That furious shout instantly drew everyone's attention.
The leading disciple of Medicine King Valley glared at Yun Xiaotang, his longsword pointed straight at her, his face full of barely contained rage.
Yuan Yingqi stood not far away. He didn't speak, but his hand resting on his sword hilt made his stance clear.
The elders of several sects wore dark expressions. They'd clearly already heard some version of what happened from their own disciples.
One of Medicine King Valley's personal disciples, who had come along with an elder, couldn't hold back. "Senior Brother, maybe there's been some misunderstanding? How could Young Sect Master Yun…"
"Misunderstanding?" The leading disciple snapped, glaring at him. Though he held back because of the other's status, his voice still dripped with anger. "I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be fake? She didn't just steal the Purple Cloud Ginseng, she also went around killing people and snatching treasures!"
Yun Xiaotang finally allowed herself a tiny breath of relief. That personal disciple was one of the people she'd gone out of her way to curry favor with before. Now it had finally paid off a little.
A monk from Mingguang Sect stepped forward just in time, pressing his palms together. "Amitabha. Since there are different claims, why not let Benefactor Yuan tell us what he saw? Yuan Daoyou was the closest to the black-robed figure, so he must've seen most clearly."
Yuan Yingqi shot him a cold look, clearly displeased that the monk had pushed him forward so early. He'd wanted to stay quiet a while longer, but now he had no choice.
"That black-robed figure was incredibly fast, deliberately concealing their techniques." Yuan Yingqi's tone was icy. "But just when I was about to land a heavy blow, that person used Hehuan Sect's technique. And…"
His gaze sharpened as he looked straight at Yun Xiaotang. "She must've forgotten, even if you use a teleportation talisman, you'll still leave your own aura behind."
That accusation about the talisman immediately disrupted the defense Yun Xiaotang had carefully prepared. It wasn't entirely her fault. After all, only a handful of core disciples had chased the black-robed figure. Outsiders had no way of knowing the details.
But what did leaving her aura have to do with this? Her broken artifact fragments had been left at the scene. That should've been enough to prove the aura wasn't the real issue.
The elder at her side voiced the same question. "Young Sect Master Yuan, what do you mean by that?"
The leading disciple of Medicine King Valley couldn't hold back a mocking laugh. "Elder, perhaps you don't know. That black-robed figure escaped with a teleportation talisman, and the aura it left behind…"
He deliberately paused, letting the silence stretch. When he saw every pair of eyes focused on him, he said slowly, "It just happened to be Young Sect Master Yun's aura! Isn't that far too much of a coincidence?"
Yun Xiaotang's pupils shrank violently, her whole body going cold. Now she finally understood where the problem was. That black-robed figure had chosen the exact same escape method as her—using a teleportation talisman!
But somehow, they'd erased their own aura completely. If the other person had used a different method, she would've easily cleared her name. But with the talisman, everything pointed straight at her!
No wonder Yuan Yingqi was so convinced. No wonder the major sects had united against her!
This was no accident. It was a meticulously prepared trap!
That black-robed figure hadn't just stolen the Purple Cloud Ginseng, they'd framed her to take the fall and sealed her guilt tight!
Yun Xiaotang drew a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm. She knew panic would only play right into their hands. She slowly lifted her head, her gaze steady as it swept across the crowd. Her voice was calm yet firm. "Everyone, there's something strange about this matter."
She turned to Yuan Yingqi, her tone even. "Senior Brother Yuan, you say the black-robed figure used a talisman and left behind my aura. But besides that, do you have any other proof?"
Yuan Yingqi frowned. "Isn't that enough? Your artifact fragments were there, the Hehuan Sect technique was used—are you saying those were fake?"
"Impossible to fake?" Yun Xiaotang let out a soft laugh. "Senior Brother Yuan, you're too naïve. In the cultivation world, treasures and secret arts that disguise one's aura are everywhere. If someone wanted to frame me, would faking my aura be difficult?"
She turned to the Medicine King Valley elder, her voice respectful. "Elder, please judge fairly. I did use a talisman, but that was because I was ambushed by demons in Wolf Beast Valley…"
The Medicine King Valley disciple sneered. "Ambushed? By who? Why didn't anyone else see it?"
Yuan Yingqi added coldly, "And as far as I know, Young Sect Master Yun's talisman sent her east. That black-robed figure… also fled east."
That final line was the crushing blow to her defense.
East. That was exactly the direction she had chosen to flee!
That black-robed figure had calculated even that!
Yun Xiaotang's heart went icy cold. Now she realized what kind of terrifying trap she'd fallen into. That mysterious figure wasn't just powerful. Their mind was sharp and ruthless, every step calculated to perfection—from stealing the Purple Cloud Ginseng to pinning it on her.
And right now, she had no way to prove her innocence.
Every piece of evidence pointed to her: the artifact fragments were hers, the talisman aura was hers, the techniques and clothing were from Hehuan Sect, even the escape direction matched!
It was a dead end!
But she knew better than to keep struggling on this point. The more she argued, the deeper she'd sink.
So she suddenly shifted the topic. "Hasn't anyone wondered why all this lines up so neatly?"
The Medicine King Valley disciple sneered. "What's there to wonder? Obviously it's you—"
"Obviously it's the demons working in the shadows!" Yun Xiaotang cut him off, her voice sharp with righteous fury.
She swept her gaze across everyone, letting just enough grief flash in her eyes. "In Wolf Beast Valley, every protective artifact on me was destroyed. I nearly died in that secret realm!"
That revelation left several elders stunned. For the young sect master of Hehuan Sect to lose all her protective treasures? That was no small matter.
She drew another deep breath, her expression tinged with hesitation. "Besides, this isn't something I should be revealing here. This touches on matters between the demon race and the human race. If I speak openly in front of so many, it could give the demons a chance to exploit it."
Her words turned the elders' faces grim.
The smaller sect cultivators who'd been enjoying the show suddenly paled. Many began retreating quietly. All her protective artifacts destroyed? Secrets involving demons? That wasn't water small sects could afford to dip their toes into!
Elder Wei barked in a low voice, "We're leaving! Return to the sect at once!"
His disciples were relieved beyond words. They hurried to cluster around their elder and rush away from the scene.
Xie Zhaolin looked a little disappointed that the show was cut short, but she knew the rumors would spread soon enough. There was no need to be impatient. Following the crowd, she walked off with a faint, knowing smile tugging at her lips.
Yun Xiaotang had managed to buy herself breathing room by invoking the demons. She would no doubt find ways to protect herself later. Xie Zhaolin had never underestimated this dear junior sister's tricks.
But this was only the beginning.
Even dripping water can hollow stone over time. How much more so when it comes to destroying a living person?
She had plenty of time—
Plenty of time to play this deadly game with her junior sister.