They won the Holy Grail War, but this turned out to be the Virtual Tree Universe.

Chapter 211 Tao Ran Driven Mad by Time and Responsibility

Just as predicted, Xuepu and Fenghuan were immediately healed on the spot and rushed to the council hall with great speed.

For both of them, the matter concerning the star core had to be explained; if it couldn't be explained clearly, their demise was inevitable.

It's not impossible that Danlei killed himself on the spot to establish his authority within the clan.

You have to understand that, in order to survive, they have, to some extent, sold off Luofu.

If I were killed now, wouldn't I become a sinner for all eternity?

Upon entering the council hall, the two dragon masters felt a chill run down their spines when they saw the frozen female corpse on the ground and the guards kneeling with their heads bowed and bound.

However, Xuepu and Fenghuan had not lived for nothing for nearly a thousand years. Despite feeling cold inside, they walked calmly toward their seats in the council hall.

However, Dan Lei didn't give these two greedy guys a friendly look.

Albion instantly possessed them, and the effect of halving their strength was precisely applied to their calves.

What happens when a person's lower leg suddenly loses its strength while walking normally? Anyone who has ever fallen knows.

So the two of them instantly fell forward, prostrate on the ground.

From an outsider's perspective, Xuepu and Fenghuan appeared to be intimidated by Danlei's power, their legs buckling as if they had committed a crime, which is why they collapsed to the ground.

Moreover, Dan Lei then preemptively accused the other party, saying with a serious expression...
"It seems that the two Dragon Masters already know what's going on."

Tell me, how did you collude with outsiders to transport the Star Core into the Lin Yuan Realm and put it into the Jianmu Xuangen Cave Heaven?

If you show remorse, I promise I can give you a quick death and spare you the torment of being imprisoned.

Dan Lei's promise here is completely insincere. If Xuepu and Fenghuan had the courage to face failure and death, they wouldn't have cooperated with the antimatter legion.

Sure enough, no sooner had Danlei finished speaking than Xuepu, who had just gotten up, shouted loudly.
"Danlei Dragon Lord, please watch your words. When did I collude with outsiders to transport the Star Core into the Lin Yuan Realm and put it into the Jianmu Profound Root Cave Heaven? Even if you want to deal with us, you should choose a better excuse!"

Regarding this issue, Dan Lei didn't immediately present evidence, but instead used a psychological approach.
"Hmph! Long Shi Xuepu, one of Yin Yue Jun Danfeng's mentors."

Danfeng was able to create the evil dragon in the Scale Abyss Realm, and your mentors deserve much credit for that.

As a result, after the incident, they all shirked their responsibilities completely and then tried to use the Dragon Master Council to completely replace the Dragon Lord's position, claiming it was to return power to the people.

What a joke.

Dan Lei's words distorted Xue Pu's expression, but he still suppressed his anger and said...

"Danlei Dragon Lord, are you planning to pursue my crimes from 720 years ago?"

Dan Lei shook his head, still answering seriously.

"No, I'm just wondering, you've lived in Luofu for nearly a thousand years, don't you have any feelings for this place? Why would you collude with outsiders to harm Luofu?"

Xuepu absolutely refused to admit that he had colluded with outsiders, so he denied it again.
"I'll say it again, we did not collude with outsiders!"

As he spoke, Xuepu tried to stand up to boost his momentum.

However, just as he got up, Dan Lei reduced the force of his leg by half, so he stumbled and fell down again.

At this point, anyone with half a brain could guess that Danlei was behind his inability to stand up, so he shouted again.
"Killing someone is just a matter of beheading them; what's the point of insulting me like this?"

Xuepu's fearless attitude towards violence made Danlei laugh.

So Dan Lei deliberately smiled and said
"Really, Master Long, have you spent nearly a thousand years cultivating your tongue? How can you be so stubborn?"

But it doesn't matter, words can lie, but memory can't.

The judge in charge of questioning, from the Ten Kings' Court, happened to be present. Whether the injustice was proven or not, he could tell at a glance.

Xuepu knew perfectly well that his memories were not to be revealed, so he retorted loudly once again.

"Danlei! Do you know what you're doing?"

I possess many secret techniques, yet you dare to allow outsiders to peruse my memories.

Do you know how much effort and sacrifice our entire Wisdom Clan made to sign the covenant with the Immortal Boat Alliance that would not pry into our secret techniques?
You should know that when Danfeng committed a serious crime and was arrested, the Immortal Boat Alliance never accessed his memories!

Dan Lei knew, of course, that as the Dragon Lord, he could not allow the Ten Kings to read Xue Pu's memories. This was a matter of principle, and if he agreed, it would be tantamount to betraying the interests of his race.

Therefore, Danlei's words just now were intentional.

At this moment, Dan Lei immediately stood up and said, following Xue Pu's words.

“What Master Long says makes sense. How about this, I will read your memories.”

By the way, there's nothing in your memory that I can't see, is there?

