Seeing the powerful Emperor before him, Luoyu's thoughts immediately turned to Li Yang.
Anyun Emperor was a top-tier Emperor of the Human Race's Eternal Saint Hall. His power was no less than that of Zun Lie Venerable, and he was only a single step away from becoming a Master.
Furthermore, Anyun Emperor was in charge of punishments for the Eternal Saint Hall of the Human Race. He was known to be rigid and harsh, and even other Emperors feared him.
Anyun Emperor, his narrow eyes glinting with a sinister light, looked toward Luoyu. His gaze was cold as he asked, "Zun Lie, is this a junior from your clan?"
He then looked at Luoyu and asked in a cold voice, "Luoyu, do you know of your crimes?"
"'My crimes? What crimes have I committed?'"
Hearing this, Luoyu's heart sank. 'Anyun Emperor came here to accuse me of a crime from the get-go. This must be about Li Yang. Since he couldn't get a Master to be his teacher, did he find Anyun Emperor instead?'
A myriad of thoughts instantly raced through Luoyu's mind.
'If I were Li Yang and couldn't get a Master to be my teacher, I'd definitely find a powerful Emperor. Preferably one whose strength is no less than Zun Lie Venerable's.'
'Anyun Emperor fits that description perfectly.'
And now, from what Anyun Emperor said, it was clear he was here to stand up for his disciple, Li Yang.
It all made perfect sense.
Despite his thoughts, Luoyu asked respectfully, "Anyun Emperor, I'm not sure what crime I've committed."
Luoyu wasn't particularly worried. In terms of power, his ancestor, Zun Lie Venerable, was on par with Anyun Emperor. Even if Anyun Emperor came to accuse him, the most he could do was give him a lecture and tell him to back off from Li Yang. So, he wasn't very concerned.
'Hmph. Li Yang, you think you can do anything to me just by getting Anyun Emperor involved?' Luoyu sneered internally.
After all, his own ancestor, Zun Lie Venerable, was taught by the Primordial Ancestor, whereas Anyun Emperor's teacher was merely a Master.
'Strictly speaking, Anyun Emperor's status is actually lower than my ancestor's.'
"Interesting. You don't know what you've done?"
Hearing Luoyu's reply, Anyun Emperor scoffed. "The higher-ups of the Human Race permit conflict between its powerful members, but involving family is strictly forbidden. Luoyu, you went after Li Yang's family, and you still have the gall to argue?"
'So he really is here for Li Yang.'
At this point, Luoyu was completely certain that his guess had been correct.
'I was right. Li Yang has taken Anyun Emperor as his master.'
Despite his thoughts, Luoyu quickly said, "Anyun Emperor, it's true that Li Yang and I have our conflicts. I even declared war on him. But I have never gone after his family. I have no idea what might have happened to them."
Deny, deny, deny! That was Luoyu's strategy. He had acted in the shadows, so if he flatly denied it with Zun Lie Venerable present, what could Anyun Emperor possibly do to him?
He was confident that Anyun Emperor wouldn't expose everything just for a newly accepted disciple like Li Yang. To do so would be to completely burn bridges with his ancestor, Zun Lie Venerable.
"No idea?"
Anyun Emperor smiled and turned to Zun Lie Venerable beside him. "Zun Lie, perhaps you'd like to say something."
Hearing Luoyu's words, Zun Lie Venerable frowned. He had always held Luoyu in high regard.
In the Zun Lie Clan, aside from himself and Fire Cloud Emperor, Luoyu was the most gifted. He had mastered the Four-Element Laws in just over a hundred thousand years, making him the most promising candidate in their clan to become the next Emperor.
If Luoyu succeeded, he would be the third Emperor in their clan. Of course Zun Lie Venerable valued him!
He often gave Luoyu personal guidance.
However, he had never imagined Luoyu would act so unscrupulously.
"Luoyu, after you declared war on Li Yang, what exact measures did you take against him? Tell me everything, in detail! If you confess fully, your crime might be lessened!" Zun Lie Venerable said in a grave voice.
He had been out tempering himself when he suddenly received a command. He was shocked when he saw it, because the command had been issued by the Eternal Ancestor.
It was no joke. He was a top-tier Emperor, just a step away from becoming a Master, that was true. But even a Master had to be respectful before the Eternal Ancestor, so what did that make him?
After learning the reason for the matter, he had come here immediately to summon Luoyu.
Hearing Zun Lie Venerable's words, Luoyu thought to himself, 'Isn't the Ancestor being a little too polite to Anyun Emperor?'
He felt a bit resentful. In his opinion, his ancestor had no need to be so courteous to Anyun Emperor, let alone help him with this interrogation.
Despite his thoughts, Luoyu quickly said, "Ancestor, after declaring war on Li Yang, I took some suppressive measures, but I always stayed within the lines. I would never go after his family."
Targeting family was a line one did not cross. It was forbidden by the higher-ups of the Human Race, and Luoyu absolutely did not dare to admit it.
If he did, he would surely be thrown into prison.
If he were imprisoned, he, Luoyu, would become a laughingstock. For someone as proud and arrogant as him, that was absolutely intolerable.
So, he had no choice but to deny everything.
After speaking, Luoyu turned back to Anyun Emperor and said, "Anyun Emperor, Li Yang has only just become your disciple, so he must be trying to use you to resolve the conflict between us, deliberately exaggerating the situation. I can understand his reasoning. Since you have personally intervened, I guarantee that I will no longer move against Li Yang."
With Anyun Emperor here, he would definitely have to back down. At the very least, he absolutely could not make a move against Li Yang for some time.
'Hmph! Li Yang, you've got some nerve. The moment you become Anyun Emperor's disciple, you have him come stand up for you. I'll let you off for now, but there's plenty of time. I'm in no rush.'
Luoyu snorted coldly to himself.
He was naturally displeased at being interrogated by Anyun Emperor. His clan was so powerful that even ordinary Emperors were usually very courteous to him.
Luoyu didn't dare resent Anyun Emperor, so he naturally redirected his frustration toward Li Yang.
He had to give Anyun Emperor face, but for Deities like them, time was the one thing they had in abundance. He would have plenty of opportunities to deal with Li Yang in the future.
At this point, Luoyu wasn't worried about receiving any real punishment. 'I've said my piece. Surely Anyun Emperor, who came to seek justice for his disciple Li Yang, will back down now, right?'
'After all, insisting on convicting me in front of Zun Lie Venerable would be a direct slap in Zun Lie Venerable's face.'
"My disciple, Li Yang?"
Hearing Luoyu's words, Anyun Emperor paused, clearly confused about how Luoyu had reached that conclusion.
He looked at Luoyu, his gaze icy. "Luoyu, I already gave you a chance. Since you don't want it, we will proceed to pass judgment based on the facts!"
Zun Lie Venerable was, after all, backed by the Primordial Ancestor. If Luoyu had confessed, his sentence might have been lighter. But since he was denying it so vehemently, he had squandered any chance of leniency.