Lu Yin kept his head low as he endured the pain of opening his lower meridian point. He could not care less about what Long Tian was saying; it was none of his business.
Long Tian grew annoyed when Lu Yin ignored him. “Long Qi, did you hear me? I said to release Long Ding and return the crystal thread.”
Lu Yin remained focused on his task. He could tell that he would succeed soon.
Long Tian bellowed, “Long Qi, I’m talking to you!”
Lu Yin frowned; this guy was so noisy! If Lu Yin did not need to hide his strength, then he would have already used his God of Death Transformation and attacked Long Tian with his scythe. Lu Yin wanted to see if this Junior Progenitor was able to withstand an attack from his God of Death Transformation.
“LONG QI!” Long Tian roared. He was furious that Long Qi was still ignoring him.
Long Xian grew tense and clenched his fists. The situation that he had been the most worried about had still occurred. Long Qi was so tempted by the crystal thread that he was ignoring the Junior Progenitor.
Long Tian was about to scream at Lu Yin once again when a melodious female voice was heard. “Brother, why are you so angry?”
Long Tian turned around to see that Long Xi’s image had appeared in front of Long Kui. Her turquoise hair billowed in the wind, and her amber eyes were locked onto Long Tian. She was as beautiful as a painting of a fairy.
Long Tian suppressed his anger when he saw that Long Xi had appeared. “Long Qi is too arrogant! He’s ignoring my orders.”
Long Xi looked into the hole in the ground. She was already aware of what had happened. This incident had shocked the entire White Dragon Clan. Long Tian was the only one unaware of the situation, as he had been busy training. Long Xi had not expected Long Xian to contact her brother so quickly.
When Long Xi had first heard about the battle in Flying Armor Pass and that Long Qi had seized the crystal thread, she had been unexpectedly happy. Every wife would hope for their husband to become powerful, and although it was not kind for Long Qi to steal the crystal thread from Long Ding, gaining a crystal thread would completely change Long Qi’s future if he managed to open his meridian point.
Long Xi was not the only one happy with this development, as many people from the main family were delighted that Lu Yin had grabbed the crystal thread, though some of them hoped that Long Qi would bring the crystal thread back to the clan to help one of the clan’s powerhouses open their meridian point. Long Tian’s generation had a few experts besides Long Xi, and some were about to become Enlighters. Even if Long Qi just gave the crystal thread to Long Xi, it would still be good for the clan, even though the clan had already prepared a crystal pillar for her. No matter what, the people of the main family did not want to help Long Xian.
“Brother, what do you want to tell Long Qi? Tell me,” Long Xi said in a cold voice.
Long Tian’s eyes narrowed. “Tell him to return the crystal thread and release Long Ding.”
Long Xi laughed. “Brother, you’re making things difficult for Long Qi.”
Long Tian’s eyes flashed.
“Long Qi is currently opening his meridian point, and his body is undergoing a transformation. There’s no way he can hear you right now due to the pain that he’s experiencing,” Long Xi explained.
Long Tian finally relaxed; Long Xi was correct. When Long Tian observed Lu Yin more closely, he saw his deathly pale face and the pool of blood that had formed beneath him. At this moment, Lu Yin was suffering terrible pain, and this was something that Long Tian himself had already experienced. He had managed to endure the pain, but it was possible that Long Qi would fail. There was no way that Long Qi could compare to Long Tian, so it was entirely possible that Long Qi could not hear anything at this moment.
Long Xian also accepted this explanation and forced himself to calm down.
Long Tian kept his voice calm. “Sister, after Long Qi is finished with this, tell him to release Long Ding and return the crystal thread.”
Long Xi retorted harshly, “Brother, do you want to force the crystal thread out of Long Qi’s body?”
Long Tian paused, but then he fell silent. He would have to force the crystal thread out of Long Qi’s body in order to return it to Long Ding.
Long Xian anxiously spoke up. “Don’t worry, princess. I won’t be too harsh on your husband, and I will definitely compensate the main family as well. Starting from now, the Flying Armor Troops will fully support the Junior Progenitor, and Long Ding will definitely be of help to you and the Junior Progenitor when you travel to the Dominion Realm.”
Long Xian behaved in a very servile manner, as he was scared that Long Xi would reject this suggestion.
Long Xi smiled at Long Xian. “You being able to support my brother will all depend on whether or not you are a traitor to humanity.”
Long Xian looked up at her in shock. “Why would you say such a thing, princess?”
Long Xi replied, “The Fourteenth Gate is already investigating you. Don’t tell me that you’re unaware.”
Long Xian clenched his fists. He knew that Long Xi was trying to help Long Qi. “The Fourteenth Gate is only trying to find out how I managed to obtain so many tribulation crystals. I received all of them from an elder, and I have no connection to the traitors. Moreover, why would those monsters spend so many resources on me? I’m just the commander of the Flying Armor Troops. To be realistic, I’m not worth that much effort.”
Long Xi clearly understood what the man meant, and the Fourteenth Gate understood as well. This was why Long Xian was no longer suspected of being a traitor. However, at this moment, the accusation was merely an excuse, and it was irrelevant whether or not Long Xian was actually a traitor.
“The tribulation crystals has allowed you to help Long Ding get closer to my brother, or maybe the crystals could allow Long Ding to ambush my brother when in the Dominion Realm. This price would definitely be worth it if these crystals helped them eliminate a future Progenitor,” Long Xi said calmly.
Long Xian was enraged. “This is nonsense! Even if you are the clan’s princess, you can’t slander me in order to support your husband. You will disappoint the people of the White Dragon Clan, particularly the people from the branch families.”
