Chapter 521: Evidence

“You scoundrel!” As everyone expected, Yun Waitian instantly flew into a rage. “You arrogant brat, how dare you utter such ridiculous, preposterous, and audacious words? Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you?!”

“This is simply outrageous!” The Seventh Elder, who was usually closest to Yun Waitian, stood up and angrily rebuked, “In my entire life, I have never heard such ridiculous words! Simply absurd… absurd!”

“Xinyue is the most outstanding disciple of our clan's younger generation. His talent and character are impeccable. He has never bullied any fellow clan member. He and Yun Xiao are particularly close on a daily basis… Even if there were some grievances, how could he possibly lay a murderous hand on a fellow clan member? To conspire against Princess Tianxia's family, that would be an absolute travesty!”

“How ridiculous and infuriating. Ah, it's really vexing this old man,” a centuries-old Yun family elder sighed, shaking his head.

“An outsider brat dares to publicly slander our Yun Family’s new Patriarch, who is about to take office! This is simply outrageous! The Disciplinary Elder should seize him and impose a severe penalty!” a young disciple roared in anger. His words immediately drew widespread agreement, and a cacophony of mockery, anger, and curses filled the air.

Yun Xiao stood stunned for a good while, his voice trembling as he said, “This… this… how is this possible? How could it be Brother Xinyue? Big Brother must have made a mistake…”

Although Yun Xiao felt great admiration, respect, and closeness towards Yun Che, even he found it incredibly difficult to believe what Yun Che had just said. After all, he had only known Yun Che for two months, whereas he had known Yun Xinyue for over twenty years. Throughout those years, Yun Xinyue had always been an image of perfection in his mind; he simply couldn't believe that the ambush he suffered that day had anything to do with Yun Xinyue.

Yun Qinghong looked at him and slowly said, “Xiao'er, remember what your Big Brother said earlier: In this world, the hardest thing to see clearly is the human heart. And the most difficult ability to cultivate is not profound energy, but the ability to discern people's true intentions. In this regard, your Big Brother is far, far stronger than you. Pay close attention to everything that unfolds, and then… remember today's lesson firmly.”

“…” Yun Xiao opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His mind was in complete chaos.

Yun Xinyue stood up. It was clear he was trying hard to suppress his anger, and he said in a relatively calm voice, “Yun Che, Yun Xinyue has no recent grievances with you, nor any past grudges. We haven't even exchanged many words. When we've occasionally met, I've always treated you with courtesy. Why do you slander me like this?! What exactly… are your intentions?!”

A storm of mockery and accusations raged around him. However, two years ago, Yun Che had dared to face the entire Phoenix Divine Sect by himself on their territory. Such a scene was nowhere near enough to rattle him. Facing Yun Xinyue's questioning, he sneered, looking askance: “Whether what I said is true or false, you know better than anyone. But I must admire your acting skills. Your expressions, gaze, movements, words… truly impeccable. No wonder you've been able to act for so many years without being exposed.”

“You!!” Yun Xinyue trembled with rage. “Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous… I can debunk your vile and crude slander with just a single sentence! You claim I was the one who ordered the ambush on Yun Xiao that day…” He pointed at Yun Xiao and roared, “Then go ahead and ask Yun Xiao if I've ever had even a shred of enmity with him in the past! You can also ask him if the attackers that day were indeed members of the Yun Family! If they were from other families, concealing their profound arts, it might be difficult to identify them. But if it was someone from our Yun Family, even if they fully concealed their profound arts, as a fellow clan member who has cultivated the Purple Cloud Art for nearly twenty years, how could he not notice anything at all?!”

“No need to ask,” Yun Che curled his lip. “The attackers who ambushed Yun Xiao and Tianxia Qiyuan that day were certainly not Yun Family members, but rather an ambush set by you, together with people from other families.”

“Nonsense!” Yun Waitian completely erupted in fury. He shifted his feet and abruptly attacked Yun Che. Immense, violent profound energy of lightning surged out, instantly forming a roaring torrent of lightning, which shot straight towards Yun Che's neck to kill him.

Yun Waitian and Yun Che were standing very close, and Yun Waitian had attacked suddenly in extreme rage, leaving no time for others to react. One was a powerful Monarch Profound Realm practitioner, the other only in the Sky Profound Realm. Under Yun Waitian's strike, Yun Che would not only fail to survive, but even being pulverized would be considered light.

Yun Che had been prepared. His mind had been taut ever since he stepped forward to confront Yun Xinyue, and his profound energy had remained ready. As Yun Waitian's profound energy surged, Yun Che's profound energy also erupted simultaneously, and his body instantly flickered.

Swoosh!!

Yun Waitian's torrent of lightning tore through space, and also tore through Yun Che's afterimage. Everyone was startled; even Yun Waitian himself was momentarily stunned, because he hadn't clearly seen how Yun Che dodged.

