Seeing that Huo Yang still refused to give up and wanted to argue, the elders no longer spared him any face. They said bluntly, "Huo Jinchuan also told us that you kept Fang Meng'er's corpse, trying to bring her back to life. That's what caused the Heavenly Punishment…"
"How could anyone else possibly know about this?" Huo Yang shot back.
"How long are you going to keep denying it?" the elders pressed.
Disappointment showed on their faces. Even the Ninth Elder and Fifth Elder looked stunned.
"Patriarch, is what they say true? Do you even know what you're doing?"
Resurrecting the dead, incurring Heavenly Punishment, the clan's Luck plummeting…
Was Huo Yang out of his mind?
His expression suddenly changed, a flash of panic and shock crossing his face.
Besides himself, only three people knew of this—Song Wanníng and Baili Shang were in the Immortal Palace, so it should not have been them.
But Huo Jinchuan was definitely in the Immortal Palace…
Could there be some terrifying figure behind the scenes controlling everything?
Huo Yang had no strength to argue back. Even he did not believe the accusations once spoken aloud.
In the end, he could only say, "Maybe it's that woman Song Wanníng. You've all seen how sinister she is, and the kinds of things she's capable of are all over the place…"
If it was confirmed that Huo Jinchuan stole the treasures and could not return them, Huo Yang's position as clan leader would be on shaky ground. He had fought hard to reach this point and would never allow such a thing to happen. Yet he still hadn't realized the gravity of the situation.
The elders sighed and told him plainly, "Patriarch, your Luck has worsened and it is affecting the entire Huo clan's Luck. If the treasures can't be recovered, then you must voluntarily step down as Patriarch."
Their demand was direct and merciless. Huo Yang's face turned pale.
"I've served the Huo clan like a beast of burden for hundreds of years. Are you going to turn your backs on me just over this?"
His eye twitched with anger, feeling these people were heartless.
"Those are more than forty precious clan treasures. Even you, as Patriarch, cannot afford this cost. Asking you to step down is already showing great mercy. If this were another clan, you might lose your life!"
They were already making concessions out of respect for Huo Yang's years of service. If Huo Yang refused to accept their terms, they would no longer hold back.
"You—" Huo Yang glared at them in shock and fury but could not say a word. Even the Fifth Elder and Ninth Elder, who usually stood by his side, did not speak for him.
"Fine, fine—I will definitely get the treasures back!"
He was furious and deeply disappointed in these people.
He swore to retrieve the treasures and make them regret how they had treated him.
...
Song Wanníng was completely unaware of the turmoil in the Huo clan.
They had found a safe place and took out all the treasures.
Song Wanníng was not shy about it. After all, Baili Shang risked his life and exerted great effort to lure out the Huo clan elders.
"These are the treasures taken from the Huo clan. Pick half that you like."
She generously placed the treasures on the ground. The glowing orbs faded, leaving the items clearly displayed before them.
"So many?"
Baili Shang's eyelids twitched as he thought to himself how ruthless Song Wanníng was. These treasures carried a special aura. They were clearly top-tier.
To steal over forty of these treasures, no wonder the Huo clan was panicking.
"You take these!" he said, giving Song Wanníng a thumbs up. His admiration was endless. But thinking about Huo Yang's breakdown, Baili Shang's arrogance finally faded.
"Pft!"
Song Wanníng laughed and nodded in agreement. "I think so too."
She nodded earnestly, feeling quite proud of herself. This feeling of stealing treasures was simply too satisfying.
"Next time we face Huo Yang, we'll use these treasures against him. If he really pisses us off, we'll just detonate them all and see if he dies of heartbreak!" Song Wanníng said with a mischievous smile, looking downright evil.
Baili Shang couldn't help but laugh. "I'm starting to think you're pretty cruel…"
"Tell me if this idea satisfies your anger?"
Song Wanníng raised an eyebrow, her eyes gleaming with a strange light.
Baili Shang laughed again. "Definitely. It satisfies me immensely. I want to see Huo Yang break down in person. Only then can we relieve the pressure of being hunted all this time."
They were supposedly there under the pretext of studying alchemy, but Huo Yang tried to kill them instead.
Whatever happened, Huo Yang deserved it.
"Then hurry and choose."
Song Wanníng wasn't very interested in the treasures themselves. What mattered more was improving her own strength. Treasures were just external aids.
Baili Shang didn't say much. He picked ten items useful to him and left the rest untouched.
Song Wanníng understood and took the remaining treasures without hesitation.
Neither of them liked fake politeness or empty refusals. It was pointless. After dividing the treasures, they rested for the night and prepared to set out again.
"Where are we going next? Back to the Four Domains or stay here longer?"
Their goal had been achieved, and there seemed little reason to remain.
But Song Wanníng shook her head. "Since we're in, we can't just leave.
The reason the Huo clan dared to come down on us so ruthlessly is because no one from the Four Domains can enter here.
They have always looked down on the Four Domains, acting high and mighty around us." Song Wanníng narrowed her eyes. To merge the Spirit Realm and the Lower Realm, the first step was to break the barrier.
Once the barrier was damaged and spiritual energy spilled out, the Four Domains would benefit greatly.
The people of the Central Domain would no longer be able to look down on the Four Domains. Sooner or later, the Four Domains would catch up.
"You—"
Baili Shang was shocked by Song Wanníng's ambition. She was just a lowly cultivator, yet she wanted to dismantle the barrier?
Even after years of painstaking research, he himself only knew how to form barriers, not destroy them.
Song Wanníng's aspirations were simply too grand.
He found this woman before him confusing.
She didn't seem the type to meddle selflessly, yet sometimes her actions were contradictory.
"If you don't want to come, we can part ways now."
Song Wanníng did not insist, but deep down she hoped Baili Shang would stay. He was skilled in array formation and might prove useful. She herself wasn't confident. She was relying mostly on incredible Luck to try this once.
Baili Shang smiled bitterly.
"We've been through life and death together. How could I leave? I want to see how amazing this barrier really is!"