There were a total of six kings and marquises appearing in the sky above the square. What shocked everyone even more was that there were no kings and marquises below the rank of marquis, and there were even top-ranking kings and marquises such as the Duke of Yanshan.
Shen Qian's expression was also solemn. Of the six kings and marquises present, only Qingcheng Marquis had some favor with him. The only other one, Yidao Marquis, might have some goodwill towards him because of Bai Fei. However, it was questionable how much this goodwill could influence the other party's judgment on important matters. Shen Qian estimated that at most, it would only make him impartial.
Among the remaining kings and marquises, Yanshan Gong goes without saying; even without Xu Nian and others as enemies, their positions were already worlds apart. Qin Zhaohou Qin Ba also harbored resentment towards him because of Qin Xiaoke's death during the Nine Heavens Struggle. Zhaoyuan Hou Jun Buping was a strongman who came from the Martial Arts Department and was in cahoots with Tianning Gong. He had also attacked Shen Qian in the Nine Heavens.
The last person was not familiar to Shen Qian. It seemed to be a polar marquis who had returned from overseas. Shen Qian had only heard the name of the person, but was not sure which faction the marquis belonged to, but neutrality was the most likely possibility.
This means that, based solely on their positions, four out of the six kings and nobles were hostile towards him, which naturally weighed heavily on Shen Qian's mind.
"Greetings to all the kings and nobles!"
Shen Qian quickly calmed down and bowed respectfully.
"Shen Qian, you just came from the Great Wilderness World?"
Qingcheng Hou stared intently at Shen Qian, lost in thought, before finally asking a question.
“Exactly.” Shen Qian nodded.
"Lord Qingcheng, let's cut to the chase and not forget that we are here on a mission from the Council of Kings and Marquises."
Lord Zhaoyuan suddenly sneered.
These words made Shen Qian frown, and also left the other martial artists present looking bewildered.
Marquis Qingcheng glanced at Duke Yanshan, who remained silent beside him, and after a slight hesitation, said, "Shenqian, we are here today on behalf of the Council of Kings and Marquises to publicly question you. You must answer every question truthfully. Do you understand?"
"I heard you clearly." Shen Qian had already guessed what was going on, but he nodded calmly.
"A day ago, Duke Yanshan sent a message to the Council of Kings and Marquises, saying that you had plotted to kill nearly fifty martial artists from the Mountain and Sea Realms, including Xu Nian, Guo Zhouyuan, and Nie Han, in the Great Wilderness World. Is this true?"
Marquis Qingcheng was clearly careful with his words and his tone was not harsh. He even gave Shen Qian a subtle wink, telling him to organize his thoughts properly. However, his words still caused an uproar in the square.
Not to mention others, even Li Muyi, Lin Sanmo and others who rushed over upon hearing the news were stunned.
After a brief silence, the crowd, finally realizing what had happened, erupted into a huge uproar.
Everyone looked at Shen Qian with suspicion and uncertainty. They only knew that the Mountain and Sea Team that entered the Great Wilderness World had been wiped out, but they never expected that there was another hidden story.
Since six kings and nobles have come forward to question Shen Qian, it means that the council of kings and nobles must have indirectly obtained part of the truth through some means... In other words, Shen Qian must be implicated.
"So that's how it is! I was wondering how there could be no survivors in the Great Wilderness, no matter how dangerous it was. It turns out there was a traitor among them!"
Why did they do this before sinking?
"Xu Nian was a madman to begin with, so it's not surprising that the two of them became enemies. But if he slaughtered his other companions to silence them, that would be utterly depraved!"
"..."
Some were filled with doubt, but many more felt boundless indignation.
The relatives and friends of the deceased who had gathered were now staring at Shen Qian with murderous eyes. If it weren't for the suppressive aura of the six kings, some of them might have already made a move.
"Nonsense!"
Ignoring the gazes around him, Shen Qian coldly said, "I did personally experience the battle in the Great Wilderness World, and even helped the Mountain and Sea Team hold back Zhu Yan so that they could set up the array scroll to induce the star to fall. But at the last moment, Xu Nian and the others did not notify me to evacuate, but instead fled the battlefield first."
"After I narrowly escaped death, both Zhu Yan and the Great Wilderness World were destroyed. On my way to the exit, I was ambushed by four of Duke Yanshan's personal disciples. After a fierce battle, I finally managed to kill the four of them!"
"The other surviving members of the squad were killed by Xu Nian and his group before I was ambushed, their purpose being to silence me."
These words, imbued with spiritual power, echoed across the plaza for a long time, leaving everyone stunned.
Because the same thing, when told by Shen Qian, would be completely different versions.
Is this really true?
Regardless of the discussions among others, the Marquis of Qingcheng's expression changed several times.
“Absolutely true,” Shen Qian said calmly.
What made Shen Qian frown deeply was that, apart from Qingcheng Marquis, Yanshan Duke and the others did not react much to these words, as if they had expected Shen Qian to say so.
“Lord Yanshan, what Shen Qian said is completely contrary to your speculation. I’m afraid this matter needs to be handled with caution. I suggest that we take Shen Qian back to the Council of Kings and Marquises and ask Minister Wu to take the lead in thoroughly investigating the truth before taking any further action.”
The Marquis of Qingcheng's expression was uncertain. After thinking for a while, he spoke.
"Heh, why not just imprison him in the Martial Arts Department's dungeon? Or do you really believe Shen Qian's one-sided story?"
Han Chi, who had been silent all along, finally spoke calmly, "Shen Qian's words are full of loopholes. The fall of a star is a cataclysmic disaster. Since Shen Qian did not take precautions in advance, how could he have escaped? Even if he had managed to escape by chance, it is utterly absurd that he not only escaped unscathed from the ambush by my so-called incompetent disciples, but also managed to kill four of them!"
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