Chapter 399: True, It Wasn't You

Li Weiyi asked, "Does that person from the Demonic Kingdom perhaps think that my dealing with Xie Chucai was at the Divine Cult's behest? That the Divine Cult intended to expose him?"

"That's only the most superficial layer! Why did the Three Palace Lord's decree specifically emphasize that only martial cultivators at the first stage of the Longevity Realm are permitted to act?" An Xianjing asked.

Li Weiyi had genuinely never considered that question.

An Xianjing continued, "How many Longevity Realm first-stage martial cultivators do you think the imperial court possesses? Can they be a match for the Demonic Child? Just Yao Qian and Song Yulou, for example?"

Li Weiyi gasped, surprised, and exclaimed, "Their true target is the Zuoqiu Clan?"

It should be noted that at the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, the Zuoqiu Clan acquired the most Longevity Pills among the twenty offered by the Du'e Temple. For the two years following, Du'e Temple provided the Zuoqiu Clan with three Longevity Pills annually to help them attract talented individuals from across the land. In other words, the Zuoqiu Clan had the largest number of Longevity Realm first-stage martial cultivators, including Zuoqiu Ling, whose combat prowess was extraordinary within the same realm.

Yao Qingxuan said, "While the Demonic Kingdom's compromise was certainly due to the unpredictable power of the Nine Heavens Grand Formation, forcing them to retreat, the Demonic Child is one of Du'e Temple's most outstanding disciples. If the Zuoqiu Clan were to deal with him, how would they explain it to Du'e Temple? How would they justify betraying Du'e Temple's support?"

"If the Zuoqiu Clan doesn't deal with the Demonic Child, how will they account for it to the world?"

Li Weiyi said, "No wonder the time given to deal with the Demonic Child is as long as fifteen days. It was to ensure the Zuoqiu Clan wouldn't have enough time to mobilize their forces. What a cruel and overt scheme!"

Yao Qingxuan explained, "Why did the Three Palace Lord agree? Because she also wanted to draw the Zuoqiu Clan into the situation in Lingxiao City, helping the imperial court cope with the danger. One could say, that person from the Demonic Kingdom offered her a price she couldn't refuse."

Li Weiyi said, "Is that person from the Demonic Kingdom using this opportunity to sow discord between Du'e Temple and the Zuoqiu Clan? Does the Demonic Kingdom ultimately want to support Qilin Zang in establishing a demon kingdom, or support the Daoist Sect in establishing the Daoist Realm?"

An Xianjing replied, "Both are possible."

Li Weiyi's eyes flickered. "Then why don't we pin the blame on the demon race?"

An Xianjing said, "That's exactly what I wanted to tell you! This whole situation was orchestrated by Luansheng Linyou, and the leak came from Long Xiangcen. It was all a demonic scheme, and you were merely manipulated by Jiang Ning through emotions. I will present this narrative to the Demonic Kingdom and the high-ranking members of the Divine Cult."

"If you go and kill Jiang Ning, everything can be covered up."

Li Weiyi froze.

An Xianjing said, "I knew you wouldn't be able to do it! Qingxuan, you are his master; will you help him?"

"Alright!" Yao Qingxuan said.

Li Weiyi stopped Yao Qingxuan. "What do you mean 'alright'? I don't agree. This is absolutely out of the question."

"It seems he truly has feelings."

An Xianjing, contrary to Li Weiyi's expectation of persistence and severity, simply closed her eyes and stopped mentioning killing Jiang Ning.

The carriage drove into Tai'an District, arriving at a gang named "Chan Dao Sect." The gang occupied half a *li*, with nearly a hundred members and disciples. The sect leader, Master Liang, was an expert from a collateral branch of the Liang family in the Eastern Realm, having reached the eighth heaven of the Dao Seed Realm.

The carriage came to a stop in the courtyard. Dozens of Daoist Sect experts emerged, bowing in unison and saluting, "Greetings, Hall Master An, Venerable Nan." An Xianjing and Yao Qingxuan put on their veils and successively stepped out of the carriage, where a crowd knelt before them. Li Weiyi had just gotten out of the carriage and steadied himself.

