When the thunderbolt struck the Great Venerable, everyone's first thought was, "Who is this expert that could hit the Great Venerable?" However, after a quick sweep of their Divine Sense, they found no trace of human intervention in the thunderbolt...

Even a Thunder Technique Great Grandmaster like Zhang Zhixuan couldn't have struck without leaving any trace. At least there would be some clue visible to those present, but this thunderbolt seemed to act purely by the force of nature—perhaps, maybe, probably—the Great Venerable had really been struck by lightning from the heavens.

Perhaps even the heavens could not stand the Great Venerable's shit-stirring behavior and had struck him with a bolt from the blue.

Only Tianxuan stood there, looking at the thunderbolt with deep thought.

Meanwhile, the Great Venerable said nonchalantly, "Since everyone agrees with my proposal, let us proceed as such. The three battles will decide the fate of the Golden Dam. In three days, we will begin the first battle. If anyone has arrangements to make, take this opportunity to do so."

The thunderbolt seemed to have no effect on the Great Venerable at all. The quick flashes of lightning crawling over his dragon-like body seemed to only add to his imposing aura.

As he spoke these words, clouds surged, enveloping the Great Venerable and Wuzhiqi, as well as all the Devil Cultivators below them, turning into a sea of clouds. In the next instant, the clouds dispersed, and all the figures within them vanished without a trace.

This siege ended there, but a new conflict had been instigated by the Great Venerable.

Wuzhiqi, restricted by the Golden Dam Dao Artifact and guarded by King Shu, could not break through the dam with his own power alone, and the third-rank strong people had reservations about intervening.

However, the Great Venerable stepping in at this time had completely resolved this issue. As the most fearless among the third-rank, he could entirely decide whether the Golden Dam would continue to exist.

Shit-stirrer!

This thought flashed through everyone's mind once again, but they were helpless against him, focusing instead on strategizing for the battle at the Golden Dam.

Meanwhile, intersecting thunderbolts in the skies above Jun City also reached a conclusion, as the Thunder God and Mother of Lightning receded amidst sudden wind and rain. The Qi Mechanism of Kunxu Immortal Palace in the distance also rapidly retreated.

For a moment, Shu County had no severe storms or skies darkened by clouds, showing signs of life after calamities.

However, the expressions of King Shu and others had become even graver than before.

Before, there had been only Wuzhiqi to deal with, but now the Great Venerable had also emerged, and on the Dragon Palace's side, a third-rank had appeared as well. If Elder Da Kun were to make a move with his demon body, it would be enough to cause a cataclysm.

With this in mind, King Shu aimed to discuss strategies with everyone present on how to handle the battle at the Golden Dam.

But before he could speak, Tianxuan already said, "Discuss among yourselves first, my palace still has urgent matters to handle."

With that, Moonlight swept across the sky, heading towards the east side of Jun City.

Several Qi Mechanisms of varying strength from Jun City also moved towards the same direction.

...

...

On a disordered, shallow beach, the river water washed against a huge rock, also cleansing a corpse leaning against the rock.

A body...with only the head intact, the neck below all skeletal, vast amounts of flesh and organs scattered around, staining the flowing water red.

Moonlight descended, revealing Tianxuan's figure, followed by flashes of Thunder Light, and Elder Tianpeng appeared.

Seeing this, he expressed an expected sentiment with a light sigh, "Just as I thought."

It was a lament for the fact that it was indeed Ling Wujue who had orchestrated this tribulation and also for the tragic death of this True Disciple.

Shortly thereafter, intense Qi of blood, like a descending dragon, plummeted. Elder Kaixiang, holding the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade with his Qi as fierce as the sun, descended upon the scene. The Qi of blood reached its peak upon seeing Ling Wujue's corpse, causing the river to boil incessantly with its turbulence.

"Who taught him the Creation of Tribulation Technique?" Elder Kaixiang, lowering his gaze as if to hide the killing intent in his eyes, murmured, "Such a crude disciple, cruder even than I, is unlikely to have mastered such a Magic Door like the Creation of Tribulation."

In his words, there seemed to be self-mockery about crudeness, but the fury was nearly overflowing.

"It was I."

A yellow light descended, and Yun Jiuye stepped forward, saying, "In the past, when I ascended through crossing the tribulation, it was the Fifth Junior Brother who assisted me. Afterwards, to thank the Fifth Junior Brother, I taught him the Array Formation Technique and gifted him an Array Gate."

"It was I who caused the death of the Fifth Junior Brother."

As he spoke, Yun Jiuye couldn't help but show a maganized expression, as silent tears trickled down.

Meanwhile, Elder Kaixiang's Qi of blood became even more intense, a visible red glow emanating from his body, akin to the blazing sun's light.

It was at this moment that Jiang Li arrived on the wind, causing a violent fluctuation in the surrounding Qi of blood.

Elder Kaixiang suspected that it was Jiang Li who had killed Ling Wujue.

Yun Jiuye, while taking responsibility, subtly excluded himself from the blame of harming a fellow sect member. Since Ling Wujue had already been exposed, even if he claimed to be uninvolved, no one would believe him.

If that's the case, it might be better to just admit it and also steer the conversation towards the death of Ling Wujue.

