498: Chapter 498 The Heavenly Emperor (63)

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the several Great Emperors changed simultaneously.

Someone stood up abruptly.

"What?"

"The Abyss Lord has been in the Three Thousand Dao Provinces for two eras?"

"Who did it possess?"

Ye Yun shook his head.

"The remnant thought of the North Sea Heavenly Emperor was too fragmented to identify that person's identity. It only sensed that a very special kind of power seemed to remain on that person."

He stated his speculation regarding the Son of the Heavenly Emperor.

Immediately afterward, Ye Yun added the clues he had accumulated over the years.

"The Liu Family's Quasi-Emperor once intercepted me, and that person carried a weird aura originating from the same source as the great terror. My Desolate Ancient Sacred Body is naturally sensitive to weird auras, so I wouldn't misjudge it."

"The primordial sacred fluid in the Heavenly Emperors Tomb was taken in advance, the tomb 'happened' to appear, and the remains were controlled to slaughter the Prodigies—this is a meticulously planned conspiracy aimed at causing a generational gap in the younger generation of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces."

"The Liu Family is a force directly under the Central Heavenly Court. The Central Heavenly Court's attitude toward this matter is unclear."

Ye Yun paused for a breath.

Then he spoke his core judgment.

"There is a traitor within the Three Thousand Dao Provinces. Their level is extremely high, and they have likely infiltrated the Heavenly Court level."

Everyone fell silent.

Desolate Heaven the Great Emperor leaned against the Fourth Ancient Ancestor, his raspy voice ringing out.

"I have a few points to add."

He briefly explained the situation in the Land of Expedition.

"The Abyss Lord's region in the Land of Expedition is empty, and the Abyss Lord is confirmed missing. The timing matches perfectly with what Ji Fan's remnant thought described."

"Furthermore, when I returned from the Land of Expedition, the teleportation channel was blocked from the Three Thousand Dao Provinces' end. There is indeed an insider within the Three Thousand Dao Provinces cooperating with the actions in the Land of Expedition."

There was a dead silence within the barrier.

The Heavenly Emperor of the Eastern Heavenly Court had remained silent throughout.

He kept his eyes closed, his fingers lightly tapping his knee.

After a long time.

He opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Ye Yun and then over Desolate Heaven the Great Emperor.

"This junior of the Ye Family is not bad."

He gave an evaluation unrelated to the topic, but his tone was full of approval.

Immediately after, he spoke and made two decisions.

"First, the issue of the Central Heavenly Court."

He stood up, standing with his hands behind his back.

"The Central Heavenly Court is, after all, a Heavenly Court; we cannot act rashly. I will personally visit the Central Heavenly Court under the guise of a visit to investigate the truth. If the Central Heavenly Court's Heavenly Emperor is innocent, then we will join forces to root out the insider. If the Central Heavenly Court itself has problems—"

He did not finish his sentence.

But everyone understood.

"Second, the Liu Family."

The Heavenly Emperor of the Eastern Heavenly Court's voice deepened.

"An ordinary Imperial Clan, with conclusive evidence, colluding with the great terror and participating in the six emperors' ambush of the Ye Family Imperial Scion."

"The Ye Family wants to handle it, and I will not stop them."

"Nor will the Eastern Heavenly Court allow anyone else to stop them."

Everyone present could weigh the weight of these words.

The Heavenly Emperor of the Eastern Heavenly Court was essentially giving the Ye Family a free pass.

...

Ye Family Ancestral Land.

The moment the flying boat landed, the Empress Dowager rushed out from the depths of the forbidden zone.

Her speed was so fast that even the accompanying Elders couldn't react.

When she saw Desolate Heaven the Great Emperor being supported off the flying boat by the Fourth Ancient Ancestor, her footsteps stopped.

Most of Desolate Heaven the Great Emperor's imperial robes were shredded, and although the wound slashing diagonally down his chest was no longer bleeding, the scar was extremely deep.

He looked much older than when he left.

There was white hair at his temples.

There was exhaustion in his eyes.

The Empress Dowager's hands were trembling.

She walked forward, step by step, until she was in front of him.

She reached out, her fingertips touching his hand which was still stained with dried imperial blood.

Desolate Heaven the Great Emperor lowered his head, looking at his wife.

It had been over a hundred thousand years.

He had finally returned.

...

Ye Family Discussion Hall.

The Divine Thoughts of all the Ancient Ancestors converged.

