Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! Chapter 484 Righteousness and Hypocrisy

The concluding remarks of Wen Haoyu reverberated through the spacious chamber.

The Emperor's eyes gradually turned toward Bai Zihan.

"Bai Zihan, do you acknowledge the accusations leveled against you?"

Numerous gazes fastened upon the isolated young man positioned in the heart of the assembly.

Bai Zihan showed no delay.

"Acknowledge?" His voice stayed composed. "What proof does he possess?"

"Certainly," Bai Zihan went on, his look scanning the assembled crowd, "the Imperial Court wouldn't decide guilt merely on the basis of one individual's statement?"

His stare briefly connected with the Emperor's.

"Or does a single testimony prove enough for condemning my clan?"

The underlying message rang evident.

Someone lacking proof and merely accusing would have felt anxious and responded feebly.

Yet rather than becoming agitated—

Wen Haoyu grinned assuredly.

"Naturally," he stated, offering another slight bow, "just words wouldn't be adequate." He lifted his hand.

A translucent relic materialized in his grasp.

It appeared circular, see-through, emitting a soft inner radiance—its exterior rippling with subtle spiritual glow.

"The Memory Crystal Mirror!"

A wave of whispers spread among the assembled influential figures.

An item able to capture occurrences precisely as they happened.

Hard to counterfeit.

Wen Haoyu channeled a thread of spiritual power into it.

Brilliance burst forth from the crystal.

The space over the assembly wavered—

And a vision emerged.

The display revealed the entrance gates of the Azure Sun Holy Sect. Next—

It presented scenes of Bai Clan individuals slaughtering the disciples and elders of the Azure Sun Holy Sect.

The depiction wasn't lengthy.

However, it proved vivid and decisive.

Bai Zihan observed in silence.

His face showed no alteration.

He soon comprehended.

Wen Haoyu had captured this prior to his vanishing. Evidently, he hadn't fled right away but lingered briefly to collect this proof.

Wen Haoyu had truly readied himself thoroughly.

The vision concluded.

The crystal faded.

A heavy quiet descended over the assembly.

The outcome, at minimum on the surface, stood irrefutable.

The Bai Clan had assaulted the Azure Sun Holy Sect.

They had razed it.

The Emperor's eyes shifted back to Bai Zihan.

"Do you wish to comment on this proof?"

The Emperor inquired, now with the clear inflection of questioning a wrongdoer.

Every gaze centered on the solitary form under the dragon throne.

Yet Bai Zihan displayed no agitation either.

"No!"

Bai Zihan declared.

Whispers surged through the chamber, as his adversaries sensed the Bai Clan was at last facing impeachment.

In contrast, allies of the Bai Clan, such as Chu Xing, couldn't resist shaking their heads.

Despite the unmistakable images, outright confession wasn't wise.

Although the visuals were sharp and final, opportunities existed to navigate or contest them.

Still, he recognized it stemmed from Bai Zihan's youth and limited familiarity with these situations.

Regardless, they would certainly levy the severest penalty feasible on the Bai Clan.

By that point, he would need to assist the Bai Clan in at least lessening the harshness of the

penalty.

Li Jianhong promptly capitalized on the opportunity.

"Your Majesty!" he advanced, bowing profoundly. "The Bai Clan assaulted the Azure Sun Holy Sect without provocation. They butchered elders and claimed resources. Proof abounds, and Bai Zihan confesses. We demand harsh retribution!"

A few more expressed support.

"The Empire must preserve order!"

"If such deeds go unpunished, what value does Imperial power retain?"

"Today it's the Azure Sun Holy Sect. Tomorrow, who can say?"

The tension in the chamber mounted gently.

Spiritual energies churned under calm facades.

Bai Zihan stayed unperturbed.

The Emperor held back from responding right away.

His stare rested on Bai Zihan.

The Emperor lifted a hand marginally.

The chamber quieted anew.

"With nothing to add, do you confess to assaulting the Azure Sun Holy

Sect?"

The Emperor questioned.

"Yes!"

Bai Zihan replied forthrightly, to the satisfaction of his foes.

The Emperor's mouth opened.

The royal edict was taking shape.

"The Bai Clan, for the assault—"

"Hold!"

The lone term sliced sharply through the chamber.

A stir coursed through the influential assembly.

The Emperor's eyebrows creased faintly. His look intensified on the young man

beneath the dragon throne.

"You disrupt an Imperial pronouncement," he stated steadily. "Do you have more

to express?"

Bai Zihan held his stare without any hint of alarm.

"Indeed, I do!"

His manner carried an almost offhand quality—so effortless that even the Emperor scowled

reflexively.

Bai Zihan was genuinely regarding him like an ordinary individual.

