15: The evidence is irrefutable, and the Weiling Clan Palace is in awe.

The Chaos light screen of the Meteor Star Ancient Domain rippled again, escorting all the surviving disciples out. When the last person stepped out of the light screen, the entrance connecting to the shattered world slowly closed, receding into the Void Realm, waiting for the opening of the next decade.

In the valley, the atmosphere was heavy and subtle. Everyone's gaze involuntarily drifted toward the young man in black sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed and a calm Aura—Lin Fan. The annihilation of many elite disciples from the Grand Elder's line hung over everyone's heart like a dark cloud; everyone sensed that a massive storm was about to erupt within the Lin Family.

"All trial disciples, proceed immediately to the Family Discussion Hall to report your gains and calculate your merit points!" The voice of the Guardian Elder broke the silence, carrying an unquestionable authority.

No one dared to delay; they all rose and, with varying emotions, headed toward the Discussion Hall in the core area of the Lin Family.

The Lin Family Discussion Hall was solemn and majestic, with a high-hanging dome and powerful Formation radiance flowing between the carved beams and painted rafters. On both sides of the hall, the powerful Elders of the Lin Family were already seated, each with a profound Aura and eyes like lightning. Clan Chief Clan Leader sat upon the main seat, his expression calm, exuding majesty without anger. Below him to the left, Grand Elder Great Elder sat expressionless, eyes lowered as if dozing, but his slightly trembling fingertips and the faint cold Aura emanating from him betrayed his inner turmoil.

As Lin Fan walked into the hall with the crowd, he immediately felt several gazes fall upon him like physical weight. One of them, bone-chillingly cold and filled with suppressed rage and killing intent, came precisely from Grand Elder Great Elder.

Lin Fan acted as if he hadn't noticed, walking straight to the center of the hall to stand with the other disciples who had completed the trial.

According to custom, the Deacon responsible for recording merit began to question the disciples one by one about their gains and evaluate their merit points based on their findings. Most disciples had meager gains; an occasional find of rare Ore or Spiritual Plant didn't cause much of a stir.

When it was the turn of the three including Lin Xuan, they each took out some good quality Baleful Soul Beast cores and star-dust Ores, earning slight nods from several Elders. When Lin Xuan even produced a piece of "Star-Vein Iron" containing pure Power of the Stars found near the Star Core Beast King's habitat, even several neutral Elders showed looks of surprise.

"Not bad. To have such gains in the Shattered Star Canyon, it seems your Opportunity was not small," a kind-faced Elder praised while stroking his beard.

The three including Lin Xuan bowed quickly, but their eyes involuntarily turned toward Lin Fan beside them, filled with gratitude. They knew that without the Divine Son, they would have lost their lives, let alone had any gains.

Finally, everyone's gaze focused on Lin Fan once again.

The Deacon recording merit looked at Lin Fan, his tone carrying a trace of imperceptible tension: "Divine Son Lin Fan, what gains did you have within the Ancient Domain?"

Lin Fan slowly raised his head, his calm gaze sweeping over the room, finally meeting the eyes of his father, Clan Leader, on the main seat, seeing the hidden encouragement and inquiry within.

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the grim-faced Great Elder and spoke indifferently: "There are gains, of course. However, before reporting my gains, I have a matter I would like to ask the Grand Elder."

The atmosphere in the hall instantly froze!

Everyone held their breath, knowing the real show was starting!

Great Elder's eyelids snapped open, two cold lights shooting from his murky eyes, his voice raspy and cold: "Oh? What does the Divine Son wish to ask this old man?"

A cold arc curled at the corner of Lin Fan's mouth: "I would like to ask the Grand Elder: dispatching Lin Sha, Lin Kui, and others, carrying treasures like the void-piercing shuttle and soul devouring thorn, and setting multiple ambushes in the Shattered Star Canyon with the intent to take my life during the trial—does this action comply with the Family rules? What should be the punishment?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire room was shocked! Although everyone had long suspected it, when Lin Fan questioned it so bluntly and sharply in public, it still caused a massive stir! Countless gazes instantly turned toward Grand Elder Great Elder!

"Presumptuous!" Great Elder slammed the armrest of his chair and stood up abruptly, his terrifying Divine Power Realm pressure crushing toward Lin Fan like a mountain collapse or a tsunami. "Ignorant child, how dare you slander an Elder?! You say I sent people to kill you, where is the evidence?!"

As the terrifying pressure descended, the air around Lin Fan seemed to freeze. But he stood as straight as a pine tree, his pale gold blood Qi circulating slightly, quietly neutralizing the pressure that would have been enough to make a Spiritual Sea Realm Cultivator collapse, remaining completely unmoved!

"Evidence?" Lin Fan sneered, flipping his wrist. A shuttle-shaped wreckage flickering with faint silver light appeared in his hand. "This damaged 'void-piercing shuttle' belonged to the Death Soldiers under Lin Sha. Surely the Grand Elder is not unfamiliar with it? This item can perform short-distance spatial teleportation. If they hadn't used it to flee for their lives, how could I have obtained it?"

He then took out that pitch-black, lusterless soul devouring thorn: "This 'soul devouring thorn' is extremely venomous and specifically harms the Divine Soul. It was used by Lin Kui to ambush me. Grand Elder, was this bestowed upon him by you?"

