41: Chapter 41 The Truth Comes Out

Ye Wenshan did not get angry; instead, he cast his gaze once more upon the shivering Ye Qing and Ye Yuan, a wave of pressure slowly emanating from him, enveloping the two.

"Ye Qing, Ye Yuan, this old man has a few questions for you, and you must answer truthfully!"

Intimidated by this pressure, Ye Qing and Ye Yuan lowered their heads even further, their voices trembling: "Yes... yes, Second Elder, please ask."

Ye Wenshan's gaze was sharp: "You claim that at the time, Ye Tian was running at the very front, but suddenly turned back and shoved Ye Hong, causing Ye Hong's death. This old man asks, why would Ye Tian do such a thing at that time?"

"If he held a grudge against Ye Hong, with his strength, where in the Secret Realm could he not have acted? Why, of all times, would he choose to do it right in front of you, during the critical moment of a Vicious Beast tide pursuit where he could barely save himself, risking being swallowed by the tide, just to turn back and perform such an unnecessary act? Reason and logic simply do not support this!"

As these words were spoken, many Elders in the hall nodded slightly, revealing expressions of contemplation.

Indeed, this suspicious point was too obvious. When fleeing for one's life, a normal person would only desperately run forward; who would risk turning back to push an insignificant person? Unless there was deep hatred, but Ye Tian and Ye Hong had no interactions in their daily lives.

Moreover, according to the claims of Ye Qing and the other, Ye Tian was running in front while Ye Hong and the others were behind; Ye Tian had absolutely no reason to run back.

Ye Qing and Ye Yuan were rendered speechless by the questioning, stammering, their eyes darting nervously toward Ye Long, cold sweat pouring down their foreheads. They had only focused on fabricating lies according to Ye Long's instructions, never expecting such huge loopholes in the details!

Standing to the side, Ye Long's expression also shifted slightly; he hadn't expected the Second Elder to look at the problem so cunningly, instantly grasping the most critical logical flaw!

He cursed Ye Qing and Ye Yuan as trash in his heart, hurriedly forcing himself to remain calm as he interjected: "Second Elder, the situation at the time was critical and everyone was in a panic; perhaps Ye Tian was momentarily flustered, and it is not impossible that his behavior was abnormal..."

"Abnormal behavior?" Ye Wenshan glanced at Ye Long indifferently, cutting him off, "A person who can battle a Fifth-Rank Vicious Beast in the Secret Realm and remain calm in the face of danger to take first place, would behave abnormally in front of a Vicious Beast tide? Ye Long, I fear this explanation of yours is hard to convince anyone."

Ye Long was choked up, his face turning alternating shades of green and white, and he dared not speak easily again.

Ignoring him further, Ye Wenshan continued to press Ye Qing and Ye Yuan: "Second question! You claim Ye Long tried to save him? Then at that time, where was Ye Long? Was he in front of Ye Hong, behind, or to the side? How exactly did he attempt to save him? Why did he ultimately fail to save him?"

These two consecutive questions went straight to the core of the perjury! Ye Qing and Ye Yuan were completely panicked; the story they had fabricated was rough to begin with, how could it withstand such questioning? The two looked at each other, cold sweat streaming down, mouths agape but unable to utter a single word, their bodies just shaking incessantly.

The atmosphere in the hall became even more subtle. Everyone could see that the testimonies of Ye Qing and Ye Yuan simply could not hold water!

Clan Chief Ye Qingtian's expression grew increasingly gloomy. His gaze swept across the faces of Ye Long, Ye Qing, Ye Yuan, and Ye Tian, and he already understood seven or eight tenths of the situation in his heart.

He spoke slowly: "Ye Qing, Ye Yuan! Do you two know what the punishment is for committing perjury in front of the Clan Chief and the Elders!?"

"Clan Chief, spare us! Clan Chief, spare us!" Ye Qing and Ye Yuan were so terrified their Souls were Flying Away and Spirits Scattering; they fell to their knees with a thud, kowtowing desperately, "We... we were forced! It was Ye Long! It was Ye Long who forced us to say this! He said if we didn't comply, he would leave us with no foothold in the Family! Ye Hong... Ye Hong was also pushed out by him to block the disaster! It has nothing to do with us!"

The truth, at this moment, finally came to light! The whole hall was in an uproar! All the Elders looked at Ye Long in shock, their eyes filled with anger!

Ye Long's face turned deathly pale instantly. Pointing at Ye Qing and Ye Yuan, he roared in exasperation: "You... you are spouting blood! You are framing me!" However, at this moment, his defense seemed so pale and powerless.

