"What did you say? The Wangting father and son were arrested by the Peacock Guard?" In the Shura Dojo, Lord Moon Sovereign shot to his feet the moment he heard his subordinate commander's report, his face turning black as pitch.
"Yes... It was Commander Kong who led the operation. They deployed over a hundred Peacock Guards — every single one an elite of the elites. They came fully prepared."
"On what grounds did they arrest them? They couldn't have just hauled people away for no reason!" Lord Moon Sovereign clearly couldn't accept this reality.
"They claimed the Wangting father and son stole the Myriad Longevity Pill formula from the Peacock Sacred Mountain! And judging by the evidence they presented, it does seem rather convincing." At this point, the commander — trying to deflect blame from himself — actually began putting in a word for the Peacock Guard.
The evidence was ironclad. At the very least, it proved that he, the Shura Guard commander who'd been present on the scene, wasn't entirely useless!
"The Myriad Longevity Pill formula? How could it possibly belong to the Peacock Sacred Mountain?" Lord Moon Sovereign grew more confused the more he listened. They said something, and you just believed it?
"My Lord, they produced a Myriad Longevity Pill whose quality far surpassed any pill the Wangting great clan had ever produced. That single piece of evidence was virtually impossible for anyone on the scene to refute. And the Wangting clan head himself mounted a very weak defense. In the end, he even invoked the Indestructible Heavenly Capital. That only gave the Peacock Guard ammunition to accuse him of colluding with outside forces and leaking the Peacock Sacred Mountain's secret formula. As a result, the charges were elevated yet another level."
Lord Moon Sovereign's face grew increasingly dark. He cursed under his breath: "Incompetent at getting anything done, but brilliant at ruining everything."
It was unclear whether he was cursing his subordinate commander or the Wangting clan head.
But right now, this was clearly an emergency of the highest order. Lord Moon Sovereign knew that such charges were no ordinary matter.
If the fabricated charges they'd slapped on the Wei family father and son had been enough to justify arresting them...
Then the charges against the Wangting great clan were sufficient to get them executed ten times over — a hundred times over. Especially the last one: colluding with outside forces and leaking a secret pill formula.
If that charge were ever seriously brought forward, the entire Wangting clan would face certain extermination. It could even drag other factions down with them.
So Lord Moon Sovereign couldn't just sit there. He knew this matter had already spiraled beyond his control — he had to report to His Majesty the Great Emperor.
When the Shura Great Emperor received Lord Moon Sovereign's message, he was mildly surprised.
"Is that so? What are the details?" Though somewhat taken aback, the Shura Great Emperor showed not a trace of panic.
The bearing of a Great Emperor-class powerhouse was something no subordinate could hope to match.
Lord Moon Sovereign said, "The clan heads of the several great families were all present on the scene. Shall I bring them in to give Your Majesty a detailed account?"
The clan heads filed in, all of them trembling with fear.
They wouldn't normally be this nervous when meeting the Shura Great Emperor. But today, they felt particularly guilty — after all, the Peacock Guard had dragged the Wangting father and son away right under their noses.
However, the Shura Great Emperor clearly had no intention of holding them responsible.
He nodded coolly: "There's no need to be so tense. Under those circumstances, refusing to confront the Peacock Guard head-on was the wise choice. Otherwise, the losses would only have been greater, and you would only have given them more excuse to cause trouble."
The Shura Great Emperor truly deserved his reputation as a regional overlord — those few words immediately dispelled his subordinates' anxiety.
"Now, tell me everything. The more detail, the better."
Everyone took turns providing a thorough account of what had happened at the scene.
Since it was a secondhand account relayed through subordinates, the Shura Great Emperor furrowed his brow and asked: "Based on what you saw on the ground — did the Peacock Guard actually have a legitimate case, or was this a frame-up?"
"I think it was a frame-up!"
"I also believe it was a frame-up."
One after another, their words rang hollow.
"Tell me the truth." The Shura Great Emperor's expression darkened.
The men exchanged uneasy glances, all of them on edge. If they were being honest, they felt the Wangting father and son were highly suspicious.
After all, every piece of evidence, every last detail, pointed squarely against them. And whenever anyone had asked the father and son about the origin of the Myriad Longevity Pill, they'd always been evasive and vague.
But in front of the Shura Great Emperor, how could they dare speak the truth?
"Your Majesty, the situation on the scene was indeed very unfavorable for the Wangting clan. In the end, even the Wangting clan head himself couldn't mount a defense. He merely asked us to tell Your Majesty that he was innocent."
"Yes, Your Majesty — regardless of whether the Wangting clan is innocent or not, we can't just stand by and do nothing, can we?"
The Shura Great Emperor's expression was indifferent: "In your view, did the Wangting father and son actually steal the Peacock Sacred Mountain's formula?"
The several clan heads were struck speechless.
"Preposterous!" The Shura Great Emperor snorted coldly. "I know this man. Is he the sort to be so careless? If he had truly stolen the Peacock Sacred Mountain's formula — first, he would have reported it to me. Second, he would never have openly put the Myriad Longevity Pill up for sale. That would be tantamount to announcing to the Peacock Sacred Mountain, 'I stole your formula!' So this is unquestionably a frame-up!"
Lord Moon Sovereign shot to his feet: "Your Majesty, if this is a frame-up, please allow me to take a force and march to the Peacock Sacred Mountain to demand the prisoners' return!"
"Sit down." The Shura Great Emperor's tone wasn't heavy, but it carried an unmistakable weight of authority.
Even someone as headstrong as Lord Moon Sovereign sat back down involuntarily, without the slightest hint of displeasure or defiance.
"If you go now, not only will you fail to get them back — you may well get yourself trapped as well." The Shura Great Emperor's tone remained unhurried.
"Then what should we do?" After all, the Wangting clan head was Lord Moon Sovereign's sworn brother. He was the most anxious of all.