Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! Chapter 433 A Crippled Dragon Stands Before the Throne

As soon as the name rang out, an odd and weighty hush descended upon the Grand Ceremonial Hall.

Innumerable stares focused instantly on Bai Zihan.

Certain gazes blazed with awe. Some showed outright sympathy without hiding it.

A handful brimmed with barely concealed revulsion. But hidden underneath, at the core, lay terror.

Though all knew Bai Zihan was now disabled, that reality couldn't wipe away the scenes etched deep in their minds.

The field of battle.

The downpour of blood.

The serene, nearly detached look while foes fell one by one under his blade.

Numerous attendees had seen it with their own eyes.

Some had just caught wind from the accounts.

Yet seen firsthand or learned secondhand, the impact remained the same.

A wound had been etched into their souls.

Individuals who once thought they might rival Bai Zihan-those who had quietly gauged their own strength against his-had given up such notions long ago.

The recollection of Bai Zihan cutting down adversaries they couldn't even confront still burned bright.

Disabled or otherwise-

That dread wouldn't fade in a single night.

Besides, following the Immortal Realm masters and the heads of various groups, Bai Zihan received his honor ahead of numerous Great Ascension Realm elders.

Based purely on achievements, the top spots ought to go to Immortal Realm experts, then Great Ascension Realm titans.

Nevertheless-

Bai Zihan's name came right after theirs.

Placing him highest among the rest.

A few automatically remembered the clashes.

The dire instants when even Great Ascension Realm experts got pushed away.

The pivotal shifts-over and over-where one figure alone turned the tide.

Bai Zihan!

Alone, he had taken down hundreds of Grade-9 Demonic Beasts-surpassing all others-and even eliminated several Great Ascension Realm Demonic Cultivators.

Viewing it in that light...

No one dared dispute it.

Irrespective of his cultivation level.

Bai Zihan had delivered greater feats than any other beneath the Immortal Realm.

He had earned this position.

Bai Zihan remained poised amid the focused scrutiny.

Without delay, he moved ahead.

His stride stayed even and assured.

Every footfall resounded sharply in the expansive chamber, like blows landing on the listeners' chests.

He kept his head neither bowed nor lifted on purpose-his bearing felt effortless and serene, free of both modesty and pride.

This poise alone stirred unease in the crowd.

Upon reaching the spot before the imperial throne, the Emperor met his eyes squarely.

For an instant, quiet dominated.

Bai Zihan examined the Emperor boldly, untroubled by any hint of impropriety.

The Emperor mirrored the action.

He regarded Bai Zihan as though scrutinizing-or maybe evaluating-him.

Suddenly-

A uncommon grin surfaced on the Emperor's features.

"Bai Zihan," the Emperor uttered deliberately, his voice laced with evident esteem, "you felled multiple Demonic Beasts from Grade-10 down to Grade-8, and dispatched several Great Ascension Realm and Void Refinement Demonic Cultivators. Indeed, a true dragon among mortals!"

"To rack up such deeds at your age," the Emperor went on, "stands as unprecedented in the annals of the Desolate Heaven Empire."

His look intensified a touch.

"Not even in bygone eras did anyone match it."

Laudation.

Direct and unmasked.

From the Emperor's own lips.

Then, abruptly, the Emperor changed course.

"Yet," he stated evenly, "rumors have reached my ears. I'm unsure if they're fact or fiction."

The chamber tensed.

Plenty of folks instinctively caught their breaths.

"Those rumors," the Emperor pressed on, his stare locked on Bai Zihan, "claim that you are crippled?"

Stunned looks rippled over many faces.

Not due to the subject matter-

But because solely the Emperor would venture to voice such a delicate matter so boldly.

Even for the Emperor, Bai Zihan hailed from the Bai Clan, and provoking the Bai Clan ill-served the Imperial Family.

Were it another soul, Bai Tianheng would have shredded them before the sentence finished.

Still, that didn't imply Bai Tianheng and his kin weren't seething.

They merely bided their time, eager to grasp the Emperor's motive for such a query.

Every gaze swung back to Bai Zihan.

Bai Zihan held off reacting at first.

Soon, he responded steadily.

"That's the physicians' verdict," he said. "That I can no longer cultivate."

No flourishes.

No rejection.

A plain confession.

The chamber buzzed.

The Emperor eyed him a beat more, then gradually shook his head.

"Such a shame," the Emperor remarked, his voice tinged with sincere sorrow. "Without this... you could have claimed the ultimate heights of this realm!"

Ere others could respond-

Bai Zihan interjected once more.

