As Fairy Violet Spirit’s icy voice rang out, the gazes of the other cultivators instantly snapped toward a certain spot in the crowd.
Elder Zhao and another middle-aged scholar stood there expressionlessly. This scholar was none other than the other Mysterious Sound Sect elder who was often seen following Zhuo Ruting.
Seeing this, Madam Fan and Zhuo Ruting seemed to realize something, their faces turning extremely grim. Among them, Madam Fan looked the worst, appearing utterly flustered and exasperated.
“Who’s skulking around there?” an angry roar suddenly came from within the black clouds, followed by a series of fiery projectiles shooting out like spiritual snakes toward a certain nearby area.
In a spot that had been empty just moments before, the light suddenly dimmed as a large mass of black Qi erupted out of nowhere, completely devouring the fiery attacks. Then, a short young man materialized there.
“Wu Chou!” Han Li, who had quietly retreated to the very back of the group, was inwardly startled upon seeing the young man’s appearance and silently exclaimed this name.
By now, many of the other cultivators had also recognized the young man and cried out in alarm. The members of the Hidden Fiend Sect, in particular, underwent drastic changes in expression, glaring fiercely at Wu Chou. However, the leading middle-aged man wore a strange expression, a faint trace of fear mixed within his gaze as he stared at Wu Chou.
“Heh! As expected of the renowned Elder Chi Huo, to actually see through this young master’s concealment art,” Wu Chou remarked indifferently, sweeping his gaze over the assembled crowd before finally settling on the black clouds.
“Hmph!” A cold snort came from within the clouds, but no further sound followed, causing Wu Chou’s expression to darken.
“Was it your Extreme Yin Island behind all of this?” Zhuo Ruting, who had remained silent since realizing something was amiss, finally spoke up.
“Indeed! Everything here was arranged by this young master. Our island’s people were the ones who intercepted your Mysterious Sound Sect’s goods, and I was the one who ordered the two elders to frame the Hidden Fiend Sect!”
Contrary to all expectations, Wu Chou made no attempt to conceal anything. After letting out a cold laugh, he admitted to everything outright, then let his lecherous gaze roam over the purple-clad woman’s body.
The purple-clad woman’s eyes remained as cold as ever, silently staring back at Wu Chou without uttering a single word.
At that moment, Elder Zhao, the scholar, and the other cultivators who had just made their move suddenly flew over to Wu Chou’s side without a word, forming a three-way standoff against Fairy Violet Spirit and the Hidden Fiend Sect cultivators.
Though they had already guessed this might happen, Fairy Violet Spirit and Zhuo Ruting’s expressions still shifted, growing heavy and solemn.
“Elders Zhao and Meng, our sect has always treated you well. How could you do such a thing?” Madam Fan’s face had long turned deathly pale. As Elder Zhao and the others flew to Wu Chou’s side, she could no longer hold back and shouted her question.
It was worth noting that she had invested immense effort into winning over Elder Zhao to counterbalance Zhuo Ruting within the Mysterious Sound Sect, even going so far as to sacrifice her own dignity to pull him to her side. Yet now, he had betrayed her without a single word, filling her with both shock and fury.
“Left Emissary Fan, this old man never wanted to do this either. But Elder Meng and I have long had our lives hanging by a thread in another’s hands. We truly have no choice in the matter!” Elder Zhao’s face twitched as he spoke woodenly.
Hearing this, Madam Fan was taken aback. She raised her willow-like eyebrows, about to say more, but was cut off by a cold remark from Fairy Violet Spirit.
“Senior Sister Fan, it’s useless to say anything more now. Since they dared to set such a trap, they must have further tricks up their sleeves. Let’s focus on surviving today’s calamity first!”
Madam Fan fell silent.
“Tsk tsk! Truly worthy of the renowned Fairy Violet Spirit, famed for both talent and beauty. This young master has admired you for a long time. Would the fairy be interested in marrying this young master? Though I have many concubines, the position of official wife has remained vacant,” Wu Chou said lasciviously, staring at the purple-clad woman’s veiled face.
“Fine, I agree,” Fairy Violet Spirit replied expressionlessly.
Her words shocked all the other cultivators present, including Han Li.
Wu Chou himself was taken aback, a suspicious look crossing his face before he asked again, “Does Miss Wang truly mean it?”
“Execute every single cultivator involved in my mother’s murder that day, and I will marry you as your wife,” Fairy Violet Spirit said, her voice turning icy.
