At the Sun-Devouring Emperor Palace.
After a brief moment of chaos, several Martial Emperors took action to flatten the mountains that Kun Emperor had created. Using the laws of wood and earth, they quickly grew new plants and repaired the damaged buildings.
In no time at all, the once devastated palace was restored to its former orderly state.
"Who was that mysterious expert just now? Such powerful strength, such mastery of the earth element!"
"An earth-element Martial Emperor of a high rank..."
"I remember now! That was Kun Emperor of the Tianheng Clan! I saw his portrait once in my family's library!"
"What? The Tianheng Clan!"
"As expected! That young man and the white-robed figure whose face we couldn't see were definitely Tianheng Clan spies—Kun Emperor came out to assist them!"
The crowd was filled with righteous indignation.
How bold the Tianheng spies were! Not only did they fail to stay hidden, but they had the audacity to openly provoke the Sun-Devouring Emperor Palace!
"Could it be... that Kun Emperor had ulterior motives? Perhaps he rescued them to make us misunderstand?"
Someone weakly voiced doubt.
But they were immediately rebuffed:
"Hmph! When Kun Emperor appeared, the mysterious white-robed man showed no surprise. They were clearly old acquaintances!"
"Exactly! I noticed that too. They had a special kind of understanding between them—definitely not strangers!"
Others quickly chimed in agreement.
The person who raised the doubt remained silent, realizing that if he continued, he would face verbal attacks.
"Look, what's this?!"
Suddenly, someone cried out excitedly, as if an archaeologist had unearthed evidence proving their theory.
Everyone turned to see an unremarkable young man pick up a crystal stone from the ground, caked with dirt. The stone seemed to have images moving inside it.
"Show us what's inside," ordered the Martial Emperor from the Wu Divine Palace.
"Yes, sir."
The young man dared not disobey. He infused energy into the crystal, and beams of light shot out, projecting a large image in the air, much like a projector.
The image showed a young man in black, guarded by a group of black-clad figures, traversing a secret realm. As they passed through, they slaughtered indiscriminately!
Many of the young people they encountered didn't even have time to react before they were cut down by the black-clad men. Blood splattered everywhere, and their deaths were tragic.
At the end of the scene, the group reached a hidden place, tore open a canyon, and found the sealed Kun Emperor inside. They then respectfully saluted him...
The scene ended abruptly!
Everyone was stunned.
"So that's it!"
"I was wondering how Kun Emperor, who had been sealed, could appear—it was him who released him!"
"He's definitely a member of the Tianheng Clan!"
"He's a Tianheng traitor! I should have acted decisively earlier and killed that Tianheng brat!"
The crowd was incensed, shouting angrily.
Some people even beat their chests in regret, although in truth, even if given another chance, they still wouldn't have dared to act.
"Uh… esteemed elders, don't you think the appearance of this recording stone is a bit suspicious?"
At this moment, someone else tentatively raised a point: "Kun Emperor shows up, and then this recording stone conveniently appears? It's obvious someone left it on purpose. Could it be that someone created a fake recording stone to frame that young man?"
Everyone's eyes immediately turned to the speaker. He was a tall, thin young man, plain-looking with small, sharp eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything.
"Who are you?" a Martial Emperor asked.
"Junior, Geng Renjie," the tall, thin youth bowed in respect.
"Hmm, you do raise a valid point. This recording stone was clearly left here intentionally," the Martial Emperor nodded before adding, "But that doesn't mean the young man is innocent. It's also possible he committed these acts, and someone simply revealed the truth."
The crowd nodded in agreement.
Indeed, this Martial Emperor had a clear perspective.
"Whether the contents of this recording stone are real, tampered with, or entirely fabricated using soul force, we can't say for now. It's best to hand it over to the Human Clan's Sacred Hall. They will surely investigate it thoroughly and handle the matter appropriately," the Martial Emperor concluded.
Everyone agreed. When the powerful speak, the lesser ones can only nod.
"Our Sun-Devouring Emperor Palace has several seniors stationed at the Sacred Hall. I can personally deliver this item on everyone's behalf," said the palace master, rising slowly from the abyss beneath the plaza. He appeared dignified, his clothes spotless.
It was clear that while he had been trapped underground, he hadn't been idle.
Since being kicked into the abyss by Qin Chuan, he knew his reputation had suffered a blow. So, he spent the time down there tidying up, waiting for the palace's ancestors to deal with the situation so he could make a grand reappearance.
After all, history only remembers the results, not the process. As long as he emerged looking immaculate in the end, his prestige would remain intact.
And indeed, that was the case.
Seeing the Sun-Devouring Palace Master standing there, neat and dignified, everyone instinctively forgot about his earlier disgrace.
"Very well."
"Thank you, Palace Master."
The unremarkable youth who held the recording stone respectfully handed it over to the palace master.
Watching this, the crowd's eyes gleamed. They knew that once the Sun-Devouring Palace had the recording stone, they would thoroughly examine it. Even if it was fake, they would find a way to make it real.
In other words, it would be "flawlessly edited."
This black-clad youth named Qin Zi had embarrassed the Sun-Devouring Emperor Palace too much. There was no way they would let it go. If the opportunity arose, they would surely take advantage of it.
...
"Father, this Dao Bone originally belonged to Miss Yu, but now it's in my possession. Should I return it to her?"
Hovering above the lake, Qin Zi took out the glowing Dao Bone, asking seriously.
"What do you think?" Qin Chuan asked with a teasing smile.
"I think… I should return it to her. She seems like a pitiful girl..." Qin Zi blushed and mumbled.
"Are you interested in her?" Qin Chuan teased.
"No way!" Qin Zi reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, quickly protesting, "I'm not that kind of person! I'm very loyal!"
Qin Chuan nodded, then furrowed his brow, "But... taking it out was easy. How do you plan to give it back to her? Are you just going to… insert it?"
"Huh??"
Qin Zi's jaw dropped, his mind going blank. The image of that scenario flashed through his head, and suddenly... he felt hungry.
After thinking for a moment, he hesitantly said, "Actually, inserting it… isn't impossible, right? It might hurt a bit at first, but in the long run, it's worth it."
He added, "If someone were to give me a Dao Bone, I'd gladly let them insert it. Heck, I'd take as many as they'd give—turn me into a sieve, I wouldn't mind!"
"Oh? Are you hinting at your father?" Qin Chuan raised an eyebrow.
"Ahem, no, no! Father, you've already given me the precious Primordial Energy and Martial Luck. I'm more than content!" Qin Zi declared, full of righteousness.
"Really?"
Qin Chuan eyed him suspiciously.
"Well… if there are more treasures and you insist on giving them to me… it'd be hard for me to refuse," Qin Zi stammered.
"Dream on!"
Qin Chuan laughed and scolded.
At that moment, a beam of golden light shot out from Qin Zi's body, transforming into the figure of a golden-haired woman. She hesitated for a moment before speaking:
"Brother Qin, I remember that beneath the ruins of the Night Emperor Clan lies a hidden inheritance. It contains several Dao Bones, said to be ancient artifacts of great origin."