5: Leng Yue shows favoritism towards Su Li.

"Boom!"

The windows of the entire sleeping palace instantly shattered into fragments, and violent spiritual power surged out from the Ninth Elder's body.

His white hair stood on end, his eyes were blood-red, and he stared fixedly in the direction of Gu Yun's courtyard.

"Good! Very good!"

The Ninth Elder laughed in extreme anger, his voice like ice from the Nine Netherworlds: "Do you really think this old man dares not touch you?!"

The next moment, his figure instantly vanished from where he stood.

"Gu Yun, you little beast, get out here!"

Above the Xiang Xiao Courtyard, the Ninth Elder stood in mid-air, his eyes blood-red.

The terrifying pressure of a Realm Sovereign caused the surrounding space to shatter inch by inch, and a hundred-foot-tall Dharma image appeared behind him, its Aura shaking the heavens and earth.

This commotion immediately alarmed the entire Gu Clan.

Gu Yun hurried out of the courtyard with Li Xinxue and frowned, saying: "Ninth Elder, what madness is this? If Cao Bu provoked you, you should go find him!"

"Slap!"

A resounding slap struck through the air, and Gu Yun was knocked directly to the ground.

The Ninth Elder roared angrily: "You are still playing dumb! You know exactly what you did to my granddaughter last night!"

Gu Yun clutched his swollen, red face, unable to believe it.

When his father was here, these people didn't even dare to breathe loudly. Now that his father had just achieved Ascension, these people dared to strike him—it was simply outrageous!

He stood up with Li Xinxue's support and pointed at the Ninth Elder's nose, cursing: "You old thing! My mother is still here!"

The Ninth Elder sneered: "Perfect! Let's ask the First Mistress to come out and judge this! Otherwise, this old man will definitely make you pay the price today!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a graceful figure in white appeared instantly, and an indifferent voice rang out: "Ninth Elder, why did you strike Yun'er?"

The Ninth Elder suppressed his anger and bowed: "Greetings, Second Mistress. I beg you to bring out the First Mistress to uphold justice for me!"

Leng Yue said indifferently: "Big Sister is in seclusion; tell me if you have any issues."

Gu Yun hurriedly shouted: "Second Aunt! This old thing hit me for no reason! Please uphold justice for me!"

The Ninth Elder was furious; this little beast.

A few days ago, when he was asked to prepare for the Succession Ceremony, he had been polite to him.

Now he actually called him an old thing—it was simply infuriating!

Just then, eight powerful Auras descended one after another.

The remaining Eight Great Elders of the Gu Clan appeared one by one, surrounding the sky above the Xiang Xiao Courtyard tightly.

"Ninth Brother, what are you doing?" the Grand Elder shouted in a deep voice.

The Ninth Elder was furious: "Brothers, you have come just in time! Last night, this beast Gu Yun defiled my granddaughter First Smoke, and today I must obtain justice!"

Leng Yue's eyes flashed slightly, and she said softly: "Ninth Elder, is there any evidence for this? Yun'er has always been polite; how could he do such a thing?"

"Evidence?"

The Ninth Elder laughed in extreme anger: "First Smoke identified him herself, how could this be false?!"

Gu Yun hurriedly defended himself: "Nonsense! I was Cultivating all last night; if you don't believe me, you can ask Heart Snow."

Li Xinxue nodded quickly to testify: "Second Aunt, Ninth Elder, Gu Yun was indeed in the cultivation room all night last night; I can testify to that."

The Ninth Elder snorted coldly: "You husband and wife are of one mind; naturally, you will speak for Gu Yun."

Li Xinxue was immediately displeased. She and Gu Yun had a deep affection for each other, and she could not stand others slandering her husband like this.

"Ninth Elder, I, Li Xinxue, swear to the heavens! If I have said even half a lie, may my cultivation never advance an inch!"

Her voice was cold and clear, and her beautiful eyes were full of anger.

With a great beauty like her by his side, would Gu Yun need to defile First Smoke?

Furthermore, she believed in Gu Yun; even if he were a scoundrel, it would be impossible for him to commit such an immoral, ugly act!

After all, if this matter were to spread, not only would Gu Yun lose face, but the entire Gu Clan would be disgraced, and even the reputation of the Sword Immortal Gu Qingtian would be damaged!

"What a sharp-tongued girl!"

The Ninth Elder asked sternly: "Then do you dare to say whether you stayed by Gu Yun's side every step of the way last night?"

If he could not obtain justice for his granddaughter today, he, Gu Jiuming, would surely become the laughingstock of the entire clan!

Everywhere he went, he would become the subject of after-tea gossip.

It didn't matter if he was old, but if his granddaughter committed suicide because of this, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

With his son and daughter both dead, Gu Chuyan was the reason he lived.

Once Gu Chuyan met with any misfortune, even if Gu Yun was the son of Gu Qingtian, the son of a Quasi-Emperor, he would forfeit his old life to perish together with Gu Yun.

Li Xinxue's expression froze upon hearing this.

She also had to Cultivate and couldn't keep an eye on Gu Yun all the time.

But she had indeed seen Gu Yun enter the cultivation room with her own eyes; that much was true.

The Ninth Elder saw this and sneered repeatedly: "What? Nothing to say? Since you cannot prove he was in the cultivation room all night, my speculation is reasonable! Who knows if he snuck out in the middle of the night to harbor evil intentions toward my granddaughter?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the remaining Eight Great Elders frowned, and their gazes toward Gu Yun became suspicious.

"I really didn't expect Young Lord Gu Yun to be such a person; I never noticed it before!"

