Chapter Seventy-Seven: Malicious Framing

The elder from the Demon Refining Prison bore the surname Gong. Dai Mingchi introduced him as “Mr. Gong.” The Flowing Water Resonance was held in Chen Zaizhi’s hands; upon seeing his face alternating between astonishment and anger, Hongjian knew that matters within the sect were worsening. She didn’t wait for Chen Zaizhi to recount everything to her; anxiously, she reached out her hand, “Let me identify the people first.”

Chen Zaizhi hesitated for a moment. He understood his junior sister’s intentions all too well: once she used the Flowing Water Resonance to “identify people,” he could not expect to get it back. The critical proceedings in Huahua Hall were ongoing—even a blink of an eye was too much to miss.

Yet, in the end, Chen Zaizhi removed the Flowing Water Resonance and handed it to Hongjian, his expression grim. “It’s best to identify them. That Gong fellow twists truth and falsehood; he’s clearly in league with Dai Mingchi and Xing Wuyai.”

Hongjian glanced at him and wasted no words, activating the artifact.

Immediately, she borrowed Ding Chunxue’s vision and witnessed what was transpiring inside Huahua Hall.

Dai Mingchi’s party stood at the hall’s entrance. Judging by the attire of the five or six attendants, they were all from the Talisman Sect, surrounding Dai Mingchi and a gray-robed, bald old man.

The elder’s robes were gray, and his skin bore large patches of gray spots; his entire being radiated a gloomy aura of death from within. He must be the Mr. Gong.

At this moment, the old man was speaking, and his voice came clearly to Hongjian through the Flowing Water Resonance: “...Though we uncovered clues earlier from Jing Baixi, due to the gravity of the matter, we feared your sect would not believe us. That is why we invited Sect Leader Dai. Unfortunately, I arrived too late. Passing by the Boundless Sea, I sensed a fierce battle between high-level cultivators in the depths. When I reached the site, the fight was over; I only found the shattered artifacts of Jin Hua Shen and Sect Leader Ling. Truly regrettable. I am here firstly to inform you of the demise of Sect Leader Ling and Jin Hua Shen, and secondly to urge you to select a new sect leader swiftly. Root out the remnants of demon cultivators thoroughly—if this drags on and the Northern Prison must intervene, it will reflect poorly on you.”

Within Huahua Hall, the disciples of Late Tide Peak were surrounded, every one of them righteously indignant. It seemed they had already argued fiercely, but had been restrained by their peers. The expressions of cultivators from other peaks were mostly shock, disbelief, and confusion.

No wonder Chen Zaizhi was both shocked and furious. Though Hongjian had not heard what Mr. Gong had said before, from his words and the reaction of those in the hall, it was clear that Dai Mingchi and his party were framing the innocent ancestral master Sun Yougong.

No, since Ji Youyun arrived at Dan Cliff Sect, from Qin Baoxian to the first elder Jing Baixi, this conspiracy had been unfolding step by step. What did Dai Mingchi’s group intend? With such actions, were they not abandoning the path of cultivation, willingly falling into the tribulation of inner demons?

Hongjian took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and briefly explained what she had seen to Chen Zaizhi.

She was deeply worried that her senior brother Ding Chunxue, who knew the truth, would not endure the slander of their ancestral master and would rush out to expose Dai Mingchi. Fortunately, Ding Chunxue merely stood silently by his agitated master Yan Changqing, maintaining the Flowing Water Resonance with his true essence. He did nothing else.

At that moment, Ying Qi, master of Cold Season Peak, asked the question everyone cared about: “Has Mr. Gong seen Sun Yougong, Uncle Sun?”

“Indeed, my people found his physical body, but all his artifacts are missing. Clearly, his nascent soul has escaped. They are currently searching the area near the incident, trying to find him.” Mr. Gong’s reply caused an uproar in the hall.

Dai Mingchi spoke solemnly: “Many of you still do not know the causes and consequences of this matter, and find it incredible. But I was close friends with the two who perished. About eight years ago, I lived for a long time on your sect’s Embroidered Peak, benefiting greatly. So that their deaths may not remain mysterious, I must tell you the truth.”

As a cultivator of divine transformation, Dai Mingchi’s words carried an invisible pressure. Whether from the Wood Spiritual Root peaks or from Huo Chuanxing, Yan Changqing, and others, everyone calmed, waiting to hear his account.

Hongjian curled her lip, muttering resentfully, “A dog thief telling lies in public—divine transformation or not, it’s truly eye-opening.”

Dai Mingchi slowly walked past the assembled crowd, stopping before a row of seats, patting one, his face showing nostalgia as he spoke, “I once sat here with Elder Jin and Xing Wuyai, selecting disciples. Now, recalling it, the events of that day seem vivid. He sighed softly, turning to the crowd. “It has been so long—are you still curious why the three of us accepted unestablished disciples, not yet at the foundation stage? Elder Jin is gone now, so let me share the truth: it relates to searching for the Mirage Divine Palace.”

