This statement was like a thunderclap, shattering the silence of the entire gathering!
The crowd was dead silent. Every elder and high-ranking official who had been drawn to the scene instantly fixed their eyes on Qin Yuan, their expressions filled with shock, disbelief, and scrutiny.
Stealing a root bone? And at the hands of the First Elder?
Even as Qin Wudao publicly laid bare his deepest secret, Qin Yuan’s face remained expressionless. He didn't even blink, as if he held such accusations in total contempt.
"Wudao, the Primordial True Dragon Bone is something Tianlong was born with. How can you speak of theft? It is you who, burdened by your own Nirvana Emperor Embryo, have grown jealous. Are you trying to slander Tianlong because you covet something that doesn't belong to you?"
Qin Yuan not only denied the charge but turned the tables on him.
Qin Wudao found this laughable. "Whether it is true or not, a simple test will reveal the facts!" he replied coldly.
At these words, a flicker of imperceptible terror crossed Qin Yuan’s eyes, swiftly replaced by a cold and vicious intensity. "You insolent brat! How dare you spout lies, slander my son, and lust after his dragon bone? You deserve to die!"
Cold killing intent instantly locked onto Qin Wudao.
Qin Zhan stepped forward, shielding Qin Wudao behind him. Beyond his shock lay an unprecedented confusion as he demanded in a low, stern voice, "Qin Yuan! What really happened all those years ago?!"
The brothers locked eyes, the tension between them reaching a breaking point.
"Enough."
Suddenly, the situation shifted. An ancient voice, brimming with supreme majesty, drifted down from the heavens, ringing clearly in everyone’s ears. It was the oldest Mystic Ancestor of the Qin Family who had spoken.
As the voice sounded, a vast and irresistible will descended, forcibly calming the explosive atmosphere between Qin Zhan and Qin Yuan.
"Greetings, Mystic Ancestor."
Qin Zhan suppressed his rage and bowed in unison with Qin Yuan, not daring to show the slightest negligence. Regardless of his position as the head of the Qin Family or his overwhelming fury, he had to show reverence before the Mystic Ancestor. There was no alternative; the Mystic Ancestor was the heaven of the Qin Family, the true foundation of their legacy.
Several indistinct figures materialized from thin air, appearing in the sky. They seemed eternal, existing in harmony with heaven and earth—they were the ancestors who rarely left their seclusion.
The Mystic Ancestor’s gaze fell upon Qin Wudao, a look that seemed to pierce through to the very source of all things.
Qin Wudao felt that he had nowhere to hide, but the Hongmeng Emperor Bone within him vibrated of its own accord. It emanated an aura of chaos and extinction, yet contained a supreme majesty that faintly resisted the ancestral scrutiny.
"Oh?" the Mystic Ancestor let out a soft exclamation. "An interesting constitution... neither dead nor alive, neither born nor perished, and it even carries a hint of the Primal Dragon Emperor’s aura... Little one, this body of yours has some secrets."
"Tell me, what happened to you? Why were you able to ring the Ancestral Bell nine times? Is it the Primal Dragon Emperor Scripture that you are cultivating?"
Qin Wudao cupped his hands, his expression remaining calm. "Reporting to the Mystic Ancestor: while I was on the brink of death, I encountered a great fortune. My dormant embryo broke and then rebuilt itself, allowing me to awaken the Hongmeng Emperor Bone. Through the resonance of my bloodline, I comprehended the initial chapter of the Primal Dragon Emperor Scripture."
"You comprehended the scripture on your own?" one hot-tempered ancestor challenged. "Little one, do not try to deceive us!"
Qin Wudao did not answer. Instead, he pointed directly at Qin Yuan in front of the Mystic Ancestor. "I may have been young, but I will never forget the tragedy on the night of my birth! It was him—he personally dug out my True Dragon Bone to transplant it into Qin Tianlong, and replaced it with this life-stealing Nirvana Death Bone!"
"My mother only wanted to stop them when she sensed something was wrong, and for that, she was cruelly silenced by the pair of them. They even deceived my father, claiming my mother had mysteriously disappeared and that the family was searching for her with all its might!"
The entire venue was stunned. Skepticism filled the air, and shocked gazes darted between Qin Wudao and Qin Yuan. No one believed an infant could remember the night of his birth, nor did anyone believe that Qin Yuan, the First Elder, would commit such a heinous act.
Qin Yuan remained composed. "Wudao, stop your nonsense. How could I ever dig out your Primordial True Dragon Bone?" he countered. "The source blood of a root bone cannot be faked!"
Qin Wudao looked at the Mystic Ancestor. "I beg the Ancestor to preside over this matter and verify the root bone’s origin. Please, Ancestor, investigate whether Qin Tianlong’s 'Heaven-bestowed' dragon bone is truly a gift from heaven, or a stolen treasure!"
This request was earth-shattering. In the crowd, Qin Tianlong felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, his face turning deathly pale. He had come to finish the job because his grafted bone had been injured and he feared the truth would be exposed—but who could have predicted that things would escalate this far? Even the Mystic Ancestor had appeared. Now, hearing the demand for a bone test, he had only one thought: escape!
But the Mystic Ancestor’s gaze landed on him, pinning him in place until he could only force a stiff smile.
