Volume 3 Chapter 44

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Volume 3 Chapter 44: The Predicament

The newly arrived Penance Valley cultivators landed and quickly formed a formation that surrounded the Jiuhua Gate cultivators, as if fearing they might escape. This caused the cultivators present to pause in surprise. Some seemed to suddenly realize something, and looked at the Jiuhua Gate cultivators with a hint of caution.

As for the Jiuhua Mountain cultivators, seeing the seemingly hostile behavior of the Penance Valley cultivators, their expressions turned to anger as they gathered Spirit Qi within themselves, preparing for any unforeseen events.

"Taoist Friend Xuan Xian, what does this mean?"

"Why have you surrounded us, Taoist Friend Xuan Xian? This could lead to misunderstandings between our two sects."

As Xuan Xian and Xuan Ling gracefully descended to the ground with five young cultivators, Xuan Jian and Zhang Hualing spoke up simultaneously. However, Xuan Jian’s voice carried a hint of dissatisfaction in addition to the question, while Zhang Hualing’s tone was filled with wariness and anger.

Xu Qingfan suddenly had a bad feeling because he noticed the five young disciples looking at him, Jin Qinghan, and Lv Qingshang with hatred, just like Gong Qingya and the others had before.

At the same time, the sect leaders and protectors who had just been questioning Xuan Xuan about the whereabouts of their disciples were shocked to see the five young cultivators behind Xuan Xian and Xuan Ling.

"Tian’er, I’m so glad you’re okay."

"Li Hu, where are your four junior brothers? Why are you here alone?"

"Kai Huan, where is your junior brother? What exactly happened these past days?"

These five young cultivators were the disciples from various sects who had been severely injured but not killed in the previous attack.

As the sect leaders and elders saw their beloved disciples appear, they quickly began asking questions, causing a brief moment of chaos.

Watching the cultivators start asking questions, Xuan Xian and Xuan Ling exchanged a glance but did not answer immediately. Instead, they respectfully bowed to the cultivators present and warmly said, "Dear Taoist friends, Xuan Xian (Xuan Ling) is arriving late. Please forgive us."

Seeing Xuan Xian and Xuan Ling bow to them, the cultivators returned the gesture, except for those from Jiuhua Mountain, who remained standing proudly with expressionless faces. The Penance Valley cultivators surrounded them, unfazed by Zhang Hualing’s questioning, and some even looked at the Jiuhua Gate cultivators with a hint of animosity in their eyes.

For the cultivators of Jiuhua Gate, such actions from Penance Valley have already tarnished the reputation that Jiuhua Gate has built over thousands of years, so naturally, they would not return any courtesy to the cultivators of Penance Valley.

Seeing the dissatisfaction of the Jiuhua Gate cultivators and the eager expressions of those from sects with missing disciples, Xuan Xian sighed slightly and explained to the cultivators, "The doubts of all you Taoist friends are essentially one question—what exactly has happened on Huandao Island these days. I shall now report everything I have seen, encountered, and inferred to you all, and I ask you Taoist friends to decide the conclusion."

With that, Xuan Xian recounted to the cultivators everything that had happened on Huandao Island over the past three days, starting with the calmness on the first day, the sudden upheaval that night, when many Penance Valley cultivators secretly guarding the disciples were diverted, leading to the disciples from various sects being injured or killed in a short time.

He then spoke about the second day when some Penance Valley cultivators were escorting severely injured disciples back from the teleportation array to Zhantai, only to discover the array was destroyed, and they fell into an ambush. It wasn’t until later when Xuan Xian and other Penance Valley cultivators noticed something was wrong and rushed to help that everyone was rescued. However, three severely injured disciples still succumbed to their injuries due to the impact.

Xuan Xian’s tone grew heavy as he narrated the events of the second night, when all the Penance Valley cultivators suddenly sensed a strong Spirit Qi fluctuation from somewhere on Huandao Island. Upon arriving, they found Xu Qingfan and two others fleeing, along with the gravely injured Feng Qingtian. Xuan Xiu, who was guarding them, and Xuan Ku, who was guarding the White Lady Palace disciples, were nowhere to be found.