The Emperor's demeanor chilled.

"Speak!"

Bai Zihan inclined his head a bit.

"Your Majesty intended to pronounce the Bai Clan culpable, right?"

The Emperor responded promptly.

"Right! With the proof exposed and your confession, punishment must follow."

"And the basis for that? Why is my Clan at fault?"

Bai Zihan inquired.

For the initial occasion, bewilderment flashed over multiple visages in the chamber.

"Why?"

The Emperor echoed, his tone even but laced with annoyance.

"Because the Bai Clan attacked another sect without valid grounds. They breached

Imperial regulations and upset the Empire's equilibrium."

The logic proved straightforward. Blunt. Legitimate.

Various officials and chiefs nodded.

But Bai Zihan merely offered a subtle smile.

"Who claimed," he queried gently, "that we lacked reason?"

Quiet returned.

The Emperor's eyes tightened marginally.

"What rationale," he demanded, tone controlled, "could warrant the annihilation of

the Azure Sun Holy Sect?"

All attentions swung to Bai Zihan.

Bai Zihan's composed bearing had never faltered.

Wen Haoyu grew uneasy, aware that revealing the truth would brand him like a demonic cultivator.

However, after looking toward Li Jianhong and Zhao Wutian, then gradually at the

Emperor, his assurance resurfaced.

Backed by such support, why fear Bai Zihan?

Bai Zihan folded his hands behind.

Then he uttered.

"Because I desired to."

The statement held neither volume nor intensity.

Still, in the oppressive hush of the Imperial Court— It exploded like thunder.

Briefly, nobody responded.

Even the Emperor's face stiffened. "...What was that?"

The Emperor posed deliberately.

Bai Zihan's look stayed firm.

"I stated," he restated serenely, "The cause for invading the Azure Sun Holy Sect

was my desire to do so."

A collective gasp swept the chamber.

Several elders regarded him as if madness had seized him.

The Emperor's eyes constricted.

"Are you claiming," his tone grew deeper faintly, "that this serves as your defense for wiping out one of the Empire's premier sects? A pillar of

Imperial steadiness?"

"Yes!"

Bai Zihan offered no pause.

"The primary cause," he added indifferently, "is my wanting it. If not... why expend effort on such a trivial sect?"

Gasps.

Stunned dismay.

Fury.

The audacity in his voice stood bare—unmasked.

The Azure Sun Holy Sect.

Trivial?

Li Jianhong's visage turned scarlet.

"You overstep in arrogance!" he exploded, no longer able to tolerate it. "Such an

absurd rationale would find no acceptance here!" The atmosphere in the chamber quivered lightly.

Bai Zihan's gaze turned icily toward him.

"And what rationale," Bai Zihan murmured softly, "did your Li Clan possess when you

assaulted the Bai Clan two years back?"

Li Jianhong's lips parted—

But Bai Zihan denied him the chance.

"I trust it stemmed from some noble, virtuous motive?"

A slight, derisive grin touched his mouth's corner.

Various officials traded awkward looks.

That event—

All recalled it.

"Ahem!"

Li Jianhong drew himself up rigidly.

"Your youth blinds you to the truth," he remarked with strained poise. "The

Immortal Emperor's Inheritance poses too great a peril to remain with one clan. We moved for the Empire's security."

A murmur of endorsement emerged from select groups.

Bai Zihan sneered.

"What a laugh! Save your foolish pretexts for elsewhere."

His tone shed its indolence.

His eyes lifted.

It locked onto the Emperor squarely.

A faint strain locked in.

"When my Bai Clan faced encirclement... when these so-called upright powers sought to rob us..."

He angled his head marginally.

"Where lay this regard for Imperial equilibrium at that time?"

Silence!

The Emperor's face toughened subtly.

The hint proved undeniable.

Bai Zihan held his focus.

"Yet now," he proceeded steadily, "abruptly the Empire claims righteousness?"

The phrases weren't yelled.

They required no such force.

They hung in the atmosphere like unsheathed swords.

Several courtiers fidgeted restlessly.

The Emperor's stare stayed fixed on Bai Zihan.

"You venture onto perilous territory," he murmured.

Bai Zihan's features stayed unchanged.

"I merely state truths. If Imperial stability concerns you so, why not compel Li Jianhong and Zhao Wutian to provide a fitting explanation for their incursion into our lands?"

A moment elapsed.

Then another. Spiritual might quietly amassed under the dragon throne—immense, oppressive, regal.

Still, Bai Zihan remained erect beneath it. Unyielding and steadfast. The assembly ceased resembling a mere hearing.

It resembled a clash.

"Well, no rationale required because it's the Bai Clan, isn't it?"