Chapter 1115: Snake Tribe Ritual

Xiao Yao was clearly stunned. He looked at Zu An, then at Yu Yanluo beside him, a hint of confusion in his expression.

Zu An thought to himself, "This guy really doesn't know Yu Yanluo is the Grand Sacrifice's disciple."

The Grand Sacrifice was also peculiar, taking disciples so secretively that many fellow students weren't even aware of each other.

Seeing Xiao Yao suddenly fall silent, the other officials present assumed he had run out of words and began speaking up for Yu Yanluo.

Xu Yu also grew anxious and quickly tugged on his sleeve: "Brother Xiao?"

Xiao Yao seemed to awaken from a dream. He paused, then slowly began, "Although that young man wasn't very powerful, he was exceptionally handsome. While demons and humans are different races, beauty is universal, and aesthetic standards don't vary greatly. Even the demons found the young man remarkably attractive. Among the pursuers was a female demon master who, upon seeing him, appreciated his handsomeness and let him go."

The others immediately began to whisper, occasionally glancing at Yu Yanluo. After all, being handsome to such an extent was quite rare, and the Yu family had always been famous for producing beautiful men and women.

Yu Yanluo's father, back then, was a widely acknowledged peerless beauty.

Although Xiao Yao hadn't yet revealed the young man's identity, everyone already had their answer.

Zu An, however, secretly cursed. It seemed Xiao Yao had no intention of stopping.

Why?

Could it be that his past experiences had made him resent his sect and the Grand Sacrifice, leading him to disregard the camaraderie among fellow disciples?

He wanted to stop him, but unfortunately, under everyone's watchful eyes, he could only continue listening.

"After the female demon expert left, the young man emerged with the hidden Medusa Queen, continuing their escape."

"Having been rescued while weak and in danger, and enduring countless hardships along the way, the Medusa Queen unconsciously fell in love with the human youth."

Hearing Xiao Yao's account, many secretly scoffed, thinking it probably had more to do with the young man's exceptional looks. If he had been ugly, the Medusa Queen would at most have repaid him by being a servant in her next life, certainly not by offering herself in this one.

Xiao Yao continued, "Because the demon territory was too dangerous, the young man brought the Medusa Queen back to the human world and settled in his hometown."

"Since the Medusa Queen had been severely weakened in that great battle, and genuinely had feelings for the young man, she agreed."

"The two grew fond of each other over time, eventually married, and had a daughter."

At this point, everyone looked towards Yu Yanluo. Xiao Yao's story was simply too detailed; even Yu Yanluo's most ardent admirers began to waver.

This beautiful woman was actually the wicked Medusa!

The pervasive propaganda about the demons' cruelty and viciousness had deeply ingrained itself in people's minds, and Medusas were synonymous with disaster and death among demons. No matter how lustful these men were, they now felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over them.

Yu Yanluo's beauty, in their eyes, now seemed like an eerie trap, as if a gaping, bloody maw waited behind it to devour them.

Xiao Yao then continued, "They lived happily for several years. Had nothing unforeseen happened, they would likely have continued to be happy."

"Unfortunately, news later came from the demon side: having lost the Medusa Queen, the Snake Tribe had fragmented, simultaneously being enslaved and slaughtered by their enemies. As the Snake Tribe's queen, Medusa returned to fight for her people."

"However, by then, the young man had matured into middle age and become the head of his clan. He had to shoulder his family's responsibilities and couldn't leave at that moment."

Upon hearing the words "head of his clan," everyone present was certain he was referring to Yu Yanluo's father, Yu Xuanfeng, the previous patriarch of the Yu family.

In his youth, Yu Xuanfeng was known throughout the world as a handsome man. Combined with his status as the young master of the Yu family, countless families sought to marry their daughters to him.

Yet, he remained unmoved, preferring to travel extensively instead.

Later, during one of his travels, he brought back an exceedingly beautiful woman and quickly married her.

Countless noble young ladies sighed in regret, and many families secretly inquired which family the Yu family had allied with through marriage.

But no matter how much they inquired, they couldn't discover the woman's origins.

Moreover, the woman always kept a low profile, rarely venturing out, so even members of the Yu family seldom saw her.

As time passed, people gradually forgot about her existence.

Now, with Xiao Yao's revelation, some of the older individuals recalled the past events. What had seemed unreasonable and strange back then suddenly made sense if the woman was indeed a Medusa.

