Chapter 1376 Unexpected Support
Huo Laoban wore a faint smile, giving off an unfathomable aura. However, he wasn't arrogant enough to look down on others. After all, besides the Guardians, five Great Emperors were present. Whether he genuinely respected the five Great Emperors in his heart was irrelevant; what mattered was that he was currently a Guardian, not a Great Emperor. In this setting, as in any other, a Guardian facing a Great Emperor had to put on a proper show, lest he give others cause for criticism and attract unnecessary trouble.
Therefore, after rising, Huo Laoban immediately bowed respectfully towards the high platform. This bow was not directed at any single Great Emperor on the platform, but a collective bow to all five Great Emperors.
With a single glance from the Tong Continent Great Emperor, Huo Laoban understood his intention and decisively stepped into the eye of the storm. There was only one explanation for this situation: the two must have colluded long ago. Otherwise, how could they possess such a tacit understanding? Everyone present understood this.
However, some people, while understanding, were deeply shocked. They all knew that Huo Laoban was one of Luo Yao's trusted subordinates, a Guardian personally promoted by Luo Yao, and directly elevated without any selection process. It was no exaggeration to say that without Luo Yao's exceptional promotion, Huo Laoban would likely not be in the Guardian position today.
Luo Yao had bestowed the favor of promotion upon Huo Laoban, and Huo Laoban was one of Luo Yao's trusted subordinates. Logically, Huo Laoban should have stood with Luo Yao—if not dedicating himself to the utmost until death, then at least not opposing Luo Yao. Yet, from the current situation, Huo Laoban had clearly betrayed Luo Yao and thrown himself into the Tong Continent Great Emperor's embrace. Those who had previously seen no signs of this were naturally shocked.
The most shocked were some of the Guardians from the Jingling Continent Yin Division. This was because the Jingling Continent Yin Division's Guardians had undergone a major reshuffle under Luo Yao's hand; anyone who resisted Luo Yao, or even had the potential to resist him, was gone. Thus, the current Guardians of the Jingling Continent Yin Division were all Luo Yao's people. Yet now, a traitor had suddenly emerged. Naturally, they were the most shocked, and beyond shock, the vast majority of them, like Luo Yao, felt intense fury.
"You were a party involved in Luo Yao's competition for the Great Emperor position back then," the Tong Continent Great Emperor said, his voice cold and commanding as he looked down at Huo Laoban. "Now, in the presence of the other Great Emperors and all the Guardians of our Yin Division, tell everyone if I lied. In that competition for the Jingling Great Emperor's position, did Luo Yao cheat? Did he murder his colleagues? Did he use despicable means, sacrificing all his trusted subordinates to secure the Great Emperor position?"
The Tong Continent Great Emperor spoke to Huo Laoban with a sneer, condescendingly. His voice was very loud, resounding throughout the entire hall, as if he feared someone wouldn't hear if it were too low.
"The Great Emperor did not lie," Huo Laoban said with a faint smile. "And the cruelty of the truth even surpasses what the Great Emperor described. The methods were jaw-droppingly brutal, completely violating the laws of our Yin Division. As one of the parties involved in that bloody competition, I am very clear on the details. Furthermore, I can guarantee with my integrity that everything I've said is the truth, absolutely not a single word of deception. Besides, I wouldn't have the guts to lie in this kind of setting."
Compared to Huo Laoban's composure, Luo Yao's face was twisted with rage. At this moment, he felt intense regret, regretting that he hadn't steeled his heart to eliminate this insider back then. If he had had the heart to get rid of Huo Laoban, this insider, there would be no public betrayal today, and he wouldn't have fallen into such a passive situation!
However, regret was, after all, just regret. Reality would not change because of it. If one could pass through a fright without true danger, regret might alter tomorrow, but it could absolutely not change today. At this moment, Luo Yao's heart was filled with a torrent of negative emotions—fury, disappointment, regret—causing his body to tremble slightly. He even overlooked that he should immediately speak up to refute, not allowing Huo Laoban's statements to become confirmed. After all, in such circumstances, many would view silence as tacit agreement.
