C46 Dead

"If the Old Ancestor believes I am in the right, then let Qian Hai be struck by lightning!" Mo Changyou exclaimed with fervor.

"Mo Changyou certainly has guts," the elders nearby murmured, barely containing their laughter. Yet, in Qian Hai's presence, they restrained themselves.

After all, he was the Patriarch of the Qian family. Who in all of Black Rock City would dare to curse Qian Hai so openly?

Truth be told, not even the Patriarchs of the other two major families would dare to publicly denounce Qian Hai.

"You'll live to regret this once you're with the Qian family," Qian Hai retorted with a cold laugh.

The Third Elder's cronies also snickered and shook their heads in disdain.

Old ancestor?

Cultivators never put their faith in the power of ancestors.

"What a farce!"

"He's nothing but a foolish sixteen-year-old."

"Utterly laughable."

"What on earth is he thinking?"

The crowd jeered.

Yet, in that instant, unnoticed by all, a girl at the base of the Azure Dragon Pagoda furiously hurled a black stone to the ground.

"Old ancestor? No one can save you!" Qian Hai sneered inwardly, convinced of Mo Changyou's foolishness.

But then, in that moment.

A thunderous bolt of lightning descended from the Azure Dragon Pagoda. The fearsome bolt, thick as a fist, crashed down upon Qian Hai with unstoppable force.

Caught off guard, Qian Hai had no chance to defend himself.

He was struck in an instant, his face charred black, his skin seared.

As a warrior of the Spirit Fusion Stage, Qian Hai spat out blood and collapsed, his mind reeling in shock.

"Did the ancestor truly manifest?" he wondered, fear mingling with doubt.

But soon, he lost consciousness. The lightning's immense power was too much for Qian Hai to bear.

"My goodness!"

"Good heavens, the lightning strike happened. Mo Changyou was telling the truth; he was wronged."

"I can hardly believe it! It actually happened."

The disciples whispered among themselves, visibly shaken.

Even the Third Elder, who had been confidently observing the scene, was now utterly bewildered. He had expected things to unfold as he imagined, but instead, lightning had struck Qian Hai down.

What was happening here?

An ancestor? Third Elder Mo Yanglin found it hard to believe, yet the evidence was right before his eyes.

Naturally, this was all orchestrated by Mo Changyou. The black stone buried beneath was the real secret. The Azure Dragon, with only a sliver of its former memory and consciousness, was still able to assist Mo Changyou this one time.

However, Mo Changyou was slightly taken aback to find that Qian Hai had not perished.

"Third Elder, I've already told you I'm innocent. Now, because of you, Patriarch Qian has been struck by lightning and might never wake up again. Won't the Qian family come looking for you?" Mo Changyou said, feigning innocence as he rose to his feet.

Clearly, Mo Changyou was no longer in danger of losing his life. Even the Third Elder might be struck down by lightning. So, despite his desire to eliminate Mo Changyou, he dared not speak.

Daytime lightning was exceedingly rare, and it had almost claimed Qian Hai's life.

As the Third Elder prepared to counter Mo Changyou's claim that he was responsible for Patriarch Qian's lightning strike, Mo Changyou suddenly clapped him on the shoulder.

"Third Elder, though it was your insistence on taking Patriarch Qian away that led to his misfortune, it was ultimately due to our Mo family's ancestors. The Qian family surely won't hold you accountable. Moreover, all the disciples here can vouch that you didn't intentionally cause Patriarch Qian's lightning strike. Right, everyone?" Mo Changyou called out confidently.

Just moments before, the ancient ancestor had intervened on behalf of Mo Changyou. Now, none of the disciples dared to contradict him.

In their eyes, Mo Changyou was now the spokesperson for the ancient ancestor.

"Yes, Third Elder, please rest assured and return Patriarch Qian to his home. We can attest that you had no intention of causing harm."

"Third Elder, have no worries. We will bear witness for you."

"Third Elder, we assure you that your actions were not deliberate in harming Patriarch Qian; it was an unintentional error."

Several disciples emphatically pledged their honesty, with a few even offering to accompany the Third Elder to the Qian family's residence.

The Third Elder was seething with rage, grinding his teeth in frustration. He had summoned Patriarch Qian with the sole purpose of eliminating Mo Changyou, but instead, Patriarch Qian had been struck by lightning.

This had nothing to do with him!

Yet, all the disciples were now siding with Mo Changyou, convinced that the old ancestor had defended him.

In their minds, Mo Changyou had become synonymous with the Old Ancestor.

"Bring Patriarch Qian and come with me to the Qian family!" Mo Yanglin commanded furiously.

Clearly, Mo Changyou was not to blame, but his words had led everyone to believe that he was the culprit.

"Curse you, Mo Changyou! Once I've dealt with the Qian family, you're next!" The Third Elder was seething with rage, itching to take Mo Changyou's life then and there.

After decades of restraint, this was the first time he had felt such fury.