13: The council of matriarchs!

Lin Family Council Hall.

The atmosphere was a hundred times more solemn than when the Bai Family came to annul the engagement!

Seated in the main position was not only Patriarch Lin Zhan, but also three elderly women with profound auras and inherent dignity, who sat beside him.

They were the true pillars of the Lin Family—three female Grand Elders who had been in seclusion for many years!

In this matriarchal world, the highest power of a family is often held by the strongest and most senior women. Although Patriarch Lin Zhan manages daily affairs, major decisions concerning the family's fate must be approved by these three "Old Ancestors."

At this moment, various high-ranking members of the family were arrayed below the main hall.

Grand Elder Lin Cangyuan was kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down his face, pointing at his grandson Lin Feng, who was breathing faintly on a stretcher, and tearfully recounting Lin Chen's "monstrous crimes."

On the other side, Lin Yueru, whose cheek was swollen high with a clear palm print still visible, had a frosty expression and righteously accused Lin Chen of disregarding family rules, attacking the Law Enforcement Team, and harming "distinguished guests from an allied nation."

On the stretcher, the unconscious Wu Jun and his broken spine were the most powerful "evidence."

"Lawless! This is simply lawless!"

After listening to their tearful accusations, a fiery-tempered Red-Robed Grand Elder slammed the table, and the terrifying aura of Foundation Establishment Peak instantly swept across the entire hall!

"A mere male clan member dares to be so arrogant! Harming a blood relative and assaulting the captain of the Law Enforcement Team! Lin Zhan, this is the good son you've raised!" The Red-Robed Grand Elder glared at Lin Zhan, scolding him unceremoniously.

Lin Zhan's face was ashen, and under immense pressure, he said in a deep voice, "Third Elder, please calm your anger! This matter has not yet been investigated, and I believe Chener would never harm anyone without cause..."

"Still need to investigate?!" Lin Cangyuan immediately wailed, "Both human and material evidence are present! That little beast was simply jealous that my grandson Lin Feng had better talent than him, and couldn't stand to see my grandson on good terms with the Wolf Clan, which is why he resorted to such vicious methods! Old Ancestors, you must uphold justice for us!"

"Precisely!" Lin Yueru also stepped forward, coldly saying, "I saw with my own eyes that Lin Chen's methods were cruel, and he showed no remorse! Moreover... he crippled Lin Feng's and Wu Jun's... foundations! This is shaking the very foundation of our Lin Family's continuation! Such crimes are too numerous to be recorded!"

"What?!"

As soon as these words were uttered, the expressions of all the high-ranking members present, including the three Grand Elders, changed!

If it was just a dispute between juniors, where they didn't know the severity of their actions before.

Then crippling a male's reproductive ability, in this world where women outnumber men, was touching the highest taboo—a monstrous crime!

"Is that true?!" The White-Haired Grand Elder in the center, her gaze instantly became sharp as a knife.

"Absolutely true! The physician has already examined them!" Lin Yueru answered decisively.

"Evil spawn! Truly an evil spawn!" The Red-Robed Grand Elder trembled with rage, "This child has a malicious nature; keeping him will surely lead to great disaster! I propose we immediately apprehend this fiend, abolish his Chaos Dao Body, extract his bloodline, and demote him to the lowest slave, never to rise again!"

As soon as these words came out, a look of triumphant glee flashed in the eyes of Lin Cangyuan and Lin Yueru.

This was a punishment a hundred times more malicious than killing Lin Chen!

Lin Zhan suddenly stood up, saying urgently, "No! Three Old Ancestors! Chener's Chaos Dao Body is the hope for our Lin Family's rise! There must be a hidden reason!"

"Hope? What kind of hope is a malignant tumor that even harms its own clan members!" Another Blue-Robed Grand Elder, who had been silent, slowly spoke, her voice cold, "Lin Zhan, as Patriarch, you indulge your son in committing atrocities; you cannot shirk responsibility! I propose suspending your authority as Patriarch and letting the Grand Elder temporarily manage affairs! Once this matter is handled, a final decision will be made!"

One sentence not only sought to cripple Lin Chen but also to seize Lin Zhan's power!

This was clearly a pre-arranged combo attack!

Lin Zhan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave; he hadn't expected the other party's reaction to be so fierce and their actions so ruthless!

The atmosphere in the hall had completely shifted to the side of the Grand Elder.

However, just at this moment, when everything seemed decided, a calm voice drifted in from outside the hall.

"A farce instigated by two useless individuals can even alarm the three Old Ancestors. It seems our Lin Family truly has no one left."

Along with the voice, Lin Chen, holding Lin Xiaoya's hand with one hand and his other hand behind his back, leisurely walked into the Council Hall.

Behind him followed the cool-faced Ziyan.

Seeing that Lin Chen actually dared to appear, Lin Yueru immediately shrieked, "Evil beast! How dare you come here! Someone..."

"Shut up."

Lin Chen didn't even look at her, merely uttering two words faintly.

A strange scene unfolded.

It was as if an invisible large hand had gripped Lin Yueru's throat; the rest of her words were forcefully stuck in her throat, not a single one could be uttered! Her originally furious pretty face was instantly replaced by terror!

This is... words becoming law?!

No! This isn't a divine ability; this is pure suppression by aura!

His strength, it has grown stronger again?!

In the main seats, the pupils of the three Grand Elders also sharply contracted!

They were all powerful cultivators at Foundation Establishment Peak, so they naturally felt the faint yet extremely domineering aura emanating from Lin Chen, an aura that even made their hearts tremble!

This... can this really be possessed by a teenager in his teens?

"Lin Chen!" The Red-Robed Grand Elder suppressed the shock in her heart and sternly shouted, "Do you know your crime?!"

Lin Chen seemed not to hear, walking directly to the center of the hall, looking at the two "victims" lying on stretchers, a hint of mockery playing at the corner of his mouth.

He didn't answer the Grand Elder's question, but instead looked at Lin Zhan and asked, "Father, according to family rules, what is the punishment for colluding with outsiders and attempting to harm the Young Lord of the family?"

Lin Zhan was stunned, then his spirits lifted, and he said loudly, "According to the ancestral teachings, this is a crime of treason! The entire nine generations of the family shall be executed!"

"Then... what is the punishment for attempting to defile the Young Lord's companion?" Lin Chen continued to ask.

"The crime is the same as treason! It calls for extreme punishment, to be ground to dust!"

Lin Chen nodded, finally raising his eyes, his gaze calmly sweeping over everyone present, finally resting on the faces of the three Grand Elders.

"Now, the human witness is here," he pointed to Lin Xiaoya beside him, "and the evidence is also here."

He flicked his finger, and a shadow-recording stone flew into mid-air.

With spiritual power injected, a clear image instantly appeared before everyone—

Inside, it was clearly Lin Feng and Wu Jun in the shadows, discussing how to cripple Lin Chen, how to "offer" Lin Xiaoya to Wu Jun, and all those unspeakable vulgarities!

The truth was revealed to all!

Lin Zhan's face turned pale; he didn't expect the other party's reaction to be so fierce, and their actions so ruthless!