Chapter 266: Anger

Shi Li’s face was as pale as death as he slumped to the ground, his eyes vacant. The thunderous sound of the grand dao shook his soul to the brink of leaving his body. Terrified, he trembled uncontrollably.

“Old Fifteen, what are you doing?” Beside him, Shi Yuan, relatively calm, shouted loudly.

His profound cultivation had enabled him to use a sound wave technique similar to the “True Hound’s Howl” to rouse Shi Li from his daze, fearing that he might speak incoherently.

Shi Li finally came to his senses, his face devoid of color. He found himself sitting on the ground, his palms drenched in sweat. The golden silk phoenix wood chair was shattered into pieces around him. His entire body was cold, and a profound fear gripped his heart.

“Old Fifteen, what are you planning?” As soon as he spoke, he noticed his voice was trembling.

In the grand hall, everyone felt a chilling breeze. Even after many years, the Fifteenth Lord was still terrifying. Just one roar had unsettled everyone’s minds, nearly causing them to collapse. It was truly frightening.

“Still asking me what I’m going to do? Answer me, where is my Hao’er?” The Fifteenth Lord, a formidable figure known as the Great Demon God, had sensed something was amiss in an instant.

Many people were sweating nervously. The sensitivity of his spiritual perception was so acute that it instilled fear in them. Were the events of the past going to be exposed?

Originally, they had planned to stabilize the Fifteenth Lord and delay as much as possible until King Wu emerged and reinforcements arrived.

It now appeared that the Fifteenth Lord was more perceptive than anyone else. The moment he returned, he detected the flaw and immediately discerned something was wrong. His intuition was terrifyingly accurate.

“Hao’er is not in the mansion and will return after some time,” one of the elders said.

Shi Yuan remained composed and said, “Zi Ling and his wife went to the Western Frontier, so Hao’er naturally went with them. I believe they will return in about half a month. Zhongtian, we understand that you have been away from home for many years and miss your descendants, but don’t be anxious; you will see them eventually.”

“Old Fifteen, you are out of line. No matter what, I am your elder. Your roar nearly shattered my soul,” Shi Li steadied his mind and stood up from the ground.

“Are you old, or do you think I am still young?” The Fifteenth Lord’s expression had calmed, but his words carried even greater menace.

It was like a dormant volcano. Though it had not yet erupted, the intense, destructive aura was already spreading, ready to explode at any moment.

“What are you saying? I don’t understand.” After standing up, Shi Li retreated, his calves trembling, his steps unsteady.

Even though Shi Li was clearly the junior, he felt like the junior before the Great Demon God, trembling and suffocating in his presence.

The grand hall fell silent. Everyone watched as Shi Li, trembling, retreated, unsure whether to feel pity or shame for him being so terrified.

“Speak, what happened to my Zi Ling? Where is my Hao’er?” The Fifteenth Lord did not grow furious but instead spoke with increasing calmness, gazing at everyone.

At this moment, he was already certain that something had gone terribly wrong.

Otherwise, why would these people be so nervous? From the moment he appeared, his powerful spiritual sense had detected their anxiety and fear.

Moreover, none of his old friends, who were familiar with his temper, had shown up, nor had any of those close elders appeared. This was very unusual.

The Fifteenth Lord was not only powerful and skilled in archery but also very perceptive. Otherwise, he would not have achieved such accomplishments or escaped the clutches of a grown-up Pixiu.

The grand hall was silent, and everyone was grave. Had King Wu emerged? The Great Demon God had noticed the slightest clue and now it was impossible to conceal anything.

“You juniors all leave,” one of the elders said.

In the next moment, the children all stood up and were led away by old servants without delay.

There was no point in lying now. The Great Demon God was not one to be deceived and had already seen through the flaws. Further concealment would be pointless.

The only thing to do now was to delay time and wait for reinforcements.

“Old Fifteen, some misunderstandings occurred back then, leading to Zi Ling’s dissatisfaction with us, and he left the Wu King’s mansion,” Shi Yuan said.