A dignified Monarch Profound Realm practitioner, suddenly attacking a junior in the Sky Profound Realm, and failing to even touch his clothes. This happened right before everyone's eyes… Yun Waitian was even more enraged and mortified. He spun around fiercely and lunged at Yun Che, who had appeared behind him. “Little rogue, die!”

“Stop!”

In front of Yun Che, a massive ice profound array instantly appeared. As the profound array rotated, it completely deflected Yun Waitian's lightning profound energy back. A figure flickered in the air, and Mu Yubai descended like lightning, shielding Yun Che. He sneered, “Yun Waitian, as the esteemed Grand Elder of the Yun Family, to actually ambush a junior, you have truly disgraced your ancestors.”

Yun Waitian said with a dark expression, “This damned rogue slanders my son, even slandering him for conspiring with outsiders to assassinate his own family members. This is not just my son's humiliation, but a defilement of our entire family's reputation! This is utterly intolerable! Our family's reputation is ten million times more precious than this scoundrel's life! Never mind killing him, even if I were to hack him into a thousand pieces, it wouldn't be excessive!”

“This King agrees with Grand Elder Yun's words,” Prince Huiye chuckled faintly. “Reputation has always been more important than life itself. Yun Che's slander, hmph, he truly deserves to die! If it were this King, I would also strike in anger.”

At this point, Prince Huiye suddenly narrowed his eyes and said, “Young Patriarch Mu, you are protecting Yun Che so fiercely; could it be that you actually believe what he said?”

“If he dares to say it, he should have some basis.” Mu Yubai cast a cold glance at Yun Waitian. “To suddenly strike before he even finished speaking, heh, could it be a guilty conscience?”

“Hahahahahahaha!” A wild, piercing laugh rang out. Helian Peng stood up, roaring with laughter. “Your Highness Huiye, Grand Elder Yun, haven't you understood yet? Clearly, the former Patriarch doesn't want to step down. Seeing the new Patriarch, who is so widely supported, about to take office, he grew desperate. So he pushed forward a so-called adopted son to stir up trouble… But this so-called adopted son is truly pathetic, simply being used as cannon fodder. To prevent the new Patriarch from taking office, he could actually utter such ridiculous slanders. Hahahahaha, it's truly enough to make one burst out laughing.”

Helian Peng's mockery sounded quite logical and reasonable. Immediately, many people voiced their agreement. Mu Yubai's face darkened, and he sneered, “Helian Peng, are you genuinely looking for death?!”

“What? Have you been exposed by me on the spot, and are now enraged and humiliated?” Helian Peng's face was full of mockery. He turned to Tianxia Wudi, who was seated, and said, “Elder Wudi, your noble clan's princess also encountered an assassination attempt two months ago, along with Yun Xiao. Presumably, you, more than anyone, wish to know who the mastermind behind it was. However, to say that Yun Xinyue is the person behind this, such an absurd claim, even you couldn't possibly believe it, could you?”

Tianxia Wudi calmly said, “Empty words are naturally not credible. I only believe in concrete evidence. Yun Che, you claim Yun Xinyue is the rogue behind it. Do you have any evidence?”

“Evidence? He's just making a last-ditch effort to slander the new Patriarch who is about to take office; how could he have any evidence? Elder Wudi, do you really believe he can produce any genuine evidence?” Helian Peng said disdainfully.

Prince Huiye scoffed coldly and said, “Hmph, since Young Patriarch Mu has come forward to protect you, Yun Che, then this King will give you a chance. You claim Yun Xinyue was the rogue behind the ambush on Yun Xiao and Tianxia Qiyuan two months ago, then present genuine evidence to this King. If there is sufficient convincing evidence, the Yun Family will naturally deal with Yun Xinyue justly. I believe even the Grand Elder would not show favoritism regarding such a wicked act. But… if you cannot provide evidence, and are merely slandering and maliciously framing him, hmph, let alone the entire Yun Family, even this King will not let you off lightly! How can the proud son of a dignified Twelve Guardian Families be unjustly humiliated by an outsider!”

“As for evidence, of course there is, and it's right before your eyes,” Yun Che said calmly, uttering words that once again startled everyone. He pointed at Yun Xinyue and said, “Isn't Yun Xinyue himself the best evidence?”

“What do you mean by that?” Prince Huiye said, his gaze deepening.

Yun Che slowly said, “Everyone in the Illusory Demon Realm knows that the Yun Family possesses a unique special ability—Profound Handle! The power of Profound Handle can not only attack but also affect the spirit. Even profound practitioners who have just begun cultivating profound energy should have heard of the name ‘Profound Handle Soul Seizure.’ As long as his spirit is held captive by ‘Profound Handle Soul Seizure,’ his consciousness will wander freely, and whatever he is asked, he will answer truthfully, without any concealment or falsehood. At that time, whether he is connected to the ambush on Yun Xiao and Tianxia Qiyuan will be clear with a single question! And his words at that time will be the most irrefutable evidence in the world!”