Chapter 386

Chapter 386: Shocking Inference

Tianhezi thought he would return empty-handed like Bai Lian Chan Master, but unexpectedly, there was a turn of events. Fang Lie had such high standards that he had already deemed the Seventh-Rank Three Light Divine Swords not worthy of his attention.

This filled Tianhezi with joy, as if a heavy stone had been lifted from his heart.

In fact, while the Three Light Divine Swords held a certain position in East Kunlun, they were not particularly remarkable. Under normal circumstances, they would not attract the attention of someone as important as Tianhezi.

However, this situation was too special. The attempted assassination of Fang Lie by the Three Light Taoists was not ordered by the sect, but rather secretly arranged by Tianhezi.

The Three Light Taoists were actually Tianhezi’s disciples. Their master was Tianhezi’s senior brother, and although they were called fellow apprentices, they essentially learned from their master as if he were a half-master.

This senior brother had shown deep kindness to Tianhezi, but unfortunately, he passed away early, leaving behind the Three Light Taoists, who had not yet completed their training, and the three Three Light Divine Swords.

It was Tianhezi who stepped up to teach these three young men as if they were his own disciples and provided them with great support, allowing the Three Light Taoists to grow in East Kunlun.

Thus, the Three Light Taoists held immense respect for Tianhezi. Because of this, they were willing to risk their lives to enter the dangerous Lost Forest and assassinate Fang Lie.

Originally, Tianhezi thought this was a simple task; three sword cultivators at the level of Wind Tribulation Immortal, combined with the Three Light Divine Swords, would easily defeat even a Fire Tribulation Immortal.

However, unexpectedly, they did not die at Fang Lie’s hands; instead, they were struck down by Heavenly Tribulations. What infuriated him the most was that someone in East Kunlun had known about the Heavenly Tribulation but kept it a secret, resulting in the deaths of the Three Light Taoists!

The death of the Three Light Taoists was so unjust; a mission that could have been completed was ruined, and they even lost three divine swords! It felt exceedingly frustrating!

After receiving the Jade Slip that Fang Lie sent, which revealed the truth behind the events, Tianhezi immediately became furious and directly sought out the Wind Tribulation Immortal who had concealed the matter.

Upon confirming the concealment, the angry Tianhezi disregarded the fact that the other party had a master’s protection and directly killed him with a sword, seeking vengeance for the Three Light Taoists!

Following this, Tianhezi rushed to the Mo Sect. He was determined to reclaim the Three Light Divine Swords, as it related to the special inheritance of his senior brother’s lineage.

The Three Light Taoists were dead, but the inheritance could not be broken; otherwise, Tianhezi would have no face to confront his deceased senior brother.

So, when he heard that Fang Lie was willing to sell the Three Light Divine Swords, Tianhezi was incredibly excited and directly stated, "You can rest assured; I will definitely bring back something good!"

"That’s best," Fang Lie said, curling his lip. "Don’t blame me for not reminding you, even though I may not know much, I do have the Benevolence Token behind me, and he is perhaps the most knowledgeable person in this world. If you think you can deceive him, then I truly have nothing more to say!"

"Why do you seem not to believe me at all?" Tianhezi frowned and said. "The reputation of East Kunlun is based on speaking the truth; when have I ever deceived anyone?"

"Haha, reputation?" Fang Lie immediately sneered. "You dare to say that! From my father until now, every time we deal with you guys, we get cheated. How many times has it not turned out to be a scam?"

"You~" Tianhezi became furious, his mind racing to find an example of a time East Kunlun hadn’t cheated. He tried to refute Fang Lie.

But after searching for a long time, he suddenly awkwardly realized he truly couldn’t find one!

As for Fang Lie’s father, he was completely cheated to death by East Kunlun’s lies. As for Fang Lie, after dealing with East Kunlun three times — at the Grand Banquet by the Sea and Sky twice, and facing Bailongzi in a duel where that guy ambushed him! And in another bet against another guy who had clearly prepared ahead, almost cheating.

The last time was in the Lost Forest, which was clearly intended as a Path Contest for the Golden Pool realm cultivators, but East Kunlun ended up sending in three Wind Tribulation Immortals specifically to assassinate Fang Lie.

