The oppressive aura was heavy.
The seemingly delicate Rabbit Chief, in the moment her aura erupted, was actually a few points stronger than Liu Yue of Caijing.
The surging energy caused the roof beams of the front hall to shake and creak incessantly.
"Tsk, the little bunny is getting agitated," the Snake Woman, holding her chin, flicked her tongue and watched the red-eyed Rabbit Chief with amusement, her disdain clearly unmasked.
Instantly, as the Snake Woman finished speaking, a massive purple phantom appeared behind her.
It was like a coiled serpent king's giant shadow, shrouding the entire front hall. The Snake Woman stood within the colossal silhouette, her tongue flicking as she gazed at the Rabbit Chief.
"You think I'm afraid of you?"
The other Chiefs observed in silence, but subtly, they had divided into three factions.
At this moment—
The Chief, who had been motionless since entering the front hall, finally spoke in a low voice.
"Have you had enough?"
"Chief, you can't ask me that," the Snake Woman chuckled flirtatiously, flicking her tongue. "This internal strife was stirred up by the little bunny, and it has nothing to do with me."
"I've disliked you for a long time!" The Rabbit Chief clenched her fists, coldly snorting without backing down.
"Disperse your aura, both of you." The Chief's voice remained gentle, yet the two opposing Chiefs in the front hall made no move.
At this, the Chief narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist.
"Disperse!"
Boom—
A violent surge of energy was instantly unleashed, the intense pressure causing the entire building of the City Lord's Mansion's front hall to shake violently, appearing on the verge of collapse.
Among the Chiefs in the front hall, many were unable to withstand the erupting energy and were forced back several steps. Even the Lion Chief retreated half a step.
He looked at the Chief with disbelief for a long time.
The Snake Woman found herself in a difficult position; this authority surpassed her ability to withstand it, and the phantom behind her showed signs of collapsing.
Unsure of how to proceed, the Snake Woman instinctively glanced at the Lion Chief.
Their eyes met.
After a moment of silent communication, the solemnity on the Snake Woman's face vanished, and the phantom behind her dissolved into mist and disappeared from everyone's sight.
"Oh dear, why would Chief need to get angry? I'll disperse it then."
"Rabbit Chief!" The Chief turned his gaze. The resentful Rabbit Chief clenched her fists and dispersed her aura, but her eyes still held killing intent as she looked at the Snake Woman.
"Regarding the Tiger Tally, I know you all care deeply." The Chief, having quelled the confrontation between the two Chiefs, walked slowly to the center of the assembled Chiefs.
"I have summoned Su Zhan, the City Lord of Hezhen, and the specific matters will be decided then. It is best to say less baseless things, and I believe you have all learned that words can bring disaster."
The Federal Chief was not someone anyone could be. If he hadn't possessed the strength to awe all the Chiefs, this position might not have been so stable. In the past, he had been too lazy to bother with these Chiefs, considering the internal harmony, but this did not mean that his honest appearance hid incompetence.
The Chiefs dared not speak.
At the same time, a figure hurried towards the front hall of the City Lord's Mansion, it was Su Zhan.
"Chief."
Su Zhan, having just entered the gate, bowed slightly. However, as soon as he entered the front hall, he sensed that the atmosphere here was somewhat off. After his gaze swept across the faces of the Chiefs, he thought no further and strode forward.
"Patriarch Fu Hua of the Elton family, the equipment merchant, has been waiting in Hezhen for a long time. Shall we now move to Patriarch Fu Hua's residence to discuss equipment matters?"
After waiting for a long time, the Chief did not respond, and the Chiefs in the front hall remained silent. This made Su Zhan involuntarily recall the feeling he had when he first arrived.
"Chief?" After waiting for another while, Su Zhan murmured.
"I heard the holder of the Tiger Tally appeared in Hezhen," the Chief whispered, looking at Su Zhan and asking softly, "Is there such a thing?"
Upon hearing this, Su Zhan finally understood. No wonder! He knew why the atmosphere was so strange when he arrived; these Chiefs were probably arguing about the Tiger Tally before he got here. However, handling this matter was definitely something that required caution. The Tiger Tally appeared in Hezhen, which was under his jurisdiction, and if he did nothing to stop the holder from leaving, he didn't know what chaos these Chiefs would cause if they found out. Pretending to be ignorant was impossible. Chen Yu had revealed everything so thoroughly that the matter of the Tiger Tally was already known to everyone in the cave.
"Indeed, there is such a matter." After a brief hesitation, Su Zhan smiled and nodded.
"Then why did you just let him go?" the Chief asked softly. Su Zhan cupped his fists solemnly, "Reporting to the Chief, it wasn't that I wanted him to go, but that I simply couldn't stop him if he wanted to leave."
"Nonsense. The holder of the Tiger Tally is an outsider. Everyone in the cave knows this. You, a mere City Lord, couldn't stop him." Instantly, the Lion Chief sneered and stepped forward.
"Er Xi, you know how vast this cave is," Su Zhan said with a smile, looking at the Lion Chief. "I am just a small City Lord. There are too many people I cannot afford to provoke. Why do you think I could definitely stop someone who possesses the General Summoning Tiger Tally? You think he's an outsider and easy to bully, but why don't you consider this: if he were truly an ordinary outsider, how could he have obtained such a divine artifact as the General Summoning Tiger Tally? Was it just by luck?"
The Lion Chief was rendered speechless by his retort. After a long while, he frowned and snorted angrily.
"Then tell me, what is his identity?"
"Why should I tell you?" Su Zhan scoffed. "I am loyal to the Chief, and my territory does not overlap with yours. If you want to ask, it should be the Chief asking me. Aren't you overstepping your authority by asking so eagerly?"
"Su Zhan!"
"What? Is there something wrong with what I said?" The internal structure of the Batu Free Federation was very complex. Although they belonged to the same federation, the internal power divisions were not united. Hezhen, possessed by Su Zhan, was a city-state under the Chief's command. The Lion Chief had no right to interfere.
"Chief, your subordinate." The Lion Chief, suppressing his anger, snorted at the Chief, expressing his dissatisfaction.
"Su Zhan, who is he exactly." The Chief frowned slightly. Only then did Su Zhan adopt a serious attitude. "Reporting to the Chief, the holder of the Tiger Tally is an equipment merchant."
"You say he's an equipment merchant, and he's an equipment merchant?"
"If you don't believe me, you can investigate. That person stayed in Hezhen for nearly half a month. I believe Er Xi can find out his identity and background. Why do you have to doubt me here?" Su Zhan smiled at the Lion Chief and then looked at General Chen. "General."
"Hmm?" General Chen raised his eyebrows suspiciously, then noticed Su Zhan winking at him and touched the watch on his wrist.
"I heard that General Da Po defeated the demon tribe half a month ago. General is mighty." Su Zhan said with a smile, cupping his fists. General Chen responded with suspicion, his gaze silently fixed on his watch.
In less than half a minute, General Chen's pupils contracted violently.
"The holder of the General Summoning Tiger Tally, I vouch for him!"