Long Tian reprimanded his sister, “That’s enough. Sister, that’s too far.”
Long Xi replied, “It’s just speculation. But brother, how can you be sure that I’m wrong? You can ask Master Guo. He’s also from the Fourteenth Gate.”
Long Tian turned towards Guo Shan.
Guo Shan slowly said, “I’m here to investigate Long Xian.”
This was all he said, but everyone heard him agreeing with Long Xi.
Long Xian almost vomited blood. These bastards were slandering him; he really was not a traitor!
Long Tian also grew suspicious. He had always been a paranoid, selfish, and narcissistic person. If it was true that Long Xian was a traitor and that he had planned to have Long Ding attack once they were in the Dominion Realm, there was a very real chance of the plot succeeding. Long Tian was very arrogant, which made him feel that such betrayal was quite likely.
Eliminating a future Progenitor for the price of some tribulation crystals was definitely worth the price.
Long Xian knew that nobody would stand up for him once he saw Long Tian’s expression change. The White Dragon Clan’s main family and the Fourteenth Gate were both working against him now.
“Junior Progenitor, I swear that I’ve never made any plans to have Long Ding attack you! I am definitely not a traitor!” Long Xian shouted pathetically, still trying to gain Long Tian’s support.
Guo Shan felt torn. If he said anything at this point in time, it would definitely change the situation for Long Xian and Long Ding, but it was also true that Guo Shan and Long Qi were both from the Fourteenth Gate. Thus, Guo Shan would not help Long Xian. Moreover, Guo Shan had not lied and had not slandered Long Xian. He really had been sent to Flying Armor Pass to investigate Long Xin; it was just that he had not mentioned that the investigation had already finished. There was no need to announce that particular detail as there was no reason to publicize the results of Humility’s Gate’s investigations. Thus, Guo Shan had done nothing wrong.
Everyone carefully observed Long Tian as they waited for his decision. He was the White Dragon Clan’s Junior Progenitor, and his decisions affected many people’s lives. Lu Yin was the only person present who was completely ignoring Long Tian.
Long Tian finally made a decision. He looked towards the hole in the ground. “Long Qi, come to Dragon Mountain in the Higher Realm with that crystal thread. Commander Long Xian and Long Ding should do the same. We will then conduct an internal investigation within the clan. If Commander Long Xian isn’t a traitor, then the crystal thread will be returned to Long Ding, and Long Qi will be punished.” He then turned to face Long Xian. “What do you think, commander?”
When Lu Yin heard Long Tian’s decision, he realized how ruthless this person was. Long Xian and Long Ding would be completely powerless once they were at Dragon Mountain. They were only able to speak up at this moment because of the Flying Armor Array. There was no way the White Dragon Clan’s main family would ever let the two off after they arrived at Dragon Mountain, and Lu Yin would not be allowed to keep the crystal thread either. In fact, he might even receive a punishment.
Long Tian’s goal was simple; he wanted to get his hands on the crystal thread and then find the most suitable candidate who would unconditionally support him in the Dominion Realm. Long Tian did not care about Long Xian or his son at all.
Long Xian’s expression turned grim, and he coldly replied, “Junior Progenitor, Long Ding contacted you the moment he was about to finish opening his meridian point because he has idolized you since childhood, and he truly wishes to help you.”
Long Tian remained calm. “Don’t worry. As long as you aren’t a traitor, nobody will be able to do anything to you.”
He then turned to face Long Xi. “Sister, what do you think?”
He shot her a pointed look, and she obviously was aware of his intentions. She looked at Lu Yin, who was suffering terribly, and said, “Brother, Long Qi has absorbed the crystal thread and is about to open his meridian point. With his strength, he might actually die if we force the crystal thread out of his body. As an alternative, if we manage to confirm that Commander Long Xian isn’t a traitor, then I, Long Xi, will use the rest of my life to repay his family.”
Guo Shan rolled his eyes. The moment Long Xian and his son arrived at Dragon Mountain, they would have other crimes pinned on them, even if they were not traitors. Guo Shan realized that the White Dragon Clan’s people were all experts at speaking meaningless words. Who had claimed that these people were honest?
Long Tian frowned. His goal was the crystal thread; what would be the point if Long Qi kept the crystal thread?
Long Xian sneered. Everyone was trying to take advantage of him. Long Tian, Long Xi, and even the Fourteenth Gate were merely using him. It was pointless for him to rely on any of these people. He took a deep breath and pressed down with a hand. The cube of light that had kept Gui trapped suddenly fell to the ground, trapping Long Kui instead while leaving Gui free in the sky.
Long Xian then suddenly threw his spear at Lu Yin, as he wanted to kill the youth and seize the crystal thread back, even if it meant betraying the White Dragon Clan. The moment Ding’er opened his meridian point, the two of them would be welcome to join any of the other ruling powers in the Higher Realm. Also, Long Xian himself was an Envoy, so he was not stuck with the White Dragon Clan.
Nobody had expected Long Xian to suddenly attack, as doing so meant betraying the White Dragon Clan. Did he no longer care about Long Ding?
“Stop!” Long Tian shouted.
Long Kui roared and tried to escape from the Flying Armor Array. Despite his efforts, his physical strength could not compare to Gui’s, even though the human was more powerful overall. Given how long Gui had been trapped for, there was no way the Envoy would be able to escape without spending a great deal of time and effort on it.
The four eyes on Gui’s two heads went wide as it charged towards Long Xian.