Chapter 572: Judgment Over the Thunderstone Mine

Up ahead, Song Li turned his head, his face stiff. He blinked rapidly, desperately signaling Song Yufeng to stop talking.

Though Song Zhihao only became a Zhulu-class Cruiser Captain a few decades ago, he was already a true power within the family. Otherwise, guarding a ‘large Thunderstone ore vein’ would never have fallen to him.

If he were truly provoked, he might not kill someone on the spot, but behind-the-scenes revenge would come in many forms, and there was a real chance of being grievously harmed right then and there.

Song Yufeng seemed oblivious to Song Li’s frantic gestures. He just kept talking.

Above them, Song Zhihao’s patience finally snapped. As a newly promoted Clan Elder and a true leader in recent decades, he’d grown used to wielding respect and authority with every word.

How could he tolerate Song Yufeng’s continued provocation and questioning?

“With all this evidence, yet you still stir up trouble and disrupt order. By family law, your Torch Ancestral Orifice should be abolished and you should be expelled from the family!”

While speaking, the Fourth Stage pressure he’d just restrained burst forth again, crashing down on Song Yufeng’s frail form below.

“Elder Zhihao, you mustn’t!”

Song Li never expected such an extreme reaction from Song Zhihao. The punishment—abolishing the Torch Ancestral Orifice and expulsion—was reserved for grave offenses. Song Yufeng hadn’t done nearly enough to warrant this.

But Song Zhihao ignored Song Li’s shocked protest entirely. His eyes were cold, his resolve steely.

Just as his pressure was about to bear down fully on Song Yufeng, he added one last, indifferent remark.

“Want the Clan Elder to deliver justice? As the guard in full control of this Thunderstone Mine, I am the Clan Elder here!”

The words sounded unremarkable but coming from Song Zhihao, they felt natural—like he truly was the sky above every person in this mine.

Behind Song Li, Song Yufeng’s cloudy eyes showed no ripple. Under the watchful gaze of Song Zhihao, Song Li, Song Lü, and the crowd of miners, he slowly withdrew something from his Torch Ancestral Orifice—a jade stone shrouded in a subtle black glow.

The instant that glow flashed across the stone, Song Zhihao’s eyes up above narrowed sharply.

He seemed to recall something.

The iciness and malice in his expression faded just a bit—giving way to traces of shock and doubt.

But before he could think further, Song Yufeng, clutching the jade, spoke up again.

“I request the Clan Elder to deliver justice!”

As the crushing aura from above began to descend, dark energy surged through Song Yufeng and gently flowed into the jade in his palm.

With each wisp of energy, the once-dim stone blazed with black light, then broke free from his grasp and floated into the air.

The next moment, before the stunned gazes of tens of thousands within the Thunderstone Mine, a pitch-black radiance swallowed the sky overhead. When the darkness faded, the enormous projection of a battleship filled the heavens.

“Song Family disciples, pay your respects to Elder Chi!”

When everyone saw the battleship shadow blotting out the sky, every member of the Song Family in the mine bowed in unison.

Inside the Heavenly Ruin’s projection, Song Chi ignored the respectful chorus below. His eyes swept down, settling on the blood-soaked Song Yufeng.

“What happened here?”

His voice, echoing through the sky, carried a hint of surprise.

Song Yufeng was once the steward at the Morningstar Sun Continent’s Dragon‑Spine outpost when Song Chi first arrived there. Back then, Song Chi was barely recognized by the family, but Song Yufeng had gone out of his way to help him.

It was Song Chi who decided to return the favor, which is why he later gave him a Projection Emperor Stone.

He’d thought Song Yufeng might use the stone in the Outer Domain, not here. This unexpected turn caught him off guard.

But now that it was activated, Song Chi had no objections. He directly asked what happened.

Below the Heavenly Ruin projection, Song Zhihao recovered from his shock and quickly spoke up:

“New Zhulu-class Cruiser Captain, Song Zhihao, greets Elder Chi. The situation is as follows…”

Before he could finish, a wave of powerful dark energy burst from the Dreadnought’s projection and wrapped around Song Zhihao.

