40: Chapter 40 The Villain Accuses First

The Ye Family was still unaware of the Lin Family's conspiracy, and everything within the Family remained as usual.

After nearly ten days of bitter cultivation, Ye Tian had not only completely stabilized his cultivation at the Qi Gathering Level 6 Middle Stage, but he had also touched the threshold of the fourth level of his Body Refining Cultivation Technique.

He took a breath of fresh air and felt his entire body filled with strength.

"Blindly cultivating is not a long-term strategy; only actual combat can test and improve true combat power."

Ye Tian pondered inwardly, "The Black Cloud Mountains would be a good place for tempering."

With his current strength, as long as he did not venture deep into the core area to provoke those terrifying existences, he would be safe.

Even if he encountered ordinary minions from the Black Cloud Stronghold, he would have nothing to fear.

He was just preparing to tell his mother before setting off to the mountains for training.

However, just as he walked into the courtyard, a Family deacon hurried over.

"Young Master Ye Tian, the Clan Chief has ordered that you go to the conference hall immediately."

The deacon's tone was respectful, but there was a strange look in his eyes.

Ye Tian was curious.

The Clan Chief is summoning me?

Is it about the Secret Realm?

He nodded, "I will go right away."

After briefly explaining things to his mother, Ye Tian followed the deacon to the Family conference hall.

Along the way, he vaguely felt that the atmosphere was a bit off.

The atmosphere in the Family today seemed exceptionally heavy, and the clansmen he met along the way looked at him with complex expressions.

When he stepped into the spacious conference hall, the ominous premonition in his heart became even more real.

Inside the hall, the atmosphere was oppressive.

The Clan Chief, Ye Qingtian, sat in the main seat with an ugly expression.

On both sides, the Grand Elder, Second Elder Ye Wenshan, and all other core high-level members of the Ye Family were present, including several Elders who rarely appeared on normal days.

What surprised Ye Tian even more was that Ye Long was actually standing below, a faint, sinister smile playing on the corners of his mouth.

Most importantly, several Elders whom Ye Tian did not recognize were staring at him with unkind, probing eyes!

"Ye Tian, you are here."

Ye Qingtian saw Ye Tian and spoke in a low voice, his emotions unreadable.

"Disciple Ye Tian pays respects to the Clan Chief and all Elders."

Ye Tian bowed and saluted with a calm expression.

Before Ye Qingtian could speak again, Ye Long stepped out first, pointed at Ye Tian, and sternly said, "Ye Tian! I have already truthfully reported all your evil deeds in the Secret Realm to the Clan Chief and the Elders! At this point, you had better be sensible and confess quickly!"

Ye Tian sneered inwardly, as expected!

This Ye Long is a thief crying thief; he actually accused the victim first!

He remained calm on the surface and asked indifferently, "Confess? Ye Long, I would like to ask, what crime have I, Ye Tian, committed?"

At this moment, an Elder with a cold expression sitting at the head of the left side slammed his armrest and shouted, "Ye Tian! Stop quibbling! Ye Long has already reported that in the Secret Realm, in order to seize an Opportunity, you did not hesitate to sneak attack your own kin, causing Ye Hong to die tragically in the jaws of a Vicious Beast! Such acts of harming fellow Disciples and having a crooked mind are heinous crimes! Do you still deny it?!"

Ye Tian recognized this person; he was the Family Discipline Hall Elder, Ye Zhengfeng, who was quite close to Ye Long's faction.

Ye Tian suppressed his anger and looked directly at Ye Qingtian, "Clan Chief, Elders! Regarding the truth of Ye Hong's death, Ye Long was not the only person present at the time! Brothers Ye Qing and Ye Yuan also witnessed it! As for who is right and who is wrong, why not summon them to confront us face-to-face?"

He believed that even if Ye Qing and Ye Yuan feared Ye Long's power, they should still tell the truth in front of the Clan Chief and the Elders, right?

However, upon hearing this, Ye Long was not only unafraid, but the sinister smile on his lips deepened.

The Discipline Hall Elder, Ye Zhengfeng, snorted coldly, "It seems you will not shed tears until you see the coffin! Fine! I will let you give up hope! Bring in Ye Qing and Ye Yuan!"