Listening to Xuan Xian’s account, the cultivators present were filled with grave expressions, their emotions fluctuating with his narration.

No one expected so much to occur in just three short days on Huandao Island. More importantly, these strange events happened right under the noses of the Penance Valley cultivators, with the culprits acting as if they were invisible. Clearly, these perpetrators were not only powerful but also meticulous, with premeditated plans, and had long been aware of the Newcomer Competition set by the six Holy Lands.

Those who thought more deeply pondered further. The content of each Newcomer Competition was always jointly determined by the Sect Masters of the six Holy Lands, with only a few knowing it beforehand. Even other sect leaders and elders were informed only when Xuan Jian announced it. Yet, the perpetrators seemed to know in advance—could it be leaked by the six Holy Lands? Or were the culprits themselves from within the six Holy Lands?

The disciples participating in the Newcomer Competition were even more shocked after hearing Xuan Xian’s account, never imagining the chaos on Huandao Island while they were competing with other sects, remaining completely unaware of the turmoil.

After Xuan Xian finished speaking, some impatient cultivators asked, "Venerable Xuan Xian, who on earth is attacking the disciples of different sects?"

Xuan Xian glanced at the people from Jiuhua Mountain and then sighed slightly, giving a small nod to the five disciples behind him.

Receiving Xuan Xian’s signal, Kai Huan from Medicine King Valley stepped forward first, pointing angrily at Xu Qingfan and said sternly, "It was Xu Qingfan. He led the other four from Jiuhua Mountain to demand the Seven-colored Deer we and our fellow brothers hunted. When we refused, they attacked us."

The four young cultivators from different sects standing behind him also nodded in agreement as Kai Huan accused, glaring at Xu Qingfan and his companions with gritted teeth.

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked.

Especially the people of Jiuhua Gate who never expected such an outcome, they looked at each other in confusion, unsure how to react. Some looked at Zhang Hualing, waiting for the Sect Master’s decision, while others stared angrily at Xu Qingfan and his group, waiting for them to explain.

Only Jiuhua Gate’s Supreme Protector Zhou Huahai, known for his fiery temper, was strangely silent today. At this moment, he lowered his head in deep thought, seemingly considering how to respond.

Meanwhile, the sect leaders and elders from various sects, whose disciples had been harmed or killed, glared at Xu Qingfan and company with anger. If they weren’t concerned about their status as Holy Land disciples, they would have already taken action to destroy them.

After a long silence, Li Tianying from White Lady Palace finally spoke, gazing coldly at Zhang Hualing. "So, it truly was your disciples who attacked those of other sects? And the ones who killed my two disciples were indeed your disciples as well?"

Zhang Hualing did not immediately answer Li Tianying’s question; instead, he quietly observed the expressions of those around him, including the Guardians of Jiuhua Gate, as if trying to discern something. Eventually, his gaze rested on Xu Qingfan, seemingly waiting for him to explain.

Lv Qingshang, feeling exceptionally angry after being falsely accused, disregarded the presence of many elders around. He loudly exclaimed to Kai Huan, "We did not! On the night of the attack, we were all meditating to restore Spirit Qi. How could we have had the time to attack you?"

Jin Qinghan, no longer able to maintain his usual indifference, spoke coldly, "If it weren’t for the unexpected changes, with our strength as a group of five, we could have captured ten Seven-colored Deer on the first day. Why would we need to take the few in your hands?"

"Do you have any evidence that it wasn’t you?" Gong Qingya clearly hated the Jiuhua Gate members, and upon hearing Lv Qingshang and Jin Qinghan’s defense, she immediately retorted.

Despite being watched by many cultivators present, Xu Qingfan did not rush to defend himself. He knew that in times like these, it was crucial to stay calm. Hasty defenses would not achieve anything.

If there was any doubt before, the current situation left no question that what happened on Huandao Island was a conspiracy against Jiuhua Gate. Although the final goal was unknown, Xu Qingfan felt that provoking public outrage against Jiuhua Gate was likely one of the aims.

As with any conspiracy, there would be loopholes. Whether those involved could discover these loopholes was the key to the conspiracy’s success or failure.

This was the conclusion Xu Qingfan had reached after reading many historical texts.

