Chapter 226: The City Lord Arrives in Person, the 9 Great Clans Gather, Here to Condemn?

"Is... is that really the City Lord?!"

Someone cried out in shock!

The newcomer was none other than the Hong Kong Island City Lord, the one who wielded the highest authority on the island and was himself a Peak Emperor Realm Powerhouse!

And beside the City Lord, a figure with fiery red hair, wreathed in faint streams of flame, made everyone’s pupils constrict in shock as well!

The Flame Emperor!

Of Hong Kong Island’s twelve Emperors, ten were Elders from the Ten Great Clans, who usually lived in seclusion.

The other two were the Flame Emperor and the City Lord himself!

The Flame Emperor was the youngest of them.

And the City Lord was widely acknowledged as the strongest!

Eleven figures slowly descended from the sky.

Besides the City Lord and the Flame Emperor,

the other nine also had extraordinary auras. They were the patriarchs of the other nine of Hong Kong Island’s Ten Great Clans, all except the Mu Family!

The City Lord in person! The Flame Emperor arriving! The Nine Great Clans all gathered!

This spectacle was too immense!

’Why is the City Lord here? Could he also be here to condemn her?’

’If that’s really the case, then even if Gu Yuexi and that mosquito have heaven-defying abilities, there’s absolutely no way they can escape!’

Seeing this group arrive, Mu Xiong’s face instantly filled with ecstasy and smugness.

He pointed at Gu Yuexi and shouted harshly:

"Gu Yuexi! Do you see this? The City Lord himself is here, the Flame Emperor is present, and the Ten Great Clans are gathered! No matter what tricks or schemes you have, you won’t be able to escape today even if you grew wings!"

"Heh heh, even if you flee back to the Continent, with the City Lord’s esteemed status, a single arrest warrant would leave you with no place to hide in the entire Great Xia!"

’A Future Empress isn’t a real Empress!’

’As long as the City Lord gives the order, then even with her heaven-defying abilities, Gu Yuexi can only obediently submit to her fate today.’

In Mu Xiong’s mind,

the City Lord hadn’t appeared on the day Gu Yuexi cleared the Heart Sea Glazed Tower, yet he chose to come today of all days. What other reason could there be? It must be because Gu Yuexi’s deception had offended the City Lord’s dignity!

And the other Nine Great Clans? They had spent this whole time practically fawning over Gu Yuexi, offering her resources, only to find out in the end that they had all been fooled.

Therefore, the Nine Great Clans must also be here to condemn her!!!

It wasn’t just Mu Xiong who thought this; most of the people present believed the same.

As expected!

Hearing Mu Xiong’s words, the City Lord frowned slightly. His gaze then swept past the crowd, landing on the proud, standing girl and the strange mosquito on her shoulder.

Without a word, the City Lord suddenly began to walk toward Gu Yuexi.

With every step, the formless pressure grew heavier, as if the entire sky was slowly bearing down on them.

This wasn’t a Spirit-based pressure; the City Lord wasn’t using any power.

It was a natural, intangible aura of a superior being that he possessed. If one had to describe it with a single term, it would be... "Kingly Dominance."

Under this aura, a feeling of submission welled up involuntarily in the hearts of everyone around. And Gu Yuexi, who was being stared at by the City Lord and stood at the center of the aura, was clearly the most affected.

However, even under this aura, Gu Yuexi remained standing perfectly still, her expression not changing in the slightest.

Her cold, clear eyes met the City Lord’s gaze calmly, without a trace of evasion or fear.

Meanwhile, Chu Sheng, perched on her shoulder, was even more outrageous. He completely ignored the City Lord’s presence and even began toying with Gu Yuexi’s hair out of boredom.

...

Seeing this, everyone was once again shaken to the core!

’As expected of the Future Empress. Even the City Lord can’t suppress her disposition and bearing in the slightest!’

’But...’

’What good is a strong disposition now?’

’You’re about to fucking die, so what are you still posturing for?’

’Why not take this chance before the City Lord acts and hurry up and beg for mercy?’

Even Shepherd Mountain was extremely anxious at this moment:

’Just yield a little!’

’With Gu Yuexi’s aptitude, if she just relented, things might not be hopeless!’

Finally.

The City Lord arrived in front of Gu Yuexi.

An invisible aura clashed between the two, and the air seemed to freeze.

Just then, Gu Yuexi’s calm expression finally changed.

It wasn’t pleading, nor was it fear... but a faint smile, tinged with a slight disdain.

BOOM!

In an instant, everyone on site felt like their brains were about to explode!

’Wait, what does that mean?’

’Is she looking down on the City Lord? Mocking the City Lord?!’

Just as everyone thought the City Lord was about to erupt in a thunderous rage,

a smile slowly spread across his face:

"Heh heh, truly befitting of the Future Empress."

"It seems the rumors about the Heart Sea Glazed Tower are true. I didn’t quite believe it before, but seeing Miss Gu today, I can confirm it."

Gu Yuexi’s expression remained unchanged:

"Thank you for the compliment."

