Three Flying Fish Battleships hovered above Lanting Garden, responsible for observing movements in all directions.

An observation point was set on the high cliffs by the sea to prevent anyone from escaping via the beach.

Dozens of amphibious combat vehicles blocked the only passage into Lanting Garden.

Four reorganized exoskeleton armor squads were conducting a detailed search of Lanting Garden.

Lanting Garden was severely damaged, and the central area had become a ruin. Most of the buildings and gardens were destroyed.

The ground was covered with deep pits and scattered with broken corpses and weapons.

Known for its exquisite elegance, Lanting Garden was completely ruined in this battle.

Xiao Cheng walked through it and was also shocked by the scene.

Just looking at the battlefield, one could tell how intense the fighting was, even to the point of being brutal. Who knows how many people Gao Xuan killed?

However, Lanting Garden was very large. There must still be many survivors.

Xiao Cheng had Xiao Ting oversee the search operation to ensure no one slipped through the net.

Meanwhile, Xiao Cheng took Xiao Wan into the underground palace, and they both felt relieved upon seeing the Bronze God Statue and the Sacrificial Blood Pool in the Divine Hall.

With such irrefutable evidence, the Lan Family was undoubtedly cult followers. No other Noble Family could have any complaints, no matter how dissatisfied they were.

When the two arrived at the secret treasure chamber, they were pleasantly surprised.

The gold and jewelry in the chamber alone were worth billions. The more than two hundred marvels, though not many in quantity, were all truly useful artifacts. These had been carefully selected. Their value was immeasurable.

The Xiao Family naturally intended to claim all of these for themselves.

The most crucial task now was to gather enough physical and testimonial evidence to nail Lan Chang'an's crimes firmly.

Gao Xuan didn't follow Xiao Cheng; he was at the desk trying to open the Light Computer. Unfortunately, the multiple password settings were hard to crack. Unless using an advanced hacker program.

The Seventh Sage could buy all advanced hacker programs on the dark web. They could even ask Nuwa to intervene.

As long as it's data, there's nothing Nuwa can't unravel.

But there's no need for that. If he were to show himself as too omnipotent, even the Xiao Family would be afraid.

So far, his image as an unrivaled martial arts prodigy had been very successful.

Xiao Cheng found Gao Xuan and, with a somewhat complicated expression, said, "Gao Xuan, you've worked hard this time. The association will surely reward you handsomely afterwards."

"Uncle Xiao, I joined the association as a member of the Xiao Family. This is what I should do."

Gao Xuan stood up politely, his attitude very proper.

Single-handedly breaking through Lanting Garden and slaying Lan Chang'an, he had already displayed immense combat power.

For a Noble Family, such an outstanding individual is difficult to manage. Moreover, he's an outsider.

At this time, he needed to show a sense of belonging to the Xiao Family and acknowledge the Xiao Family's order.

If he consistently showed intense destructiveness and defiance, dissatisfied with all order, no one would tolerate him.

Gao Xuan was well aware of such worldly matters.

Xiao Cheng was also a bit surprised. Despite Gao Xuan being flamboyant and confident, he wasn't arrogant because of his achievements.

For a nineteen-year-old, this was very rare.

Frankly, this success was entirely based on Gao Xuan's personal abilities. The Xiao Family merely cleaned up the battlefield, taking the opportunity to reap the greatest benefits.

If Gao Xuan had failed, the blame would certainly have been laid on him.

The Xiao Family assumed minimal risk while obtaining the maximum benefit.

Xiao Cheng felt a bit embarrassed facing Gao Xuan. Fortunately, Gao Xuan didn't nitpick and maintained his usual demeanor.

Xiao Cheng didn't have high authority at home and couldn't promise Gao Xuan much. He could only express a certain attitude now.

Given the magnitude of the incident, Xiao Cheng wasn't enough to handle it.

Xiao Jun soon arrived with a reorganized fleet, completely taking control of Starfish Island.

This show of force drove the major Noble Families on Starfish Island into a frenzy.

Gao Xuan, by driving Sword Rainbow, pierced straight through Lanting Garden's energy shield, which alerted the experts of various Noble Families to the anomaly.

However, with the energy shield isolating, no one knew what was happening in Lanting Garden.

It wasn't until Xiao Cheng stormed into Lanting Garden with his men that everyone realized the Xiao Family had acted against the Lan Family.

This news immediately sent the upper echelons of all Noble Families into a frenzy.

External communication wasn't prohibited on Starfish Island, so the upper echelons of each Noble Family were in contact with their families, confirming their status and discussing strategies.

Although the Xiao Family was a dominant force in the military, they couldn't cover the sky with one hand.

If the Xiao Family dared to act recklessly, all the Noble Families would unite to overthrow them. But since no one knew the situation, no one dared act rashly.

The military power on Taurus was also in the hands of the Xiao Family. Even if they wanted to gather forces to resist, they couldn't.

Besides, no one believed the Xiao Family would go crazy.

An individual might suddenly go mad and do something particularly insane. However, a Noble Family is a vast organization that aggregates everyone's interests. They might make foolish decisions but wouldn't go mad.

The upper echelons of the major Noble Families on Starfish Island, without a clear understanding of the situation, could only patiently await the outcome.

No one was willing to take risks at this moment.

As for the fate of the Lan Family, not many people cared.

The patriarch of the Xiao Family, Xiao Jun, had already received communication requests from many people.

The patriarch of the Yu Family, Yu Tianji; the patriarch of the Bai Family, Bai Zhong; the patriarch of the Wang Family, Wang Zizheng; the patriarch of the Lin Family, Lin Yuan...