In that instant, Song Zhihao felt just as Song Yufeng had before—crushed under oppressive pressure. But Song Chi held back enough that it only silenced Zhihao, without causing harm.

After all, Song Chi still didn’t know the full story and couldn’t judge who was in the right.

“Let him speak.”

At Song Chi’s gesture, Song Yufeng carefully recounted the whole incident.

When he finished, the wars hip’s pressure grew heavier, making it hard for anyone in the mine to even breathe.

Within the projection, Song Chi’s split consciousness raged, the pressure inside tenfold what was felt outside.

According to Song Yufeng, there were people here skimming off family resources, and when their theft was discovered, they killed the witness and then blamed the dead to hide their crime. It was an open abuse of power.

If that was really true, Song Chi couldn’t imagine that the family could be so rotten right under the rule of those who worked themselves to the bone to keep it thriving.

He turned to look at Song Li in front of Song Yufeng.

He had some impression of this man.

“Are you from the Audit Hall?”

“Yes, Elder Chi. I am Song Li, captain of the Sixth Investigation Squad under the Audit Hall.”

Song Chi gave a slight nod.

“In that case, tell me—are Song Yufeng’s claims true?”

Song Li didn’t answer at once. He took a moment to organize his words, then, under the sharp stare of Song Zhihao above, spoke slowly:

“Elder Chi, I can’t say for certain whether it’s true, but there are some definite doubts.”

Without waiting for more questions, Song Li went on to lay out the suspicious points he’d found.

“First, Song Xing was personally killed by Elder Zhihao for allegedly stealing family resources, but even if that’s true, there was no need to kill him on the spot. He could have been detained and handed to the Audit Hall. That’s the usual, proper protocol—unless he was a fellow Zhulu-class captain and couldn’t be subdued otherwise. Elder Zhihao’s actions reek of a cover-up.”

“Second, our investigation revealed that though Rong Xing was sneaking into the depths of the ore vein, so was Manager Song Lü.”

“Finally, according to our records, in over two centuries, Song Lü’s ship power consistently ranked below average among peers. But after taking over this Thunderstone Mine, he not only quickly advanced to cruiser class, but his ship’s power soon became above average as well. He barely ever took part in Outer Domain expeditions and spent almost all his time here.”

As Song Li methodically listed the three points, Song Lü’s eyes widened. He immediately shot back:

“Captain Song Li, when have you ever seen me skip Outer Domain missions? Decades ago I happened to find some rare Oddities on an expedition, so isn’t it normal my ship got stronger?”

Song Chi ignored the pointless denial. He withdrew the dark energy from around Song Zhihao, restoring his ability to speak.

“Zhihao, what do you have to say to these doubts? Think carefully before you answer.”

The mild question made Song Zhihao tense up completely. He knew exactly how much weight Song Chi carried in the clan.

But he answered quickly.

“Elder Chi, you can’t judge based on one person’s word. I killed Song Xing only because in recent decades, he embezzled a huge amount of family property—over a hundred mid-grade Thunder Crystals and more than ten high-grade ones. That’s unforgivable! As for Song Lü, I know nothing about his situation.”

Inside the Heavenly Ruin projection, Song Chi’s lips curled into a cold smile.

“Very well. It’s your word, and as a family leader, I trust you. But…”

He turned his eyes to Song Lü below.

Song Zhihao got the message and breathed a tiny sigh of relief before quietly suggesting:

“Elder Chi, since he’s a suspect, should I have someone interrogate him thoroughly?”

Song Chi didn’t hesitate, shaking his head.

“No need—I can make him talk myself.”

As he spoke, a beam of ghostly light shot from the Heavenly Ruin’s projection.

It struck Song Lü squarely between the brows.

