Facing the gaze of everyone, the man did not speak and continued to walk inside as if to himself, until he reached Zhao Xiu.
He glanced at Zhao Xiu with a half-smile.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he sat down on Zhao Xiu's tribunal table.
Startled, Zhao Xiu stumbled backward, losing his footing and falling from his stool, landing unceremoniously on the ground.
The newcomer was none other than Fifth River!
Witnessing this almost incredibly arrogant act, the people below the platform were as silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to utter a sound!
Lin Yuansheng and Zhou Nanfeng, whose faces were grim, were now filled with ecstatic smiles. They had specifically visited Fifth River that day, and he had given them an ambiguous answer. They had not held out much hope, as Fifth River rarely intervened in the affairs of others.
But they never imagined he would actually show up!
Seated on the tribunal table, Fifth River spoke calmly.
"Continue what you were saying."
Zhao Xiu, jolted from his panic, had a vacant look in his eyes, his previous arrogance and lofty demeanor gone.
He didn't know why Fifth River had suddenly appeared, but regardless of the reason, he had an ominous premonition.
Zhao Xiu lowered his voice and said obsequiously,
"Councilman Fifth, why don't you sit here?"
"No need, you can sit for a while longer."
Fifth River's lightly spoken words sent a chill down Zhao Xiu's spine. He was an intelligent man and immediately understood the implied meaning of the statement.
Why "can sit for a while longer"? Did it mean he wouldn't be able to sit later?
He forced himself to calm down.
He had to stay calm! There was no evidence left in this matter. Even if it was Fifth River, he couldn't arbitrarily deal with a municipal tribunal judge without reason!
Zhao Xiu pushed himself up from the ground with one hand, staggering to his feet.
He sat back down in the judge's chair, picked up the gavel in his hand, and felt like he was back in control.
"Bang!"
A crisp striking sound echoed, shocking everyone present!
"Guards! Take Zhou Nanfeng and Lu Fei away!"
As the words fell, the verdict was delivered!
Zhao Bing and Fang Dagang could no longer contain their joy, clapping and cheering!
Behind him stood prominent figures from Wenmin City, many of them government officials. Fang Dagang shook hands with them one by one, thanking them for their presence today.
However, due to Fifth River's presence, these officials appeared somewhat reserved, merely nodding and smiling in acknowledgment.
Fifth River's sudden appearance was unexpected by everyone. Fang Dagang's heart had skipped a beat when he saw Fifth River, worrying that he was there to disrupt the proceedings, as he hadn't been invited by Fang Dagang.
Although the possibility was small, he had considered it: Could Fifth River have been invited by Lin Yuansheng and the others?
But seeing Zhao Xiu return to the tribunal table and strike the gavel to finalize the verdict, his heart finally settled.
On the defendant's bench, Lu Fei's gaze met Fifth River's. He didn't understand why Fifth River had suddenly appeared today. Although he had saved Fifth River's life once, that favor had already been repaid when Fifth River had helped him out in the Yanbei region.
If Fifth River were someone like Chu Huainan, he might have intervened when Fang Dagang suddenly attacked him in the Yanbei region.
Lu Fei couldn't fathom why Fifth River had suddenly appeared today, nor did he know what Fifth River had been doing in secret these past few days.
Suddenly, Lu Fei saw a hint of a wicked smile flash across Fifth River's face.
Immediately after, everyone heard a voice that wasn't particularly loud, but it resounded like thunder.
"Zhao Xiu, you can step down from that position now."
Everyone was bewildered, and even Zhao Xiu looked completely clueless.
Fifth River said calmly, "I gave you a chance, but you didn't cherish it."
"Since you don't want to be the tribunal judge, then step down."
Upon hearing Fifth River's definitive reply, the words struck Zhao Xiu like five bolts of lightning, throwing him into utter disarray.
After a moment of daze.
Zhao Xiu leaned closer to Fifth River, still clinging to a sliver of hope.
"Councilman Fifth, you're joking, right? If I've done anything wrong, please point it out."
Fifth River sneered dismissively.
"It's too late."
Zhao Xiu gritted his teeth, gambling that Fifth River was merely bluffing. He raised his voice to bolster his courage.
"Councilman Fifth, my position as tribunal judge was appointed by Tianhang City. No matter how much you dislike me, you have no right to remove me from my post!"
Fifth River chuckled and ignored him.
He turned to the doorway and said, "Chen Fei, bring up the footage."
"Yes, Master."
Chen Fei's reply came from the doorway.
The next moment, the two large screens, set up on the left and right sides of the court's main stage, lit up simultaneously.
The image on the large screens gradually became clear.
"The Territory of the Great Ape Monkey!"
Ke Xin and others recognized it immediately, letting out an involuntary exclamation!
Following that, the screen showed Tang Ao's Great Ape Monkey evolving into the Great Ape Monkey King. Then, the new king defeated the old king!
As the footage played, Fang Lin's body began to tremble violently.
Fang Dagang leaned close to Fang Lin's ear.
"Dad, we can't let this go on any further, or everything will be ruined!"
His voice trembled with nervousness as Fang Lin spoke.
Fang Dagang clenched his teeth, his composure shattered!
He knew clearly that if this continued to be exposed, all the truth would be laid bare before everyone, and the lies they had fabricated would crumble!
He hated it! Why was evidence that didn't exist being exposed by Fifth River!
The moment Fang Lin appeared in the video, Fang Dagang could no longer hold back. He roared like a madman,
"This video is fake! You fabricated it to frame us!"
Saying this, he summoned his contracted beast, the evolved form of the three-headed dog, the Three-Headed Hellhound!
He charged madly towards the control console, intending to destroy the video recording.
However, halfway there, he and his beast were caught by two vines and hung suspended in mid-air.
Chen Fei said angrily,
"How dare you attempt to destroy evidence!"
Helplessly suspended in mid-air, Fang Dagang could only watch as the video continued to play, witnessing Fang Lin's various despicable actions exposed to the crowd. Fang Dagang's eyes were filled with rage!
Only one thought remained in his mind: the Fang family was finished!
Finally, the video concluded.
Everyone present fell silent. So this was the truth!
Killing innocent contracted beasts!
Attempting to destroy other beastmasters' contracted beast compendiums and seize owned contracted beasts!
Fabricating false evidence and colluding with tainted witnesses!
...
Each and every act was outrageous!
From the crowd, someone shouted.
"Don't let them get away!"
The next moment, a group of people surged forward, surrounding Zhao Bing, Zhao Xiu, and the others.
The government officials and social elites who had previously supported Fang Dagang retreated to the back, their faces slick with cold sweat!
"Zhao Xiu, as the tribunal judge of the Beastmaster Court, how do you think this case should be judged?"