Su Yan and Zhou Li arrived outside the main hall, but the Kong clan disciples blocked Zhou Li's path.
"Young Master Zhou, the Clan Leader has instructed that only Senior Sister Su is to be invited inside."
Zhou Li frowned deeply, instinctively turning his head to look at Su Yan.
*This Clan Leader Kong wouldn't be so impatient that he'd resort to violence directly, would he?*
"Senior Sister Su and I are together. Please, Senior Brother, inform Clan Leader Kong once more."
"Young Master Zhou, I'm afraid that won't be possible."
Being rejected, Zhou Li wanted to say more, but Su Yan stopped him with a look.
"I will go in by myself."
Since they were on the Kong family's territory, it wasn't easy for Zhou Li to be too aggressive, so he could only offer Su Yan a word of caution.
"I'll wait outside. Call me if anything happens."
Without any hesitation, Su Yan took large strides forward.
The doors to the hall opened.
Su Yan walked with extremely steady steps. From a distance, she saw the figure sitting in the very center, the entire person seemingly shrouded in a heavy layer of shadow.
That was Kong Shan Kui.
While Su Yan was sizing up Kong Shan Kui, Kong Shan Kui was likewise sizing her up with an extremely stern gaze.
When she was only a few steps away from Kong Shan Kui, Su Yan halted her pace.
"Su Yan greets Clan Leader Kong."
She greeted him neither humbly nor arrogantly, her low voice seemingly suppressing some kind of intense emotion.
The man before her was filled with an aura of slaughter; his gaze looked as if it could kill a person.
Zhou Li indeed hadn't lied to her; just by looking at his countenance, one could tell that this Clan Leader of the Kong family was a ruthless man.
The first words Kong Shan Kui spoke were, "You truly are Kong Xiangrou's daughter."
Su Yan's cheeks gradually tightened. "Yes, I am Kong Xiangrou's daughter. Fourteen years ago, my mother once brought me back here."
As her voice fell, the atmosphere in the hall instantly froze.
Kong Shan Kui merely looked at her. "And so? Have you come back to avenge your mother?"
"Yes." Su Yan did not hesitate in the slightest, staring deathly at the man before her. The energy within her pitch-black pupils began to fluctuate uncontrollably, emitting a terrifying aura.
Kong Shan Kui was not surprised at all by her answer; he could clearly feel the hostility radiating from her at this moment.
"Your mother's death has nothing to do with me."
Su Yan chose silence.
"You don't believe me? Fourteen years ago, the Clan Leader of the Kong family was Kong Lingfeng. He was the one who did those things." Kong Shan Kui stated this fact expressionlessly.
"Where is Kong Lingfeng?"
Since this Clan Leader of the Kong family had pushed all the responsibility onto Kong Lingfeng, there was a head for every debt; it was only natural for her to go find Kong Lingfeng.
However, Kong Shan Kui's next answer caused her to reveal an expression of disbelief.
"He is dead."
Kong Shan Kui's emotions remained completely undisturbed.
Su Yan's expression turned grim. "You're lying to me?!"
At this moment, she felt an unprecedented sense of suffocation.
If Kong Lingfeng was dead, then what was the truth of that year? It would likely be completely buried by the Kong family.
"I have no need to lie to you. The successive Clan Leaders of the Kong family have always had short lives. If your mother hadn't done certain things for the clan back then, Kong Lingfeng would have died long ago." Kong Shan Kui continued to state a fact.
Su Yan could not control her rapid breathing. The information this man was revealing now almost perfectly overlapped with what the evil spirit in the Zhou family ancestral grounds had said.
"What did you make my mother do?"
She wanted to know the truth.
But this time, Kong Shan Kui refused to speak. "I was not the Clan Leader of the Kong family at that time; I could not interfere in many matters."
The implication was that he was also unaware.
Su Yan grit her teeth. "Do you think saying that will make me give up my revenge?"
"I do not have such intentions, but I want to tell you a fact. After you hear it, then decide whether or not you want to seek revenge against the Kong family."
Kong Shan Kui's words gave Su Yan an ominous premonition.
She did not want to be shaken by anyone or anything.
But she could not shut Kong Shan Kui's mouth.
"You have already been to the Zhou family ancestral grounds, so you should know some of the secrets regarding the Four Great Families. Aside from the evil entity suppressed in the Zhou family ancestral grounds, the reason the Kong family has lived in seclusion here for generations is also because this is a place of suppression."
As Kong Shan Kui narrated this, there was not a hint of hesitation; he was being direct and blunt simply so Su Yan could hear him clearly.
"If you destroy the Kong family, then everything suppressed here will regain its freedom. When that time comes, within a thousand miles, living beings will suffer immensely, and there will be no life left."
Su Yan felt a ball of fire burning in her chest.
This man was using moral kidnapping against her!
But she also knew he wasn't lying!
Kong Shan Kui watched her expression change continuously, waiting patiently.
One second.
Two seconds.
Ten seconds.
It felt as long as a century had passed before Su Yan finally raised her eyes again.
At this moment, there was nothing on her face except for a chilling frost.
"The grudge of a murdered mother is irreconcilable!"
These eight words fully displayed her determination and stance.
"Heh." Kong Shan Kui actually laughed.
And it was a pleasant laugh.
Su Yan could not understand his reaction, nor did she want to.
"You can kill me, but you will absolutely not allow the living beings to suffer." The look in Kong Shan Kui's eyes seemed to have changed slightly.
"Do you think you know me well?" Su Yan felt that Kong Shan Kui was like an unsolvable mystery; every part of him was filled with danger, and a single misstep would lead her to eternal ruin.
Kong Shan Kui's gaze was incredibly deep, as if he were seeing another person through her.
"I do not know you; I know your mother. If your mother were still alive, she would absolutely never let you make such a choice."
Su Yan's breath hitched; she actually didn't know how to argue back.
"Su Yan, you can kill me, but you must promise that after you kill me, you will become the new Clan Leader of the Kong family. If you do, then I will let you kill me, alright?"
After saying this, Kong Shan Kui spread his arms, as if he were truly prepared at any moment.
Su Yan suddenly felt he was a madman.
"I have nothing to do with the Kong family. It is absolutely impossible for me to become the Clan Leader of the Kong family."
Did he truly think everyone cared about the position of a Clan Leader?
She, Su Yan, did not crave it!
Kong Shan Kui laughed again. "Then what would be the point of killing me? I was not involved in that matter fourteen years ago. If you kill me, a new Clan Leader will simply take my place. Can you kill everyone who becomes the Clan Leader of the Kong family?"
"Are you talking in circles with me?" Su Yan was gradually losing patience.
These words sounded reasonable, but at the end of the day, they were all trying to make her give up her revenge.
"I am not. I am merely telling you a fact. The person who killed your mother back then is already dead. If you still want revenge, you can only go to hell to find him."
Kong Shan Kui spoke clearly, yet it was something Su Yan found completely unacceptable.
(End of Chapter)