Serpent Ancestor

Lotus True Monarch was a figure from before ancient times, nearing the era of desolation.

Her deeds have long been forgotten, her law powers and divine abilities have been erased from the memories of the world.

What people see and feel daily is merely a faint ripple of law emanating from the statue of the Ancestor.

This faint ripple of law greatly benefits the Wood Spirit Clan, blessing all beings and purifying the impure, aligning perfectly with Qing Xuan’s law.

Therefore, everyone naturally believes that the law cultivated by Qing Xuan is the true Golden Lotus Law.

Qing Shuang, of course, is a fraud!

This scene was fully observed by the Reflecting Sky Mirror, watched by billions of Wood Spirits, its influence unimaginable.

Xu Hei remained silent, his gaze fixed on the statue of the Ancestor.

The statue indeed gave him the feeling of Lotus True Monarch, its appearance matching the phantom he had seen back in the day.

However, the power of the law seemed somewhat different, as if someone had tampered with it.”Could it be?”

A possibility immediately sprang to Xu Hei’s mind.

Initially, he thought it might be due to changes in the law of Lotus True Monarch across different eras, leading to subtle differences. But now, it was clear that was not the case.

This law was clearly artificially imposed!

To dare tamper with the statue of the Ancestor, what audacity! Moreover, this covert manipulation seemed to have started long ago.

The Thorn King, this opponent, is truly terrifying.

”Buzz buzz buzz!”

Suddenly, a trace of golden light appeared in the eyes of the Ancestor’s statue, connecting with the law ripple emitted by Qing Xuan, forming a resonance.

The law powers of the two combined.

”My heavens, it actually resonated with the Ancestor’s statue!”

”Qing Xuan is the true inheritor!”

”This confirms it, Qing Shuang is fake!”

The entire venue erupted.

Ancient records state that the resonance of the statue only occurred during the clan leader succession ceremonies in ancient times.

Now, they had witnessed it with their own eyes.

This meant that the Thorn King’s previous efforts were all for Qing Xuan, not Qing Shuang.

At this moment, the Thorn King stood up, holding a staff of authority, and stood in front of Qing Shuang. With the staff in hand, his pressure was unprecedentedly strong, as if he was the embodiment of majesty, capable of judging all beings and suppressing all living things of the Wood Spirit Clan.

Even Qing Shuang, whose strength had transformed, felt immense pressure.

”Qing Shuang, do you have anything to say?”

The Thorn King, holding the staff of authority, looked at Qing Shuang, his majestic voice echoing through the heavens and earth.

A cold gleam flashed in the Leaf King’s eyes as he stared at Qing Shuang, the sword on his back trembling incessantly, as if ready to unsheathe and kill. He could not tolerate the desecration of the Ancestor.

Qing Shuang righteously declared, ”What I have received is the Ancestor’s inheritance, and the clan leader’s seal cannot be fake! Thorn King, all of this is your design, why ask so many questions?”

”Still trying to argue!”

The Thorn King’s voice grew colder, ”You have one more chance to defend yourself. Speak! Where did this fake clan leader’s seal come from, and from whom did you receive the inheritance? With your abilities, it’s impossible to create such a convincing clan leader’s seal. As long as you reveal the mastermind, you can avoid the death penalty!”

As soon as he said this.

The onlookers immediately turned their gaze to Xu Hei.

If there was a mastermind, it could only be him.

An outsider cultivator helping Qing Shuang to deceive and gain the clan leader’s position for profit seemed entirely plausible!

”Isn’t it obvious who the mastermind is? Whoever benefits is the mastermind!”

Liu Feng stepped out from the crowd, taking out a jade slip and handing it over, ”Grand Elder of Law, this contains all of Qing Shuang’s expenses since returning to the clan, with every transaction recorded.”

The Thorn King took the jade slip, and with a gentle tap, its contents were projected into the air, each transaction clearly visible.

He turned to an elder in the crowd and asked, ”Deacon Qian, you manage the Spirit Medicine Garden of the Qingteng lineage. Are the spirit medicine transactions recorded here true?”

Deacon Qian took the jade slip, glanced at it, and quickly replied, ”Indeed, Miss Qing Shuang did purchase the five spirit medicines recorded here a week ago to enhance her cultivation.”

”Deacon Tang, did Qing Shuang exchange for spirit sand with you?” The Thorn King looked at another person.

Deacon Tang clasped his fists and said, ”Indeed she did.”

Then, the Thorn King consulted several relevant individuals, confirming the authenticity of the records.

”As for where the spirit medicines Qing Shuang acquired and the spirit sand she exchanged went... heh, there’s a dried-up spirit pool beneath Qinglin Tower, with traces of cultivation still present. I think I don’t need to say more; everyone already knows the answer.” Liu Feng smiled.

At this moment, all eyes in the venue turned to Xu Hei.

Xu Hei became the focus of the Wood Spirit Clan, the center of attention.

However, this was not a favorable spotlight.

Xu Hei had anticipated that he might face off against the experts of the Wood Spirit Clan, perhaps even engage in a fierce battle. But he never expected that his opponent would be the entire Wood Spirit Clan.

Just the Wood Spirits present numbered in the thousands, with over a hundred at the Divine Power stage! Not to mention the various other external forces.

The Thorn King successfully placed Xu Hei in opposition to everyone. If a battle were to break out, the consequences would be unimaginable.

”I thought that with my current strength, I feared nothing, but I underestimated you.”

Xu Hei looked at the Thorn King, a cold glint in his eyes.

”So, you are the mastermind!” The Thorn King said coldly.

”Grand Elder, let’s not jump to conclusions. As enforcers, we must give the suspect a chance to defend themselves, even if they are an outsider.”

Qing Xuan stepped forward to mediate, casting a gentle smile at Xu Hei.

This made others marvel; indeed, someone destined to be the future clan leader, meticulous and thorough, embodying the qualities of a leader.

”Since the future clan leader has spoken, I naturally must comply,” the Thorn King nodded.

Then, he looked at Xu Hei and said, ”Xu Hei, the outsider, do you have anything to say?”

Qing Xuan smiled, ”Xu Hei, you have only one chance to speak, position yourself well, and don’t make the wrong choice this time.”

Even at this moment, Qing Xuan was hinting for Xu Hei to choose a side, seemingly not giving up on him.

Now, all the pressure was on Xu Hei.

But there was no trace of panic on Xu Hei’s face; he appeared very calm.

Qing Shuang secretly communicated, ”Xu Hei, as long as we exit the range of this formation, I have a seventy percent chance of escaping. Let’s leave the Wood Spirit Clan first and return when Elder Qing Mu emerges.”

Having received the inheritance of Lotus True Monarch, Qing Shuang naturally wouldn’t be without the power to resist.

She awaited Xu Hei’s response.

”No need,” Xu Hei rejected her.

Escape? If they truly fled, the clan leader’s position would fall into Qing Xuan’s hands.

Returning suddenly this time had already resulted in such a drastic change.

Who knows what might happen next time? With the Thorn King’s methods, secretly dealing with the Old Greenwood Demon wouldn’t be impossible.

Xu Hei looked at the statue of Lotus True Monarch and slowly walked over.