The flame was probably the Golden Mist Soul Flame, but it seemed much more powerful than previously known, and its color didn’t quite match what they remembered.

As Qin Ruching opened the sphere, a vague white shadow appeared inside.

At first, no one could identify it, but then the Fang family members started shouting.

“Ancestor!”

The sphere contained the Fang family’s ancestor, Fang Wuming!

This was an explosive revelation, unprecedented!

“Demon!” Fang’s Grand Elder yelled angrily at Qin Ruqing and then immediately kneeled before Feng Qinxue, demanding, “Director, Qin Ruqing is publicly imprisoning our ancestor’s soul and humiliating us. This violates family rules and undermines the authority of the Celestial Bureau ! How can you let this go unpunished?”

“Old man, don’t jump to conclusions. Just because you say it’s humiliation doesn’t mean everyone here is foolish enough to believe it,” Qin Ruqing interrupted calmly.

The Grand Elder of Fang Family 00was taken aback and noticed that others around seemed to be watching the spectacle rather than reacting seriously.

The Grand Elder’s face darkened.

Qin Ruching smiled and explained to Feng Qinxue, “The truth is, the Fang family openly violated family rules and attacked my ancestor Wenxuan during her tribulation. I arrived in time to rescue my ancestor and retaliated.”

“Is it wrong to fight back when attacked?”

Qin Wenxuan, standing firm, added, “My injuries are real, not faked.”

The onlookers nodded quietly, seeing that while she stood upright, her face was pale, and her aura fluctuated, clearly showing she was severely injured.

Elder Song San came forward to testify, “Director, Qin Ruqing acted in retaliation to save Wenxuan. I was present throughout and can attest to it. There’s also a recording stone as evidence.” He then handed over the recording stone (a copy, not the original).

Feng Qinxue nodded and instructed an attendant to keep the recording stone as it was crucial evidence for future reference.

“Please continue—this is the evidence you’re presenting?” Feng Qinxue gestured towards the purple-golden sphere.

Qin Ruching smiled calmly, “All our family members who participated in the Yingzhou War have perished, so there are no witnesses. However, Fang Wuming, the Fang family’s ancestor, is one of the few survivors of that battle. His testimony might be more credible.”

Saying this, Qin Ruching threw the purple-golden sphere forward.

The figure of the Fang family ancestor emerged from it, taking on a blurry, humanoid shape.

The Fang family members were furious and cried out, “Ancestor!”

Fang Wuming’s ancestor, a remnant soul, spoke up, revealing explosive information that stunned everyone. “During the Yinzhou battle, the Qin family’s eastern defensive line collapsed because of the Fang family’s interference.” The elders standing beside Fang Wuming exchanged bewildered glances.

Fang Wuming continued, “How did we interfere? We lured an excessive number of beasts to the Qin family’s line. At the time, their ancestor Qin Yingkun had gone missing, hiding in an ancient secret realm, and wasn’t actually dead. If the Qin family hadn’t been bogged down by the war, they might have been able to rescue him. Instead, they lost many of their high-ranking members on the battlefield, and the few sent to the secret realm were almost entirely killed by us. With their top leadership devastated, the Qin family’s decline was inevitable, even without the demotion.”

The soul’s laughter echoed, mocking, “They were not only foolish but stubbornly proud. Even after their demotion, they clung to their family status, scraping by on their former glory. But no, they refused! They even abandoned their family name to flee to Nanling! Hah! Is there anyone alive in that backwater?”

“In the end, the Qin family’s downfall was entirely their own doing. They have no one to blame but themselves. Hahaha!”

The Fang family representatives remained kneeling, dumbfounded, their mouths agape.

Their thoughts were consumed with a single realization: It’s over!

This time, they’re truly finished!

Feng Qinxue hadn’t expected Fang Wuming to confess so openly.

After a moment’s thought, she suspected an ancient soul-searching technique was at play and glanced at Song Minzheng, who was keeping his head down.

It seemed the Song family had brought this rare technique, proving their sincerity in supporting the Qin family.

With Fang Wuming’s confession, half the case was practically settled.

The Fang family could be fully blamed, clearing the Feng family’s reputation by shifting responsibility for the mishandling of the case to the Fang family’s deceit.

Feng Qinxue raised her voice, “Fang Wuming, is what you said true?”

The faint remnant of consciousness within the soul sensed something was wrong, but any resistance was swiftly quashed by the golden misty soul fire that Qin Ruqing maintained.

The soul, unable to resist, broke into another crazed laugh. “Of course, it’s true! Killing Qin Yingkun, seizing the divine pill secret manual, and using the Yinzhou battle to destroy the Qin family—three birds with one stone! Even as a soul, I’ll never forget it! Hahaha!”

The assembled family representatives exchanged complex glances; this old ghost was brutally honest.

Feng Qinxue gave a side-eye to the scribe(recorder), who immediately understood and unfurled a scroll, ready to document the confession.

