If he had kept quiet, things might have been fine—but once he spoke, the jeering only intensified.
"Your wrongful case, my foot! Everyone knows exactly what your Wang family is like! Bullying the weak and throwing your weight around was bad enough, but to steal and collude with outside thieves too!"
"The most despicable part—a pill worth two million sold for ten million! That's not how you bleed people dry!"
"Peacock Guard sirs, please, you must not let this wicked father and son get away!"
In an instant, the voices condemning the Wangting grand clan rose in wave upon wave.
Then let this Myriad Longevity Pill be your burial—yours, and your entire Wangting grand clan!
All of this had been planned by Jiang Chen, of course. Once he decided to hand over the Myriad Longevity Pill recipe, everything became simple.
Peacock Sacred Mountain had been unable to find a breakthrough. When they received this strategy, they found it highly feasible. They immediately verified the recipe, and Jiang Chen spent the entire night teaching those two Pill Kings how to refine the Myriad Longevity Pill.
Both were ninth-grade Pill Kings with extraordinary alchemy talent. With Jiang Chen's guidance, they picked it up at once.
And just like that, the Myriad Longevity Pill became an official recipe of Peacock Sacred Mountain.
With this foundation established, Peacock Sacred Mountain had legitimate cause. They crafted this entire narrative, leaving the Wangting grand clan unable to defend themselves.
In truth, the Myriad Longevity Pill recipe had always been an unsolved case.
The most critical issue was that the Wangting grand clan couldn't explain the origin of their recipe. The clan lord initially tried to dodge the question, then claimed he had obtained it from Bumie Tiandu. Such contradictory statements naturally convinced no one.
By contrast, Peacock Sacred Mountain had maintained from the very beginning that the Myriad Longevity Pill was their recipe—this position never wavered from start to finish.
Then they produced a superior-grade Myriad Longevity Pill, which instantly crushed the Wangting grand clan's version.
Don't underestimate this small pill—it was a crucial piece of evidence, converting those who had been wavering into firm believers of Peacock Sacred Mountain's claim.
And the Wangting clan lord's subsequent statements, riddled with flaws, were seized upon by Commander Kong and his people, who pressed their attack relentlessly.
On one side, the Wangting clan lord was leaking from every hole. On the other, Commander Kong and his forces were pressing their advantage.
To make matters worse, the Wangting grand clan had priced the Myriad Longevity Pill at ten million Sacred Spirit Stones—a price that had enraged everyone.
Now that people learned the pill was actually worth only two million, how could they not be furious?
What's more, the Wangting grand clan's recipe had been stolen. They never even verified whether it had side effects before pushing it out to fleece the public!
In contrast, Peacock Sacred Mountain had developed the recipe themselves and, before completing thorough validation, had been extremely conservative—not rushing to release it for sale.
The comparison was stark. Peacock Sacred Mountain was conscientious and responsible, considering the safety and lives of the people. The Wangting grand clan was ruthlessly profiteering, willing to use independent cultivators as test subjects.
Which side was more trustworthy? The answer was self-evident.
Commander Kong saw the Wangting clan lord frozen in silence and barked, "Since you've confessed, then come quietly with us back to Peacock Sacred Mountain!"
The Wangting clan lord's whole body trembled. "I'm not going! You're framing me! The Peacock Guard—such a great reputation, yet they frame a powerful clan! I refuse to accept this! I want to see His Majesty the Shura Great Emperor!"
"Dream on!"
Commander Kong sneered. "Stealing Peacock Sacred Mountain's recipe—even the Shura Great Emperor can't save you!"
His expression darkened. "All Peacock Guards, hear my order: take the Wang father and son, and the Pill Kings of Taiyuan Tower. If anyone resists—kill them!"
"Let's go!"
The Wangting clan lord's face shifted endlessly as he weighed his options. He knew that if he tried to break through the encirclement, there was still a slim chance.
If he could escape to the Shura Great Emperor, he might be spared.
But if he escaped alone, his son would surely be killed on the spot, and all the Pill Kings would be slaughtered as well.
That would leave the Wangting clan lord nothing but a figurehead. All his ambitions and aspirations would turn to empty clouds.
More critically, while he was confident he could escape, it was not an absolute certainty!
And if he fled alone, just how much use he would still be to the Shura Great Emperor was another question entirely.
After agonizing over it, the Wangting clan lord gritted his teeth and turned to the allied grand clan lords: "Fellow lords, you know I, Wang, am innocent. Please go before His Majesty the Great Emperor right now and plead on my behalf. Ask the Great Emperor to save my father and son."
Fighting the Peacock Guard to the death was not a wise choice.
His only hope was to appeal to the Shura Great Emperor. Only the Shura Great Emperor could possibly save him and his son.
But the Peacock Guard had no intention of humoring him. "Three counts. If you don't move, you won't need to move at all."
The Wangting clan lord's eyes were bloodshot, his heart seething with humiliation, but he stood up. "Fine, I'll go with you! But don't celebrate too soon—the Shura Great Emperor will never let your scheme succeed!"
"On the verge of death, and you still want to argue? The evidence is conclusive. The more you argue, the worse your end will be!"
"Daring to steal from Peacock Sacred Mountain, colluding with outside forces, and leaking the secret recipe—you've earned your death!"
One charge after another struck the Wangting grand clan like bolts of lightning, making the clan lord convulse with dread.
The Peacock Guard seized the Wang father and son, along with the Pill Kings, parted the crowd, and swept away in a flurry of motion.