22: The Useless Son-in-Law (Part 3)

Prince Lie's voice was not loud, yet it heavily struck the hearts of every member of the Su Family.

What should we do?

How should we answer?

Lie? What kind of person was Prince Lie? A profound powerhouse of the advanced Spirit King Realm; one sweep of his Divine Sense would reveal the truth.

Admit it? Admit that the Su Family produced a Qilin child who obtained the Ancestral Legacy?

That was even more impossible.

Su Zhantian was momentarily at a loss for how to answer, and he fell silent.

The Elders behind him also turned deathly pale.

They knew better than anyone that the Su Family had ushered in the greatest crisis in its history.

"Heh heh, with Prince Lie Your Highness personally arriving, why is your Su Family still being so secretive?"

Beside Prince Lie, Head of the Liu Family Liu Daoming spoke with a false smile, his gaze greedily sweeping over Su Zhantian.

"The peerless Legacy concerns the rise and fall of the Human Race in Tianhuo City. If such a treasure is monopolized for selfish reasons, I'm afraid it will invite disaster."

The Head of the Wang Family also chimed in sarcastically: "Brother Liu speaks correctly. Patriarch Su, in my opinion, it would be best to hand this Legacy over to the Imperial Family for safekeeping, allowing Prince Lie Your Highness to decide its fate. This is the safest approach. It demonstrates loyalty to the Imperial Family and saves the Su Family from a monstrous calamity."

Sentence by sentence, voice by voice.

It was called persuasion, but it was truly a forced abdication.

They had joined forces to set up an inescapable net, intending to completely lock down the Su Family and tear this piece of fat meat clean off.

Inside the Su Family Manor, all the clamor and euphoria had vanished.

Only despair remained.

Every member of the Su Family could feel the sharp swords hanging above their heads, ready to fall at any moment.

Amidst this stifling silence.

A figure stepped out from the crowd.

It was Su Yun.

His expression was calm and his steps composed, as if the terrifying coercion that could crush mountains was merely a gentle breeze brushing his face.

He walked past his panicked clansmen, reached the very front, and stood before the Patriarch Su Zhantian.

This scene caused everyone's gaze to focus on him.

A young man, facing a group of magnates standing at the pinnacle of power in Tianhuo City, showed not the slightest hint of fear.

His composed demeanor formed a glaring contrast with the panicked high-ranking members of the Su Family behind him.

Prince Lie narrowed his eyes, examining the young man properly for the first time.

Su Yun first bowed respectfully, neither servile nor arrogant, toward Prince Lie and the various Patriarchs in the sky.

"Su Yun, a descendant of the Su Family, pays his respects to Prince Lie Your Highness and to all the Patriarchs."

His voice was clear and strong, echoing throughout the courtyard.

Prince Lie did not speak, merely watching him coldly, waiting for his next words.

Su Yun straightened up and declared loudly, "Seniors, you may have misunderstood."

"Misunderstood?" Head of the Liu Family sneered. "Heaven and Earth Anomalies, the Phoenix Manifestation—half of Tianhuo City saw it. Can this be false?"

"The anomaly is not false."

Su Yun admitted frankly, then changed the subject.

"But the Ancestral Legacy is not what you all imagine."

He paused, giving everyone time to process, and then fabricated a half-truth.

"The Ancestor Su Fentian did indeed leave behind a Legacy. But the Ancestor's remnant soul was deeply distressed upon seeing the Su Family's current decline and dwindling population."

"In other words, in the Ancestor's eyes, the current Su Family is simply unworthy of receiving his Legacy."

"Therefore, the Ancestor did not bestow the complete Cultivation Technique."

"That Senior only passed down the first layer of the Burning Heaven Art Mind-Cultivation Technique as a test for future generations. Only if the Su Family can rise again based on this foundation will they be qualified to obtain the complete Legacy."

As soon as these words were spoken, the eyes of Prince Lie and the others flickered.

Incomplete?

Only the first layer?

Who are you trying to fool! How could such a terrifying anomaly result from an incomplete Legacy!

Prince Lie's gaze turned cold again.

However, before he could speak, Su Yun's next action stunned everyone present, including Prince Lie.

Su Yun took a step forward, his voice suddenly rising, filled with righteous spirit.

