Chapter 921: Verification
At this moment—
All of the Holy Assembly's high-ranking officials were staring eagerly at Elder Su.
They too were curious.
What could be so important that it made the usually calm and composed Elder Su this excited?
"Elder Su, stop keeping us in suspense. Just tell us."
"What's the good news?"
A high-ranking official from the Elf Empire asked with a smile.
"Yes, come on, we're all dying to know."
"Judging by Elder Su's expression, it must be great news."
"Don't tell me Ling Zhan actually took Lemorris Fortress?"
As soon as that was said—
The hall fell completely silent.
Everyone turned to stare at the person who said it.
The Dwarf Empire official who spoke suddenly felt awkward under their stares.
He quickly forced a laugh.
"Just kidding, don't take it seriously."
"Jokes like that aren't funny. Capturing Lemorris Fortress is still far off. That non-specialist may be strong, but not strong enough to take Lemorris in half a month."
This rebuttal came from a high-ranking official of the Goryeo Kingdom.
Hmm…
To be fair, Goryeo's grudge against Ling Zhan had a long history.
Previously, a group of their rogues came to the Dragon Kingdom as exchange students.
But as soon as they arrived at Tianyan Academy, they were accidentally ambushed by Ling Zhan.
Not only Goryeo's students—those from Fusang were also beaten by Ling Zhan, and it nearly turned deadly.
Thankfully, a dean used time magic to reverse the situation; otherwise, their students would've lost their heads.
In later tournaments, Goryeo was repeatedly crushed by the Dragon Kingdom.
Now, any good news from the Dragon Kingdom annoyed them.
Especially anything about Ling Zhan.
But to be fair, it wasn't just Goryeo's pettiness.
The other nations' leaders agreed with his view.
"That's true. After all, we've been trying to capture Lemorris for years and failed—no way he took it so fast."
"At the very least, it should take half a year..."
"Half a year? I think even that's optimistic. We sent billions of troops and couldn't do it. He took 2,000 people and won in under half a month? That's absurd."
"..."
One comment after another.
Clearly, no one had much faith in Ling Zhan.
And who could blame them?
They had poured endless resources into capturing Lemorris Fortress for years and never succeeded.
So even with Ling Zhan's strength, it felt unlikely he could pull it off.
Watching the doubts of the gathered leaders, Elder Su suddenly chuckled.
"Heh! Gentlemen, with everything you've said, I'm afraid you're about to be disappointed!"
"I just received extremely reliable intel!"
"Just five hours ago, Ling Zhan's Demon-Slaying Legion successfully captured Lemorris Fortress!!"
The moment he finished—
Whoosh!!
The once lively hall erupted into chaos.
All the high-ranking officials widened their eyes in disbelief!
Hmm…
Their stunned expressions mirrored exactly how Li Xuerou and Elder Su had reacted earlier.
Elder Su was very pleased to see it.
Good…
Everyone reacted the same way—perfect.
Otherwise, he'd look like some overly excited old fool.
"Elder Su! Are you serious!?"
"This can't be true..."
"He really did it?"
Now—
The high-level officials were not only shocked, but skeptical.
"Gentlemen, do you take me for someone who jokes around?"
"If I'm declaring this in the Holy Assembly Hall, do you think it's fake?"
"Let me add an even more explosive detail..."
"Not only was Lemorris Fortress taken, but the Crimson Phoenix Demon Lord was slain by Ling Zhan!"
As soon as he said that—
Whoosh!!
Even the most composed of the high officials couldn't believe it!
This…
How was this possible!!
"If you don't believe me, come with me to Moore Fortress!"
"General Li Xuerou is already there waiting!"
"We will examine the Crimson Phoenix Demon Core together to verify it!"
Elder Su smiled as he saw their doubtful expressions.
"Very well! Let's go together!"
"Yes, I can't quite believe it either. Let's go to Moore Fortress!"
"Let's move! If that non-specialist really took Lemorris Fortress and killed the Crimson Phoenix Demon Lord, that's monumental credit!"
The high officials needed to see it with their own eyes.
Even though Elder Su was trusted, they had to confirm it for peace of mind.
Can't be helped…
It was just too unbelievable.
A fortress the national legions had failed to take despite years of effort and massive forces, conquered by a non-specialist with only 2,000 troops.
Not just unbelievable—it was a slap in their collective face.
People would say—
Look! The national legions sent billions to Lemorris Fortress for years and failed, but Ling Zhan took it in two weeks. You guys are a bunch of useless trash!
That would sting.
And—
The fact that Ling Zhan could kill the Crimson Phoenix Demon Lord was even harder to believe.
That Demon Lord was just one step below a world-class powerhouse.
And most importantly, he had nine lives!
Meaning he had nine chances to recover from fatal mistakes!
Plus, his signature move—
An attack formed from trillions of strands of magical energy, which had defeated many level-190 powerhouses.
A Demon Lord this powerful, elusive, and cautious—killed by a non-specialist?
Many were still skeptical.
They had to examine the Demon Core to be sure!
The Crimson Phoenix Demon Core couldn't be forged.
It was absolute proof of a Demon Lord's death.
Currently, there were only seven Demon Cores on display in the Holy Assembly's War Exhibition Hall.
All of them came from years of joint efforts among national powerhouses to kill Demon Lords.
That alone showed how difficult Demon Lords were.
So they had to witness this one for themselves.
Ether City was still far from Moore Fortress.
Traveling by space battleship would take days.
But since there were only 300–400 officials, they could use instant spatial teleportation.