The shadow of Mo Yan slowly appeared beside Xie Zhaolin, her black robe moving as if caught in an invisible wind.
"Mo… Elder Mo?!" Liu Feng's voice was hoarse, barely forming complete words, "You… you've already left the sect…"
His words abruptly died on his lips. He stared at the strange black mist around Mo Yan, cold sweat soaking his back. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.
"D-demon clan?!" His voice trembled, disbelief written all over his face. "This Elder Mo, known in the outer sect for his mild demeanor, was actually a demon?! And even worse, Xie Zhaolin clearly already knew… maybe even…"
"Surprised?" Xie Zhaolin looked at him with a half-smile, her gaze taking in every reaction.
Liu Feng's teeth chattered uncontrollably.
He remembered the rumors in the sect about Elder Mo: often absent, unpredictable, never associating with other elders… It all had been to hide this shocking secret!
"M-m-master…" His voice shook, "If the sect finds out—"
Mo Yan glanced at him casually: "Relax, this disguise talisman was granted by the Demon Sovereign. No one can detect it unless a Divine Transformation cultivator investigates personally."
Liu Feng couldn't calm down, his whole body trembling. He realized he had been serving a demon all this time, and Xie Zhaolin had been aligned with them… If this were discovered, their bodies and souls would be utterly annihilated.
Not to mention the involvement of the Demon Sovereign!
"Looks like our Senior Brother Liu is terrified," Xie Zhaolin squatted down, fixing her gaze on him, her words deliberate, "But you know what to do, don't you?"
Liu Feng shuddered, forehead smashing into the ground with a heavy thud.
"I understand, subordinate!"
"Good." Xie Zhaolin stood, "It's time to go perform the final act."
Meanwhile, chaos had already erupted within Qingxi Sect.
In Alchemy Peak's main hall, Elder Wei's eyes snapped open, his expression darkening. A shattered soul lantern flew from his sleeve, its wick already extinguished.
"Lu Xun!" he shouted sharply, immediately forming hand seals to contact the disciples, but it was like shouting into the void.
The same happened in Artifact Peak and Talisman Peak.
Even Elder Lian's face turned iron-gray as he looked at Zhang Yuanzhi's extinguished soul lantern; Elder Sun's fingers cracked as he gripped Sun Yun's broken lantern.
"R-report—" A disciple burst into the hall, flustered, "Liu Feng and Xie Zhaolin of the Law Enforcement Hall are back! They said… they said—"
"What did they say?!" Elder Wei grabbed the disciple's collar.
"They said they were ambushed by demon cultivators, and all the other senior brothers and sisters… perished…"
Elder Wei's expression shifted violently before he threw the disciple aside: "Go fetch the sect leader!"
The discussion hall fell into a heavy, almost suffocating silence. The sect leader sat at the head, his face dark, elders of each peak lined the sides. Some frowned, but more couldn't hide their schadenfreude. When Xie Zhaolin and Liu Feng were brought in, all eyes turned to them.
Xie Zhaolin's clothes were torn, her body covered in blood, barely able to walk without support; Liu Feng looked even worse, almost carried in.
"Disciple… pays respects to Sect Leader…" Xie Zhaolin's voice was weak, coughing up blood before she could finish.
Elder Wei pressed, voice sharp: "What happened? Where's Lu Xun and the others?"
Liu Feng struggled to rise, voice hoarse: "Reporting, Elder… we were ambushed by demon cultivators…"
He recounted every detail flawlessly.
"Nonsense!" Elder Qiu shouted angrily, "How could my disciple fall into madness?"
Elder Liu frowned in displeasure: "What do you mean, Elder Qiu? Liu Feng is a disciple of my Law Enforcement Hall, always fair and upright. Do you really think he'd take sides?"
"Who knows?" Elder Qiu sneered, "Maybe it was Xie Zhaolin, and Liu Feng covered for her!"
Elder Cheng of Formation Peak suddenly laughed: "Elder Qiu means a sixth-level Qi disciple could kill four Foundation Stage cultivators? Even seriously injured, that's absurd!"
"Who knows what dirty tricks she used!" Elder Qiu ground his teeth, "Or maybe Liu Feng did it himself!"
Xie Zhaolin lowered her eyelids, inwardly smirking.
As she expected, these people didn't know that soul lanterns only indicate life or death—they can't show the cause.
Liu Feng suddenly grew agitated: "Elder Qiu! I had no enmity with them, why would I kill? And if I didn't get along with Junior Sister Xie, why would I protect her?"
The sect leader raised an eyebrow: "Oh? You didn't get along? Really?"
"Absolutely!" Liu Feng replied quickly, "Other Law Enforcement Hall disciples can testify, and Senior Sister Wei Qingwu of Alchemy Peak knows too!"
Elder Wei's face fell, clearly surprised that it involved his niece, but before they could speak, the sect leader ordered: "Bring them here."
Soon, Chen Xingmo, Lin Ziye, and Wei Qingwu were brought in, all bewildered, unaware of what had happened.
Under Xie Zhaolin's subtle control, Chen Xingmo and Lin Ziye testified truthfully, detailing their clash with her that day. They cleverly omitted the part about stealing spirit herbs, only saying it was a quarrel that led to Elder Mo's reprimand.
Wei Qingwu didn't dare lie, hesitantly admitting it happened.
Elder Qiu was stunned. Since even Wei Qingwu, who had longstanding grievances with Xie Zhaolin, admitted it, the discord between Liu Feng and Xie Zhaolin was undeniable.
Yet he still argued: "Even so, there's no direct proof you're telling the truth. Why did you two survive while the others died? Maybe you colluded with the demon cultivators!"
The hall erupted.
Elder Qiu's voice grew louder and more excited: "Otherwise, how could a sixth-level Qi disciple and a first-stage Foundation cultivator survive a demon cultivator ambush?"
He turned to the other elders: "Think about it. Does this make sense? They must've colluded!"
Liu Feng furiously refuted: "Elder Qiu! You're slandering us! We barely survived, and now that's a crime?"
As the argument grew heated, Elder Lian suddenly stood: "Stop."
He whispered something to the sect leader, who nodded.
In the crowd's confused gaze, Elder Lian grabbed Liu Feng, turning into a streak of light and flying out of the hall!
"What… what's going on?" Elder Sun exclaimed.
The sect leader raised a hand to calm everyone: "Be patient. Elder Lian knows what he's doing."
Xie Zhaolin lowered her head, silent.
The hall fell into a strange silence, everyone holding their breath.
An hour later, the hall doors were slammed open.
Liu Feng was thrown heavily to the ground, covered in blood, barely breathing. Elder Lian followed closely, face iron-gray, anger almost bursting from his eyes.