She'd handed the Law Enforcement Hall a crucial clue—Elder Wei might've already been murdered.
"The disciples of Law Enforcement Hall should probably check the entry logs for the Alchemy Peak medicine storehouse," Elder Chou said calmly, though every word hit like a blade. "Especially the ingredients Elder Qiu's taken recently. Were there any herbs that… shouldn't have been there?"
She paused, then added with pointed weight, "For example, Mesmerizing Grass and Heart-Eroding Flower. Alone, they're harmless. But when combined with the main ingredient of the Clear Heart Pill, the Lotus of Stillness, they create a poison that drives the mind into chaos."
Elder Qiu was blindsided by the sudden accusation. He'd buried himself in the Dao of Alchemy for years. Ambitious, yes, but nowhere near as cunning or sharp as Elder Chou, who was always calculating.
He'd thought his plan flawless, never once questioning why Elder Wei's pills had gone wrong. In his mind, the madness had simply been the side effect of his own tampering, destabilizing Elder Wei's spirit. It never occurred to him that someone else might be pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Maybe it was the power so close within reach clouding his judgment. Maybe it was the long years of patience finally cracking now that the chance to control Alchemy Peak was in front of him. Either way, he'd completely missed that he was nothing more than someone else's chess piece.
Only when Elder Qiu strung those scattered clues together did it hit him—he'd been set up. And the one who set him up was the very person he'd always looked down on. His lips trembled. The excuses choking his throat never came out. He lifted a shaking hand as if to point at Elder Chou, but it fell limply back to his side.
There was no need for more words. A Alchemy Peak elder stepped forward, holding a jade plaque riddled with web-like cracks. Elder Wei's soul token had lost all spiritual energy, carrying only the stillness of death.
That silent evidence carried more weight than any accusation.
All strength drained from Elder Qiu as he staggered, caught by disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall. His eyes were nothing but the dull gray of despair.
Three days later, at the Forbidden Grounds of the Cliff of Reflection.
Elder Qiu was held in solitary confinement. The sect's investigation continued, but all the evidence pointed straight at him.
The storehouse records, the stash of forbidden herbs, the shattered soul token… piece after piece nailed his "plotting to kill the peak lord and usurp his position" into certainty.
The sect boiled with uproar. Alchemy Peak's reputation plummeted, panic spreading like wildfire.
In the grand hall, the Sect Master sat high above, his expression deep as still water. He saw the undercurrents clearly. Alchemy Peak's sudden collapse left a gaping power vacuum, a slab of fat meat that made every faction salivate.
If Artifact Peak and Formation Peak joined forces to divide it, the balance he'd fought so hard to maintain would shatter. Once any side grew too strong, even his position as Sect Master could be threatened.
He couldn't, and wouldn't, allow that.
The old balance was broken. A new one had to be forged immediately.
Meanwhile, in Artifact Peak.
Elder Lian tapped his fingers on the table, his eyes narrowed. He saw the situation for what it was. With Alchemy Peak toppled, the question of who'd claim its resources was everything.
Formation Peak? Absolutely not. That woman, Elder Chou—if she got her hands on more power, Artifact Peak would be shackled at every turn.
Medicine Peak? Those people weren't good at scheming, not worth worrying about. Best to let them take Alchemy Peak's scraps while Artifact Peak quietly swallowed the lion's share.
As for preserving Alchemy Peak's status? The thought came and went. Alchemy Peak's prestige was in ruins. Now was the perfect chance to crush it down and make access to pill resources easier than ever for Artifact Peak.
Not only did he have to block Formation Peak from rising, he had to seize this chance to maximize Artifact Peak's profit. While Elder Lian plotted alliances and pressure tactics for the upcoming sect deliberation, the shadows of his quiet chamber rippled.
Mo Yan appeared without a sound, setting a cold recording stone on the table in front of him.
Inside was the damning past that tied Elder Lian to the demonic forces.
"Who sent you?!" Elder Lian's voice cracked with fear and rage. He snapped his head up at Mo Yan, desperately searching for an answer.
Mo Yan only asked back, "Does that matter?"
Elder Lian shuddered. The questions caught in his throat.
Does it matter? No.
What mattered was the recording stone sitting right there. What mattered was that this man had slipped into his chamber without so much as a whisper. What mattered was… he had no bargaining power at all.
Faces flashed through his mind—Sect Master? Elder Chou? Medicine Peak? The remnants of Alchemy Peak?
No. None of them.
Mo Xun, or rather, the shadow behind him, didn't seem linked to any of the obvious powers within the sect. His unpredictable, eerie style was exactly what made Elder Lian's heart pound in terror. He had no idea what this man wanted, or why he was targeted.
But his rational mind knew one thing. If this recording stone spread, he wouldn't need the Sect Master's punishment. The elders inside Artifact Peak, who'd long been dissatisfied with him, would tear him apart themselves and replace him to protect the peak's reputation.
"Stay out of what comes next," Mo Yan said coldly.
For a long moment, Elder Lian slumped into his chair like his strength had been stripped away. He shut his eyes with difficulty and forced out one word between his teeth.
"…Fine."
Two days later, in the grand sect hall.
The atmosphere was heavy, suffocating. Elders of every peak gathered. Elder Chou stood quietly with lowered eyes, face calm and unreadable.
The Sect Master's gaze swept the hall. Just as he was about to announce the final verdict—
"Report!"
A panicked shout ripped the silence. A disciple of Law Enforcement stumbled in, his voice cracking from shock.
"Sect Master! Elder Wei… Elder Wei—!"
"What about him?" the Sect Master demanded, brows furrowed.
"He's back! Elder Wei's back!"
The hall exploded in uproar.
All eyes turned toward the great doors in disbelief.
Two disciples supported a frail figure as he stepped inside. His face was pale as paper, his aura as weak as a candle in the wind. His broad robe hung loosely over his withered frame. But it was him. Elder Wei.
The hall fell into utter silence.
Elder Chou's head jerked up, her calm eyes flashing with a rare, undeniable shock.
Elder Wei pushed away his supports and bowed heavily to the Sect Master. His hoarse voice carried clearly through the air.
"Reporting to the Sect Master… this old man was ambushed by villains, gravely wounded, nearly slain. The shattered soul token was a ruse to mislead the culprit. I had no choice but to create that illusion."
His gaze swept over the hall, across the faces filled with disbelief and fear, until finally landing on the collapsed figure of Elder Qiu.