"Very well. Today, right here, we shall determine the truth. Bring the Origin-Tracing Divine Stone."
An elder immediately produced the stone. Qin Wudao placed his hand upon it. The stone erupted in light; the images within were chaotic, with gray light and purple-gold dragon shadows intertwining until they dissolved into pure void.
"The stone cannot probe it..." the ancestors muttered with heavy expressions.
"Activate the Ancestral Blood Sacrifice Mirror!" the Mystic Ancestor ordered.
The ancient bronze Emperor Mirror was brought forth. Several elders forced out their essence blood to activate it. The mirror awakened, and a divine light containing the majesty of the primal ancestors shone upon Qin Wudao.
The moment the light touched him, the Hongmeng Emperor Bone within Qin Wudao erupted with unprecedented brilliance. Gray-purple chaotic light shot into the sky, actively meeting the mirror’s divine light with a greedy, devouring intent. The Primal Dragon Emperor Scripture whirled frantically, generating a powerful resonance with the ancestral aura within the mirror.
Suddenly, another phenomenon occurred! The entire ancestral shrine began to tremble violently. Behind Qin Wudao, a blurred shadow of the Primal Emperor began to emerge, gradually solidifying as time passed. Within moments, it felt as if the Emperor was about to step out from the void, a supreme majesty that had suppressed the ages and commanded the nine heavens enveloping the entire scene.
Every member of the Qin Family, including the ancestors themselves, felt a shudder from the depths of their souls, unable to resist the urge to kneel and submit.
"The Ancestor has manifested! It is truly the manifestation of the Ancestor!"
"There is no mistake! This is definitely the phenomenon triggered only by the Primal Scripture and the strongest bloodline!"
The ancestors were beyond excited. The Mystic Ancestor watched the nearly solidified Emperor shadow and then looked down at Qin Wudao, his expression still as calm as a frozen pond. The radiance of the Emperor shadow fell, repelling the dragon bone in Qin Tianlong’s chest while resonating with the Hongmeng Emperor Bone in Qin Wudao—the ownership of that bone was now beyond debate.
At that moment, a crisp "crack" echoed from afar!
Everyone looked over to see Qin Tianlong, hailed as the prodigy of the Qin Family, collapsing into a dead faint under the dual pressure of the Emperor shadow and the Hongmeng Emperor Bone. The stolen Primordial True Dragon Bone in his chest was covered in cracks, on the verge of shattering completely!
The Mystic Ancestor flicked his finger, and a ray of supreme power entered Qin Tianlong’s body, forcibly stabilizing the bone that was about to break. He repaired most of the cracks, preserving the boy's foundation. Qin Tianlong, having fainted, now began to wake.
This action caused an uproar in the hall!
"Mystic Ancestor! You cannot do this!" an elderly man of high prestige with white hair and beard couldn't help but speak out. "This bone was stolen; it is not tolerated by the laws of heaven. To preserve it by force is surely no blessing for our family!"
"Indeed, Mystic Ancestor," another elder frowned. "Qin Yuan is guilty of heinous crimes, and Qin Tianlong is a beneficiary. By protecting them like this, where does it leave Wudao? Where does it leave the justice of our family?"
Qin Zhan was trembling with rage, his eyes bloodshot as he stepped forward. "Mystic Ancestor! My son has suffered for eight years and nearly lost his life! How can you be so biased toward this pair of vipers—"
"Insolent!" The Mystic Ancestor’s gaze suddenly sharpened, and a terrifying pressure descended, forcibly stifling the rest of Qin Zhan’s words. "Qin Zhan! Mind your place. Qin Yuan’s crimes are proven; he shall be punished."
The Mystic Ancestor scanned the crowd and then fixed his eyes on Qin Wudao. "You have already obtained the Hongmeng Emperor Bone; your aptitude is greater than ever before. This dragon bone is no longer necessary for you."
"Tianlong has benefited from this bone, becoming the second supreme prodigy of our Qin Family. Two heroes in one household—this is the sign of our family’s future prosperity!"
"For the sake of the family’s grand plan, Tianlong must be preserved! This bone must also be preserved!"
"If we don't preserve it, are we to just let the dragon bone shatter? If the dragon bone shatters, the family loses a prodigy; you and I would both be sinners against our lineage!"
"Whoever opposes this is severing the future of the Qin Clan!"
The Mystic Ancestor’s tone was indifferent, taking the moral high ground to settle the matter. It was profoundly unjust, yet no one dared to offer a single word of rebuttal.
He then turned to the ashen-faced Qin Yuan. "Qin Yuan, as of today, you are stripped of your position as First Elder! You are sentenced to act as Tianlong’s guardian. You shall not leave his side, helping him cultivate until he reaches the Saint Realm! At that time, you shall enter the forbidden grounds to face the family’s most severe punishment and reflect on your sins for five hundred years!"
The punishment seemed harsh, but in reality, it was designed to protect Qin Yuan.
Qin Zhan clenched his fists, his chest heaving, filled with monstrous rage and a deep sense of powerlessness. Within the hall, the atmosphere grew heavy to the point of suffocation; no one dared to object to this grand family design, so full of calculation and bias.
Just then, Qin Wudao, who had remained silent and seemingly detached from it all, slowly raised his head and looked at the high-and-mighty Mystic Ancestor.
"Ancestor, you are wrong."