"If I may ask, Your Excellency the City Lord, what brings you here in person?"

"City Lord, are you also here to condemn me?"

As her words fell, the scene went quiet for a few seconds. It was as if everyone’s heart had skipped a beat.

’Wait, she dares to speak to the City Lord like that?’

However, the City Lord remained as calm and unfazed as ever:

"Heh heh."

"Who said I was here to condemn you?"

As soon as the City Lord said this, the entire crowd was stunned.

’He’s not here to condemn her? This is completely different from what we expected.’

Mu Xiong immediately grew anxious and took a step forward.

"City Lord! This Gu Yuexi fabricated her identity and deceived everyone! Her actions are malicious! If she isn’t dealt with severely, what will become of Hong Kong Island’s rules?"

"Regardless, I believe she should be arrested first! Even if she isn’t killed on the spot, she must be handled with severity!"

"Rules?"

The City Lord shot Mu Xiong a faint glance.

Just a single glance.

Mu Xiong was like a duck with its neck wrung; all sound from him ceased abruptly.

"Since when were you qualified to speak of rules before me?"

"Patriarch Mu, if I recall correctly, Gu Yuexi hasn’t used any of your Mu Family’s resources. Why are you so agitated?"

’That’s right!’

’Gu Yuexi seems to have rejected all of the Mu Family’s resources, so it’s not his place to be angry, is it? Why is he so worked up?’

Reminded by the City Lord, the crowd finally realized this.

At the same time, the City Lord turned his gaze to the patriarchs of the other Nine Great Clans, as well as Chen Shouzheng.

"Since we’re on the topic of resources, let’s ask the other Nine Great Clans, and the chancellor of Hong Kong University."

"Everyone, what are your thoughts on Gu Yuexi’s use of resources?"

"Do you feel that Gu Yuexi should be apprehended?"

Upon hearing this,

someone from the Nangong Clan was the first to speak up: "Reporting to the City Lord, although Gu Yuexi is from the Continent and not Hong Kong Island, both the Continent and Hong Kong Island are part of the Great Xia. Why must we draw such a clear line?"

"With her talent, it’s only right for our Nangong Clan to expend some resources on her. It is the Nangong Clan’s honor to be able to cultivate a future Top Notch powerhouse for the Great Xia."

Beside him, the Patriarch of the Ye Family nodded as well. "Although it would be better if Gu Yuexi were a Hong Kong Islander, since she could bring glory to our Hong Kong Island."

"But even if she’s not, it’s not to the point of arresting her, let alone killing her. My Ye Family isn’t so petty as to haggle over a few resources."

...

After the Nangong Clan and the Ye Family, the other patriarchs chimed in one after another, all expressing similar sentiments.

Of the Nine Great Clans, not a single one was here to condemn her!

Finally, it was Hong Kong University’s Chancellor, Chen Shouzheng’s turn. He stepped forward and spoke in a calm tone:

"I won’t speak on the matter of resources, but rather on the matter of the recent academy tournament."

"Everyone witnessed the situation in the Secret Realm. Under those extreme circumstances, Gu Yuexi and her Contracted Beast managed to save more than half of the personnel, a great merit in itself. To be honest, even if she had chosen to leave on her own back then, it would have been perfectly understandable."

"Therefore, not only is Gu Yuexi innocent, she is meritorious!"

Halfway through, his tone shifted, and his gaze turned sternly toward Zhao Hongwu and the others:

"In contrast, certain high-level members of our university staff, instead of solving the problem, allowed their personal emotions and prejudices to nearly cause a major disaster!"

"Zhao Hongwu, you are suspended from your position as dean, pending investigation. All other involved personnel will be dealt with accordingly!"

Hearing this, Zhao Hongwu’s entire body trembled. He wanted to say something, but under Chen Shouzheng’s severe gaze, he closed his mouth and his body went limp.

Seeing this, the City Lord nodded slightly, his gaze falling back on Gu Yuexi:

"Well, Miss Gu, are you satisfied with how this was handled?"

Gu Yuexi’s gaze swept over everyone before finally returning to the City Lord, her expression softening slightly.

’The words of the Nine Great Clans might not be sincere, but this City Lord is actually quite decent.’

’For today’s matter, not completely turning hostile is indeed the best course of action.’

"Oh, then thank you, City Lord."

Gu Yuexi gave the City Lord a slight nod, then continued:

"Since none of you are here to kill me, I’ll be leaving."

With that, Gu Yuexi actually ignored everyone and walked right past the City Lord, the Flame Emperor, the patriarchs of the Nine Great Clans...

And strode away.

’Huh? That’s it?’

’The City Lord came in person, and you just give an "Oh" and a "thank you," and then leave?’

Everyone was dumbfounded. Even the corner of the Flame Emperor’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch a few times.

Just then, Gu Yuexi, who had already walked some distance away, paused slightly:

"By the way, if the City Lord has any other business, you can talk to my Contracted Beast first."

"The one that is..."

"That damn mosquito."