Jinyue was standing between Cao Yun and Rong Shan. Although Cao Yun was completely suppressing himself, he could intervene at any moment. No matter what, he wouldn't let the girls be in danger. Jinyao was also present. When he tried to move, Shaman Heiyan gave some orders, and another hunter, a friend of the panicked father, calmed him. Rong Shan was known to be a reasonable man. Of course, he could be ruthless, but he wouldn't randomly attack Jinyue right here in front of everyone.
"I also present my grievances. Your son killed my friends and tried to rape me and my sister! Did he have the authority to do so?! Did you give him the authority to do so?! Will you contest my words?!"
Rong Shan wasn't even flustered by those words. Unfortunately, he knew that everything Jinyue said was true. However, he had to admit that he didn't expect that the one who would present those facts would be the young Jinyue. As a matter of fact, almost everyone was surprised, even Jinyao and Jinyang. Besides, it was obvious that she was trying to protect Cao Yun more than she was trying to demand justice for herself or her friends.
Honestly, her trembling voice and the tears she was holding back were adding a lot to her words. That being said, Rong Shan seemed unbothered and unmoved. Even a few men of his tribe were shaken. Everyone knew the story, but they still felt bad. Taking over another tribe was one thing, however, Jin'ao's actions were unforgivable. Flameborns were all united under the banner of the Fire Thearch. Despite differences, they had a common law, and this disgusted them. Ironically, Jin'ao's death had helped the Raging Volcano tribe because his very existence was a problem for everyone. In a sense, Cao Yun had rid Rong Shan of his worst weakness, his inability to properly punish his son. Anyone else would have been harshly punished, maybe even killed, sooner.
Anyway, Rong Shan barely batted an eye and kept on talking while standing in front of Jinyue. He was towering over her despite the distance between them. In fact, he spoke to the audience in general and didn't direct his answer to Jinyue.
"Jin'ao's crimes are not contested. Had he been alive now, we would have no qualms letting the Ancient Obsidian tribe judge him. I would even lend the blade to extinguish his Fire. Unfortunately, Cao Yun took it upon himself to slay him without any just cause. I have witnesses who will attest that Cao Yun could have captured Jin'ao for trial. Cao Yun chose to end Jin'ao's life when he had other options. If a member of the Ancient Obsidian tribe causes trouble in my Raging Volcano tribe, am I allowed to just kill them? Would you all accept it? Or should I just tie him up and demand that your tribe judge him for his actions? This wasn't up to Cao Yun to decide on the sentence.
"Had Jin'ao died in battle, this would have been different. But Cao Yun was clearly the stronger warrior and simply executed Jin'ao. He didn't even try to cripple him, which I would have accepted. Instead, he crushed his neck in an instant. He could have cut off all his limbs and delivered him to justice. Cao Yun chose the only option that was ultimate, depriving both our tribes of justice. Jin'ao's men were punished for failing to stop his madness, but no one will be able to face trial for the murders of the Ancient Obsidian tribesmen because Cao Yun took it upon himself to slay their murderer."
It was painfully obvious that Rong Shan didn't believe a word he was spewing. If Cao Yun had crippled Jin'ao, it wouldn't have alleviated his anger. In fact, Rong Shan would have probably found it excessive, he would have used it to argue that his son had already been punished and that Cao Yun had gone too far and should be judged anyway. After all, Rong Shan wasn't here for justice, he was clearly looking for a way to hurt the Ancient Obsidian tribe.
That being said, he wasn't stupid. Legally, everything he said did make sense. Cao Yun found it absurd, like many others, but it was the law. A tribe couldn't mete out justice against another tribe's tribesman unless they went through the Fire Thearch. Obviously, powerful tribes were so terrifying to smaller tribes that they would always obtain justice even without asking. It wasn't unheard of for a tribe to just execute a tribesman simply because a powerful tribe had expressed any kind of dislike for their action, even in passing. On the other hand, no small tribe actually expected a bigger tribe to mete out justice. In the best cases, they would pay the tribe back. That being said, Jin'ao's actions were really over the top.