Xiao Jun rejected all the communication requests; he needed to grasp all the information before deciding what to say.

Upon reaching the underground palace and seeing the blood pool and the statue, Xiao Jun also breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid that if he couldn't find solid evidence, things would get troublesome.

Later, good news came that the Xiao Family had discovered three thousand pure maidens intended for blood sacrifice in the depths of the underground palace.

The Xiao Family also captured several middle-ranking members of the Lan Family, obtaining crucial confessions. They also acquired some video evidence.

If the Lan Family didn't fall, even if such videos were circulated, they would be of no consequence to the Lan Family. Now, the situation was completely different.

Xiao Jun confirmed the situation at the scene and immediately contacted several other patriarchs for a video conference.

Bai Zhong, who had a strong personality, immediately questioned, "Xiao Jun, are you planning to rebel by directly storming the Lanting Garden?"

He was extremely rude, and his tone was exceptionally severe, "Regardless of your reasons, you're playing with fire and starting a war!"

The patriarch of the Wang Family, Wang Zizheng, also said angrily, "Xiao Jun, we do not accept explanations. You must immediately withdraw and hand over Lan Chang'an unharmed, only then can we discuss other matters. Otherwise!"

Yu Tianji and Lin Yuan remained silent, their expressions extremely stern.

The Xiao Family's direct assault on Lanting Garden had breached their psychological bottom line, making them incredibly angry.

The reactions of several patriarchs were within Xiao Jun's expectations. These people were certainly not young, and no matter how loudly they shouted, they wouldn't act rashly.

Their extremely tough attitude was just to put pressure on him.

Xiao Jun turned on the light screen camera, capturing the blood pool and the bronze statue behind him in the video, "Gentlemen, this is the Lan Family's temple for worshiping the Evil God, the Master of Blood. Under the leadership of Lan Chang'an, the Lan Family's upper echelons have completely lost their humanity..."

The Master of Blood is an evil god strictly prohibited by the Alliance. However, due to the strong power of noble families, the administrative orders of the Alliance are weak in practice.

To eliminate a noble family under the accusation of worshiping cults was unprecedented on Taurus.

Yu Tianji, Wang Zizheng, and others looked furious; they couldn't accept Xiao Jun's reasoning.

Bai Zhong shouted imposingly, "Xiao Jun, you're digging your own grave. If having just one reason allows us to attack noble families, then if we suspect you're rebelling, does that mean we can wipe out your Xiao Family?"

"Hahaha..."

Xiao Jun laughed loudly, "If you have the skills to wipe out the Xiao Family, say whatever you want. Anyway, we'd all be dead."

This retort stifled Bai Zhong, who couldn't literally take action. At this point, issuing empty threats was meaningless.

Yu Tianji stepped in to mediate, "Brother Xiao, regardless of your reasons, doing this is wrong."

Xiao Jun shook his head, "I walk the righteous path, what wrong is there? I'm not wrong!"

He looked at the patriarchs, "Have your days been so comfortable that you've lost even basic human decency? Slaughtering one's kin to offer them as sacrifices to an evil god to gain power—that's inhuman! I refuse to acknowledge such people as kin!

"Lan Chang'an chose a path of no return; don't blame me for being ruthless."

Xiao Jun sneered, "In recent decades, the number of missing persons on Taurus has rapidly increased, especially young men and women. In the depths of the underground palace, we found three thousand young maidens abducted for blood sacrifice, all prepared by the Lan Family!"

"Who knows if this evidence isn't fabricated by you!" Bai Zhong looked exceedingly skeptical.

"That's nonsense!"

Xiao Jun was also enraged, pointing at the blood pool behind him, "Open your eyes wide and see, is this fabricated? Were the three thousand maidens captured by me? Did I film all those blood sacrifice videos?"

He stared at Bai Zhong and said grimly, "Bai Zhong, you've had close dealings with Lan Chang'an. Are you a cult believer, defending him so hard!"

"I am not. I didn't. Don't talk nonsense."

Bai Zhong hastily denied it, thinking it was no joke. Such an accusation could not be borne.

The faces of the other patriarchs didn't look good, but when faced with the determined Xiao Jun, they had no suitable response.

The key was that Xiao Jun held the moral high ground and spoke with conviction. Though these patriarchs were of the same rank as him, none could respond to Xiao Jun's thunderous accusations.

"We have an old saying: Heaven is watching what people do."

Xiao Jun declared proudly, "I have a clear conscience. The Lanting Garden is right here, aren't your people all present? Everyone can come and see. Should anyone find fault, I'll end myself right then and there!"

Bai Zhong said coldly, "Fine, we'll come over to see the truth."

Given the significance, Bai Zhong insisted on going to the scene to feel assured.

Yu Tianji, however, considered more deeply and asked, "Even if Lan Chang'an is guilty, you can't deal with him arbitrarily. Brother Xiao, surrender Lan Chang'an first."

"Lan Chang'an has fled and is nowhere to be found."

Xiao Jun waved his hand, "You're asking me for Lan Chang'an; I'd also like to know where to find him myself!"

Yu Tianji fell silent; he didn't believe Xiao Jun's nonsense.

If Lan Chang'an wasn't dead, the Xiao Family would be in massive trouble!

The other patriarchs also looked grave; the Xiao Family had indeed done something earth-shattering this time!

Yet Lan Chang'an wasn't a pushover; to be annihilated right in his stronghold, surrounded by experts—how did the Xiao Family manage this?

The entire affair carried an inexplicable air of mystery!