The Fang family finally snapped out of their horror, with the elder hastily objecting, “Director Feng, the ancestor’s remnant soul might be under some demonic control; his words can’t be taken as truth!”

The Song family members, who had provided the soul-searching technique, were incensed by this insinuation, feeling it questioned their skills. “Elder Fang, just because you’re ignorant of soul-searching techniques doesn’t mean you should defame others. Your ancestor remembers everything, especially the ‘three birds with one stone’ triumph so clearly that he’s practically laughing about it. You should stop this futile struggle and accept the consequences.”

Song Minzheng, typically a stern Clan Leader within the Song family, displayed his sharp wit, leaving the Fang elder fuming, his face turning all shades of anger. The elder knew that, regardless of the soul-searching technique, admitting the ancestor’s “mad ramblings” was unthinkable.

Feng Qinxue interjected, addressing the Fang elder, “Your objections lack grounds. If you doubt Qin Ruqing’s handling of Fang Wuming’s soul, let me and Clan Leader of Feng Family jointly verify it for you. What do you say?”

The Fang elders exchanged worried looks.

They knew the truth of their ancestor’s confession all too well, but at this stage, they had no choice but to play along and hope for the best.

---

This courtroom drama continues to unfold with twists, showcasing the strategic moves, confessions, and escalating tensions between the powerful families.

Let me know if you’d like to dive deeper or explore more of the plot!

Feng Qinxue seemed to sense their reluctance and added, “If you think that the Celestial Bureau and the Fifth Clan Leader are not enough, perhaps you’d like to include Patriarch Lu as well?”

Patriarch Lu, holding a staff covered in intricate inscriptions, paused slightly but said nothing.

The representatives from the families, who knew the ins and outs of the situation, had subtle expressions.

It was understandable that the Fang family didn’t trust the two Celestial Bureau officials, as they had some connections with Qin Ruching.

They had cooperated with her before.

But the Lu family was their superior family! If even their superior family wouldn’t speak on their behalf, there was no point in struggling.

As Clan Leader Song Minzheng said, they might as well just admit their guilt and give up.

The Fang family had no more excuses to make.

So, Feng Qinxue, along with the Fifth Sheng and Patriarch Lu, advanced to inspect the remains of Fang Wuming’s soul.

The Grand Elder closed his eyes in despair.

A surge of hatred suddenly welled up inside him, thinking about why the Fang family had come to this point.

Who was to blame for this?

Was it that demon star, Qin Ruqing?

No!

Perhaps it wasn’t Qin Ruqing but Qin Wenxuan!

She should have stayed in Yingzhou and let the Qin family live in the shadow of the Fang family forever!

She shouldn’t have fled to the South Ridge with the remnants of the Qin family.

By establishing a new foothold in the South Ridge, the Qin family had become a lurking threat to the Fang family, leading to the creation of a vengeful monster like Qin Ruqing.

It was all Qin Wenxuan’s fault!

Suddenly, an unprecedented force burst forth from the Grand Elder’s body.

He condensed it into a blade of energy and, with a sudden burst of speed, charged toward Qin Wenxuan.

Everyone was shocked!

Who would have thought the Grand Elder of Fang Family would dare to attack at this critical moment?

Was he mad?

A cold, white hand grabbed the Grand Elder’s neck, stopping all his movements.

Qin Ruqing, the calmest among them, seemed to have anticipated this.

She sneered, “Luckily, I had low expectations of you. My bottom line was already quite low.”

The Grand Elder emitted a broken, raspy sound from his throat.

As he was held by Qin Ruqing, he looked at Qin Wenxuan with deep-seated hatred.

Unable to speak a complete sentence, his eyes were filled with venom, sending a chill down everyone’s spine.

But the Ancestor Wenxuan had seen many storms. She understood the intense emotions reflected in the Grand Elder’s eyes.

“You hate me? You think I shouldn’t have brought the Qin family back?”

“I should have bowed my head and let my clan be oppressed by the Fang family, should I?”

The Grand Elder’s eyes widened with more whites and prominent blood vessels.

He indeed seemed to think so.

Ancestor Wenxuan smiled slightly and said, “Only the Fang family clings to such a bandit’s logic in this world.”

“Do you think the Qin family’s defeat was their own fault, just as your Fang family’s current plight is merely a matter of winners and losers?”

The Grand Elder began to struggle in Qin Ruqing’s grasp.

“I want to tell you, you’re wrong!”

“The root of the disaster between the Qin and Fang families lies in your Fang family’s own treachery and foolishness!”

“The root of the Qin-Fang conflict lies in the exotic treasure. When you Fang family saw the treasure, you harbored ill intentions. You disregarded the bond between the two clans and resorted to theft and murder. Did you ever consider that if you had been straightforward, the Qin family might have been willing to share?”

The Grand Elder’s struggles suddenly ceased as he stared in disbelief at Qin Wenxuan.

Qin Wenxuan’s expression was calm:

“Narrow-mindedness is your epitaph, and malice is the last layer of dirt that buries you.”

“May the Qin and Fang families be forever estranged, and may we never meet again!”