Inside Yang Zhao's secret chamber at the Dragon Tooth Guard headquarters, the gruesome scene made Yang Xiaoqian scream heart-wrenchingly. Gritting her teeth, she shrieked frantically, "Jiang Chen! Jiang Chen! I’ll have your whole family executed!"
"Brother Tie, you must avenge me! Brother Tie, he was my only brother, my only nephew! They were both killed by Jiang Chen! Tell me, my brother was a Deputy Steward of the Dragon Tooth Guard, and your brother-in-law as an elder of the Treasure Tree Sect. Could you just watch him die so horribly?"
Elder Tie’s face was ashen. After various checks, he could confirm this was indeed the corpse of Yang Zhao, who had died in a truly horrifying manner.
"Xiaoqian, that beast Jiang Chen must die! But look at these wounds—they aren’t something an ordinary person could have made. It’s… as if he was gnawed by some kind of monster. And more than one, at that."
"Monster?"
Yang Xiaoqian’s face went pale. "Brother Tie, what kind of monster could be so terrifying? Even an Earth Spirit Realm expert had no power to fight back?"
Elder Tie’s expression turned grave. He shook his head, a hint of apprehension showing on his face.
"Xiaoqian, we need to return to the sect first. This Tiangui Kingdom is damn weird." Elder Tie felt a chill run through his head, cold sweat breaking out on his back.
His cultivation was at the sixth level of the Spirit Realm, stronger by far than Yang Zhao’s fourth level. But the sixth level of the Spirit Realm was still ultimately the Earth Spirit Realm.
Yang Zhao, an Earth Spirit Realm expert, had died so miserably. Even though Elder Tie was at the peak of the Earth Spirit Realm, he couldn’t be a hundred percent safe.
Elder Tie’s arrogance and disdain for others all stemmed from having a powerful father behind him. But now, away from the sect, his father’s protection couldn’t reach him. If some monster really was lurking nearby, it would be an immense threat to his life. Arrogant as he was, Elder Tie still valued his own life.
"Brother Tie, just go back like this? My second brother dies so unjustly?" Yang Xiaoqian asked, tears streaming down her face.
"Bring his remains back. Let my father examine them." After studying the scene for a long time, Elder Tie couldn’t figure anything out. This excuse was also a way to return to the sect as quickly as possible.
Just then, Shangguan Yi arrived at the chamber entrance with a large group of guards.
Upon seeing him, Yang Xiaoqian exploded. Her pent-up frustration finally found a target. She jumped up, screaming hoarsely.
"Shangguan Yi, this is all your doing! My brother is dead—now you’re happy, aren’t you? No one threatens your position anymore? You can rest easy?"
Yang Xiaoqian looked like a madwoman. "Don’t gloat too early! My brother won’t die in vain. If it turns out you had anything to do with this, you’ll be buried with him!"
Shangguan Yi’s face turned cold. "Miss Yang, I understand your grief over your brother’s death, but if you’re trying to use this to make trouble, forget it. If I, Shangguan Yi, really wanted Yang Zhao dead, would I need to go to such lengths? The evidence I have is enough to bring him down. I discussed so much with His Majesty before, even held back a lot of evidence, precisely to give Yang Zhao a chance. I can tell you clearly: Yang Zhao’s death has nothing to do with the Dragon Tooth Guard’s internal affairs!"
"Don’t play the innocent here, crying crocodile tears!"
Yang Xiaoqian was completely unreasonable. "If you’re really so good, why didn’t you arrest Jiang Chen just now?"
"Jiang Chen is the Crown Prince’s man, and also Grand Tutor Ye’s man. You think I can just arrest him? Besides, His Majesty seeks balance, not favoring one side over the other."
Elder Tie flew into a rage. "Shangguan Yi, stop trying to fool me with that nonsense! I’m telling you, this isn’t over!"
Shangguan Yi saw the pair was completely impossible to reason with and gave up any hope of reconciliation. He smiled faintly. "I, Shangguan Yi, have a clear conscience. Think what you will!"
After Grand Tutor Ye Chonglou’s guidance, Shangguan Yi had come to a realization. He knew that trying to please both sides might end with pleasing neither. Since Elder Tie’s side was completely unreasonable, Shangguan Yi’s mind naturally tipped toward Jiang Chen.
Elder Tie gave a cold laugh, wrapped up Yang Zhao’s remains, and swept a sinister glance over Shangguan Yi. "Shangguan Yi, I hope that Grand Steward seat of yours remains secure!"
Shangguan Yi replied calmly, "The position of Grand Steward was granted by His Majesty the King. If His Majesty feels I am unfit for this role, as his subject, I won’t object to stepping down."
The implication was clear: even if I don’t hold the position, it’s the King who dismisses me—it’s not your place, an elder of the Treasure Tree Sect, to overstep your authority.
Seeing Shangguan Yi refuse to yield, Elder Tie was furious. But he had no desire to linger and left in a huff, adding Shangguan Yi to his blacklist.
After Elder Tie departed, Shangguan Yi’s expression darkened. "Summon all Commanders and Deputy Commanders. I have something to say."
Qi Tiannan felt a chill run through him. Seeing Shangguan Yi’s frost-covered face, he knew the Grand Steward was truly enraged this time and had decided to reshuffle the ranks. Previously, Xin Wudao and Qi Fengxian had openly defied Shangguan Yi, making him realize his position as Grand Steward wasn’t absolutely supreme after all.
Two Commanders, openly defying him! Even with a Treasure Tree Sect elder meddling, in Shangguan Yi’s eyes, this was absolutely intolerable.
The Dragon Tooth Guard was the Dragon Tooth Guard. No matter the position or the reason, obeying the Grand Steward’s command was their sacred duty.