Setting up an array for the creation of tribulation wouldn't lead to such a brutal death - the only possibility is that someone had taken action against Ling Wujue. And speaking of suspects, the most likely one would naturally be the person Ling Wujue intended to harm.

Jiang Li, had the most motive.

Knowing that his own connection to the death of Ling Wujue had compromised any possibility of receiving support from Elder Kaiyang, Yun Jiuye could not allow Elder Kaiyang to side with Jiang Li. Thus, his guidance aimed to keep Elder Kaiyang neutral.

But—

Previously, Jiang Li was crossing the tribulation, and considering his strength during the breakthrough and that he had even advanced in rank while still sustaining injuries, even if he were a master of time management, he would neither have the time nor the opportunity to kill Ling Wujue, right?

Elder Kaiyang, although often mocked, was himself a representative of martial artists, and he was not reckless like his foolish disciples. He possessed both bluntness and subtlety, and instantly curbed his rage, preventing an outburst towards Jiang Li.

"This palace did not harm your disciple; based solely on his actions, this palace could ruin him completely before having him pay with his life," Tianxuan said indifferently.

Jiang Li had neither the time nor the opportunity to act. It was more likely that it could have been Tianxuan, as his master.

However, what Tianxuan stated also made sense.

And—

Elder Kaiyang abruptly opened his eyes wide, a red mask covering his face, emanating an imposing aura. His tiger-like eyes stared at Tianxuan without noticing anything unusual.

The Dao Fruit of Emperor Guan he contained had the ability to discern lies. At this moment, Tianxuan faced him calmly, showing no sign of resisting divinity - he was completely unafraid of Elder Kaiyang's detection.

Of course, it's not ruled out that Tianxuan had other ways to conceal the truth without showing any irregularities, but her whereabouts had always been trackable before, and even if Elder Kaiyang investigated, he wouldn't find anything suspicious.

Upon hearing Tianxuan's words, Jiang Li immediately responded, "This disciple was in the city, undergoing and advancing in tribulation; it was utterly impossible for me to come here personally. However, considering the conflict between me and Fifth Junior Brother, we cannot rule out the possibility that someone else acted on my behalf. If Elder wishes to investigate, I am willing to cooperate."

Jiang Li treated others sincerely and, naturally, spoke the truth.

Indeed, he had been in the city the entire time and could not come here personally. The only thing that came here was his primordial spirit, not related to his physical body.

Even if one were to use all the lie-detecting abilities in the world, the result would still be truthful.

In addition, Jiang Li had already prepared further, able even to alter memories should Elder Kaiyang question him, making it impossible to find evidence that Jiang Li killed Ling Wujue.

"Moreover, this disciple has a Soul Hooker from the Yin Law Department under his command, who could perform soul-hooking to see if we can find a sliver of Fifth Junior Brother's residual soul," Jiang Li keenly suggested.

"You are kind-hearted," Elder Kaiyang said gravely.

"It's not about kindness. When a person dies, everything ends. Fifth Brother is dead, and past grievances naturally vanish with him—that's the first point," Jiang Li replied composedly, "Secondly, although Fifth Brother is dead, Elder is still here. Although I do not possess the magnanimity to 'return good for evil,' if this can obtain a favor from Elder Kaiyang, it would be worthwhile."

He spoke very openly; although devoid of philanthropic feelings, there was an upright and direct quality in his words.

Such straightforward words actually suited Elder Kaiyang's temperament and dispelled his suspicions.

In this lineage of the Tianxuan Sect, no one had largely crafty minds. If Jiang Li were reproaching himself with virtue in return, that would be suspicious. But if it involved owing a favor to Elder Kaiyang, even including his support, that was another matter.

Simple-minded as they were, with sufficient benefits, being occasionally generous wasn't impossible.

Moreover, Ling Wujue was already dead.

With a series of persuasive arguments, Yun Jiuye's instigation resolved silently without causing ripples, instead making Elder Kaiyang dismiss his suspicions.

"Additionally, this disciple personally thinks, although Fifth Junior Brother died here, he might not be the one who instigated the tribulation," Jiang Li pushed further, very suggestively said, "Perhaps… when Fifth Junior Brother discovered someone else initiating the tribulation and tried to stop it, he was killed because the murderer was too strong."

Hmm?

Elder Kaiyang couldn't help but twitch his facial muscles, feeling the urge to inhale sharply even with his current fiery temper.

Ling Wujue attempting to stop someone from creating tribulation was naturally unthinkable—this was Jiang Li's way to offer Elder Kaiyang a favor. As long as you accept this favor, Ling Wujue could be cleared, not having to endure a tainted reputation even in death.

Even Elder Kaiyang, for his disciple's fault, wouldn't be implicated in a damaged reputation.

To make such a decision despite being targeted for his life, Elder Kaiyang felt almost flattered by the respect from his higher-up.

He was moved.

But the next moment, Elder Kaiyang self-mockingly shook his head, "There's no need. Those who break the sect rules indeed deserve ruin. I, Guan Wuyang, raised a rebellious disciple and must be responsible for it. This fool committed such deeds and does not deserve a good name."

"The likes of me may not always be honorable, but I'm not so low as to fish for reputation."

As the fluctuations in his vital energy gradually subsided, Elder Kaiyang sheathed his Yanyue Blade and took steps toward the corpse to take care of his disciple's remains.

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