Dang—
The great bell tolled, its sound reverberating throughout the entire estate.
Everyone in the City Lord's Manor was greatly startled, looking in surprise toward the ancient bell ringing incessantly from the central pavilion.
This was no ordinary bell; it was the Bell of Judgment, a bell that only tolled when a major sinner had appeared within the family, requiring a trial. The Bell of Judgment had not sounded for several decades.
The last person tried after the Bell of Judgment tolled was said to have died from the punishment.
Today, the Bell of Judgment had tolled. Who was so unfortunate as to be about to face the family's judgment?
In a luxurious courtyard with red bricks and green tiles, Ye Ao, who had been meditating cross-legged, raised his eyes and gazed toward the Bell of Judgment. A faint sense of foreboding suddenly arose in his heart.
Beside him, Xia Wei wore a worried expression. "Husband, I have a bad feeling. Could it be because of Chen'er?"
Ye Ao grasped his wife's delicate hand. "Don't worry. Chen'er will definitely be fine."
...
In the spacious main hall, due to the tolling of the Bell of Judgment, a dense crowd of clansmen had already gathered upon hearing the news. One by one, they surrounded the hall. Though hundreds had gathered, the hall was exceptionally quiet, so silent you could hear a pin drop.
At the highest point in the center of the hall was a throne—the Patriarch's Seat. Slightly below it were three Elder Seats. Further down were seats for the family's important stewards.
On both sides of the hall, there was a row of upper seats arranged for important members of the collateral branches.
Everyone else could only stand, not sit.
On the main seat, the family patriarch and city lord, Ye Ao, sat solemnly. His figure was tall and imposing, his brow exuding the authority of a ruler, commanding respect without anger. However, at this moment, he was frowning deeply as he looked at Ye Chen standing in the center of the hall.
On a seat slightly below, Xia Wei's beautiful face was filled with worry. Her jade-like hand tightly held little Huan'er's hand beside her. Neither of them understood what crime Ye Chen had committed to warrant such a solemn family trial.
Family trials had always been filled with solemnity. Once truly tried, Ye Chen would be in grave danger. Even Ye Ao, as the patriarch, could not sway the decision. At the very least, he would be imprisoned.
Although Ye Chen had said not to worry, Ye Zimei's small face was still filled with anxiety. Her pearly teeth lightly bit her red lips, and her small palms were slightly sweaty.
If it weren't for the rule that one must not break protocol during a family trial, she would have stepped forward to beg her grandfather to stand up for Ye Chen.
Only Ye Zhengyang watched all this with a cold sneer. Ye Zimei's every action toward Ye Chen especially filled his heart with jealous rage, making him wish he could kill Ye Chen.
Because Ye Zimei was the family daughter-in-law he had privately decided upon. No one else could defile her.
In the solemn hall, there was a heavy silence. No one spoke. The atmosphere was oppressive. Gazes filled with disdain, astonishment, surprise, contempt, worry... all sorts of emotions fell upon the youth standing in the center of the hall.
Yet, though Ye Chen was the focus of everyone's attention, his expression remained calm and unperturbed, neither startled nor fearful. He handled everything with such composure, as if it were all a gentle breeze.
Such steady temperament, whether forcibly feigned or inherently possessed, was enough to make people nod in approval.
For a cultivator, talent was important, but temperament was equally crucial. Sometimes, it was even more important than talent.
Temperament often determined a person's achievements.
Even the three hostile elders, seeing Ye Chen's composed performance, had to nod in acknowledgment. But the more they saw, the deeper their apprehension grew.
"Three Elders, what crime has my son Ye Chen committed to warrant a family trial to this extent?"
In the silent hall, Ye Ao on the main seat broke the silence, speaking first.
What a family trial represented, he, as the patriarch, understood better than anyone. Once truly tried, it would be as if the entire Ye Family had condemned and abandoned him, locking him away.
Although he had always been at odds with the three elders, taking this conflict to such a step had already touched his bottom line. It was absolutely intolerable.
"Patriarch, don't be anxious. What crime Ye Chen has committed will be stated. If he has truly committed a major offense, then he should be tried and punished to serve as a warning to others." The three elders sneered inwardly, especially when they saw Ye Ao's expression.
Although Ye Ao was the patriarch, the most powerful figure in the entire Ye Family, the three elders were only slightly inferior in status and were not afraid in the slightest.
Moreover, seeing Ye Ao suffer a setback was exactly what they wished for in their hearts.
"Fine."
Though it was just a simple word, anyone could hear the anger in Ye Ao's voice. A terrifying pressure slowly emanated, spreading throughout the hall. Immediately, many people felt immense oppression, as if they couldn't breathe.
Not to mention younger generation disciples like Ye Hua, even some high-ranking stewards paled instantly.
The three elders also slightly changed expression. After giving Ye Ao a deep look, the Grand Elder suddenly shouted, like a spring thunderclap startling the entire hall: "Ye Chen, do you plead guilty?"
The Grand Elder was originally the second most powerful expert in the Ye Family after Ye Ao. Holding a high position, his imposing authority alone could make not only the younger generation disciples but even other high-ranking family stewards tremble with fear and become disoriented.
But Ye Chen's expression remained unchanged. He was completely unafraid of the Grand Elder's imposing pressure and coldly replied, "May I ask, Grand Elder, what crime have I committed?"