“How deep could the misunderstanding be? Has my Zi Ling fallen? Is my child still alive?” The Fifteenth Lord asked, his eyes shooting icy rays, glaring at everyone.

The crowd retreated, feeling a pressure as if a primordial beast was glaring at them, with a fierce, overwhelming aura sweeping over them.

“Zi Ling is not dead. He left with Hao’er,” one of the elders said.

“Not dead? Where are they? Have they shown themselves in these years?” The Fifteenth Lord’s voice rose, indicating that his anger was about to explode. He was far from calm.

“They should still be alive,” said a rather straightforward elder.

Everyone knew this was bad. Answering with such uncertainty would certainly lead to a major issue, likely to stir up a storm.

As expected, the Fifteenth Lord became enraged. The fate of his descendants was uncertain, and he couldn’t even be sure if they were still alive. After being trapped in a desperate situation for so many years, the only thing that kept him going was the thought of Zi Ling and Hao’er, which were the hopes that sustained him. Hearing such news now, how could he remain calm?

“Say it clearly, are they alive or dead?” The Great Demon God roared, causing the grand hall to rumble and crack.

However, this also activated the formations within the hall, lighting up with blinding radiance, trapping the Fifteenth Lord in the center, surrounded by Jiaolong and Bian.

“Very well, you really have some nerve, luring me into this hall, not only to stabilize me but also to set up a killing trap, wanting to kill me as well,” the Fifteenth Lord roared in fury, his eyes shooting out streaks of runes that filled the air with thunderous sounds.

The people in the hall retreated immediately. Even though they had trapped the Fifteenth Lord, they were deeply fearful. This was the Great Demon God, who, when enraged, could overturn everything.

“Old Fifteen, calm down first, and listen to us explain slowly,” Shi Yuan said.

“You set up the clan’s three great killing arrays to trap me, laying down a deadly scheme, and now you ask me to calm down. Are you joking?” The Fifteenth Lord asked, his voice calm, but the overwhelming pressure emanated from the array, striking every person’s heart like a massive hammer.

Everyone retreated, horrified.

“We are just afraid you might act irrationally. This is better for both you and us, allowing us to discuss things calmly,” Shi Yuan said.

“Zhongtian, don’t act recklessly. Some things are not as bad as you imagine. Don’t make matters worse,” Shi Li said, finally regaining some calm.

“Don’t act recklessly? Are you threatening me? Zi Ling and his wife, and Hao’er’s life or death are unknown, and you speak to me like this?” the Fifteenth Lord demanded.

“It is precisely because you are angry now and prone to doing something extreme that we have taken this measure. So don’t act rashly,” Shi Li said.

The only thing that reassured him was that they were well-prepared, having set up the three ancestral killing arrays to suppress the area. The Great Demon God was right in the midst of those arrays.

These were not ordinary formations or the arrays that Shi Zi Ling had cracked before, but the essence of the ancestral formations.

“Zi Ling’s life or death is unknown, Hao’er’s whereabouts are uncertain, and yet you speak so lightly, and instead admonish me as if I am someone to be deceived?” The Fifteenth Lord roared.

With a thunderous roar, the entire Wu King’s mansion shook. The Great Demon God’s single arm shone brightly as he pressed it against the void, radiating auspicious light. A golden-winged Dapeng emerged, exuding the aura of a primordial ferocious beast.

Then, blinding golden light flooded the area, overwhelming everyone with terror. The Great Demon God’s eyes were fearsome; the beams of light they emitted were runes that were dismantling the killing formations.

Moreover, the golden-winged Dapeng circled around, shredding the attacking beams of light and obliterating them all.

His eyes, with runes intertwining, were more terrifying than any treasure, truly dismantling the grand formation. His eyes were brilliant, with the sun, moon, and stars seemingly emerging from them. Specifically, the runes formed these celestial bodies and crushed the grand formation.

A thunderous sound erupted, causing the heavens to collapse and the earth to crack. The hall exploded, and everyone retreated rapidly to avoid being caught in the blast.

