Treasure-hunting: Into the Unknown

Since Barney was not new to such sudden incidents, he quickly calmed down. "This is a matter of grave importance. I think we should investigate thoroughly before drawing any conclusion. Zachary, you said that the Zi Clan was behind the extermination of the Welkin Sect. Do you have any proof for this claim?" he asked Zachary.

"Yes, I do." Zachary nodded firmly.

The crowd around them burst into an uproar. If Zachary really had proof, then he might be able to prove his innocence, and the Zi Clan would be put in a very awkward position. If they were really responsible for the massacre of the Welkin Sect, Celestial College and the entire Enigmatic Kingdom would bear its fangs on the clan.

"Can you show us the proof now?" Barney asked.

"Of course, I can," Zachary answered.

"Humph! Don't believe this man! He has no evidence. He is just stalling for time. If he had any proof, he would have shown it already," Armand said loudly.

"The reason why I haven't shown you the proof yet is because the evidence is a living person. He can tell you who did that to the Welkin Sect. Only he and I survived that tragedy," Zachary said, clenching his teeth.

"Nonsense! Everyone in the Welkin Sect died, except you, which means that you are the murderer. And you ran away to escape punishment," Armand retorted. 'If there really was another survivor, Zachary could have proved his innocence long back,' he thought to himself.

"Master Armand, are you sure about that?" Zachary asked as he looked Armand in the eye.

"Of course, I am!" Armand said with glee.

"Please step forward, Master Lewis. It's time," Zachary said in a raised voice.

The crowd made way as an old man walked to the front. He had white hair and a full beard, and was clad in a white robe. Alive and well, the leader of the Welkin Sect, stood in front of the silent crowd.

"Wait a second! Isn't that Master Lewis?"

"Yes! But... I thought he was dead!"

"Obviously, he is not! Is this the proof Zachary was referring to?"

Many of the sect leaders and other representatives recognized Lewis.

While everyone stared at h

tood up from his seat and said, "We believe that Zachary was set up."

The crowd fell into complete silence once the Hua Clan, one of the four major forces, expressed its stance.

Many of the leaders and representatives of the clans and sects who had had a close relationship with Lewis also expressed their support for Zachary and Lewis.

Seeing that more and more forces were siding with Zachary, Armand grew a little overwhelmed. Although the Zi Clan was almost as good as the four major forces of the Enigmatic Kingdom, it couldn't afford to make enemies with such a large united force.

"Why the hell would I destroy the Welkin Sect? I didn't have any enmity with them. You are the ones trying to frame me!" Armand defended himself seeing that the situation was not in his favor.

"Well, since you brought it up, I have another thing to clarify. Before the massacre, the Zi Clan had accused me of murdering my own father. But I had evidence to prove that it was Armand who had killed my father. When he found out that I have evidence against him, he laid waste to the Welkin Sect," Zachary said. As he spoke, he took out two pages of the letter which he had retrieved with great efforts. "This is a letter written by my father before his death. He had handed it to Master Lewis, who had saved me from the assassins at the time. He hoped that I would someday unveil the truth behind the murder."