To remain so calm even at such a critical moment—one had to admit this youth's temperament was truly extraordinary. Even the three hostile elders were inwardly impressed.
At the same time, they thought of this youth's stunning achievements back then: the youngest Xiantian realm expert in history at thirteen.
If not for that incident two years ago, with such dazzling talent and unflappable temperament, all of this would have inevitably propelled this youth toward even greater achievements.
Reaching the Martial God realm would not have been difficult. He might even have achieved the supreme accomplishment equal to a nation's founding ancestor—the Heavenly God realm.
What a pity. There were no 'ifs' in this world...
If this youth weren't a descendant of the hostile patriarch's line, even if he were a useless person who couldn't cultivate, they would have greatly admired him.
But the fact was precisely that he was. For the sake of their own descendants, they had no choice but to step forward.
"Hmph, still refusing to plead guilty even now?" The Grand Elder gave Ye Chen a deep look, then snorted coldly. "Fine. This old man will list your crimes today—"
"There are three offenses."
"First, you entered the training grounds without permission, deliberately disrupted order, interfered with the cultivation of clansmen, and affected their progress."
"During this time, you provoked and unjustly assaulted Ye Hua, severely injuring him and publicly humiliating him, violating family rule thirteen: clansmen shall not kill each other. This is the second offense."
"Ye Zhengyang stepped forward to kindly stop you, but you refused to correct your mistake, provoked discord, and even attempted to attack Ye Zhengyang. This is the third offense."
"Each offense is clearly stated. All clansmen present have witnessed it. Both witnesses and evidence are present. Do you still refuse to plead guilty?"
The three charges were imposed upon Ye Chen. The Grand Elder spoke sternly and imposingly, not allowing anyone to refute.
His words seemed reasonable, making people unconsciously nod, unable to refute for a moment.
On the other side of the hall, Ye Hua, his head bandaged, was crying and complaining: "I beg the three elders to give me justice. Ye Chen humiliated me in every way and even assaulted me on the spot. I can swear to the heavens, all of this is true..."
Ye Ao had not been present at the time and was unclear about the truth of the matter. However, according to the report from his trusted subordinate, it was roughly the same, though the meaning had been twisted and distorted. His expression changed repeatedly, sinking.
His gaze swept coldly toward the three elders, anger overflowing. These three old fellows, in order to deal with him, didn't hesitate to distort the truth and frame his son Ye Chen. Truly despicable.
He intended to speak up for Ye Chen, but at that moment, he saw Ye Chen give him a slight nod and a reassuring look. Knowing that Ye Chen had thought of a way to handle it, he remained silent, watching how things unfolded.
If Ye Chen truly got into trouble, he would simply take action. As the number one expert in the entire Ye Family and even Luo Feng City, once he acted, only these three old fellows in the hall could slightly restrain him. But if he was determined to leave, no one could stop him.
On the other side, Xia Wei and Huan'er were filled with worry, nervously watching everything, concerned for Ye Chen.
At this moment, the Second Elder also spoke: "Ye Chen, I advise you to quickly admit your offenses. If you confess voluntarily, the punishment will be lighter—at most just two or three years of confinement. But if you stubbornly refuse to plead guilty, the punishment will be increased. It won't be as simple as confinement."
"Cousin Ye Chen, it's not that I, as your elder brother, am criticizing you, but I advise you to plead guilty. Otherwise, a family trial is no simple matter." Ye Zhengyang spoke up, putting on a show of being well-intentioned, but his eyes were filled with mockery as he looked at Ye Chen.
But Ye Chen didn't even glance at him, completely ignoring him, which angered Ye Zhengyang. What kind of attitude was this? Did this waste truly not regard him at all?
Then he sneered coldly, watching everything with cold eyes. Even if he wanted to act smug, he couldn't keep it up. Offending him, Ye Zhengyang, would lead to no good end.
Ye Chen smiled, filled with coldness. "Why should I plead guilty? If you want to condemn someone, you can always trump up a charge. These three so-called offenses are completely unfounded. I never interfered with anyone else's cultivation on the training grounds; I merely passed by. Ye Hua forcibly attacked me, and I was forced to retaliate. That's the reason for the first and second offenses. As for the third, it was Ye Zhengyang who actively threatened me. When did I ever provoke him?"
The Grand Elder snorted coldly: "Is there anyone who can testify for you?"
After speaking, his cold gaze swept over the other clansmen and disciples present. Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
Ye Chen's expression darkened slightly. These three old fellows really intended to frame him. But who was he? A reborn generation's supreme being. How could he be afraid?
Elder Yan had even drifted out, unable to help shaking his head and laughing: "This is the so-called family? Forming cliques, internal strife and disputes. For the sake of a faction's selfish interests, they actually frame other clansmen. Heh, Little Chenzi, how are you going to deal with these people?"
Ye Chen rolled his eyes, quite displeased with the title "Little Chenzi." But of course, he wasn't without a way to handle it. Just as he was about to speak, a graceful figure appeared before him—it was Ye Zimei.
A faint fragrance wafted over. Ye Zimei stepped in front of Ye Chen, instantly attracting everyone's gaze. She raised her lovely and charming face, meeting the Grand Elder's gaze, and said, "I can testify that Brother Ye Chen is not that kind of person."