His black wings were actually dragon wings that had evolved to carry traces of black dragon bloodline—far more powerful than silver wings.
However, his current cultivation was only at the Gold Three-Star level.
In Nie Li's view, the grudges between families didn't really come down to right or wrong, but the Silver Wing Family's way of torturing this young man was utterly inhumane. Nie Li exchanged a brief glance with the young man before averting his gaze and following Si Kong Hong Yue toward the front of the great hall.
Upon the elevated throne at the head of the hall sat a middle-aged man of portly build, eyes half-closed and face dark with a chilling coldness. His luxurious robes lent him an air of nobility. Three beautiful young women flanked him, massaging his legs and back. All three wore provocative silk garments that left little to the imagination.
Nie Li immediately noticed the man's sunken eye sockets and the grayish dullness in his eyes. Sensing the aura emanating from the man, Nie Li felt a slight chill—this was likely a Legendary-level powerhouse, though one whose days were clearly numbered, barely kept alive by some kind of life-extending method.
This man was none other than the patriarch of the Silver Wing Family—Si Kong Yi.
Hearing the footsteps of Si Kong Hong Yue and Nie Li, he opened his eyes and looked toward them.
"Hong Yue, who is this?" Si Kong Yi asked in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping over Nie Li with a faint trace of killing intent.
"Reporting to Father, his name is
"The Silver Radiance Family?" Si Kong Yi paused for a moment, then burst into wild laughter. "The Silver Radiance Family was wiped out long ago in the Demon Beast tide—how could there possibly be any descendants?" His eyes suddenly turned sharp with murderous intent, locking onto Nie Li. "Who exactly are you? A spy sent by some other family?"
Upon hearing this, Si Kong Hong Yue's brows furrowed slightly, her cold gaze falling on Nie Li.
"I truly am a descendant of the Silver Radiance Family, Patriarch. Though the original Silver Radiance Family no longer exists, one or two of its branch lines managed to survive," Nie Li replied, facing Si Kong Yi's oppressive killing intent with neither servility nor arrogance.
"Nonsense," Si Kong Yi snorted coldly. "This man is clearly a spy from another family. Seize him and behead him!"
Several Gold-tier guards nearby immediately drew their weapons, pointing them at Nie Li. One word from Si Kong Yi, and Nie Li would lose his head.
Nie Li could naturally see that this was Si Kong Yi testing him. He spoke with confidence: "Patriarch, if you won't even hear me out before passing sentence, then I refuse to accept it!"
"Hmph, the boy has some nerve. But if you can't give me a convincing explanation, don't blame me for being ruthless," Si Kong Yi snorted.
"First of all, I'm not from here—I came from the outside world. Surely that should count for something!" Nie Li swiftly merged with the Shadow Demon spirit, and his body underwent a rapid transformation.
Seeing the change in Nie Li's form, Si Kong Yi's expression shifted subtly. The Shadow Demon spirit Nie Li had merged with was not a creature from this world. Generally, Demon Beast spirits could be preserved for at most six hundred years. The spirits previously stored in this world had either been used up or had long since faded into oblivion.
Nie Li had merged with a spirit unlike anything they had ever seen—it had most likely been brought in from outside.
"Even if that spirit was brought from the outside, it still doesn't prove you weren't sent by another family," Si Kong Yi remained unmoved, his expression dark and inscrutable.
Nie Li smiled faintly. "Then it seems I can't prove it. But Patriarch, the Silver Wing Family has a great secret—after members of the Silver Wing Family obtain the wings of the Silver Wing Thunderbird, their bodies develop an increasingly severe rejection reaction as they age. Most members of the Silver Wing Family don't live past sixty. Am I right?"
At Nie Li's words, a flash of cold light suddenly blazed in Si Kong Yi's eyes as he stared intently at Nie Li. "Who exactly are you, boy? Do you have any idea what you're saying?"
"I truly am a descendant of the Silver Radiance Family, and I learned this from my elders. I don't know if it's true, but I know that once I reveal this, Patriarch, you probably won't let me leave. However, if I were to say that I have a solution—what would Patriarch think?" Nie Li met Si Kong Yi's gaze calmly, confident that Si Kong Yi could not possibly ignore such a tempting offer.
"A solution? Hah, what a joke!" Si Kong Yi laughed wildly, though there was a slight tremor in his laughter, revealing that he was not entirely indifferent to death. "Our Silver Wing Family's affliction—no one has been able to cure it."