Chapter 496: Breath
Seeing Su Li holding the Black Feather Sword, Dongfang Shi and the others turned deathly pale in an instant! They were all too clear about what it meant when the Black Feather Sword and Su Li appeared together.
"I've lived long enough. If you insist on a battle today, then there's no reason for the Qingyun Sect to continue existing!" With eyes full of murderous intent, Su Li stood his ground unyieldingly.
At this moment, no one dared to doubt Su Li's resolve to perish together with his adversaries. Even Lin Feng didn't dare to press any further.
Dongfang Shi's face was ashen. "Su Li, the Qingyun Sect is the place that nurtured you. Do you really believe that just because you and Zhao Dong are birds of a feather, you should fight us to the death over someone who stole the sect's ultimate treasure?!"
"What a joke!" Su Li bellowed, "Do you think I can't tell what kind of person Zhao Dong is? If he's capable of stealing our sect's ultimate treasure, then every last one of you must be a scoundrel!"
"What do you mean by that?" Dongfang Shi asked, a suspicious expression on his face.
Su Li sneered, "Zhao Dong has already told me everything. He was completely framed by that scum, Lin Feng. The only reason is that he absorbed the Jade Marrow Stone, so Lin Feng wanted to kill him and seize the treasure. But his skills were inferior. He failed to take the treasure and framed Zhao Dong instead. He is truly a disgrace to our Qingyun Sect!"
That same story again?
Dongfang Shi and the other elders exchanged suspicious glances. If Zhao Dong had said this, his words would carry no weight, and the elders would have naturally disregarded them. But these words came from Su Li's mouth. That meant they had to give it serious consideration.
They knew Su Li hadn't become a Sword Immortal through empty talk. Besides his astonishing talent, he was no fool. The only grave mistake he had ever made was that incident from years ago. Because of that, Su Li's vigilance should have been even sharper. Deceiving him again would be harder than ascending to the heavens.
Since he's so certain of his belief in Zhao Dong now, could there really be more to this matter?
Seeing the elders begin to doubt, Lin Feng grew anxious.
He stood up and roared, "Su Li! How can you believe the words of such a villain? He was caught stealing the treasure, so now he holds a grudge and is trying to frame me. Can't you see that?"
He then turned to the elders and explained, "I, Lin Feng, have been in the Qingyun Sect for decades. Don't you all know the kind of person I am? Let's take a step back. Even if you don't trust my character, is it not a fact that Zhao Dong carries the aura of the Enlightenment Stone? If he didn't steal it, why would he be tainted with its aura?"
At his words, the others nodded in agreement.
"Indeed. The Enlightenment Stone has always been strictly guarded in the Treasure Pavilion. Zhao Dong has no qualifications to enter. If he didn't steal it, how could he have been tainted by its aura?"
"Couldn't Lin Feng have deliberately tainted Zhao Dong with the Enlightenment Stone's aura?" Su Li challenged.
Dongfang Shi immediately shook his head. "Impossible! I arrived at the scene just as their battle ended. If the Grand Elder had tainted Zhao Dong with the aura at that time, he would surely have the aura on him as well. Yet, I found no trace of the Enlightenment Stone's aura on the Grand Elder!"
Hearing this, Su Li's brow furrowed. Although he was willing to believe Zhao Dong, all the current evidence was against him.
Lin Feng said triumphantly, "Su Li, this aura is ironclad proof! You claim you still believe him, but do you have any evidence?"
"I..." Su Li was at a loss for words.
Lin Feng immediately pressed his advantage. "Well? Don't tell me you're claiming Zhao Dong is innocent based on a feeling! Have you forgotten? It was your 'feeling' that caused our sect to suffer a massive loss all those years ago! If your feeling is wrong again this time, you will sever our sect's path to producing another Martial Saint and become our sect's eternal sinner!"
His words struck Su Li's chest like a thousand-pound hammer. He was left completely speechless, his fists clenched so tightly his body trembled.
Just then, Zhao Dong suddenly stepped forward. "I think I know why I have the Enlightenment Stone's aura on me," he explained. "I absorbed the Jade Marrow Stone but haven't fully refined it yet. The Jade Marrow Stone is also an ultimate treasure of the Qingyun Sect. Perhaps its aura is similar to the Enlightenment Stone's. Could it be that you mistook the aura of the Jade Marrow Stone for that of the Enlightenment Stone?"
Hearing this, Dongfang Shi's eyes flew wide open. "How did I overlook that! The aura of the Jade Marrow Stone is indeed quite similar to the Enlightenment Stone's!"
"That's right! I was there when the Jade Marrow Stone was buried years ago. Its aura does seem to have something in common with the Enlightenment Stone's."
"Indeed. The Jade Marrow Stone has been under the Spirit Medicine Pool for so many years that we forgot what its aura felt like. Now that I think about it, that really seems to be the case."
Seeing everyone have this realization, Zhao Dong immediately pointed at Lin Feng. "Everything I said before is the truth. I never stole any Enlightenment Stone. Besides, you claim the Enlightenment Stone is a treasure used to break through to the Martial Saint realm. I am already a Martial Saint, so why would I need to steal it? If I had managed to get into the Qingyun Sect's Treasure Pavilion, why wouldn't I steal something more useful to me? Therefore, this is all a setup by Lin Feng! He coveted the Jade Marrow Stone inside my body and wanted to kill me for it!"
Hearing this, Lin Feng flushed with shame and fury. "Zhao Dong! You dare spout such venomous lies? Elders, this is all just his side of the story! It's true that the aura of the Jade Marrow Stone is similar to that of the Enlightenment Stone, but isn't that the perfect cover for him to steal it? Had he stolen any other treasure, the chances of him being caught would have been much higher. The Enlightenment Stone is priceless! If he sold it, he could exchange it for any treasure he wanted!"
At his words, Dongfang Shi and the others nodded once again.
"The Grand Elder is right. Everything you've said is just your side of the story. No one can say for sure whether this aura is from the Enlightenment Stone or the Jade Marrow Stone. How could we question our sect's Grand Elder based on your word alone?"
Zhao Dong said, "Fine. If you refuse to believe my side of the story, I have another way. I possess a Secret Technique for tracking auras. Now that I have a general sense of the Enlightenment Stone's aura, I am confident I can find it!"
Find the Enlightenment Stone?
These words instantly drained the color from Lin Feng's face. He shouted frantically, "No! The boy is spouting nonsense! This is clearly a trick to escape! I suggest we execute him right now!"
With that, Lin Feng drew his sword without another word and charged toward Zhao Dong.
However, Dongfang Shi stepped forward to block him.
"Wait!" Dongfang Shi said, his voice grim. "Regardless of whether this is his trick to escape, we absolutely cannot lose the Enlightenment Stone. If we kill him now, won't our chances of finding it be lost forever?"