Xuepu certainly couldn't say that Danlei couldn't see his memories at this moment, because as the Dragon Lord, Danlei had access to all the clan's secret techniques.

As for his personal memories, he is now facing accusations of colluding with outsiders to smuggle star cores. What personal memories could be more important than clarifying this matter?

Therefore, Xuepu could not refuse, but could only delay.

He shouted again as Dan Lei approached.

"Wait! You cannot access my memories."

Seeing this, Dan Lei asked with great interest.

"Why?"

Xuepu sat up, trying to make himself look as virtuous and upright as possible, and said...
Because it's unfair!

Your desire to reclaim power is at odds with ours! The memories you access may be taken out of context or even modified! Therefore, they are invalid!
I believe that to access my memories, the Ten Kings of Fanghu should send someone over so that the Judge of the Questioning Script can read them.

Even if you were to read my memories and forcibly convict me of a traitor and kill me, it would still be difficult to convince the public!

Upon hearing Xuepu's words, Danlei shook his head helplessly.

“Dragon Master Xuepu, your theory has no foundation from the very beginning.”

Reclaim power? Reclaim what power?
The rule of the Dragon Lord is a long-standing tradition of the Vidyadhara clan.

You forcibly suppressed Bai Lu and restricted her growth, wasn't it to prevent her from automatically gaining the power of the Dragon Lord once she grew up?
After all, your plan to have the Dragon Master Council replace the Dragon Lord's power is doomed to fail in Luofu.

This is a brain-dead idea that, if implemented, other immortal dragon lords would immediately send people to suppress it.

But now, I am the Dragon Lord.

"With Lord Yin Yue absent, Luo Fu is now under my command. You disagree?"

Here, Xuepu really wanted to protest, but he didn't dare.

Because violating ancestral rules is a serious crime that can lead to imprisonment, Danlei could use this excuse to throw him into the prison.

At that point, Danlei will have plenty of ways to slowly destroy himself.

However, just as Xuepu was getting stuck on both sides, a male voice came from outside the ceremonial hall, rescuing him from his predicament.
"Lord Danlei Dragon Lord, our Lord Xuepu is naturally not convinced!"
He had lived a life of absolute authority for over seven hundred years, and suddenly someone appeared above him who could manipulate him at will. How could he possibly submit?

The speaker was Long Shi Taoran, and behind him were other members of the Long Shi Council.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Long Shitao's right leg was indeed broken. He was now walking into the council hall with a cane, limping along.

Moreover, Dan Lei clearly sensed that his face and body bore traces of the Cloud Chanting Technique disguise.

It seems that after nearly thirty years, the mutations on his body can no longer be concealed.

Dan Lei then asked
“Dragon Master Tao Ran, surely our Chiming clan’s medical conditions are such that we can’t even cure a common fracture?”

What do you mean by this?

In response to this question, Tao Ran cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.
"My injury will heal in two or three days. Now that Luofu is under attack, I won't take up any medical resources."

After all, the Alchemy Department has been working non-stop.

After saying this, Tao Ran directly addressed Han Ya, who was standing beside Dan Lei.

"Judge Crow, now it's time for our Luofu Chiming's internal affairs."

Please move to the outside of the council chamber and wait.

Tao Ran was acting according to the rules; Han Ya and the other members of the Ten Kings' Offices were indeed not qualified to listen in on the proceedings in the council hall.

Xuepu hadn't mentioned this before because Danlei had preemptively spoken up, and he hadn't thought of it at the time.

Tao Ran was clearly much more experienced than Xue Pu, so he brought this up right away.

Now that Luo Fulongshi is here, Dan Lei can't force Han Ya and the others to stay.

After all, not all Dragon Masters participated in the cooperation with the Antimatter Legion.

Most of the people inside still don't fully understand what happened.

Knowing that he couldn't break the rules of the game right now, Danlei could only say to Hanya...
"Crow, you lead the team to surround the council hall. From now on, not a single person, not even a soul, can be allowed to leave."

The Pearl Guardians, Haiyue Team One, and Shenjiao Team Seven, in coordination with Judge Hanya.

Dan Lei spoke, and Han Ya naturally led the team out of the council hall. Knowing the seriousness of today's events, He Tian and A Gu naturally did not slack off and immediately summoned the team members who were not on duty after leaving the building.

After the council chamber doors closed, Dan Lei looked at the room full of dragon masters and finally said to Tao Ran...
"Dragon Master Tao Ran, it has now been discovered that the Star Core was brought into the Scale Abyss Realm by the priest who placed the Wisdom Egg."

She was acting on orders from the Dragon Master Council.

Long Shishaoying witnessed the entire process and can testify to this.

As soon as Dan Lei said this, the Dragon Masters below started discussing it, because many of them really didn't know how the Star Core entered the Jianmu Mystic Root Cave Heaven.

However, to Dan Lei's surprise, Tao Ran openly admitted...

“I know, it was I who ordered her to put the star core into the Jianmu Mystic Root Cave Heaven.”