The next instant, Manager Song Lü’s expression changed completely. Gone was the anxiety—instead, he looked up with absolute respect toward the battleship’s image towering above. For that moment, the Heavenly Ruin was his entire world.

“Elder Chi, this—”

Shock flickered deep in Song Zhihao’s eyes, but he quickly hid it.

Song Chi ignored him, asking his first question:

“Did you bear a grudge against Song Xing?”

Song Lü, a changed man, replied respectfully:

“Yes, my lord!”

Song Chi pressed with a second question.

“How did Song Xing die?”

“He was killed by Elder Zhihao himself, my lord.”

Beneath the vision, Song Zhihao’s breathing became shallow. His fists clenched tightly without him knowing.

But Song Chi’s third question followed immediately:

“Why did you kill Song Xing?”

“Because Song Xing…”

Suddenly, Song Lü’s voice cut off.

Seeing this change, Song Yufeng, Song Li, and the others below looked up, puzzled.

Just then, a calm voice issued from the battleship projection.

“So, a confidentiality pact, huh? How interesting.”

Murmuring to himself, Song Chi changed direction.

“Zhihao, what’s your take on this?”

The sudden turn startled Song Zhihao even further.

By now, anyone attentive could guess most of the story.

Seizing on Zhihao’s panic, another beam of ghostly light flashed out—not into Song Lü this time, but straight at Song Zhihao.

Both beams came from the Master‑Servant Pact.

The Master‑Servant Pact only works if both parties agree willingly. Forcing it greatly lowers the success rate.

That’s why Song Chi waited for a moment of confusion to launch the contract ray, boosting his chances. With his strength two levels above Zhihao’s, the contract succeeded.

When Song Zhihao’s face shifted from terror to deference, Song Chi gave his command at once.

“Tell everything that happened—every last detail.”

“Yes, master.”

With the contract in place, Song Zhihao didn’t lose his will, but he couldn’t resist orders. So, he painstakingly recounted the entire incident.

“Ha! So this is the new-generation Clan Elder—embezzling family wealth, killing kin, caring only for himself… absolutely disgusting!”

As soon as Zhihao admitted to sending Song Lü to secretly trade Thunder Crystals and then killing Song Xing to cover his tracks, Song Yufeng broke into wild, bitter laughter.

But inside that laugh was deep sadness, hatred, and an anguish beyond words.

Once, he’d loved the family so much, proud to belong to the Song clan of Dinghai, devoting his whole life to them.

Back then, he never imagined that the family he adored could rot so thoroughly in just a few centuries.

Song Chi didn’t stop him—in truth, he felt the same way.

He remembered clearly, the family used to be much better. There was always competition among branches, but it was healthy, never as toxic as this.

After a long silence, Song Chi’s rough voice echoed over the entire mine:

“The family’s explosive growth these past centuries has boosted our strength, but it’s also bred corruption and rot. The family will soon give all its members a satisfactory answer!”

He went on to make several new arrangements for the management of the Thunderstone Mine.

When that was done, the Heavenly Ruin’s illusory hull solidified, carrying Song Zhihao, Song Lü, Song Li, Song Yufeng, and others back to Dragon‑Spine Continent, tens of thousands of light years away.

Dragon Spine Sacred Mountain, Dragon Whale Hall.

Once Song Chi relayed the full story, the six in the main hall looked grim.

Such things were nearly unheard of in the family’s three thousand years—and this time, the culprit was a Zhulu-class Captain.

They could hardly believe it before now.

“This must be dealt with quickly. I suspect it’s not the only case!”

“Agreed. The family grew too fast, and now many young members are restless and extravagant. The family’s ethos has taken a real hit lately.”

“In the end, it’s our failure—we focused so much on growing powerful that we neglected internal management and let the complacent and greedy seize the chance to climb.”

“Investigate! We must ruthlessly root out every corrupt and sinful one. Once found, execute them together. No exceptions!”

“Otherwise, after ten thousand years of Dragonspine Song legacy, who knows how rotten we’ll become!”