Chapter 230 : Rumors and Gossip
Last night when the small sects were attacked, the elite forces of the three major sects had already left their stations, leaving behind only low-level disciples of insufficient cultivation and some elders to protect them. Unlike Xuanqing Sect with its Supreme Elder on guard, the elders from Buddha Sect and Tiandao Sect feared falling into a trap of "luring the tiger away from the mountain," and didn't dare leave their sect compounds unattended.
After much hesitation, by the time the two sects had made arrangements and prepared to depart, they discovered that Peak Master Qingyu from Xuanqing Sect had already rushed over and stabilized the situation. In the end, the two sects merely sent elders for a symbolic inspection, hardly intervening in the matter.
Since the two sects hadn't contributed any effort, upon learning about the small sects' tragedy, they naturally had no right to criticize Peak Master Qingyu. But the problem arose when Peak Master Qingyu returned last night and informed Peak Masters Qingxu and Qingyuan that things were under control. They truly believed the situation wasn't serious and mentioned this to the elders of the other two sects when they arrived at the small sect compounds. Now, seeing the actual scene, everyone couldn't help but feel somewhat perplexed.
Peak Master Qingyu immediately furrowed her brows tightly, seemingly recalling the details of the previous night.
Qingxu didn't dare look at her, and smiled awkwardly at everyone, saying: "Last night was chaotic, perhaps there was some oversight. The methods of these demonic cultivators are also difficult to predict. Why don't we go take a look first and see who's behind this?"
No one objected, and without further comment, they let the disciple lead them to the compounds of the two small sects to investigate.
The area had already been cordoned off, with several Sect Leaders from small sects examining the situation, their expressions grimmer than the next. Before they could reach any conclusions, the elders from the three major sects arrived. They all came forward to welcome them respectfully, while also thanking Peak Master Qingyu for her assistance the previous night.
Peak Master Qingyu had now regained her composure and asked: "I heard that Guiyi Sect and Changyin Gate were in trouble last night. You Sect Leaders arrived before us—have you found any clues?"
The Sect Leaders exchanged glances, and finally one stepped forward to lead the way, saying: "Well, we just arrived as well. Please examine the scene yourselves."
An examination was certainly necessary, and the elders from the three sects had no objections. They followed him into the compounds of the two small sects. Unlike the three major sects, each occupying their own territories, these small sects had only slightly more power than rogue cultivators, with their highest cultivation possibly reaching only Spirit Division stage, or even just Void Crossing stage. Unable to stand alone, they chose to band together for survival.
The compounds of Guiyi Sect and Changyin Gate were adjacent—more than just close, they were practically unified apart from a faint boundary line. It was said that the two sects had a good relationship, almost like family.
Now, as soon as the group set foot in the compound, they immediately spotted a corpse lying on the ground.
The corpse wore the robes of a Guiyi Sect disciple, lying face-up on the ground, his clothes thoroughly soaked by rain. His face was pale, his cheeks slightly sunken, and terror still lingered in his eyes, though without a trace of vitality... His death wasn't particularly gruesome, but it certainly wasn't pleasant to look at. Besides the contorted facial features from extreme fear, it seemed as if all his vital essence had been drained away.
The elders frowned at the sight but didn't find it particularly unusual—demonic cultivation techniques were mostly cruel, with many directly extracting souls and refining spiritual essences from living people. What they saw was merely a minor scene.
Indeed, as everyone thoroughly investigated the compound, they discovered that dozens of people from both sects had died in various manners, none of them pleasant. Some had their souls extracted, some had their vital essence drained, some were completely drained of blood, and others were dismembered.
The elders, with their extensive experience, were fine, but some accompanying disciples who had never seen such scenes rushed out to vomit.
Dharma Master Huiming seemed unable to bear the sight, chanted a Buddhist invocation, and then closed his eyes to recite the Rebirth Sutra to help these souls pass on. The Grand Elder of Tiandao Sect frowned but didn't interrupt, instead turning to ask Peak Master Qingxu and others: "What are your thoughts on this?"
Peak Master Qingxu scanned the area and suddenly said: "I heard that the Sect Leader of Guiyi Sect personally came to Mingzong Mountain, but I don't recall seeing him earlier?"
The Grand Elder was startled by this remark. The people of Tiandao Sect had an inherent arrogance and didn't pay much attention to these affiliated small sects, so he truly wasn't aware of this. He looked toward the several Sect Leaders who had greeted them earlier, and one immediately stepped forward and responded: "Yes, Sect Leader Song personally led disciples here, and indeed, we haven't seen him either."
With this revelation, everyone became more alert, wondering if perhaps he had managed to escape and save his life. The people present split into small groups and scattered to search for Sect Leader Song's whereabouts.