"Before the Ancestor departed, he left behind his final wish: Tianhuo City is the foundation of the Empire. He hoped future generations would have the world in their hearts and take the rejuvenation of the Tianhuo Empire as their personal duty!"

"Today, Su Yun respectfully follows the Ancestor's final wish!"

"I am willing to make this first layer of the Burning Heaven Art Mind-Cultivation Technique public! To offer it up to the Imperial Family, and share it with all Martial Artists in Tianhuo City!"

"May every person in our Tianhuo City be like a Dragon, working together to defend against future calamities!"

As soon as these words came out, the entire audience was shocked!

Su Zhantian and the Elders' eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Was he crazy? An Earth Spirit Rank Cultivation Technique, just openly shared?

Prince Lie and the Patriarchs of the Liu Family, Wang Family, and others were all dumbfounded.

They had prepared coercion, prepared enticement, and prepared countless methods to deal with the Su Family.

But they never expected Su Yun to pull off such a stunt.

Public?

Offered to the entire city?

Why isn't this kid playing by the rules!

Without waiting for the crowd to react, Su Yun spoke aloud, reciting some of the foundational spell formulas from the first layer of the Burning Heaven Art, word for word.

"Drawing the Profound Fires of Heaven and Earth, tempering one's body, transforming Qi into Protective Aura, burning the heavens and boiling the seas..."

The incantation was profound and esoteric, every word containing deep meaning.

All of them were in the Spirit King Realm, and upon hearing it, they knew immediately that this was absolutely a genuine, top-tier Cultivation Technique, without any falsehood!

In an instant, the situation for Prince Lie and the others became incredibly awkward.

What were they here for? To seize a secret treasure!

But now, this young man was directly treating the "secret treasure" as a gift, offering it to the "entire city," and "presenting it to the Imperial Family."

If they were to forcibly seize it now, what would they be seizing?

They would be seizing a gift that had already been made public and specifically designated for everyone!

If word got out, would they and the Imperial Family still have any face left?

Would the Tianhuo Kingdom still retain the people's support?

Who could bear the infamy of being insatiably greedy, stealing an Opportunity from a junior, and making enemies of all the Martial Artists in the city?

Due to Su Yun's maneuver, the Su Family's crisis instantly reversed from the dead end of "guilt by possessing a treasure" to the moral high ground of "offering a treasure for the public good."

Prince Lie's expression constantly shifted.

He felt as though he had punched cotton, so stifled he was about to spit blood.

In the end, all his killing intent and rage could only be forcibly suppressed.

He squeezed out a smile uglier than a cry from between his teeth.

"Good! What a Qilin child of the Su Family!"

Prince Lie's voice was extremely dry, yet he had no choice but to "highly praise" him publicly.

"Young Friend Su Yun is highly righteous! The Su Family is deeply principled! This Prince admires you! On behalf of the Tianhuo Imperial Family and the tens of thousands of Martial Artists in Tianhuo City, this Prince thanks the Su Family for their generosity!"

The Patriarchs of the Liu Family and Wang Family, whose faces looked as if they had swallowed flies, could only dryly echo the sentiment.

"Young Friend Su... highly righteous!"

"We... admire you!"

After a round of extremely hypocritical pleasantries, Prince Lie, filled with frustration and suspicion, coldly glanced at Su Yun before leading his party to tear space and depart in anger.

They knew the matter was far from simple, but for now, they had completely lost the best Opportunity to strike.

In the high sky, Prince Lie's killing intent could no longer be concealed.

This child must not be allowed to live!

As the terrifying coercion completely dissipated, the air in the Su Family Manor began to flow normally again.

Su Zhantian and the Elders gasped for breath. They looked at Su Yun, their expressions shifting from shock to confusion, and finally turning into ecstasy.

This young man not only possessed Heaven-Defying talent.

But also had the mentality of a Prodigy!

The Su Family was saved!

Su Yun looked at the horizon where Prince Lie and the others had vanished, his eyes calm and undisturbed.

He knew this was only the beginning.

This overt strategy of retreating to advance, while temporarily forcing back the hungry wolves, also ensured they would never forget him.

They would absolutely not allow him to grow safely and become a true powerhouse.