Suddenly, the Second Elder, a middle-aged woman, spoke up. Her face was filled with shock.
"Zhang Yi, what have you been doing… how did your cultivation advance to the Saint realm?"
Zhang Yi raised his head, his gaze calm and steady, and replied with only a single word.
"Please sit."
In that instant, a second wave of Saint-level pressure surged forth. It was far heavier than before. The stone floor of the assembly hall trembled, the air cracked with explosive sounds, and several elders who could not withstand it were forced down to the ground, their faces turning pale.
The atmosphere in the hall changed completely.
The Second Elder took a deep breath before speaking again, her tone noticeably softened.
"I… understand."
The pressure immediately withdrew. Zhang Yi gave a slight nod.
"Please."
The remaining nine elders, excluding the Supreme Elder who had gone missing, quietly took their seats. No one dared to meet Zhang Yi's eyes directly.
Zhang Yi raised his hand and lightly snapped his fingers.
Ding.
A flash of light appeared in midair, and the Clan Leader Seal materialized clearly in his hand. Ancient patterns glowed upon it, radiating an unmistakable pressure of authority that could not be forged.
The assembly hall fell into stunned silence. An elder who understood his duty was the first to rise, clasping his hands in salute.
"Greetings, Clan Leader."
That voice became the signal.
The other elders rose one after another. Even the Second Elder could not resist the tide and was forced to stand and bow as well.
Zhang Yi nodded calmly.
"You may sit."
Once everyone was seated again, he spoke in a firm voice.
"I have passed the clan's trial and received permission to assume leadership in place of Zhang Lingyue, who failed catastrophically and led the Zhang clan into decline."
Before anyone could speak, Zhang Yi snapped his fingers once more.
In the same instant, all the elders shuddered. Their bodies stiffened, internal energy spiraled out of control, their breathing became labored, and their hearts felt as if they were being crushed.
Zhang Yi spoke in a cold, even tone.
"From this moment onward, I will take absolute control of the clan's authority."
"My voice will be the only voice that matters."
Some tried to speak. Some moved their lips in displeasure. But before a single sound could escape,
Zhang Yi's killing intent spread throughout the hall as he continued.
"You have already been poisoned by me."
His voice was calm to the point of terror.
"Your life and death are now entirely in my hands. So do not attempt anything strange."
Complete silence enveloped the assembly hall. No one dared resist. No one dared challenge him. All they could do was accept the fate that had already been decided.
At that moment, a voice sounded within Zhang Yi's consciousness.
"They have already taken my poison. You can control it through that spatial ring. Do not forget to bind their souls as well."
"From here on, I wish you good fortune. After this, you will have to shoulder everything alone."
Zhang Yi closed his eyes for a brief moment, then replied firmly in his heart.
"I will not disappoint you."
He opened his eyes again. His expression was calm, cold, and unwavering. Then his gaze shifted quietly to the spatial ring on his finger.
…
….
….
The night of turmoil had yet to fade.
Inside the Cloud Commerce Pavilion, within the special chamber of the pavilion master.
The entire room was sealed by a soundproof barrier. The sweet and cloying scent of incense filled the air, mixed with the smell of sweat and fear. The dark curtains trembled faintly despite the absence of wind, as if the air itself were being crushed by some unseen pressure.
"Ahhh! Let me go! You bastard, let me go!"
The woman's scream pierced the air, sharp enough to stab the ears.
On the luxurious bed, a handsome young man was stripping off his clothes in a frenzy, his body straddling a black-haired woman with blue eyes. Her beautiful face was filled with terror. Both of her wrists were tightly bound above her head with rope.
The man frowned and spoke in a gentle tone.
"Stop struggling already, will you."
The woman struggled with all her strength, her muscles trembling, her blue eyes reddened with rage and humiliation.
"Stop it! Let me go!"
The man let out a soft laugh and leaned closer, his hot breath brushing against her neck.
"Stop being stubborn. In a moment…"
Slash.
There was no sound, no warning. Only an impossibly thin edge slicing through the air, as if emptiness itself had been cut open.
The bed split cleanly into two halves. The man's body froze for a single instant before separating apart. Fresh blood sprayed across the walls and floor with wet splats, the stench of blood surging into the room.
The strike was merciless, aimed without the slightest restraint.
Yet the woman moved in the same instant. She twisted free in a blink, rolling off the bed with sharp precision before springing up and taking a defensive stance beside it immediately.
The image of weakness she had shown moments ago was completely cast aside. Not a trace of that fragile woman remained.
An aura at the level of a Saint King slowly spread out from her body. The furniture trembled. The glassware on the table rattled softly as they struck against one another.
The woman stared toward the dark corner of the room, her blue eyes glowing brightly.
"Who are you?"
The atmosphere inside the room turned icy in an instant, as if it had been sealed in frost. Her breath became faint wisps of mist.
From the shadows, a figure slowly stepped forward.
A man dressed in white, wearing a black mask, emerged at an unhurried pace. His steps made no sound, yet with each one, the pressure increased layer by layer, as though the space of the entire room were being compressed smaller and smaller.
What made the woman's scalp tingle was that she could not sense his cultivation at all.
The man in white stopped a few steps away. His voice sounded calm and flat.
"I am the one who should be asking you."
He tilted his head slightly, as though more interested in something than the blood splattered across the floor.
"Why would a Saint King like you end up being pinned down by someone at the Body Integration level. That is truly suspicious."
The woman clenched her teeth. The aura of a Saint King at Level Two erupted fully. Cracks spread across the floor. The soundproof barrier trembled violently.
"If you want to know… then you will have to be capable enough!"
But in that very moment, she sensed something wrong. The true fear did not come from the man in white alone.
She turned her head left and right.
On the bed. On the table. On the chairs. On the wardrobe. On the ceiling beams. Even within the shadowed corners of the walls.
About twenty four crows stood perfectly still, their crimson eyes all locked onto her at the same time. And what made her blood feel as if it had turned to ice was this.
Every single one of them was releasing the aura of a Saint.
The woman took a deep breath, then slowly suppressed her power.
"I surrender…"
But in the same split second, her spiritual energy surged rapidly. The spatial ring on her hand flashed with light. She was about to activate it and take out a teleportation talisman.
Rip.
A flash of sword light appeared. Her arm was severed instantly. Blood sprayed out in a stream. The sound of the arm hitting the floor echoed with a dull thud.
Her face turned deathly pale as she looked to the left and saw a man dressed in black, his face fully concealed. The sword in his hand was still stained with fresh blood from the strike just now.
Before she could retreat,
Dark green energy vines burst out from the floor and wrapped tightly around her body, binding her so completely that she could not move at all. The pungent stench of poison mixed with wood energy burned her nose.
Whoosh.
The hand of the man in white warped into place in an instant. His fingers clamped around her throat with brutal force. The pressure did not kill her, but it tightened slowly, bit by bit.
His voice sounded softly as he immediately began to inspect her soul.
"I did not ask you for an answer."