Chapter Nineteen

The next morning, Wu Yan went to Green Cloud Manor with the invitation he had found the night before.

There is a visitor registration area 100 meters from the entrance of Green Cloud Villa.

Wu Si, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards who accompanied Prince Xiao Yu on this trip, was in charge of receiving the guests and checking their invitations.

Within a hundred meters, an imperial guard was stationed every two meters on both sides. The guards all wore silver iron helmets with red tassels, uniform silver-gray iron armor, and black mid-calf boots. They all held halberds in their right hands on either side.

In addition to the imperial guards, there were also banners fluttering in the wind on both sides, creating a powerful and imposing sight.

After Wu Yan's invitation was checked, he entered the manor. The manor was still heavily guarded, and there were also maids and servants coming and going.

"Great hero, this way please!"

As soon as Wu Yan entered, a maidservant came to guide him and led him to his seat at the assembly.

The main seat is vacant, presumably the seat of the Ninth Prince, Xiao Yu.

The first seat on the left belongs to Nie Hua, the leader of the Hengyue Sect, the current leading force of the righteous path.

From top to bottom, every one of these positions is held by a powerful and influential figure.

However, these powerful figures have not yet arrived. Those currently seated are either minor or major forces in the martial arts world, or heroes from various factions without any sect or affiliation.

Sure enough, everywhere, seniority or strength determines ranking.

Wu Yan sat down and waited for about 15 minutes. Basically, all the people had arrived and were chatting in twos and threes. After all, it was a rare grand gathering of the martial arts world, and few martial arts forces had failed to attend.

After a while, the person in charge of this grand event, Ninth Prince Xiao Yu, arrived. Everyone stood up and bowed in greeting.

After the Ninth Prince stood in front of his seat, he said to the crowd, "Please excuse me, everyone. I am a little late due to some business. I apologize for keeping you all waiting!"

"Thank you all for your righteousness in coming here to discuss the grand plan to eradicate the Yama Palace!"

"On behalf of the imperial court and the people persecuted by the Yama King, Xiao Yu expresses his gratitude to you all!"

"I have important matters to attend to today and it is not appropriate for me to drink alcohol. I, Xiao, will offer tea in lieu of wine to all of you heroes and valiant men!"

Xiao Yu picked up the teacup on the table and drank the tea in one gulp.

"When the Yama Palace was first established, it still had some chivalry. The people it killed were basically the most wicked villains in the martial arts world, so everyone in the martial arts world turned a blind eye. But who would have thought that the Yama Palace would commit so many evil deeds later!" Nie Yun, the leader of the Hengyue Sect, said regretfully.

Wu Yan, who was at the banquet, heard this and inwardly scoffed.

This person made his past behavior of protecting himself sound noble. If it weren't for the news of Tian Yang's treasure being leaked, these righteous people probably wouldn't have had any entanglement with the Yama Palace, let alone directly eradicate the Yama Palace.

If it weren't for the exposure of the evil deeds committed by the Yama Palace, these people would probably still be temporarily cooperating with the Yama Palace to search for the treasure.

A person of the righteous path is ultimately just a title!

Upon realizing he harbored such thoughts, Wu Yan sighed inwardly. He considered himself a scholar who had studied the classics, so how had he become someone who placed his hopes on others and made excessive demands on them?

"What Sect Leader Xiao said is very true. Since its establishment, the Yama Palace has killed many people who were wanted by the imperial court. Although it is against the law, it can be considered as helping the imperial court. Therefore, the imperial court has neither approved nor opposed it for many years, allowing the Yama Palace to develop to this day!"

"But based on the evidence we have now, the evil deeds committed by the Yama Palace in secret are simply heinous and outrageous!" Ninth Prince Xiao Yu also said regretfully.

"Your Highness, Sect Leader Xiao, the Yama Palace is abducting children and training assassins through infighting. It is extremely vicious, causing thousands of families to be torn apart! For this one thing alone, Yan Li and his subordinates deserve to die a thousand deaths!" a guest at the table said indignantly.

It seems this person is quite skilled at exaggerated storytelling!

"Yes, and that's not all. Ten years ago, Yan Liwei obtained clues about Tian Yang's treasure and massacred the Shen family. Dozens of members of the Shen family were killed, and even the dogs kept by the Shen family were not spared!"

"He's a member of the Shen family, yet he committed such a heinous act!"

"The Yama Palace should be eradicated, and Yan Li should be killed!"

"He deserves to die!"

"He deserves to die!"

"He deserves to die!"

Many people at the table echoed this sentiment, and the atmosphere could be described as one of intense public outrage.

Wu Yan looked at the indignant expressions of the crowd before him.

One by one, the various evil deeds committed by the King of Hell, whether true or false, with or without evidence, were all recounted by the people at the banquet.

They were determined to portray Yan Li and his Yama Palace as utterly wicked, as if this would bury their true intentions of seeking clues to the treasure.

What a Justice League!

What a grand assembly to eradicate the Hall of Yama!

Absolutely wonderful!

"Gentlemen, the imperial court has been secretly investigating Yan Li's misdeeds for many years. These are the results of our investigations over the years, and I invite you to take a look!"

Xiao Yu gestured to the attendant behind him to review the Book of Evil Deeds of the Underworld one by one.

Those who had read the Book of Evil initially cursed in hushed tones, but as more and more people consulted it, the curses grew louder and louder, until finally, the combined curses seemed to threaten to tear down the roof.

Wu Yan also cooperated with the scene, venting the resentment he had held in his heart for many years: Yan Li, your death is one step closer!

"Everyone, everyone!" Xiao Yu's booming voice rang out, and everyone instantly fell silent!

Ninth Prince Xiao Yu has always kept a low profile, rarely venturing into the martial world, and even rarely interfering in court affairs. However, the internal energy transmission he just displayed suggests that his cultivation level is probably extraordinary!

He's keeping his abilities well hidden!

"I heard that the Shen family was destroyed by Yan Li ten years ago, and the clues to the treasure left by Senior Tian Yang to the Shen family were obtained by Yan Li. I have come here on His Majesty's orders to join the righteous warriors in annihilating the Yama Palace," Xiao Yu said.

Upon hearing Ninth Prince Xiao Yu's words, many people secretly thought to themselves that something was wrong. Was he trying to monopolize the clues by bringing up the emperor at this time?

Some people are not good at controlling and hiding their emotions, and their faces clearly show dissatisfaction. Others are good at pretending, and their emotions remain unchanged, as if they are waiting for the emperor's will.

Regardless, everyone's attention is focused on the treasure.

"Before I left Jinling City, His Majesty left an oral decree that after the destruction of the Yama Palace, all clues to the treasure would be handed over to you."

"The imperial court will not interfere in the search for the treasure after this. However, if any righteous person finds the treasure and there is any method of cultivation within it, please make it public. This way, Jinling will have more capable and righteous people, which will be a great help to our dynasty!"

Upon hearing Xiao Yu's words, the expressions of everyone present changed once again.

If Xiao Liunian were here, he would surely exclaim: "What a masterful writer Xiao Yu! His skill in drawing pie in the sky has reached a high level. I admire him greatly!"

He laid bare the hidden intentions of everyone at the banquet, and then declared that the imperial court would not interfere in the matter of the treasure. This not only set the court's position as being solely there to eliminate Yan Li, but also used the treasure to incite even greater murderous intent among the crowd.

What is unacceptable when it comes to profit?

For the next half hour, the group discussed the plan to eliminate the Yama Palace and set the time for the attack. After that, the group dispersed in twos and threes.