Chapter 4058: Repeat Of Old Mistakes

The Grand Elder looked at Zhenyu.

Zhenyu stroked his beard. "Wouldn’t surprise me if the Vault Division was involved. Those fellows have always been obsessed with collecting things and locking them away."

The Clarity Peak Head’s expression changed slightly and the Grand Elder looked surprised as well.

Lin Mu noticed both reactions. ’So I guessed correctly.’

The Grand Elder eventually nodded. "Senior’s deduction is accurate."

"Oh?"

"The objects were indeed placed within a specially prepared repository. The precise location and the methods required to access it are known to the Vault Division."

Zhenyu’s expression remained thoughtful. "Only the Vault Division?"

"The Grand Hall possesses certain records concerning the arrangement, but the Vault Division is responsible for maintaining the relevant restrictions and preserving the location."

Lin Mu felt his thoughts settle upon a single conclusion. ’The Vault Division again.’

It was almost ridiculous. Every path he had followed since entering the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect seemed to lead back to that same division. Taegong belonged to the Vault Division. The conspiracy against Little Bull had involved the Vault Division.

The suspicious handling of the Justice Crushing Cestus had involved Taegong’s plans within the vault.

And now the Grand Elder was revealing that a collection of dangerous ancient treasures, potentially including belongings associated with the Virtuous Calamity Daoist, had been entrusted to the Vault Division as well.

’Everything keeps coming back to them.’ Lin Mu suddenly saw an opportunity.

The Grand Elder and the Clarity Peak Head had spent a considerable amount of time explaining the mistakes of the past.

They had described how secret organizations had grown ambitious, how influential cultivators had manipulated the sect for their own benefit, and how the failure to recognize internal treachery had cost the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect a future Patriarch.

Now Lin Mu could use their own explanation against them and perhaps gain something far more valuable than information.

Zhenyu suddenly began laughing. "Ha!"

The Grand Elder blinked. "Senior?"

"HAHAHAHA!" The enormous body cultivator threw his head back and laughed so loudly that his beard shook.

The sound reverberated throughout the interior of the Clarity Reversal Bead, causing the Clarity Peak Head to frown. Neither expert understood what had suddenly amused him. Zhenyu continued laughing as several breaths passed, then several more.

The Grand Elder’s expression gradually became concerned. The Clarity Peak Head exchanged a glance with him, wondering whether something they had said had provoked the ancient body cultivator.

Nearly a minute passed before Zhenyu finally stopped. He wiped the corner of one eye and looked at the two experts with an expression of profound amusement.

The Grand Elder cleared his throat. "Senior, may I ask what you find so amusing?"

Zhenyu stared at him, then he shook his head. "You two really are fools."

The Grand Elder froze. "What?"

"Fools?" the Clarity Peak Head repeated and her voice had become noticeably colder.

Zhenyu pointed toward them. "Yes. Fools. Both of you."

The Grand Elder looked completely taken aback.

He had expected many things from Mengli Zhenyu, including insults and unreasonable demands. Yet being called a fool immediately after revealing some of the sect’s most sensitive history was certainly unexpected.

The Clarity Peak Head’s expression darkened. "Senior, I believe we have shown you considerable respect during this conversation."

"And I believe you’ve shown me that your brains have grown dull from sitting around cultivating for too many years." Zhenyu retorted.

The woman’s lips tightened when the Grand Elder raised a hand to prevent her from responding. "Senior, if there is something you believe we have overlooked, please explain."

Zhenyu’s laughter disappeared and his expression grew stern. "Do you really need me to explain?"

The Grand Elder frowned.

Zhenyu took a step forward. "You just spent all this time telling me how the Hopeful Star Pavilion became corrupted by ambition. You explained how its members used the Lightless Hall to eliminate a promising disciple because he stood in the way of their plans."

The Grand Elder nodded slowly. "Yes."

"You also told me that the Lightless Hall had members throughout the sect, including people in positions of great authority."

"That is correct."

"And you said that many of their descendants still hold important positions within the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect."

The Grand Elder’s expression began to change.

Zhenyu continued. "Some of those descendants are even serving within the Grand Hall, aren’t they?"

"Yes, Senior."

"Then you tell me that Deng Siqi left behind a collection of dangerous treasures, and that the Vault Division knows where they’re hidden."

The Grand Elder’s eyes narrowed while the Clarity Peak Head suddenly looked thoughtful. Lin Mu could tell that the two were beginning to understand where he was leading them.

Zhenyu smiled coldly. "Now tell me something, juniors. Have either of you considered that the same mistake might be happening again?"

The Grand Elder stiffened. "Senior means..."

"The Vault Division," the Clarity Peak Head murmured as her expression changed.

Zhenyu nodded sharply. "Finally. You’re beginning to think."

The Grand Elder’s eyes widened slightly as several possibilities seemed to occur to him at once.

Zhenyu continued without giving him time to respond. "Little Bull, a disciple of the Wild Peak, was framed for a crime he did not commit. He was secretly sent into the Mad Demon Depths, a place where he could easily have perished without anyone learning what happened."

The Grand Elder’s expression grew increasingly grave.

"Taegong was directly involved in that matter," Zhenyu continued. "And where does Taegong belong?"

"The Vault Division," the Clarity Peak Head answered quietly.

"Exactly." Zhenyu pointed toward her. "And after the matter was exposed, what happened to Taegong?"

The Grand Elder frowned. "He disappeared."

"Convenient, isn’t it?" Zhenyu’s voice grew deeper. "A Vault Division elder frames a promising Wild Peak disciple, sends him somewhere dangerous, and then disappears when evidence of his actions emerges."

He folded his enormous arms. "And from what we’ve learned, Taegong wasn’t acting alone. He had backing from someone with enough influence to interfere with the investigation."

The Grand Elder’s gaze sharpened.

Zhenyu continued, "Meanwhile, the Wild Peak has been weakened. Our Peak Head is absent, one of our High Elders was imprisoned, and the evidence concerning Little Bull’s case is being challenged through suspicious technicalities."

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