Chapter 2128 2138

Chapter 2128 2138
Liam stood up. "Stay inside the room while I go check it out!"
Before leaving, he turned back to give Elena a final warning. "After hearing your story, this whole situation does sound a bit messy. So... no matter what, under no circumstances should you admit to anything. Just maintain the appearance of being at the Half-Step Flame Decay limit."
"Got it!" Elena nodded obediently.
With that, Liam stepped out of the room, heading straight toward the fortress ramparts.
Arriving at the wall, he looked down and spotted an elderly man dressed in flowing white robes walking slowly toward the base with a refined, otherworldly aura. Strapped across the man's back was a pristine, snow-white sword, making him look like an ancient sage who had attained enlightenment.
Right now, however, the old man's brows were deeply furrowed as he stared at the ravaged, blood-stained ground in front of the Ancient Clan base and watched the personnel busy clearing the battlefield.
"We're in deep trouble!" Archie muttered, standing on the rampart. "Why is this old bastard here?"
"You look like you're about the same age as him," Liam teased with a smile. "Who's older?"
Archie glared at him speechlessly. "This isn't the time for jokes! Do you even know who that is? That's Feng Lan, the Sword-Bearer Elder of the Eternal Nation."
"I know. I ran into him just a few days ago!" Liam grinned.
It was true; he had only been on Promise Island for about five days. Right before leaving Phoenix City, he had indeed crossed paths with the Sword-Bearer Elder—barely a week prior.
"Aren't you scared?" Archie frowned. "Since he's here, it proves that Caleb's intel was true. Caleb must have sent word about Elena before things went south."
"Just because he sent word doesn't make it the truth. Can't we just flat-out deny it?" Liam chuckled.
Raising his voice, he looked down at the Sword-Bearer Elder below and flashed a wide grin. "Elder, it's been a while!"
Spotting Liam standing on the wall, a flicker of genuine surprise crossed the Sword-Bearer Elder's face—he clearly hadn't expected Liam to be here. Ignoring Liam for a moment, he shifted his gaze upward to lock onto Archie. "You went to war with Starling and Caleb?"
Archie was a veteran of many battles; despite his internal anxiety, his face remained completely deadpan. "That's right! Damn it, that old bastard Caleb made up some ridiculous excuse claiming our Ancient Clan was harboring a Prophet, and brought his forces to raid my base. They were trying to shit all over our heads, so I had no choice but to teach them a lesson."
"So... that girl Elena from your clan isn't the Prophet?" the Sword-Bearer Elder asked, his voice cold and flat.
Though he spoke calmly, an overwhelming, oppressive aura emanated from his presence.
Liam noticed that while Archie managed to keep his upper body steady, his legs were visibly shaking.
Clearly, someone of the Sword-Bearer Elder's caliber was leagues above ordinary Permanent-Tier powerhouses. Even as a Permanent-Tier master himself, Archie was genuinely terrified of him.
Liam offered a casual, unbothered smile. "What's this nonsense about a Prophet? Elena and I came to Promise Island together to handle some assignments. That old bastard Caleb tailed us here and fabricated a wild excuse, demanding we hand Elena over. He only did that because he knew about my relationship with her and figured I'd step in to protect her."
"To put it bluntly, that old fox was just looking for an excuse to move against me," Liam concluded dismissively.
The Sword-Bearer Elder furrowed his brows deeply. He didn't immediately buy Liam's story, instead looking between Liam and Archie. "Where are Caleb and Starling?"
"Dead!" Liam shrugged.
The elder paused, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the two of them. "And the rest of Soul Hall's forces?"
"Slaughtered, obviously. If they came here trying to murder me, they should have been prepared to die here," Liam replied nonchalantly.
"So... there are no living witnesses left?" Feng Lan stared at Liam, his frown deepening into a hard line.
If anyone had survived, he could have interrogated them directly to find out why Caleb had used that specific excuse to launch an assault on the Ancient Clan base.