Tao Ran publicly confessed his crimes, immediately causing another uproar among the other dragon masters.

Upon seeing this, Dan Lei roared.

"quiet!"

The council chamber fell silent the next second.

Dan Lei, his face contorted with malice, spoke to Tao Ran.

"Did you plan this all by yourself?"

Tao Ran shook his head and said

"No, Xuepu and Fenghuan both helped."

At this moment, Shao Ying, who had been silently observing, suddenly asked...
"Why do this? Lord Taoran, you should know how much harm Luofu Chiming's help in the rebirth of Jianmu has done to our clan."

It's likely that the entire Luofu Chiming will never be able to hold its head high in the Immortal Boat Alliance.

"They might even face retribution."

Tao Ran directly addressed this question.
"Of course I know, but the Luofu Vidyadhara is about to become a thing of the past."

For the sake of the continuation of my people, I must do this.

After saying that, Tao Ran turned to Dan Lei and said
"Danlei Dragon Lord, you may not know this, but the attack on Luofu this time was a joint operation by the Great Lord of Annihilation Huanlong, the Great Lord of Annihilation Xingxiao, and the Great Lord of Annihilation Tiemu."

With the three Great Lords of Annihilation attacking Luofu simultaneously, I see no chance that Luofu might survive.

Therefore, in order to prevent the destruction of my clan, I took Xuepu and Fenghuan and surrendered to the Great Lord Jue Mie.

The mastermind behind this attack, the Great Ruler of Annihilation, Huanlong, promised that as long as we help her, Luofu Chiming will spare no one except for those who resist.

Upon hearing Tao Ran's words, the Dragon Masters who were unaware of the situation turned pale.

After all, the combined might of the three Great Lords of Annihilation is truly terrifying.

At this moment, Dan Lei silently made a note of all the people whose expressions changed little. These guys might also have problems, and he would have to deal with them slowly later.

However, the most important thing now is to boost our confidence.

So Danlei said directly
"You underestimated it. There were not only three Annihilation Monarchs, but also a large antimatter legion fleet, which should be Star Howl's direct forces."

After Dan Lei said this, the council hall fell silent again, because those who could become Dragon Masters were not stupid. Dan Lei's calmness must mean he had something to rely on.

Seeing the expectant looks on everyone's faces, Dan Lei didn't keep them in suspense and said directly.

"You also know that I am on good terms with the Wisdom Commander Black Tower."

Therefore, before I returned to Luofu, I had already requested support from the Black Tower, and the genius Ruan Mei and the Emperor of the Screw Star, Screw Gum, would also come to support me.

To be honest, I think even three Jue Mie Da Jun wouldn't be enough to defeat them, plus General Jing Yuan.

Besides, I'm here. Even if I can't defeat the Great Lord of Annihilation, I can still hold him off.

After saying that, Dan Lei turned to Tao Ran and asked...

"Long Shitaoran, is there anything else you want to say?"

Tao Ran straightened his chest and raised his head, saying

"That's all. In my entire life, I have given everything I could for the future of the Vidyadhara clan."

I've been a good person, a villain, and a bad person; I've tried everything I could.

So, there's nothing to regret, Lord Danlei, give the order.

Tao Ran's heroic appearance here suggests he knows Dan Lei wouldn't kill them directly under these circumstances, but would instead send the three of them to the prison.

If Dan Lei really manages to defeat Huan Long and the others, then he can just wait for his molting and reincarnation.

The number of Vidyadharas who die is decreasing, and since I am a Dragon Master, the Dragon Masters present will surely protect their own reincarnation in order not to set a precedent of a Dragon Master committing a crime and entering Nirvana.

At that time, there will be more things that can be done, and it won't be impossible to preserve memories and reincarnate under Dan Lei's nose.

If Danlei fails in the future, Taoran knows that it will be the same no matter where he stays.

If Huanlong keeps his promise, he and the Wisdom Clan can live.

If she doesn't keep her promise, then I will perish along with Luofu Chiming, and there's nothing more to say then.

All I can say is that Tao Ran is far superior to Xue Pu and Feng Huan, those two who only know how to fight for power and profit.

If it weren't for the years and responsibilities that had driven him completely mad, Danlei wouldn't have really wanted to deal with him.

However, Dan Lei couldn't directly kill anyone here, as it would cause the other Dragon Masters to feel insecure, and if he were not there, Luo Fu Chi Ming would be in chaos.

To ensure their continued presence in the cosmic arena, the Dragon Masters couldn't be wiped out all at once. Therefore, Dan Lei stated...
"As the Dragon Lord of Wisdom, I ordered that Tao Ran, Xue Pu, and Feng Huan be stripped of their Dragon Master qualifications and transferred to the Dark Prison."

The remaining Dragon Masters, due to their ineffective handling of the Jianmu Xuangen, were confined to the council hall for a week to reflect on their actions.

For one week, no one is allowed to enter or leave, and no information is allowed to leave.

(End of this chapter)