Chapter 321: High Council’s Meeting (V)
Chapter 321: High Council’s Meeting (V)
Everyone settled down in their seats while Elder Zheng stood in the centre of the hall, facing God of Life and the other Rulers and Elders. And for the first time since the meeting began, he appeared slightly uncomfortable.
Xiang Ling quickly sneaked a look at Zhang Xuan and found him completely relaxed even when they were facing such a critical situation. But she wasn’t expecting anything else from the man. He had always been the most calm and collected person she had known which perfectly suited his identity.
"Elder Zheng, is this how you stand before a God?" Zhang Xuan asked in a very calm voice with an unreadable expression covering his face. It was hard to tell whether he was angry or just playing around.
Terrified, Elder Zheng immediately kneeled on the floor and bowed to the God of Life. "Please accept my apologies, Supreme Sovereign. I’m just too taken aback to find out that there’s still a God living in our world. I thought... I thought they all..." He didn’t dare to finish his sentence.
"You thought they all perished in the last battle between the Realms, along with the God Realm and Shadow Realm. Right?" Zhang Xuan knew exactly what the Elder wanted to say, but was scared of saying. His eyes scanned the hall and he knew that almost every person there was curious about his story, including the woman standing beside him. He wanted to reach out and squeeze her hand softly, but he refrained himself from doing so, and instead, focused on the matter at hand.
"When all the Gods perished and the God Realm’s existence came to an end, I was merely one week old. Because of the ongoing war, the news of my birth was kept hidden. My parents handed me to the late Heavenly Emperor before they went to join the other Gods in the war. The late Heavenly Emperor protected me from the entire world and kept me hidden in the Illusion Realm for ten thousand years until the day he passed away. When the current Emperor took over the throne, he was the only one who was made aware of my identity by his late father. That’s why only the current Heavenly Emperor has known about my existence all these years."
Zhang Xuan’s words made everyone turn their attention toward the Heavenly Emperor who just gave a little nod of courtesy to the God of Life, a small action that was more than enough to announce to the entire council that the Heavenly Emperor supported the God of Life’s story.
"All these years, I have been roaming around the Five Realms, learning new things and meeting new people. Unfortunately, I got to know about Shadow’s escape from the Abyssal Lands quite late, and by that time, Demon Emperor and the Spirit Beast King were already planning to capture him again. I got intrigued by all the coincidences that were happening in the Chen Manor in the Dongzhi City of the Mortal Realm... and that’s where I found the love of my life."
Xiang Ling was left stunned when the man suddenly changed the direction of his story and led it to her. While she was looking at him in surprise, she knew that every other pair of eyes in the hall was trained on her. The man gave her a soft smile before he returned his attention back to others.
"I can confirm for everyone present in here that High Immortal Xing, Demon Emperor, and Spirit Beast King are not in cahoots with Shadow. They are just as loyal to the peace of the Five Realms as everyone else present in this hall. While they are still accountable for their crime of keeping Shadow’s escape a secret from the High Council, they are discharged from other allegations. All three of them will receive their required punishment for their crime. Since they didn’t betray us, they don’t need to be punished immediately. We need to first focus on capturing Shadow. Anyone who thinks otherwise can speak their mind."
Zhang Xuan’s words were like a command that was issued, but he still made it seem like he was giving everyone a chance to change the final outcome. However, no one had the audacity to question the decision of a God, not even Elder Zheng who seemed completely displeased.
"After hearing so many people vouching for the three of them, it’s impossible to question their loyalty to the five realms any further." It was Supreme Immortal of Water who spoke for the first time during the meeting.
"I agree. More than enough people have proven that High Immortal Xing, Demon Emperor, and Spirit Beast King are innocent. We will follow Supreme Sovereign’s final verdict." Heavenly Emperor added.
Zhang Xuan nodded his head in approval before he turned his attention toward Elder Zheng. "Since we have solved one matter, we should focus on another important matter now."
Xiang Ling watched as the Elder became visibly more uncomfortable compared to before, and it made her wonder exactly what had he done to get so scared by Zhang Xuan’s words.
"Elder Zheng, are you going to tell everyone about your recent endeavors on your own, or are you waiting for me to do it for you?" Zhang Xuan asked in that relaxed and calm voice of his that made it hard for anyone to guess his true feelings.
Elder Zheng quickly looked around at others as if he was searching for something. His gaze finally stopped at Zhang Xuan and he immediately bowed his head until it was touching the floor as he pleaded. "Forgive me, Supreme Sovereign. I got tempted by the evil. Those dark powers tried to overtake my senses, making me unable to differentiate right from wrong. Please give me ancother chance!"
"I hereby announce for Elder Zheng to be punished by the Heavenly punishment of hundred Ice thunders for his crime of colluding with the Dark Force in framing Demon Emperor and Spirit Beast King."