Ye Qingtian slammed his hand on the armrest of his seat, rising abruptly, glaring at Ye Long: "Ye Long! What else do you have to say!?"

Ye Long was trembling all over, still wanting to quibble, but under the iron-clad facts and the Clan Chief's cold gaze, all his words were stuck in his throat, leaving only despair.

However, at this moment, Discipline Hall Elder Ye Zhengfeng suddenly stood up and bowed to Ye Qingtian: "Clan Chief! This matter still has mysteries! You watched this child Ye Long grow up; you know his character best! It must be that these two, Ye Qing and Ye Yuan, first fabricated testimonies to falsely accuse Ye Tian, and now seeing that the matter is exposed, they are biting back to frame Ye Long! These two have vile character and are fickle; their words are absolutely not credible! I implore the Clan Chief to investigate clearly and expel these scum who disrupt the Family from the Sect, to serve as a warning to others!"

These words of his inverted black and white, avoided the important and focused on the trivial, directly pushing all the blame onto the already collapsed Ye Qing and Ye Yuan, intending to absolve Ye Long!

Once these words were spoken, the whole hall was shocked! Many Elders and managers showed expressions of indignation, cursing Ye Zhengfeng in their hearts for being so unable to distinguish right from wrong and openly shielding Ye Long's lineage just to protect it! But intimidated by the power of Discipline Hall Elder Ye Zhengfeng, no one dared to speak up in rebuttal for a moment.

Upon hearing this, Ye Qing and Ye Yuan were even more ashen-faced, collapsing to the ground, without even the strength to cry out. A glimmer of hope reignited in Ye Long's eyes.

Just at this moment, Second Elder Ye Wenshan slowly stood up. His gaze swept calmly over Ye Zhengfeng and finally landed on Clan Chief Ye Qingtian: "Elder Ye's words, forgive this old man, I cannot agree."

With one sentence, he attracted everyone's attention. Ye Wenshan continued: "For the prosperity of the Family, the Clan Chief has been in secluded cultivation for years, seeking a Breakthrough, so it is only human nature to have some lapses regarding the specific character changes of the Juniors in the Family in recent years."

He first gave Ye Qingtian a way out, then immediately changed his tone, looking at Ye Zhengfeng: "But Elder Zhengfeng, you are in charge of the Discipline Hall; you should have a clear grasp of the words and deeds of the Family's disciples. As for how Ye Long usually behaves, I presume I don't need to detail it, as you know it clearly in your heart."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of deep meaning: "In the past, considering he was once the leader of the young generation in the Family and had won some face for the Family, everyone turned a blind eye to some minor faults, and it passed. But now..."

The Second Elder did not finish his sentence, just smiled significantly, his gaze sweeping over Ye Tian who was standing to the side. But everyone present understood these unsaid words! The meaning was that the value of Ye Long, this former Genius, was already much less than before! The Ye Family now had a more dazzling and limitlessly potential treasure in Ye Tian! The allocation of Family resources and the level of importance given must inevitably be re-evaluated!

Then, the Second Elder's tone turned serious, his voice raising a few decibels: "Moreover, harming a fellow clansman is the most serious crime under the Family rules! With evidence solid as a rock, how can one bend the law for personal relationships? If we open the net for Ye Long today, how will the Family rules convince the masses in the future? Where will the dignity of the Family laws be? How will the Clan Chief lead the whole Family in the future!?"

These words were reasonable and well-founded, resounding clearly. They not only pointed out the pros and cons but also stood on the moral high ground of upholding Family rules and the Clan Chief's authority, directly blocking Ye Zhengfeng's attempt to "muddy the waters" completely!

Ye Zhengfeng was rendered speechless by the rebuttal, his face turning alternating red and white. He pointed at the Second Elder and "You..." for a long time, but couldn't say a single word of rebuttal, and in the end, could only sit back down on his chair resentfully, his chest heaving violently, clearly extremely angry.

As for Ye Long, upon hearing the Second Elder's words, his whole body went limp, and he sat down on his backside. The fire of hope that had just reignited in his eyes was completely extinguished, his face full of despair. He knew that this time, he was completely finished! The Second Elder's words were equivalent to sentencing him to death! The Family would no longer tolerate or cultivate him as it had in the past!

Clan Chief Ye Qingtian sat upright in the main seat, taking everything in. His expression remained gloomy, but a trace of complexity flashed deep in his eyes. He looked at the collapsed Ye Long, then looked at the calm-looking Ye Tian, and a decision was made in his heart.