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Join the ServerBy the time the battle’s toll was calculated, he had lost three thousand Bone Painting Hall disciples, incurring a direct loss of at least four million spirit stones!
With several Grand Elders now supporting him, he found it hard to believe Su Qin would still dare to act so brazenly.
“Master…”
Gu Yuhe’s eyes, brimming with longing, held a look of utter rapture and devotion.
‘Master remains as powerful and astute as ever; he had even accounted for all of this…’
Bai Jiaojiao had brought her back to the Silver Blossom Hall just before sunrise, with Gao Pei arriving almost immediately thereafter. He was just about to unleash his fury when the Sect Master appeared.
Gao Pei formally accused Su Qin of harming fellow disciples. Following the plan, Gu Yuhe stated that her Master had spent the night in Sehua Hall and had not gone to the Immortal Slaying Valley at all. Given the gravity of the matter, Bai Zhenye decided to convene an elder meeting.
As Sect Master, she had initially intended to contain the situation herself, especially since her pregnancy was paramount.
However, seven Grand Elders unexpectedly emerged from their seclusion, promptly taking control of the proceedings.
These individuals were the true puppet masters of the sect, each a venerable Golden Core demonic cultivator burdened by immense karmic bloodshed. The sect’s grand array, the Treasure Pavilion, the Enforcement Hall, and countless other vital areas all lay firmly within their grasp.
“You, boy named Su, do you still recognize us?”
The gaunt Minghe’s face was etched with arrogance, as though Su Qin remained nothing more than a fledgling Foundation Establishment cultivator.
“Hmph! As an Elder of the Demonic Sword Sect, you openly harmed fellow disciples. Do you confess your crime!”
Su Qin’s expression turned grim, a prominent vein throbbing at his temple. His gaze remained fixed on Gu Yuhe, never once straying as he took in her numerous injuries.
Evidently, someone had subjected her to private torture before the trial, a detail he had utterly failed to anticipate, and it sent a searing pang of heartache through him.
Upon seeing her Master, Gu Yuhe’s somewhat dulled large eyes curved into a gentle smile, as if to convey, ‘Master, your disciple has completed the mission.’
Su Qin remained silent, only the slightest tremor betraying his composure at the corners of his eyes.
‘Ah, this is Master’s expression when he’s utterly furious…’
Gu Yuhe’s heart warmed, only to be swiftly followed by a wave of guilt. Could she, who had once contemplated poisoning her Master, truly be worthy of such a gaze?
The three individuals, arm in arm, all wore grave expressions.
A glint of murderous intent flickered in Chu Lingge’s eyes as she keenly realized that some form of agreement had already been struck between Gao Pei and the Grand Elders.
These avaricious old relics had long viewed the Demonic Sword Sect as nothing more than a means to amass wealth, caring little for the sect’s very survival.
They hadn’t emerged during the crisis two days prior, so their appearance today undoubtedly signified a hidden agenda.
‘That old bastard is actually still alive…’ Su Qin’s eyes darkened perceptibly.
‘Gao Pei must have revealed that I possess a vast quantity of spirit stones… No, it’s more likely the secret of the Nether Spring has also been exposed.’
Once, in a moment of misguided benevolence, this demonic cultivator had saved a rogue cultivator afflicted by the peculiar poison of the Bone Painting Hall. He had never imagined that the very same rogue cultivator would then betray him, offering the secret of the Nether Spring to old man Gao.
Su Qin silently clenched his fists, while Bai Zhenye gently placed her hand on his arm, her eyes mirroring his own chilling intensity.
“Have you lost your tongue, or do you simply have nothing to say?” a corpulent Grand Elder drawled, his tone laced with sarcasm.
With eight Golden Core cultivators facing merely three, the Grand Elders naturally assumed they held an insurmountable advantage.
“Su Qin! If you have nothing to say for yourself, we shall proceed to ignite the Soul Refining Furnace.”
A burly Grand Elder clad in grey robes declared in a deep, resonant voice.
Su Qin slowly lifted his head, his demeanor regaining the chilling composure of a true demonic cultivator.
“May I inquire, what crime have I committed?”
Gao Pei leapt forward, his eyes wide with indignation, declaring, “Hmph! You massacred fellow disciples; by the sect’s laws, you are to be executed!”
“Is there any proof?” Su Qin asked, his gaze icy.
“I, this old man, am the evidence! Last night in the Immortal Slaying Valley, you orchestrated the slaughter of my hall’s disciples and even beheaded this old man!”
Su Qin merely smiled, his eyes brimming with utter disdain, though inwardly he was meticulously calculating the passage of time.
“Such muddled and foolish words cannot serve as proof.”
“Su Qin, Elder Gao is clearly of sound mind and not foolish in the least. We can all bear witness to that, so cease your sophistry.”
The lean Grand Elder’s tone remained unhurried, yet Su Qin’s expression grew even more placid.
“Just two days ago, he falsely accused me of abducting the Azure Mystic Sect Saintess, claiming then that he had witnessed it with his own eyes. Now, he presents another such accusation. It is simply impossible to believe.”
Bai Zhenye nodded in agreement, offering her timely support.