"Sigh, Clan Leader Qingtian has only just achieved Ascension, and Young Lord Gu Yun is already revealing his true nature; he is truly a disgrace to our Gu Clan."

"Don't talk nonsense; this matter hasn't been clarified yet."

More and more members of the Gu Family gathered around, and whispers rose one after another.

Gu Yun's face was livid, and his fists were clenched so tightly they cracked.

He knew very well that if he could not clear his name today, even if he was the son of the Sword Immortal, he would end up with the infamy of bullying his cousin.

In that case, how would he manage the Gu Clan?

Suddenly, a sharp light flashed in Gu Yun's eyes.

Who least wanted him to manage the Gu Clan?

Cao Bu!

Yes, it must be this outsider playing tricks behind the scenes!

"Ninth Elder, you are simply spouting blood!" Gu Yun laughed in anger and immediately retorted: "I have a beautiful wife like Heart Snow; in what way is she inferior to First Smoke? Why would I ignore my own wife and go defile my cousin? This is clearly someone framing me!"

The Ninth Elder sneered: "Framing? What innocent girl would use her own reputation to frame someone else? My granddaughter is lying in the Misty Rain Courtyard right now; you can go and verify it yourselves!"

For the sake of justice, he was willing to go all out.

Although this would damage his granddaughter's reputation, he had no other choice.

Gu Yun sneered: "Who knows if she was having an affair with someone else and then turned around to bite me? Or perhaps..."

His eyes suddenly sharpened.

"It is you, this insane old thing, who would sacrifice your own granddaughter's purity just to frame me!"

As he said this, Gu Yun suddenly laughed up at the sky: "Hahaha! What a good Ninth Elder! To pull me down, you could actually be heartless enough to use your own granddaughter in a scheme! Speak! Who is behind you, pulling the strings?"

Step, step, step.

The Ninth Elder staggered back a few steps, his face livid.

He stared fixedly at Gu Yun, never having imagined that this little beast would turn the situation around in just a few words.

"Gu Yun! Do you... do you have any conscience left!" The Ninth Elder was trembling with anger.

This beast dared not take responsibility for his actions; he was simply unworthy of being the son of Gu Qingtian.

Gu Yun shouted righteously: "Ninth Elder, it is clearly you who have evil intentions, wanting to incite internal strife within my Gu Clan!"

"Ask your own conscience if you are worthy of my father."

"Now that my father has just achieved Ascension, you are already impatient to divide the Gu Clan. Speak! What is your intention?!"

Gu Yun's voice was resonant and powerful, echoing through the mountains.

Every word struck deep into people's hearts.

"Pfft—"

The Ninth Elder was overcome with rage, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out.

The next moment, he felt the gazes of the surrounding clansmen change.

The looks they gave him were filled with scrutiny, suspicion, and a trace of hostility.

In the Gu Clan, anyone who wanted to destroy unity deserved to die.

The Ninth Elder's face was ashen.

He never imagined that a situation he was sure to win would completely collapse under Gu Yun's few words.

Just as the situation was on the verge of breaking out, a cold and clear voice rang out: "Enough!"

Leng Yue scanned the entire scene and said coldly: "This matter ends here. I will personally investigate what the Ninth Elder has said. If someone is framing another, they will not be spared; if it is indeed true, a resolution will definitely be given!"

Luo Qingcheng was in seclusion, and as the Second Mistress, she should properly consider the Gu Clan.

Ten years later, the enemies inside the Myriad Laws Forbidden Abyss would make a comeback, and now the Gu Clan needed to recuperate, not engage in internal strife.

Gu Yun heard this, a smug sneer curled at the corner of his mouth, and he looked provocatively at the Ninth Elder.

Old thing, daring to frame this Young Lord, I will make you pay later.

The Ninth Elder's face was deathly pale; having lived for thousands of years, how could he not understand the deeper meaning in those words?

The so-called thorough investigation was merely a delaying tactic.

"Second Mistress, First Smoke is a woman just like you!" the Ninth Elder roared in a breakdown, his eyes blood-red.

Leng Yue frowned inwardly; even if this matter were true, it could only be downplayed and resolved quietly.

If the event were allowed to develop, the Gu Clan would fall apart before the enemies from the Myriad Laws Forbidden Abyss even attacked.

"Rest assured, Ninth Elder, this palace will definitely give you a resolution."

Leng Yue said, while secretly transmitting her voice: "Even if this matter is true, so what? Are you really prepared to kill Gu Yun? Don't forget why Big Sister is in seclusion."

The Ninth Elder looked at Leng Yue in disbelief.

It was not that he lacked a sense of the big picture; if the matter were true, for the sake of the Gu Clan, he was not prepared to kill Gu Yun, nor did he have the courage to do so.

Once he killed Gu Yun, their entire lineage would definitely be wiped out by Luo Qingcheng.

What he wanted was merely for Gu Yun to admit his mistake in public and give First Smoke a resolution.

Yet now, a breezy phrase about "considering the big picture" was going to let his granddaughter be humiliated for nothing?

Just as the Ninth Elder was in utter despair, a voice that was soft and alluring to the bone suddenly rang out:

"Second Sister, the Ninth Elder is just asking for justice; by brushing him off like this, aren't you chilling his heart?"

"If something like this happens again in the future, will it all be brushed aside?"

"Husband was a man who valued relationships and righteousness back then; as his eldest son, does Gu Yun not even have this much sense of responsibility?"

She suddenly put away her alluring manner, her voice turning cold: "Or is it that the Gu Clan now has such an atmosphere!"