Great Elder's face turned ashen, and he shouted harshly: "Hmph! Just a few Spiritual Artifacts, who can prove they were bestowed by me? Perhaps they were Opportunities found in the Ancient Domain! Stop pestering and making trouble here!"

"I knew you would deny it." Lin Fan seemed to have expected this. He scanned the room, his voice suddenly rising, "Then, what if they confess personally?"

Confess personally? Lin Sha and Lin Kui are both dead, how can they confess personally? Everyone looked puzzled.

Lin Fan calmly took out a shadow recording stone. This was something he had specifically discovered in the Storage Pouch of one of Lin Sha's subordinates while cleaning up the battlefield earlier. It happened to record a segment of Lin Sha's instructions to the group before the ambush. Although incomplete, key phrases like 'by order of the Grand Elder' and 'kill Lin Fan at all costs' were clearly audible!

Lin Fan injected Qi, and the shadow recording stone shone brightly. Lin Sha's sinister voice immediately echoed through the silent hall: "By order of the Grand Elder, this time we must completely eradicate Lin Fan in the Shattered Star Canyon! At all costs! Those who obtain the secrets of his Physical Body and his treasures will be heavily rewarded!" The voice was clear, and Lin Sha's distorted face in the image was also faintly visible.

"Whoosh!" The hall suddenly erupted in an uproar! All the Elders' expressions changed, and even some Elders who originally supported the Grand Elder began to have flickering gazes. With both witnesses and physical evidence, this was no longer speculation but ironclad proof!

Great Elder's body swayed violently, his face turning pale instantly. He pointed at Lin Fan, his lips trembling, but he couldn't say a word. He had calculated everything but hadn't expected Lin Sha's subordinate to be stupid enough to use a shadow recording stone to record such content!

"Grand Elder!" Clan Chief Clan Leader stood up abruptly, his voice like thunder, containing endless fury. "Now, what else do you have to say?! Dispatching kin to harm the Divine Son is a crime of betraying the Family! According to Family rules, your cultivation should be abolished, and you should be imprisoned forever!"

The terrifying Clan Chief pressure exploded fully, clashing violently with Great Elder's Aura in the air, making the entire hall tremble!

Great Elder stumbled back two steps, the color completely drained from his face. He knew he was finished! The evidence was conclusive, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, no one could protect him!

He suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with insane malice, staring fixedly at Lin Fan, and roared: "So what?! Lin Fan! You little beast! You ruined my grandson and killed my direct lineage; this enmity is irreconcilable! Even if I die, I will take you down with me!"

Before his voice faded, he disregarded everything, his figure turning into a ghostly shadow. The Qi in his body burned frantically as he performed a self-destructive secret technique, lunging straight at Lin Fan with overwhelming resentment and killing intent! He wanted to personally throttle this major threat in his final moments!

"How dare you!"

"Protect the Divine Son!"

Clan Leader and several Elders loyal to the Clan Chief were both shocked and enraged, moving to intervene. However, facing this desperate strike from a Divine Power Realm expert, a cold glint flashed in Lin Fan's eyes! Instead of retreating, he took a step forward!

Just as well, I'll use you, old dog, to test my newly acquired Divine Ability and let you die with understanding! He formed a profound Hand Seal in front of his chest. Within his Sea of Consciousness, the Star God Soul Condensation Art operated slightly, resonating with the star Origin power absorbed in the Shattered Star Canyon!

"Star Chain, Bind!" Following his low shout, a flash of starlight seemed to flicker across the hall's dome! Several silver chains, entirely condensed from brilliant Power of the Stars and flickering with Law runes, appeared out of thin air! Like living spirit snakes, they ignored the distance of space and instantly coiled around the lunging Great Elder!

On the chains, that binding power originating from the Origin erupted!

The originally aggressive Great Elder, whose Qi was burning, suddenly froze, as if falling into an invisible quagmire! He felt his Meridians, spiritual sea, and even his Divine Soul being locked tight by these strange Star Chains. His burning Qi was forcibly suppressed and interrupted!

"What is this?!" Great Elder's eyes were filled with extreme terror and disbelief! He, a dignified Divine Power Realm Cultivator, was actually instantly imprisoned by a Divine Ability cast by a Spiritual Sea Realm junior?!

This scene also caused all the Elders who had moved to intervene, as well as everyone in the hall, to be completely petrified!

Lin Fan—he actually imprisoned the desperate Grand Elder in one move?!

What kind of Divine Ability was this?! What kind of strength?!

Lin Fan looked at Great Elder, who was bound by the Star Chain, unable to move and full of despair. He slowly retracted his seal, his tone indifferent yet sounding like a final judgment: "Obstinate and incorrigible, the crime is doubled."

He turned, facing the shocked and ecstatic Clan Leader on the main seat, as well as the Elders with various expressions, and cupped his hands: "Father, Elders, the rebel Great Elder's crimes are proven, and he committed violence in public; his crime deserves death! I ask the Clan Chief and the Clan Council to decide!" His voice was loud and clear, echoing in the silent Discussion Hall. Everyone understood that the Lin Family was about to change.

And Lin Fan, this Divine Son who was once regarded as trash, would from this day forward stand truly at the peak of the Lin Family with an invincible posture! His majesty would be forged entirely with the blood and bones of the Grand Elder's lineage!