Chapter 158: Framed

Chen Fei, revered as the savior of Huangwu City, was someone the heads and patriarchs of the city’s major clans desperately wanted to meet, yet had no chance. But Miao Yue, just a seemingly insignificant maid of the Su family, dared to pinch him without any concern. If word got out, countless powerful cultivators would be stunned.

Faced with Miao Yue’s unreasonable behavior, Chen Fei could only force a smile. After all, he had taken advantage of her lady, Su Yun—seeing everything he should and shouldn’t have seen.

“My lady should be fine. When we parted ways, she told me it was fate,” Chen Fei recalled what Su Yun had said when he triggered the Life-and-Death Tribulation.

As the one who triggered the tribulation, Chen Fei had managed to escape with the inheritance of the secret realm’s master. Since Su Yun was only affected by association, she should also have made it out safely.

While Chen Fei recounted the events within the secret realm to Miao Yue, reinforcements finally arrived at Huangwu City.

Surprisingly, the first to arrive wasn’t General Tong—who had rushed over upon hearing the news—nor the Dean of Silver Moon Academy, Lu Hengshi. Instead, it was the Supreme Elder of Qinling, Long Qingchuang, who came to rescue his only grandson.

“Grandfather!”

Standing in the plaza outside the City Lord’s mansion, basking in admiration, Long Yan took to the skies as soon as he spotted his grandfather and flew straight toward him.

Seeing that Long Yan was safe, Long Qingchuang breathed a sigh of relief and said dotingly, “Good boy, you finally broke through to the Spirit Master Realm!”

“Greetings, Supreme Elder!”

The leading Qinling disciples present, including Senior Brother Min, immediately knelt to the ground and paid their respects to the elderly man in the sky with flowing white hair and beard.

“Greetings, Elder of Qinling!”

Soon after, disciples from sects affiliated with Qinling followed suit, all kneeling in reverence.

Even those without any ties to Qinling bowed from the heart to this old man, whose aura was deep and vast like the ocean.

He was a peak Dao Realm cultivator—someone most people would never encounter in their entire lives.

“What happened?”

“Where’s the demonic cultivator?”

Long Qingchuang asked after signaling everyone to rise.

“Grandfather, that demonic cultivator was forced to retreat by the treasure you gave me,” Long Yan replied.

“That demonic cultivator had only beginner-level Dao Realm cultivation?” Long Qingchuang doubted it. He knew his grandson’s strength and the power of the treasure he’d bestowed. If the enemy had been a mid-tier Dao Realm expert, even with the ritual formation, it would have been impossible to save the entire city.

Long Yan was clearly uncertain. As a third-grade True Spirit Master, he couldn’t accurately assess the strength of a Dao Realm demonic cultivator.

“Reporting to the Supreme Elder!”

“That demonic cultivator should be mid-level Dao Realm, possibly above sixth grade,” replied Senior Brother Min, the strongest Spirit Master from Qinling at the scene.

“Above sixth-grade Dao Realm?”

“You all managed to drive him off using just the treasure I gave and save the whole city?”

Long Qingchuang remained skeptical.

“Grandfather, I wasn’t the only one who saved the city. There was another guy named Chen Yang. According to one of the demonic cultivators, he’s a descendant of a Sacred Land,” Long Yan added.

“Oh?”

Even Long Qingchuang’s expression changed slightly upon hearing “Sacred Land descendant.” He looked surprised. “A Sacred Land descendant appeared in our territory?”

“Supreme Elder, that Chen Yang isn’t a Sacred Land descendant at all. He’s a schemer who colluded with a demonic cultivator,” a man in gray robes suddenly stepped forward. “He just got lucky in the secret realm and somehow acquired the inheritance, gaining a Dao weapon.”

“Enough nonsense, Meng Cheng!” Qin Heng stepped out, defending Chen Fei. “If not for him, we’d all be dead, sacrificed to that demonic cultivator’s ritual!”

“Meng Cheng, you really shouldn’t speak carelessly. We all owe our lives to Chen Fei,” said Han Lingshuang in support.

Long Qingchuang frowned. “Why is he called Chen Yang by some and Chen Fei by others? Are they the same person?”

“They are, Supreme Elder,” Meng Cheng explained. “He uses two names to confuse people. You’ve all been deceived!”

“If Ye Chenxing was a demonic cultivator, why did Chen Fei let him go?”

“And why did Ye Chenxing, a demonic cultivator, help Chen Fei and not the other demonic experts?”

“I personally saw Chen Fei using dark arts to fight magical beasts in the secret realm!”

Meng Cheng listed his accusations without pause.

“So he really is a demonic cultivator!”

“No wonder he advanced from a Great Spirit Master to near Dao Realm in no time!”

“He must be an old monster who took over a new body.”

“He didn’t save us—he just acted out of self-preservation!”

Long Yan, who already held a grudge against Chen Fei, agreed with Meng Cheng, and many others quickly joined in.

At this moment, aside from Qin Heng, almost everyone else from Qinling was starting to doubt Chen Fei.

“Supreme Elder, since you’re here, you’ll surely be able to tell if Chen Fei is a demonic cultivator,” Meng Cheng suggested.

Long Qingchuang nodded. True or false, he’d find out as soon as he saw this Chen Yang—or Chen Fei—himself.

“Where is he?”

“I can tell you, Senior!”

A new voice spoke. It was Ye Bufan, the Young City Lord of Huangwu City.

“He’s my Su family’s live-in son-in-law. Once a blind and useless man, now he suddenly soared to greatness. He’s clearly a hidden demonic agent placed in our city.”

“It must be because of him that demonic cultivators targeted Huangwu City. He’s the traitor!”

Ye Bufan had barely survived and knew his position as heir was now shaky. Worse, his father still hadn’t returned—likely dead. More importantly, he and his family were the real collaborators with the demonic sects—his third uncle being Ye Chenxing.

Now was the time to pin everything on someone else. Chen Fei was the perfect scapegoat.

“Who are you?” Long Qingchuang asked.

“Senior, I am Ye Bufan, Young City Lord of Huangwu City. My father was the first to fall to the demonic cultivators in defense of our home,” he said sorrowfully.