There was no limit to how much a scam could deepen; each time became worse than the last!

Thinking of these things, Tianhezi felt ashamed, his face flushed red, and he no longer dared to argue with Fang Lie. He quickly changed the subject, saying, "Alright, enough nonsense; I’ll trade this item for the Three Light Divine Swords. You take a look!"

Saying this, he took out a piece of blue metal, about the size of a human head. It emitted a luminous glow, a dreamlike beauty, far more beautiful than gems!

Seeing this, Fang Lie frowned, showing no reaction as he did not recognize it, but his instincts told him that this item was indeed extraordinary.

It was Mo Qianxun who gasped sharply, exclaiming, "Star Gold! Is it pure? Wow, where did you get this treasure?!"

Seeing Mo Qianxun’s response, Fang Lie immediately asked, "Sect Leader, is this a good thing?"

"It’s a treasure!" Mo Sect Leader Mo Qianxun shouted. "Do you know Star Gold? This is the essence of Star Gold! A precious material of the Ninth Rank!"

"I do know about Star Gold because I have a few pieces!" Fang Lie replied immediately.

"How did you get this?" Mo Qianxun exclaimed in astonishment. "Star Gold only comes from fallen celestial stars and is incredibly rare! I’ve struggled to obtain even a single piece myself!"

"Heh~" Fang Lie smirked without answering, merely glancing sideways at Tianhezi.

Understanding dawned on Mo Qianxun – this must have been seized from the Three Light Taoists. He frowned and asked, "Brother Tianhezi, your East Kunlun sect appears to possess substantial amounts of star gold. Could you have discovered a Star Gold Mineral Vein?"

"Impossible!" Tianhezi chuckled nervously. "Star Gold only forms above the Ninth Heavens! Any Mineral Vein would exist in those lofty heights, which is plainly unrealistic!"

Swiftly changing the subject, he pressed, "Well Fang Lie? Does this material suffice for exchanging the Three Light Divine Swords?"

At this moment, the old bird’s voice echoed in Fang Lie’s consciousness sea: "Make him hand it over. Something feels off about this."

"Hmm." Fang Lie gave an imperceptible nod before declaring, "I must Inspect it thoroughly."

"By all means." Tianhezi confidently passed the Star Gold to Fang Lie, unconcerned about deception.

Fang Lie pretended to examine the metal carefully, though his refined divine sense couldn’t penetrate it at all. Meanwhile, the old bird conducted its own investigation through Fang Lie’s touch.

"Curious," the old bird remarked moments later. "This Star Gold formed naturally and was mined within recent years. Yet no meteor impacts have been reported recently."

"Perhaps it fell in uninhabited lands," Fang Lie suggested dismissively.

"What do you know!" the old bird retorted. "Forming such pure Star Gold requires a meteor hundreds of miles wide! Its impact would rival a Semi-Immortal’s strike, creating a terror-inducing explosion annihilating life for tens of thousands of miles. Such an event couldn’t go unnoticed!"

"Maybe it fell long ago and was recently discovered?"

"Impossible. This Star Gold shows fresh formation traces. Normally it solidifies upon falling and stabilizes over time. Yet this piece appears freshly harvested from the Ninth Heavens itself."

"If true, that’s peculiar indeed."

"More puzzling is East Kunlun’s endless Star Gold supply. They shouldn’t withstand the Ninth Heavens Fierce Heavenly Winds required for mass harvesting. This suggests only one conclusion – they’re cultivating Star Gold themselves!"

"Impossible! Doesn’t Star Gold only form above…"

"Normally yes, unless they possess a natural Star Gold element core! One of the innate five great nascent fetuses you require – the metal element variant!"

"East Kunlun’s been hiding this treasure!"

"Your speculation proves nothing."

"Then test Tianhezi."

After this mental exchange, Fang Lie finally looked up from his prolonged inspection.

"Well?" Tianhezi prompted impatiently.

"Genuine Star Gold," Fang Lie stated lightly. "Freshly formed despite no recent meteor events. Unless… does East Kunlun possess a natural Star Gold element core?"

Tianhezi’s eyebrows shot up. "Preposterous! How could we possess such Legendary items? You jest!"