In the upheaval on Huandao Island, Jiuhua Gate was undoubtedly caught in the scheme. Discovering the loopholes was crucial to breaking free of the trap.

Carefully recalling what Xuan Xian had just said and everything that had happened over the past three days, Xu Qingfan finally spoke up. He slowly addressed the cultivators present, "As a junior, I have three points for your consideration."

Undoubtedly, Xu Qingfan’s calm words were far more effective than the heated arguments of Lv Qingshang and Jin Qinghan. So when Xu Qingfan spoke, all eyes in the room turned to him.

Zhang Hualing, who had been about to speak, looked at Xu Qingfan with a hint of admiration in his eyes.

Seeing that all the cultivators’ attention was focused on him, Xu Qingfan maintained his composure and continued, "First, according to Venerable Xuan Xian, the attacks on the disciples of the eight sects occurred within an hour’s span from start to finish. Esteemed elders, setting aside the question of whether our Lingji Stage cultivation has enough Spirit Qi to sustain continuous battles, could we have attacked elite disciples of eight sects in just one hour?"

Hearing Xu Qingfan’s words, the cultivators were taken aback, and a murmur of discussion rose. Some sharp-minded individuals had also considered this point and now looked at the calm Xu Qingfan with appreciation.

Noticing the response his words had evoked, with many cultivators now showing doubt, Xu Qingfan felt a bit of satisfaction but remained calm as he continued, "Secondly, although Huandao Island is not large, it still spans nearly a thousand hectares. The island is dark at night, so if we were the ones attacking, how did we precisely locate the disciples of each sect? The time spent just traveling to attack them would take up half an hour."

As Xu Qingfan presented his second point, the discussions among the cultivators grew louder, with many casting doubtful glances at the five young cultivators from the various sects.

"I believe these five senior brothers are not lying. Perhaps on the second night at Huandao Island, they truly saw us attacking them."

Xu Qingfan’s statement left the cultivators startled, and Jin Qinghan and Lv Qingshang were even more anxious, puzzled by Xu Qingfan’s words. But Xu Qingfan ignored their reactions and continued, "But with due respect, the highest cultivation of these five senior brothers is only at the early stage of the Lingji Stage. Setting aside the darkness of Huandao Island at the time or whether they used the Sky Eye Skill, even if it were daylight and they had used the Sky Eye Skill, if a late stage Lingji Stage cultivator altered their appearance to resemble us, these senior brothers wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, would they? That’s the third point I wanted to make."

Speaking, Xu Qingfan glanced at the five surviving disciples from various sects.

As Xu Qingfan finished explaining his points, even the five surviving cultivators were skeptical about what they had witnessed earlier. Especially Kai Huan, who had a good first impression of Xu Qingfan, as his master also greatly admired Xu Qingfan. When he saw Xu Qingfan looking at him, he couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

After Xu Qingfan finished sharing his viewpoint, the cultivators present couldn’t suppress their doubts any longer, and the low murmurs in the crowd suddenly grew louder.

From Xu Qingfan’s three points, it seemed indeed unlikely that Jiuhua Gate attacked the disciples from various sects; there was a strong possibility they were framed. As Jin Qinghan mentioned, with the strength of the five from Jiuhua Gate, they could easily complete the task on their own without needing to seize from others.

Meanwhile, the many elders of Jiuhua Gate looked at Xu Qingfan with admiration, clearly appreciating his efforts to help Jiuhua Gate out of the predicament.

Strangely, despite the many doubts Xu Qingfan raised, the Penance Valley cultivators surrounding Jiuhua Gate remained unmoved, continuing to encircle them with a guarded demeanor.

Seeing the reaction of the Penance Valley cultivators, Xu Qingfan was momentarily taken aback. The ominous feeling in his heart not only persisted but grew even stronger.

Could it be that the situation would change? Or was there another backup plan the schemer had in place?

At this thought, Xu Qingfan’s previously relaxed expression became serious once again.

He suddenly realized that if things were as he had previously thought, then the plot set up by the mastermind would be too easily unraveled, which didn’t match with his secretive methods and formidable power.

Alongside Xu Qingfan, Zhang Hualing, the sect leader of Jiuhua Gate, also turned serious.