“Mirage Divine Palace?” The Dan Cliff disciples exchanged puzzled looks. Though they had wondered about this years ago, now hardly seemed the time to discuss it.

Yet Hongjian suddenly recalled Shi Qingxiang, who had disappeared on the other side of the Sky Curtain. What connection could their group of six have with the ancestral master’s murder?

Dai Mingchi continued, “Back then, Shang Qingzui merely entered the Divine Palace by chance, and the current structure of the cultivation continent was formed. The Divine Palace not only determines the fate of us divine transformation cultivators, it decides the life and death of all Dao practitioners. Imagine if a demon cultivator at the divine transformation level entered the palace—what would happen? Previously, no one could foresee the palace’s emergence, so fate ruled all. But then, among Dao cultivators, someone appeared who could predict heavenly secrets—you all have met him, my close friend Ji Youyun.”

“His unique art has been passed down for thousands of years, but only he managed to form a nascent soul and master it. Unfortunately, the art was incomplete when it reached him; to deduce the palace’s appearance in detail, he needed to restore it fully. This was a matter of fortune for us all. According to Youyun’s calculations, the missing part was stolen by demon cultivators and taken to the Sky Curtain. I persuaded your sect leader and Elder Jin to gather promising disciples from all sects who had not yet established their foundation, selecting those with great fortune to search for the lost art. Breaking open the Sky Curtain required the combined power of three divine transformation cultivators, so we invited Xing Wuyai.”

At this, everyone within Huahua Hall, regardless of their feelings, was drawn in by Dai Mingchi’s account. Even Ding Chunxue and Hongjian, who knew the truth and hated the murderer, were moved. Hongjian forgot to relay anything to Chen Zaizhi, lost in thought: “Why bring this up now? Could it be that after all these years, they have found the technique?”

Dai Mingchi sighed faintly, “At first, everything went smoothly; the six chosen disciples were outstanding, and a few years ago, the three of us broke open the Sky Curtain and sent them through. Yet despite all our calculations, something went wrong. Your sect leader and Elder Jin trusted Sun Yougong too much, never concealing the matter from him. Sun Yougong thus had other intentions—he controlled one of the six, named Leng Yu. Not long after reaching the demon cultivators’ domain, Leng Yu began seeking opportunities to kill his companions. Ji Nanpu, Xie Yaofei, and my own direct disciple Shi Qingxiang all died by his hand. When his crimes were exposed and he was punished, only two young people survived.”

What ill fortune haunted this day—could it get any worse? Hongjian, numbed by repeated bad news, nevertheless felt a pain in her heart upon hearing of Shi Qingxiang’s death from Dai Mingchi’s lips.

Shi Qingxiang—he truly died? Silently, on the far side of the Boundless Sea? No one even knew the true cause of his death. Each debt was owed by Dai Mingchi, Xing Wuyai, and Ji Youyun.

“Sect Leader Dai, your words are difficult to justify. If the events occurred among demon cultivators, how could you know? And why would my master do such a thing, harming others to no benefit?” The challenger was Yan Changqing, who had presided over the Water Spiritual Root sect examination that year; he knew Sun Yougong’s attitude better than anyone.

A black-robed cultivator beside Dai Mingchi glanced at Yan Changqing, recognized his status, and retorted, “The sect leader naturally had ways to obtain news from that side—otherwise, how could he know when to retrieve people? As for the details, you need not know. Why would your master act thus? He was already in league with demon cultivators. Upon learning our people succeeded, he feared the three divine transformation cultivators would return and find the palace, so he heartlessly struck out at his junior elders. Now that Elder Jin has perished, the Sky Curtain cannot be opened, and the survivors cannot be brought back. How will you compensate for this loss?”

This was truly the act of blaming the innocent. The cultivators of Late Tide Peak, hearing Sun Yougong so slandered, immediately rose in protest.

Huo Chuanxing led the argument, but was quickly subdued by a powerful pressure. Dai Mingchi said coldly, “That is the truth. I am merely accompanying Mr. Gong here; I have no time to waste words with Sun Yougong’s disciples.”

Mr. Gong nodded, continuing, “Sect Leader Dai’s righteousness is clear. When I return, I will report to the other elders of Northern Prison. Please remain calm. As I said before, choose your sect leader quickly. We and Sect Leader Dai are waiting for Dan Cliff Sect to purge the remnants and hand them over to me!”

At this, aside from those of Late Tide Peak, the other peaks’ cultivators became strangely quiet, evidently accepting the reality that the pillars of the sect had all perished on the same day, and contemplating what to do next.

Dan Cliff Sect was now at its weakest since its founding. The Talisman Sect and Northern Prison had not seized the opportunity to act against them, causing the cultivators to breathe a sigh of relief.

Many eyes fell quietly upon Huo Chuanxing, Yan Changqing, and others. Though Dai Mingchi and Mr. Gong had not stated it outright, since they claimed the remnants belonged to Sun Yougong, the investigation would surely begin at Late Tide Peak. Before then, every disciple and grandchild was a suspect.