If Jin'ao had killed all witnesses, though, the Raging Volcano tribe would simply argue that they were not responsible for anything. In that case, Rong Shan would have punished his son in private. In fact, Jinyao might have been silenced by the Ancient Obsidian tribe, especially Huilu, in order to preserve peace. Cao Yun had no naivety about what kind of world he was in. Moreover, as an outsider, he was in no position to contest their laws and customs, even when he disagreed with them. Unfortunately for them, Cao Yun had other tools he could use.
"You..."
Jinyue was furious. Before she could add anything else, Jinyang ran toward her sister. This time, she was pissed. Her friends had been killed, her tribe had been suppressed, and she had almost been raped. Honestly, she had good reasons to be angry. Of that, everyone could agree. However, few people had actually ever seen her angry. The heat around her body increased rapidly, and the air even started to create strange illusions. Her skin was covered in sparks and small flames here and there. There was literal fire in her eyes.
"Cause trouble?! Humph! Jin'ao was acting on your orders to oppress our Ancient Obsidian tribe! You just couldn't put a tight enough leash on this dog, and he tried to bite someone he shouldn't have! Your dog of a son had the death he deserved. We should have scattered his ashes in beast feces, that would have been a proper end for that stupid animal. Instead, our magnanimous senior decided to send them back to you. Rather than accept this act of compassion, you spit at my senior in a poorly disguised attempt to pressure my Ancient Obsidian tribe. No one is actually blind to your goals or your tactics. You fancy yourself a smart and reasonable man, but the only reason why this farce is allowed to go on is that people are afraid or because they also have ulterior motives. Is anyone here genuinely blind to what's going on? Is anyone here under the impression that Senior Cao Yun deserves any form of punishment? If your daughter, your sister, your wife, or your mother had been attacked as we have, if your son, your brother, or your father had been killed as our friends have been, would you let the culprit live? What kind of men are you if you say yes?!"
After Jinyue's words, Jinyang's emotional outburst hit even harder. Some men were clearly pissed off, others were ashamed, and many more from the Ancient Obsidian tribe were galvanized. This wasn't the trial of an outsider, their brothers and sisters had suffered. Those who wanted peace through submission could barely stand to look at the two young girls. They had more courage than them. Even Huilu's stance was faltering a little. He wanted to save his tribe, but he didn't want to lose his tribesmen in the process. How many sacrifices were too many?
Of course, Huichi was fired up. He had wanted this confrontation for a very long time. He couldn't wait to make the Raging Volcano tribe pay for their crimes. However, he had to admit that his Ancient Obsidian tribe was too weak to actually fight back. That being said, that area had not been chosen without any reason. Although they were far from the current Ancient Obsidian tribe, this area had once belonged to them. If a fight erupted here, it might not go as Rong Shan wished.
Now, everyone waited for Rong Shan to talk. Despite everything, he kept a calm demeanor. Nothing was going as he had planned. Besides, his son was being insulted like never before. The worst part was that Rong Shan wanted to insult his son himself. As a matter of fact, Rong Shan wanted to slap himself as well. He should have disciplined his son more harshly. Damn it all, he literally should have killed him if he had stepped out of line. This would have been a better outcome than to have his name soiled in such a way. No matter what happened, Rong Shan and Jin'ao's legacies were forever tied to this.
Honestly, Rong Shan didn't care much about legacy, he simply wanted to achieve his ambitions. He might have found a way.
"Is the Ancient Obsidian tribe supporting this stance? Will you renege on your word and refuse to use a trial that is legitimate? I demand to know the official position of the Ancient Obsidian tribe. Either chastise this child who spoke out of turn and hurled insults at our honorable Raging Volcano tribe, or admit that you're violating this noble rite. What say you, noble Huilu? What say you, Shaman Heiyan? This rite is under your supervision, and both parties accepted this covenant under the heat of the undying flames. What say you all?"