A moment later, Ye Qing and Ye Yuan were brought in.

Their faces were pale, their eyes were evasive, and after entering the hall, they dared not look up at Ye Tian at all, only keeping their heads down, their bodies trembling slightly.

"Ye Qing, Ye Yuan!"

"When Ye Hong was killed, were you two present?" Ye Zhengfeng asked.

"Y-yes, Elder." Ye Qing's voice trembled.

"Tell the truth about what happened at that time! If there is even a half-sentence of lies, you will be dealt with according to clan rules!" Ye Zhengfeng said sternly.

Ye Qing and Ye Yuan trembled all over, secretly glanced at the icy-eyed Ye Long beside them, and quickly lowered their heads again.

The two stammered, and finally, Ye Qing bit the bullet and began to narrate stutteringly, "At that time... at that time we were being chased by a beast tide, Ye Tian... Ye Tian was running in front, and for some reason, he suddenly turned back and pushed Ye Hong. Ye Hong was caught off guard and... and fell down, and then was caught by the Vicious Beast behind... wuwu..."

By the end, he was even sobbing.

Ye Yuan also hurriedly chimed in, "Y-yes, that's right! We all saw it! It was Ye Tian who pushed him! Later... later Brother Long tried his best to save him, but unfortunately, it was too late..."

Boom! Ye Tian felt a burst of anger rush straight to his head, almost causing him to explode!

He clenched his fists, his body trembling, but he barely managed to control himself and did not erupt on the spot!

Twisting black and white!

He never expected that Ye Qing and Ye Yuan would be so shameless, publicly fabricating lies in front of the Clan Chief and the Elders, pinning Ye Long's crimes on him!

Why would they do this?

Were they threatened by Ye Long and the forces behind him? Or were they promised benefits they couldn't refuse?

Ye Long looked at Ye Tian's livid face, his eyes filled with triumph, thinking to himself: Fighting with me? You are still too green!

Second Elder Ye Wenshan frowned, his gaze towards Ye Qing and the other with suspicion, but he did not speak immediately.

Clan Chief Ye Qingtian's expression became even gloomier, his gaze sweeping between Ye Tian and Ye Long, clearly weighing the situation.

Discipline Hall Elder Ye Zhengfeng suddenly stood up, pointed at Ye Tian, and shouted angrily, "Ye Tian! With both human and material evidence present, what else do you have to say?! Harming fellow clansmen, according to clan rules, should result in the abolition of cultivation and expulsion from the Family!"

As these words fell, the atmosphere in the entire hall instantly dropped to freezing point.

All eyes focused on Ye Tian, waiting for his reaction, whether it be defense or confession.

Ye Tian slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Ye Long's triumphant face, over Ye Qing and Ye Yuan's evasive eyes, and finally fixing on Clan Chief Ye Qingtian's face.

He felt no panic, no fear, only calmness and a trace of mockery in his heart.

"Clan Chief, Elders. How can one-sided testimony serve as proof?"

Seeing that Ye Tian was still struggling, Ye Zhengfeng did not intend to investigate further and immediately ordered Ye Tian to be dealt with.

"Shut up! Are two witnesses not enough? Someone, take Ye Tian..."

"Wait!" A voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Ye Zhengfeng.

Everyone was stunned and looked towards the source of the sound, only to see the silent Second Elder Ye Wenshan slowly stand up, his expression solemn.

"Second Elder, what do you mean by this?" Ye Zhengfeng frowned, his tone displeased.

Ye Wenshan did not answer immediately, but instead swept his gaze over the pale-faced Ye Qing and Ye Yuan, finally landing on Ye Tian.

He turned to Clan Chief Ye Qingtian and the Elders and said in a deep voice, "Clan Chief, Elders. This old man feels that there are still many doubts about this matter, and it should not be judged so rashly."

He paused and continued, "As for Ye Tian's character, this old man believes he understands it somewhat. Although this child has a resilient personality and sometimes acts decisively, he is definitely not the kind of despicable villain who would harm his own kin for personal gain. This matter likely has hidden details."