“Hall Master Su speaks truly. On that day, it was none other than Elder Gao who fabricated accusations and manipulated public opinion. Had there not been irrefutable evidence, the sect might well have believed his one-sided account and unjustly condemned Hall Master Su.”
“Gao Pei, do you possess any other evidence?”
Su Qin’s pointed question caused Gao Pei’s imposing aura to falter. He truly had no other evidence, for Su Qin had executed his actions with impeccable thoroughness.
“Since you choose not to speak, allow me to ask you: did the individual who beheaded you utter any words?”
A silence descended, and old man Gao’s face flushed crimson as he stammered, unable to articulate a single coherent sentence.
“You see? It cannot withstand even the slightest scrutiny. Such a clumsy fabrication, yet it managed to deceive all of you Grand Elders. This man has tried to harm me repeatedly; he is highly suspicious indeed…”
Minghe’s expression turned sinister, and he let out a cold snort.
Whether Su Qin was guilty or not was, to them, merely a formality; their true objective was the accumulated wealth and resources of the Bone Painting Hall and the Silver Blossom Hall.
Especially the Nether Spring, which, according to Gao Pei’s report, very likely concealed the opportunity for demonic cultivators to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
To conceal such a treasure and fail to report it—Minghe’s eyes grew increasingly menacing.
At that moment, Chu Lingge spoke, having discerned Su Qin’s subtle signal.
“Esteemed Grand Elders, Hall Master Su is correct; this Gao Pei is highly suspicious.”
“This concubine can attest that Hall Master Su spent the entire night in my boudoir, engaging in… ‘research’ on demonic puppet crafting with me.”
Noticing Bai Zhenye’s benevolent gaze, Chu Lingge swiftly corrected herself. Bai Zhenye, in turn, nodded, confirming the veracity of her statement.
“Conversely, as for Gao Pei, the sect had initially decreed that Hall Master Su alone would handle the matter. Yet, he inexplicably ventured into the Immortal Slaying Valley, bringing along a multitude of disciples…”
“Had his intention been to assist Hall Master Su, he ought to have informed us in advance. Given his failure to do so, it is abundantly clear that he intended to frame Hall Master Su.”
“While Hall Master Su was dedicating himself to the sect, he deliberately obstructed matters… He bears the distinct suspicion of colluding with the righteous path!”
At this audacious accusation, Gao Pei was left utterly dumbfounded, while the expressions of the Grand Elders grew visibly darker.
Su Qin, a hint of dissatisfaction crossing his features, shook his head and cast a swift glance at Chu Lingge.
‘I gave you a chance, yet you failed to seize it. Watch closely, this is how one truly frames an accusation.’
Su Qin then turned to Bai Zhenye, his eyes now grave.
“Sect Master, Gao Pei’s guilt is glaringly obvious, yet these Grand Elders remain utterly convinced of his innocence. I suspect they have all become lackeys of the righteous path.”
The sheer absurdity of the claim caused everyone present, save for the demonic cultivator himself, to widen their eyes in astonishment.
Only Gu Yuhe remained unaffected, for Su Qin had already lulled her into a magical slumber.
The brawny Grand Elder let out a cold snort, poised to slam his hand down and rise, but a mere, ethereal glance from the demonic cultivator caused his spiritual energy to falter and stagnate.
Then, darkness descended.
In a sudden gust of strange wind, the brawny figure disintegrated, flesh and bone separating without a single drop of blood. Another peculiar gust followed, and the mass of gore and skeletal remains utterly vanished.
In a mere two breaths, a seasoned Golden Core demonic cultivator was utterly annihilated, his body shattered and soul extinguished!
****
– Swish!
Bai Zhenye, drawing her sword, lunged forward, her blade swiftly felling the green-robed Grand Elder before she followed with a decisive strike, severing his head.
“As husband and wife, I follow my husband’s lead.”
Chu Lingge had already ensnared the nearest Grand Elder with her charm, effortlessly twisting his neck.
“Retreat!”
Minghe, recognizing the dire turn of events, issued a sharp command. The remaining four cultivators transformed into gusts of Yin Wind (TL Note: A chilling, dark wind often associated with demonic or ghostly powers) and attempted to escape through the windows.
It was too late.
Su Qin had long since summoned hundreds of putrid, blood-soaked winds, completely enveloping the grand hall. The quicker Grand Elders didn’t even have time to scream before nothing remained of them.
Minghe tumbled ignominiously to the ground, spitting fresh blood, his face contorted into a ferocious glare.
“You forced this old man’s hand!”
With these words, he crushed a dark, obsidian key. The sect’s ominous grand array flared to life, emanating the unmistakable oppressive aura of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
Su Qin’s expression remained utterly unperturbed. Hundreds of thousands of blood beasts were simultaneously unleashed, and in the mid-air, a blood-shadow array spirit opened its gaping, bloody maw, instantly devouring and shattering the sect’s grand array.
“Pfft, pfft!”
Minghe coughed up several mouthfuls of dark blood. Su Qin, meanwhile, advanced slowly, his demeanor eerily calm.
“Grand Elder Minghe colluded with an enemy sect. By sect law, he is to be executed.”
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