Sikong Yanlun, who had only one arm left, spoke with an enraged voice, "Li Weiyi, where is my brother?"

Li Weiyi glanced at him indifferently. "Stop shouting in front of me. Do you really think I still fear you?"

Sikong Yanlun bowed respectfully. "Hall Master An, my brother was captured by Li Weiyi and likely died at his hands. This boy, in Lingxiao City, has been colluding with several young experts from the imperial court. He must harbor ulterior motives and cannot be kept."

Li Weiyi said coldly, "If I harbored ulterior motives, with my Divine Son's fate token, how many Divine Cult members could I lure out? How many Divine Cult strongholds could I dismantle? Would I let Yao Qian be so arrogant?"

"If I had even the slightest intent to betray, Suizong and Guanshan would have been leaked by me long ago."

"Suizong is indeed detestable, but I am well aware that they are deeply connected with the Divine Cult. If they were all captured, it would be like pulling up a radish and bringing out a whole lot of mud, severely damaging the Divine Cult's influence in Lingxiao City."

What Li Weiyi didn't know was that An Xianjing and Yao Qingxuan's month-long delay in arriving at Lingxiao City was due to the will of a transcendent being within the Daoist Sect. This transcendent being did not trust Li Weiyi and wanted to use time to verify his loyalty, to test which side was truly betraying them. It could be said that it was fortunate Li Weiyi showed enough restraint during that month; he did not ally with the imperial court to dismantle the Daoist Sect's various strongholds, nor did he intentionally leak information about Suizong. It was precisely because Lingxiao City remained calm that Yao Qingxuan was able to leave the main altar.

Li Weiyi's questions left Sikong Yanlun speechless.

Yao Qingxuan asked, "Why are you so sure that Sikong Jingyuan was captured by Li Weiyi?"

Sikong Yanlun replied, "It was a message from Suizong."

Li Weiyi sneered, "I didn't even know if your brothers were in Lingxiao City, so how could I capture him? I have no foundation in the Divine Cult; could people around you really be leaking secrets to me?"

Sikong Yanlun said, "Luansheng Linyou also informed me."

Li Weiyi said, "Luansheng Linyou wishes he could kill me without delay; what means wouldn't he use? Your cultivation talent is decent, but you have no brains whatsoever. Be careful not to be used without realizing it."

Sikong Yanlun was a dignified Divine Son; how could he endure such humiliation? "What a master of twisting facts, this Fourth Divine Son!" With a furious roar, old and new grievances erupted simultaneously. He took a step forward, covering several yards, his fist releasing brilliant silver light, unleashing an energy storm that filled the courtyard. Such hatred! Not only did he bear the grudge of a severed arm, but he was also publicly humiliated. If he didn't act now, he would become the laughingstock of the Twin Daoist Sect.

Li Weiyi stood his ground, a shimmering spiritual barrier forming in front of him, neutralizing Sikong Yanlun's fist energy. The spiritual light spread out, coiling around Sikong Yanlun's entire body. Sikong Yanlun felt his body tightly bound, his eyes filled with horror. He knew Li Weiyi's psionic cultivation had advanced rapidly, but he hadn't expected it to reach such a level.

"Bang!" With a thought, Li Weiyi flung Sikong Yanlun away, sending him crashing heavily to the ground and raising a thick cloud of dust. Though defeated, Sikong Yanlun lay on the ground, laughing wildly. "Originally, I doubted if you had the power to capture my brother. Now, I dare to assert that my brother must have been killed by you!"

From among the Daoist Sect experts, a grey-robed figure stepped forward. He had a gaunt face, high cheekbones, and thick, sword-like eyebrows. He was Arid Void, the Second Divine Son of the Twin Daoist Sect. Arid Void cupped his hands and saluted An Xianjing. "I know Hall Master An trusts Li Weiyi greatly. However, I am absolutely certain that Sikong Jingyuan has died at Li Weiyi's hands."

