Upon hearing this, Jalone furrowed his brow. Though he did not hold George in high regard, he was not ready to make an enemy out of him.


    Jalone took a deep breath and said, "The challenge is meant for sparring, and it should stop short of causing serious harm. Gravely injuring an opponent is already unkind and killing them is even more so. Should such an unkind and unjust person be protected by you, Lord George?"


    "Heh," George chuckled lightly. "Mister March, if we''re talking about being unkind and unjust, it seems your two sons fit that description far better. From what I know, during the tournament, your son Marco repeatedly used hidden weapons, each time intending to kill his opponents. He killed quite a few. Later, when Marco was in, your family med everyone in the arena and those whopeted against him."


    He looked at the March family participants, then continued, "In response, your family wantonly killed innocent people, taking several lives. Today, in the first match, Wilbur drew a different number than Horst. But your son Horst, seeking revenge on Wilbur, secretly had others in your family switch numbers with him. Moreover, Horst fought with extreme cruelty. Wilbur was forced into a corner, which is why he ultimately killed Horst. So, in my view, neither Marco nor Horst were killed by others."


    "What did you say?" Jalone red at Lord George and coldly replied, "If Marco and Horst weren''t killed by others, are you saying theymitted suicide?"


    "That''s right. In my view, both Marco and Horst brought about their own demise. Their actions were too vicious, and they reaped what they sowed. In the end, they got themselves killed, and the me cannot be ced on others. So, if they weren''t killed by others, how else would you describe their deaths?"


    "Lord George!" Jalone shouted furiously, "You''re going too far with your words!"


    "I''m merely stating the facts. However, there are rules in thispetition. The City Lord''s decree was issued by me, and I entrusted Bale to host this Guard Challenge. Therefore, I must take responsibility for protecting the participants. Mister March, if you truly wish to attack Wilbur, you might as well start with me. Defeat me first, and once you''ve stepped over my dead body, you may fight Wilbur."


    The crowd was stunned into silence. George''s words made it clear that he was determined to stand up for Wilbur. In other words, he was telling Jalone that if he wanted to act, he had to fight Lord George first.


    It had been centuries since Walker Town had seen such a scene: The City Lord defending a cultivator by preparing to battle an opponent. This time, Lord George''s opponent was none other than Jalone, the head of Walker Town''s most powerful family, the March family.


    Under normal circumstances, such a major event would have left everyone deeply shocked. But today, the crowd seemed numb, watching with little reaction. It seemed they were more inclined to see the March family win.


    Soon, Lord George noticed the change in the crowd''s expressions. He had


    expected his earlier words to rally the crowd inside and outside the arena to support him and cheer for him. However, the situation had turned out differently than he had anticipated.


    Lord George found himself confused by what had happened. Why was the crowd so reluctant to support Wilbur? Could it be that things were not as Bale had described, and there was more to the story?


    At this point, Jalone sighed and said, "Enough. Since my son died in the Guard Challenge arena, perhaps it was his fate. In that case, I''ll take my men and leave. Lord George, I apologize for any offense just now. Farewell."


    With a wave of his hand, Jalone ordered, "Let''s go!"


    Jalone left with a dozen or so members of the March family. Jeems had hoped to earn the title of Senior Guard, but seeing the March family leaving, he had no choice but to abandon his hopes and follow along.