Wu Chou’s pleased expression vanished, replaced by a frown as he shook his head. “That condition won’t work! Many of those who acted that day are my grandfather’s trusted aides. I don’t have the authority to execute them. How about the fairy sets another condition?”
Fairy Violet Spirit let out a few cold laughs, whispered something to Madam Fan beside her, and ignored Wu Chou.
Seeing this, a flash of brutality crossed Wu Chou’s hideous face, but he seemed to remember something and forcibly suppressed his anger, turning his gaze toward the Hidden Fiend Sect cultivators.
“Uncle-Master Sun, I never expected that after all these years apart, you’ve actually managed to nurture so many disciples. Congratulations,” Wu Chou said coldly.
“Uncle-Master?” This form of address shocked everyone present.
Han Li’s heart sank, his sense of foreboding growing stronger. He had long since scanned the surroundings with his spiritual sense but found no additional ambushes. This left him momentarily hesitant, unsure whether to flee immediately or wait and see how the situation developed. After all, he still hadn’t confirmed whether the matter of the “Heaven Lightning Bamboo” was real or not.
Just then, the middle-aged man snorted coldly, his expression shifting uncertainly as he replied, “I’ve been living quite well! I just never expected that merely taking some disciples out for a stroll would lead to your people discovering us. It seems this trip was a mistake.”
“Heh! Uncle-Master Sun, you jest. Anyone who spent decades in the Tongtian Misty Sea would want to come out and move around. Besides, you likely came out this time because of the Heavenly Void Hall, right? I wonder if you brought that incomplete map of the Heavenly Void Hall that several uncle-masters took with you back then. Calculating the time, the three-hundred-year cycle for the Heavenly Void Hall’s emergence is almost up. If you hand over the map to your nephew willingly, I can plead with my grandfather to spare your life. How about it?” Wu Chou’s gaze toward the middle-aged man held a trace of greedy fervor as he spoke these tempting words.
After hearing this, the middle-aged man fell silent for a moment before coldly replying, “We former disciples know all too well how the Extreme Yin Old Devil operates. I’m sure the moment I hand over the map to you, he would torture me to death. And besides…”
“Besides what?” Wu Chou frowned.
“And besides, do you really think you have the final say here? Old monster, no need to hide anymore. Show yourself!” the middle-aged man said sharply.
These words startled Han Li and the other cultivators, who urgently glanced around. Was the Extreme Yin Ancestor right here?
Yet the surroundings remained calm and ordinary, with no unusual occurrences. The cultivators were now baffled, turning their gazes back to the middle-aged man and Wu Chou.
“What trick are you playing? How could I not have the final—” Wu Chou initially looked stunned, but halfway through his sentence, his expression froze, and a strange look came over his face.
He stared fixedly at the middle-aged man with this odd expression for a moment before letting out an eerie laugh. “Not bad, not bad! As expected of one of the disciples I valued most back in the day, to see through my identity at a glance.”
As he spoke, Wu Chou’s face began to blur and distort. Moments later, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, it transformed into that of an equally short and skinny, narrow-eyed ugly old man.
A chill ran down Han Li’s and the others’ spines.
“Possession Art! I knew it. How could you leave such an important matter to a junior? You came personally after all. Even if this isn’t your true body,” the middle-aged man said tensely, his voice low and measured as he stared at the old man.
“Obidient disciple, do you truly dare to raise your hand against your master?” The newly appeared old man’s lips didn’t move, yet an extremely shrill voice emitted from his abdomen, piercing everyone’s eardrums and causing them to instinctively step back.
“Hmph! Disciple? Back then, you would beat or kill us on a whim. Those who showed the slightest disobedience even had their souls extracted and refined. When did you ever treat us as disciples? We were nothing but your slaves! And right now, you’re merely using a possession technique. At best, you can only exert a third of your cultivation. What do I have to fear?” the middle-aged man said grimly. With a wave of both hands, the ghost head before him suddenly enlarged, instantly becoming even more ferocious and terrifying.
Fairy Violet Spirit, Han Li, and the other cultivators were stunned by this bizarre turn of events, their expressions a mixture of shock and uncertainty!
The old man showed no anger at the middle-aged man’s words. Instead, he said mildly, “True, if this were a hundred years ago, you would be right. With only a third of my power, capturing you alive would indeed be difficult. But now…”
A sharp, mocking smile appeared on his face.
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