With a resounding "thud," as if a celestial deity had descended, the Fifteenth Lord stepped out of the killing formation and emerged directly. The sun, moon, and stars in his eyes disappeared as he surveyed everyone.

Some, seeing the dire situation, immediately tried to escape, while others trembled in fear. This was one of the three great killing formations of the clan, yet it couldn’t contain him.

“Stop right there!”

The Fifteenth Lord roared, shaking the palace. A ripple spread out, and those attempting to escape were struck as if by lightning. They flew backward, vomiting blood, and crashed into the nearby structures.

“You!” Shi Li was terrified. Though he was a generation older than the Fifteenth Lord, he was now deeply afraid.

“These formations, I am not unfamiliar with them. I understand them better than you. Who told you that they are unsolvable and can be broken?” the Fifteenth Lord said coldly.

He waved his hand, drawing Shi Li from afar as if catching a chick, intending to grasp him in his palm.

“No!” Shi Li cried out, desperately trying to evade.

“Bang!”

Ultimately, Shi Li was sent flying uncontrollably into the Fifteenth Lord’s large hand, which lifted him up.

“Old Fifteen, you are overstepping your bounds. You cannot treat me like this!” Shi Li shouted.

“Speak. What happened back then?” the Fifteenth Lord demanded.

Facing his imposing figure, though he had lost an arm, his demeanor was still formidable. Shi Li trembled uncontrollably, his fear coming from the depths of his soul rather than mere cowardice.

“Speak!” The roar, though only a single word, made Shi Li cough up blood. In the end, he gritted his teeth and self-destructed, turning into a shower of light and disappearing.

“Sacrificial talismans—such a heaven-defying item, there are few in the mansion. Refining them requires endless precious materials, and you have wasted one.” The Fifteenth Lord said coldly.

He knew the situation was grave. The fact that they had resorted to such extremes to avoid falling into his hands indicated that they had committed an unforgivable sin. Thinking of this, the Fifteenth Lord’s heart sank, concerned for Zi Ling and Shi Hao.

In the next moment, Shi Yuan transformed into a beam of light and fled, not daring to stay.

“Not a single person will leave today!” The Fifteenth Lord roared, shaking the light rain and causing it to scatter blood everywhere.

At the same time, he threw out nine great flags with his remaining arm. The flags made a rustling sound and sealed the Wu King’s mansion in all directions, trapping the estate.

Others were greatly shocked. What was the Great Demon God planning? He had sealed off the entire mansion, making him even more terrifying.

Shi Li and Shi Yuan were also stunned. Though they had fled the scene, they were still within the mansion and felt a sense of horror. They trembled, hoping that powerful reinforcements would arrive soon.

“Get out of the way!” The Fifteenth Lord bellowed. He did not immediately begin a massacre, but his voice was like thunder, sending those present flying and spitting blood.

He strode forward, his brow glowing, and a divine flame rose, illuminating the entire void as if a deity were seated on his forehead, dazzling beyond compare.

His divine sense radiated, enveloping the entire estate, penetrating every corner. Even the places with restrictions were ultimately exposed.

“You have some nerve, daring to imprison clan members!” The Fifteenth Lord shouted. He not only discovered Shi Li and Shi Yuan but also saw the old friends who knew his temper well, and some very senior elders.

“Open it up!” The Fifteenth Lord’s loud command did not require him to take action. Several underground palaces collapsed, and the stone doors and restrictions were shattered into dust.

He was truly like a god or demon, almost impossible to stop. Even a single divine sound could have such an effect.

“Is it really you, Old Fifteen?” The old friends who appeared from the underground palaces were shocked and dazed, tears streaming down their faces uncontrollably.

“You are really still alive?” The reappearance of the Fifteenth Lord was such a surprise to them, as they were old friends from the past. They wept and laughed, overwhelmed with joy.

“I knew it. Only Old Fifteen would return like this, making that scoundrel Shi Li lose his composure and desperately cover things up.” Some laughed heartily, their bodies trembling with excitement.