single step toward Yang Kai, and that lone step unleashed a wave of momentum like a titanic hammer crashing down. Even with Yang Kai's current strength, he was forced back three steps, a flush of red rising to his face.
"Zilong... where is he? Is he dead or alive!" Kuang Shizong demanded in a deep, commanding voice.
Yang Kai's expression shifted. He said nothing. Kuang Shizong's question made it obvious that the old man already knew something—or had pieced something together. Any answer Yang Kai gave might expose a flaw, so silence was the safest course.
"Not speaking? That means you have a guilty conscience?" Kuang Shizong scoffed coldly. "Boy, perhaps you don't yet understand—Purple Star's Venerables are not simply those who hold the Venerable's decree. My approval is also required for it to count! Without my nod, Zilong wouldn't have dared send the decree to anyone, no matter how bold he was. You hold the decree, yet I had no knowledge of your existence. Either Zilong didn't consider me worth informing, or there's something else going on. Don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
Hearing this, Yang Kai chuckled and replied offhandedly: "Perhaps Brother Zilong simply intended to tell you in time, old sir. And besides... I've already returned the Venerable's decree to the Grand Elder. Can we consider the matter settled here?"
"Hmph!" Kuang Shizong snorted coldly, paying Yang Kai no further attention. Instead, he looked down at Zi Wuji and asked in an icy tone: "Your father's Soul Lamp—is it still intact?"
Though Zi Wuji had been severely wounded moments ago, the injury wasn't life-threatening. He had been recuperating when the question came, and his body jolted. His expression twisted in struggle, as though debating whether to lie, but in the end he answered honestly: "Reporting to the Ancestor—Father's Soul Lamp... has shattered!"
"What?" Everyone was stunned. Even Gongsun Liang wore an expression of disbelief.
What the Soul Lamp represented, they all understood clearly. What a shattered Soul Lamp meant, they grasped just as well.
It meant Zilong had fallen! The master of Purple Star was no more!
Only Li Maoming, who had already received the news from Zi Wuji, managed to keep his composure—though even he looked sorrowful, smiling bitterly without end. He and Zilong had built their legacy together like brothers. Later they had parted ways over a woman, but that was all—there was no enmity between them. Upon learning of Zilong's death, Li Maoming felt not the slightest joy, only overwhelming grief.
"As I suspected." Kuang Shizong sighed deeply, and his face seemed to age visibly in an instant.
After a period of silence, he turned his gaze back to Yang Kai, his目光 sharp as a falcon's, as though piercing through all things in the world. He spoke in a heavy voice: "Where did Zilong die?"
"The Lost Domain," Yang Kai answered with a frown.
"Who killed him!"
Yang Kai looked surprised. "What? Does old sir believe Brother Zilong's death had nothing to do with me?"
Kuang Shizong let out a cold laugh. "You may be formidable, but killing Zilong is beyond your capability. If that weren't the case, do you think I'd still be having this conversation with you? I'd have taken your head already to avenge Zilong."
"Your eyes see through everything, old sir!" Yang Kai's face was full of admiration, which then shifted to grief. "Brother Zilong perished under the Seven Luminary Treasure Light—it was no act of man!"
"The Seven Luminary Treasure Light!" Kuang Shizong's expression changed. Clearly he knew exactly what kind of existence that was. Perhaps he had once ventured into the Lost Domain himself and understood the Seven Luminary Treasure Light's terrifying power. He nodded gently: "If that's the case, then it was his own carelessness."
"After Brother Zilong died, I picked up his spatial ring. The Venerable's decree... heh heh..." Yang Kai scratched his head sheepishly.
"So you're not a Venerable of our Purple Star?" Gongsun Liang's eyes nearly split with fury as he couldn't help but roar.
"Grand Elder, please forgive me, forgive me!" Yang Kai cupped his fists toward him with a cheerful grin.