A martial cultivator quickly came to report, "The Fifth Divine Son is back!"

Everyone in the courtyard froze in unison. Yao Qingxuan felt a stir of worry and secretly glanced at Li Weiyi, but saw that he remained calm and composed, showing no sign of panic.

A moment later, Sikong Jingyuan, supported by two martial cultivators, appeared before An Xianjing, dropping to his knees with a thud and wailing pitifully, "Hall Master An, Suizong is utterly treacherous and universally despised, truly universally despised! That old scoundrel Yang Shenjing is rebelling! Quickly kill them, and Yao Qian too, or the Divine Cult will face a great disaster!"

Sikong Jingyuan was indeed in a miserable state, tortured beyond recognition. His ten fingers and ten toes were bloody, their bones completely shattered. Most of the skin on his body had been cut away, and he limped when he walked. Sikong Yanlun quickly stepped forward to examine Sikong Jingyuan's injuries, asking, "Brother, what happened? What are you talking about?"

Sikong Jingyuan then recounted everything: how he was captured by Suizong, how he was imprisoned, how he was tortured and interrogated, and what he had heard. Over the past month, Sikong Jingyuan had endured immense torment, suffering a mental breakdown and filled with extreme resentment. "Suizong has completely sided with the Second Palace Lord and plans to help the imperial court eliminate all Divine Cult strongholds before the Lantern Festival. If Suizong hadn't received orders tonight to hunt down Li Weiyi throughout the city, I would never have had a chance to escape."

"Kill them, we must kill all these ungrateful wretches and turn them all into fertilizer for rice paddies."

Except for An Xianjing, Yao Qingxuan, and Li Weiyi, everyone else was too shocked to speak, falling into disarray.

Li Weiyi looked at Arid Void. "Didn't you have absolute certainty that Sikong Jingyuan had died at my hands? Your certainty wouldn't happen to come from Suizong, would it?"

Arid Void's gaze was heavy, and he struggled to process the shock in his heart.

Li Weiyi then looked at Sikong Jingyuan. "Are you certain it was people from Suizong who captured you?"

"Do you take me for a fool? Do you think I wouldn't even know who my enemies are?" Sikong Jingyuan retorted angrily.

Li Weiyi said, "I'm very curious about something: on what grounds do you believe the Divine Cult will face a great disaster? That all Divine Cult strongholds are to be eradicated? Have you betrayed the Divine Cult? Just confess everything!"

Sikong Jingyuan stammered, "No... no, how could I surrender? Li Weiyi, you're trying to harm me! You're trying to frame me!"

Li Weiyi looked at An Xianjing and Yao Qingxuan. "Sikong Jingyuan has most likely divulged all secrets. This place is very unsafe; we must evacuate immediately."

"Everyone, break into small groups and leave Chan Dao Sect immediately. Arid Void, you stay here to clean up the mess and make sure you get all the facts straight."

After giving these orders, An Xianjing and Yao Qingxuan boarded the carriage ahead of others. All the Daoist Sect experts fell into a flurry of activity, gathering items and burning ledgers. Another portion of them left immediately.

Arid Void looked at the terrified Sikong Jingyuan, who was still kneeling on the ground, and a cruel glint appeared in his eyes. "We're all brothers. Just tell the truth, and I can give you a quick end. Yanlun, do you want a new arm? His arm should be a perfect fit for you."

The carriage sped away. An Xianjing observed Li Weiyi's eyes several times. "Are you sure you didn't do it?"

Li Weiyi showed a look of dismay and quickly said, "If I had that capability, how could I only do half the job? How could I have chosen to leave the city with Taishi Yu tonight? So, Hall Master An, you've never trusted me."

"The situation has become even more dangerous! Qingxuan, you and he must leave the city immediately."

After An Xianjing finished speaking, her figure vanished from within the carriage as if into thin air, with incredible speed.