Chapter 279
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Chapter 279: Proving Innocence
"Kid, I’ve done my best; you’ll have to rely on yourself!"
At that moment, Ji Yang heard the weak words of the middle-aged man in his mind.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yang furrowed his brows slightly, but his expression remained calm.
The key was that panicking would do no good.
When the Formation opened, the middle-aged man had warned him and acted to help Ji Yang avoid the searches from the artifacts the first two times.
However, on the third attempt, the middle-aged man was too weak to assist, and because Ji Yang carried Ren Yuning’s storage bag and was pressed for time, he had not checked it thoroughly, only doing some simple preparations.
He thought he could evade their tracking this way, but unexpectedly, Ren Yuning returned with new artifacts to search for him!
This repeated use of artifacts made Ji Yang a bit annoyed.
Why was this woman so stubborn!
After failing twice, she still wanted to keep experimenting!
Without the middle-aged man’s support, Ji Yang could not use his own means.
Although his primordial spirit energy was not weak, there was still Elder Guan present, and under his watch, Ji Yang felt the chances of being discovered were very high.
As for the middle-aged man, though he was a remnant soul, his use of primordial spirit energy surpassed Ji Yang in some aspects, which was why Elder Guan had not noticed him.
Now that the middle-aged man was no longer able to help, Ji Yang knew he could not escape the search of the artifacts.
Though he felt flustered inside, Ji Yang’s expression remained particularly calm; however, he was determined that once discovered, he would immediately flee. After all, without the obstructing Formation, escaping from this city should not be too problematic!
"Hmph!"
"You Heaven Demon Sect are quite powerful!"
"It seems there’s no need to participate in this Alchemy Competition!"
…
Faced with Ren Yuning’s unreasonable actions, the other cultivators in the room changed their expressions, each speaking up in turn.
The first two times, they had given Elder Guan and the Heaven Demon Sect face.
But again and again, being offended like this, even if they could not afford to cross the Heaven Demon Sect, they could not remain silent any longer!
Under such a collective outcry, Ren Yuning’s expression changed several times, yet she did not halt her actions!
This time, without any other factors involved, the compass quickly pointed to "Feng Yu" in the crowd after spinning for a while!
Seeing the needle point to her, Ji Yang’s body moved slightly, and he immediately prepared to escape.
"Enough!"
Just as Ji Yang was about to run, Elder Guan couldn’t hold back any longer and scolded Ren Yuning.
"Yuning, stop this nonsense!"
"All the cultivators present are innocent; it’s possible that the artifact is malfunctioning!"
"Moreover, you’ve already tried twice, there’s no need to try again! You’re tired from your journey; go rest for now. The matter of the wanted criminal can be addressed later!"
Elder Guan’s words made Ji Yang’s foot, which was about to take a step forward to flee, retract.
Upon hearing Elder Guan reprimand her, Ren Yuning bit her silver teeth, clearly feeling somewhat unconvinced!
There had been no problem before, so why was there a problem after entering? It must be because Ji Yang was here!
If she could just try a few more times, perhaps she would be able to find Ji Yang!
But Elder Guan’s words forced Ren Yuning to hold back!
Although she held a high status in the sect, Elder Guan was only giving her father some face!
Moreover, the displeased glances from the other cultivators around made Ren Yuning realize that this was not a place where she could act as she pleased!
Even though she felt unjust, Ren Yuning could only give up!
Just as Ren Yuning was preparing to withdraw, Ji Yang slowly stood up from the crowd, smiling as he said:
"Perhaps it’s not a problem with the artifact; there could be other reasons."
"Since this fairy is unwilling to give up, I am willing to voluntarily accept Elder Guan’s inspection to prove my innocent identity!"
Hearing this, the other cultivators present scoffed inwardly.
Everyone else was united against Ren Yuning, and here she was fawning over the Heaven Demon Sect! What a disgrace to them all!
The expressions of the other Alchemists from the Dan Ding Sect also darkened!
Seeing "Feng Yu" proactively step forward for the inspection, Elder Guan’s expression softened!
This young man not only had decent talent for alchemy but also understood the right principles; he was clearly a good seedling for the Heaven Demon Sect! He would surely achieve great things in the future!
Elder Guan immediately said:
"No further inspection is needed; your identity is clear, and there is absolutely no problem!"
"Today, my niece acted irrationally; I hope you all will not take offense. The Heaven Demon Sect will provide corresponding pills to each of you as compensation for today!"
With many people present, the compensation in pills would certainly not be small, but this competition was also extremely important for the Heaven Demon Sect.
Moreover, most of the people present were Alchemists. If compensation were not provided, this competition could easily go awry and even affect the reputation of the Heaven Demon Sect once it got out.
As an elder of the sect, Elder Guan was decisive at a critical moment.
Upon hearing this, everyone’s expressions changed from before, and they clasped their fists, saying:
"Elder Guan, you are too polite."
"These small matters are nothing!"
Under Elder Guan’s few simple words, the atmosphere quickly became harmonious.
Meanwhile, Ren Yuning cast a doubtful glance at the artifact in her hand. Could it really be malfunctioning?
Otherwise, why was it unable to detect Ji Yang’s whereabouts after three attempts?
Although the third person hadn’t yet been checked, Ji Yang’s ability to step forward to prove his innocence showed that he was not disguised as Ji Yang.
This result made Ren Yuning feel somewhat disheartened.
However, seeing him take the initiative to help explain herself, Ren Yuning developed a slight fondness and offered a faint smile toward "Feng Yu."
Ji Yang, receiving the kindness, also nodded slightly in response.
In the harmonious atmosphere, Cui Jing in the crowd glanced at "Feng Yu" with a strange expression, her eyes flickering, but she quickly returned to calm and said nothing more.
"Today’s competition ends here; dear friends, please return to your inns to rest!"
"Tomorrow, the Heaven Demon Sect will arrange another alchemy competition to determine the top three! I hope all friends participating today will not be late!"
"Everyone, farewell!"
"Elder Guan, please!"
…
Soon, the cultivators in the courtyard dispersed, leaving only some from the Heaven Demon Sect.
"Niece Yuning, today’s matter was too hasty!"
Looking at the silent Ren Yuning, Elder Guan sighed.
At this point, Ren Yuning had returned to normal and nodded:
"It was my fault!"
Seeing Ren Yuning not act impulsively, Elder Guan smiled:
"Ji Yang is still within the city. As long as he hasn’t left, he will definitely not escape. There’s no need to rush the capture; we just need to wait for our opportunity and guard the city gates!"
"Uncle, you speak wisely!"
"Elder Guan, who was that young man earlier?"
Ren Yuning suddenly asked.
Elder Guan certainly knew whom Ren Yuning was referring to and answered immediately:
"That person is Feng Yu from the Dan Ding Sect, talented in alchemy. Although his realm isn’t high, he shows great potential!"
"After this competition, perhaps we can draw him to our Heaven Demon Sect! However, before that, his identity needs to be thoroughly investigated; that is the responsibility of our Heaven Demon Sect."