The Fourth Ancient Ancestor and the Fifth Ancestor were present in person, with the Empress Dowager sitting at the head.

Desolate Heaven the Great Emperor barely managed to sit to one side.

Ye Yun stood in the center of the hall, reporting all the intelligence once more in full.

Not until Ye Yun finished his last word.

The Empress Dowager unclenched her hands.

She stood up.

The aura of a Quasi-Emperor leaked out uncontrollably, making the entire Discussion Hall tremble.

She said in a cold voice.

"The Liu Family deserves to be exterminated."

The Fifth Ancestor stood forward.

"Supported."

Two words, spoken with powerful conviction.

The Fourth Ancient Ancestor closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were filled with killing intent.

"We have waited too long. The Ye Family has been silent for too long."

"The Three Thousand Dao Provinces have likely forgotten the terror of my Ye Family."

...

Three days later.

A challenge letter was sent from the Ye Family Ancestral Land, spreading throughout the Three Thousand Dao Provinces.

The challenge letter was written in the name of an Imperial Clan, every word like a blade.

Count One: The Liu Family colluded with the great terror of the Land of Expedition, betraying the Three Thousand Dao Provinces.

Count Two: Dispatching a Quasi-Emperor within Ye Family territory to intercept the Ye Family Imperial Scion, intending to stifle the posture of a heavenly emperor.

Count Three: Participating in the six emperors' ambush conspiracy and a second interception of the Ye Family Imperial Scion.

Count Four: Assisting in planning the slaughter of Prodigies in the Heavenly Emperors Tomb, intending to cause a generational gap in the younger generation of the Three Thousand Dao Provinces.

On the same day the challenge letter was issued, all of the Ye Family's combat forces were fully mobilized.

The Fourth Ancient Ancestor led the army.

The Fifth Ancestor accompanied.

The Empress Dowager personally set out on the expedition.

Although Desolate Heaven the Great Emperor had not yet recovered from his heavy injuries, he also sat in command at the rear.

Ye Yun, in the name of the Imperial Scion, stood at the very front of the army.

...

When the news broke, the Three Thousand Dao Provinces erupted in a frenzy.

"The Ye Family has declared war on the Liu Family!"

"How long has it been since the Heavenly Emperors Tomb incident, and the Ye Family is already taking action?"

"Didn't you see the counts written in the challenge letter? Colluding with the great terror, intercepting the Imperial Scion, slaughtering Prodigies—which one of these isn't a capital offense?"

"The Liu Family is finished, completely finished."

Those Prodigies who had narrowly escaped from the Heavenly Emperors Tomb stood up one after another to endorse the Ye Family.

They had personally witnessed the remains slaughtering Prodigies, personally witnessed Ye Yun standing before everyone with his Major Achievement Sacred Body, and personally witnessed Xiang Tian's sacrifice.

Every one of them was living evidence.

Public opinion was one-sided; no one sympathized with the Liu Family.

Inside the Liu Family, the moment the news arrived, it was in complete chaos.

Those clansmen who were in the dark were terrified, running around trying to figure out what was happening.

Those core high-level members had grim expressions and began making final preparations.

Liu Yan stood in her bedchamber.

She looked at the copy of the challenge letter that had come from the outside world, reading it word by word.

She finally understood many things.

Why the Family Elders would send a Quasi-Emperor to intercept Ye Yun.

Why the Elders' attitude was so resolute on the day the engagement was broken.

Why she had never been allowed to enter certain core areas of the Family over the years.

She had always thought she was the Liu Family's proudest pearl.

It turned out she was just a chess piece.

From beginning to end, she knew nothing.

Liu Yan put down the copy of the challenge letter and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the sky was gloomy.

The Ye Family's army was already on its way.

Everything was too late.

...

The Ye Family flying boat formation crossed the starry sky, their Imperial Might vast and powerful.

Ye Yun stood on the deck at the very front of the Flagship, his white robes fluttering.

He looked at the Star Domain that was gradually drawing near, his gaze calm.

Many images flashed through his mind.

Xiang Tian's grinning face when he said, "Wait until my Overlord Body reaches Major Achievement, then I'll find you for a fight."

The Fifth Ancestor's gratified smile when he pushed him toward the entrance of the Desolate Palace.

The hand his father had placed on his shoulder.

It was very light.

The wind blew from the starry sky, lifting the corner of his clothes.

Ye Yun withdrew his gaze, turned, and walked into the cabin.