Yu Yanluo sat upright, her expression now incredibly complex—neither anger nor fear, but another indescribable emotion.

At this point, Xiao Yao continued, "The couple remained separated for many years. When the young man finally arranged all his family affairs and sought to help Medusa, news arrived of her death."

"The young man left his family like a madman, heading directly into demon territory. Unfortunately, the demon lands were extremely chaotic then, and he was never heard from again. Some said he died, others that he defected to the demons, and still others claimed he was taken by a female demon expert and kept as a concubine..."

At these words, many in the room wore strange expressions, thinking, "Being handsome certainly lets one do as they please," surprised by the rumor of him being kept by a female demon leader.

This Yu Xuanfeng was truly a man! Not only did he act as a rogue hero for a few years, but he even charmed female demon leaders.

Xiao Yao's gaze finally fell back on Yu Yanluo: "As their daughter grew, her bloodline gradually manifested, and she learned of her true origins. Because of her Medusa blood, she sympathized with the struggling Snake Tribe. She secretly used her family's resources to establish contact with them, sending large quantities of daily necessities and medicine. In return, the Snake Tribe reciprocated by providing many rare goods from the demon lands."

"Therefore, even though she knew her subordinates were secretly colluding with demons, engaging in smuggling with Jian Taiding and others, she pretended not to know. Instead, she used their cover to quietly trade with the Snake Tribe. Am I right, Yu Yanluo?"

By the end, Xiao Yao's gaze turned exceptionally sharp, seemingly with a hint of murderous intent.

Zu An frowned. Although he hadn't known Xiao Yao for long, he didn't seem like the type to act this way.

In his early years, Xiao Yao had indeed dedicated himself to eradicating evil and upholding justice. But he had reportedly made a grave mistake later, which caused his ideals to crumble, leading him to fall into his current disheveled state.

If he still possessed that nature of loathing evil and detesting demons, how could he have fallen so low over the years?

Furthermore, he now clearly knew Yu Yanluo was the Grand Sacrifice's disciple, yet he launched such an attack, as if there was some deep enmity between them.

At this point, Yu Yanluo finally spoke, "My lord, everything requires evidence. All you've said is merely your personal conjecture. Any storyteller on a street corner could concoct a similar tale. Wouldn't that allow anyone to be framed so easily?"

Other officials who were friendly with the Yu family chimed in to agree. This was not the time to debate right or wrong, but a moment when their interests were tied to the Yu family's.

Zu An secretly nodded. Yu Yanluo truly was worthy of being a clan leader. Even if she were truly a Medusa, she absolutely couldn't admit it now. As long as she firmly denied it, no one could do anything to her at this moment.

However, he remained pessimistic. Would Xu Yu and his allies launch such an attack if they weren't confident?

Sure enough, Xiao Yao calmly stated, "Evidence? Of course, I have it."

Zu An's heart sank. Xiao Yao produced a video stone. "This is a recording I made while infiltrating the Snake Tribe's village. Once you see its contents, you'll know if what I'm saying is true or false."

Soon, a light screen projected into the air, displaying the image of a village.

The village layout was strikingly different from human villages. Each house resembled an earth cave, making one doubt if they could provide shelter from wind and rain.

The villagers walking on the streets had snake-like lower bodies, while their upper bodies were not significantly different from humans, though their most distinctive feature was their vertical pupils.

Ordinary venomous snakes slithered freely on the ground, and combined with the various eerie totems drawn everywhere on the walls, it gave one a chilling sensation.

In the center of the village square stood a colossal statue: a human head on a snake body, with individual snakes forming its hair.

Many Snake Tribe citizens were kneeling before the colossal statue, seemingly conducting a solemn ceremony.

A circle of greenish torches burned around the square, making one wonder if they contained potent venom.

The group of Snake Tribe villagers knelt on the ground, seemingly chanting prayers, their expressions filled with extreme grief, indignation, and despair.

Some of the snake-people appeared to be weeping profusely...

Seeing this scene, Yu Yanluo involuntarily rose from her chair.

The camera then zoomed in, and everyone finally clearly saw the statue's face.

It was an exceptionally beautiful woman, breathtakingly stunning.

But everyone in the room instinctively looked towards Yu Yanluo, because the woman in the image was almost an exact replica of her!