Soon, someone called out: "Over here!"
At this call, a group of people quickly gathered, only to find that Sect Leader Song had already died in a corner. His death was quite tragic, clearly having fought with someone, with wounds covering his entire body, not a patch of intact flesh remaining.
Dharma Master Huiming looked at him, sighed, and again joined his palms to recite the Rebirth Mantra.
The Grand Elder of Tiandao Sect also frowned, staring at Sect Leader Song's corpse for a moment before suddenly feeling something was amiss. He bent down to examine it personally. As soon as his hand touched Sect Leader Song's body, he felt a chill immediately transmitted through the corpse—the body wasn't just cold, it was frozen. Moving it slightly revealed that the blood that had flowed out had congealed into crimson ice crystals!
Yet this wasn't the dead of winter. Even after several consecutive days of heavy rain, the weather was merely cool. There was only one possibility for such a scene: Sect Leader Song had been attacked with ice-attribute spells.
Ice attribute again!
Among those present, the only one with an ice spiritual root was still Peak Master Qingyu, and she had coincidentally come to the rescue last night.
The expressions of Peak Masters Qingxu and Qingyuan both turned difficult, but before they could say anything, the Grand Elder of Tiandao Sect wiped his hands and stood up, letting out a slight snort: "Ridiculous! To use such methods to frame someone—do they really think all of us in the righteous path are fools?!"
With these words, the people of Xuanqing Sect unconsciously breathed sighs of relief—they naturally trusted their own peak master, and the method was indeed crude. But the three major righteous sects weren't a monolithic block; even the crudest frame-up made people worry that someone might believe it. Fortunately, the people of Tiandao Sect didn't take advantage of the situation to cause trouble, and the Buddhist monks typically avoided stirring up conflicts, so the matter seemed to have reached a conclusion.
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After the elders of the three sects thoroughly examined the compounds of Guiyi Sect and Changyin Gate, they concluded that the sects had fallen victim to demonic cultivators. However, because the deaths varied so greatly, and the techniques used by these demonic cultivators were all different, it was difficult to determine their origins.
It might have been the work of demonic sects, or perhaps rogue demonic cultivators.
Regardless, the news that two small sects had been exterminated in their jointly occupied compound frightened many people. Some timid sects couldn't sit still and gradually proposed to depart, causing the originally imposing compound to shrink considerably.
The three major sects naturally didn't stop them, and weren't particularly concerned about the departure of these small sects, as their strength was too weak to be of any help anyway. In contrast, the disciple contingents of the three major sects were gradually expanding. Besides the reinforcements sent by their sects during the initial confrontation with the demonic path, disciples who had been training outside were also arriving after hearing the news.
With people coming and going, and many voices mingling, rumors began to spread from an unknown source.
First, the manner of Sect Leader Song's death couldn't be kept secret and was revealed, with people saying he had died at the hands of an ice spiritual root cultivator. When the news spread, people speculated about Peak Master Qingyu, as she had indeed appeared at the small sect compound at that time.
But upon further reflection, with Peak Master Qingyu's cultivation level, if she had wanted to kill Sect Leader Song, she wouldn't have given him any chance to struggle, nor would she have left such obvious traces... Ice-attribute spells didn't necessarily require an ice spiritual root; they could be cast using talismans to create similar effects, like using a frost talisman, which was common and not scarce at all.
With too many inconsistencies, Sect Leader Song's death couldn't be attributed to Peak Master Qingyu, so the matter eventually died down. Later, rumors about spies infiltrating Xuanqing Sect spread, with vivid and detailed accounts. From Xuanqing Sect discovering an infiltrator on a rainy day, to the enemy being killed and leaving behind a wax ball, to the characters inside the wax ball being formed with ice spiritual energy—every detail sounded as if witnessed firsthand.
Unlike attacking someone with a frost talisman, faking the spiritual energy in a wax ball was much more difficult, so the rumors became increasingly convincing. Shortly after these rumors spread, Peak Master Qingxu and others learned of them, and Su Hao and other disciples who had been present that day also realized something was wrong, and voluntarily sought an audience.
Once again in that same meeting room, the three peak masters and five personal disciples gathered.
Su Hao and the others had discussed this beforehand, and he stepped forward first, sincerely assuring them: "When the wax ball was opened that day, only we were present. Please understand, honorable masters, that this leak did not come from us."
Peak Masters Qingxu and the others hadn't suspected them in the first place, and simply clarified: "This matter isn't known only to us; the person behind the wax ball would know even more clearly. Presumably, these rumors are all connected to them. If you're willing, you might as well investigate and perhaps find the true culprit."
Su Hao promptly agreed, but still couldn't understand something: "So both incidents were meant to frame Master Qingyu? But aren't these methods too crude and obvious?"