"Qiu Ming!"
Elder Lian's roar shook the entire hall, his palm cutting through the air with a fierce gust straight at Elder Qiu's face!
The strike came too fast, too strong. Elder Qiu hastily activated Alchemy Peak's secret technique, a jade-green light forming a shield before him, yet he was still sent staggering back, his blood and qi surging, before he could finally regain his stance after three steps.
"Lian Jiqing! Are you insane?!" Elder Qiu shouted, both shocked and furious, his face flushed red, "You dare move against me in front of the sect master! Do you have no regard for sect rules? Or do you think Artifact Peak can just run wild now?!"
The hall erupted!
Elders of each peak stood, spiritual pressures interweaving, nearly freezing the air inside. Weaker disciples were forced to retreat under the overwhelming aura.
Elder Sun shook his head mockingly: "Oh wow, are we tearing down the discussion hall now?"
A few elders from Formation Peak silently formed hand seals, and a protective barrier quietly enveloped the hall.
Only Xie Zhaolin kept her head down, the corners of her lips curling into a nearly imperceptible smile. She already knew Elder Lian would go find the Image Stone accidentally left at the scene—evidence he'd personally obtained. It was far more convincing than what she could have presented.
"Everyone stop!" the sect master commanded sharply. His circular aura spread like a tide, halting everyone's spiritual flow. "You dare fight in front of me? Do you want to go reflect at the Cliff of Contemplation for a hundred years?!"
Elder Lian's eyes were bloodshot, his hand pointing at Elder Qiu trembling: "Sect master! Look with your own eyes! This is the student he raised!" He slammed the Image Stone onto the ground.
"Xu Nanfeng fell into madness and killed my student. Alchemy Peak must answer for this!"
The Image Stone flared brightly, the first scene to appear showing Xu Nanfeng shoving Xie Zhaolin toward the demon ape!
"Tsk tsk," Elder Sun mocked, shaking his head, "Pushing a fellow disciple to protect them in a crisis? Alchemy Peak sure knows how to raise fine students."
Elder Qiu's face turned iron-gray, barely restraining his fury: "In a crisis, accidents happen…"
"Accidents?" a Artifact Peak elder sneered, cutting him off, "I think it's a habit."
The footage continued: while everyone was meditating, Xu Nanfeng's eyes turned red, he suddenly attacked, a palm piercing Lu Xun's chest. Demonic qi rampaged, swallowing Sun Yun and Zhang Yuanzhi. Finally, it showed Xie Zhaolin rushing to Liu Feng, both escaping using Earth-Travel Talismans.
"Now, what do you have to say?!" Elder Lian's voice cracked, tears streaming down, "My student Yuanzhi… he was only thirty-one! Foundation Stage cultivator, a genius of Artifact Peak! If Xu Nanfeng hadn't lost control, how… how could this have happened?!"
Elders of Artifact Peak shouted in unison: "Alchemy Peak must explain!"
Elder Lian was nearly furious enough to explode. "Genius student? Bullshit!"
That fool Zhang Yuanzhi couldn't even make a proper flying sword after ten years of refining, just kowtowing all day!
If it weren't for his father donating massive amounts of refining materials to Artifact Peak every year, this waste would've been kicked out long ago!
Could he say that?
If he did, he'd instantly be accused of insulting a dead student.
The dead are dead—whatever he said, they'd just dismiss it. He couldn't exactly dig up the body to make a flying sword on the spot.
Seeing Elder Qiu fall silent, Elder Lian continued feigning the grief of a lost disciple, pounding his chest: "Yuanzhi wasn't just gifted, he trained late into the night every day… and now he's dead for no reason. How am I supposed to answer his family?"
Elder Wei frowned, taking the Image Stone, replaying the meditation segment three times. His expression darkened with each pass.
"Lian Jiqing," Elder Wei suddenly sneered, "how do you explain your Artifact Peak disciple secretly plotting?"
He slowed the footage several times. It revealed Zhang Yuanzhi, while in meditation, subtly sending a wisp of spiritual energy into Xu Nanfeng's vital point!
The move was so concealed, no one would notice without repeated review.
The hall went deathly silent.
Elder Lian's face turned pale, staring at his student's foolish move, wishing he could drag him out of the grave and kill him again!
"This idiot! Didn't even realize to hide from the Image Stone!"
He'd intended to pressure Alchemy Peak using his student's death, now he'd have to pay dearly. And the evidence had been presented by himself!
"This… maybe Yuanzhi was helping Martial Nephew Xu's regulate him…" Elder Lian forced calm, but his voice wavered.
"Regulate?" Elder Wei laughed with rage, "Using broken Yuan energy? Lian Jiqing, do you think we're blind?"
Other elders gasped.
Broken Yuan energy destroys a cultivator's Yuan, this was clearly intended to harm and trigger a calamity!
Elder Qiu's spirit surged. He took the chance to counterattack: "So it was Artifact Peak secretly plotting! They killed my disciple and tried to shift blame!"
"You're slandering!" Elder Lian shook with fury, "Xu Nanfeng lost control of his heart qi himself! My student may have noticed and tried to help!"
"Help?" Elder Qiu sneered, "Lian Jiqing, do you take us all for children? If he wasn't ambushed, how could Nanfeng suddenly lose control?"
Their shouting turned red-faced, and elders of all peaks began picking sides, the hall erupting into chaos. Elders of Artifact Peak and Alchemy Peak were ready to fight, while others either tried to mediate or fan the flames. The sect master's face was as cold as water. His gaze swept over the two quarrelling elders, and he slammed the armrest with a heavy thud!
The hall shook violently, everyone instantly silent.
"Enough!" The sect master's voice was icy. "Elder Lian, Elder Qiu, both of you hold your positions. I have difficulty judging."
He paused, then shifted tone sharply: "However, Elder Lian is right. These disciples did die unjustly. But Elder Qiu's doubts aren't baseless. The Broken Yuan energy matter must be investigated."
At that moment, Elder Sun choked back tears: "Sect master, my disciple Sun Yun also perished. This child was a once-in-a-century talisman prodigy of Talisman Peak. If not for the internal strife between these peaks, Sun Yun might still be alive. Talisman Peak needs an explanation too."
Other elders twitched their lips, realizing they hadn't noticed Elder Sun's acting skills before.
How many geniuses did Qingxi Sect even have?
Everyone, taking advantage of the deaths, started making up nonsense.
The sect master's eyes flickered with a subtle smile, smoothly steering the topic to Xie Zhaolin: "Xie Zhaolin, I don't understand one thing. Liu Feng has had conflicts with you. Why, in a critical moment, did you choose to use precious Earth-Travel Talismans to save him?"
All eyes instantly turned to her.
She lifted her head, pale but with determined eyes: "Reporting, sect master, although Senior Brother Liu and I had a misunderstanding, it was merely a verbal dispute. Moreover, he is a fellow disciple. I could not just watch him die."
Tears glimmered in her eyes at the right moment: "Besides, the situation was too critical, there was no time to think further…"
Her words were heartfelt, even elders who had doubts felt a stir.
The sect master's eyes showed admiration: "Unable to leave a life to die! This is the spirit a Qingxi Sect disciple should have!"
He swept the hall, tone suddenly harsh: "Look at you all! Elders, quarreling for personal reasons! You aren't even as decent as an outer sect disciple!"
The words struck like a loud slap, reddening the elders' faces.
He turned to the silent Elder Liu: "Elder Liu, leave this matter to your Law Enforcement Hall for a full investigation. I want results within three days."