This was a tough decision. If they refused this covenant, the Raging Volcano tribe would have just cause to declare war. Worse than that, any other tribe could legitimately help them root out the entire Ancient Obsidian tribe who had violated the sacred vows of the Fire Thearch. Even Huichi hesitated. Shaman Heiyan looked at the three leaders and only saw doubt and fear. Then, he looked at Cao Yun. Contrary to everyone else present, Cao Yun was perfectly calm. It was absolutely eerie, but this suddenly calmed down Shaman Heiyan and gave him the answer he was looking for.
"Rong Shan, no need to get emotional over the words of a hurt child. I think that everyone here understands the emotional toll this took on these poor girls. Besides, I never heard Senior Cao Yun express that he would walk away from this trial. Has anyone?"
After those words, everyone looked at Cao Yun. Honestly, he looked like a simpleton at the moment. It was as if nothing that had just happened concerned him at all. In fact, it felt as if he had not even realized how precarious his situation was. Before anyone could add anything, Cao Yun answered Shaman Heiyan's words.
"Because I never did. I told you that I would participate in this trial, and I will, until the end, whether it kills you or not. Rong Shan! I killed your son. He deserved it. I could have injured him, I could have incapacitated him without even hurting him at all. I voluntarily chose to snuff out his life. And I did it to get rid of a potential threat. There is nothing I regret or take back. If your son was standing beside you today, I would rip out his head in front of your very eyes without any hesitation. You know that his punishment was deserved. You would have done it yourself to any other member of your tribe. You, and everyone else here, know it.
"And we also all know that this trial is a farce and it has little to do with your son. You want to expand your territory into the Ancient Obsidian tribe's land because you believe in fairy tales about the Ash Bringer. Rong Shan, I will warn you once, and only once. I have no desire to kill anyone else. You are a reasonable man. I am even ready to compensate for the death of your son, you'll be the richest tribe in the entire Broken Fire World, after the Ancient Obsidian tribe. Abandon your ambitions of conquest right this instant, walk away, and nothing will happen.
"If you insist on slaughtering your way into power, you will find out that those who rule through the sword can also perish through the sword. All your ambitions will end here and now. Your Raging Volcano tribe will be devoured by the Ancient Obsidian tribe, and all those who support you and refuse to lay down their weapons will suffer death. I ask you to seriously consider my words. I do not make idle threats."
This time, absolutely everyone was shocked. Cao Yun was suppressing all his cultivation. At this moment, he truly looked like a mortal who was threatening a powerful king with utter destruction. After the shock passed, some Flameborns even started to laugh. The Ancient Obsidian tribe didn't laugh at all, as this could mean war for them. This stupid animal might have just condemned their tribe to death. Jinyue, Jinyang, and Jinyao were dumbfounded. In fact, only Shaman Heiyan was genuinely afraid of Cao Yun's threats. He was the only one who thought they could become reality.
No, another man was considering Cao Yun's words. Rong Shan was feeling all of Cao Yun's killing intent. Indeed, Cao Yun had focused his killing intent on only Rong Shan so that he would understand how serious his threats were. Thus, Rong Shan was analyzing Cao Yun, looking at the man to determine whether he was a threat. Maybe Cao Yun was luring him into a trap. Rong Shan immediately thought about Cangfeng. Could the old bones be behind it all? Had this moronic Cao Yun really come here by chance?
Rong Shan was still under Cao Yun's killing intent and could barely breathe. However, killing intent alone didn't tell him how strong Cao Yun was. Rong Shan was confident in his army. Even if they couldn't kill Cao Yun, they could still retreat and call for support from other tribes. In fact, they might call for support to slay Cangfeng himself. After all, they could argue that the Ancient Obsidian tribe had declared war first.
Deep down, Rong Shan would prefer to conquer the Ancient Obsidian tribe without an actual war. This was why he had been harassing them for so long. But now, he had an opportunity and had to make a decision that would decide his fate and the fate of his entire tribe.