Indeed, the situation was not as simple as Xu Qingfan had previously thought.

Seeing the puzzled expressions on the faces of the cultivators after Xu Qingfan spoke, Hua Xian sighed slightly and suddenly said, "According to my previous conjecture, I also think it’s not the work of Taoist Friend Xu and others, which aligns with what Taoist Friend Xu mentioned earlier."

Hearing Hua Xian’s words, an elder from Jiuhua Mountain snorted coldly and said, "If that’s the case, why did you surround us the moment you arrived here, as if you’re afraid we’ll escape?"

Xuan Ling, who had remained silent all along, suddenly smirked and said, "Because we discovered two more pieces of evidence."

"What are they?" Zhang Hualing asked calmly, unaffected by Xuan Ling’s tone.

With a cold snort, Xuan Ling waved his long sleeve, and suddenly two corpses appeared before everyone.

"Senior Brother Ma!"

"Taoist Friend Xuan Ku!"

"It’s Ma Huaguang from Jiuhua Gate and Venerable Xuan Ku from Penance Valley!"

As soon as the two bodies appeared, they caused a commotion. Those who were familiar with them in life exclaimed in shock, while the cultivators from Jiuhua Gate and Penance Valley were visibly agitated.

The elder from Jiuhua Gate, who had just spoken, demanded, "What happened to Senior Brother Ma? He has been in seclusion on the mountain for years and didn’t even come to Zhantai this time. He was perfectly fine before he left. How is he now dead? Was it you who did this?"

As he spoke, the elder moved towards Xuan Ling to question him further but was stopped by two Penance Valley cultivators.

When the cultivators from Penance Valley first saw Xuan Ku’s body, they were filled with sorrow. They gathered around Xuan Ku’s body to investigate the cause of his death.

Meanwhile, Xu Qingfan’s sense of foreboding grew even stronger.

Xuan Xian spoke slowly, "When the ‘Seven Scenic Illusionary Killing Formation’ trapped Xuan Ling and other taoist friends, I, along with several others, noticed something unusual and went to help. Together with Xuan Ling and others inside, we managed to break the formation. Afterward, three people controlling the formation tried to escape, and we attempted to capture them. However, they were all very powerful. We only caught one, but accidentally killed him. That person, we verified, was Taoist Friend Ma Huaguang from Jiuhua Gate."

Here, Xuan Xian paused for a moment before continuing, "The three who escaped had been hiding their true skills and used techniques from many different sects. However, in the most critical moment, they all used techniques from Jiuhua Gate."

At this point in the story, the meaning was already quite clear. The one who set up the ambush for the cultivators of Penance Valley, and even destroyed the teleportation array on Huandao Island, was indeed a cultivator from Jiuhua Mountain!

As Xuan Xian finished speaking, the other sects’ cultivators around the scene looked at the Jiuhua Gate cultivators with unfriendly eyes.

Then, a look of sorrow flashed across Xuan Xian’s face as he pointed to Xuan Ku’s body and said, "And Taoist Friend Xuan Ku’s body was discovered by us in an underground chamber during our thorough search on Huandao Island."

Hearing Xuan Xian’s words, all the cultivators on the scene vaguely guessed something and turned to look at the Penance Valley cultivators who were examining Xuan Ku’s cause of death.

At that moment, the Penance Valley cultivators finished their investigation and stood up one by one, each with a solemn expression.

"The cause of Taoist Friend Xuan Ku’s death has been determined. Before he died, his blood reversed flow, meridians ruptured, and his dantian was severely damaged. It seems he was affected by some kind of spell, making him unable to control the Spirit Qi within him, ultimately being overpowered by his own Spirit Qi. If I’m not mistaken, these are symptoms of Jiuhua Mountain’s unique spell—the ‘Linghua Finger,’" Xuan Jian slowly stood up, fixed his gaze on Master of Jiuhua Zhang Hualing, and said softly.

Zhang Hualing’s face was extremely grave, and upon hearing Xuan Jian’s words, he did not answer immediately but slowly walked towards the bodies of Xuan Jian and Ma Huaguang.

Two Penance Valley cultivators intended to stop him, but were halted by Xuan Jian.

