Chapter 1081 - 572: Investigate
Up ahead, Song Li turned his head with a slightly stiff expression, his eyes blinking repeatedly as he tried his best to signal Song Yufeng to stop speaking.
Though Song Zhihao had only recently ascended to the position of Zhulu Warship Clan Elder decades ago, he was undoubtedly a key figure with real power in the family. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been assigned to oversee this “large Thunder Stone ore vein.”
If he were truly enraged, it wouldn’t lead directly to immediate execution on the spot, but the means he could employ in retaliation were abundant. There was even a considerable likelihood of sustaining severe injuries right then and there.
Ignoring Song Li’s desperate signals, Song Yufeng continued speaking without pause.
This finally exhausted the last ounce of patience of Song Zhihao, who hovered above. As a newly appointed Clan Elder who had entered the family’s upper echelon, his every move and word had commanded immense respect for decades, as if he could summon storms at will.
Faced with Song Yufeng’s repeated provocations and doubts, how could he tolerate it?
“With evidence solid yet you persist in causing chaos and undermining order—according to the family’s laws, your Ancestral Torch shall be abolished, and you will be cast out of the family!”
As he spoke, the Fourth Rank pressure he had only just gathered surged anew, crashing down fiercely upon Song Yufeng’s aging frame below.
“Clan Elder Zhihao, no!”
Song Li had never expected Song Zhihao to react so intensely. To abolish the Ancestral Torch and cast someone out from the family was a severe punishment typically reserved for great offenses. Song Yufeng’s earlier actions hardly warranted such measures.
Yet Song Zhihao paid no heed to Song Li’s aghast expression. His gaze was cold, his resolve unshakable.
And just before his pressure was about to completely crush Song Yufeng, he added one final remark, his tone indifferent.
“Call upon the Ancestor to uphold justice? As the overseer entrusted with full authority over this Thunder Stone mine, here, I *am* the Ancestor!”
The words were spoken plainly, but coming from Song Zhihao, they carried an undeniable sense of conviction, as if he truly were, in this mine, the Vault of Heaven looming over everyone’s heads.
Staring silently from behind Song Li, Song Yufeng’s murky eyes betrayed no emotion. Under the scrutiny of Song Zhihao, Song Li, Song Lv, and the surrounding mining slaves, he slowly retrieved an object from his Ancestral Torch—a jade stone radiating an elusive black light.
The instant the faint black light emanating from the jade stone caught his attention, Song Zhihao’s pupils flinched first amid his lofty perch.
It seemed to trigger something in his thoughts.
The cold, vicious emotions pooled across his face faltered slightly, morphing into threads of doubt and hesitation.
But before he could delve deeper, Song Yufeng, clutching the jade stone tightly, started speaking again.
“Call upon the Ancestor to uphold justice!”
As he uttered this, just before Zhihao’s immense Life Pressure could entirely crush down, strands of Spectral Energy surged within Song Yufeng’s body, seeping gradually into the jade stone in his palm.
With each thread of Spectral Energy infused, the jade stone—formerly emitting only subtle black light—burst into dazzling black brilliance. Quickly, the stone rose from Song Yufeng’s palm, floating upward.
Seconds later, under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of beings at the Thunder Stone mine, an Eternal Dark Black Light blanketed the entire mine’s sky. As the black light faded and dissipated, an enormous warship projection emerged across the heavens of the mine.
“Song Clan, pay respects to Chi Ancestor!!”
As they identified the overwhelming warship projection above them, all Song Family members at the Thunder Stone mine bent forward in synchronized reverence, bowing deeply.
Inside the Heavenly Ruins Cang Qiong projection, Song Chi ignored the collective display of respect, his gaze shifting downward toward the blood-covered Song Yufeng.
“What precisely has transpired?”
His voice resonated through the warship projection, echoing across the mine overhead. Yet inwardly, Song Chi felt a measure of surprise.
Song Yufeng had once been the manager of the Song Family’s Dragon Spine branch established in Chenxing Yang Continent when Song Chi first arrived there. Back then, though Song Chi was newly inducted into the family’s ranks and relatively unknown, Yufeng still dedicated himself entirely to assisting Chi, providing invaluable aid.
Song Chi had proactively expressed his gratitude at the time, promising to repay Yufeng’s kindness. This promise was also why he later gifted Yufeng a Projection Emperor Stone.
Originally, Song Chi had believed that the Projection Emperor Stone would be used within the Alien Star Domain. Yet unexpectedly, Song Yufeng activated it here, which startled Song Chi.
Still, since Yufeng had chosen to use it, Chi refrained from further comment and promptly inquired about recent events at this site.
Beneath the Heavenly Ruins Cang Qiong projection, Song Zhihao—having recovered from his shock and panic—hurriedly started speaking:
“Song Zhihao, newly appointed Zhulu Warship Captain, pays respects to Chi Ancestor. The situation is as follows—”
Before he could finish his explanation, a surge of immense Spectral Energy emanated abruptly from within the Fearless Ship projection, encircling Zhihao entirely.
At that moment, Zhihao found himself constrained no differently than Song Yufeng moments earlier, subjected to fierce pressure. Yet Song Chi maintained precise control; the pressure merely severed Zhihao’s speech without causing him harm.
After all, Chi was still clueless about the story’s full scope and could not yet determine who was at fault.
“Let him speak!”
Following Song Chi’s directive, Song Yufeng promptly recounted the events in meticulous detail.
When his account concluded, the warship projection hovering over the mine released another surge of oppressive pressure, intensifying the atmosphere within the mine until its inhabitants could scarcely breathe.
Inside the warship projection, the Divided Spirit accompanying Song Chi was now consumed entirely by fury. The oppressive force emitted within the Fearless Ship projection was exponentially stronger—tenfold, even hundredfold—compared to what was felt externally.
According to Song Yufeng’s statement, someone at the Thunder Stone mine had committed the grievous act of embezzling family resources. Worse yet, after being discovered, this individual recklessly murdered the discoverer on the spot. Adding insult to injury, they turned the tables by fabricating charges, planting the blame for embezzlement on the victim—now deceased. It was a flagrant display of unchecked power.