One side trembled with anger, while the other remained calm and composed. Coupled with Luo Yao's failure to immediately refute, many present had already begun to believe what Huo Laoban and the Tong Continent Great Emperor had said.
"Hmph!"
Yet, at this very moment, a cold snort echoed in the hall, drawing everyone's attention. Their gazes followed the sound to the Qing Shan Great Emperor, who at this moment wore a grim, very unpleasant expression.
"Becoming a Great Emperor of our Yin Division is not so simple," the Qing Shan Great Emperor declared. "Without employing some methods, without paying some price, wanting to successfully ascend to the Great Emperor position is simply a fool's dream. Of all the past Great Emperors who successfully ascended, who dares say they didn't use some special means during the competition? Who dares say they didn't pay a heavy price? Everyone knows these things; we just have an unspoken understanding. But that doesn't mean these things didn't happen. If a Great Emperor is to be impeached because of this, then all five Great Emperors of our Yin Division would probably have to be investigated. If we were to dig up all the old affairs from when we first became Great Emperors, I fear not a single one of us would be able to stand firm!"
The Qing Shan Great Emperor's words caused many people present to change their expressions, including Huo Laoban and the Tong Continent Great Emperor. Their smiles froze. Clearly, neither of them had anticipated the Qing Shan Great Emperor saying such things. What they had even less expected was that the Qing Shan Great Emperor would actually side with Luo Yao and utter such sensitive words to aid him.
Before today, the Tong Continent Great Emperor only knew that while the Qing Shan Great Emperor and Luo Yao weren't enemies, their relationship was far from good. Thus, he had never imagined that in a setting like today's, the Qing Shan Great Emperor would actually throw his full support behind Luo Yao and oppose him.
Just now, the Qing Shan Great Emperor's words and actions had seemed to lean towards helping Luo Yao, but in the Tong Continent Great Emperor's eyes, they were just trivial skirmishes, completely disregarded. However, the nature of the Qing Shan Great Emperor's current statement was entirely different. This was no longer a simple, casual favor; this was outright strong backing for Luo Yao. Because the Qing Shan Great Emperor's words were not only extremely potent, but they also dragged the Underworld Emperor and the Jun Prefecture Great Emperor into the fray. How much this move would offend others, he knew full well, and he believed the Qing Shan Great Emperor knew it just as well.
However, what he truly couldn't understand was why the Qing Shan Great Emperor, who had only an average relationship with Luo Yao, would do this. He even wondered if Luo Yao had secretly given the Qing Shan Great Emperor some benefit, which was why the Qing Shan Great Emperor would take such a big risk to speak up and help. Although he couldn't immediately uncover the truth of the matter, he was certain that there was a secret connection between Luo Yao and the Qing Shan Great Emperor that he was unaware of. Otherwise, based on his understanding of the Qing Shan Great Emperor, he absolutely wouldn't have done such a thing.
The Underworld Emperor and the Jun Prefecture Great Emperor, after hearing the Qing Shan Great Emperor's words, also showed considerable changes in their expressions. Their gazes towards the Qing Shan Great Emperor even carried a strong warning.
Just as the Tong Continent Great Emperor had suspected, the Qing Shan Great Emperor's words had dragged both of them into the mess, making it difficult for them to back down. This was because everything the Qing Shan Great Emperor said was the truth: if they were to dig up old grievances, then the methods they used when they first competed for the Great Emperor position were equally dishonorable and violated the Yin Division's laws. Therefore, not only did they not want to bring up these old affairs, they didn't even want to mention them.
For the Qing Shan Great Emperor to bring this up now, in front of all the Guardians of the entire Yin Division, it would be a miracle if they felt pleased!
Moonlit Night God
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