When Zhang Hualing reached the two bodies, he first carefully examined Ma Huaguang’s body, and after completing the examination, his expression became even more serious.

Then, Zhang Hualing carefully examined Xuan Ku’s body again.

Finally, under the watchful eyes of all the cultivators present, Zhang Hualing slowly stood up and said emotionlessly, "This body is indeed Junior Martial Brother Ma Huaguang’s, and Venerable Xuan Ku was truly killed by the ‘Linghua Finger’."

Hearing Zhang Hualing personally confirm it, the crowd of cultivators erupted in a clamor.

As for the cultivators from Jiuhua Gate, they wore expressions of shock, knowing full well that these events were not the work of Jiuhua Mountain, at least as far as they were aware. But, how did Ma Huaguang’s body end up on Huandao Island?

The "Linghua Finger" is an unshared secret technique of Jiuhua Mountain, with few who master it even among the top "Hua" ranking experts of Jiuhua Mountain. But how could Xuan Ku have been killed by the "Linghua Finger"? Could there be someone else who learned this unique skill of Jiuhua Mountain?

Some with heavy suspicion even wondered if someone from Jiuhua Gate was secretly acting on their own.

Meanwhile, some elders of Jiuhua thought of how Ma Huaguang had been in secluded retreat at Jiuhua Mountain, and now his body appeared on Huandao Island. Had something changed on Huandao Island?

For a moment, everyone’s thoughts were different, and anxiety filled the air.

At this moment, Xu Qingfan also finally understood the planner’s intentions.

Framing Xu Qingfan and others for the murder of disciples from another faction was just a ploy, so the setup wasn’t very secure. Anyone with a sharp mind could unravel it. The plotters had clearly anticipated this and used these flaws to lay a bigger trap.

Now it is proven that the disciples were not killed by Xu Qingfan and the others. Instead, many elders from Jiuhua Gate were involved and even killed a cultivator from Penance Valley. If you add the missing Xuan Xiu, that’s two people!

According to Xuan Xian, at least four Jiuhua Gate elders have been secretly acting on Huandao Island over the past three days.

If that’s the case, then Xu Qingfan’s three points of suspicion now become evidence.

With the cultivation level of Jiuhua Mountain elders, they could easily kill disciples from eight sects within an hour. Their powerful Divine Sense allows them to locate the disciples from the eight sects and disguise themselves as Jiuhua Mountain disciples without being discovered.

However, the actions of four elders bear a completely different significance than those of five elite disciples.

If Xu Qingfan and the others acted, it could be dismissed as them using any means necessary to win, disobeying their sect’s orders and acting on their own.

But what if four elders acted?

In the entire Jiuhua Mountain, how many elders have cultivation at the Condensed Core Stage?

As the four elders of Jiuhua Gate acted simultaneously, who would believe they acted on their own without their sect’s permission?

In fact, in the cultivation world, an elder can fully represent their sect in negotiations with other sects.

The joint action of the four elders can be seen as a deliberate plan by Jiuhua Mountain.

Judging by the looks the cultivators are giving the Jiuhua Gate members, it is clear that’s how they perceive it.

The mastermind’s true intention was to make the various sects of the cultivation world believe that the strange events on Huandao Island were planned by Jiuhua Mountain, thereby fundamentally turning Jiuhua Mountain into an enemy of all sects in the cultivation world.

They killed many elite disciples of major sects, who all represented the future of these sects; later, they also killed two highly respected cultivators from Penance Valley; and they conspired to disrupt the Newcomer Competition, which has lasted for thousands of years in the Immortal Realm. This is equivalent to provoking the entire Immortal Realm.

These reasons are enough for the major sects to unite against Jiuhua Mountain.

Unknowingly, Jiuhua Gate found themselves trapped in such a predicament.

This time, Xu Qingfan could find no flaw in the plot, as he had too few clues.

With no other choice, Xu Qingfan looked towards Zhang Hualing, hoping the wise old fox in his mind would have a solution.

But to his surprise, Xu Qingfan found Zhang Hualing’s expression to be so weary; the setting sun’s rays stretched his shadow long and thin like a slender black rope tightly binding the Jiuhua Gate, never to break free.

Is there truly no way to solve this predicament?