"That's certain!"

The statement brimmed with audacity. Self-assured-maybe overbold.

Still-

Not one could challenge it.

No soul in the chamber. For it rang true.

All they managed was a peculiar wave of ease.

Ease that a beast like this had been hobbled.

The Emperor halted-then chuckled lightly.

"Haha, excellent!" he declared. "Your spirit remains unbroken!"

The Emperor's mirth ebbed, and the chamber eased into silence anew.

Next, his face grew grave.

"If it suits you," the Emperor voiced measuredly, his eyes unwavering, "would you share with this Emperor the details of how it occurred?"

The inquiry felt composed.

But its gravity loomed large.

All attention fixed on Bai Zihan yet again.

This time too, Bai Zihan wasted no moment.

He succinctly recounted the assault on the Bai Clan's grounds and the abduction of his maid.

He noted that word reached him only after the Demonic Forces war concluded.

The chamber murmured.

He added that he pursued the Demonic Cultivators and clashed with Mo Zun.

"That's how it unfolded!"

At last, the full tale of Bai Zihan's crippling emerged.

It stemmed from no inner strife.

Nor from illness, as plenty had guessed.

Rather, from his bid to rescue his attendant.

Countless hearts clenched.

Some inwardly sighed.

Far too rash and headstrong.

To hunt down Mo Zun personally-even as a former prodigy beyond peers-that choice teetered on insanity.

A couple couldn't resist deeming it fitting.

However-

Some sensed otherwise.

Esteem and reverence.

For Bai Zihan acted not for fame.

He acted to shield one in his care.

To confront the Demonic Cultivators' chief head-on, risks be damned-

Such determination proved scarce.

And plenty quietly grasped another truth.

Considering Mo Zun's stature-

His power and tactics-

That Bai Zihan lived at all...

Ending up crippled could well be the mildest fate.

For any other-

No remains would linger.

The Emperor lingered in quiet for an extended spell.

Then his demeanor turned weighty.

"Your Bai Clan," he intoned gradually, "has endured great losses."

His tone bore a heaviness that weighed on the chamber.

"Our Empire endures thanks to champions like you."

A subtle murderous edge crept into his speech.

"Fear not," the Emperor affirmed resolutely, "this affair concludes nowhere near here."

"The Demonic Cultivators shall atone for their deeds!"

The chamber hung silent.

"In any case, now comes the hour to honor your valor!"

With a flick of his wrist, court servants advanced.

Valuables emerged successively, each radiating a subtle yet deep presence.

Arms.

Defensive treasures.

Scarce spirit resources.

But one piece seized all focus.

A jade case drifted near.

As it parted, a pristine, vital scent wafted across the chamber.

"A Top Grade-7 Healing Pill," the Emperor announced.

Shocked intakes filled the air.

Top Grade-7!

Such rarity and worth marked it as exceptional in the Desolate Heaven Empire. None but the Pill King-the empire's premier refiner-could craft one.

The Emperor's visage eased a fraction.

"A shattered meridian defies healing by a Grade-7 pill," he admitted forthrightly.

"Still, this can preserve your life in dire straits."

Bai Zihan took the jade case, his face unaltered.

"This junior expresses gratitude to the Emperor," he stated evenly.

Bai Zihan had barely pivoted to step back-

"Hold!"

The Emperor called out.

The Emperor lifted his hand, his regard fastened on Bai Zihan afresh.

Differing from earlier, a deeper glint now flickered in his eyes-

scheming blended with purpose.

"This Emperor holds one more gift," he articulated slowly, "that I desire to grant you."

The chamber rippled once more.

Another?

Following a Top Grade-7 Healing Pill?

Even the Bai Clan elders creased their brows faintly, puzzled by the direction.

Then the Emperor named her.

"Yu Feiyan!"

With that utterance, the air subtly altered.

From the chamber's edge, footfalls neared-soft, elegant, nearly silent.

A youthful lady advanced.

She donned plain court attire, refined yet unostentatious. Her form was lithe, her motions smooth, every pace precisely gauged.

Her countenance was lovely-beyond question-but not the bold, striking allure that struck instantly.

Rather, the sort that deepened in appeal with prolonged gaze.

Eyes resembling clear autumn pools.

Lips arched softly, neither grin nor frost.

Yet upon her entrance, sundry cultivators sensed an odd unease.

As though an element of her felt off-kilter.

In that split second-

A sheer barrier suddenly materialized before Bai Zihan's vision.

His eyes widened sharply.

[Heaven Chosen Detected!]